So tonight is the Daily Mirror’s Pride of Britain Awards 2011.  Britain’s greatest national awards show brings together politicians, celebrities and most importantly members of the public who have proven themselves to be outstanding citizens. Yet, as the red carpet rolled out to bring in the glam audience on Monday evening, naturally there has already been much hype over the best and worst dressed attendees.  Don’t forget to watch this evening!

Here are our favourites…

New X-Factor queen Tulisa wowed bystanders with Vivienne Westwood‘s Ruben dress with Renaissance print.  The silk tie cinched in her tiny waist as she showed off her gorgeous Hollywood tan.  Tulisa also added a net underskirt to her dress in order to create volume, transforming Westwood’s creation into the perfect prom dress.

Cheryl Cole turned heads in Victoria Beckham’s floor-length dress in cadillac pink.  With its panelled waist and back zip detailing, VB’s dress was a real credit to the red carpet.  Cheryl’s curves were perfectly accentuated while allowing her to look sophisticated and feminine.

Christine Bleakley definitely got the memo that a Herve Leger frock is always a great choice for a simple yet show-stopping look.  The metallic gold bandage dress combined with a slightly darker metallic clutch complimented her gorgeous olive skin and dark hair.

Finally, Myleene Klass dazzled in a metallic grey Jacques Azagury mermaid gown.  Strapless and with pockets, this is the perfect dress for a glamorous yet functional look.  Myleene looked stunning with her flowing locks and matching clutch to complete her dress.

By Caroline Dawe

German born Dina, moved to the United States at the age of 18 where she has built her gorgeous collection of ball gowns and cocktail dresses and generated a huge following of fans and celebrities.  Based in California, the dresses are entirely made in the United States and designed to flatter and accentuate a woman’s curves.  As described by Dina, Plunging necklines, flouncy fishtails, two-tone gowns and asymmetrical drapes have ensured her dresses remain in the limelight.

Her collections reached an all time high when Kate Hudson wore her yellow, back-less gown in the film ‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days’.   Romantic, elegant and sophisticated she mixes the classic with a contemporary twist like nobody else.  Her dresses are on-trend yet maintain a high level of quality for an extremely reasonable price.  Inspired by her late daughter Orna, Dina’s collections are made with love and with a special appreciation for glamour and femininity.   Her collections are now sold worldwide.

Hire one of Dina’s gorgeous gowns from Girl Meets Dress today!  Here are some of our favourites…

The Louise Dress  is a statement, black-tie gown covered in lace with a fitted bodice and fish-tail skirt.  This elegant and highly glamorous dress is the perfect choice for a romantic, black-tie occassion.  Ensure you stand out from the crowd with a look that exudes old Hollywood glamour.

 

The Penelope Dress is fitted with a plunging neckline and fitted ruched bodice.  In plum with a corsage embellishment, this is another extremely romantic and elegant Dina Bar-El gown.  With its satin-chiffon draped skirt, team with strappy silver heels, a metallic clutch and long, delicate necklace to complete the look.

Finally, we have the Anastasia Gown, an asymmetrical dress with crystal embellishment on the shoulder.  In cream, silk-chiffon, the ruched bodice completes this evening gown with a high luxury look.  Keep the dress simple with matching silver accessories and strappy heels.

For styling advice please email: enquiries@girlmeetsdress.com.  Happy hiring! x

By Caroline Dawe

Deciding what to wear to any event can increase the blood pressure of even the most laid back of us, so it’s not surprising that when it comes to a work do our minds are flooded with endless questions and concerns.  Should my hair be up or down?  What colour should I go for? Is it too low cut?  Too conservative?  What shoes should I wear? …and the list goes on.

When it comes to socialising with our bosses and fellow colleagues it often seems that pressure to look the part outside of the office with a fear of standing out for all of the wrong reasons prohibits us from making these decisions confidently.  However, we have created some basic rules to help make all of this slightly less stressful and a fool-proof way to do it…

If your event is black tie (such as a silver anniversary) it is safest to go with a long dress.  Choose a silhouette you would feel most comfortable in and a favourite colour that is also suited to your skin tone.  If you’ve never worn a bright yellow dress-this is perhaps not the best time to try it out!  However, go with a long dress that has a specific feature you love!  Whether it be a floral optic frill as featured on our Marchesa Notte gown

or an asymmetrical shape as featured on our Dina Bar-El Anastasia gown,

make sure you are excited with what you’re wearing as your confidence will shine!  In addition, if the focal point of your long dress is above the bust, wear your hair up to show it off.  Or alternatively, if it is below the bust, as featured on our Ruth Tarvydas Hidden Gem dress with its on trend side slit, wear your hair down to compliment its glamour.

When it comes to deciding what shoes and accessories to complete your dress try to choose complimentary colours that work well with your dress and skin colour without being an exact match to the dress.  For example, jewel tones would be best complimented with neutral coloured shoes such as nude or a light metallic shade to allow the colour of the dress to stand out.  Finally, if your long dress is very ornate try to keep jewellery to a minimum so as not to detract from its detail.  Why not take a look at our collection of ball gowns for hire and see how it works and venture to our jewellery shop page for some more ideas!

From Stella McCartney to a Marchesa Ball Dress, Penelope is Paparazzi Perfect at Cannes

Last week, in its 64th edition, the Cannes Film Festival began. Which is news worth celebrating in our opinion, since this means actresses in divine dresses making red carpet parades a plenty.  Never a lady to disappoint when it comes to what she wears on that only-too-well known actor catwalk, Spanish seductress Penelope Cruz looked ravishing in her midnight blue Stella McCartney dress.  From the Stella McCartney A/W ’11 collection, the figure hugging dress with its flattering bodice, and below the knee cut looked fabulous on the actress, who posed for photographers at the Pirates of the Caribbean Premiere.

And just like  in her flawless Casadei satin stilettoes at photo-call number one, the doyenne of red-carpet dressing didn’t put a foot wrong come her second red-carpet appearance.  Opting for a floor-length jewel-encrusted lilac Marchesa ball dress, with fanned tulle detailing on the shoulders and from the knee that went into a train, there wasn’t a single paparazzi lens not pointed direction Penelope.  The latest Pirates of the Carribean movie star wasn’t the only red carpet regular to show up in Marchesa. Rachel McAdams appeared in a red organza silk tulle Marchesa ball dress with embroidery detail at the premiere of her latest film, Midnight in Paris. (Marchesa really ruled on the red carpet this year!)

A Calvin Klein Ball Dress for Diane Kruger

Another of our favourites for her red carpet ensemble (and not just because of her arm candy accessory-Joshua Jackson- we wish could accompany our dress on the red carpet!)  in a divine curve worshipping sequin backless Calvin Klein ball dress was Diane Kruger.

Rent a Marchesa Ball Dress, Calvin Klein, or Stella McCartney – with GMD now you Cannes!

These ladies really did show how Cannes is done, and we couldn’t agree more with their choice of designer evening dresses and ball gowns.   Here at GMD we currently love this Calvin Klein gown (right) – a dark blue strapless jersey number with leather accents.  If you want to step out in Calvin Klein why not rent this £1098 ball dress for just £179?

Or if like Pen and Rach, it’s Marchesa you’re after, take a look at the gorgeous pink tiered Marchesa ball dress (£950). Rent this stunner of a turquoise Marchesa ball dress for a summer do for just £159.  Who said you couldn’t do Cannes glam when not in Cannes? From London to Ibiza, straight to LA- New York, Marchesa to Calvin Klein! Sorry, that’s us getting distracted by J-Lo on the radio.  You might not be going to Cannes but you ‘cannes’ rent a Marchesa ball dress.  View our full ball dress selection .