SS'12 Influences

The Great British Summer

As of the weekend, we Scots we have been dusting down the shorts and t-shirts that we had almost forgotten about in the back of our wardrobes. Spring/Summer has sprung with temperatures reaching 22 degrees in parts of the UK - we're shocked too! For the past couple of days there has been nothing but clear blue skies, so naturally it has got me thinking about the trends for spring/summer that I want to adopt.
I know you might be thinking, "oh, you're only just thinking about this now?" well let me tell you, Scotland isn't exactly known for having the perfect weather to try out said trends, so I've been caught in the headlights a little if I'm honest.

So here we have a little set that I made up on polyvore for some of the items currently on my wish list! Click on my profile to see where you can buy each item if it tickles your fancy - Enjoy :)

"May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favour!"

The Rise of 'Capitolesque' Fashion?

The Hunger Games officially hit cinemas Friday 23rd March, with advanced screening on Thursday the 22nd (I went to the 8pm viewing on Thursday). Critics awarded it 5 stars and it didn't disappoint. It was fantastic - no other words to describe it.

Photo by New York Couture on Etsy

With the extra-ordinary hype surrounding the movie (thoughts that it will top both Twilight AND Harry Potter) it comes as no surprise that people are making and customising apparel and jewellery to mimic the costumes worn by those from The Capitol in the movie.

DIY website Etsy has a large Hunger Games community, with independent boutique New York Couture being one which caught my eye in particular. As seen in the image above, American model, singer/songwriter, fashion designer, make-up artist and DJ (is there anything that he doesn't do?!) Jeffree Star models a dyed denim bolero top and looks every bit a member of The Capitol - they should have cast him as an extra for the movie.
New York Couture also have a range of whimsically wonderful dresses which bringe the Mad Hatter tea party to mind. I can't say that I will be sporting this particular style any time soon (maybe halloween? actually, definitely halloween) but the collections are certainly pleasing to look at all the same.

Fairytale Collection; Animal Necklace
(Available in Owl, Penguin or Elephant)

One of my favourite looks
Guns-N-Bows Collection; Lolita Adorable Animals Bow Skirt

What do you think of this kind of style?

Pretty Little Liars

Who is A?

*SPOILER - If you haven't yet seen the finale where A is unmasked (seriously, what have you been doing with your time?), then prepare to find out!

On Monday nights finale episode "unmAsked", we found out that Mona was A all along (although in my opinion, they didn't really tell us much seeing as there's the whole A team behind everything and they only showed us Mona - but that's a story for another post!) and at the end seen Aria, Spencer, Hanna and Emily begin to feel as though they might finally be able to put the death of their former BFF Alison DiLaurentis to rest. This relief was short lived however, when the girls get home and find that a body has been discovered - this body thought to be Maya, Emily's girlfriend who was previously missing after running away.
The episode created a roller coaster of emotions and left us on a cliff hanger with Mona speaking to a secret somebody whilst in the mental institution.

With the show synopsis out of the way, I thought I would dedicate a post to the girls fashion choices throughout the series;

CHARACTER STYLE: ARIA - ECLECTIC & VINTAGE BOHEMIAN

I think it's safe to say that when it comes to Aria Mongomery's fashion sense, anything goes. It is truly wonderful seeing the different outfits that she puts together (for talking sake, as though she were a real life person) and you are almost always guaranteed to see something quirky, punky and different. The image to the left shows the Genetic Denim Stud Dress that Aria wore in episode 2.21 - probably my favourite if I'm honest!

CHARACTER STYLE: SPENCER - PREPPY

Spencer Hastings; Spunky, smart, wealthy, over-achiever. These are words which immediately come to mind whenever you see or hear Spencer. Her fashion sense reflects her personality to a T and in various ways, I admire her. Although at times her style can sometimes reflect that of someone older than her 18 year old self, she always wears outfits which are classic and different. This trench by W118 by Walter Baker Milly combines both elements of Spencer's personality; black faux leather sleeves to represent her spunky attitude, and the classic belted body to show her classy and mature side. Why, oh why must this trench be sold out online? (sad face)

CHARACTER STYLE: EMILY - SPORTY

Emily Fields is the athletic one. She is on the school swim team and can be usually be seen in sportswear and jeans. It is when a school dance, or particularly special event comes around that Emily's fashion sense comes out to play. I don't know why the stylists do it, but they always dress around her chest. I mean, I totally get it; "if you've got it, flaunt it" - but she's a sporty brunette, not a busty blonde. It's just now how I would dress her personally. Nonetheless, the outfits that they put her in for these special events, are always gorgeous. Take the finale masquerade ball for instance. Emily wore a floor length jewel blue gown, with tight corseting up top and a layered skirt on bottom (see what I mean with making her appear overly busty?). She looked stunning with the mask on to finish the look though, no?

CHARACTER STYLE: HANNA - ECLECTIC

"Hefty Hanna" wore sweat pants, baggy jumpers and every other piece of clothing that would pin-point a mental breakdown and lack of self-confidence. The new and improved Hanna Marin however, is so stylish she takes a piece of inspiration from each of her three BFF's to combine a look that can only be described as 'eclectic'. This was the reason that I left her to last. Out of the four girls, she is probably the one that I get the greatest satisfaction from in terms of outfit choices. You just don't know what she's going to be wearing next. The one look that stood out for me in season 2 would have to be Hanna's Juliet costume for the finale masquerade ball (seen above). Her hair, mask, dress, make-up and flower garland head band just looked perfect on her and was a great choice on her stylists behalf. 

It's safe to say that I will be tuned into ABC Family on June 5th for the Season 3 Premiere to see what other outfits they girls will appear in! Will you be watching?

My College Fashion Show

The Proposal

I thought it would be nice to do a little post here to let you guy know about the end of year fashion show that I am currently involved in! So here is a post on the proposal that we did yesterday to secure funding!

On Tuesday of this week (March 20th) both of our Fashion Merchandising classes at City of Glasgow College joined together to put together a proposal for the end of year Fashion Show to present to our Head of School - and sponsor - Robin McGee, as well as our Head of Department John Heuston and Jacquie Shaw. We elected four of our best girls; Paula, Sabrina, Louise and Patricia to present the proposal, whilst having another eight be our lovely models in Vintage day and evening wear to illustrate our vision for the fashion show.

(from the left) Jill, Jade, Amber & Taylor in Vintage evening wear
Clothes from Bowjangles Boutique Glasgow

(from the left) Carla, Iona, Emma & Jessie
Clothes are models own.

To get the girls ready for the presentation a lot of hard work went was spent by our hair and make-up team (Kevin, Christina & Holly) and didn't they do a wonderful job?

Kevin getting Jill's hair catwalk ready - Doesn't she look happy?!

Amber being primed to perfection by Christina (who did make-up artistry before joining our Fashion class!)

In addition to being given clothes to use for both the presentation and the fashion show by Amanda at Bowjangles Boutique (who is a star by the way!), our girls brought in various shoes, accessories and jewellery to complete the looks.

Finally it was time for the moment we had all been waiting for; The Proposal. The girls did great in presenting our ideas and visions for the Fashion Show and our Heads of School/Departments were thrilled when the models came strutting into the room unannounced.

Overall, it was a great presentation and we couldn't have asked for more from our girls involved - Well done everybody! If this is anything to judge the Fashion Show by in May, then we cannot wait!

The girls take a group photo with our Head of  School Robin McGee - Say Cheese!

The Hunger Games

LA Premiere

Hands up if the The Hunger Games has consumed every second of your spare time... *raises hand*. I admit it; I'm obsessed. Every morning, afternoon, night and time in-between is spent reading the books and eagerly anticipating the release of the movie on March 23rd (UK), a day in which I can assure you that "the world will be watching." (bad joke?)

Elizabeth Banks @ The Hunger Games 2012

In a bid to tie myself over until the movie hits cinemas, I have been looking at the red (black?) carpet looks from the LA Premier last night (Monday 13th). Main stars of the movie; Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth (accompanied by girlfriend Miley Cyrus), Josh Hutcherson and Elizabeth Banks looked every bit the part of their on-screen roles. Elizabeth Banks looked fierce in a Haute Couture Versace Spring 2012 gown and spoke of her on-screen characters - Effie Trinket - style:

"I really am inspired by her sartorial choices"..."My wardrobe used to be black all the time, but now I add colours"

Liam Hemsworth & Miley Cyrus
@ The Hunger Games 2012

The neon colour of the dress was every bit the part in terms of Effie Trinkets feisty and mean character, as well as The Hunger Games 'mockingjay' pin logo.

Another star making an impact was Liam Hemsworth; accompanied by Hollywood star girlfriend Miley Cyrus. The couple looked very handsome side by side with Liam in a dapper D&G suit, while Miley wore a gorgeous, two-piece Pucci lace skirt and top. Critics are calling the two-piece "skimpy", but I quite like it!
The 22 year old Australian actor is set to see his career sky-rocket with his role as Gale Hawthorne (best friend to leading character Katniss Everdeen) and was, in my opinion, a great choice for the role of Gale as he has the exact look that I envisioned in my head when reading the books. I can't wait to see him in action!

Jennifer Lawrence
@ The Hunger Games 2012

Last but certainly not least, was the main star of the movie; Jennifer Lawrence. The actress will be playing the lead role of Katniss Everdeem - a sixteen year old girl from District 12 who took over the role as head of house when her father was tragically killed in a mine explosion. When her sister Prim is chosen to face the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss steps forward as tribute to take her sisters place. She is brave, with a side of rebellion and defiance to The Capitol and people of Panem - the main and richest district - so it will be interesting to see if Jennifer Lawrence does the part justice. Whether she does or not, her matalic gold, floor length, Prabal Gurung gown at the premiere was definitely exectued to perfection; she created the same reaction from onlookers as her character Katniss did in the books when she is being interviewed before the games begin; "Ooh! Ahh!"

There were so many great looks from the Premiere, however the above mentioned were my particular favourites.  Now I want to hear from you! Which celebs caught your attention and why? Let me know in the comments below. 

Just as a little extra; If you have been hiding from the world and haven't yet seen the trailer or don't really know anything about The Hunger Games, I am going to leave this trailer here below and then advise you to head over the Amazon or Waterstones to buy the books - You won't regret it! 

How To Be Parisian: Wherever You Are.

PARISIAN STREET STYLE.

In just over three short weeks, I will be jumping on a plane and celebrating my 21st birthday in one of the most iconic cities in the world; Paris. So, in light of my up-and-coming trip to the city of romance, love and most of all, amazing street style, I have decided to dedicate a post to the people who parade the streets as though it is their very own catwalk.

Paris Fashion Week is my favourite of the four main cities; not just for the shows, but it's when I get a good look at what the attendees have thrown together. Flawless, eclectic, glamorous and elegant are just some of the words which spring to mind whenever the topic of Parisienne style arises. Bold, fluorescent colours and prints to luxe layers of leather and jersey in dark tones; you can adopt any style persona that you want and you will still be accepted there. Nobody to look at you and taunt you with stereotypical names. No stares (apart from those of sheer envy and admiration) and certainly nobody to tell you that you should dress a certain way.

If I were given the choice to choose a city to have grown up in, it would have been Paris, - without a shadow of a doubt - so spending such a milestone birthday there is going to be pretty magical. I can't wait!

To finish up, here is a little collection of some street style images that I find particularly inspiring;

If you know of any boutiques, vintage stores or market days in Paris that I should visit when I'm in Paris (I leave on April 5th) then leave me a comment below! :)

Fashion Fringe

Are you wanting to break into the industry? 

Listen up, because if you are, then this post is just for you!

Fashion Fringe is an annual award platform - founded in 2003 by Colin McDowell in conjunction with IMG Fashion - offering talented emerging designers the chance to launch their label in London through a mixture of mentoring, studio space, financial support and (the best part) a catwalk show at London Fashion Week.

From the 12th - 20th of March 2012, Fashion Fringe will be embarking on a regional tour of UK Universities  - coinciding with the opening of the application process on the 12th - along with a panel of the UK's fashion elite to offer fashion students and local professionals advice on how to make it big and succeed in such a competitive industry.

The tour dates are as follows;

Edinburgh - 12th March - Christopher Kane
Newcastle - 13th March - Gareth Pugh
Manchester - 14th March - Matthew Williamson
Nottingham - 15th March - Giles Deacon
Brighton - 19th March - Julien McDonalds
London - 20th March - Erdem

Each speaker on the tour will talk about their own experiences in their careers and offer networking opportunities for those attending. If you would like to attend, admission is free for students - tickets are limited for other members of the public - and you will be required to pre-register by emailing fashionfringe@imgworld.com

If you are interesting in applying, click here for information on how to do so!

Menswear Fall 2012

Menswear Style Report Fall 2012

Keeping up with each show at New York, London, Milan and Paris Fashion Week, meant that irregular eating and sleeping patterns were the price in which I had to pay. In the end though it was all worth it. Fashion Month gave us endless hours of excitement, fab street style and of course – trends for this coming Autumn/Winter from the top designers in the business. Fashion bloggers and insiders from the industry kept us all up to date through twitter and various other social media, and gave us reports on which trends stood out at each show. What they didn't give us however, were trend reports on menswear collections that read longer than a single, solitary paragraph. If I were a guy, I would be pretty peeved, so I decided to give the guys what they've been waiting for; A style report on the top trends this coming season.

New York was first up, where we saw menswear collections from designers such as DKNY, Duckie Brown, John Bartlett, Rag & Bone, Tommy Hilfiger, Antonio Azzuolo and Robert Geller.

DKNY (seen to the right was the one show which I found to contain a lot of the recurring trends from NYFW all rolled into one; Sleek evening/business wear in the form of black and grey double breasted trouser suits were finished with shades to give a casual-cool edge to the look. Day wear followed with horizontal stripe and patterned jumpers, slouchy knit cardigans, checked shirts, stone coloured chinos - which had the legs rolled up slightly - and jackets with shearling collars and lining. Then came a series of looks that would have best suit a get away driver; baseball caps, black leather gloves, bomber-style jackets, padded body warmers and jackets, leather shirts and shirt jackets, turtle-neck tops and wool blend jackets all worked together to create some very stylish - yet warm for our Scottish weather - autumn/winter looks.

Up next was London and for this particular fashion week, we saw menswear collections from the likes of Belstaff, Ozwald Boateng, MAN, Christopher Shannon, Topman Design, Matthew Miller and RAKE to name but a few. Topman Design in particular showed it's gothic side for Autumn/Winter 2012; Leather trousers featured heavily with fur and wool long line coats to fend off the chill of a UK winter. Long knit cardigans and double breasted blazers and jackets were a trend which carried over from the previous week in New York alongside belted waists and black leather gloves. Shirts were either black, grey or white, with some featuring full on patterns in the form of polka dots and various other geometric prints. The colour palette used as a whole? Black with a few sporadic flashes of white and grey.

It's week three and we find ourselves in Milan. The home of the most glamorous and famous fashion designers in the business; Gucci, Fendi and Prada – You know you're going to see some amazing shows when you hear those names. For menswear, that means shows from Alexander McQueen, Prada, Bally, Versace, Botega Veneta, Dsquared2, Burberry Prorsum, Calvin Klein, Gucci, D&G, Emporio Armani...and the list goes on. From the grand opulence and grandeur at D&G, to the in your face, electric colour combinations at Versace; Milan had something for every type of man this Autumn/Winter.

Florals, checks, tailored suiting and intricate brocade featured at many of the menswear shows such as Alexander McQueen (seen to the left) and D&G, with double breasted suits (sensing the trend here?), pinstripes, polka dots, gun prints, leather gloves, trousers and jackets at Valentino, Prada and Gucci. Missoni was the one show which had a focus on 'outdoorsy festival' day wear with preppy knit cardigans, scarf’s and double breasted suits which went alongside striped, geometric print tops and jumpers, puffa jackets, gilets and duffle jackets. Not only will you guys love the looks, but there were a few cardigans and jackets in there that I'm sure the females in your life would no doubt want to cover up in too!

If you liked what Milan had to offer, wait until you see what Paris turned out. Balmain, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Acne, Christian Lacroix Homme, Lanvin, YSL, Givenchy, Hermes, Issey Miyake, Louis Vuitton, Jean Paul Gaultier and Karl Lagerfeld Paris were among the shows which contributed towards a great ending to a fashion-filled month. Velvet, knitwear and leather played a large part in the majority of collections this week, however one collection which featured all three in an interesting way was Balmain (seen below), which had a theme of Russian Imperial Army meets classic Rock n' Roll.
Skinny jeans in red, white, navy, black and denim were paired with rolled neck tops, knit cardigans and double breasted military style blazers (some in velvet) with shoulder pad detailing, finished off with clompy buckled leather boots. On paper it would have seemed out of sorts for Balmain, however it merged seamlessly when seen in the flesh. Olivier Rousteing done a fine job with this collection considering it is only his second for Balmain menswear. 

Finally, to summarise all four fashion weeks, the top five key trends for Menswear Autumn/Winter 2012 are;

1. Double Breasted Jackets/Coats & Blazers in Grey, Black, Navy, Red & Deep Purple.
2. Checks, Stripes, Geometric Shapes and Pinstripes.
3. Leather gloves and...well, everything really.
4. Turtle-necks
5. Fur & Shearling Lined/Trimmed Coats

Jean Paul Gaultier Does Diet Coke

Yep, that's right. The Paris Fashion Week designer Jean Paul Gaultier has been announced as Creative Director for Diet Coke, taking over from the Creative Director at Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld. This recent collaboration will see the designer take on a number of projects over the coming year which include;

• A limited edition coke bottle named 'Day & Night', inspired by the designers past collections.
• Giving the brand website an overhaul with his famous French flamboyant design and flair.
• The Ad Campaigns - A series of three mini episodes. The first of which can be seen below;

Following the designers love of the female form, his Diet Coke Model will be in the shape of a woman: "It was great fun to dress them" the designer said. "The diet coke motif is so beautiful, I had to design around this. The finishing touch was to apply my logo to the bottle, like applying a fragile stamp - making it something special you want to touch".

The limited edition bottle will be sold in Harvey Nichols stores across the UK as of next month. It will only be available for four weeks though, so if you're wanting to get your paws on one, I suggest you add the date to your calendar.

Elie Saab Fall 2012 - PFW

Elie Saab Fall 2012

As you probably won't know, Elie Saab was the very first designer that I had ever heard of. At the age of eleven, I discovered Fashion TV via flicking through channels one afternoon in my grans house; there was a Spring/Summer collection currently showing, and it happened to be Elie Saabs. I was instantly transfixed with the colours, fabrics, lights, sounds and fierce stares of the models strutting down the catwalk. I knew from that moment that fashion was the industry that I just had to work in, and I wasn't going to stop until I made it big one day.

My favourite look - Elie Saab Fall 2012

Due to this fact, naturally, I had to watch the AW12 show when it aired online in Paris yesterday (March 7th). I sat with my eyes glued to the pc screen, lusting after every single look that came onto the catwalk.
Karlie Kloss in a grey skirt suit with black panels and peplums kicked the show off, followed by skater skirts, long-fur coats, pencil skirts, halter neck tops and high waisted flare trousers all of which in black, grey and cream.
There was an emphasis on structured daywear for the most part of the show, until the designers signature embellished, floaty, floor-length gowns began to appear; Spider-web lace paneled dresses in black and gorgeous, deep green and teal sequined floor length gowns paved the way for the finale gowns; cream and gold, long sleeved, floor length gowns with semi-exposed backs were covered head to toe in sequins which sparkled with a red carpet glow that is oh so familiar in Elie Saab designs. 

CLICK FOR A FULL LOOK AT THE COLLECTION.

It was breath-taking and everything I expected to see from the label. It reminded me just why I loved Elie Saabs collections to begin with and gave me that little boost to keep my head in the game, so that one day, I will have the dream job that I have wanted for so long.

What did you all think of the collection? I'd love to hear your opinions!

PFW Part II

Paris Fashion Week Part II

So, we've reached the last day at PFW - or Fashion Month as a whole if you look at it that way - and to be honest, I've got mixed feelings about it; I'm sad because I loved my twitter feed being consumed with the constant buzz of each of the four fashion cities shows, but I'm also happy, because now I won't be taking a panic attack over having to keep on top of each show and uploading the collections to my pinterest account!

In my previous post I commented on PFW days 1 - 4 (with a small comment on day 5's up-and-coming shows) so here comes part II with days 5 - 8.

Comme des Garcons Fall 2012

Day 5 saw shows from the likes of Vivienne Westwood, Comme de Garcons, Viktor & Rolf and Jean Paul Gautier. If I were to pick one though, Comme de Garcons was one to do a double take at; Rei Kawakubo produced a show with no background music, in a bid to have the fashion elite focus entirely on the clothes and make their own assumptions, rather than rely on that of a mood or vibe that would have been present had there been music playing. The clothes themselves were on another planet. Over exaggerated and Wide were two words (OK - three) which sprung to mind when watching the collection on the catwalk. Bold, in-your-face prints on wide, cartoony dress shapes made up a collection that on paper would seem crazy and too much. In reality though, Rei Kawakubo made them look so simple and justified in their coordination. Totally unwearable (unless you like that sort of look), don't get me wrong, but amazing to look at and appreciate none-the-less!

Celine Fall 2012

Day 6 was the day for the likes of Celine, Hermes, John Galliano, Givenchy and Issey Miyake to name a few. Celine cancelled its Autumn/Winter show in Paris on Saturday, for a more intimate and simpler presentation. Only a select few were given invitations to view the new season collection and the hype didn't fail to give up the goods. The clothes were simple in shape and pattern, with colour blocking in electric blue, black, red, pink and tan. Mannish coats and trousers, wedge shoes, slouchy belts, neck scarves and ipad handbags made the collection very stylish, but more importantly; wearable. I definitely approved of all 22 looks and wouldn't mind the entire collection being delivered to my door any time soon!

YSL Fall 2012

Day 7 - It's Monday and PFW is almost at an end, but today we have shows from YSL, Stella McCartney, Giambattista Valli and Chloe, so the sadness is quickly overrun with eager anticipation. The YSL show saw the final collection by designer Stefano Pilati. It wasn't quite as tearful as Raf Simons leaving Jil Saunder last week in Milan, however the standing ovation he received confirmed just how appreciated he was in the fashion design industry. The latest Paris Fashion Week 'A-Lister' Katy Perry - however late - was among those at the show to add an extra appreciation to the designers work at YSL over the years. The clothes themselves were brought back to black with slick leather, sharp tailoring and high waisted trousers cut at the ankle. Chainmail backless dresses in deep green with mirrored perspex heels created a romantic, yet seriously stylish look. Loved.It.All!

D'aww! @ Chanel Fall 2012

Day 8 Today we had collections from the likes of Chanel, Alexander McQueen, JCDC, Valentino, Paco Rabanne and even Kanye West thrown in for good measure. Where do I begin? Chanel. Chanel is one of my personal favourites; from the clothes to the sheer creativity on set at the shows - everything is just sheer perfection. All the time. To start off with, the show was in the Grand Palais and although it wasn't quite as spectacular as last seasons aquatic scene, it was still as aesthetically pleasing. Large amethysts and stalagmites protruded from the ground to give the show a feel of dark magic and sorcery - right up my street if you ask me! The clothes themselves were equally as intriguing. Wide shouldered trench coats, loose knitwear, irregular patterns, glittering mohair snoods, silk muslin stain-glass-window printed dresses, crushed velvet jeans, amethyst and emerald embellishments, petrol green, black, navy, blue, mustard, burgundy, grey...it was all there in a mish-mash of Karl Lagerfeld's signature Chanel styling and design. The cutest best part of the show? Chanel Junior walking onto the set in his very own Chanel blazer, purple velvet jeans, patent black shoes and signature chain bag in purple velvet. One thing is for sure, if I end up with a little boy in years to come, he will be suited and booted much like that little man was. 

I had considered doing a mini review for McQueen and Valentino, however I then realised that you would end up reading a mini essay, so on that note I'm just going to leave you with my top 3 images from both collections. Enjoy!

Alexander McQueen Fall 2012

Valentino Fall 2012