Tartan takeover!

As it is now September, Autumn is looming, promising the return of layered clothing, cosy jumpers and ridiculous amounts of hot chocolate. With the new season comes a variety of new trends the most prominent being the tartan takeover. This shouldn't come as a surprise following the popular fad for anything 90's related as it is an accepted fact that 90's grunge fashion has strong associations with checked shirts and plaid designs. What came as a surprise was the magnitude of designers championing this trend.

Almost every designer's Autumn/Winter 2013 collection featured tartan in some way, there were many different check sizes and colour variatons but the red check emerged as the most popular. 

Top row left to right: Chanel, Tracy Reese, Corrie Nielson, Thornton Bregazzi, Moschino, Fausto Puglisi.
Bottom row left to right: Vivienne Westwood Anglomania, Gaultier, Yves Saint Laurent, Clements Ribeiro, Ashish.

Although I love the way tartan is used in so many of the garments featured above, Givenchy's new take on tartan by combining it with a dark roccoco winter floral completely won me over. The rigid geometry of the tartan works amazingly against the softness of the florals without looking disparate.

Givenchy AW 13.

 

Zara, ever the master of catwalk print interpretations, has translated the tartan floral mix perfectly into its current collection. Printed on lightweight sheer fabrics the garments look delicate and feminine while retaining the edginess of 90's grunge.

Zara.

Although tartan has strong associations with the 90's grunge movement, this fabric is the widely recognized uniform of the Punk movement a traditionally British fabric to represent a subculture of British origin.

1970's punk sub-culture.

Emerging in the mid 1970's, Punk aimed to cause unease and outrage with its non-conformist, anti-establishment and often anarchical views. This 'anti' approach was consistent throughout the movement, particularly in relation to fashion. The whole point of Punk fashion was to be 'anti-fashion'- safety pins, DIY studding and drainpipe jeans(any of these trends sounding familiar?) were all trademark features of this look, not forgetting to mention the starched and stained mohawks they sported(a direct reaction/retaliation to the hippies dangling tresses)Championed by prolific designers such as Vivienne Westwood and Zandra Rhodes, punk was, and still is, a strong subculture and ironically their 'anti-fashion' became such a popular fashion trend that it is still being repeated in 2013, 30 years later.

Left to right: Zandra Rhodes and on of her dresses, Vivienne Westwood's previous work and the designer herself..

So why the emergence of Punk now?

I refuse to accept that fashion is simply based on aesthetics and believe that if we acknowledge that fashion is an industry which responds to social and political atmosphere, it is possible to predict what trends are going to gain popularity. 

The world, the UK in particular, is currently experiencing a great deal of change, controversy and rebellion, this is the perfect social atmosphere for punk, a style embracing and actively encouraging rebellion, to re-emerge. Although most of the current catastrophes are focussed away from home, it is our reaction to these circumstances which allows Punk and similar rebellious fashion styles to creep back in. It is a psychological certainty that in times of turmoil we refer back to what we know, and the return to Punk styling is a perfect example of this.

The recent 'Punk:Chaos to Couture' exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum in New York(which ended in August)featured work from designers such as Versace, Galliano and Christopher Kane amongst many other renowned names. It attempted to harness the Punk spirit and draw parallels between contemporary fashion and vintage punk(see images below).

According to Andrew Bolton(Curator at the Metropolitan Museum),

"Since its origins, punk has had an incendiary influence on fashion, Although punk’s democracy stands in opposition to fashion’s autocracy, designers continue to appropriate punk’s aesthetic vocabulary to capture its youthful rebelliousness and aggressive forcefulness."

It is this 'youthful rebellion' and 'aggressive forcefulness' that ensures that Punk will continue to re-emerge whenever there is a social atmosphere of unrest.


Anyway, on a more aesthetic note, below are my picks from the high street stores. Personally I think that Topshop with its variation of tartan colour ways and Forever21 with its experimentation of tartan applique(love jumper and cross knee leggings) have interpreted this trend best.

Forever21.

H&M.

Mango.

River Island.

Topshop


Onto the online brands!An amazing variety of tartan garments, styles and colour variations- this is why I am such a huge fan of shopping online!I think my favourite 3 picks from online boutiques would have to be the tartan print ASOS shoes(shown below), the cute dark tartan pinafore from Glamorous and the floor length monochrome tartan shirt cape by Missguided.

ASOS.

Boohoo.

Glamorous.

Missguided.

Nastygal.

Primark Spree and new shoes!

I have finally booked my London fashion week tickets!!!Well London fashion weekend anyway, which I'm sure will be just as exciting!

I can't wait to wander around looking at the stores and I'm also looking forward to seeing the trend catwalks- after the vast magnitude of printed garments in the recent fashion weeks, I'm extremely excited to see what next year has in store....This does however mean I need to choose an outfit...which also means I get to buy a new outfit....as a response to this I decided t go on a mini spree, which actually didn't damage my bank balance too much as it was only to Primark. This being said, I was extremely impressed with their current range and bought some absolute beauts...

Primark: Tops both £5.00, Necklace £8.00, Cut-out boots £18.00, H&M fringed bag £14.99.

Cheeky selfie of me enjoying my new purchases!

I find that whenever I tell people that I work in fashion they seem to quickly assume that as a female who works in this industry I own a lot of shoes...which I don't...so not wanting to disappoint people I have decided that I probably need to buy some more(what a shame!) 

I had a lengthy browse online for some relatively cheap flatforms seeing as I seem to have a little bit of an obsession with featuring them in my style posts. I came across these beauties on glamorous.co.uk and they reminded me of some I saw in New Look a few months ago which I desperately wanted but couldn't get as they didn't have my shoe size- the downfall of being a massive shortie with size 3 feet!

'Glamorous' shoes only £7.00!!!!!

Anyway I test drove them to work today and they were so comfortable and easy to walk in and I didn't even stumble/stub my toe/fall spread eagled on the floor a single time, which is a rarity for me regardless of heel size.

Another amazing thing about these shoes is that they were only £7.00 and with a cheeky online promotion code that I found I got them for the bargain price of £5.60- absolute steal!

While online window shopping(is that even a thing?) I came across these perspex clutch bags on the Topshop and River Island sites. I have previously blogged about the perspex bag trend and these clutches embody this trend perfectly, I think I might have to attempt to make one for London fashion weekend.

Topshop £40.00,River Island £35.00.

Style blog: Lois Albinson and Richard O'Gorman!

So I've been meaning to do this style post for quite some time but keep getting distracted by one thing or another. Street style posts are a staple in the majority of fashion blogs and this is my take on that idea.

After working in topshop for 2 years while at uni I had the opportunity to meet some people with really individualk and expressive senses of style. I have chosen to feature two friends who have completely different clothing styles and who are both very expressive in what they choose to wear. 

First is Richard O'Gorman;sales adviser at Topshop, fashion blogger, pattern enthusiast and economics graduate. Richard is living testament to the often overlooked fact that intelligence and an interest in fashion aren't paradoxical.

 As a print designer I love anything patterned and I really love Richard's ability to mix prints and completely carry it off. I would love to see him start a daily style blog documenting his outfits, but until that day he has a fashion blog which he occasionally uploads outfits on:

http://www.skinnybelt.blogspot.co.uk/

Who/what do you get style inspiration from? Any decades/art movements or 

designers in particular?

I take inspiration mostly from culty, low ground designers like Agi & Sam, KTZ but then naturally your style is shaped by things you inevitably see at Versace/ JW Anderson/Celine shows so there's that too.

Menswear Resort 14 collections left to right: Agi&Sam, KTZ, Versace, JW Anderson.

What is your favourite high street store and why?
My favourite high street store has got to be Topshop. As well as a great staff discount (!) they really put a lot of money into their product development and whilst there are some really bad things in there, they do take quite literal references from the high-end fashion market
Would you say you follow trends or do you just buy whatever catches your eye?
I think I nod towards trends without literally following them blindly; it's better to take reference to big style changes season by season but develop them into a way that reflects your own style
How would you describe your personal style?
My personal style is part Amish, part Versace/Cavalli love child, part Evacuee child, part Wizard, part Vintage kid. I try to repeat outfits as rarely as possible and always try to reinvent my style
What do you think of British fashion and street style?

British style is 50/50; you get some incredible designers coming up through the ranks of British Fashion like Mary Katrantzou & Rag & Bone but then we have to take ownership for Julien McDonald and John Galliano (p.s. Raf Simons is doing the best job at taking over Galliano's helm at Dior. The BEST) . Our street style is really dynamic though, it changes and evolves and some people are really inventive, which I love.

................

Second is Lois Albinson; Topshop sales adviser, textiles graduate and knitwear designer.  Lois' personal style has always fascinated me! By mixing carefully selected vintage pieces with catwalk inspired high street items, Lois' wardrobe is on trend and edgy without compromising her unique bohemian style. To see some of her amazing knitwear designs visit:

https://www.facebook.com/loisameliaknitwear

Who/what do you get style inspiration from? Any decades/art movements or designers in particular?

I get inspiration from everything! Blogs, magazines, art, old films, street style etc. I work in Topshop and I am constantly surrounded by current trends so I try to find a way of eclectically mixing everything together. I don't really have a particular style I follow I think it depends on my mood a lot of the time. Being a knitwear designer I am mainly inspired by textures, and I love the work of Craig Lawrence and McQueen. When it comes to art Anselm Kiefer will always be one of my favourites.

Top row: Craig Lawrence knitwear, Bottom left to right: Anselm Kiefer and Alexander McQueen knitwear.

 What is your favourite high street store and why?

Trying not to be bias, I do think my favourite high street store is Topshop! They are the first off the high street to dilute trends from the catwalks. I think most of the time , depending of how they are styled, clothes from Topshop can definitely look quirky and individual. They are good value for money too! Other than that, I love a good but from American Apparel and urban outfitters.

Would you say you follow trends or do you just buy whatever catches your eye?

I don't think I follow trends...I think on some cases it's difficult because that's what's available in the shops. But I definitely just buy whatever I want whether it's on fashion or not. I like to mix everything together so in most cases I will wear something from Topshop and then add a few charity shop pieces in. I love to layer and the more clothes the better in my case. If I can't decide I don't think twice a out wearing two dresses at once!!

How would you describe your personal style?

I would say I own personal style is a real mix of things! I don't think I have many boundaries when it comes to trying new things! I think I like to combine new and old and I love to make my own clothes...so I guess you could say I like things that are different! I mix new with vintage so the newer pieces never look the same. I love to layer and I like the contrast of putting girly clothes with more grungy types...I like to have fun with things and I love to try out quirky new styles!

What do you think of British fashion and street style?

I love street style and I think without realising everyone takes inspiration from what other people wear. Living in Manchester is great because i think that there is such a mix of fashion and I love to see people's reflection of fashion! It's an expression of personality and I think it's so interesting to see how people convey that. I have great respect for British fashion and I think that past eras and past trends have made how we dress today! Britain has so much history, which I think has a huge impact in terms of fashion, and it's exciting to see these new trends constantly revisited throughout the years! British designers are innovators and I think they are always at the forefront of fashion!

Shop reports!

Shopping/current trend reports as promised...

Betafashion design competition:Dreaming in Colour!

Since stopping my freelance job for my new job I have been at a loss with what to do with my spare time, so I decided to enter a design into a competition on betafashion.com. 

This was the brief:

DREAMING IN COLOUR

Taking inspiration from trans-dimensional dreaming and futuristic utopias, the challenge for this project is to create prints for our S/S14 womenswear collection using freedom of colour and mind and lucid dreaming to create new universes that will transform the collection into a contemporary, innovative and beautiful work of art.

We are looking for a combination of placement and repeating prints to be applied to the collection which will consist of jersey and woven dresses and separates.

8 winners will be selected, each receiving £500 and seeing their designs go on to form part of the collection which will be sold in our online store as well as some of the world's largest fashion retailers. Where possible the names of the winning designers will be presented alongside the collection at point of sale, as well as to the fashion press.

Below are the images eta provided to use as inspiration for this project.They are extremely similar to the images used in WGSN's cosmic folk trend prediction for next year, photos of which I have also posted below.

WGSN trend board

Not only would it be amazing for me to win £500 if my design gets chosen, it would also be a great opportunity for me to get my design work featured in thebetafashion collection. As I have been doing so much research on this topic in my spare time I am hoping that this will increase my chances of reaching the final 8!

Below is the design I submitted which combines shapes from crop circles with galaxy/nebula shape fills and all seeing eye details. If you like the design it would be great if you could follow this link and vote for me to win: 

http://www.betafashion.com/competitionratedesign.aspx?SubmissionID=7817&compID=0&filter=0

Shopping trip and wedding outfit!

As you all know, mainly because I can't stop speaking about it, I have recently changed jobs and am now Junior Print Designer at Stuart Peters. This in itself is quite amazing as it is pretty much my dream job, but things became even better today as I was given the task of doing some shop reports on current print trends(I will do a blog post on these tomorrow!)which meant I got to spend the entire day shopping in London!

I also bought myself a few little treats. My cousins wedding is in a week and until today I was still outiftless so, as can be imagined, I was beginning to panic slightly about what to wear. Fortunately I found a lovely long sleeved cream lace dress from Urban outfitters which is absolutely perfect for the occasion and I have also bought a deep red flower crown headband to wear.

Floral tea dress(£45.00)Topshop, Gold chain necklace(£5.99)H&M, Shoes top to bottom: Gladiator sandals(£39.99)New Look, Deep red suede heels(£56.00)Topshop, Brown heels(£27.99), Bags top to bottom: Red leather clutch(£10.98)http://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/red-leather-clutch-bag, Vintage burgundy clutch(£!8.00)Beyond Retro, Tooled vintage leather clutch(£14.03) superqueenieretro on etsy.com.

Initially I was going to buy the dress shown above for the wedding but I tried it on today and it was more of a very pale peach colour than the cream I had expected, it was also quite ill fitting. I guess that just goes to show that you can never be quite sure whether a garment will look as good as it does online.

Anyway this is my new outfit...It's borderline bridesmaidy(for want of a better word) but I kinda like it, and the dress fits really nicely and skims over the bits I want to hide!

Lace dress(£55.00) Urban Outfitters, Flower Crown(£6.50) ebay, Shoes my own from Topshop 2 years ago, Bag(£7.50) Beyond Retro, ankle socks(£8.00) Urban Outfitters.

I also bought this beautiful top from Zara...

I can honestly say that the current collection of printed garments in Zara left me in awe. Zara can always be relied on to provide soft feminine florals and well thought out digital prints but the current collection combines edgy tartan with dark wintery florals in an ode to 90's grunge yet still manages to retain its feminine allure.

While looking round the shops I noticed that there is an abundance of quilted/embossed/textured garments in the current store collections. Quilted fabrics were in every store I went in to, some studded some printed and on a variety of different garments. River Island, in particular, had an extensive range of quilted and embossed garments. I've got a feeling textured tees will be a staple for this Autumn's wardrobe. Probably means I should go on another shopping trip to invest in one...right?

Grunge look and man repelling lipstick!

"What I would wear today if I could..."

It's half way through my first week at my new job and I'm still enjoying it which is promising!I'm feeling quite grungy today and so this has affected my imaginary outfit choice. I spent last night debating whether or not to get my nose pierced, I still haven't reached a decision,but I'm pretty sure this has influenced today's outfit choice.

Dress(£36.00)Topshop, Grunge boots(£11.90) clothing.net, Tie dye socks(£6.00),Silver chain(£18.31) Nastygal, Black rucksack(£60.00) Hoy Boutique on ASOS marketplace.

This outfit just looks so comfortable!The loose fitting plaid print tunic dress from Topshop is perfect for the hot, sticky weather we have been experiencing lately, maybe something to add to my list of things to buy when I get my paycheck?

I don't usually comment on beauty products but I have the perfect lipstick to go with this outfit. Revlon's super lustrous creme lipstick in the black cherry shade is just amazing. Although my friends frequently tell me it's the kind of lipstick that scares away men(apparently dark lipstick in general does this), it is fast becoming my favourite item in my make up bag and at only £7.49. 

In the image above it looks quite brown but when applied it has a purpley sheen to it which I just love, man repellent or not it's definitely a keeper!

Well that's all I have time for today but I will do another style post tomorrow! x