Woke up at Molly's. Tea in bed, yum. Drama, Drama. This is what I wore today.
Went off to see the Tom Ford film 'A Single Man' this afternoon. Nicholas Holt was pretty yum in it. It was a bit of a weird, depressing film - but good all the same.

I'm listening to a few pretty good bands, adding a bit of a different sound to my Ipod.
And I'm really looking forward to some upcoming events and news.
Hope you're all good too.

I'll add some LFW related things tomorrow, don't you worry.

Wearing: Jeans, Miss Selfridge. Long Top, H&M. Cropped Jumper, present from Mike's mum.
Pearl & Crystal necklace, present from Mike [3 years on Thursday!]
Today's one of those days I wish for summer.
A little bit of sunshine, loose clothes, and a carefree attitude.


But if stars, shouldn't shine
By the very first time
Then dear it's fine, so fine by me
'Cos we can give it time
So much time
With me

If you want me
Let me know
Where do you wanna go
No need for talking
I already know
If you want me
Why go?


I have more LFW things to post and will do soon.
Tonight I'm off to Molly's, it's always such fun to see her.
I'm so behind...sorry guys. Unfortunately typing up articles for magazines comes first!! For example my Julian J Smith review, and J Maskrey review, for Amelia's Magazine. Hope you like. Julian J Smith is once again accompanied by fabulous illustrations, this time by teabelle.



Anyway, back to LFW! On the first day I also stopped by the Orla Kiely presentation. Which was literally in the prettiest set up, with the cutest print blouses. My friend Carrie simply adored the whole thing. We got some fruit sticks to munch on whilst we watched, and I've now become a firm Orla Kiely fan!
!

Mustard yellow, Satchel Bags, Platform Heels, Leaf Prints, Top Knots, Cream and Collared Blouses... flawless x


Molly, Kirsty, Me, Jackie
[street style spotted for Emerging Fervour]
Me, Kirsty, Molly - blogger love x
Me and my 'homegirlll' Molly :)
[who's in almost every one of my posts!]
As part of London Fashion Week, I met up with some of my friends (who also happen to primarily be bloggers!!). It was so lovely to see them all and a few I haven't stopped texting / bbming etc since, the London vibes just don't want to go away - I'm longing to return (4 weeks, yes!).
Others I loved seeing included Audrey, Rachael (my editor), Lucy, Aindrea, Carrie, Frances, Daniella...x

LFW photos, outfits and reviews to come this week! x

LFW Day 1: Caroline Charles

Sorry for appalling photos. My number 1 on my current wishlist is a proper camera - don't worry, it WILL come. Unfortunately I forgot to snap a photo of my Day 1 outfit, but I'll do it later just for the fun of it. Day 1 started very early for me having had Molly to stay the night before, which was so fun, meant I was so tired...! But I arrived in London, got to Somerset House & met with Rachael my editor, before getting my press pass.
First stop was Caroline Charles which was a big one for me, seated too.
Hadn't quite got the hang of photo snapping yet...& my camera doesn't seem to approve of moving objects, or any sort of darkness which was how the tent was...





A stunning collection full of 1920s glamour, sequins, leather, lace, fur and splashes of bright green in the form of gloves... Typically British meant that tweed featured too. The whole collection was beautiful, and there was something for everyone, especially due to the mix of day and eveningwear.

Which includes a stunning illustration that Gemma kindly did for me!

Features on Julian J Smith, J Maskrey, Betty Jackson, Doii Paris, Horace to name only a few...!
As well as being street style snapped, and other fashion week behind the scenes gossip.
Keep reading :)

x
A run down of my shows and presentations that you will shortly hear much more about...

Caroline Charles
J Maskrey
Julian J Smith
Louise Gray
Orla Kiely
Bryce Aime
Belle Sauvage
Ones to Watch
Gemma Slack
Craig Lawrence
and a few other bits and bobs to show you. Some great exhibitions etc.
I have actually managed to miss...four or five of my shows, ahhh. You never realise just how much shows are going to overrun... not so cool. But on the plus I replaced my time with fellow bloggers, exhibitions and seeing Molly again - yay! Who I took to Somerset House for a little show around with my press pass - dont tell anyone she is not me!

Tomorow is my last day, sob...as I have to come home. It sucks as I actually have some great tickets for Monday and Tuesday (cry) lol. But before I go I will see Betty Jackson, yay, Cooperative Designs, WDC, Espirit De Corps, Eley Kishimoto and a few more things.
Hello from London Fashion Week. I just have to do some write ups for the magazines I write for, covering LFW. But then I shall try and do a full on post for you guys on here. I have so much to tell and show you all.

Also, I stupidly forgot to let you all know you can follow me on twitter - I have been posting photos and tweets live from LFW for the last two days...silly me!! So if you go to my profile on twitter you can read them all!


Read that for now and I will get back to you asap after I have done my work...!

xx
Sorry for a lack of posting. Time at the moment is amazing! but so very hectic...
I've been having to coordinate LFW organisation around work experience - harder than I thought!

I've got some more amazing invitations, including Orla Kiely and Betty Jackson. So excited about it all. I got my blackberry today too so I'll be posting live from the shows ! As well as more detailed entries later, so keep checking back :)

Work experience is amazing. I've written articles, one of which is already in the magazine, contacted press, researched and brain stormed and finally - EDITED the BOOK. Yes, as in THE BOOK, just like in the devil wears prada...haha ;)

This is where I'm working; pretty awesome!

I'll try and post properly tomorrow night...but you may get some rubbishy blackberry ones I'm afraid before the proper ones! xx

Loveliest weekend with Mike who I haven't seen in five weeks, boo. We went to dinner at the best restaurant ever, and my absolute favourite - cocktails, overlooking the river etc etc. We also went to see Valentine's Day - I actually really liked it, a good laugh/cry/romance. Go see.

I am so very very very excited for this week.
Work experience at a magazine Monday-Thursday.
LONDON Fashion Week Friday-Sunday.
I actually have a whole bunch of invites, which I wasn't completely expecting.
I'm not technically going for my blog - although keep an eye out as I will post as often as possible, even from my seat now my Blackberry's on it's way, Yay!
But I'm going as press for the magazines I write for :)

Here's just a few of my invites / tickets...
I love the Bora Aksu one which is actually a sketchbook which I can doodle in !


I've also been invited to an exclusive party that's being covered by none other than VOGUE.
Excited.is a HUGE understatement.

Lastly, I won fashionchampagne's giveaway and am so excited to get those gorgeous grey leggings - I hope they arrive before LFW!
[I have no idea what to wear...although I've got a gorgeous new blazer to share with you]

I'll keep you updated!

My latest Not Just A Label article!
I did it with my editor Hanne as unfortunately this was the time I was really ill...so wasn't exactly able to hand in my best work, so she kindly added quite a bit to it :)

The interview behind the piece was with Papusza Couture - she is the most amazing New York designer, featured as a NJAL designer and I absolutely adore her work. She made a real effort to answer all my questions in full and so I just couldn't refrain from sharing it with you all!

1. Do you think street style has had an effect on new and emerging designers, rather than just the big name designers? If so - how?

Absolutely. Especially as emerging designers, still building a name for ourselves, we have to consider marketability and how we are gonna pay the bills. Street style represents how people are comfortable presenting themselves on a day to day basis. As much as it may be creatively fulfilling to make pieces that are unconventional or impractical it is important to balance that out with things people can wear in everyday life.

Also, as not only a designer, but as an artist, I think it is my responsibility to push boundaries, and compel people to step outside of their comfort zones and break the mainstream mould. I use street style as a tool to inspire me. I observe what people are comfortable wearing, and then I try and play with it, and see what I can do to make it more interesting. I believe this type of mentality is what makes fashion evolve.

Personally, I spend a lot of time observing what people wear in the city in their everyday lives. One of my favourite things to do on the subway is look at peoples' shoes. I don't design shoes, but I love them, and perhaps one day I will... I have spent a lot of time in my mind culminating the ideal shoe, that is both beautiful and street appropriate. Hopefully one day I can make it a reality.


2. Is any of your work inspired by what you see on the street - if so could you give an example?

Sure, my work is very inspired by what I see on the street, especially living in New York. People are not afraid to express themselves through what they wear here. That being said I think a lot of the influence to my aesthetic comes from my having grown up in close proximity to Portland and Seattle. The idea of grunge, punk rock and vintage played a huge role in my personal love of fashion.

The area where I think this influence is most apparent in my aesthetic is in my use of deconstruction and disintegration. For example, I think there is a certain beauty, and representation of process, in finding a basic pair of tights, shredding them up, and dying them in a manner that makes them appear discoloured, and weathered. It gives them more texture, and makes them more interesting to look at, in giving the appearance of how time can impact and add character a very basic article of clothing.


3. When looking for ideas for your collections, do you ever look at street style blogs such as The Sartorialist?

I enjoy looking at fashion blogs, and of course I get ideas when looking at them. That being said, I can't say I specifically seek them out to gather inspiration for my collections.

The Sartorialist is great, and although I don't look at it as much as I should I often see things that stimulate new ideas when I check it out. I also like seeing how street style in Europe compares to street style in New York. I particularly enjoy keeping up on fashion in Japan. One of my favourite blogs to look at for inspiration is STYLE from TOKYO. I love Harajuku, and I think the Japanese are bold in their willingness to be playful with everyday fashion.


4. Does any of your current collection relate to street trends - if so which would you say?

The new collection I am creating to show in September '10 has a lot of inspiration from street style. I am working a lot with leather, and doing lot's of separates and more pants than I have in the past. Although I am still creating a handful of fun, avant garde dresses (which is one of the things I enjoy most in my design process), I am also doing a lot of separates to balance them out. For example, I am making lots of little vests, bustiers, pantaloons and leggings that can either be layered with more theatrical pieces to dress them down, or that can be worn with day wear, like jeans and t-shirts, to dress them up. These are the pieces that resemble an aire of timelessness, and one of my more recently acquired design philosophies is to make having them a part of a collection be a priority.


5. Have you seen any trends on the street that are now being replicated on the catwalk?

Sure, I see things on the catwalk all the time that are variations of styles I see on the street. One of my recent favourite examples of this would be some of the gowns in the Viktor & Rolf Spring '10 collection. They had a lot of tulle in their garments (which I LOVE), and some of the pieces resembled tutu's that had been worn out on the town and torn or chopped up. To me this is very rock and roll, and filled with body and texture. I love how interesting and creative the beautiful imperfection of the concept is.

Another favourite is the reworked punk rock t-shirt, seen in numerous variations on the runway. When I was a teenager we used to always take our beloved band shirts, and cut them up, fringe them, cut holes in them and weave strange objects into the fringe. I still see this expression of DIY everyday on the streets in Brooklyn, and have seen it recently in many varieties in the collections of Gaultier, Westwood, Rodarte and Comme Des Garcons. It has inspired me to pull out some of my old favorite shirts! I guess it's a good thing I still listen to a lot of the same music.



My current favourite Papusza piece: the Bird Skull Butterfly Dress; simply stunning.

Photo credit: NJAL / Papusza Couture
Hello pretty people. I'm getting so excited now...got a load of confirmations for London Fashion Week. yes yes yes! & the prettiest invitation through my door today.
Will post some sweet photos and the names of the shows in the next few days! Let me know if I'll see you there...!

On another note, loving this behind the scenes shot taken by Rose from whatwasfoundthere.blogspot.com
[there's more on her blog!]
Apparently there's more similar things that she's involved in to come!


I love all the everyday people walking past...and then this absolute beaut in the foreground with all that colour and pattern.

xx

Photo credit: whatwasfoundthere.blogspot.com
You must ask Rose for permission to use the above photo.
Really quite like this ring, not sure what it is but it just draws me in... Kara Ross at Liberty, £85
Hey lovelies. Sorry such a busy time at the moment. And it's about to get a hundred more times hectic... Norwich and Leicester this week. Along with interview and photoshoot. Work experience. London Fashion Week. The list goes on....excitement!

Contemplating the bad boy above for London Fashion Week - opinion?
Really need to sort my outfits, ahhh!

Saw 'Up In The Air' today - very good, you should see it.

Xx

Photo credits: Topshop.com & Elleuk.com

Hey guys - thank you for your kind messages, I'm back now!
First off, here's another article I wrote for Amelia's. It's on a jewellary designer and I found it incredibly interesting to research. Hope you like! And actually read... ;)


Secondly I'm so pleased because I had a pre-planned idea that I wanted to do for my textiles exam piece...and luckily the brief we've been given includes a 'stimuli' that I can use!
The stimuli: Illusion
My pre-planned idea: inspired by my favourite Vogue issue - Christmas 2008 (The 'Fantasy' Issue). [As well as a few others such as March 2009]
I wanted to look at my favourite photographer Tim Walker as a starting point.
[who shot the Roald Dhal photoshoot for the 'Fantasy' Issue]

Then I hoped to explore other areas that linked to the idea of 'fantasy,' such as the bunny ears at LV. My final piece will most likely be some kind of costume...!
So so pleased. I'll add some posts of my designs & work if you like?!
x
Photo Credits: vogue.co.uk & galadarling.com
Hey all - this is just a very small post as I unfortunately received some bad news.
I'll be back posting properly tomorrow though!

One thing that did cheer me a little today though was receiving the 'Best Blog Award' from the lovely Kavita of iheartvintagex.blogspot.com - check it out! She makes amazing accessories too.

Here are the rules:
1. Accept the award posting it on your blog, naming the person who gave you the award, and linking to their blog.
2. Pass the award on to about 15 other blogs you recently discovered and think are awesome.
3. Contact those bloggers to let them know they've been chosen to accept this too.

I'm going to copy Kavita by only picking about 6 though as 15 is far too many to really mean anything...!
I pass this onto :
OK so about 4 of these are actually really good friends of mine - shhh!
Although they're also fashion insiders / amazing writers / really interesting too!


I'll be doing a post on some of my favourite bloggers shortly anyway! :)