London Fashion Week Day 1

First day, nervous was an understatement! I arrived an hour early at Somerset House and decided that I'd rather stand in the cold and RAIN watching everyone arrive in their private cars with blacked out windows, the thought of missing something or someone was definitely a fear I had.

I know it look miserable... anyway I finally got inside and collected my designer showroom pass!

So my job is simple, buyers and press from all over the world come to see Finlay&Co's glasses stand and I was there to answer their questions and queries. The press I spoke to ranged from Vogue Italia, to a Vancouver based magazine, to Elle UK and The Herald. Its pretty nerve wracking but once you've got the first few out the way it becomes pretty natural and easy.

Yesterday was an exciting day for the brand anyway as they launched their brand new website and their new sunglasses ranges, you really need to take a look, www.finlayandco.com

 

 

(blogger doesn't seem to want to change the size of these photos.....)

Every so often I'd take a break and have a peak at everyone queuing for shows under their umbrellas, holding their Prada bags close to save them from the rain, posing for photos.

It was a long and hard first day but meeting all the different people was an amazing experience!

When I was done for the day I went to Shoreditch for dinner at The Drunken Monkey, such amazing Chinese food, and loads of dim sun!! We then went on to a Mexican bar which I have to say was a hidden gem, from the outside it looked like a simple sophisticated bar, inside... was mayhem there was so much colour different rooms with different features, one contained a caravan cut in half that you could sit in and have drinks!

Ax

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What I'll be wearing at London Fashion Week

Since I found out I was working at London Fashion Week I have been so excited planning and shopping. I've spent an awful lot of time checking out what was worn last year you know, cause everyone wants to dress like the celebs in one way or another.. 

By the way notice the heels!! My feet are gonna be killing me most days but I have been purchasing smaller heeled, comfier shoes to try and cope. I was told my clothing was to be smart but fashionable so here we go I have so far packed....

3 statement pencil skirts, leather trousers and top, Black suit, a white shirt, black cami, black and white polo, pink A-line skirt, my favourite cute dot-to-dot white t-shirt, Vivienne Westwood bag, Finlay&Co Sunglasses and 3 pairs of heels!! I got a few bargains in this lot, my silver heels were £6 in the New Look sale, my black blazer was £25 down from £70 in the Urban Outfitters sale and my navy blouse was down to £19 from £39. The sales were in perfect time for my spending spree! Oh and a heads up with this months Elle mangazine you get a 25% off Kurt Geiger Card which I used today to buy my black sandal heels. 

I am taking a lot of inspiration from the beautiful Rita Ora... 

No matter how crazy and out there her outfit is she always seems to look amazing and glamorous especially seen as she pairs nearly every outfit with her signature red lips. 

What do you think of my outfit choices? Is there any celebrities that you love the style of! Let me know I love to hear what my readers think....

Ax

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Pilates, Yes or No

I am having to change my lifestyle quite a lot at the moment due to my back! Before I broke my back I did very little exercise as I don't really like it and I have always been naturally skinny but now i'm having to do a lot more. I aim to go swimming at least twice a week if not more which I love doing and always have done, I find it such an easy way to exercise and work every muscle in your body! BUT last week I had to try something new, Pilates! My physio told me just before Christmas that I was strong enough to start doing Pilates which would be a great benefit to me. I have always fancied it but never really looked into it. Although this is all to help my back I am now determined to tone up a bit in the process and Pilates seems to be the right way to go!

So many celebrities have admitted that they do Pilates on a regular basis, including Victoria Secret model Miranda Kerr who said to prepare for the 2013 she had green juice, protein shakes and did intense Pilates.

I started to become more interested in just how much this could change my body which only made me more excited! So which celebrities do Pilates to keep themselves toned... 

Elle Macpherson 

Jennifer Aniston 

Vanessa Hudgens

Megan Fox

and Miranda Kerr

Two thing all these women have in common? Flat stomachs and amazing bodies = my aim!

So anyway last week I had my first class and it was great! I just wore black leggings and a baggy white Topshop top but Stella McCartney does some gorgeous pieces of active-wear for Adidas if you fancy looking a bit more stylish. I can see how it gets you in such good shape within the hour I felt like i'd (and probably had) stretched every muscle in my body and every move involved using my stomach muscles which made everything ten times harder. I think the hardest thing of all though was the breathing...

Think of it like this when you stop doing something difficult you exhale out of relief but in Pilates you exhale when tensing and then inhale when relaxing, I realise this sound simple but try it out next time you pick something up that is heavy!

I'm definitely going back and would recommend it to anyone else who doesn't enjoy sweating and trying to run in the gym while trying to stay composed! 

Bringing Back My 90's Style

Ok so i've had a lot of comments from my mum over my recent purchases mainly "oh you used to have one just like that when you were little" OR "Oh my god that is just like something I owned".

This inspired me to look at baby photos and I realised that she is right! Everything she dressed me in as a toddler, or I dressed myself in when I fancied looking more normal, was coming back into the shops and has been for the past year or so... So I thought i'd show you just what I mean in case any of you are questioning me! (Be prepared for cuteness overload haha)

So here is me... and yes that is my parents lovely sofa which I seem to match!

And here is my first outfit recreation...
Trousers - Topshop
Sweatshirt - Topshop
Shoes - Topshop
Socks - Topshop

This baby is my little brother who I seem to be squashing but getting a cute photo of the two of us was more important!

My collar underneath my jumper has hit the high street this past year whether its a one top or you are layering to create the look, I love it!

Outfit Number 2
Top - French Connection
Trousers - Zara

OK So you have hopefully noticed this is not me but my friend Nathan but I just had to mention dungarees

Girly Version of Nathans amazing look
Pink Dungarees - River Island
Leather Dungarees - Topshop
T-shirt - H&M
Shoes - Topshop

Have you noticed i'm not smiling or enjoying any of these photos being taken! My mums all about 'natural' looks!

Definitely my favourite denim dress!
Dress - Topshop

And Finally....

Another quick natural shot from my mother! 

Shirt - Topshop
Sunglasses - Marc by Marc Jacobs

So there you have it I, along with a little input from my mother, have been experimenting since 93 (Finally explaining my blog name!) And now my wardrobe has come in full circle and is back.... in my wardrobe!

Let me know if there is anything you have bought that's making an appearance for the second time round!

A x
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A Night at Nightwalk

This month I got the opportunity to be a dresser at Nightwalk Fashion Show, yes its exactly what you are thinking it is, your job as a dresser is to make sure your model is changed and ready to go back on the catwalk with each designer. Its tough, you are working to a time limit and are surrounded by mayhem but I love it. Being backstage is always exciting, you see everything and once its all over you are proud to of been part of it all.  Backstage at Nightwalk we had make up, hair, dressing, photo shoots and much more all going on in one room....

The line up was amazing this year with such a wide array of clothes from, knitwear to leather to corsets to full length dresses. 

It was an amazing night and everything ran so smoothly! Although I missed watching the actual show its just so much more exciting being involved in such an amazing production! 

Here are a few catwalk photos by Bartosz Madejski; 

Aymee Charlton

Lucy Charlotte Doris Gillon

Naromode

Rachel McMillan

If you ever get the opportunity to be a dresser I'd take it cause its great to see behind the scenes and it is such a good laugh! Nightwalk was outstanding as a show and my night in general, I was completely knackered but it was worth it for just one night of experience!

Evening Dress Stress

OK so I finally have an actual date for my Boyfriend’s work’s Christmas Dinner Dance and to be honest I wish I didn’t know now. Ever since finding out I have been so stressed out about what to wear. Its not till December so I have a lot of time yet but until I find a dress I know i'll be worrying about it so the sooner I find one, the better. 

The last formal event I went to was my school prom;

Although I absolutely love my dress its a bit too much for a Christmas dinner!

So here we go....

Problem Number One - I know that I can wear a short dress or long dress which obviously just makes it harder cause now I have the decision of which one should I go for and both options may have consequences!

Problem Number Two - I suspect I will be the youngest one there and although this doesn't bother me I don’t want to wear something too young. HOWEVER I don’t want to dress older than I should and look frumpy!

Problem Number Three – What colour should I go for? I was thinking black? Its formal and a safe option, but is it boring? There are so many beautiful dresses in all different colours so do I risk it and be a bit more adventurous?

I realise this is still black but its a bit more adventurous than plain?
available here

available here

Problem Number Four - Whats the best option if I get a backless dress and a bra isn't an option? I need suggestions on this as my boob popping out isn't exact;y something I want to happen especially when meeting my boyfriends work colleagues!! Can you imagine the humiliation!

Problem Number Five – I’m a student, I don’t have a lot of money (mainly because of my Topshop addiction!) And there are so many amazing dresses way out of my price range. Does anyone know any websites where I could get a gorgeous dress at a low price?

available here

available here

Any help is welcome as I guess you'll of gathered by now I have no idea what to do! 

Ax 

Memory Boxes

I love my room at university but I don’t have my things to decorate it with as room decorations are normally expensive and seen as unnecessary purchases for a student. Also like most fashion students i'd rather spend my money on clothes and cocktails!

I recently went to Paris and came back with all my tickets from places we went and small memoirs such as a spare key to our lock on lovers bridge, also I messed up the first padlock we got so I have kept that one as a wee keepsake! These were just shoved in a box full of junk which I though was such a shame and wanted someone I could keep them properly so they didn't get lost.

Seen as I am a bit fashion obsessed I thought why not do a box for each fashion capital in the world seen as I have been to all 4.

I started off by ordering 6 plain wood boxes from eBay (they only came in sets of 6) these cost £12 in total.

I then went to Homebase and picked  up some tester tubes of paint 

The reason I chose the colours I did is because my room is white and greens, this is because I fell in love with a gorgeous material which my mum made into a bed throw for me, but you could choose any mix of colours you want!

I then painted each box a different colour and down one side wrote the name of each place

I'm going to print off my favourite photos from each place and fill them with memoirs and hopefully if I go back to these places I can add to them every time! 

I know this blog is a little different from usual but I hope you like it. Let me know what you think of my idea!!

Ax