13 cartoon characters who are style inspirations

Beyonce, Cara Delevinge, Victoria Beckham - it's all very well and good having style inspirations and constantly double-tapping looks that you're digging on Instagram. But remember when you were a little sprout of a human being and didn't even know what 'fashion' and 'style' were? You turned to your fave fictional friends when deciding whether to wear your tutu or turn-ups for a day of play.

Think it's time we showed a bit of loving and looked at our childhood chums to inspire our wardrobes once more!

Gadget from Chip ‘n’ Dale Rescue Rangers

No-one works a jumpsuit and crop top quite like Gadget. Functional fashion at its finest, this lil’ chip not only looked cute as a button in sweet shades of sugarplum purple and pink, but she also knew how to fix a plane or two. And yes, only she can pull off those goggles unfortunately. The rest of us would just look like part of steampunk movement…

Lola Bunny from Space Jam

This bunny could run circles round you on the court, while swooshing her ponytail – I mean, bunnytail – and looking effortlessly cool while doing so. Taking sportswear as fashion to a whole new level in her Toon Squad co-ord set, she could give off-duty Cara Delevigne and Kendall Jenner a run for their money. And can someone tell me how she doesn’t get a sweaty fringe while doing all this hopping around please? Bane of my life.

 The Ashleys from Recess

These girls may have been like the Mean Girls of the playground, but their outfits were the Clueless equivalent of the animated world and could teach Cher Horowitz a thing or two.

Yellow plaid and fluff-lined cuffs on cardigans. My magpie-like tendencies for all things kitsch are a-tingling.

Jane Lane from Daria

Jane was basically the bad-ass girl I longed to be as a goody two-shoes kid. That ear jewellery. That sharp black bob cut. Those boots! Her signature red shirt that she probably just threw on as she woke up and strolled into school late with her backpack slinged onto her back. Too cool for school. Literally.

Clarice from Two Chips and a Miss

This cartoon somehow being a staple in my childhood and I just remember being in absolute awe of Clarice singing on that piano, in what I now recognise as quite a weird, sultry Jessica-rabbit-esque way...as a chipmunk... But! Nonetheless, that doesn't erase the fact that that pale yellow necklaces and head crown are just fabulous. Especially when worn with a strapless bodycon LBD (little blue dress).

Daisy Duck

My love for bows and pastels colour, coincides with my outrage at how under-rated Daisy Duck. The girl knows how to accessorise! Yes, Minnie Mouse may be the queen of all things polka-dot, but co-ordinating a pink bow and heels, that compliments her matching lilac top and eyeshadow, all while setting it off with a jade green bangle? On. Point. She's a dreamy pastel dream wrapped up in uber-fluttery lashes. The epitome of girly girl y'all.

Disney Princesses

Look. You all already know that how much of a Disney nut I am from the time I've dressed up as a princess (more than once...) and how much Disney Princesses are my ultimate hair goals. But they're also style goals - and it's not all just prom dresses and tiaras y'all.
Pocahontas was all over fringing and suede before the 70s fashion revival rolled up into town, Aurora is the queen of working a hooded cape without getting hat hair (also, that shirt and corset layering is to DIE FOR), Jasmine knows how to accessorise her harem trousers with a gemstone headband and gold jewellery to a tee, and no-one has ever looked as good in Scandinavian embroidery and ribboned up braids than Anna from Frozen.

Oh, and let's not forget villains! The fierce headgear of Maleficent and the Evil Queen's robe - being bad never looked so good.

Sailor Scouts from Sailor Moon

If you're looking for some nautical style inspo, then look no further than the scouts of Sailor Moon. Striped collars, jewelled toggles and neckerchief bows should be given as a starter pack to go with any kind of pleated, preppy skirt (who knew wands made such good accessories as well?)

 Even off-duty, these girls always looked as cute as a button! And let's not even get started on their hair. Growing up watching this anime gave me major swishy, shiny hair envy that I'll never be able to achieve.

Wonder Woman

We all know red, white and blue work flawlessly together, but no-one wears it quite as well as Wonder Woman herself. To fight crime and look like a bangin' super-babe with a golden crown while doing so as well, is no easy task! (How does she not constantly get wedgies in those hot-pants or spill out while running in her corset?!) And who needs a belt when you've got a lasso of truth! 

She-Ra

Oh, and let's not forgot what a sassy sister She-Ra is as well! Gold is obvisouly the superhero's choice of metallic (can someone tell me where I can get some get some gold boots please) but it never looks as amazing as when it's paried with bright whites! The Princess of Power is also the only gal I know how could pull off a crown decorated with ornamental wings and NOT look like an absolute tit!

The Powerpuff Girls

No-one can work block stripes quite like 3 girls who are made sugar, spice, and everything nice - must be chemical X malarky. This is a perfect example of how basic staples can be worked into different looks or styles. Tomboy, chic or kawaii - Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup have got you covered!

And let's just take a second at how fierce Miss.Bellum is working that power suit (and how much patience she has for dealing with that dozy mare of a Mayor of Townsville!)

Daphne from Scooby-Doo

If you'd told me that you can work a pair of pink tights without looking like a fool, I would've laughed you straight out of the hosiery department of the store. But Daphne has managed to make it work flawlessly while getting changed into a purple shift dress and lime green scarf in the back of the Mystery van. 70s vibes to the max - groovy!

Misty from Pokemon

My love for dungarees started from a young age, and it was probably due to my love of Pokemon as well and how well Misty wore her red braces with her denim shorts. Unfortunately, as a 23-year-old  with long dark hair, I can't work and short and spunky side ponytail as well as her. Might be something to do with the fact that I don't have the power of a Togepi by my side.

Tiny, Tooney, & a lil' Looney

Lately, I've been re-living and indulging in my childhood. One of my closest friends is having a fancy dress knees-up for her 21st, and the theme is childhood heroes, so I've been casting my mind back to who I had posters up on my wall as a kid, and pretended to be at playtime, and it just so happens that most of them have been fictional cartoon characters.

With Disney playing a big part of my childhood, and I've no doubt, many others, there was bound to be a few characters from the Disney world that popped up in my mind.

Everyone automatically said I should go as Mulan, now, she is pretty badass, with her samurai sword in hand, owning all the bad guys, but as a kid, I was a bit scared by all her fighting and jut wanted her stay in her pretty geisha make-up...oh how my views have changed!

I've also always love Princess Jasmine, Aladdin was and is one of my favourite movies (with Robin Williams portrayal of the genie playing a big part in this!). Jasmine is feisty, stands up for what she believes in, is adventurous and has the hottest damn ponytail in the whole of the magical kingdom.

While going through options in my head, and moving out the Disney territory, I delved into the gaming area of my memory.

Street Fighter was one favourite games, and every time, no fail, I picked Chun-Li. Not only was she one of the few girls in the game, but she also threw the most awesome high-kicks from those ass-kicking thighs. 

Another girl who kicked ass: Wonder Woman. 

I don't think it's any secret that I love her and think she's pretty bad-ass and hot, but in I didn't really know about her in my childhood, so, I think I'd be kind of cheating the 6-year old Amy within me.

Along the same vein of anime as Chun-Li, I used to watch hours upon hours of Sailor Moon on a Saturday morning in my pjs. 

I thought they all had the coolest outfits and had complete hair envy, so much so that I used to pretend to transform into them while spinning and twirling around in my living room. It wasn't so much Sailor Moon herself, but some of the others, especially Sailor Mars, Venus, and Neptune and their majestic locks.

With all these awesome women though, among them, there is also Penelope Pitstop. Now, this is the girly part of me speaking, but I just loved all the pink and thought she had the most amazing car! Hello?! A device that comes out of your car and applies your lipstick for you?! Not gonna lie, I thought that was some Jetson-like, futuristic cool stuff going on there!

And last, but not least, Lola Bunny.

Growing up watching Looney Tunes and always rolling around laughing at Bugs Bunny and his sarcastic humour, Space Jam was one of my favourite movies as a kid, and still is for nostalgia factor. I just remember watching the film and seeing this cute bunny walk in and absolutely annihilate everyone on the basketball court and thinking 'wow, she's cool...can I be her please?!' 

While looking at images for all these, I found out there's been a new, recent version made of The Looney Tunes show, which led to me being a big kid and watching a few episodes and getting trapped in the cartoon corner of Youtube as I indulged in watching some old cartoons that I remember from my childhood

Who was your childhood hero? And who do you think I should go as?! (I really need help deciding!)

Hope you're all well,
Speak soon,
A.x

Is it a bird? Is is a plane?...

After my last blog post, all that i was rambling on about must have translated to my life the next day as i put on t-shirt with Wonder Woman herself on it, ready to brave the world and fight evil!

I wore this t-shirt to death when i was about 15-years old and now i've dug it back up, but as i've grown up and as i've changed, what i wear it with and how i wear it has changed also. 

As apposed to red skinny jeans and converses, it's public appearance was a bit more grown-up this time round.

Leather jacket: Urban Code, T-shirt: Junk Food, Skirt: Glamour@Asos, Shoes: Topshop

I love how it's toned down and pastel, and the gold accents that shimmer. I even had my own superhero-esque belt! With sparkly shoes and headband to match! Definitely wouldn't miss me if i was gliding through the sky!

I wore this as i went to go see Life of Pi with my housemates, and it was absolutely amazing.

Beautiful story, visually stunning and the 3d was brilliant too, it made you forget you were wearing those silly glasses and that you were there, in the film too. It made me laugh, made me jump and made me cry and i would recommend it to absolutely anyone as there's something to tickle anyone's fancy in it.

So on the subject on superhereos, do you have a favourite superhero? Or are they not really your thing?

And have you seen Life of Pi? What did you think of it?

Hope you're all well,
Speak soon,
A.x

I am woman!

I have this cute, lil, Lego keyring of Wonderwoman that i got for Christmas from m brother on my set of keys that i see everyday. 

I love WonderWoman and as silly as it may sound, every time that i see it, the inner Wonder Woman in me feels ready to take on the day and whatever it throws at me.

I think Wonder Woman is an awesome female and let's face it, she's damn hot! I always think of her as a strong woman to kind of look up to, as silly as it sounds as she's just a fictional character, but not only is she gorgeous and graceful, but she's also powerful and strong and kicks absolute ass! While still having her hair flowing majestically while she flies across the skyline and looking amazing in her fiery red and royal blue get-up! Before her, the only role models young girls could look up to in comic books were ones who got married and lived happily-ever-after, or bubblegum teens such as Betty and Veronica. But then Wonder Woman came along, who didn't need a man to be happy and was the one who rescued the dude-in-distress. But females all over can still relate, she had to balance all kinds of aspects of her life, just like us. And this got me thinking of all the female figures that appear in the public eye that i personally think are inspiring.

 

Joanna Lumley

I absolutely love her as Patsy Stone in Ab Fab and is just one of the funniest and most hilarious women in comedy, and her co-star Jennifer Saunders is just as an amazing also. Not only does she make the world laugh while always remaining sophisticated and charming, but she is also involved with more than 70 charities, probably most famously with helping Gurka veterans win the right to settle in the UK.

Tina Fey

Another hilarious woman made a real impact in the male-dominated world of work and comedy and became SNL's first female head writer. Creating a cult-classic, that is Mean Girls, that gets quoted by millions, and creating and starring in comedy favourite, 30 Rock, showing that you can work in a world that can seem like a boys' club, without succumbing to their testosterone ways and that you also can have a personal life without tastelessly exploiting it to become successful. Amongst all this, there is no cliched, female bitchy-ness, she respects and admires smart and talented women, like herself, such as Amy Poehler.

Jessica Ennis

The poster-girl of team GB for the 2012 Olympics, she is a breath of fresh air of hard-work, discipline and graft, in a sea of feckless flakes in our popular culture. With a gold medal hanging proudly around her neck for her hepthalon, brought on from years of hard work, she is beautiful inside and out as she remains humble and engaging. She has also shown young girls that they don't have to strive to a particular female form that society has seemed to deem as perfect, and making sure that girls are not afraid of sport. Her, along with all of the females of Team GB, are an inspiration. Inspire a generation, they definitely did.

Emma Watson

Being part of the most successful film series, she has grown up in the public eye, yet it hasn't seemed to affect her in ways that it has to other young stars. Education has always remained important to her even while balancing Liberal Arts at Brown University with being a fashion icon and playing the part of Hermione in the Harry Potter series. With her fashion work, she has been involved with People Tree, who provide fair trade and organic clothing, showing that you don't need the world and society to suffer for fashion. And despite being a beautiful young woman, her success isn't due to her sex appeal, it has purely been down to her hard work and talent.

Dakota Fanning

Another beautiful, young actress, who has worked with the likes of Tom Cruise and Sean Penn while still going further with her education by studying at New York University. So much so that her absence was noticed at the Twilight Saga: Eclipse screening so that she could take her college entrance exam. She is such a well-adjusted teenager despite growing up in the public eye and realises that she is a role model to many young girls but that she is also just a human and will also make mistakes like everyone else.

 Dame Judi Dench and Meryl Streep

On the other  end of the age spectrum, showing that Hollywood success has no age limit and demanding more female roles in Hollywood, these two women are still going strong and long may they reign!

Ellen Degeneres
An inspirational woman who has always strived for equality and proud and open about her sexual orientation and being strong campaigner for the LGBT community and anti-bullying with her "Be Kind" campaign. Charismatic and funny, she is proudly breaking stereotypes and prejudice, along with her hit talk show

Miranda Kerr
Being a Victoria Secret's Angels, with her gorgeous flowing locks, gorgeous face and adorable dimples, many would may not see a her as an inspirational woman, but she was one of the first models to promote proper nutrition and exercise and the importance of happiness, in a world of fad-diets. She regularly  promotes having a positive attitude and balances her hectic schedule and maintaining an amazing figure, with being a loving mother. Not only a supermodel, but also a role model.

 Kate Winslet
Targeted by the media many times for her weight, she has always spoke out about the importance of the accurate representation of her curvaceous body. When she graced the cover of GQ's magazine and she was photoshopped without knowing, she spoke out about how not she did not look like that, but more importantly, didn't desire to look like that. Not only has she been outspoken about the issue of body image, but she has also been continuously eliminating the barriers that people with autism, face.

 Audrey Hepburn & Grace Kelly
Both of these women are just the epitome of an era of classical and timeless beauty of a time gone by. They don't make them like that anymore. The were both effortlessly elegant and beautiful, inside and out. Audrey Hepburn gracefully portrays all the roles she played in movie, many of them being m favourites, but was always modes. She sent out such a positive attitude and was an ambassador for Unicef, helping in humanitarian issues and travelling and aiding with those less fortunate. Grace Kelly filled the role of the Princess of Monaco also, and founded a Monaco-based, non-profit organisation which promoted the well-being of children all around the world. Both of these women are icons and unforgettable.

This is just a short list of the amazing women at there in the world, there are so many out there that i could go on and on and make an endless list about, but none of them top my mum. She is Wonder Woman in my eyes, for reasons i won't go into, but all of these women are magnificent in my eyes and beautiful, inside and out, and if don't agree, well, i'll leave you with Wonder Woman herself in action below ;)

What women do you think are inspirational? Do you have any role models in your eyes?

Hope you're all well,
Speak soon,
A.x