Darting back to Leeds for a mere
2 day stint- consisting solely of lecture/ work/ practical class/ work (attempting
the high-life whilst studying a fashion degree is a near impossible feat as I
have since learnt), it was ready, steady back to London for Fashion Week.
Well then where to
start. Honestly, with it being a good month and a half ago now, I’m not going
to bore you with trend reports and celebrity sightings in such, not only
because you’ve seen it all online by now, but because quite frankly I don’t
have the time. Instead, a few of my favourite snaps and a couple of article I
wrote for Leeds Student.
"My first fashion week, check. Sitting on the train
Leeds-bound after a busy weekend, we can finally kick off our obligatory-heels,
take out our heavy earrings, remove our too-tight belts, and breathe. Yes,
fashion week is exciting and full of well, fashion, but it’s a whole lot of
hectic and a little overwhelming! We have to admit that we arrived at Somerset House
with a vision of a glamorous long-weekend, filled with hip parties, networking
with Anna Wintour and casual strolls between fabulous shows. It was glamorous,
for some (primarily fashion’s elite) but for us as onlookers, there was a lot
of getting lost, being cold and feeling like our feet had been crippled.
As buyers, our role was more casual- without the
kiss-ass of PR-ing, or the imperative-nature of blogging, we were able to enjoy
the shows and absorb the buzz, taking the occasional happy-snap wherever we
felt fit. Spending most of our time out of the spotlight, (the Somerset House
courtyard turns in to the equivalent of LA’s red carpet for 2 weeks of the
year, with photographers ready to pounce and bloggers set to capture your
inevitable stumble; cobbles + heels= fail) we were able to shy away in the
exhibition, scouting out potential, and looking for new brands to bring with us
back to Leeds. Indulging on freebies is a definite LFW-bonus, especially for
poor students such as ourselves. Without the delights of free goody-bags or
celebrity treatment, we did take refuge in the Buyers lounge, flitting in and
out to enjoy champagne on-tap, fruit platters and the in-demand Blackberry
charger!
Not having to strive to impress, or constantly flutter
our eyelashes at PRs, we could actually enjoy LFW amid the madness, revelling
in seated show tickets, hip after-parties and complimentary brunches-
consisting solely of Bloody Mary’s and champagne, causing us to commit the
ultimate fashion-week crime: taking comfort in McDonalds. (A Big Mac has never
tasted so good, completely over-dressed and riddled with fashionista-guilt)
In addition to all the free champagne and fashiony
goodness, we did have a purpose to be there, perhaps cushioning us from the
cut-throat world of LFW. With a specific duty and a job to be doing,
high-fashion dressing could take a back-seat. Sporting the fashion/ comfort
option, we boycotted Spring/ Summer trends, instead channelling our enthusiasm
into the Winter season with our leather shorts and thick coats. Despite our
love for fashion, there was no way warmth was being sacrificed for fashion in
frighteningly cold February. I pity the bloggers and editors who must be up
through the night planning their outfit choices for the next day, in order to
keep with the “who are you wearing” questions whilst posing for
goosebump-riddled photographs. Our ‘casual’ dressing did come back to bite us
though; taking a quick pit-stop outside- swapping our heels for our pumps, we
were accosted by an Italian stallion, ridiculing our clear ‘lack of fashion
interest’. Telling us we’d be perfect for his non-conventional modelling
agency, we “caught his eye” for breaking the conventional tall and slim
requirements. (I’m 5’9, size 6/8, thanks arsehole) He went on to further compliment
us, suggesting we could perhaps crawl along the catwalk as we’d only stumble
otherwise. Needless to be said, our heels remained firmly in place after this
run-in, following another quick much-needed McDonald’s stint. Apologies, but
running between location to location, laden with magazines and goodie-bags is
tiresome. Needs must, nobhead.
Fashion week is fun, but it’s not for the
faint-hearted. Expect the unexpected (inflatable dolls on the front row? A
LFW-given) Come September we’ll be more prepared, and our heels shall certainly
not be removed. (I wonder if you’re even allowed though the doors without
them?) Right now, we couldn’t get back to our little Leeds shop quick enough."
"ONE TO WATCH:
Typical me- one to boycott any
hint of colour, Georgia Hardinge is my definite one to watch from this season’s
LFW. Offering a monochromatic collection, with digitalised prints, uber-sheer
shirts and undecided lengths mixing maxis and minis, her collection wowed the
crowd.
Born in London and marinaded
across Europe, her collection shows a clear interest in art and a true
understanding of fashion with fine tailoring, creativity and .... Having collaborated with Victoria’s Secret and sponsored by
Swarkowski, she remains relatively unknown in the fashion scene. As last year’s
official one-to-watch and this year’s award winner, she’s a potential underdog
to the fashion scene and a prophecy of talent and skill that London breeds. Offering futuristic tailoring,
lust-worthy cream capes and structured reptilia-style panelling, she maintained
a mood of femininity, with a striking print throughout and lightweight sheers.
A collection proving she fully deserves the Vauxhall Fashion Scout merit award,
she showed her appreciation of the audience’s ‘whoops’ with a feisty ‘I’ve done
it’ fist-pump.
(I’ll admit, I am slightly
biased having blagged a ‘FROW’ seat and meeting her, albeit a very drunk her,
in Mahiki that night. Hats off to you Georgia.)"
"Springing from New York to London within a week, tangerine
is undoubtedly the new buzz word on the front row. Adding zest to our
Autumn wardrobe, bold orange hues are set to be a definite pick-me-up come
miserable October time. Popping up at the likes of Burberry, Paul Smith,
Jaeger, BCBG and Sass & Bide, this is a trend that is likely to stick.
Bold and beautiful, designers offered full-on zing in the
form of orange trenches, mini-dresses and all-in-ones. For the less brave, try
tangerine shoes, bags, nails and scarves, teamed with bold magentas or a deep
turquoise. Tone down the trend into a more subtle tobacco, staying stylish with
bright accessories for a splash of....
Begging to be sported with tanned limbs and bare legs- let’s
hope the sun-kissed skin from the Summer will stay (or that Johnsons is on
offer...) We’re just wondering who on the high-street is going to bring out our
favourite ‘LOD’ first. (little orange dress, get with it)
What’s on the top of my LFW wish-list? The Krystof Strozyna tangerine blazer.
(And judging by the expression of glee on Susie Style Bubble’s face as she sat
front row for its debut, it’s definitely made the top of hers too.) I’ve got a
season to start saving, watch this space"
London Fashion Week was quite
frankly amazing, and overwhelming (not to mention stressful as both me and
Sophie flitted around shows and parties at the sake of our degrees). As a result
of deadline-pressure, we took the very sensible decision to come home early,
meaning our Giles and Ashish tickets went to waste (weep, sob and boo). It was
the right decision though, as we got on the train Leeds-bound, the sense of
relief was huge, not only for our crippled feet, but also for the sake of our
heart-pressure as we quite literally threw ourselves back into the library. (Your
hear that lecturer, I-left-fashion-week-early-to-meet-your-deadline. Committed?
Definitely) Going as buyers, we were pretty lucky ticket-wise, but next time- there’ll
definitely be a next time, I’ll go about it a little differently. More prepared
more outfit planning and more parties!
