That Dress: Clemence Poesy (and the other girls) in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Am I a geek for loving this look?

For the past week, I have done pretty much nothing except watch all of the Harry Potter films. 

Because I love them? No. Because I had never seen them before.

Do I love them now? No. Now I know why I didn't watch them before.

Fair enough, I didn't really pay that much attention whilst watching, but I really did try to enjoy them. I just found them boring.

The only time I did snap out of my daydream was when Fleur Delacour (a.k.a. Clemence Poesy) came on screen.

Because I love her? No. Actually, before seeing Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), I pretty much only knew her as that French girl who stole Chuck away from Blair for a brief period.

Because she's incredibly stylish? Yes.

Her sky blue school uniform is incredibly chic, and I am completely in love with that hat. She is yet another example of a stylish witch (wait, is she a witch? Or like a fairy? Wizards are only boys, right? Do I really even care?)

That is all I have to say about Harry Potter.

Americana: The Many Portrayals of Jackie Kennedy

Oh, Jackie O...

So today is the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's assassination. Whilst many will pay tribute to the American president, I decided somebody should pay tribute to his iconically stylish wife: Jackie Kennedy Onassis.

Jackie O was just about as known for her style as Michelle O is nowadays; impeccably elegant, sophisticated and appropriate. But you know what is bizarre? There have been no major biopics about her life (and style).

Sure, there have been a string of TV representations and brief side-character representations in films of her (such as Katie Holmes in the TV mini-series The Kennedys (2011) Ginnifer Goodwin in the TV movie Killing Kennedy (2013), Minka Kelly in The Butler (2013) and a bunch of others), but not a single Oscar-worthy film about her.

Very strange and quite shocking. Something should be done about this.

Other actresses who have played her include Jaclyn Smith (in Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy (1981), a TV movie) and Jacqueline Bisset (in America's Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story (2003), also a TV movie). 

Hollywood just needs to find a great actress whose name is Jacqueline/Jaclyn/Jackie and get started with this film already. It's about time.

Cate Blanchett vs. Kate Beckinsale: Katharine Hepburn or Ava Gardner in The Aviator?

Movie stars nowadays dress like tramps compared to old Hollywood starlets.

This is a particularly special post for me. Not only does it involve one of my all-time favourite stylish films, but it is also officially the 100th post of When Fashion Met Film. How exciting.

Therefore, to celebrate this splendid occasion, I decided to reminisce in more ways than one. Firstly, the topic is about well-dressed screen icons from the 1940s, as portrayed by Cate and Kate in The Aviator (2004). Secondly, it's a throwback to my first ever post, Gwen Stacy vs. Catwoman. This is only my third "vs.", mainly because I don't really enjoy pinning two stylish characters against each other, unless it is relevant, like Sienna Miller vs. Scarlett Johansson, since they both portrayed Hitchcock heroines around the same time.

Nevertheless, here we are. I may regret this decision, as I love both Cate and Kate, and Katharine and Ava were both incredibly stylish, but so different. 

The real-life Katharine Hepburn was infamous for her masculine take on style. She was known for wearing wide-legged trousers and blazers in her free time, but was not afraid to amp up the glamour for red carpet affairs. 

Ava Gardner, on the other hand, always looked like pin-up perfection.

Costumer designer Sandy Powell won an Oscar for her efforts in this film, and it was undoubtedly well-deserved. I can't think of any film in which the characters represent their real-life women, style-wise, better than in this film. 

Had I been asked a couple of years ago whose style I preferred, I would have definitely gone for Ava's sexy, glamorous and colourful wardrobe. However, now I feel more inclined to side with Katharine's, as it's versatile and chic, and perhaps the best example of power-dressing before the 80s.

Either way, this film is (and both women are) a constant inspiration.

Wasted Potential: Scarlett Johansson in Don Jon

"You like movies?"

Let's talk about the biggest letdown of the year: Don Jon. 

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, one of the most likeable and respectable (and not to mention stylish) guys in Hollywood, wrote, directed and starred in this film. Not only that, but he had the gorgeous Scarlett Johansson playing the leading-lady and the talented Julianne Moore as a supporting lady. How could this film not have been brilliant?

Well, it wasn't. It was boring and predictable, and tried way too hard to get its point across to an audience who, at least at my theater, kept on walking out for bathroom breaks. There was really little to like about this film.

Worst of all, Scarlett's character, Barbara Sugarman (couldn't think of a better name Jo-Go?), was dressed head-to-toe in boring. 

I understand that she's a Jersey girl whose main motive for dressing is to emphasize her assets, but there is so much more that could've been done with her. Instead of her wearing the same generic things that every other attention-seeking girl does, why could she have not been that tiny bit more stylish? Or even trashy? Trashy would have at least been interesting.

Don't even get me started on the fact that she wears a hot-pink tracksuit whilst watching a movie at home with her boyfriend.

Other than her boring dresses, I must say I did quite enjoy her cinema-going attire: jeans, a white top and leather jacket. Simple? Yes, but somehow classic.

Off/On Topic: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley for M&S

Rosie is pretty much the only model who can get me in the mood for Christmas.

So it's only a little over a month until Christmas, thus it's not surprising that every store is already advertising for the festive season.

Whilst I generally tend to lean towards the "Grinch" side of Christmas, I recently saw a commercial for Marks & Spencer that actually made me happy about the holiday.

Supermodel (and serious style icon) Rosie Huntington-Whiteley stars in this two minute long advert, channelling iconic characters such as Alice in Wonderland, Little Red Riding Hood, Princess Jasmine and Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. Though these style adaptations are not the greatest by all means, they are very delightful and lovely, especially for M&S.

Make sure you check out the ad, just so you don't miss out on any of the Magic & Sparkle:

The Icon: Marilyn Monroe in Some Like It Hot

If only I could take a train down south to play on the beach...
and nab a millionaire.

Some Like It Hot (1959) is one of my favourite films of all time. Not only is it a film made in the 50s that is set in the 20s, but it also presents the iconic Marilyn Monroe in one of her most famous (and most stylish) roles as the ditsy Sugar Kane Kowalczyk. 

Sugar may make bad decisions when it comes to men and booze, but she sure knows how to dress. 

Her best look is, without a doubt, the first outfit we see her in, when she's strutting her stuff before catching a train. Utterly iconic, and apparently wearable during chillier times. Style inspiration? Oh yes. 

Now, all I need to do is learn to play the ukulele and find an all-female band to travel across America with.

Cult Status: Winona Ryder in Beetlejuice

All hail the Queen of the Emos.

I've never been a fan of Winona Ryder. Actually, scratch that. I pretty much loathe Winona Ryder. I honestly have yet to see a film in which I don't seriously detest her existence. 

This may sound relatively harsh, but I can't help the way I feel. I think most of my hatred comes from her voice. I hate her voice.

However, all that being said, I must admit that she does kind of hold a special place in the hearts of emos (and Tim Burton fans, but aren't they the same thing?) everywhere. After all, wasn't Lydia Deetz from Beetlejuice (1988) the original emo?

Her all-black clothes, weird black hair, obsession with death... wait, is she Wednesday Addams? No, Wednesday's too cool to be an emo.

Lydia probably didn't even know it, but she was an icon, way ahead of her time. Props to her, because even though she basically created the emo-style that is a little "So ten years ago", it was pretty much a movement.

At least in my teenage style-years.

The Inspiration: Diane Kruger in National Treasure 2

Historian-chic's main appeal is incredibly stylish jackets.

You wouldn't think that a film such as National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (2007) would have any stylish moments, but somehow Abigail Chase (a.k.a. Diane Kruger) manages to run around the U.S., hunting for an ancient lost treasure , whilst looking incredibly chic.

Historian-chic, which is a term I just thought of, seems to be an extension of librarian-chic; it's smart and sophisticated, but because treasure-hunting historians such as Abigail are required to travel and explore, it has a bit more of an adventurous edge to it.

And what is with the amazing jackets and coats? I've seen this film more than a couple of times, and every time I watch it, I am constantly distracted (in a good way). I want her coats.

Costume designer Judianna Makovsky did a very good job on this occasion, but that isn't very surprising. She has also done the costumes for The Devil's Advocate (1997), Pleasantville (1998) and The Hunger Games (2012).

This woman must have a thing for amazing jackets, because she certainly gave Katniss a good one.

I may need to search for an exact replica of the green leather one (above) for winter.

The Dark Approach: Rooney Mara / Noomi Rapace in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

What is it about the darkness that makes you want to dress like it?

Humans are clearly very easily influenced by the weather. Not only does it seem to affect our mood, but our style choices too. With the exception of those freakishly cheery people around Christmas-time, nobody seems to embrace colour during the colder seasons (at least nowhere in the Northern Hemisphere). But is that necessarily a bad thing?

Black, without a doubt, is my favourite choice of "colour" for clothes, even during the summer. But when winter begins to approach, I'm always quite surprised at the amount of people who go from looking like Celia Foote to Lisbeth Salander (a.k.a. Rooney Mara or Noomi Rapace).

Not that I'm complaining. Besides the hair, Lisbeth's look is quite an inspiration; it's goth meets cyber punk, sort of.

The essentials required for Lisbeth's dark approach are:

• Dark hoodies.
• Facial piercings.
• Leather jacket.
• Studs wherever possible.
• Dark jeans.
• Ripped t-shirts.

Hmm. I may have been channelling Lisbeth for a lot longer than I thought, because this is pretty much the entire contents of my wardrobe (except for the amazing dresses, but those are not really very Lisbeth-ian).

Psycho Chic: Angelina Jolie in Girl, Interrupted

Sometimes it's necessary to channel a sociopath from the '60s.

There comes a time in every girl's life when you feel like you're going mental. Whether it's because there's too much happening around you - or, like me, there's absolutely nothing happening around you - it's likely you may feel like you're trapped in an all-female mental institution from the 1960s. Kind of like Lisa Rowe (a.k.a. Angelina Jolie) in Girl, Interrupted (1999). 

Like me, you may begin to feel agitated, annoyed and generally pissed off about your situation, but what can you do? Pretty much nothing. Well, at least not for now.

It's a sad situation to be in. Not only because you feel like crap, but also because your wardrobe begins to reflect your mood. Instead of opting for the dramatic ensembles, you go for comfort. Comfort. How horrible.

The only thing you can really do to get out of your funk is to just ride it out, like a tidal wave. Wear the bad clothes, be bored and, eventually, you'll get over it.

But while you're bored and wearing the bad clothes, make sure they're at least good bad clothes, like Lisa's. Trust me, you'll feel better about the whole situation afterwards knowing that you didn't wear the worst things possible.

Spotted: Gemma Ward in The Great Gatsby

Ex-quasi-supermodel/aspiring actress:
my favourite kind of cameo. 

Gemma Ward is only in the latest rendition of The Great Gatsby for less than ten seconds, but I feel like her presence helped take the film that much closer to sheer cinematic/styletastic greatness. 

I almost jumped out of my seat when I spotted Gemma at the cinema, though I seemed to be the only one. When I started asking my friends around me: "Oh my gosh, did you see who that was?!", and my friends replied, "No, who?" "Gemma Ward!" "Who?"

Gemma never disappoints, and she seems to love popping up in random films. 

Fingers crossed for more of these in the future.

The Inspiration: Jessica Chastain in The Help

Bright colours and glamour have gone into hibernation. 

Consider this both an Ode and a Farewell to summer fashion.

Gone are the days that you could go outside sans a coat and woolly scarf. Gone are the days that you could wear an ultra-feminine floral sundress, sunglasses and kitten heels, thinking you look like Dita von Teese (even though you could never get the look quite right). From now on, if you want to wear a skirt, you must also wear thick tights. And thick socks. And gloves. And a hat. You must also carry around a massive bag wherever you go, just in case it's too warm and you have to take your sweater off. 

Oh, summer, you and the style you bring along with you will be missed. The 60's-housewife look can only be pulled off during the summer. 

Which is why we should look to Celia Foote (a.k.a. Jessica Chastain) for inspiration. She is a constant reminder of that wonderful summer style. Even though it always seemed sunny and warm in The Help (2011), during these cold and dreary months, we must remember that summer will come again. You will be able to sit on the grass (though not in the sun. Under the shade of a tree) and take off your shoes and read a book. 

Summer style will happen again. Only another seven months to go.