MAYS MODECOLLEGE

Cate Blanchett

And suddenly she was my new woman crush. I mean, we are too old for girl crushes. Cate Blanchett on the cover of the Italian Grazia. Breathtakingly beautiful, cool, mature, and sexy. I instantly wanted everything just like her. Also living in England, also that hair (especially that hair), also that trophy cabinet so big that you need a full-time maid to dust it, but especially... the wardrobe. Come. But. Through.

Lesson 1

Cate dresses her age. Something I sometimes struggle with (just look here...) because I find so much so nice. Kate is ruthless with herself. No silly Gucci glasses with glitter and rhinestone effects. Everything is stylish, sophisticated, understated but still pronounced.

Lesson 2

Rara how can that be, you might think now. Sounds like a contradiction in terms. It is not. Cate is class, but that doesn't mean she wraps herself in safe dark blue. Kate chooses color, even a print, but you won't easily see her in deconstructed jeans with a T-shirt with a cute text above it. Kate is a monotone type. An outfit in one color, but it can very well be moss green in velvet from Gucci. Or a bronze-colored dress from Lanvin with cut-outs around the waist.

Lesson 3

Celebrate the pantsuit. It is feminine, sexy, powerful, and emancipated. And it can also be worn on the red carpet. Exactly. Gladly. Thank you.

Lesson 4

Cherish the couture. Cate Blanchett recently received the InStyle Award for best-dressed woman. She appeared in a low-cut red-black striped top and skirt from Givenchy and thanked Stella McCartney, Nicolas Ghesquière, and Claire Waight Keller (long the woman behind Chloé and now creative director of Givenchy). “It is an advantage of this profession that I get to live in these unusually beautifully made dresses by geniuses.”

Lesson 5

Sexy does not mean f*ck me. During her speech, Cate touched on the avalanche of expressions from women who have experienced inappropriate behavior. Something that also happens a lot in the film world and where some respond with: ‘you are kind of asking for it if you dress like that.’ Cate had something to say about that. “For me, the real style icons are those who are always themselves without excuse. It’s about women who feel free to wear what, when, and how they want. Women like to look sexy, but that doesn’t mean we want to sleep with you.” Mr. Harvey Weinstein, are you following along?

Lesson 6

No lesson, but definitely an assignment. Or at least a tip. Watch Blue Jasmine by Woody Allen with Cate Blanchett in the lead role as soon as possible. And the most beautiful clothes ever. They also deserve an award by now. An Oscar for the the Birkin Bag from Hermès as best accessory in a film would be more than justified.