Burn away those love handles

So, I'm going to try to get through this post without mentioning the 'V' word once (is it today? I really hadn't noticed) and focus instead on another way to get your endorphins pumped up and burn away post Pancake Day love handles...

Barry's Bootcamp is the hottest celebrity exercise class to come to London from the Hollywood Hills and is hailed as 'the best workout in the world' - attracting the two Jessicas (Alba and Biel) and Kim Kardashian, who even featured it on her TV show.

image via http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk courtesy of REX

A friend of mine had a free pass for a 'preview class' so (after a few glasses of wine) I agreed to give it a go....after all if Barry is partly responsible for 'that' bum he must be doing something right.

Having been a fan in LA my friend warned me it was going to be tough. She talked of a dark red room lined with unforgiving mirrors, pumping techno, sweat dripping off the walls and Army style instructors shouting at you to run faster and faster then hit the floor and do 50 burpees.  

So I was pretty terrified as I descended the stairs to the brand new studio on Euston Road...was I going to fly off the running machine? Did I have the strength to do the plank? And what is a burpee???

The first thing that hit me was that everyone had way cooler fitness gear than my faded Top Shop t-shirt and geeky running shoes. The girls were sporting uber cool neon cropped tops (showing off their super flat stomachs) and the men were rocking camouflage shorts and running tights (not such a good look for some.) They all looked super fit.

So feeling like a bit of a failure in the fashion stakes I ventured into the dark (thank goodness) chamber of the bootcamp. Lined with running machines on one side and free weights and steps on the other the format of the class was explained to us by our very bubbly and toned teacher.

 

Image via www.gemmawebster.blogspot.co.uk 

Barry Jay, who launched the workout back in 1998 explained in the Daily Mail: 'The class involves treadmills and free-weights and can actually take place of your gym workout. The weights get heavy enough for anyone to be challenged. We also break the workout up into body parts so you don’t over work any one muscle group.’

Image via www.fashion.telegraph.co.uk 

                

And challenging the session was. Alternating between 10 minute sprints and climbs on the treadmill (I confess I did cheat and turn my incline down at a few points!) and 10 minute bursts on the step, using free weights I felt muscle groups I didn't know I had getting pummelled and pushed. 

After the hour was up my friend and I were red-faced, wobbly legged and in need of wine. Annoyingly many of our fellow bootcampers were barely breaking sweat (though some of the guys did take off their t-shirts off which provided a welcome distraction from the pain;)

I like the concept of the class - it's known that high-intensity interval training is best for boosting your metabolism - and the pace, music and enthusiasm of our instructor made the hour go quickly (especially as I knew a large glass of wine  was waiting at the end!) 

The next day I definitely felt like I'd pushed myself and I was sure my bum had a bit more Kardashian oomph about it.

Barry's Bootcamp is currently only open in London. Classes are expensive - at £20 per session - but there are discounts if you buy in bulk. It's tough but if Jessica and Kim's hot bods are anything to go by it's worth it!

Now where's that Sweaty Betty catalogue...

Runway to Red Carpet: Dior Couture

When disgraced John Galliano was sacked from Dior in spring 2011, the fashion world was consumed with frenzied speculation over who would become his successor. Almost a year later, back in April, it was announced  that Raf Simons would bag the coveted role and the frenzied speculation began again, this time about Simons' debut and particularly whether he was up to the rigours of Couture.

And so in July perhaps the most-hyped Couture collection in fashion history was unveiled. The reactions were mixed. While there was definitely a cacophony of rapturous praise from one corner, the whispers remained from the other that it wasn't couture enough and was too much of a pastiche of forties and fifties Dior.

We landed somewhere between the two extremes. While we loved the clean, simple lines, we felt that perhaps it was a little too simple for a couture collection particularly when juxtaposed against Galliano's flamboyant Couture collections. We liked that the collection harked back to the golden era of Dior and the New Look with nipped waists, full ballooning skirts and perplums over sharply tailored cigarette pants. We weren't sure about the abundance of sombre black tailoring though and there did seem to be a general lack of heart-flutter inducing gowns. If we were to sum up, we'd say that while not monumental, it was a strong debut particularly given the pressure of the hype and speculation not to mention the need for Simons to make his own mark on the House of Dior without compromising the identity of this fashion monolith. 

For us the real test was how it would translate from the runway to the real world. Marion Cotillard, Dior ambassador, was the first to secure a public outing for a piece from the collection at the premiere of the Dark Knight Rises Premiere on 18th July (less than two weeks after it's catwalk debut). This week has seen a flurry of Dior Couture on the red carpet with both Rachel Weisz and Jessica Biel donning dresses from the collection for the Premieres of The Bourne Supremacy and Total Recall respectively. 

So what was the verdict?

Marion Cotillard

Ten out of ten, gold star to Cotillard  - she wears this dress better than the runway model. Impeccably styled, we love the orangey-red accents from her shoes, clutch and lips which are just different enough shades to avoid being matchy matchy. While this wasn't one of our favourite pieces from the collection Marion makes this a dress to remember.

Images via: www.style.com and www.cocoperez.com

Image via: www.thefashionspot.com

Rachel Weisz

Again we were much more enamoured with this dress on Rachel than we were when we saw it on the model. The bustier looks incredible with Rachel's curves; understated old-school elegance. While the Louboutin bow shoes are quirky we can't help feeling that a colour pop shoe and/or clutch would have lifted this look into the realms of mega-wattage.

Images via: www.style.com and www.hollywood-fashion.tumblr.com

Images via: www.fabsugar.com

Jessica Biel

While the dress is perfectly nice, Biel's look lacks pow; it all seems a little bit off and too try-hard. The major issue for us is the length. The very longest this dress should hit is just above the ankles, sitting directly on the ankles only creates the illusion that Jessica's a hobbit. The styling is also just wrong. Too much necklace, too much nude-toned make-up and we know that those are the Vuitton Merry Go Round courts but we hate the chunky heels. That said, the colour's great on her and we adore the pockets. Props for the nails that match her steel toe-caps!

Images via: www.style.com and www.thefashionpatrol.com

Images via: www.huffingtonpost.com