LONDON FASHION WEEKEND

Yesterday was the day that I most look forward to each season: London Fashion Weekend! This is when the public are given a chance to experience a taste of what attending a Fashion Week is really like. Of course it's nothing compared to the real Fashion Week, but I'm definitely not complaining. The show was a good as ever with a great variety of trends and designers. I particularly enjoyed the English Eccentric themed section of the show which showed quirky yet classic styles perfect for the UK's cold winters. I also really liked the detailed leggings in the Bryce Aime catwalk section.

The catwalk was amazing but London Fashion Weekend just wouldn't be the same without the amazing designer clothes and jewellery stalls which I spent about four hours looking around! This year was even better than the last few I've been to as they had a whole section of stalls devoted to vintage clothes which everyone knows I have a bit of an obsession with. I managed to end up with a pretty big bag of purchases: a maroon shirt dress from Ducie, a long sleeved, tie dyed crop top from Bill and Mar, a cut out shoulder t-shirt from Cheap Monday and a metallic knit from Sass and Bide. 

London Fashion Week Favourites

London Fashion Week has been going on for a few days now so I thought I'd do a post of my favourites to far. Now, I know this sounds bias, me being from London and everything, but in my opinion London Fashion Week is the best of all the fashion weeks. I just find that many of the London collections are so much more youthful and experimental. The looks are edgier, yet I think they appeal to younger audiences. Of course there are the very old designers such as Burberry which give us the classic looks that London is often known for, however, in this post I will be showing the side of London Fashion Week that I love...

TOPSHOP UNIQUE

This collection was based on two very different inspirations: Ancient Egypt and 90's hiphop culture. When you think about these two things together they seem so random but they actually have a lot in common. Metallic gold and graphic symbols are both key themes in these cultures. The mix of the two inspirations worked so well - sporty shapes in metallics with half graffiti, half hieroglyphic symbols. The hiphop vibe stayed throughout the collection, even when the shape of the garments became more elegant and drifted more towards the Egyptian inspiration there was still always an undertone of urban style. The contrast between the opulence and elegance of the Ancient Egyptians and the much more sporty and slouchy look of the 90's hiphop style.

HOUSE OF HOLLAND

This collection was a perfect balance of punk inspired pieces in feminine pastels. The bleached splattered jeans are so fun and look amazing paired with the pale coloured tops. I love the quirkiness of the shirts, the half-haf colour shirts and the snake print collars. The mesh knit dress is beautifully draped and has a great grunge feel to it. The collection is a perfect example of how to wear springs pretty colours without looking too childish or girly. 

ASHISH

This collection uses florals in a playful and modern way. They are given texture with sequins and the mixed prints gives the looks a quirky edge. I love how sequins have been applied to a very everyday, grey jumper turning something so boring into a beautifully detailed and textured piece. Black lips and heavy duty work boots balance it all perfectly, and the flowers threaded through the boots are a cute detail to top it all off.

TAKING THE LOOK FROM THE RUNWAY:

Topshop Unique Style

JEFFREY CAMPBELL

LAZY OAF

AMERICAN APPAREL

AMERICAN APPAREL

AQUA

Henry Holland

AMERICAN APPAREL

SIMONE ROCHA

NASTY GAL

NOBODY

ASOS

Ashish

TOPSHOP

TOPSHOP

ROKIT

ROKIT

DR MARTENS

URBAN OUTFITTERS

In Love with Richard Chai Love

I was planning on doing a post of New York fashion week so far, but, while looking through the many photos of all the shows, I kind of fell in love with the Richard Chai Love collection. I ended up not being able to choose only a few looks from the collection so I decided to just dedicate this whole post to it.

This collection includes everything a Spring Summer collection should have, pretty florals, utilitarian jackets, bright lipstick, floaty dresses, pastel colours, and androgynous shoes and blazers. The whole lot jumbled together gives a perfect outcome of feminine looks with a slight edge, exactly the style I love for the Spring and Summer months. Layering is used very well in this collection with a sheer, studded t-shirt over a girly, floral dress, giving it the added kick that it needs. The collection also shows us what can be achieved my mis-matching prints by pairing a monochrome, striped blazer and a floaty, floral maxi skirt. The contrast between the harsh stripes and the soft shapes of the flowers and the material they are printed on is beautiful. When looking at a collection it isn't always the things that you notice first that are the best. When taking a closer look at the photos I noticed that cut out shoulders were used often. Details such as this give a collection an extra interesting twist, that makes the clothes just a tiny bit more amazing.