London Fashion Week

So, I am back from London and the few shows I was able to attend at London Fashion Week were amazing. The entire experience was a huge deal to me as I did it on my own which meant serious planning, organisation and a stiff upper lip. London is a big place and even though I spent two weeks there for work experience at The Daily Telegraph last year, this time round I felt a lot less prepared -which was probably down to the fact the commutes were new to me and the locations of the days were different each time.

On Sunday I went to see Jayne Pierson’s S/S2012 show at St. Luke’s – ‘The Mobius Strip’. The catwalk show was more like a theatre production as models, from The Royal Ballet, danced elegantly down the runway; twirling, swirling, shimmering and spinning to the soft music. The draping fabrics mirrored the dancer’s movements with fluidity and genteelness. The clothes themselves were directional, luxury womenswear and menswear with leather pleating, metallic surfaces and prints alongside heavy knitwear and lustrous silks. The organic fabrics juxtaposed with the garment’s avant-garde details such as enlarged, frilly shoulders. Colours were a palette of chalky grey and pastel taupe amongst bright hues of metallic orange, champagne and gold. Hair was big bouffant creations which completed the clothing’s larger than life personality. The narrative to the collection was the idea of history and the future forming simultaneously. This was represented through the morphing texture, built up surfaces, raw, organic elements and clash of materials.  All this is hard to detect in the lack of photographs and poor resolution so, I would like to apologise in advance - an SLR camera is increasingly becoming a priority. The second image is the fabulous bag of goodies I received from this show – let me tell you that hairspray is a godsend!

On Monday I attended the Look magazine pop up lounge at Westfield Stratford City for a chat with Look’s beauty editor, Sophie Beresiner and fashion director, Hannah Hughes.  The first thing I want to say is this was actually the highlight on the trip as it isn’t everyday you get to discuss practically anything casually with fashion professionals. Discussion ranged from how they got into the business to what Sophie’s favourite lipstick was – Dior in premier red by the way. The main purpose of the talk was Sophie’s blog; Sophie feels better dedicated to the charity - Look good, feel better. You may already be aware but for those that aren’t Sophie was diagnosed with breast cancer in January and as a way of expressing her feelings, methods of coping and aspects of the inevitable hurdles such as loss of hair and a mastectomy, she made a blog documenting her experiences. The blog is a huge inspiration, whether you’re going through cancer or not, it is a great read as Sophie has a way of seeing the light in every situation – she injects humour and wit into what really is the dark and sinister. As a beauty editor you expect beauty content and there certainly is! She offers insight into the world of cosmetics and wigs – important aids for a woman going through the effects of cancer. During the talk, the lovely and down-to-earth Sophie expressed how the blog helped her get through this tough time with the support of her blog comments and fiancés very sweet guest posts - congratulations by the way on getting engaged!

Something I discovered which was particularly exciting was that Look magazine has launched a cosmetic range and I have absolute conformation that Sophie has had a lot of input – ranging from the specific colours of the products to their names. The products are only available at Westfield Stratford City at the moment but should filter into a Superdrug near you very soon. Sophie was wearing one of the lipsticks infact and the word must have spread as when I went to buy it, it was completely sold out!

I only briefly chatted to Hannah Hughes but she was equally as lovely and approachable as Sophie which makes me adore Love magazine and its fundamental accessible, laid-back nature even more.

The S/S2012 Fashion Shenzhen show was next on the agenda and as the photographs from the first show came out awful I decided to record this one in two parts. So, grab a cupper and have a watch. This show was my favourite out of the two. The first exotic and vivid collection reminded me of Spanish flamenco dancers as the dresses were adorned in embellishment and ruffles in sensuous silhouettes and warm, flamboyant colours. The dresses lengths gradually increased throughout the show to the final striking dress which hugged and accentuated the curves of the female form. There were a few garments that weren’t dresses including a pair of very revealing navy knitted leggings paired with a fitted dark boob-tube. I think the video for the second collection may not be working at the moment – I will look into this if it doesn’t start working soon. This collection sported a slightly softer colour palette of whites, yellows and blues in colour blocking and prints. Half way through the collection was the introduction of white netting, which became increasingly more elaborate and decorative. From both collections I got an understanding for Fashion Schenzhen’s glamorous and sophisticated aesthetics and how the power of shape can enhance the sexiness of the female body. Below is some more goodies from this show!