Friday 22 February 2013

The basics

Basics are a key part of everyone wardrobe. They're layers, warm and the bits that actually touch your skin. And strangely, they're the one part of my wardrobe where even though budgets are tight, I would much rather shop outside the high street, and at the very least to the higher end of it.
I thought I'd share some of my favourite brands with you. Basics never go out of fashion and they're the things we wear most. These are some of my best finds. And I guarantee it's worth spending the extra couple of pounds ('cos that's all it is) to have something that both crosses seasons and looks gorgeous.

This Scandanavian brand is going from strength to strength. About H&M prices and best of all available to buy online, the brand offers gorgeous designs in fabulous fabrics. For me the brand epitomises effortless style and the jersey pieces are all gorgeous.

Lisen sweater - 14.95E

Stella Snood - 9.95E
 
Celia Top - 12.95E
 
Leila Tunic - 12.95E
 
 


Cos operates under the H&M group but if you haven't found it yet its basically far far better!! Timeless elegant design, made to live beyond the season, COS, Collection Of Style, is for men and women who want high end design and good quality at an affordable price. Each store is placed in a carefully considered location with a design concept that preserves buildings’ original features whilst creating a modern gallery space for our collection. You don't have to rake through rails and rails of things to find what you're looking for and its fine because you (at least I!) want to buy pretty much everything each season anyway!


Cos - SS 2013


Cos - SS 2013

Cos - SS 2013

Cos - SS 2013



 

Vero Moda is my go to. Beautiful jersey pieces, basic jumpers and what can only be described as the perfect tops for layering, all at more than reasonable prices - what's not to love!

 

IDA 3/4 BOATNECK, ICY MORNING, main
Ida 3/4 length boatneck - £16

 

SEVILLA FERRARI LS BLOUSE, RASPBERRY, main
Illa Ferrari Ls Blouse - £22

 
Zara leggings

Zara leggings are bloody incredible. High waisted, think, normally with some kind of zip deatil and they make every bum look amazing!! You can almost (almost) wear them as trousers they're that good. Really worth investing in at £20-£25 a pair. I vouch for these. You will not be dissapointed! And if I haven't quite convinced you yet think American Aparrel jodhpurs without the price tag?


LEGGINGS WITH ZIP POCKETS
 
LEGGINGS WITH ZIP POCKETS




 
Hot of the Italian Press - for us Brits anyway - Brandy Melville is amazing. Think basics with design but retaining the material quality and good prices. At the higher end of the high street, purely for its Italian heritage Brandy Melville is well worth checking out.
Brandy Melville's styles range from loose fitting off-shoulder tees, to soft angora sweaters and stylish dresses and tops. Using state of the art textile and high quality fabrics, Brandy brings stylish, comfortable, and affordable clothing to women all over the globe. With a flagship store on the Kings Road this brand is well worth a look!

 
 
 
 
 

I'd love to hear about your favourite must have basics? Have you got any must have's for the coming Spring months?

Thursday 21 February 2013

What is it about Izzy Lawrence?

 
There is only one way to start.
Izzy Lawrence is a babe!
 
British presenter, DJ & blogger, Izzy is fast establishing herself as one of the influential voices in digital culture. She covers the coolest festivals, knows the best people and wears the most covetable clothes. She comes across as very down to earth in her zeitgeist blog and often partners with major brands, most recently All Saints at London Fashion Week.
 
Izzy is one to watch. Her modelling shots for storm (below) are stunning and for me the best thing about them is the lack of pretence. Like Alexa Chung she does not appear to be stuffy and this is such an added bonus to see from anyone as stunning as this in the limelight.
 
Her blog is well worth a read and I don't think it will be long before we see a big collaboration with another major brand - watch this space!
 
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Wednesday 20 February 2013

The Vogue Festival 2013

The Vogue Festival has just been announced. The 27th and 28th April 2013. A Saturday and Sunday - perfectly convenient for those working or studying during the week which should ensure a fab audience turnout.

The Vogue Festival 2013


An amazing experience for anyone that has an interest in fashion, the festival allows a glamorous insight of all things fashion and design. With the opportunity to meed leading designers, photographers, models and fashion editors and gain a unique insight into their lives and work any budding creative, and even industry professions, will want to attend.

What struck me though when I clicked onto the website this morning was the extortionate ticket prices. Paul Smith & Alexa Chung is £40 (+ booking fee), The Secrets to Creating a British Brand, £30 (+ booking fee) and Michael Kors also £40 (+ booking fee - of course!).

Last year, the festival was a set price for each day - and much cheaper as far as I can remember - and attendees were invited to all of the days talks and experiences. For me, the festival is about broadening knowledge of the fashion world for those keen to enter it, or simply looking for a bit of insider knowledge and I would expect this to be affordable.

As a student with a keen interest in fashion I would love to attend but the idea of forking out £100 (consider travel, food etc) for a talk that lasts an hour or two is not so appealing. Yes, the event is high end and Vogue is couture but it should also be accessible. Isn't that what the fashion industry strives to do - ensure accessibility and a platform for creativity and expression? I hope that in future either I have a slightly nicer student budget or wait until I'm working or the event team decide to add a concession ticket price. I'm still going to see if I can stretch the budget - the talk by Alexa Chung will be incredible I'm sure - but I may resent doing so more than a little, 'work experience' may have to become a key phrase in that little bit of spending!!
 
You can find out more about the festival, and book tickets at:

London Fashion Week #4 - Highlights of day 3, 4 & 5

I've spent the last couple of days massively procrastinating and watching the shows, flicking through the highlights and reading blogs and now I can't believe its all over already! #LFW 2013 went by in a flash!
 
There's no point in me documenting everything. This isn't a fashion blog after all. And the LFW website is fab at doing that. I did want to pull out a couple of my favourite designers from the last few days though. For me Christopher Kane, Topshop, Mulberry and Temperly are the ones really worth talking about.

I adored the oversized fur at Christopher Kane - easy to throw on and instantly glamorous. Temperley's collection was as classic as ever and I love the wearability of all of the pieces. Some of my faves are below:


Temperley London A/W 2013



Temperley London A/W 2013
 


Temperley London A/W 2013


Temperley London A/W 2013


Temperley London A/W 2013



Temperley London A/W 2013

 
And how could I forget Topshop? Everyone's favourite British high street brand put on a stunner of a show with the as its backdrop Tanks, adjacent to the Tate gallery and a brand new exhibition space. The front row was filled with fixtures such as Olivia Palermo, Kate Bosworth and Demi Lovato and the collection matched the audience. Topshop proves that highstreet can very much do high end.

With a show opened by Cara Delevingne and closed by Jordan Dunn how could it not really? The collection focused on texture; a mix up of different materials and dashes of notable prints. Most notable, though, was the integration (and application) of sequin and sparkle as an embellishment altogether ungirlie. High shine was key, but the assumed glitziness was subdued by way of sharp tailoring, luxe fur add-ons, and masculine outerwear counterparts.

This is a collection that is going to do extremely well!




Topshop Unique A/W 2013


Topshop Unique A/W 2013



Topshop Unique A/W 2013
 
I loved the whole essence of the Mulberry show, from set design to music, clothes to bags to oversized poodle!! The fabrics were stunning and the collection is perfect for the new season. The new Suffolk bag (my home) - reminiscent of a traditional doctors bag and available in white, midnight blue and pheasant green - is stunning and is definitely top of my wish list from the whole of the runway so far. The collection was grown up and luxurious, (although skirts over trousers was a little strange; the season really is returning to the 90s!) epitomising the brand - Emma Hill seems to be going from strength to strength. 


Topshop Unique A/W 2013


Mulberry Suffolk at LFW







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Emma Hill takes a snapshot of the Mulberry catwalk
 
 

I'm ready and waiting patiently to see what makes it down to the high street - for me, the true essence of fashion week (at least until I can afford couture anyway!!). 


Saturday 16 February 2013

London Fashion Week #3 : Highlights of day 1 & 2

What struck me most about yesterdays shows was the penultimate event of the day, the Central Saint Martins MA show: the future of high end fashion. It is always a key moment in any fashion week and when seen alongside the likes of the incredible Sass and Bide and Bora Aksu one can only smile! Creativity and imagination was paramount - there is no need to conform to the style of a particular label, or the audience of their own whilst still studying. With eclectic pieces across the colour palette and a range of themes, this selection of young designers really are the ones to watch. I love the fact that CSM has a show alongside the main designers and in my opinion it really emphasises the quality and development of the British Fashion Industry.

Today was meant to be a library day. Essays essays essays. But with LFW being streamed live this year and with the #lfw Twitter feed in full swing (really demonstrating the ever evolving importance of social media) I couldn't resist at least a little look! The first thing that I saw this morning was DAKS.

I love DAKS. They never use the mega superstar models and they always include their house check. The AW13 collection is grungy and cool, epitomising my affection for the brand! The pieces were chic, covertable and are always classy and there was a lot that took my fancy! Beautiful cuts that will hopefully be carried straight to the high street - oh to be away from the confines of a student budget! I liked pretty much everything that came out but here are some of my favourites:

Daks - A/W 2013


Daks - A/W 2013


Daks - A/W 2013


Daks - A/W 2013


Daks - A/W 2013




Daks - A/W 2013



Daks - A/W 2013

Daks - A/W 2013


Daks - A/W 2013

With the orange of Jaspar Conran, the chic dresses of Bora Aksu, and kilts over trousers at Clements - the nineties grew up - and a couple of key looks by Sister at Sibling (others were just plain strange - a model looking like a sheep, really?!) there really has been something to suit everyone. I love the fact that you can see highlight videos and view the collections at the fash week website, it makes the whole things so much more accessible to a mass audience, and more so allows the collections to span the world extremely quickly.

Bora Aksu A/W 2013

Bora Aksu A/W 2013

Bora Aksu A/W 2013

Sister at Sibling A/W 2013

Is it a girl or is it a sheep!?
Sister at Sibling A/W 2013


Henry Holland is one of my favourites. With signatures that are “bold, colourful, irreverent” and the fact that he designs for 'the London girl aesthetic' with designs intended to be worn in an individual way how could I not! “The crossover between music and fashion has always been prevalent and we as a brand often reference all things popular culture.” The clothes are wearable and transferable from catwalk to 'normal person'. The AW13 collection is no different. Beautiful mini dresses in incredible prints, floor length gowns and some amazing 60s revival trousers, all topped off with the best soundtrack of the day. 'Such a good feeling' (inspirational delight mix) by brothers in rhythm. Oh Henry, what a babe!
 
House of Holland A/W 2013

House of Holland A/W 2013

House of Holland A/W 2013

House of Holland A/W 2013
House of Holland A/W 2013
 
 
The effortless glamour of Issa shone through it statement pieces, much like the summer collection only this time hot pinks and vibrant patterns were replaced by a more subtle pallet and pallet but the capes were amazing, as was the belted trench and with Cara Delevigne opening - who couldn't love it?
 
Issa A/W 2013

Issa A/W 2013

And this is a fab little video I found, emphasising the fact that fashion and art really do go hand in hand (one of my truest opinions) - and it includes Manolo so even more reason to check it out! <3