Fan Spotlight~ Meet RedPoppy

*FanstRAvaganza Day 4*

I thought it would be fitting to spotlight
an RA fan of Irish decent on St. Patrick's Day. :)

When I first met RedPoppy online,

I immediately felt an unspoken bond with this fellow Armitage admirer. 

Not only does she have a crush on Mr. Thornton (well, who doesn't!?) 

but she's also a fellow red head.  We immediately started an elite club called RH4RA
(Red Heads for Richard Armitage.)  Okay, there is no RH4RA club, but if there was, I'm

sure the #1 agenda would be to petition Richard's agent to make sure his next role

involves a ginger leading lady so we can secretly pretend it's he's kissing us

and make believable faceinhole photos from the screencaps.

Although, I guess Richard did have a strawberry blonde
girlfriend in "The Golden Hour."  So there's that.

Isn't he dreamy in this pic?

Where was I?
Oh yeah...

What I really find interesting about RedPoppy
(and other RA fans) is not what we have in common,  but our differences.

I'm from a small rural town, while she has lived all over the world and currently resides in NYC. 
I am a t-shirt and jeans kind of girl, while she's into fashion, knows all of the latest trends, and is
an award-winning hat designer!  (How neat is that!?) This is what I love about meeting  fellow
RA fans... while many of us have  common interests, we come  from  all walks of life
and have many differences too.  *Nat refrains from singing kumbaya.*

About RedPoppy...

My mother is British and my father is from Spain.  Though my mother was actually born in Ireland, ironically my red hair is from my father's side.  I was born in England and at the age of five my family moved to Venezuela (where most of my sunny freckles developed.) Five years later we relocated to the the beautiful Northwest of the U.S. Since college I have mostly resided in New York City where I work in fashion, where Sex and the City is mostly a myth, and where I am constantly inspired by the amazing abundance of arts and culture, which you can find practically on every street. I am a total anglophile, love Cadbury chocs over Hershey's any day, and I am a true redhead with almost black eyebrows, so people often ask me if I dye my hair. I tell them the proof is in the freckles! One of my biggest loves is writing a fashion blog called RedPoppy Fashion where I share my unique redhead thoughts on all things fashion, makeup, the latest styles, pop culture, etc. Another love is Millinery, as I have been an award-winning hat designer for the past ten years. Thank goodness mercury is out of fashion, otherwise I would most definitely resemble Johnny Depp's redhead character in 'Alice in Wonderland.'

First glimpse of Richard Armitage...

I first discovered North & South quite by accident when I was browsing through some costume dramas online.  Of course the first snippet of a scene that I came cross was the intoxicating train station one with Mr. Thornton and Margaret. After viewing it 36 times somehow I managed to tear myself away, and eventually watch the entire series. I absolutely loved North & South simply because it was so brilliantly made, set in England, and because the acting was superb! Especially of course RA's portrayal of JT. He was just so convincing, so conflicted, and I could listen to that voice for hours. The scene in which Thornton professes his love for Margaret only to be painfully rejected was unbelievably hard to watch!!! Such is the brilliance of Richard Armitage. Since then I've watched some episodes of Robin Hood, Strike Back, and Spooks, and what I've realized is it doesn't matter if he's wearing statuesque black leather, muscular army fatigues, or buttoned-up tattoos, RA envelops himself so deeply into each character that I'm completely taken in to whichever story he tells.

Who would RedPoppy pick as RA's ginger leading lady?
Most of my favorite redhead actresses are not redheads in real life so I would love to see Cate Blanchett acting alongside RA. Though she is a natural blonde, Cate has played more onscreen redheads than actual redhead actresses have so you never know!  [Cate will be working with Richard in "The Hobbit," although she will not have red hair, and they will not be love interests.]

RedPoppy gives us an RA fashion analysis... 

My favorite RA look is unabashedly most definitely going have to be as John Thornton. Who can resist a dashing, handsome buttoned-up-to-there man wearing a crisp high pointed collar, perfectly tied cravat, fitted waist coat, and knee-high boots?

<--- This is probably my favorite RA look [as himself.] I think a good collar suits him really well. The framing angles, especially when they reach above his neckline, flatter RA's face in a way that adds a tiny bit of fullness, bringing attention to his eyes and handsome features. When he wears a v-neck for example, it lengthens his frame and brings focus to his angular side. There's a reason RA looked so darn good in those upturned collars he wore as John Thornton in North & South!

Check out RedPoppy's fashionista blog HERE

and see her lovely hat designs HERE.