The LFW post: Wearability strikes on the runway

Last weekend, I was lucky enough to attend some shows at London Fashion Week. I was covering most for the magazine, but also managed to acquire a Jonathan Saunders ticket along the way from a friend (NBD!!) Instead of doing some lengthy pointless post about my experiences, I thought I would share with you my photos from the weekend (sorry for the crappy iphone quality!) and do a super quick summary of each show individually, as well as what I took from it overall. 

Overall, there was, in my opinion, a cohesive message at the catwalk shows at which I was a guest at: wearability is the new Avant Garde.  Those who mock fashion show collections for their incompatibility with real life must finally take a step back, as this season designers remembered that pieces shown were there to be worn, not just marvelled at from afar. The catwalk was a never ending stream of wearability in fact: awash with pieces that could easily transition from catwalk to wardrobe. Audiences were able to dream about the clothes, but in a much more realistic fashion. 

Jonathan Saunders:

Invite: Vibrant pink but a little flimsy. We’ll forgive Saunders for his invites seeing as his location was so impressive.

Location: The Topshop Show Space at Tate Britain: pretty astounding. Vast, stylish and a super long runway: the Tate was the perfect place to hold Saunders’ mighty comeback. I also managed to nab a second row seat despite only being in ownership of a measly standing ticket. Yes, I used my elbows to get there.

Front row: Nobody that exciting surprisingly, but maybe I was just too transfixed with the collection to notice. I did catch sight of Susie Lau sat directly opposite me however.

Collection: (see 3 images above this writing) Jonathan Saunders' AW15 collection quite literally took his audiences into a time machine, in which we woke up back in the 1960s. His collection was one of determination and one which seethed with the desire to come back fighting from his recent financial issues. As well as featuring sixties style dresses, boots and earrings, the line also focused on mixing plain whites with vibrant block bright colours. The catwalk was also awash with flares, polo necks and thigh high boots. It was bright, it was bold and it was retro: the best collection I saw at fashion week hands down. 

Sass & Bide:

Invite: My favourite of the bunch. Metallic gold and with a robot plastered on the front, the S&B invitation was the epitome of fun.

Location: Also one of the best I visited. The show was held at the Australian Commission, which meant security checks on entrance and a thorough guest list check. Inside it was seriously beautiful. The high ceilings were extravagantly decorated and the runway was like a maze, which was far more interesting than many traditional straight catwalks.  

Front row: I got there so early I thought I would spot numerous well-known faces. Unfortunately due to the twists and turns of the catwalk, I didn’t get much of a chance to celeb-spot.

Collection: (see three images above) Super wearable and designed with a sassy woman in mind. The collection, in my eyes, told the story of a young city girl who wanted to get noticed. Glitz galore was at the heart of the collection which boasted sequins, metallics and shine. Outerwear provided the glitz with a sophisticated edge; offered in the form of fur fabrics and sleeveless structured waistcoats. 

Jean-Pierre Braganza: 

Invite: Black and gold...how very suave.

Location: The Somerset House show space again! I was in a prime viewing spot though. 

Front row: Don’t remember seeing anyone, unless you count the crazy male frow-er dressed in leopard print who decided to get up and sashay with the models when they did their final walks (SECURITY!).

Collection: (see two images above) Core, earth like colours were the main focus of JPB's newest collection. Camels, dark purples and forest green hues featured heavily in a line designed for the lady who resides in the country, but with an edge. Colourful fur, leather aviator jackets and knee high socks and sandals toughened up the look, making it fun and modern while still safely in the spheres of tradition and maturity. 

PPQ:

Invite: Black and cream and small and cute. Simple, but I liked it.

Location: The PPQ show was held at the MELondon hotel, just opposite Somerset House. When I arrived at the location by taxi, the place was rammo. Queues to get in made for some pretty antsy fashion folk, and I ACTUALLY heard a guy mutter to his mate: ‘Do they not know who I am?’ before deciding to walk out and give the show a miss because he didn’t want to wait. Once in, things didn’t get much better, not least because I was stuck back in fourth row and couldn’t really see much. It was nice to see the show with a friend from work though, and the atmosphere was really great.

Front row: Zilch!

Collection: (see two images above) A little dissapointing. While I heard many people liked the line, I wasn't crazy over it. Despite there being a couple of great key pieces, such as the fluffy monster-inspired purple hooded dress, the rest left me a little cold. Many of the silhouettes were a bit basic and I didn't like the way fabrics hung. They were often a little tight or clung to the body in the wrong way. It was, to me, slightly too high street for a high end line. 

Eudon Choi: 

Invite: Very minimalistic but elegant with a white and grey colour scheme.

Location: Somerset House show space: nothing too glitz & glam, but gets the job done. The music was however pretty fantastic: oriental soothing chords were juxtaposed with head-banging rock.

Front row: Lucy Watson and Rosie Fortescue, as well as Amber & Yasmin Le Bon.

Collection: This was the first show I went to on Friday morning, and was one of the ones that impressed me the most. Taking clear inspiration from the orient, Eudon Choi's pieces featured some fantastic silhouettes and structured shapes, with the silk dresses (one of which is seen above) as the stand-out pieces. He later introduced modernised, city-style pieces which still hinted at the East. It was, in other words, tradition meets modernisation on the catwalk. Colour blocking also featured in a big way: a trend which Jonathan Saunders later confirmed the importance of for the upcoming season. 

Felder Felder:

Invite: On flimsy paper, but a nice design.

Location: Unfortunutely, the pandemonium which surrounded the show sort of spoiled its pretty location. Upon arrival, around 1/4 of the guests were told there were no seats for them, and so they would have to stand. The PRs had ballsed up a bit here, oversubscribing the show, which inevitably led to a bit of an explosion of some fashion egos. I was just happy to be at the show, so wasn't too bothered about standing, but the chaos did sort of overshadow the clothes. 

Front row: I spotted the Made in Chelsea folk, Little Mix girls, Amber le Bon and designer Charlotte Simone.

Collection:(2 photos above) This was sadly another collection that didn't leave much of an impact on me. It again had a bit of a high-street feel and didn't inspire me as much as other shows did. The pieces, which were mostly 'going out' style dresses, were pretty, but not memorable to me. 

Shrimps (presentation):

Invite: Let’s cut straight to it: it looked like a vagina. In a night sky. With naked people running toward it. Interesting...unique. 

Location: The BFC show space at Somerset House. 

Collection: There’s something quite unnerving about going into a room and having a dozen models stare directly at you. What's even more strange is knowing they have to stand there for two hours straight, the poor buggers. But Shrimps...oh glorious Shrimps...it never does let a girl down. 70s vibes and a heavy star wars influence made for a pretty out of this world (quite literally) presentation. The pieces were so on point and I loved the whole line, I just wish next season enough pieces are designed for a show! 

Turtleneck Hair: a love story

Turtleneck: Gap 

Bag: River Island 

Skirt: Topshop

Tights: Primark

Boots: Zara

Jacket: & other stories 

Ever since I saw a piece yonks ago on manrepeller.com about 'Turtleneck Hair', I've been totally obsessed. Then in December, Leandra rolled out another post on the hot hair topic which can be read here. Leandra herself was a big influence in why I chose to divide my hair length in two. She looks so effortlessly parisian in every insta pic, every blog post: she's just COOL, and her hair definitely contributes to this. So in my pursuit of coolness (or something..) I went and chopped off half the locks on my noggin and ended up with a short graduated bob. So getting back to turtlenecks: when I first had my hair cut short I was super self-conscious about it and kept asking everyone whether I looked like a little boy (their words said no but their eyes, I found, usually said yes). Tucking my hair into a turtleneck sort of became a little comfort- something to make me feel a bit more comfortable with my snippy situation. Soon I came to love my hair, and now still adore how it tucks into a turtleneck at the perfect length. It's no longer a way to hide my locks though, but one to show them off. In general I really love having short hair. Do I ever feel envy for my mermaid-lock'd co-workers and their billowing luscious waves? Course I do. BUT I have to think that short hair is best for ME. I have very thin flat hair, and wearing it long only emphasises these less-than-ideal features. Having it short gives it some volume and I feel I can wear it up, down, half up/half down, twirled around, straight..YOU NAME IT, and I'm always pretty happy. I also feel (and this may sound a little cheeky to my longer haired gal pals) that with a short, choppy style, sometimes clothes can look a little cooler? Amirite?? On the downside however, I do have to wash it FAR more often than I used to, unless I want a greasy ol' mop on my head for a day's work, and no-one wants that, do they?  

The Big February Wish List

(Starting bottom left going clockwise)
Shirt: Weekday at Asos 
Utility Trousers: Asos 
Blanket Cape: Asos 
Watch: Larsson & Jennings 
Wonder glow primer: Charlotte Tilbury 
Optical style glasses: Asos 
Faux Fur stole: Charlotte Simone 
Glastonberry lipstick: Charlotte Tilbury 
Gazelle Trainers: Adidas 
Green Dress: Asos 
Large Gleaming Isla Candle: Anthropologie 
Black Jeans: Asos
Rock n kohl black eyeliner: Charlotte Tilbury  
Rings: Monica Vinader 
Brush set: Zoeva 

Working at a fashion/shopping magazine can become damn bloody expensive. Not just because you're learning & writing about new brands, but also because you are surrounded by the most dangerous type of people for your bank balance: MSE's (that's 'Mass Shopping Enablers' in my mind). Some of the girls at work & I sort of egg each other on when it comes to online shopping and all that malarkey. Some of us even follow the 'if you will, I will' rule, which always ends up in several hefty purchases. It's also pretty easy when you get one of your first "real" jobs to go a bit mental when you see some money pour into your account. Especially when you're living at home and not yet paying rent for your own place. So what am I actually getting at? Well, this month my imagination has gone pretty wild while writing away at work. Many things have been pointed out to me by my co-workers, and the amount on my wish-list has officially gone off the charts...cheers guys. 
See what I am lusting over above! 

The Trip Down Memory Lane: A Perfume Post

In the two years I have been blogging, I've never written a post about all things whiff-related. So I thought it was about time to round up some of my all time favourite scents which make the boys swoon (or not...they are just super duper pretty). The one thing I both love and hate about perfumes is their ability to take you back to a time or place from the past. The correlation between smell and memory has been proven countless times, and I for one can associate nearly every perfume I own with something that has happened in my past. This means that one sniff can tell a story: be it one of rainbows and sparkles or loss and not such fun times. So as well as touching on what I love about these scents, I've also had a little trip down memory lane in the following run down: 
The Jo Malone Favourites: Everybody loves a bit o' Jo Malone, and no wonder. Her truly unique scents  are unlike anything else you can buy. My favourites include Vintage Gardenia (big bottle- discontinued), Blackberry & Bay and Pomegranate Noir (2 small bottles). The most 'memory-inducing' of the three is without a doubt Pomegranate Noir. Every time I wear it I think of my Mum, as it was her who introduced me to Jo Malone; PN being one of her favourites. Jo Malone scents are very potent and sophisticated, and Pomegranate Noir is the truest representation of this I think. 
The one that reminds me of an ex: On my 22nd birthday, I spent the day with my boyfriend of the time, as well as one of my best friends. I was given Diptyque Philosykos from my parents earlier that day, and was wearing it when I left the house. Because it's such an intense scent, it stayed right under my nose the entire day. Every time I smell this now, I think back to that day and what I was doing and how I felt. It reminds me of people that are maybe no longer around in my life and of a summertime spent with friends and surrounded by romance. Despite this (or maybe because of this), I really love this smell, and even more so because it is not a pretty, floral scent but an almost unisex, plant based scent: right up my street. 
The rollerball from my travels: When I was travelling last summer in America, myself and my tent buddy Helen took an entire free day to go shopping in San Francisco. People thought we were sort of mental seeing as we could have spent the day seeing the beautiful sights of the city, but instead tirelessly wandered round drug stores and tried on bras in Victoria's Secret. In truth, it was one of the best days I had on the trip. After a month of camping and being deprived of any pampering time, spending a day with one of my best makeup-loving girl pals doing something only girly-girls do was so special. To cut this (incresingly long) story short, we went into Sephora, and I bought a rollerball version of Elizabeth & James Nirvana. It's the white version of the duo scents by the Olsens, and is just super pretty and feminine. I wore it for the rest of the trip. 
The Uni perfume: When I was at uni, naturally I was crazy skint. I guess it's just a right of passage: every female undergrad (unless you are fortunate enough to have some well-off parents) goes through the agony of lusting after clothes, makeup and shoes that they just can't really afford. I remember one day I ran out of perfume, and was dreading forking out a hefty sum for another bottle. I was in Mac with a friend, and as she was buying something, I picked up their Turquatic perfume at the counter, and  after a single sniff (and after learning of the very modest price tag) practically threw a bottle at the cashier. Everyone's really surprised when I say one of my favourite scents is from Mac because most people don't even know they make them. It is so fresh and sort of tropical smelling, and really really affordable. 
The all-time fave: Oh Chanel. Is there anything you can't master? Clothing, accessories, makeup and perfumes: you rock the shit out of them all. That's why I am not surprised my all time favourite perfume is from the luxury brand, and why I am not ashamed to shout about it. Although the price tag is not so boast-worthy, the smell really really is. Chance eau Fraiche is citrusy, fruity and fresh, and sort of smells different throughout the day, which I really like. I like to think of this as my lucky perfume too, as I have worn it at some major events in recent years: my graduation, my job interview for SHOP, all throughout my work in Amsterdam, the list goes on...
The scent from my teenage years: What really attracted me to Marc Jacobs Daisy is the bottle. Like most beauty-obsessed teens, I liked anything big, bright and bold that stood out from the rest. With its large flowery lid and minimalistic font, Daisy had it going on. It's a fairly sweet scent which I would say is quite girly, and isn't one I wear much these days. When I was younger, however, it was all I would ever reach for. House parties, sixth form and nights out with fake ID's would all see (or sniff) Marc Jacobs Daisy, and not just the perfume either: I at various points owned the shower gel, body cream and shimmering body butter. Now that's dedication. 
The current choice: Reigning in a new year and a new start is Prada's Infusion D'Iris. This is another scent that, like the Diptyque and Jo Malone in my collection, reflects my love of perfumes that are just a little different. It's a smell which you can't quite put your finger on: floral but not girly, fresh but also a little 'spicy' and unique to its very core. It's also very grown up. Which is why I guess I am wearing it now. I am, after all, officially over the hill at the grand old age of 22 (kidding...kinda). I got it for Christmas last month, and so it's been my scent of choice for all the new experiences I am having now, and for working life. It will be interesting to see what it reminds me of in a few years time! 
What are your favourite perfumes and what do they remind you of? 

Ealing B

Blazer: Zara Sale (sold) Crop Tee: Topshop Jeans: Asos Shoes: Topshop Sale Watch: Kate Spade  Bag: Topshop
These images were shot in my beloved Ealing B by my office wife Tess. It was a super rainy day so I thought I would unleash some sunshine-esque brights onto the streets of EB. This blazer was a total barg at Zara; I nabbed it for £30 in the sale instead of £50 ish (I think!). I love how oversized and long it is -- I often have a problem finding blazers that fit how I want them to: too many on offer are very fitted and sit at the waist which I find super unflattering. I'm also wearing my Topshop sale shoes which make me feel like Carrie Bradshaw (an awesome or awful prospect I don't know...). They are completely ridiculous and I can't imagine where or when I will wear them. When taking these shots Tess asked me about the practicality of these shoes. It went something a little like this: T: So, when will you actually wear these B? B: Don't really know. Blog posts? Fancy dress? Days when it's not raining? T: So why did you buy them? B: THEY WERE IN THE SALE AND I HAD A VOUCHER OK. 
Moving on...
I am currently planning my upcoming year (as much as you can "plan" for what life will bring in the next year) and am looking to go travelling over the new year (just for a short period) in Indonesia with my mate Michelle, and move to Putney in April time. If anyone knows of anyone looking for roommates or of any rooms available, do let me know! I also got a call from The Debrief last week too, offering me the short internship I applied for, which I will complete in March. I am SO excited as if you know me, you will know I am a crazy fan of the humorous-fashion-writing bracket, which The Debrief definitely can be filed under. I am also back at The Times next month, but the big news is that I have been kept on at the magazine (SHOP) I have been interning at since the beginning of Dec. I am still doing intern duties but have also been writing as a freelancer and am surrounded by the nicest people! So it looks like a move to Putney is on the horizon...London life is officially underway! (woop woop).