S/S 13 Key Items; Shapes, Colours and Trends

Key Shapes For S/S 13

Blouses and Tops: Sports inspired vests and sweats will again be popular this summer due to the following of last Summer's London Olympics, Japanese-style wide-sleeved woven kimono tees and boudoir bralette tops can also be identified.

Knitwear: An emphasis on airy knit structures and weightless transparencies. As well as bold coloured stripes and graphic patterns.

Skirts: In this season's collections it's noticeable that skirts take priority over trousers for once, showing off longer lengths and fuller shapes. There is also emphasis on asymmetry, with angled architectural wraps and thigh-high slashed hemlines for a subtle play on conceal and reveal.

Key Colours for S/S 13

Colour throughout these trends include a versatile palette of whites paired with vivid brights, a renewed emphasis on blues and greens as well as adding dusty pastel shades in order to update last Summer's successful mint tones. 

Eighties Clubwear Must-See Exhibition

A definite must-see this coming Summer is the launch of the much anticipated exhibition:
'Club to Catwalk: London Fashion in the 1980's' at the V&A Museum, London.

This installation will illustrate how the London's Eighties club scene had a revolutionising impact on the international fashion world. Over 85 creative outfits will be displayed by the likes of renowned designers such as Vivienne Westwood and John Galliano, alongside clubwear worn at the time.

In order to celebrate this iconic era of music-infused fashion, the first floor of the exhibition will showcase designers that have been inspired by the capital's underground nightlife, whilst the second floor will display Eighties clubbing attire; divided into different genre's such as Goth, Rave, New Romantics, High Camp and Fetish.The exhibition will also include accessories as well as archive magazines that helped generate the trends to a wider audience.

This exhibition will be open from 10th July 2013 - 16th February 2014, so keep your eyes peeled on the V&A website linked in below from June 2013.
( www.vam.ac.uk )

London Exhibition's Continued...

Following on from my last post regarding current exhibitions in London. The second one I visited this Winter was the 'Valentino Exhibition' which took place at Somerset House. This venue is a major arts and cultural centre which is located in the heart of London by the Embankment.

I was extremely excited when I heard about the opening of the Valentino installation as I am a huge fan of the legendary Italian designer and his exquisite work. The exhibition focused on celebrating his work by showcasing over 130 of his beautifully created haute couture designs worn by famous icons such as Jackie Lennedy, Onassis, Grace Kelly, Sophia Loren and Gwyneth Paltrow.

'The details (within the exhibition) are incredibly intricate, though outside the runway shows and events, the dresses have rarely been seen, so to be able to showcase these designs at Somerset House, where they can be seen in great detail by the public, is very unique.' Valentino

The craftsmanship of Valentino's work is seriously spectacular and an exhibition not to be missed, so make sure you get your tickets before it closes at the beginning of March!

Visit the Somerset House website for tickets o click on the link below:
( http://www.somersethouse.org.uk/visual-arts/valentino )

If you don't get a chance to see the exhibition then catch a sneak preview in the video below:

Imagery from the exhibition:

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.