Silver Fox

"Slowly, silently, now the moon

Walks the night in her silver shoon;

This way, and that, she peers, and sees

Silver fruit upon silver trees;

One by one the casements catch

Her beams beneath the silvery thatch"

~ Walter de la Mare

'Tommy's Honour', is a beautiful, intimate, and powerfully moving film. Directed by Jason Connery, it was recently nominated for two Scottish BAFTA awards; Best Feature Film and Best Film Actor.  It very deservedly won the Best Film BAFTA (see here); he wept, I wept, we all wept with absolute joy! It was a very special, emotional night.

To attend such a prestigious Event I wanted to wear something very unique and wonderful, so I immediately turned to my favourite Designer for the perfect outfit. Lovely Emma Manley really struck gold (or rather, silver!) for me with this divine dress.

'Carly' is a statement evening dress in every sense of the word; crafted from show stopping silver metallic bubble leather, the flattering fit and flare shape is nipped in at the waist, has a subtle racer-back, and secret pockets at the hip that add a relaxed edge to its elegant, ladylike silhouette.

To take the dress from magnificent, to even more magnificent, I styled it with the most beautiful clutch bag. Manley's 'Maisey' bag, in a silver/white colourway to perfectly compliment my dress, is crafted from the finest Italian textured leather. The front panel is embellished with hand-crafted leather bows held in place by silver dome shaped studs. It has two separate, poplin lined compartments inside, and is the perfect size to hold all my essentials. As if that wasn't enough, the bag also comes with a detachable shoulder strap, making it equally wearable with casual, laid-back outfits. To ensure I was 100% red carpet ready, I added a little pop of colour to my shimmery silvery outfit with a pair of beautiful, deep pink, satin Gina shoes.

Jason wore a beautifully tailored tuxedo to the BAFTAs and was, hands down, the best dressed man and the coolest dude there. Slaters in Edinburgh has become his go-to place for smart, sophisticated looks for special occasions. Huge thanks to Sandy and the team for dressing him so stylishly, and to Emma for my silver dress and clutch bag of dreams!

Get The Look:

Dress: Manley 'Carly' Bubble Dress in silver leather (similar)

Bag: Manley 'Maisey' Bag in silver/white

Shoes: Gina 'Martini' Peep-toe Sling-back Shoes in pink (similar here and here)

Photos: John Uwins Photography ©
Official BAFTA Photos: BAFTA / Alan Peebles ©

Something Blue

"Blue, I didn't ask you,

Blue, I didn't invite you.

Blue, why did you come around so soon?

My heart it wasn't ready for you,

I don't know what the hell to do,

The full moon showed up in your face, Blue"

~ Balsamo/Deighton, Christian Phillips

A couple of weeks ago I had the very great honour of walking the red carpet with a very special man at a very special film premier; Tommy's Honour, directed by Jason Connery, is a beautiful, inspiring and deeply moving film, and it had its world premier at the opening night of the 70th Edinburgh International Film Festival. For such a spectacular occasion, I needed a pretty spectacular dress, so naturally I turned to my favourite Designer, the super talented Emma Manley. 

Where do I even begin with this stunning dress of dreams? It is another impossibly beautiful Manley piece; a glorious work of art, and a statement dress in the truest sense of the word. Crafted from perforated leather, it is embellished with appliquéd hand-cut leather strips that are moulded into beautiful bows, each one held down with a silver stud. The beautiful embellishment features heavily at the base of the dress, and moves upwards delicately and randomly.

Also available in dark grey, rich wine, and vibrant pink colourways, it was the powder blue shade that I was immediately attracted to. In the meaning of colours, pale blue is a peaceful and tranquil colour that creates a sense of calmness, relaxation and order. We all know how peaceful and calming it feels to lie on our back on a bright Summers day, looking up into a beautiful blue cloudless sky. And we know that when a rare blue moon occurs, the magick is endless. I love wearing blue. 

I styled my dress with a pair of Zebra print Manolo Blahnik shoes. I love to clash colours and prints, and this styling combination is my idea of perfection. A beautiful silver clutch by Nadia Minkoff completed my red carpet look.  

If you think a man might struggle to compete with such a standout dress on the red carpet, you'd be very wrong; Jason wowed everyone by wearing a kilt! We got his kilt (the particular tartan he wore is called 'Scottish Spirit') from Slaters in Edinburgh (huge thanks to Sandy and the team, who looked after us so well). Jason looked absolutely gorgeous, and effortlessly cool in his great outfit; he was hands down the best dressed man  at the premier. There was plenty of swooning when we emerged from our car and his loyal fans spotted him! What is it about a man in a kilt that is so irresistible?  

And the fun didn't end on the red carpet; a couple of weeks later,  I got to wear my beautiful dress all over again for this Blog photoshoot! Kate and I were joined on the shoot by 16 year old photography student Sam Millward, an exceptionally talented, and very professional young photographer. Watch out for him, and remember, you saw him here first!

Get The Look:

Dress: Manley 'Carly' Bow Dress in powder blue

Shoes: Manolo Blahnik 'D'Orsay' Peep-toe Shoes in Zebra (similar)

Bag: Nadia Minkoff 'Kensington' Clutch Bag in antique silver 

Photos: Sam Millward ©

Premier photos: Ivon Bartholomew and Gordon Terris  ©

Behind the scenes photo: Kate Carpenter Photography ©

'Blue' song lyric: Balsamo/Deighton ©