X Factor Style: Dannii v Cheryl

I make no secret of the fact that I don't like Cheryl Cole. There's just so many things about her that wind me up and from a fashion perspective (to keep it on topic), I just don't get it. I know there are a gazillion girls out there who adore her 'dress sense', but I find one minute she's trying to be the hip hop gangster girl, next it's casual chav then she's full on glam and I don't know who she is. My style is certainly made up of different influences, but I don't find Cheryl has that common thread...to me, it looks like she wears whatever her stylist has picked for her and she's literally plonked into it. She often looks uncomfortable in it too. Unlike her fellow Girls Aloud mate Nicola Roberts, Cheryl doesn't inject any personality into her outfits at all and she just can't shake off that stereotypical footballers wives and chav past in my opinion. Now I'm not saying Dannii Minogue is my style icon and I don't particularly like the focus of pitting two women against each other (you don't hear anyone discussing whether Simon or Louis looked best each week do you?) but Dannii has definitely impressed me numerous times over the years with her beautiful gowns and ever changing hairstyles and would unmistakably be the winner in my eyes. She epitomises grown up glamour and even although I'm sure her body has changed since giving birth in the summer, she knows what suits her figure and looks stylish and appropriate each week. I'm glad to see she's getting a lot more credit for it now as I've always quite liked her. Apparently she doesn't have a stylist and has said that there is no challenge in the style wars this year because she's far to focused on her family. However with that said, I thought we'd take a little look at the outfits so far and my opinions of them, just because I feel like it!
Week 1
Dannii looks stunning, lace always gets the thumbs up from me and this J'Aton Couture dress (an Australian label Dannii often wears) with it's partly sheer section oozes grown up, sexy sophistication. A red lip, tousled up-do and no nonsense heels are the perfect partners. Cheryl: Let's start with a positive, I like the lace and I like the shoes. I don't however like the shoes on her, they don't flatter her and the rest of the dress is appalling. Too short, too clingy, too high school disco and oh how I laughed so hard at her disastrous tan that night (the images really don't portray how tangoed she was)!
On the Sunday night, Dannii dazzled in this gorgeous black frilled dress from her own label Project D. This is my type of dress, a dream dress and look how tiny her waist is! Absolutely stunning. This grey lace Zuhair Murad dress on Cheryl is also stunning, I love the draping, but I do wish for a longer hemline-knee length would make it perfect and stop her always looking so tacky.
Week 2 Victoria Beckham, she's wearing Victoria Beckham-that's what I kept saying all night! Apparently 'the Posh one' phoned Dannii to say how great she looked in her dress and sent some more to her in the hope she'd wear them throughout the series, oh to have friends in high places eh? I like this look, I'm not saying it's my favourite, but I do like the 60's hairstyle she teamed it with. Cheryl on the otherhand massively failed in this, what the heck has she got on? It makes her look short-I know she is, but this makes her body look too long for her legs and doesn't work at all. I wasn't keen on the introduction of the purple cherry hair dye either, it's one of those, 'I don't have the balls to really, really colour my hair, so I'll try a slight tint' look! The messy plait doesn't do it for me either, no matter how in vogue it is! I've not been as keen on Dannii's lighter hair colour this season, but I think it looks really cute here. Retro but fresh! The black velvet Antonio Berardi dress is stunning again, I'm loving the mix of fabrics, sheer pussy bow and curve enhancing panels. Cheryl, you've already worn those shoes! Tut, tut! I think when they're statement shoes like that, it would be more interesting to change it up a little, however I'm not a believer in it being the end of the world to be seen in the same thing twice, so let's move on. The dress is Versus and I'm sure on the Versace models it was hot, but I'm not feeling it here. She looks like a little girl dressing up and her legs look stumpy with the dress/shoes combo-it's far too short.
Week 3
Not my favourite night style wise. Another Victoria Beckham dress on Dannii and I think the colour is beautiful on her, she really suits strong shades like that. She's wearing the same nude shoes again but because they're not 'statement' heels it doesn't seem so much of a faux pas as it did on Cheryl. Speaking of...I hate this dress. I don't like cut out sections like that on the waist/hips, it seems so unnecessary. Like I'm trying to be sexy because I'm wearing a full length, high neck gown. It reminds me of the dress she wore when Alexandra won a couple of years ago (which I hated), there's something odd about the hips and waist of Cheryl too...is it too much like a little girls or something? I can't quite put my finger on it, but I don't like the section she chose to show!
Ding, ding, ding! Ahhhmazing Dolce & Gabbana frou frou here, absolutely to die for. I would feel a million bucks in a gown like that and nobody is ever going to top it wherever you wear it. You can visibly see the glee on her face at wearing something so pretty, so cute! My favourite of the entire series (with the Project D coming a close 2nd). That's Charlotte Olympia shoes I spy too-ooohee! I can see what Cheryl is trying to do here and I am a fan of 'hard/tough' looking footwear with a pretty dress, but are we still doing that body con thing? It's getting a little tired and so are my comments about her looking short, so I'll leave that for now!
Week 4
I'm not sure this particular image is doing Dannii any favours, but there's no denying this Marchesa dress is beautiful, although it's not personally one of my faves. I like the rock quiff though to add some edge. Cheryl has gone for another one of those trying to be cutesy, super short dresses (this one by Jonathan Saunders) and I'm not sure why, because it's not a look that suits her. It's a little bit waitress-y isn't it? And her head seems huge in comparison to her body-it's all that hair I reckon.
Another Project D dress from Dannii which is cute enough, although doesn't have much personality. Cheryl has gone from waiting on tables to eating dinner and forgot to remove her large purple napkin which is tucked into her cheap satin skirt. Oh that's an Ina Soltani outfit? It's supposed to look like that...hmmmm.
Week 5
This was probably the worst week. I missed their entrance on TV, so I'm not sure how these outfits looked (aside from the waist up behind the judges desk). The gold Philip Armstrong gown certainly makes a statement but is too Christmassy and is doing nothing for her. She's getting her moneys worth out of those shoes though isn't she? Cheryl, oh my God, no! I reckon I'm more covered up in bed and probably more stylish (even if I admit to wearing my Soap&Glory gloves and matching socks last night-don't laugh, I have hands and feet like silk now!), this is just cheap and tacky and she doesn't carry off that hairband-it looks ridiculous. For someone who's so tiny (and she is in every sense of the word), she manages to look huge here-bad, bad outfit choice. The hair extensions really have to go too. I think her shoes are probably cute though. This to me sums up the female judges perfectly. Dannii looking amazing in what Dolce & Gabbana do best. It's sexy but appropriate and stylish and womanly and cool and I could go on forever. Look at the shoes too, sexy! Cheryl circa 1999 is trying too hard, I don't like the cut out bit, the high neck, the fabric, it's too tight, she looks like she's stuffed her bra (her boobs looks stuck on here if you know what I mean), her shoes are getting better though.
Week 6 When I think of Danni, I think Grecian goddess, it's a look she owns and although I'm not particularly keen on all white dresses, she does look stunning. Is that those shoes again? I quite like this Roberto Cavalli dress although again, pure gold gowns aren't my thing (probably because I'd look like a giant chandelier), but it's not working for me on Cheryl. It needs hoiked up and really would look better with curves to fill it. Here hair looked manky that night. It looked like she hadn't washed it for a week or two and the plait was slapped to her forehead-gross.
Now this is how to do snow leopard (in Emilia Wickstead)! Elegant, ladylike, chic and I love her curves! Cheryl...I'm trying not to laugh. Ok, I like doing crazy things with my hair and I read somewhere that Gwen Stefani and her Harajuku girls could carry this off but Cheryl couldn't and I think that sums it up perfectly. People said it looked like Minnie Mouse, I was thinking manga girl, but it just isn't her and that's what makes her look so silly. The Georges Chakras dress is too Liz Hurley circa 2000, although I like the curves it gives her at the waist (but hate the sheer top). The shoes are delicious though!

What do you think? Does Cheryl float your boat or is she trying too hard? Is Dannii stunning or playing it safe? Remember it's just my opinions, don't have a cow if you don't agree!