53 Twinning with Disney

REAL LIFE T WIN NING With Disney!

THESE twin sisters have gone viral for dress uping up as modern hipster versions of Disney characters – including Frozen Pricesses’ Anna and Elsa.

TWINCREDIBLE sisters Danielle and Nicole Harry, both 25, got the quirky idea to start creating character outfits from their own vintage get-up after growing up loving watching Disney movies and dressing up in costumes. The identical sisters started selling clothes online as a hobby during university to clear out their wardrobes, before starting a vintage clothing business, Betty Berry, full time in 2019. Danielle and Nicole’s millennial princess recreations include The Little Mermaid’s Ariel in turquoise flares and a purple velvet cami top, Beauty And The Beast’s Belle’s light blue pinafore reimagined as blue denim dungarees and Snow White in a red beret and mustard cord miniskirt. “We’ve always loved playing with these styles and reinventing them with our own touches, so we released a whole vintage collection based on Disney characters,” says

Danielle. “We use vintage wholesalers and handpick the stock to sell, and usually the character costume ideas come in later, but sometimes we find pieces that reminded us of certain characters. The Disney princess looks were centred on specific pieces we found – we spotted some turquoise flares that had mermaid vibes, and that’s how the Ariel look was created. We always loved playing dress up when we were little – we had Disney princess

costumes as well as hand-me-downs from our older siblings. We’d mix these looks together so one of us would be a superhero, like Spider-Man, while the other a princess. It’s nostalgic for us to reinvent these looks now and it still brings us as much joy.” Danielle and Nicole’s quirky princess re-imaginings have since gone viral on Instagram, with their Frozen -inspired pictures amassing over 43 000 likes from all over the world. Other Disney cartoon favourites they have recreated include Lilo and Stitch, and Winnie the Pooh and Piglet. The twins have also constructed outfits based on other popular fictional character outfits, such as the Cowardly Lion and the Tin Man from The Wizard Of Oz and the three Powerpuff girls. Their unique looks are centred around the beautiful vintage pieces they handpick at wholesalers to sell on their website –with the girls sometimes even bagging garments for their own wardrobes. “We’re really flattered by the love we get for our lookbooks on Instagram,” Danielle says. “We even get sent art inspired by our photos and it makes us so happy to inspire others. It’s different to cosplaying; the idea is if the characters dressed like us, and we’re inspired by their colour palettes and personalities. The princess Aurora-inspired outfit is one of my favourites –I think we captured her look well but in clothes we wear ourselves.” At the moment Danielle and Nicole are planning the looks they’re going to create throughout 2020. They are also working on launching their own fashion label inspired by vintage fashion, using sustainable fabrics. Danielle and Nicole are big advocates for vintage shopping as a way to become more environmentally friendly and avoid buying from fast fashion brands. “We’re against fast fashion and absolutely have to move away from it for the sake of the planet,” says Danielle. “We want to help change the way people shop little by little by introducing sustainable pieces into their everyday outfits.” In an homage to all things retro, the vintage-loving sisters’ company Betty Berry is even named after their grandmothers. The pair is currently planning ’90s-themed looks, specifically from iconic TV shows such as Sabrina The Teenage Witch . “We always get suggestions for what to do next online,” says Nicole. “Someone suggested that we create Friends-inspired outfits and so we just had to do Phoebe and her twin sister Ursula. My favourite looks are the first set of Frozen -inspired outfits we did because we found clothes in the perfect colours for Anna and Elsa.” Danielle adds, “It’s great working as twins, it’s easy because we have a connection and similar tastes so we can help each other out and put more love into our ideas – two minds are better than one!”

Danielle and Nicole have been dressing up since they were little

The ugly stepsisters from Cinderella Elsa and Anna from Frozen

Tinman from Wizard Of Oz Lilo & Stitch

THE CATCH-UP

BY EL BROIDE PHOENIX Rise Of The

HOW Joaquin Phoenix became the king of Hollywood.

AWARD season is in full swing and Joaquin Phoenix has been cleaning up with his incredible performance as Arthur Fleck in Joker. To date, Joaquin has won himself an Oscar, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe and a Screen Actor’s Guild award, alongside other smaller awards, and his powerful acceptance speeches in which he has opened up about the cruelty of the dairy industry as well as systematic racism has made him the talk of Tinseltown –and every other town, for that matter. But while Joaquin is at the top of his game now, life wasn’t always as glamorous. Born in Puerto Rico on October 28, 1974, Joaquin , the third of five children, was born with a microform cleft that has left him with a scar on his upper lip. He was born into a poor family who led a nomadic life as members of the Children Of God cult, a controversial group that has since been hounded by allegations from past members of manipulation and sexual abuse involving female followers and even children. “I think Joaquin is able to access certain parts of his mind because of it,” former cult member Flor Edwards says. “It affects how you see things, how you approach the world. A lot of kids who grew up in the cult ended up falling into addiction.” Joaquin ’s family eventually left the cult, however, and as the star got older he fell in love with the acting, having seen his famous older brother River Phoenix appear in movies like Parenthood. But the legacy of Hollywood isn’t without its own sting, and Joaquin , who had always looked up to River –to whom he was also very close –felt that sting keenly when he watched River die of a drug overdose outside Johnny Depp ’s Hollywood club The Viper Room just three days after his 19th birthday. Joaquin was the one who made the 911 call and admits that it took him years to get over that trauma. That, of course, would prove to be a battle not easily won, and Joaquin , rattled with anxiety, would eventually check himself into rehab to tackle his demons head on. Joaquin has also found solace in making movies, something he proved to have quite a talent at –a talent that had him standing out on his own in time, with performances in the films Gladiator and Walk The Line both earning him Oscar nods; Joker, of course, is his crowning achievement But it’s not just his professional life that’s looking up –Joaquin also found love. He and fiancée Rooney Mara started dating back in 2016 after co-starring in Her and Mary Magdalene together. “Rooney and Joaquin make such a great match,” shares an insider. “She’s his rock.” The star has said that Rooney was ‘the only girl he ever looked up on the Internet’ and the couple are looking forward to their next chapter –marriage and a baby! They were spotted visiting the California Fertility Partners clinic last month, adding fuel to rumours of their future plans. “Joaquin truly deserves happiness. He’s been through so much yet is one of the kindest guys,” the source adds. “He wants to raise his kids in a completely different environment from his own upbringing.” And as he wins awards with breath-taking performances and plans the next chapter of his life, Joaquin still finds a way to keep his brother’s presence alive. “I feel like in virtually every movie I’ve made, there was a connection to River in some way,” Joaquin says. After his exceptional performance in Joker, we can’t wait to see what this phenomenal star delivers next. Joaquin with Rooney Mara River, Arlyn, John, Liberty, Joaquin, Summer and Rain Phoenix before they were famous