OOTD: Welcoming Winter.

Jumper - Primark.

Hamsa Hand Necklace - Primark.

Skater Skirt - H&M.

Loafers - Bershka.

Selfie time w/ Gabs :)

If you ask me, when you live in England autumn should not even be classed as a season. We always seem to jump right from 'summer' straight into winter and not much has changed this year as the cold settled in very quickly and I found myself having to top up on jumpers once again.

For winter I tend to keep my outfits quite simple but still of course stylish. As much as people seem to slate it, Primark is always my first choice when it comes to jumpers. I have 3 from last year that are still in tip top condition and I intend on wearing them again this year. The jumper in the pictures above follows in the footsteps of my little tradition as it is also from Primark.

I teamed my jumper with my hamsa hand necklace featured in my last post, a plain black skater skirt (which is a staple piece in my wardrobe) and my black leopard print loafers from Bershka.

Shout out to my girl Gabriella who once again took these pictures for me, as you can see my college's photography room is becoming a familiar place for my OOTD's.

I hope you enjoyed this post and that you're all ready for winter! x

OOTD: Velvet x The Pineapple

I recently purchased a dress from one of my favourite online stores Missguided (www.missguided.co.uk)! I love this dress for many reasons but mainly because of its versatility. I can dress it up by wearing it with no tights, a blazer and some sandal heels or dress it down (as shown in the pictures above) by wearing it with tights, a baggy cardigan & my heeled boots from Topshop. As the dress is navy, I think silver accessories go well with it and I decided to pair it with my hamsa hand necklace from Primark and my earrings which were a birthday present.

I wanted to keep the look quite casual as I was at college that day, so I decided to put my braids up into my 'pineapple head' ponytail. I should probably add that I've had my braids in for a while and I cannot wait to change my hair so this is probably the last time you'll see them in, haha!

The pictures were taken by my friend for our Photography assignment but as I quite liked this outfit and was lost for blog post ideas I thought this would be a cool quick post to share with you all!

Bringing Colour To The Catwalk

Collections in fashion shows can show all variety of trends and styles, with designers such as Julien McDonald showcasing their love for luxurious evening gowns to a Victoria Secret show which can present a designers love for lingerie. The fashion world is one that is always changing and evolving presenting new designers and talent whilst also bringing back styles and clothing that were loved in past decades. However when it comes to those who actually wear the clothes the industry has been known to take a completely ancient and close minded view for casting models.

Many have complained about women of colour and ethnic minorities not being represented fairly on the catwalk but sadly there is not always much done about it. However this year as different cities from all around the world hosted their fashion weeks some of the industry’s most renowned models of colour decided to stand up and make it known of their disappointment and frustration at agencies for not casting more models from ethnic minorities. Diversity Coalition is an support group created by former model turned activist Bethann Hardison, which has seen the likes of models such as Naomi Campbell and Iman come together to stand against some of the industry’s biggest fashion labels who use no or very few black models. The three women proved they are not a force to be reckoned with as they named and shamed the designers who are guilty of not representing black models in their shows. In an interview with abcnews the trio make it very clear that they’re not calling the designers racist but saying that ‘the act in itself is racist’ and discouraging to upcoming black models.

Being a young black female myself I found it so inspiring to see some of the world’s most famous black models not shying away from what is a very taboo topic in the fashion industry, and using their fame and status to improve the industry they've become a part of. I think the main thing to remember is that we should aim to make seeing black models in the industry something that is normal. Often designers or agencies create an event or piece that highlights black models and assume it is enough, for example Vougue Italia’s ‘A Black Issue’. As much as this issue of Vogue was one to remember (and bloody well overdue) in my opinion it’s just another example of classic tokenism, indirectly saying ‘there’s your special issue, could you shut up now?’ I’d love to think that there will be a time in the future where special issues or shows are not needed as seeing black models has become a normal thing and not something to make a big fuss over due to how rare it is. As Hardison says in the abcnews interview ‘I don’t want to embarrass anyone into doing anything’. Along with Naomi and Iman, one of my favourite models Jourdan Dunn contributed to promoting Balance Diversity as she tweeted the link and has often spoke about how she herself has faced racism in the industry and is not one to sit back and accept it.

Picture Taken From Vogue's 'A Black Issue'.

Picture Taken From Vogue's 'A Black Issue'.

Picture Taken From Vogue's 'A Black Issue'.

(Link to the abcnews interview : http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/lifestyle/2013/09/fashion-icons-naomi-campbell-iman-demand-diversity-on-racist-runway/) 

As you may know this isn't exactly recent news but after speaking about it with a friend, I thought it would make a great post in which I could address my thoughts on black models on the catwalk and also praise high profile black models such as the ones mentioned in this post, who continue to inspire myself and many other lovers of fashion.

Hope you enjoyed this post and I’ll leave you with a short iconic film made by model Naomi Campbell and Nick Knight.

Tartan/Checked Trend.

Picture Taken From The Missguided Website
Available at http://www.missguided.co.uk

Picture Taken From The Missguided Website
Available at http://www.missguided.co.uk/

Available at Urban Outfiiters
Picture taken from http://www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk/ .

Available at Zara.
(Picture taken http://www.zara.com/uk/.)

Just a few items that I'm absolutely loving from the tartan and checked trend and hope to get once pay day arrives!

Footage From The Pam Hogg Show!

Here's some footage from the Pam Hogg show. Apologies for the rubbish quality, I was filming on my Blackberry also the shaky camera work was due to the fact I was juggling filming and taking pictures, which clearly I cannot do successfully, haha! Anyway I hope you can overlook these minor hiccups and enjoy this video! :)

LFW Internship: Day Four

The penultimate day of fashion week also turned out to be my favourite day of the week. Again, we didn't start straight away but for once this was actually a positive as we were able to watch the set for the showcase being put together. This was the Natasha Zinko presentation and as I watched the workmen build a beautiful white gazebo, which was then decorated with overhanging flowers and greenery, I knew I was in for a treat.

As the models stepped out into the hall, it was almost like visiting the 50’s, and I was enchanted by every single aspect of the collection. Zinko’s collection wasn't just about the dresses and outfits it screamed femininity in every way, down to the make-up, hair and performance of the models. The models wore dresses that emphasised the female body, and this was done in such a traditional and classic way. The collection embraced the female body without sexualising it.

With her pastel shades combined with candy colours, Natasha Zinko proudly presented this collection to the public.

The gazebo being put together.. 

The beautiful finished product!

Dress rehearsals.

Dress rehearsals.

Dress rehearsals.

Dress rehearsals.

Dress rehearsals.

The ceiling looked too beautiful not to take a photo.

Dress rehearsals.

Natasha Zinko Presentation.

Natasha Zinko Presentation.

Natasha Zinko Presentation,

Natasha Zinko Presentation.

Natasha Zinko Presentation.

Natasha Zinko Presentation.

Natasha Zinko Presentation.

Natasha Zinko Presentation.

Natasha Zinko Presentation.

Natasha Zinko Presentation.

Natasha Zinko Presentation.

Natasha Zinko Presentation.

Natasha Zinko Presentation - Models Caught Off Guard!

Natasha Zinko Presentation.

Natasha Zinko Presentation. - My favourite dress from the presentation!

Natasha Zinko Presentation.

Soon after the Zinko presentation had finished, all the interns had a brief for the Pam Hogg show. It was safe to say that this was the most important show that we had covered at fashion week. We were given our places for seating and told exactly who would be in the seating areas and where they would be sitting. We were then told in the most polite way possible that we could not afford to fuck up on this show, as it would not be taken lightly if we did. As the head of our PR agency names a few ‘famous’ people that will be attending the show my mind makes up the worst possible case scenarios. A woman is demanding to be sat in front row, but her name is not there, another man is tapping me on the shoulder telling me no one has told him where to sit, another lady is shouting from the other side of the room saying someone is in her seat “So is that all clear, if not I can run through it again.” Shit, I know that was important and I've missed it. Luckily I catch up with an intern and she says it was nothing major, just a repeat of everything that was said before my hideous daydream.

There were a few seconds of silence where I prayed for everything to go well before the sound of heels and chatter filled the hall and we told to take our positions. Thankfully all the guests seemed to know where their seats were and no one was seating in the wrong place. The most annoying thing about the whole seating process was having to overhear the superficial, pretentious conversations by many on the front row, but that was soon blocked out by the press screaming at radio 1 presenter Gemma Cairney & singer Kate Nash (who both by the way are so lovely & down to earth).

The Pam Hogg show was hands down the highlight of my time at London fashion, her collection was not only a privilege to able to watch, but also inspired me with my A2 work for Photography at college. When interviewed on her collection Pam Hogg explained that her collection was about the destruction of war and the idea of looking into the future and seeing what life be like without war. On first glance at this collection I had the impression that it was to do with fantasy as the show included an amazing ballerina who performed towards the end and was my favourite part of the show. However looking back at the show this element of fantasy could be Pam Hogg’s way of interpreting a future which is not yet with us, but is one she hopes to see. Regardless the show was amazing and a great way to end day 4.

Gemma Cairney.

Pam Hogg Show.

Pam Hogg Show.

Pam Hogg Show.

Pam Hogg Show.

Pam Hogg Show.

Pam Hogg Show

Pam Hogg Show.

Pam Hogg Show.

Pam Hogg Show.

Pam Hogg Show.

Pam Hogg Show.

Pam Hogg Show.

Pam Hogg Show - Ballerina's Performance.

Amazing ballerina performance. 

Pam Hogg - Model bares all in Hogg tradition.

Pam Hogg Show.

Pam Hogg Show.

Pam Hogg Show.

Pam Hogg Show.

Pam Hogg, gracing the catwalk for one last time.

As Pam walked down the catwalk with the talented ballerina and a stunning model on her arm and the flash of the cameras continued to capture the collections beauty, I experienced a moment where I was truly thankful to be a part of fashion week. Yes, it had been stressful and at points I had been disappointed with the internship, but nevertheless it was an opportunity that I am so grateful for and one that I will never forget.