Five ways to style a tea dress

At the recently-held London Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2017, we learned that tea dresses are set to be huge next season. To help you nail this trend, LUXE Models reveals five style tips.

Think of legs

Tea dresses show off the lower parts of your legs, so you need to think about what to do here when styling these pieces. Tea dresses can work with tights, but they’re often best with bare legs, especially in spring and summer. Another big issue you’ll need to consider here is shoes. To make the most of tea dresses, try pairing them with fun strapped sandals in summer and killer, thigh-high boots in winter!

Read the article in full with LUXE Models.

Taylor Swift, All is Forgiven!

The Luxe Models team has decided to forgive pop star Taylor Swift for trotting out her endless supply of celeb pals every chance she gets. Why? She recruited one of the best Friends ever to jam with the crowd at one of the latest shows on the 1989 World Tour!

Bad Blood with Taylor

She may be adorable, amazing and like, the nicest person on the planet, but Luxe Models has a little bit of ‘Bad Blood’ with Taylor Swift. We’re sick of her parading her truckload of famous friends at every available opportunity.

Apparently we weren’t the only ones who were tired of the side-show. Last week we reported that a writer called Lara Schoenals decided to create the Taylor Swift Parody you need to see. We have to admit that we re-watched it recently for the purposes of this article, and it’s freaking amazing!

Enter Phoebe Buffay

Yet as you might have guessed from the title of this article, Luxe Models has decided to forgive Taylor for bringing out her A-list ‘squad’ every chance she gets. The person who’s responsible for this remarkable turnaround? Lisa Kudrow a.k.a. Phoebe Buffay from Friends.

We have to make it crystal clear, we really love Phoebe. She was the off-beat, quirky one in Friends who was a hipster before the hipster even became a thing. The team at Luxe Models genuinely believe that Miss Buffay’s penchant for zany outfits teamed with wacky accessories kicked off a style movement that has gone on to conquer the world of fashion.

Smelly Cat ft. Taylor Swift

The kookiest of the Friends roster was also the voice behind fictional one hit wonder ‘Smelly Cat.’ This iconic jam took over the world back in the 90s and if we’re being completely honest, we still remember the words; it was that awesome! Do you see where we’re going with this?

Radio Times recently reported that Swift invited Kudrow on the stage at the Staples Centre in L.A. to perform a duet of ‘Smelly Cat.’ Honestly it makes sense; we all know how much T-Swizzle loves her felines! You need to watch this video. It’s so amazing that it’ll have you crying with laughter within seconds, as you suddenly remember just why you fell in love with the ‘Mine’ singer in the first place.

Coolest duet… ever

After this duet, we had no choice but to forgive her. A performance of this magnitude will surely go down in pop culture history as one of the coolest moments of all time. At this point, the ‘Shake It Off’ hit maker can do pretty much whatever she wants, we don’t care anymore! 

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The Spat That Rocked Pop Culture

Today, Luxe Models wants to delve into the celebrity spat that rocked pop culture and explain how two music heavyweights eventually put aside their egos to settle their beef. Here’s the story of Taylor Swift vs. Nicki Minaj.

Love letter

Let the Luxe Models team take this opportunity to tell you how much we love both Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj. These are two fierce, independent, talented women who have utilised their voices to shoot themselves into the stratosphere of fame.

As fashion enthusiasts, we also need to take a moment to tell you how much we love both women’s sense of style. Taylor is the ultimate girl next door who still knows how to rock a pair of killer hot pants. In contrast, Nicki is the David Bowie of female rappers; she creates outlandish personas and adorns each one with elaborate wigs, strange trappings and colourful accoutrements.

Taylor vs Nicki

This is why many of us here in the Luxe Models office were disheartened to learn last week that our two favourite divas had a falling out on Twitter. Like it would’ve happened anywhere else. The Guardian reported that the argument was sparked by Minaj’s suggestion that the music video for her single ‘Anaconda’ was passed over for a VMA nomination.

She claimed that the clip failed to receive a nod at the ceremony because the awards preferred to champion clips produced by “women with very slim bodies.” Considering the height of her current fame, Swift immediately assumed this zinger was aimed at her, and responded on the social networking site by blasting the Trinidadian rapper with a Tweet so cold it could start a new ice age.

Crisis averted

We’re happy to report that the crisis has been averted. Swift apologised to the ‘Bang Bang’ hit maker on where else, Twitter, and Minaj responded to accept the starlet’s humble words of attrition.

Swift simply said “I thought I was being called out. I missed the point, I misunderstood, then misspoke. I'm sorry, Nicki.” The former American Idol judge responded eloquently, saying that “I've always loved her. Everyone makes mistakes. She gained so much more respect from me. Let's move on.”

Sisterhood

We’re so glad that these two titans of pop have settled their imaginary beef. These are two awesome, talented, confident trendsetters and here at Luxe Models we believe that successful women need to support each other!

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Five Celebrity Businesswomen Luxe Models Admires

This week we decided to name the five celebrity businesswomen Luxe Models most admires, to salute the famous female faces who’ve used their talents to build huge financial empires.

It’s a woman’s world

The girls have come a long way. When the modern concept of “celebrity” first arose in the 40’s and 50’s, a woman could be famous but she couldn’t control her own financial future. It was the men who had their hands on the purse strings.

Oh how times have changed. Fast forward a few decades and you’ll soon see that it’s the girls who run the show these days. Female stars are using their fame as a platform to develop entire business empires, and show that the girls are every bit as good as the boys when it comes to making money.

These five women know how to make money!

There are a few women who stand head and shoulders above the rest; women so talented, intelligent and ambitious that they have accumulated serious piles of cash throughout their careers. Here are five that Luxe Models particularly admires.

1)      Oprah: Since she first started The Oprah Winfrey Show back in the 80’s, this fabulous female entrepreneur has gone on to become the world’s only African-American billionaire. Dubbed the “Queen of all media” by the international press, there isn’t a media-flavoured pie Ms Winfrey has failed to grab a slice of. She even has her own TV network.

2)      Madonna: The mother of reinvention has always had a talent for making money. Ever since her meteoric rise to stardom in the 80’s, Madonna has never missed an opportunity to market herself, turning her image into a speeding juggernaut of a global brand. She has sold more than 300 million records worldwide and has developed numerous products including her own clothing line and a chain of gyms!

3)      Beyoncé: The woman that CNN has described as a “global brand,” Queen Bey has straddled the line between marketing herself as an astute businesswoman whilst maintaining her relatable girl-next-door appeal. Not only has she sold millions of albums worldwide, but she has released so many products that we don’t have the space to list them all in this article!

4)      J.K. Rowling: We love J.K. Rowling because she lived the classic rags to riches story. She lifted herself out of a life on benefits when she dreamt up a story about a boy wizard at magic school that transformed the lives of millions of children all over the world. Rowling’s story shows that one idea can change your life.

5)      Taylor Swift: By far the youngest name on this list, T-Swizzle has such a talent for making money that it’s astounding. Named a “savvy business leader” by Entrepreneur.com, her estimated net worth is $220 million even though she’s only 25 years old. It’s really amazing how much dosh you can make off the back of a few (dozen) failed relationships!

Luxe Models salutes you!

The reason we admire these women and others like them should be obvious. They have used their talent, intelligence and raw ambition to overcome the misogyny that’s still rampant in the business community to turn their names into global brands. For that, we salute you celebrity businesswomen of the world! 

For more stories and blogs like this, be sure to stay in touch with Luxe Models on Ello today!

Is Taylor Swift Starting to Take Herself Too Seriously?

Taylor Swift’s recent decision to trademark phrases from new album 1989 has prompted Luxe Models to ask this week; is Taylor Swift starting to take herself too seriously?

The Year of Taylor Swift

2014 was the year of Taylor Swift. The former country music starlet has always had a rabid fan base, but the release of her latest album 1989 has catapulted her to into the realm of pop superstardom.

As such Swift has become a role model for women around the world. We’ve welcomed this here at Luxe Models. The ‘Shake it Off’ singer’s penchant for simple yet elegant fashion is one that translates on a universal scale. Anyone can pull off the Taylor Swift look.

Is Taylor as Down to Earth as she’s Always Seemed?

That relatability is the reason so many people like Taylor Swift. She’s the down to earth nice girl of pop and in an industry often characterised by glamour and seduction, she often proves a refreshing change of pace.

Yet Swift’s down to earth temperament has come under doubt as of late due to her latest decision. One that seems more characteristic of Madonna or Mariah than the former Nashville darling. According to Digital Spy, Swift has decided to trademark certain phrases that feature in songs from 1989.

Protecting the Brand

According to legal database Justia, Swift has applied to the US government to legally trademark a range of phrases. These include 'Party Like its 1989,'  'This Sick Beat,' 'Cause We Never Go Out of Style,' 'Nice to Meet You, Where You Been?' and 'Could Show You Incredible Things.'

Swift has taken this step to protect her brand. Trademarking these phrases will prevent others from using them for marketing purposes. It will, for example, stop them featuring the phrases on products such as Christmas stockings, whalebone and removal tattoos and guitar straps, as well as whips, saddlery, pot holders, typewriters and non-medicated toiletries.

She’s Gone too Far This Time

Swift hasn’t done anything unusual. Pop stars use trademarking every day as a way to protect their brand. However, usually they limit it to album titles, song titles etc.

Trademarking a phrase just seems like a step too far. Is Taylor Swift so desperate to safeguard her brand that she feels the need to ensure people don’t have permission to use certain sentences? If so then yes, maybe the ‘Blank Space’ crooner really is starting to take herself too seriously! 

Taylor Swift Bans Music From Spotify

Swifties including Luxe Models were left severely disappointed last week, when the woman herself decided to ban her music from Spotify.

Swiftie: Fan of Taylor Swift

Yes, Luxe Models are self-proclaimed Swifties and proud of it. For those of you not familiar with the term, it’s a word used to describe fans of pop star Taylor Swift.

Originally known for her passionate country music efforts, Swift has steadily been gaining a reputation recently for her ability to craft a killer pop tune. She’s also got a fabulous sense of style, and we worship at her altar. She manages to combine glamour with demureness; something quite rare for the modern pop star, and which we respect.

A Pop Music Heavyweight

Swift’s mission to rebrand herself as a pop music heavyweight stepped up several gears recently with the release of new album 1989, and lead single, ‘Shake It Off.’ As you can imagine, they’ve both sold phenomenally well, and topped various charts across the world.

Which is why it seems odd that Taylor would take any step which could alienate her fans. Nevertheless, it appears that she has taken one, as she has decided to withdraw her tracks frommusic-streaming service Spotify.

Not Willing to contribute Life’s Work to an Experiment

Speaking on the decision to Yahoo News, Swift said that: "All I can say is that music is changing so quickly, and the landscape of the music industry itself is changing so quickly, that everything new, like Spotify, all feels to me a bit like a grand experiment.

And I'm not willing to contribute my life's work to an experiment that I don't feel fairly compensates the writers, producers, artists, and creators of this music. And I just don't agree with perpetuating the perception that music has no value and should be free.

How Will She Shake That Off?

She kind of makes a valid point. Working in the fashion industry, Luxe Models can’t imagine what would happen if a designer, for example, went unpaid for their art. Nevertheless, as Taylor points out, the music industry is changing, and it just may leave her in the dust. How will she shake that off?