Fashionable Autumn

As Autumn approaches back home in the UK, I have just landed in the sunshine city of my internships… Sydney - Australia! I am currently unpacking my suitcase of books, sunglasses, swimwear, shorts, dresses and floppy hats.

Before I packed-up and up-rooted down under for 3 months I started to plan this Autumn post. Autumn is my favourite season to shop and I am pretty sad I will be missing Autumn 2014.. but hey I will be in Australia, no complaints there! However, my shopping subscriptions think I am still in the UK with constant Autumnal emails rolling in to my inbox with key must-haves for A/W 2014.

The changes in weather make me restless for a bit of retail therapy (these shops know my weakness!) and to avoid my twitchy hands going over-board on pressing the checkout button too frequently buying myself unnecessary A/W clothing, I decided to instead browse and browse to scoop out a few of my favourite fashion trends to share with those of you preparing for the Autumn chill.

Lets talk:

Over-sized - buying everything that little bit bigger is always popular during the colder months, whether it is in preparation for some added Christmas weight or just for sheer cosiness, either way A/W '14 has really outdone it.. everything is bigger and better than ever!

Tailored - Suited and booted with perfectly tailored cuts. I've got mine and it is my new wardrobe romance, *cough* Cara Delevigne at Topshop *cough*.

High-rise necklines - I would say since A/W 2013 the turtle neck has been creeping its way back into our most loved high-street stores. But ultimately this is one look that will forever remain in Vogue. A/W 2014 seems to be the year of the neckline, everyone is adding that bit of mystery to one of the most alluring parts of the female body. Slouchy, chunky, fitted or ribbed you are bound to fall in love with one.

Pointed flats - Polish up your look with pointed flats. Great to dress any outfit up without the need of heels and perfect from desk 'til dawn. I treated myself to a pair for LFW.. I haven't looked back, I pair mine with black tailored trousers in the evening and ripped skinnys in the day.

Leopard Print - Unleash your wild side. A/W is showing a mixture of looks from at the Office to Rock 'nd Roll, yes this is quite the contrast but I could not think of a more perfect combination.. Office by day, Rock 'nd Roll by night. Leopard print seems to be the focal of the wild side. Who would of thought are wardrobes would be filled up with turtle necks and leopard print again. De ja vu?

Popping your colour - Monochrome is big this season! You can't go wrong it is the most versatile staple wardrobe, but adding a slight pop of colour can instantly change a look. This season is all about monochromes mixed in with splashes of green, hues of blue and lemony yellows.

Cosying up - A/W '14 loves to keep you toasty, from fuzzy bags to luxurious fur coats and shearling visible left, right and centre, there is no excuse for you to be hibernating this year!

Images:

Top/Left - Unif Crayola Jumper 
Top/Right - Knitted Rib Skirt  & Jumper with Flared Sleeve
Botton/Left - Cowl Neck Poncho
Bottom/Right - Tailored Striped Blazer and Peg Leg Trousers

The Anti-Model Series

Rainbow haired models? The modelling world is being filled with confusion these days with the desire to be thin, tall and tattoo-less becoming less and less common, I could not welcome this change in the industry and society more. It is about time curves, tattoos and crazy personalities embraced the catwalk. 

In order to applaud this change via the internet and with the Fashion shows kicking off around the world, I decided to create an Anti-Models Series.This is going to be a series of posts on models that are standing out from the crowds of the typical "model brief" and rocking the runway. 

Heard of London's Anti-Angency? Well, they have already started blurring the lines in the modelling world with models being booked on personality over appearance. 

"They might be beautiful and be very cool, but they definitely don't take any shit!" - Pandora Lennard (Director - The Anti-Agency).

So what better way than a brief introductory of this series of posts then picking out a few of the ladies this agency represents. 

Abby - Fashion Student

Amy - Poet

Ayesha - Artist

Portia - Hairstylist

Sophie - Student

Sophia - Psychology Student

Sydney - Production Assistant

Photographs are all from the Anti-Agency website, which doesn't give much away about the models other than their personalities through a range of quirky photoshoots.

Multi-coloured hair, piercings, short, tall, slim, curvy, tattoo'd or not tattoo'd.. this is the start of a new generation.

All these model talk has me thinking about who will be walking the catwalk at the fashion show on Monday. 

Exciting!

My weekly smiles #6

Two blog posts in one day?! That's right. Sunday has been my day of writing. I love writing but have been told I have dyslexia, meaning my writing skills aren't considered academic. But it is something I am passionate about, I have come along way with my spelling and punctuation thanks to good ol' spell checker. I somehow don't think spelling and punctuation is the most important thing when it comes to writing, I think you should write with your heart and use your creative mind, surely that is the most important thing? I for one don't pick up a book and think.. "wow, great punctuation". I read because the piece interests me, which is why I am such a lover of blog writing, I am not being marked, it is my little bubble, my journal for me and my thoughts and anyone else who might be interested. If you have ever wanted to look inside someones mind, wondered what people are thinking and like learning about peoples lives.. we'd have that in common. My favourite shows are Escape To The Country, Place in the Sun and Location, Location, Location.. this along with my interest in peoples lives pretty much makes the person who everyone thinks is "the nosey one".. meet me and you will probably feel like your on a quiz show. My interest in people might cause criticism but it is merely just out of interest I love learning and getting to know people and their interests. Any-who it has definitely been a day of Sunday rambles..

1. Making friends. New interns joined our team recently, like I said.. I like getting to know people!
2. Sushi Saturday happened. Working during the weekend means sushi lunch. The company treat us to lunch if we work during the weekend and the bins become filled with empty wasabi bento boxes and many happy tummies.
3. Learning new skills. I have learnt so much through my internships and it's only been 3 months, bring on the rest of the year.
4. London Fashion Week outfit purchased.
5. Relaxing Sunday of writing.
6. X Factor. I haven't watched the X Factor in years, but I flicked it on to see if the new judge panel could rope me back.. yep, that's right.. it did. So glad to have Cheryl and Simon back! Is it just me that thinks Simon seems a lot more timid since becoming a Dad?
7. Thinking about the future. Feeling excited and determined! Working in the industry makes me fall more and more in love with the creative world everyday.
8. UniDays. HOW HAVE I ONLY JUST REGISTERED.
9. Tea and biscuits. After dominating a sushi lunch in work on Saturday I continued to fight for true health and happiness, sharing out my biscuits among the Embroidery team & we all got dunking. It's safe to say there is nothing like a biscuit dunked into a freshly brewed cup of tea.
10. Turtle neck. I never thought I would say the phrase, I am loving turtle neck fashion. It is going to be huge this Autumn, turtle neck dresses, turtle neck tops, turtle neck jumpers. The turtle neck is making a comeback and I am welcoming it with open arms. Embrace the turtle.

Song of the week: Not just a song it is an album! Gabrielle Aplin - English Rain. This Album reflects my mood these days, it is the perfect album to sing along with into Autumn to!
Movie of the week: Fool's Gold. Kate Hudson is simply divine. Sunday night movies at there best.
Blogger of the week: Charlotte's Web. Her posts on Love are great. I like her writing style it is different to most bloggers, I have spent this evening with movies and catching up on her blog posts.

Getting ahead in fashion

Working for a high-end fashion brand has made me think long and hard about getting ahead in fashion. So you have your CV sussed, you've started a blog compiled of your fashionista tips & tricks while highlighting diabolical fashion faux pas, you've escaped to the Capital.. now what? 

This is my situation...

I am nail-bittingly close to ruining the opportunities I have worked so hard to achieve and I don't want anyone else to fall for the blunders I have caused, so here are a few things that have been learn't so far working in industry.

DO: Nourish yourself

Ok. So you might think the Fashion industry promotes skinny, but oh could you be more wrong. In the run-up to deadlines everyone is in the studio chowing down on pizza, thai, sushi.. the list is endless. We have just stocked up with goodies for the week, by stocked up I mean the biggest box of crisps, chocolate & fizzy drinks. Now I am not promoting un-healthy eating to get ahead in fashion, but I am promoting the need for energy, strength and balance to be able to work 7 days a week, with hours that don't have a time-limit, meaning you could be working 14hours + in the run up to Fashion Week. I have so far been the girl rejecting the cookies, the crisps, the cake. You might applaud thinking what good will power, but in reality it is just stubbornness. My unhealthy relationship with food caused me to take my eye off the ball. I am unable to work the gruelling hours I prepared myself for and that other interns and staff members work, I do not have the bodily strength to do the tasks others can do. I am the girl with the apple and a salad, maybe staying an hour late here and there and un-impressing. Although staff members are happy with my work and say they are impressed.. my contribution to the team is far less superior then others. I thoroughly enjoy what I am doing, developing skills in different areas such as embroidery and pattern cutting and want to continue to learn. I have a determination to work the gruelling fashion hours others work and impress and be desired to come back and contribute each year but my eating habits have so far stood in the way of me making the impressions I had hoped.

 I am a working progress. 

Luckily, I will be returning to the fashion company I am interning with next year for 5 months. When I return I will be the girl eating the cookies and the cake, working the late shifts and proving to everyone that I will make it in the industry. 

This challenge for me started yesterday, working the weekend: I ate a sushi bento box for lunch and delved into the biscuit tin at snack time, convincing my manager I have the strength to work a little longer than usual. Next week my progress will continue, fighting for my future, my dreams, my desire to prove to everyone I am worthy of this internship. If I make more progress my studio manager will allow me work the longer hours and the big weekend 48hour stint before the fashion show on Monday the 15th. You all must think I am mad aiming for longer shifts but that is what the run up to fashion week is all about.. if I am going to intern in fashion, I will do it properly. This is game on. 

Phew, you might be glad to know that's my blabbering out of the way. But, hey when your stuck inside, no way to get to my usual Sunday church service, whats a girl gunna do. 

My other points are slightly more heard of but coming from my real life interning experience, I have realised just how true they are. 

DON'T: Be a 9 to 5 kind of gal/guy

While you dream of your lavish fashion lifestyle of endless shopping trips and copious amounts of champagne as you pull up to the most talked about parties in a black limousine surrounded by the likes of Karl Lagerfeld, Vivienne Westwood and Stella McCartney. The reality is a lot of graft, late nights, constant deadlines, sleepless nights, people freaking out when designs change last minute, things can't be found, exhaustion takes over, and before you know it the season is over and the next has begun. But don't be put off, everyone in the studio loves the madness and if you want it badly, you will too!  

DO: Network

Networking was stressed to me throughout my second year of my degree, but while interning the need to network has become evermore important. It is all about contacts I'm afraid. The more people you know in the industry the further you will get. Working in a creative environment means you can meet a lot of people who will know someone that can help you out in the future, Foot in the door? Photographer? Stylist? Freelance work? The more people you meet whether it is the designer at one of your favourite fashion houses, the receptionist at Vogue, the cleaner at Burberry or the security guard at Dolce & Gabbana, you meet someone in the industry they will probably be able to help you out in the future. Also, meeting other designers is a great way to meet like-minded people. Maybe the security guard might not share your interests, but he will know someone who will. 

DON'T: Rely on qualifications

Don't assume that your degree will guarantee you a job in the industry at the end. Of course doing well and academic study is important but most professionals I have met that have been working in the design field for a long time have stressed that the need of interning and networking. I have learnt so much after just 3 months of interning, things I never learnt on my degree. I enjoy my course, my lecturers are great and I have learnt all about designing and design process, but putting these skills into experience in the working world is a completely different ball-game. So intern, think outside the box, stand out and throw yourself into every task no matter how small with unbridled gusto.

DO: Live the City life

Chirping birds flying past the window of your Victorian house with a garden (yes, "A GARDEN!" I hear you scream) as you gaze on to the mountainous hillside and sip a cup of tea, while later venturing into the grassy fields as you sing 'the hills are alive' like Julie Andrews.. I don't think so. If you want to clamber up the fashion ladder you have to make the move. Relocate to the capital. And live it like a Londoner. I am sure you have all heard the saying "you've got to be in it to win it", well thus applies. All the opportunities are in the city, it is where the biggest companies are based, where the fashion shows are hosted and where your real-life fashion career begins. So, if you can cope with a box (i.e. small flats) at designer prices and virtually no money for a few years for that desirable fashion gig, pack your bag and book a one way ticket. 

DON'T: Fake it

Yes it is great to have a look, having personal sense of style can get you a long way.. make you stand out from the crowd. Attitude and confidence are highly valued and having a personal style is great to showcase your fashion eye. However, don't pretend to be something you are not. If at heart you are a girl who loves the high street or is guilty of indulging in the high end life, don't pretend to be an artful hipster, find your niche and wear it with pride. 

Find a company to intern with that interests you and reflects your style. Don't walk into a company pretending you are into Avant Guard when you like Commercial. You will only enjoy the job, the discounted clothing perks, and won't look like a wolly when your true style, thoughts and feelings are revealed. It will only be embarrassing when you can't relate to the concepts and the brand you are representing and working for, you will go a lot further working for a brand you are passionate about. 

Enough of my intern advice, hear it from the real professionals reading this Vogue interview for some famous fashion advice.

With all this fashion talk, what kind of fashion posts would you like me to create on my blog? London Fashion Week is also among us! So I hope to create a lot of posts on design collections I loved at the show, in the mean time.. This Resort '15 Valentino collection still has me head over heels in love.