The Met Costume Institute Gala 2012

Forget London fashion week.  In fact, forget New York fashion week, Paris fashion week and Milan fashion week.  Forget all four put together.

The annual Met Costume Institute Gala is the one event on the fash calendar that I absolutely cannot wait for.  Toted as one of the most anticipated, glamorous and exclusive events in the world by the who's-who in fashion, the event which has been running since 1948 never fails to wow us mere-mortals who can only dream of wearing gowns so expensive, it would be cheaper to buy a penthouse in London, deck it out wall-to-wall in solid gold furniture, all whilst living on a diet of caviar and truffle oil for a year.

However, save up your pocket money, and for the lip-quivering sum of *£3,000, you could be rubbing shoulders with the stars.  (*Please note, this is the price of the CHEAPEST ticket available, so will probably be comparable to buying the cheapest ticket to Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat at the theatre.  But hey, you'll be rubbing shoulders with the perfectly preened and immaculately dressed.  Well, perhaps not rubbing shoulders.  At least you'll be in the same room as them.)

There's something so tantalisingly exciting about seeing the most beautiful people in the world looking, well - even more immaculate and beautiful than usual, if that's even possible.  

The first thing I done when I got up this morning was to frantically scour the pages of The Fashion Spot for the deets and the all-important visuals from the event which took place in NYC last night.  Cue endless amount of admiring/envious sighs as I fawned over the beautiful creations the A-list flaunted on the red carpet.

And so, I've compiled a list of the best dressed (in my opinion).  Perhaps 'best' is an understatement, because today I am seriously questioning my sexuality after seeing how jaw-droppingly beautiful some of the women looked last night.  Who knew that an exquisitely crafted garment had the ability to alter someone's sexual orientation?  So, sit back, and prepare to be wowed.  You'll probably have a new girl crush by the time you've finished reading!

WINNER: "THE RISK-TAKER" AWARD

Lana Del Rey

"Chain-mail" and "long, black goth cape" conjur rather unsettling images as two separate concepts, but together?  Surely a recipe for a fashion disaster - or not, as our favourite songstress Lana Del Rey proved as she stepped out in custom Joseph Altuzarra.  Teamed with freshly dyed chocolate brown locks and a matte aubergine lip, Lana smouldered in her simple yet stunning ensemble, with the balance of timeless elegance and femme-fetale being just right.

WINNER: "THE BELLE OF THE BALL" AWARD

Lily Collins

Who knew Phil Collins could spawn something so beautiful?!  Lily looked dainty as a doll in Valentino - I really love how she complimented her youthful appearance with floaty chiffon in virginal cream and white, whilst keeping her make-up natural looking with coral blush and a rosy lip.  Lace, bows and shamelessly feminine - what's not to love?  The one to watch in 2012, prepare to see her as a regular fixture on the style pages of Grazia and Vogue. 

WINNER: "THE QUEEN OF COOL" AWARD

Dree Hemingway

Wearing a customised creation from the Topshop Unique A/W '12 collection, Ms. Hemingway proved just how she earned her achingly cool style credentials.  Cheeky panels of peek-a-boo chiffon provided enough naughtiness to give a real wow-factor to an otherwise plain dress, whilst the shin length was refreshing amongst a sea of floor-sweeping gowns.  A slick of orange red lipstick and mussed up bed-hair was the perfect finishing touch to Dree's Met look which oozed effortless style.

WINNER: "THE GLAMAZON" AWARD

Beyonce

Pick your jaws up off the floor, ladies and gentleman.  After last night, Beyonce can officially add "yummy mummy" to her already enviable CV.  Bey looked radiant in an exquisite couture Givenchy creation, with purple ostrich feathers at the hem providing an edgy kick of colour to take the gown from being exquisite to out of this world.  I love her hair a slightly bit darker- the warm honey hue really compliments her glowing peaches 'n' cream complexion.

WINNER: "THE ENGLISH ROSE" AWARD

Michelle Dockery

Out of the few Brit girls at the Met last night, Downtown Abbey's Michelle Dockery certainly did us proud.  In a simple black Ralph Lauren gown emphasised with metallic detailing on the bust, Michelle is officially our poster girl for the anti-TOWIE movement, where simplicity, elegance and natural beauty comes up trumps against the scantily clad oompa-loompa look which so many girls of our generation buy into (why is a mystery!).  And teamed with the addition of black silky gloves, I'm sure this ensemble would have had Audrey Hepburn's stamp of approval.

WINNER: "THE STYLE CHAMELEON" AWARD

Rihanna

Ahhh, the ever-changing style of Rihanna.  Fashion icon, or the manufactured product of a hard-working team of stylists and publicity machine?  Probably the latter, however nobody can deny the fact that RiRi looked drop-dead gorgeous last night.  In a black croc-print Tom Ford dress, black stilettos and pared down make-up, Rihanna ticked all the right boxes when it came down to perfecting a look fit for the Met  red carpet.    And I am loving her new black weave, the blonde was nasty and cheap-looking on her.  Please drop the faux-gangster persona Ri, you look phenomenal without the gimmicky clothes!

WINNER: "THE RED HOT" AWARD

Eva Mendes

With metallic being the biggest story on the red carpet of the Met Gala 2012, Eva stood out for all of the right reasons and opted for a spicy orange silk gown by Prada.  The high-waisted skirt with an additional on-trend peplum emphasised Eva's enviable hourglass figure, whilst the black and white embellishment on the bust broke up the bold colour.  A perfect example of how to compliment your summer sun-kissed complexion with rich jewel colour and neutral makeup.

don't lose who you are, in the blur of the stars

It happens to so many people, yet for some reason we are all scared to talk about it.  


I was shocked, disgusted, appalled and saddened when I checked the news today.  A 15 year old school girl from New York, by the name of Amanda Cummings, chose to end her life after suffering at the hands of bullies.  I'm not ashamed to say I cried as I read through the story.


Amanda died from her horrific injuries in hospital, almost a week after she threw herself in front of a bus as she clutched onto a suicide note.

ABOVE: Amanda Cummings

When I saw a picture of Amanda, I saw a beautiful young girl.  And no, I didn't know Amanda personally, so I don't know what sort of person she was.  But I do know this; nobody, and I mean nobody, deserves to be bullied.  

To be bullied to the point of throwing yourself in front of a bus to end your sadness, as a last resort to end the pain you face, either mentally or physically, shows just how devastating bullying can be on a victim's mindset.  That getting hit by a bus, and more than likely dying in the most undignified painful way, is more appealing than the thought of living, really says something- don't you think?

Yes, Amanda is gone now and I hope she's at peace.  But, she leaves her family and her friends behind, who will never ever forget her, and forget why she died the way she did.  

This story isn't unique though, last year I saw far too many stories just like this.  Mainly young people, victims of bullying who purposefully chose to end their life to escape their tormentors.

There's a chance that those who are reading this have been bullied, but there's also the chance there's bullies reading this too.  If you are a bully, I would like you to read on...

There's this girl I used to know from school.  She wasn't the most popular girl, or the most pretty girl.  She kept herself to herself, and had a small close-knit group of friends.  But as she got older, people started to change.  

Her oldest friends drifted away from her- they started dying their hair, getting boyfriends, smoking...some of them even joined the most popular clique of girls who also had the rep for being the nastiest.  She found herself alone.  

This girl felt like everything and everyone around her was changing.  Except for one thing- she didn't feel like she was changing at all.

She'd spend lunchtimes sitting by herself, or with her sister.  As pathetic as she felt, she joined the calligraphy club and choir, just so she didn't have to feel so ashamed to be seen on her own.

Then it got worse.  The taunting and sly remarks.  "Geek."  "Swot". "Ugly cunt". "Fucking freak."

I even saw someone in the corridor take their chewing gum out of their mouth, and stick it on the back of her head, getting it stuck in her long blonde hair.  She sobbed loud tears, as what felt like hundreds of students laughed and pointed at her as she fumbled with the chewing gum in her hair.  The teachers had to cut it out with blunt scissors.  It was such a mess, she had to go to the hairdressers and get her hair cut into a bob.  

She carried on though, as hard as it was.  I used to see her on a morning, and her eyes would be swollen and red from how hard she'd been crying the night before.  She couldn't even look at herself in the mirror anymore because she was so ashamed at what she saw.

She lost all motivation.  She'd fake illnesses just so she didn't have to go to school, and I think her mother knew this, but she would never kick up a fuss.  Instead she'd lie with her on her bed, stroking her hair telling her it would all pass one day.

And then the day which really hit her the hardest.  Quite literally.  

A whole classroom full of students looked on, in stunned silence as she took the most painful beating of her life.

One punch to the face, and another, and another.  And a few more after that.  She looked so pathetic just lying on the desk, she couldn't even fight back.  Just paralysed with the most terrible fear she'd ever known.

That girl was me.

And that was the day that changed my life.  

Things get worse before they get better.  And I know that more than anyone.  For years after I struggled, even until my last year of college the memories felt as raw as paper cuts.  

School hadn't been the happiest days of my life.  They had been the hardest.  It had turned me into a nervous wreck with no confidence.  Until one morning, I woke up, and something clicked.

They all want to get the better of me.  They want me to fail.  They are winning if they know I feel like I'm losing.

"Geek" and "swot" only made me study harder, carry on playing piano, draw in my sketchbook and sing in the choir.  

"Ugly cunt" made me love my short bob, and taught myself how to draw on my eye-liner   perfectly every morning before school.

And "fucking freak", well, that made me to be unafraid of who I was. 

So, if you're a bully, and you've managed to read till the end, without gut-wrenching shame taking over you- I applaud you.  I hope this has given you the insight to a victim's mind, so maybe you'll think twice before you call them a name which gives you your kicks.  Maybe you'll think twice before lifting your fist?  These are all just maybes, but I hope I've made it something you'll feel ashamed and disgusted in even thinking about doing, let alone acting upon.

And if you are bullied...I hope this has made you that bit stronger.  My mother was right and things do get better, even if it does feel it's going to take an eternity to achieve.  I leave you with the song below.  Have a listen.  I hope the words inspire you.

Rest in peace Amanda

xo