Get the celebrity look
It seems she's rarely away from the red carpet or absent from our cinema screens - so it's hard to believe Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Skull star Cate Blanchett recently found the time and energy to give birth to her third son. However, this devoted wife and mum has become adept at juggling her life to ensure she gets a good balance between work and home.
Like all great Hollywood leading ladies, Cate has learnt to complement her mix-and-match life with her own unique style. Most famously, she's been known to pair a £7,000 couture gown with a fuss-free hairstyle that she's conjured up herself, rather than calling on the services of an army of stylists. 'Women like her break rules, yet we love them for it,' says US design guru Donna Karan.
Cate's also known for embracing up-to-the-minute trends while giving them her own individual twist. Her outfit at last year's Costume Institute Gala in New York, for example, saw her 'do' metallics by wearing a figure-hugging, floor-skimming, glittering golden gown, along with a futuristic spiked-up hairstyle. It wasn't a hit with every style commentator, but as Cate once said: 'You can't please everyone, but hopefully you'll surprise people.'
Even when she was heavily pregnant, Cate made sure she was bang-on-trend: the first few months of the year saw her wear an oh-so-now floral cocktail gown to the Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles, and a midnight blue gown decorated with embroidered flowers to the Oscars. And for chilling out at home in Sydney? Cate still looked effortlessly stylish in a thigh-length black cotton top worn over granddad jeans.
If you want to follow Cate's example and still follow fashion when you're pregnant, try TopShop (www.topshop.com) for up-to-the-minute maternity wear: their gorgeous crinkle flower dress is super-stylish and super-flattering. And if you're not pregnant but just feel inspired by Cate's sense of style, you can cultivate your own 'trends-with-a-twist' by scouring vintage shops and second-hand stores for designer pieces to mix with high street buys. Remember: the trick is to be surprising and make every outfit your own, rather than simply copying looks from magazines.
