Mister Owl

Yesterday myself, Jen and Louise headed down to Earl's Court for this year's Graduate Fashion Week. The exhibition itself showcased a host of new and innovative young talent, with graphic designer Patrick Schmidt a personal favourite of mine for his old-school sailor themed illustrations. Patrick works under the name Mister Owl and finds inspiration from "salty sea dogs, wise old owls and worn out signs." 

Be sure to check out his website:  http://cargocollective.com/misterowlcouk

Bon Voyage

This was something i found wonderfully inspiring from this summer's graduate fashion week...

Just the idea of a collection entitled Bon Voyage excites and impresses me, even before seeing the pieces. Phoebe bought me a 'bon voyage' necklace as a reminder of the breathtaking experiences we will encounter on our travels, so the phrase is one that I love very much.

Graduate Charlotte Sanders- Yeomans for Northumbria University is the genius behind 'Bon Voyage- the handbook of style'; an exclusive and comtemporary traveller's stye journal for any female wishing to travel the world in style. 

The journal is put together beautifully and includes travel information and inspiration incorporating photography and fashion styling, as well as still life shots. There is also a focus on the four major fashion capitals- London, Paris, Milan and New York as well as inspiring quotes from designers and blank pages for the traveller to make notes on their experiences. Bon Voyage comes in a satchel- type bag with a passport holder, note paper and a pencil, all with the Bon Voyage signature logo printed. 

It really is the perfect handbook for any fashion-focused traveller. I really want one for when I'm island hopping in Indonesia and tubing along the Nam Song river in Laos. Oh and there's also pages to attach photos to! Bon Voyage is a unique and beautiful way to document your life changing experience. It would be lovely if I could buy it before I set off in February next year!

Beauty Beneath

I think the best portfolio and collection I saw exhibited in Earls Court today was 'Beauty Beneath' by Karina Lucy Jones for Northumbria University. 

Beauty Beneath is a conceptual lingerie collection that incorporates the primary function of lingerie, but that also has the ability to be attached to outerwear pieces, creating new garments, thus "redefining lingerie from underwear to outerwear."

The garments on display are beautiful, and were created with an inspiration from the beauty beneath the ocean. The materials used range from heavy cotton denim to light weight cotton denim, mixed with a luxury silk, giving it that sexy feminine look and touch. the colours include deep blues, greens, corals and golds and incorporate patterns and shapes found beneath the ocean from both animals and plant life. 

A lot of embellishment and embroidery can be seen on the garments including crystals, beads, sequins and lace. These are some of the garments exhibited today.

I Want These Shoes

Eliza Doolittle perfomed today at GFW and she looked so good! After her performance she thanked River Island for the outfit she was wearing which included fringed brown shorts and a yellow top with sequined trim. 

Both of which i love, especially when put together, but what i really want is her glittery Nike high tops. They looked so cool on her skinny bare legs, I'm not quite sure I could pull them off. This is what they look like.

After her performance I went and spoke to her and got a photo with her. Haha, so geeky, but I couldn't resist, she's lovely!

Graduate Fashion Week - Day One

So Graduate Fashion Week kicked off today at Earl's Court and there's so much talent! Really impressed with both University of Central Lancashire and Edinburgh College of Art's runway shows. Between both of them, only one graduate desgined a menswear collection, with the rest being womenswear and knitwear. One piece I really liked was this amazing gold jacket which was worn with the sleeves pushed up and laced at the front. Designed by Daniele Reed for University of Central Lancashire. Another was a really cute patterned jumpsuit with a sequin bra, by Rebecca Purvis for the same show. 

For Edinburgh, I saw the cutest white dress, sleeveless, with embroidery down the front. Would look so cute with bare legs and either gladiator sandles or Chanel clogs, Alexa Chung style. 
These are a few others I loved...

The photographer working with Anna at GFW is Nina Miljus, who is also a designer and studied Fashion Marketing at Northumbria University. Nina's work is incredible, her garments are beautiful and her photography and styling has almost an Alice in Wonderland feel about it, using cute hats and bunny ears. Check it out...

International Style

The international graduate fashion show took off this afternoon in earls court and showcased students from Munich, Singapore, Saint Petersburg, Basel and Amsterdam. Stand out designers included Wolfgang Jarnack for his black & white collection and Vicole Lang for her black & gold womenswear collection which included an amazing strapless, high cut leotard. 

The one which really impressed me was Lidya Chrisfen's shipwrecked/beach themed collection which included a lot of crochet, rope and netting with clusters of shells. The music fit the theme, with water and sea-like sounds, creating a cool and calm ambience.