Star Style: Nicole Richie

I've never really given two hoots about Nicole Richie. Previously, I'd see pics of her in a maxi dress and sandals and big sunnies and think, "that's easy, I can do that" and not spend another second caring about what she wears or even what she does. Because until fairly recently, she was one of those unfortunate celebs that was famous for doing nothing. How things have changed. She is still the go-to girl for how to style a maxi, but I've been more and more impressed - enough so to actually pay attention - with her understated chic outfits. Getting the whole "appropriate for being a mum and having baby food thrown at you/chasing a toddler through the playground - effortlessly stylish and subtly on trend" blend right is not that easy. Coupled with the acclaim she's generated for her two fashion lines, House of Harlow and Winter Kate, she's suddenly deserving of a whole lot more respect. What's Paris doing these days, btw?

Nicole, these days, wears an awful lot of black tights/skirts/jackets combos. But for the depths of winter, it's an easy way to look dressed up and stylish, but not overdone:

The playground requires a staple palette in comfy but stylish cuts:

And for evening? Let the sparkles speak for themselves:

images: Glamour, Marie Claire, InStyle, People, GoFugYourself, Celebritybabyscoop

Paparrazi: the best show on Earth

Wouldn't it suck driving (or being driven) along, stopping at traffic lights (cos even celebs obey the red and green lights, particularly German ones) only to have someone slam their camera lens into your windscreen and snap away, then turn and jump into the car behind that is going to follow you wherever it is you are going? Or to have people sitting in the supermarket carpark all day waiting for you, making huge bucks out of the fact you bought groceries and then loaded them into your car? Yes, but it's also awesome that Angelina shops at Sainsbury's (like me!) and Robbie spends ages in Cardiff at night looking for something to do (like me! Obviously he never found the Walkabout pub next to Travelodge). That's why Paparazzi is such awesome viewing. Following the team of "paps" behind Aussie entrepreneur Darryn Lyon's Big Pictures photo agency, it shows how boring, futile, interesting and oddly obsessive the world of celebs is. Especially in Britain ("who's that? I don't know. Surely she's on a soap? Dunno. Take her pic anyway"). For those of you with cable you've probably flicked past it a thousand times or the current episodes are more current than 2005, but for those of you with only 5 channels to choose from it's on abc2 every wednesday at 9:30.

Huge money is spent and paid in getting these pics. The first Brangelina pics apparently netted them nearly $1 million. It sounds like an exciting job, but I'm not so sure...I wouldn't spend a week following Charlotte Church around Cardiff and then driving behind her all the way to London, just to get a few snaps of her in baggy pants and thongs. I'd be pissed off if I spent a week in pink-Pommy infested tourist spots like the Algarves trying to get pics of footballers wives such as Colleen (Wayne Rooney, looks like Shrek) "whose only talent is shopping". I would, however, gleefully stomp around in the mud at Glastonbury, swilling pints of watery crap beer and take pics of the massive crowd, enjoy the show and run into Kate Moss. Unfortunately it takes alot of sitting in vans outside Selfridges waiting for Pammy Anderson before you get to do that.

It's oddly compulsive and completely awesome viewing. Aside from the fact that Darryn's wardrobe match is Edi from Ab Fab, and his 'current' project involves turning a talentless bunch of pouty boobs into "the next big girl band" (which obviously never happened, though Westlife did miraculously reform), you too will sit on the edge of the couch waiting for that moment when the celeb finally appears. It's all over in about 3 seconds, and he/she generally looks dishevelled, pissy, and oddly like a suburban chav for someone who's rolling in dosh. LIKE THE ONES WHO WEAR PINK TERRY TOWELLING JUICY COUTURE TRACKSUITS FFS. It's like some odd sense of relief to see that they don't walk around in real life airbrushed with appropriate theme music traling behind them. I don't even care that these screenings are 3 years old now and Brangelina have adopted a mini United Nations, Sienna has gone from boho to badho and Charlotte Church is....umm.....possibly in Cardiff somewhere. I could go on about our celeb obsession for days (think about it, something isn't cool or sellable or worth having unless a celeb has it/wears it/dates it); but instead I'll leave you with this, from celeb blog JustJared:

"Reese Witherspoon puffs up her cheeks as she drinks a gulp of water outside her friend’s house in Brentwood, Calif. on Monday."

OMG.

Cate is Great...and so are you

Giving birth makes your body bleed, leak, weep, stretch and contort in ways you never imagined possible. Who, I ask you, WHO in their right mind would rock up to a glamour-infested film festival in the south of France roughly one month after, cool as a cucumber and calm as an, erm, really chilled out cucumber? CATE. COS SHE IS AWESOME.

She does set rather high standards though. I sure as hell couldn't be bothered discussing the future of the country with K-Rudd a few days after popping one out. Should we mere mortals aspire to be like Cate though? Those who could get away with that Armani gown are few and far between, but should we be churning out kids, back in shape, at work and glowing as ever within days? Or should we be cocooning ourselves indoors, in our comfiest clothes, gratefully accepting the help of family and friends, just taking time out, because when it comes down to it, we simply can't do it all? Are we even allowed to think that? And even if we could do everything, would you want to? Something as precious as the first time your newborn smiles is worth so much more than showing off your toned post-baby body, surely. Not saying that Cate is a negligent Mum. I reckon she is one of those rare Superwomen, who we should all admire, but not aspire to. Quite frankly, she rocks. But my daughter thinks I rock too, even though my hair looks funny sometimes and the house is messy and my shoes don't always match my bag. In her eyes, I am a very cool cucumber, and that means more to me than what today's societal standards and glossy mags dictate!