London Exhibitions

In my spare time I love to visit exhibitions, specifically ones showcasing art and design. So whilst I am home for the Christmas holidays and taking a small breather from University life I thought it was the perfect and necessary opportunity to treat myself on a few days out in my home city- London to see what exhibitions were on offer.

The Victoria and Albert Museum, is noted to be 'the world's greatest museum of art and design' and never fails in hosting honourable exhibitions, so when I heard about the 'Ballgown Exhibition' that was taking place there, I booked two tickets immediately and called my mum to make sure she had saved the date in her diary!

The exhibition did not fail to disappoint, it showcased beautifully designed ballgowns since the 1950's- from red carpet evening dresses to catwalk show-stoppers. It was displayed over two floors and featured more than sixty years of strong Biritsh design tradition that continues to flourish. The eveningwear from the vast collection included inspirational pieces from renowned designers including Alexander McQueen, Giles Deacon, Erdem, Christian Dior, Stella McCartney, Jonathan Saunders, Jenny Packham and Hussein Chalayan.

Yes, the eveningwear isn't something that would be hung in our own wardrobes- *(we wish), but it was absolutely beautiful to look at and does a decent job of summing up British Culture over the last half century, and showing off the best of home-grown design talent. 

Below are some photos from the exhibition. If you want to visit the exhibition can buy tickets from the V&A website or click on the link below, but hurry as it is only on until the 6th January 2013!
( http://www.vam.ac.uk/whatson/event/1763/ballgowns-2917/ )

Romeo Beckham - Burberry's New Campaign Star!

Burberry has always been one of the most iconic designers for me. I love the British heritage behind the brand and their strong historic aesthetic. So I was excited and intrigued to see the behind the scenes pictures of the adorable Romeo Beckham in his modelling debut for the Burberry S/S 13 campaign.

The middle 'Beckham Boy' launched his new modelling career with an extremely contagious smile across his face and was even described by Christopher Bailey as a ‘joy to work with' saying 'he really stole the show'. 

The campaign was shot by no other than Mario Testino, whilst also staring other up-and-coming British talent including the beautiful Cara Delevingne and Edie Campbell. The campaign features a mixture of Burberry Prorsum, Burberry London and Burberry Brit clothing, with a focus on the brand’s iconic trench and heritage outerwear including a twist on the trench with an electric metallic PVC mac, which will be on trend for S/S 13.

It's clear Romeo Beckham has set his sights on becoming a key player in the fashion industry, following the footsteps of his mother, of course we would expect no less!

Catch a clip of the campaign in the video below!

Cheap VS Chíc

With Christmas and New Years coming around so soon, it would only be right to treat ourselves with an outfit perfect for each occasion. Whether your looking to invest in a smart sophisticated look or going all out to dress to impress, one of the high street or designer look alike A/W trends below are sure to sway your fancy...

H&M's Eco-Initiative

H&M tackle textile waste by launching the first global clothes collecting initiative! You might remember the eco-friendly red carpet line they launched back in April, featuring glamorous looks and sustainable materials including organic cotton hemp and recycled polyester (as seen below).

The brand is now taking it one step further by launching the first EVER global clothes collecting initiative. If like me you have piles ans piles of clothes lying at the back of your cupboard, which you always say you will wear one day so can't throw away... but three years later you come across those same clothes that you haven't seen or thought about since, then this initiative will be perfect for you!

All you need to do is from February hand over your unwanted clothes (by any brand not just H&M) to 48 of H&M's global markets and in exchange for this you will receive £5 discount vouchers for each bag you donate. How brilliant does that sound!Your clothes will be taken by I:Collect (H&M's partner) which will enable the garments to be reprocessed and ready to be used again, helping our environment.

#Who'sthatgirl

Topshop, innovative and creative as ever have announced their first ever Christmas campaign! Featuring a genius social media 'guess who' competition in order to guess which celebrity star it's video features before she is officially revealed!

Glamour magazine have run a series of beautiful teasers (as seen above), to help out with some clues!

If you can get the mystery blonds identity right, you will be in with the chance of winning £500 for a shopping spree! Ideal just before Christmas! Head to their website for your chance in winning. 

Cheap VS Chíc

Winter Warmers: Fur-ever

Embrace winter with some faux fur glamour. If your winter wardrobe doesn't have some kind of fur item this season, then you are definitely missing out! Wrap up warm with some cosy essentials, and if you haven't already got them why not leave a few hints as a christmas present! (Leaving your computer screen open for your family, boyfriend, friends to see is always a good sneaky tip!)

Nothing will keep you as warm and stylish this Christmas then a faux fur coat/ waistcoat as seen here supported by Topshop and Michael Kors.  

You can't go wrong with a fur gilet, I have the black 'Topshop Tassle Hem Faux Fur Gilet' and it is perfect to go over practically everything! Such as a jumper, blouse, t-shirt or a leather jacket, adding a touch of style to your look.

Add a fluffy accessory to your outfit with a fury hat which will guarantee to keep your ears nice and warm whilst keeping your hair intact too! 

The popular fur collars are an excellent addition to any winter ensemble, styled for a casual or chic look whether it be over a sweater, collared shirt or a buttoned down coat it will keep you nice and snug whatever the weather!

Maison Martin Margiela for H&M

Get your elbows ready fashionistas! As there is less than 24 hours to go until the latest H&M designer collaboration - Maison Martin Margiela, which will be hitting stores across the globe!

The line is a re-addition of Margiela original garments, consisting of the most representative items form the archive, reproduced in updated shapes and materials, since the labels founding over 2 decades ago. Each item will come with a label telling you which season it was introduced and what collection it originates from. 

"For the people who don’t know us, it provides an introduction to the Maison. For the people who have followed us for a while and know some of the themes, ideas and product concepts from the past, it’s a chance to see and enjoy certain pieces again". Maison Martin Margiela

There are over 104 pieces in the new collection ranging from women's, men's, accessories and footwear. The items include wool coats, coated denim and tailoring to a range of stand-out accessories, including metallic sweetie-wrapper clutch bags, horse hair necklaces, hi-top trainers and "invisible heels", where a wedge made of Plexiglass is designed o give the impression that the wearer is walking on air.

The Collection:

Below is a small teaser of the highly anticipated collection - The one-minute film sees dancers wearing the garments in the deserted streets of an eerily quiet and still Paris. 

Sneak preview of the designs from the collection...

University work!

I am in the midst of all my VERY stressful university work at the moment, and would really appreciate it if whoever is passing through my blog would be so kind to fill out my survey I created for my dissertation! Don't worry it is all anonymous, the link is below thank you!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RS5K3DN

Obsession of the week...

So I do have to admit I have a total girl crush on British Model Cara Delevingne.

Working her way up the socialite ladder, everywhere I look - be it magazine or surfing the web - Cara seems to be doing Britain proud and putting her stamp across the globe! Not only am I completely and utterly envious of her striking beauty but also of the long respected list of brands and advertisements she has featured in.

Most currently she has been strutting her stuff on the runway for Victoria Secret in New York. However, is also currently the face of Burberry Beauty, as well as previously being the face of Burberry S/S'12 campaign shot by Mario Testino.

Cara was also described by British Vogue as the 'star face' of the A/W'12 catwalk shows - what an exciting label to be given! having walked the runway for brands such as Shiatzy Chen, Jason Wu, Oscar de la Renta, Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Stella McCartney, Paul & Joe, Louis Vuitton, Chanel and more... Swap lives ??

Cheap VS Chíc

A popular trend for A/W 12 is 'Grid Locked', showcasing windowpanel and geometric checks giving traditional plaid a modern viewpoint. Check out the trend below supported by Topshop vs. Michael Kors.

Another trend captivating the season -  'Late Blooms', a favourite of mine, combining winter garden looks with subversive botanicals in dark tones.

        Me in my 'Topshop, Painted Flower Skinny Trousers' - £40

      (www.Topshop.com)

Now that Christmas is only a short while away, a pair of comfy boots to dip your feet into with some thick fluffy socks is an essential winter must have. Check out these beautiful 'Alier Chunky Fringe Boots' by Topshop for a causal look. However, if you have just won the lottery and thinking of buying yourself an early Christmas present then you cant go wrong with the 'Youth Metallic Leather Biker Ankle Boots' by Jimmy Choo.

In addition, if you are looking for something a little smatter don't miss out on these spectacular stud heel boots to match with Jeans or a LBD with a statement necklace and warm winter coat!

Talk PR Open Day

As I am in my final year of Uni, it is coming up to that scary time in my life where I need to start looking at what the next step within my career is going to be, and start applying for jobs!

My aspirations are to have a career within PR, so I recently attended an open day with 'Talk PR'- a public relations agency situated just opposite Tottenham Court Road Station in London.

The open day was an excellent experience, giving us a great insight to the industry. The day began at 9.30 am where myself and 8 other aspiring PR enthusiasts were introduced and taken into a beautiful meeting room where tea and croissants laid awaiting.

We were then greeted by CEO Jane Boardman and Beauty Board Director Kelly Reade who gave us a introduction to the company which began in 2001 backed by M&C Saatchi. They specialise in Beauty, Fashion, Global and Technology PR with an impressive list of clients under each sector, with the aim to generate great coverage for them.

After this, we were given talks from each individual PR field in deeper depth from their account managers. Here, we learnt about all the different clients they work with (listed below) and about some of the inspiring work they have put together in order to create the appropriate coverage. We looked at different briefs they have previously worked on- including their most current Christmas campaign for client Selfridges - and what their strategy is in order to attract new customers, drive sales / trends and for profile building.

It was extremely interesting to learn how they achieve this coverage, from creating exciting events for launching new products or advertising them in magazine articles but most importantly we learnt you must always have constant communication with your clients and be thinking practically and strategically. I really enjoyed listening about each different PR sector, when I first came I didn't know too much about the technology side to PR and was certain I wanted to do either Fashion or Beauty but to my surprise I was extremely intrigued to hear about the technology sector and found it especially fascinating watching a video they had created for the new James Bond 007 fragrance. 

After a yummy lunch at Pizza Express where we got to know more of the team account executives, we had guest speaker - Ursula Lake talk to us about her career and how she got where she is today. Ursula was so lovely and truly inspirational to listen to; from beginning her career as a fashion assistant she built her way up in the industry and has been working as a Fashion Editor for 10 years contributing to a number of renowned publications such as GQ, Instyle and Wallpaper* whilst also working as Fashion Editor for the Sunday Telegraph Stella Magazine for seven years until 2011. She is now currently Fashion Director for Country and Townhouse Magazine as well as also launching her own swim-wear line called 'Violet Lake' in 2010. 

She explained to us how privileged she has been in her career to be able to travel to shoots all over the world, however ensured us it wasn't without a huge amount of hard work! This was really motivating to hear and to know that hard work really can pay off! We also got to see some of her beautiful shoots she has produced from Harvey Nichols- to her most recent with Net-a-Porter.

Ursula Lake

For the last part of the day we participated in a live brief, we were split into two teams and worked within the brief we had been given, which was to create a campaign in order to engage more men with the brand Figleaves. It was really interesting to take part in this- to be able to all put our ideas forward as well as being creative and to get a taste of what it is like to complete this task in the real world. At the end we then presented our ideas to the other team and it was great to get feedback after that our ideas were extremely similar to what Talk PR actually pitch to their client's!

To conclude, the day was really wonderful, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and learnt so much about the company and how each sector works. All the team were so friendly and really interested into getting to know us which was so nice to experience and am so grateful I got the opportunity to be part of it!

Cheap VS Chíc

Keeping up with the latest fashion trends can be expensive and exhausting! but you would be extremely suprised to see how similar high street and designer clothing really can be, allowing you to get the look you want for less! Keep posted in order to seek the best buys within the latest trends!

 

Style Birmingham

Style Birmingham is the region’s biggest fashion and shopping event showcasing the latest Autumn Winter styles and collections from across the city’s top stores. This season was hosed by actress and singer Martine McCutcheon and taken place at the iconic shopping venue - The Mailbox. 

I was able to help out as a stylist for the days running up to the big event. This involved preparing all the clothes, accessories and shoes, making sure they were in the right order on the correct rails with their assigned designer, if there was anything missing I would then go the Bullring to collect these items from the stores. I also assisted with putting all the mannequins together and placing them in the according places.

It was really exciting taking part in these activities and getting a sneak peak at all the beautiful clothes from the long list of retailers ranging from high-street to designer.

A/W12 Collection

Catwalk in the Bullring

Catwalk in The Mailbox

Style Birmingham Live A/W 2012

Vauxhall Fashion Scout S/S13

During the Summer I was lucky enough to be accepted to work with Vauxhall Fashion Scout througout London Fashion Week S/S 13 as PR assistant and part of the blog team.

VFS are hailed a “talent goldmine” by Vogue and are renowned both in the UK and around the world as a platform for the very best emerging designers. Vauxhall Fashion Scout has been responsible for showcasing some of the most innovative names in the industry including: Peter Pilotto, David Koma, Felder Felder, William Tempest, Iris Van Herpen, Eudon Choi, Phoebe English & Hellen van Rees.

Vauxhall Fashion Scout S/S’13 at Freemason’s Hall

My time working for VFS included tasks such as: making sure each daily schedule was running to plan and that the photographers and bloggers all new where they should be at the correct time. I also was in charge of updating social media websites including Pinterest, Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter and the VFS blog with a selection of pictures from the catwalk, exhibitions and presentations and summary’s of each days events. Other duties also included collating information on the latest press articles and managing files and emails. I also was involved with interviewing key figures and sponsors working with VFS.

Seeing all the incredible standard of talent from the up-coming designers on the catwalk was definitely such a huge highlight for me. It was such a remarkable and exhilarating atmosphere when watching the S/S 13 shows and I really am so thrilled to have been a part of it. The whole team were so lovely to work with and I can’t wait to hopefully go back next February for another manic season! 

Leutton Postle S/S13

Phoebe English S/S13

Merit Award Winner Heohwan Simulation S/S13

Hellen Van Rees Backstage S/S13

Supermodel Alek Wek walks for Das Collection S/S13