THE PAST-THE FUTURE

It has been fashionable for a while to emulate the styles of eras that we actually have no recollection of ourselves, either because we weren't alive or we were simply to young to be put in anything other than baby grows. This thought got me thinking , what is it that we want to copy, do we want to step away from our world back to a simpler time...are the clothes , films and pictures allowing us the dream an impossible dream of living in this time while staying under the technology blanket of the 21st century?. Its a very interesting point because if you asked 100 people if they were inspired by old Hollywood icons and artist in the way they live there lives , 50% would say yes and 50% of people would have absolutely no idea.

I went gallery hopping to see some exhibitions bringing the past into the modern day.

First the Corrine Day exhibition at the Gimpel Fils Gallery (30 Davies street, London W1K4NB)

Kate Moss- the first shots.

Remember the Red and Yellow kiddy cars?

I then hot footed it over to Knightsbridge and The Little Black Gallery (13a Park Walk  SW10 0AJ) a small space a little more homely than the Gimpel Fils space which was showing intensely heart warming hollywood portraits of the It boys and Girls by Tony O'Niell.

Iconic beauty

 I also stopped off in the No Walls gallery in Brighton, I was very excited to come across this gallery as it was showing works that reflected everything I have been thinking about while walking around the other galleries... why when we have all the technological excitement around us do we look past to the past ???


The gallery was showing works by one of the most promising young artists working in the UK known simply by the name Famous When Dead. The works show cinematic icons in a unconventional way, with burning heads and distorted appearances they blurr the boundaries between surrealism and pop art. Unfortunatly no photos are allowed to be taken in the gallery so other than the image of the leaflet Ive had to use an google image.

My next thought............ what will be the next set of Iconic photos to come from our century? 

RANDOM BUT BEAUTIFUL

just something to apologise for not posting in AGES
Interning ,starting a new job and uni kind of took over............ 

CHARMING CHANEL

With New York Fashion Week in full swing i was wandering around the depths of the internet and found this little dazzle of Autum fun from Chanel.

Shade Parade is promoting their capsule range of polishes. 

MARKS AND SPENCER

Its the brand that emulates the British family lifestyle in its heritage, advertising, product range and offers. But behind this they have a surprising gem. The Limited Collection.

I think the average M&S shopper really appreciates it for its food and Luxury homewares, but the customers that shop for these items are often left dissatisfied with their selection of womensware. The brand have however really pulled it out of the bag with this new A/W limited collection.

Marks and Spencer do not allow images to be copied from the website, so you are going to have to follow this link below or go in store and I gaurntee you will want to walk out with at least one item.
Top of my list is the Stud Mini Skirt With Wool, the lovely burnt orange wool is contrasted by gold studs and zips cutting across the hip line something I wouldn't be surprised to see on any fashionista.

http://www.marksandspencer.com/Limited-Collection-Womens/b/43019030?ie=UTF8&ie=UTF8?ie=UTF8&pf_rd_r=1DC8WSN0TJKB82W04P13&pf_rd_m=A2BO0OYVBKIQJM&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B005H5BGJM&pf_rd_p=470877813&pf_rd_s=global-top-10

The collection really stands out as one of M&S finest yet however they have still stuck with the same advertising style which just doesn't capture the high fashion element of the collection. Plastered all over the walls of billboards and tube stations the adverts are being ignored because it is easily mistaken for the normal M&S products which are just .....NORMAL. Below is the Ad shot by the famous photographer Rankin and the tube Ads.

I really believe that with better a better advertising campaign and placing in more credible fashion bibles like Vogue M&S could see alot of demand for the Limited Collection.

LIBERTY LOVE !!!

When I moved to London last September I soon found my most visited shop was Liberty, I have never brought anything more than £20 but I love to go in and walk around the store. I often find I leave with a very determined edge to succeed in my career so I can go in and purchase that £200 dress because when you buy something from Liberty you know it is a fashion staple the complete opposite to fast fashion...when you buy from Liberty you are buying into British fashion at its best, you are buying into Art , you are buying into the Liberty Lifestyle and you are buying into the past and present.


It is the store made out of the timber from two British ships and the attention to detail flows right into the store every piece carefully hand picked by the Liberty team.


ANY WAY 


What im getting to is there impressive new collection of scarves named art fabrics and they truly are!
They have been inspired by Musicians and Artists and beautifully designed by the Liberty team. This is the best reflection of what I said above. When you buy one of these scarves you are buying hours of research ,analysing and meeting the musicians / Artists , the pieces are obviously all exclusive to Liberty and a limited amount are made. Each piece has a purpose to be worn , to be loved , to be shown off.

Follow the link below to see all the scarves and the Liberty team explaining there inspirations.


http://www.liberty.co.uk/fcp/content/aw11-fabrics/newsarchive 

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TOURISTS AND TEMPTATIONS.

I had been meaning to start this blog for a while but it was also a requirement for my Summer University project and in concern to starting my second year at uni I really want to prepare myself so I braved Oxford Street. Many people reading will laugh and question what I mean but you have to understand I avoid Oxford Street like its going out of fashion( its not). Simply because I cant handle the tourists and the temptations. 


I went for the day to carry out some research, something Mary Portas would do on a regular basis to stay top of her game, the ironic thing was ,i was heading to Oxford Street to research her and her new brand Mary for House Of Fraser. 


Mary has very much put herself in the spotlight with this new venture and can only greet criticism kindly after her very openly opinionated career.

Any interview you read by Mary before the opening she explained how the staff had been specially picked and trained by herself. Walking onto the shop floor I expected this to show immediately but NO I was left to wander around without even a hello. The outside window states 'for women not girls' but just becuase im obviously classed as a girl in their eyes I SHOULDNT BE IGNORED!! 

 a army of Mary mannequins  all sporting the famous Red heads crop greet you as you exit from the express Mary lift. Orange is a constant reminder that this isn't just a department store within a department store it is Mary's Brand

This is yet another example of needing to have friends in the right places . Mary secured multiple collaborations with famous brands to bring in the customers.

All about the Visual Merchandising, another Mary Manequin suspended from a library ladder (unable to help you reach that pair of Clarks shoes but she looks great)

More randomly alonside the selection of clothes she offers candles, housewares and  hand crafted cards.......all again beautiful but slightly RANDOM in my mind.

My opinion : aside from the customer service (I can only put down to me not being their target age (not an excuse I find acceptable)) It was GREAT , True to Marys form she doest lie it isn't for girls it is for women and the selection of products is amazing ,the perfect one stop shop for the Fashion confused busy lady. She has targeted a market that is always highlighted for being left out of the retail world so can thank the bosses of the high street stores that ignore these 40 something women for the high demand and also most notably the collaborations with famous brands that take up the majority of her stock for its success. 


Karma is a bitch but for Mary I don't think it is going to come around and bite her, it was a big risk but I believe it is a risk she has got away with... will this be the first concession of many Mary stores ,who knows ??

NOTTING HILL CARNVIAL

getting with the spirit (NOT THE TRENDS)

The costumes were incredible , the craftsmanship of the jewels, feathers and tiny pieces of Lycra really set the carnival on fire. 

FEATHERSSSSSSSSS.

It wasnt just the dancers that made the effort with their attire .

TFL advertising expectancy is a simple drawing of maybe at most a carnival mask then a long list of the tube line closures planned on that day but they presently surprised Londers with this Ad, I absolutely loved it the first time I saw it and it still makes me smile with its simplistic humour , who knew it TFL can be funny.



COLOUR, SEQUINS, BEAUTY, DANCING, FEATHERS, FOOD, THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, CHEEKY DRINKS.................what more could you want from a summers day???

LARGERFELD AT LESS THAN ONE CALORIE

The London underground was looking a lot more chic yesterday with stands giving out free Karl Lagerfeld diet Coke at the larger tube stations.

The cute white ,black and pink design are limited edition but are sure to be a hit.

FANCY FALL FASHION

I woke up this morning very EARLY, I have to go and sit on the tube for an hour to get to heathrow to pick my sister up. She has been in America all summer having a great time doing work experience at a summer camp.


The first thing i did was turn on my laptop and check her flight was on time, then i found the little beauty below while browsing Vogue UK. It looks like its been a fun summer all round judging by the Lanvin Fall/Winter 2011-2012 Ad campaign.   

It is refreshing to see such fun being had in the Ad world , it gives off a different impression to the viewer a younger funkier one, making the clothes a lot more wearable. It has very similar vibes to the Prada Spring Summer 2011 Ad campaign.

Im sorry Lanvin, Prada wins every time it makes me want to stut around in stripes and just dance down the streets, the ad is advertising brilliance .

SUMMER IN LONDON

When its sunny in London there is an amazing vibe, its not a regular occurance so the people and the places just seem to be even more alive, here is a couple of snaps ive taken in the city and on my travels.

An advantage of going to a University which takes on such a wide range of students is free  places to stay around the world. I went to visit my friend in Ireland , it was my first time in the Country and it was beautiful even though i couldn't understand what anyone was saying.

Whenever I walk past the GPStudio in Borough their window always attracts my attention. This time it was because of  Sophie Emma James's textile prints

James uses primary sources for inspiration this shows in the unique originality of the prints and  the window display.

The best cupcakes in London - humming bird bakery with cafes in Soho , South Kensington, Portobello road and Liver pool Street they are a bit to convenient to walk past without popping in for a red velvet.

on the train home...Fields are always a welcome sight.

I grew up in a land where Home made goods are not a lifestyle choice but just the norm.

Malborough Village

the villages in my area are full with lovely home and clothing boutiques and are always full of tourists browsing before popping into a local pub for some lovely Wiltshire food! 

While shopping in Cheltenham  i came across a collection of Fred Perry products designed by Amy Winehouse, I didn't know this existed (WHOOPS). It is a very nice unusually colourful for Fred Perry, you can defiantly see Amy's input unlike some other celebrity collaborations.

summer fun with friends.

Love the Threatre first show of the week was We Will Rock You,  the costumes were like stepping into retro heaven and a surprising twist to the story of Queen kept us entertained throughout. 

Second show was the Wizard of Oz the production and costumes are absolutely amazing, the amount of Swarovski crystals were blinding.

First trip and i will be going back, Wahaca resurants can be found all across the city when you  fancy a Mexican indulgence in a fun ,funky and casual environment.

Only in London

Taking photos while cycling is not advised Trafalgar square looked lovely in the sunshine.

as does the archway to the Palace.

St James park band stand, I love how deck chairs immediately give the park that holiday beach feel .

Im not too sure how happy i am about these H&M boots, they are a blatant copy of  the classic Dr Martens boot and they haven't even copied them nicely they look cheap and the on trend mint green doesn't work with the black sole.

the sunshine doesnt last forever.

Angel has a great selection of Pub and Gig venues, great if you want to get away from the tourists.

 There is the opportunity to see a new band every night in the city, usually gigs are free and you get to go to places you would generally walk straight past. Above are napoleon in rags  a band from my home town.

I chased this couple down Camden High Street to get a photo, they looked amazing in the sunshine, forget following vintage trends these are the people that are the trend.