Weird Things I Overheard At LFW

What do you get when you throw a bunch of the chicest fashion people in the country together at the biggest bi-annual fashion event there is? (Apart from sheer envy induced by an onslaught of beautifully styled outfits, of course...)

You get an earful of OTT commentary that enters total diva-territory when brought out of context. So here I am, bringing it to you completely out of context. 

We all know the outfits can be weird and wonderful, but so are the things you happen to overhear. Whoever said that the fashion world is a bitchy one was probably a little bit right... Read my list of the weirdest things I overheard at LFW.

"I'm going to get pregnant for next fashion week because I might get photographed more if I bring a cute baby"

"I got my septum pierced just for fashion week and now my nose is so infected it hurts even to breathe the air" 

"Oh, so that's why she's wearing those supersized stripper heels... She has a STANDING ticket. I guess she's gotta see the show somehow"

"I don't care if there's only popcorn in the Frow bag, it'll make me look like I was actually on the Frow if I have one"

"I'm pretty sure the reason nobody has taken my photograph today is because I haven't drawn my eyebrows on big enough"

"Oh my god my picture is on the Daily Mail!" (note, this was said in glee, not despair)

"Yeah I know who you are, but I don't follow you on Instagram"

"Your hair is so fluffy I just want to snuggle in it"

"Do that again but this time smile as if you're happy rather than in pain" 

"She seems so much more interesting on Instagram. Some people should just stay in the digital world" 

"Yeah you can take a picture of my shoes, but it won't be pretty... I have no toenails" 

Photo taken LFW SS15 via Danielle Ward @ Little Fash Bird 

London Fashion Week Checklist: Are You Ready?

image via elle.com

Well, are you ready? It's that time of year again, the night before London Fashion Week, and having freelanced for publications for around 5-6 seasons now I can finally say that I've got the knack of preparing everything I might need to survive it.

I can't quite believe that 6 months ago I was standing in the courtyard at Somerset House melting under a turtle neck trying to keep cool whilst the weather was pretending that it was still summer. But here we are, on LFW-eve, and it seems that those oversized knits might actually come in handy this time round because it's freezing! But then again, at least it isn't as cold as New York... 

If you haven't managed to get hold of any tickets this season it's always worth heading down to Somerset House to get a feel for the vibe and watch live streams of the shows. So whether you're living in London, staying in a hotel, or just popping down for a day or two, here is a list of the things you need to take to stay organised at LFW.

Tickets

Obv. Organise them. Get a different plastic wallet for every day and put them in there in order of their time. Make sure you pay attention of where the shows are! My first time at LFW I didn't realise Eudon Choi was not being held at the BFC show space, resulting in a rush-hour cab across town and arriving looking flustered and gross. Totally not chic. Also, if you have off-schedule tickets for Fashion Scout then arrive super super early. The shows are always over subscribed so even if you have a ticket there's a chance you might not get in.

Folder or Portfolio

It doesn't need to be big or fancy (or it can be, like in this picture!), it just needs to be able to hold all of your tickets and print outs to keep things safe/organised/dry. It's also great to keep all press-releases from shows safe in for reference in your show reports.

Business Cards

I find there's something a little bit cringe about giving business cards out sometimes at fashion week. Get ready for people to judge just a little bit. "Is the font right? Is it printed in high-quality enough card? They definitely didn't get theirs done at Vistaprint..."

 It always reminds me of the business card scene in American Psycho. But in fairness, it needs to be done and it's a great way to keep in touch with people. Get everyone's you can, keep them in your LFW ticket plastic wallet and always follow up with a nice-to-meet-you email next week! 

Portable Charger

Another huge mistake I made at my first LFW was not investing in one of these. By about 2pm I was down to 2%. They will save your (and your phone's battery) life. Make sure you charge it up every night to make sure it won't let you down on the day And make sure you bring your phone charging cable with it too!

Print Outs

Print everything out like maps, schedules, and if you're accredited with the BFC, your fast track pass to get access to the designer showrooms. If you're going to be super busy with events, shows, lunches and brunches with brands, screenings and talks, then also print out a personalised schedule to keep you on track.

Fashion & Beauty Monitor App 

For those of you who prefer things to be all digital, Fashion & Beauty Monitor LFW App. It provides the full schedule of London Fashion Week autumn/winter 2015 catwalk shows, presentations and parties. It's totally free, gets updated live, and users can plan their personal schedule by saving events into the My FW folder, set pre-show reminders, find venues with interactive Google maps for each event and click through to the Fashion and Beauty Monitor news page and social media channels. 

Basically, it's a LFW Personal Assistant in your pocket. 

Umbrella

Because London = Rain. And rain = bad hair and makeup. No thanks. 

Lip Balm & Moisturiser

One of my favourites is Burt's Bees beeswax lip balm in peppermint. It's probably going to be chilly and you don't want your lips getting dry. Moisturiser will also freshen your makeup up if it starts to get a bit cracked or cakey from all the cold winds. My favourite is Clinique Dramatically Different Lotion.  Just adding a little bit around the eyes and cheeks can freshen you up to have a dewy look.

Filofax/Diary

If you like to keep things a bit more old school, keep your Filofax or diary with all the events on you at all time to make sure you don't miss anything.

Sunglasses

Because London = Unpredictable. You never know, the sun might come out.

Also comes in handy if you've gone too hard at one of the parties the night before... 

Download Uber

In case you miss the press bus or don't fancy getting the tube places, Uber will be your best friend. For those who aren't familiar, it's an app that will get a cab to arrive and pick you up from exactly where you want it to. You can see how far away the driver is using their countdown, and see the vehicle on the map, plus it gives you the name and registration of the driver. Use the Code x7f99 to get your first ride free! 

Notebook

One of the best things about LFW is the amount of inspiration you get for articles or blog posts, so write it all down! My notebook is filled with pages of random notes of what I've come across at events and ideas on how to develop them into more detailed stories. And obviously it's necessary for recording all of your LFW show notes for writing up show reports. 

Pens

It sounds stupid, but you'll be surprised how easy it is to forget. A notebook is no good if you can't write in it!

Camera

Necessary for taking pictures if you're there writing for an assignment, commission or article. 

Camera Charger

Hardly needs explaining! You don't want to miss a moment because your camera ran out of battery...

Memory Card

Believe it or not, but at my first day at LFW ever, I arrived with my DSLR fully charged and ready to go, but with no memory card. Luckily there was a Maplin's on the Strand, but it was �15 spent unnecessarily! Format your card first to make sure you have enough room for all of the photographs.

City Mapper 

For anyone who doesn't know London, download the City Mapper app. It'll tell you exactly how to get from A to B by using transport, walking, getting a cab... it's all covered.

Blister Plasters

Whoever said diamonds are a girls' best friend was totally lying. Blister plasters are. If you're not going to play the sensible game in flats, then I promise these will come in handy. Normal plasters will never do, so get hold of some special blister ones from Compeed! 

Enjoy fashion week everyone, hope to see you all there! 

Khaki Green Doesn't Have To Be Drab...

Topshop Coat (out of stock, similar 1/2/3) Find Topshop Offers Here  | House of Sunny Jumper (not available online) | Topshop Dress (layered under jumper) | ASOS Boots | Zara Bag

Olive, pea, or forest green. You can use all of the imagery an English Lit teacher can throw at you  to describe it, but there's still no changing the fact that green can be a pretty drab colour. I only need to look outside my window and see some withering conifers and I'm usually put off. And khaki, what can really be more boring than wearing a colour that's popularity stems from military uniforms? A Saturday night in playing scrabble with your Nan sounds more appealing than the word khaki. 

Still, bizarrely, we get a colour palette dictated to us season after season that makes us think that one colour is suddenly a lot cooler than every other shade on the spectrum. This time, thanks to Balmain, Preen and Pucci's army-inspired AW14 collections, some trousers, a roll neck, a dress, and now a duster coat in the blase dirty green hue somehow seemed to have crept into my wardrobe. Fashion is weird isn't it?
What's even weirder is how in love with the colour I suddenly am. Rather than seeing a drab uniformal shade of blah, I'm looking at clothes in these colours saying "ooh, look how earthy and natural it is!" I'm beginning to reach the conclusion that fashion is a form of brainwashing.
But when you look at how nicely the shade looks with this giraffe print House of Sunny sweatshirt, I can't help but think that maybe, just maybe, khaki isn't the most boring colour on the planet. Wearing khaki with giraffe print hints at the most implicit level of safari styling, although not nearly enough to make you think I'm off to stare at some lions in Kenya.
Will you be wearing khaki this season? I already have my second pair of trousers in the hue in my Topshop shopping bag already. Thank god tonal dressing is also in fashion this season...

The Secret to Over The Knee Boots That Don't Slip

ASOS Coat (similar here and here) | Primark Scarf | Vintage 70s Dress | DUO Vespa Boots* | Zara Bag | ASOS Keyring

When I knew that over the knee boots were coming back in fashion I panicked. Images of myself resembling a poor imitation of J-Robs in Pretty Woman circulated through my mind, with just a touch more thigh fat and about 8 inches in height loss. But the more these boots infiltrated magazines, and most importantly, my instagram explore feed, the more I needed to get my hands on a pair. When worn with oversized knits or vintage dresses they looked far more chic than streetwalker. And you can't forget the importance of going for a classy textile: soft suede is always going to be less hookerish than full on garish black PVC.
A couple of months back I tried a pair of the Control 2 over the knee boots from Topshop and I told you all how fabulous they were and that they had all of this amazing padding which kept them from slouching. Well, I lied. I didn't mean to, I was just under the impression that they stayed but after several wears slowly but surely they began to slouch.
Want to know what doesn't look chic? Me walking around the street stopping after 10 steps to hoist my boots back up my leg. And repeating this over and over thinking how do I stop my over the knee boots from slouching?  When you're walking around in London that's hardly practical, unless you fancy some arsey commuter smashing into you, dropping his coffee on you, and not stopping to apologise. But you can't just let them slouch either. Slouchy boots are far too Pre-Kanye Kim Kardashian back in 2007 for my liking.
The bizarre thing is, I don't have slim thighs. Let's just say they are definitely a more voluptuous part of my body. So whilst I was completely frustrated from stop-start walking and pulling my boots up, there was a slight satisfaction to it all. "Have I lost weight?" I was thinking. "Maybe I should eat some more burgers and then they might fit better?" (any excuse right?)
It's a good job I held back on the burgers. What I didn't know was that the secret to over the knee boots that don't slip is that they have to fit the calf in a perfectly snug manner. Enter DUO Boots: masters of over the knee boots that don't slouch. They go by shoe size AND calf measurement to ensure the perfect fit. With this pair of Vespa boots I went down a calf measurement to ensure a super secure fit, and like magic, not once have I ever had to stop to pull them back up.  They don't just do over the knee boots, but they have knee high, calf boots, ankle boots, and brogues, plus you have to check our their amazing new Spring Summer 15 collection dropping at the minute.

How To Wear Double Denim for SS15

ASOS White Jacket | ASOS Jeans | Acne Jumper | Zara Mules (similar here) | Zara Bag

Denim. It's not just about a pair of well-fitting jeans this season. Designers have upped the ante with what's required of fashions most casual counterpart. Stella McCartney showed us dropped waist denim dresses whilst Fendi gave us luxe sports-inspired denim jumpsuits. Even Burberry reinvented the humble denim jacket with a peplum fit and sheepskin trims. 

The fresh take on denim for SS15 requires a little bit more creativity. It's time to banish the basic bitch skinny jeans and step into something a little bit more adventurous. (Confession: I have no intention of actually banishing my skinny jeans, but there's no harm in a little bit of sartorial experimentation is there...)

So with playful new denim on the mind, I thought what better way to work the trend by pairing it with more denim? 

Double denim is something that never really made sense to me until recently - thank you very much Gucci and Fendi for changing my ways. There was always something so painfully wrong about it, like brown sauce instead of ketchup in a bacon sandwich. Just wrong. But the different explorations of denim that the SS15 collections threw at me, the more I realised that my dislike for double denim was actually a fear of the Canadian Tuxedo. 

There are so many more ways to play with double denim without looking like Britney & Justin at the American Music Awards way back in 2001. You have to pick your denim wisely. I wanted to avoid looking like a 1990s sitcom reject wearing stonewash denim jeans and a similar chambray shirt and just play around with the trend a little bit more. As an outerwear addict, a statement denim jacket seemed to fit the bill for me. If your going to take a step outside of your comfort zone in fashion, then do it with a brand you can trust. ASOS' White collection always nails high quality luxe minimal pieces, and of course this denim jacket is no different to what they usually deliver. The Tommy Hilfiger SS15 influence is obvious through the patchwork detailing, but it's oversized cocoon silhouette keeps it looking refined and minimal rather than the seventies inspired pieces at Hilfiger.

Of course, I felt a little bit like a quirky art teacher again. I should have been wearing this with some flared denim jeans, some kaleidoscopic printed shirt, and with my hair rolled into a bun and held in place by paintbrushes. But instead I threw it over some blue ripped skinnies (because remember, I'm basic) and my favourite white Acne jumper. 

Don't be blase with your denim, it's time to get adventurous this season. Shredded, patchwork, dark wash, frayed, you name it, just make it work. 

Denim Jackets and Dresses

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Denim Jeans, Shorts & Skirts

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