Cheap VS Chíc

Although it may only be February and there are no signs of the weather in the UK getting anywhere near close to warm! Spring/ Summer 13 trends have already started filtering through stores, showcasing their energising bright bursts of colour in order to try and give us a little boost of motivation that Spring/Summer is on its way!

Bold neon colours are always popular when it comes to Summer, so it's no surprise that the hot colour of the summer is the admired orange palette, noticed in many different shades including peachy, apricot and burnt red orange. Renowned designers and famous celebs have been noticed accessorising orange into their outfits and embracing the trend.

As usual, once a month I update my blog with a 'Cheap VS Chíc' post, in order to analyse recent trends within the current market, to make a comparison between what's displayed on the high street compared with the luxury high-end market, whilst also demonstrating that you don't need thousands of pounds in your bank to capitalize on trends, however if you do then there are some options here for you too!

Fashion Scout - London Fashion Week

I have just completed working for 'Fashion Scout' for my second season running (In September and February for London Fashion Week). For those of you who don't no much about Fashion Scout they are an International showcase for fashion innovation, renowned for championing creative design talent, where they scout and present in both London and Paris.

Since they begun fourteen seasons ago, they have managed to roll call designers including Peter Pilotto,  Felder Felder, David Koma, William Tempest, Eadon Choi and Pam Hogg. Fashion Scout can be interpreted as a springboard for International design students, enabling them to showcase and promote their work through catwalks and exhibitions, in order for them to emerge and become established by top media and buyers.

I thoroughly enjoy working with Fashion Scout, the atmosphere is always so exhilarating, and the team are all so lovely to work with. During my time with FS I was working as a PR/ Social Media Assistant, so my daily duties consisted of mainly; 

• Constantly checking all socials media sites including  Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and updating them with images/ descriptions from the catwalk shows
• Liaising with house photographers  
• Searching for press articles about Fashion Scout and the designers 
• General assistance - making sure each photographer and blogger knew the daily schedule for where they should be for each catwalk show or exhibition

My favourite part about working for FS is when there wasn't t too much to do I was able to go and watch the catwalk shows. Due to being so busy this season I only had time to visit one show; Phoebe English, however I am a big fan of Phoebe's work so this was an extra special treat!

Being in the catwalk shows really gives off an exciting buzz (even though this may sound a tad cringe). With the music blaring, striking lighting and important familiar faces scattered around the room and of course the amazing outfits strutting down the runway by the extremely talented designers it's fascinating to watch!

For a sneak preview of the catwalk shows, take a look at the clip below from Phoebe English AW13.

Phoebe English AW13


 To see more images and to learn more about each designer and their collection take a look at the Fashion Scout blog.

Dover Street Market Re-Vamp!

Dover Street Market (DSM) is one of my favourite stores in London, offering cutting-edge fashion. For those of you who haven't heard of DSM or don't know much about it I would seriously recommend checking this beauty out, it is well worth it!

Dover Street Market is a market-based department store concept, which was founded in 2004 by Rei Kawakubo, also the owner of private Japanese fashion label 'Comme des Garcons'. Located in Mayfair, the store showcases a range of eclectic luxury brands (including Comme des Garcons) as well as renowned International brands such as Celine, Saint Laurent, Simone Rocha and Alexander McQueen, whilst also offering impressive contemporary art and design installations. 

The interior of the shop is remarkably striking, changing every six months to re-install, they feature very simplistic yet exciting installations to add to the contemporary feel of the store such as a giant gold birdcage that doubles as a changing room. This appealing approach is a great strategy in order to entice customers into their stores to encounter the experience rather than simply shopping online. They also have stores in Beijing and Tokyo, with a fourth opening in New York later in 2013. 

Images courtesy of Dazed Digital

The highly respected and inspirational Rei Kawakubo commented;

   "The more people that are afraid when they see the creations, the happier I am." 

Red Nose Day! 15th March 2013

It's coming up to that time of year again where everyone will be gearing up with their shiny red noses in appreciation of Red Nose Day on 15th March 2013. It's been 25 years since Red Nose Day first burst onto or screens and it always amazes me to see how much money is raised each year, with the whole country getting involved to help change countless lives in both Africa and the UK. Last Red Nose Day raised a staggering £108,436,227 and hopefully this year will continue to reach a similar success!

Every year renowned celebrities get involved to show their support for the charity in many innovating ways and this year is no exception. In celebration of this important day Stella McCartney has designed a capsule collection of T-shirts for both adults and children exclusively to buy from TK Maxx stores and online, with a percentage of profits going towards Comic Relief.

Kate Moss, Alexa Chung and David Gandy are just some of the names who will be fronting the campaign for Stella McCarntney's Comic Relief T-shirt collection. The imagery was shot by supermodel Helena Christensen and photographer Mary McCartney. 

"I admire the Red Nose Day Team and their achievements for this incredible worthwhile cause, to be able to be a small part of supporting that, is extremely rewarding." Stella McCartney

Each T-shirt has been manufactured in Africa using 100% Fairtrade-certified organic cotton, featuring various icons such as Marilyn Monroe, Tommy Cooper, The Beatles and Kate Moss. T-shirt prices start from £5.99 for a children's T-shirt and £9.99 for adult sizes.

Following on from the last post - Rankin Reminiscing!

In my last post, I displayed some of the exquisite beauty looks seen in Paris 'Couture Fashion Week S/S 13'. So as promised I have added some of my previous work from my Photography A-level showcasing the distortion of ones identity through make-up.

Rankin

My main source of inspiration throughout my A-level project came from the work of renowned photographer Rankin.

His extraordinary work has been featured on the front covers of some of the worlds most celebrated publications such as Elle, Vogue, Harpers Bazaar and GQ. As well as shooting within his work famous icons including Queen Elizabeth II, Kate Moss, Vivienne Westwood, The Rolling Stones & The Spice Girls to name a few.  His incredible work always amazes me, as I'm sure you will agree from his images!

Couture Fashion Week! - Beauty Review

Couture Fashion Week S/S13 took place last week in Paris, showcasing the fashion world's key designers and their most extravagant creations of the season. Although these designs will unfortunately be out of most of our budgets, it allows the designers the opportunity to show us their most dramatic and creative pieces.

However, it's not only a showcase of the most lavish clothing in the world, but credit must also be given to the beauty teams involved in the exciting process. Some of the hottest hair and make-up can also be noticed on the catwalk from the biggest names in beauty such as Dior and Chanel.

I'm always in awe at the inspirational looks that these talented beauticians are able to create. I'm extremely interested in fashion photography so I find it especially intriguing to always notice what look each designer has gone for and the intricate detail that is used within make-up and hair to portray each trend.

Below are some of the beautiful looks which were noticed during Couture Fashion Week:

In my next post, I have decided I will add a little of my own work back from my Photography A-level (3 years ago now!) so that you can see how I incorporated beauty into my shots, as well as a little brief background into who my main source of inspiration was throughout my work... which I will update this week, so stay tuned! :)

Jaw Dropping Jewels

Due to this week's heavy downpour of snow and being cooped up indoors for 3 days straight, this gave me some additional time to spend concentrating on my dissertation.. or in other words- some extra time for some online shopping.

Whilst spending too many hours with my eyes glued to my computer screen browsing all different types of things that I definitely cannot afford, I came across online some beautiful jewellery and so I thought I would present to you all some of my favourite jewellery brands - through little moodboards that I've put together showcasing some pieces I particularly admire as well as a little bit of brief background history into each brand.

Lizzie Fortunato: 

Lizzie Fortunato is an accessories line based in NYC designed by Elizabeth herself and operated by twin sister, Kathryn. The sisters' statement jewellery has become synonymous with unique, ahead of the curve accessories and exquisite craftsmanship. Their collection is stocked amongst high-end retailers Internationally such as Harvey Nichols and have been featured in renowned publications such as Women's Wear Daily, Vogue, Elle, Harpers Bazaar and the New York Times. I especially adore their handcrafted collars which feature such intricate detail.

1. Open spaces chain and leather necklace, £475
2. Triple box chain and thread bracelet, £105
3. Cosmic view woven necklace, £480
Available from: Lizzie Fortunato, Matches Fashion

Monica Vinader:

Monica Vinader's beautifully created jewellery label is inspired by the Spanish designer's love of gemstones, pearls, nature and travel. The collections feature custom-cut, semi-precious stones which range in a variety of stunning colours. This definitely has to be one of my favourites, the whole range of stones are so immaculately created and tantalizing to look at.

4. Lace stacking ring, £110
5. Nugget cocktail earrings, stone, £330
6. Fiji Calm Bracelet, £113
7. Siren cocktail ring, £190
8. 'Create your own', 18" Lungo necklace, marie pendant, mini luna pendant, large nugget pendant, £560
9. Lace Cocktail Earrings, £350
10. Nugget Cuff, £390
Available from: Monica Vinader

Mawi:

Mawi was launched in 2002, by the designer herself who originated from Manipur, North East India. Mawi gained an early appreciation for sewing, knitting and crochet which has been a key influence on her craftsmanship throughout her work. After studying a degree in Fashion Design in New Zealand she relocated to New York to work at Isaac Mizrahi. She eventually met her husband Tim in London, who also became her business partner as he had also grown up to develop a keen eye for vintage and antique collectibles. 

Since then, the luxurious and contemporary brand has built itself up Internationally and been noticed by major companies such as London Fashion Week, The British Fashion Council and now features in prestigious stores such as Selfridges, Barneys, Libertys and Browns, as well as creating a lot of attention from stylists and editors worldwide. This year the brand will also venture even further where they will launch SIR, a mens line. I am also a huge fan of some of the divine promotional work that is captured in order to expose their signature aesthetic.

20. Rose gold spike necklace with crystals, £486
21. Box chain double spike ring with solitaire, £270
22. Crystal shard and tube earrings, £225
23. Amethyst shard and large crystal bangle, £585
24. Large spike and cabouchon pearl earrings, £245
25. Twin gemstone and claw set spike necklace, £575
Available from: Mawi

They may be expensive but they are extremely breathtaking to look at! Now I just need to start saving up the pennies... unless anyone has a spare few hundred pounds lying around??