London Collections: Men.

I haven't had a day off in a while, but I'm not complaining because 2 weeks ago I got to be part of LC:M, London Collections: Men. This was the first time I got to be involved and I was so excited because I have definitely started to appreciate men's fashion more recently, and the prospect of working with male models helped a bit too...

I worked backstage as a dresser for several shows over the weekend, the first was the launch event of LC:M; the Superdry SS15 show. The show was held in the super cool and unsuspecting location of Southwark St carpark, that was transformed into the chaotic backstage room full of make up artists, outfits, running orders and both male and female models. The location, basil cooler cocktails served at the bespoke bar, and the oddly shaped runway all added to the edge of the show, and complimented opinions that Superdry's SS15 collection was their most progressive yet. The preparations for the show were surprisingly relaxed as there were plenty of dressers and the models seemed pretty at ease, reflective of the cool Superdry brand itself. 

The collection showed both menswear and womenswear, and had a variety of patterns and colours ranging from pastels, hawaiian print, tie dye effect, and classic graphic print t-shirts, forming the perfect casual, summer wardrobe. I loved working backstage at the show, and being involved in the showcase of such a huge lifestyle brand. Many celebrities were in attendance including David Gandy, Jesse Metcalfe, and Mark Ronson made an appearance at the after party where he was DJing whilst everyone was dancing, drinking asahi beer, and of course watching the England vs Italy first world cup game. It kicked off LC:M to a very high standard and showcased great British fashion. See pictures from the show below.  

Backstage.

Backstage pass.

To watch a video of the Superdry SS15 show click here.

On the Saturday I dressed the Jonathon Saunders show which was a static presentation and therefore just required us to ensure our models were perfectly dressed before. Again, a great and very different designer to be involved in. See some pictures below. 

London Collections: Men once again proved the high standard of British fashion that continues to be created within menswear and womenswear by brands such as Superdry, Jonathon Saunders, DKNY, and Topman. All of them constantly showcasing new styles, colours and silhouettes.  

.Internship Beginning.

So this week I began a new journey... the course I chose to study at University was a sandwich year which involves spending a year in industry between 2nd and final year. After having the most amazing 2 years at Uni with the most amazing people, I have to sadly leave the student life and join the working world for a year. The last few weeks have definitely been a shock to the system, and becoming an early bird has been somewhat of a struggle, but I hope at the end of this year I will know exactly what career I want to do, and I'll have the knowledge and experience to get me there. So this blog will now also be partly an update of my placements throughout the year.

The first internship I began three weeks ago was at a fashion PR company, VARG. VARG has many luxury Scandinavian clients ranging from Filippa K, BACK, Cornelia Webb, Swedish Hasbeens, and Atterley road. The company employs quite a small team which really attracted me from the get go because I knew I'd have a lot of responsibility and a lot of work... And so far I really have! It feels like I've already been working there for months. I've been slightly thrown in the deep end, which I love, and have had to carry out many tasks such as coverage reports on all of the brands VARG looks after, sample management, sample send outs, call backs, and liasing with stylists and clients from many publications; Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Cosmo, Company and Glamour.

After being there 3 weeks I feel pretty settled and already a member of the team, and I actually know what I'm doing now. I've also bonded with the office dog, Bob, who is so famous in the fashion world he even has an Instagram hashtag #vargbob. I’m learning a lot and like it here. More updates to come! 

.Graduate Fashion Week.

So if you're as fashion obsessed as I am, you've probably been reading a lot about Graduate Fashion Week which took place this week, and you may have even been lucky enough to go. This year it was at the Truman Brewery, a cool location just off Brick Lane, which has recently become a hub of on trend fashion. I was, again, lucky enough to work backstage on the final day, Tuesday,in assisting with all backstage production particularly model dressing.

There were three catwalk shows throughout the day; the international show, the graduate fashion students from the UK, and the awards show. The whole of Gradate Fashion Week was brought to a close with the 'Best of Graduate Fashion Week' catwalk show which involved 25 students that were selected to send out their designs onto the catwalk. I was part of the backstage production for this show and another show, which was hectic at times because there were so many collections within the show. Each female model had 7-8 different looks, and male models had about 4-5 different looks, so the dressers were definitely challenged.

The event was attended by many high profile guests including Diana Vickers, Sam Faiers, Hilary Alexander, and the awards show was presented by Zoe Hardman. Each collection was very different and were all clearly products of years of hard work. The quality of talent at this years GFW was unreal, and I was really impressed by all of the collections, the pictures below shows some of my favourites. There were several awards given to the students with the winner of the George Gold Award being Grace Weller from Bath Spa Univeristy for her beautiful collection of lace pieces. The stands for each university also showcased the diversity of talent in fashion and design from across the country.

Once again, it was a great event that I had the pleasure of being involved in.

To see more from graduate fashion week, follow @OfficialGFW on Twitter.

.UKFT Awards.

Another event which was equally as exciting as the House of Parliament was the UKFT awards, and again I was lucky enough to be working backstage in the production and model dressing. The great and intriguing location of the Tobacco Dock was pretty perfect for the event and the room was decorated beautifully with flowers, candles, and a catwalk that zig-zagged through the tables.

I helped with the setting up of the backstage area including the makeup area and the clothing rails with all of the outfits. From then onwards, I was responsible for fitting and dressing both a male and female model, under the direction of esteemed stylist Rebekah Roy. The outfits for the show ranged from graduate fashion students, to luxury brands such as Burberry, Henry Holland, Oliver Spencer, and Christopher Raeburn. I dressed both my models in some beautiful pieces, including, dressing my stunning female model in an exquisite Oscar de la Renta dress.

The award show was attended by several high profile guests including Hilary Alexander, Margaret Howell, Dame Margaret Barbour, and presented by Susanna Reid.

Again it was another really fun event at a beautiful venue. It promoted all aspects of the fashion industry, and I had the pleasure of meeting some really interesting people within the industry including bloggers, journalists, models and stylists. 

The team of backstage dressers.

Here’s a link to a video of the night: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5lGTBxvWQI

And if you want to check out more about UKFT and their role, follow @UKFTRise on Twitter.