Fresh As A Daisy

I very briefly really mentioned this, but if you read my blog you would know that I actually went to the Butterfly Sanctuary before I went on holiday. You are properly thinking to yourselves, 'well yes what does that have to do with this blog post', well let me explain.

I actually styled a photo shoot before I went on holiday to Cuba entitled 'Pollen Cycle'. Now whenever I style a shoot I like to choose a topic/look/decade and submerse myself with whatever I have chosen. When I do this I feel that my shoots are more original and I feel that my ideas come more organically and there is no limit to my creativity and ultimately I want my shoots to feel more real and personal to whoever is looking at my work.

So the shoot I most recently styled was all about the cycle of life within nature. Personally, I think that the most interesting life cycle of an animal within the Animal Kingdom is a Butterfly. I find it amazing how you actually witness it involving and changing, so when I decided on doing a shoot based on life cycles, I knew exactly where to start and that was at the Butterfly Sanctuary at the Natural History Museum. 

After visiting the Sanctuary I was so inspired by everything, so I decided to carry on  researching into the life cycles of humans and animals. This then brought me to the cycle of weather and how different emotions are attached to each season. The next thing I decided to do was create a mood board and come up with a name for the shoot I was proposing to do. Im not going to bore you with a step-by-step guide of what I did after I created my mood board, but I really wanted to share with you my thought process and give you a little insight to what I do.
Watch the video below for Behind The Scenes from my shoot!


Mood Board

Behind The Scene Video

 

Holiday- Celebrate

Ok! So I assume the blog post title makes this post seem pretty self explanatory, but sometimes even the most obvious things we don't realise- basically I went on holiday.

I was lucky enough to go to Cuba with my mum, sister and step dad. 

Cuba has a very rich history but seeing that this is blog about fashion I am not going to start telling you all about the Cold War, but something you need to know about Cuba is they are a communist country, and they have cut off everything to do with America which ultimately means the country has not been westernised at all! There are no fast food chains, all the cars are still from the 60's, to put it bluntly its like stepping back in time! What I love about Cuba is where it hasn't been Americanised the country felt very authentic and original. 

The culture was rich and very prevalent, the food was delicious and the beahces were mind-blowing! Sometimes I feel that when I am taking pictures of my holiday, after a time they all begin to morph in to one, so instead of taking loads of pictures, I have done a video diary of my holiday that I want to share with you all! 

Before I post the video and outfit posts below, I just want to say, if you ever have the chance to go to Cuba- GO! It was one of the best experiences I have ever had! My highlight was either scuba diving or swimming in a cave! I hope you like it :)

What I Wore

Outfit One

Vest Top- Zara

Shorts- Rokit

Shoes- Russell and Bromley

Outfit Two

Shirt- Zara

Shorts- H&M

Shoes- Office

Sunglasses- H&M

Outfit Three

(Doesn't this image look like I have butter in my pockets?!)

Shirt- H&M

Shorts- H&M

Belt- M&S

Shoes- Russell & Bromley

Outfit Four

Shirt- Charity Shop

Shorts- Topman

Belt- Next

Shoes- Russell & Bromley

Sunglasses- Topman

Watch- Sekonda

Outfit Five

Shirt- H&M

Shorts- H&M

Bel t- M&S

Shoes- Russell & Bromley

Mesh Vest- Brixton Market

Outfit Six

Shirt- Next

Shorts- Abercrombie & Fitch

Belt- Marks & Spencer

Shoes- Solillas

Double Yellow Lines

You can safely say summer is here (how many times have you read that?!)
To be honest with you, the British summer isn't something to rave on about, one minute its sunny and the next its cloudy and rainy, so normally the second I see an ounce of sun, the shorts are on and the sunglasses are out! I like to make the most of my summer and this surprisingly good weather that we are currently experiencing means that I can leave my house knowing that I don't need an umbrella!

I am going on holiday to Cuba in a couple of days, so I am rushing around getting those all important last minute bits, but I set aside a day for me to go up to London and visit the 'Sensational Butterfly' Exhibition at the Natural History Museum. Damien Hirst has always been an artist that has fascinated me, and a lot of his work in centred around nature, especially butterflies. So this prompted me to almost experience a world of butterflies and the 'Sensational Butterfly' exhibition seemed like the perfect way to  submerse myself with these beautiful insects.
I would really recommend the exhibition it was like nothing I have ever experienced before and was such an insight to the life of a butterfly. *TIP* it gets very hot in there, so wear minimal clothing!

It was so hot in the butterfly sanctuary!

Is it lucky if a butterfly lands in your hair?!

To me, a day in London isn't complete without a trip to an art exhibition. We are so lucky to have so many different variety of galleries in London and I think its something that our generation doesn't make the most of! I decided to visit the Photographers Gallery which is just off Oxford Street. The exhibition is free (but you have to leave a donation) and the reason I like it so much there is that it is never that busy. You can take your time and look at the images without having someone breathing down your neck! I am going to share with you my favourite piece of work!

I don't know why I liked this image so much, it just caught my eye for some strange reason. The photographer is named John Lyon

What I Wore

                 

Co Ord- H&M

Vest Top- Urban Outfitters

Belt- M&S

Shoes- M&S

Sunglasses- River Island

**************************************************************

Hat- Topman

T Shirt- All Saints

Waist Coat- Zara

Jeans- Zara

Shoes- Russell & Bromley

First For Gold

Before I properly start my blog, I just want to tell you about my June.

The reason why I started this blog was because of some events that happened during June, so I feel I needed to share with you my experiences!

Firstly and perhaps most importantly I graduated with a 2:1 from University of the Creative Arts (UCA). I wont bore you about what my degree entails but you can sort of get a picture from the course title ‘Fashion Promotion’(!)

I really enjoyed my course and loved all the people that where on it, so my experience at university was fantastic and I wouldn’t change any of it! Saying that, my third year was extremely hard (especially my dissertation) but I completed it and made it through! Like Adidas say ‘Impossible is nothing’ and at times, I really did feel like it was impossible to finish my dissertation (and Harvard reference it successfully!)

I graduated at the Southbank Centre and even got to shake hands with Zhandra Rhodes which was very exciting! I know I will really miss all the people from my course, but I know my paths will cross with them at some point in the near future! If any of you are thinking about doing a degree I couldn’t recommend UCA more!

Myself, my sister and brother

Ok so apart from finishing uni, I had LC:M. This was my third season that I have attended, and to me it seems that the collections get stronger and stronger each season. I think that LCM is always more enjoyable in June rather than in January, and I think the main reason is for this is the weather! Last LCM I went to, it was constantly raining and so cold, whereas when its on in June its much warmer and everyone just seems much happier which ultimately gives LC:M a more positive and optimistic vibe!

To be honest with you I actually loved each and every show I attended, like I said I feel LC:M is getting stronger and stronger, so if I started writing my top three collection, I would say to myself, ‘ohhh I cant leave that one out’, and before I know it, I will be writing reviews on each show! So I am going to limit myself to writing about my favourite show from each day!

LC:M Day One

Favourite Collection: Topman Design

I think there was a very mixed reception from the Topman Design collection. Some people loved it, and some people just didn’t get it. (Dare I say it was like marmite?!)

Well anyway, I LOVED it! I think the reason I loved it so much is because all my life I have always seen pictures of my parents growing up, and watching the Topman Design collection was literally like looking through my mum’s photo album. At times I thought to myself, I have definitely seen that jumper before! The collection had obviously been heavily inspired by the late 60s/ early 70s look with the mustard yellows, heavy knits and flared trousers. The collection was fun, yet nostalgic and I think it fitted in perfectly with this ‘festival look’ we are currently experiencing, especially when Woodstock was in 1969. I look forward to seeing people wearing the collection next year!

 What I Wore

Shirt- Ted Baker

Trousers- Zara

Shoes- Russell & Bromley

Bag- Daines & Hathaway

Me in the Evening Standard!

LC:M Day Two

Favourite Collection: James Long

I think sometimes you can almost immediately fall in love with a collection and Richard James was definitely the designer that cast a spell over me. Look after look I fell more and more in love with his collection. Light wools, linens and cottons gave the collection diversity and the use of bold pinks and orange gave the collection a youthful feel. The tailoring ranged rom boxed cuts, to straight cuts and slim fits but ultimately the collection had a sartorial yet fun feel. 

I think with runway shows if you can see yourself wearing any of the clothes it almost makes the collection seem more personal and I could see myself wearing each and every piece! Maybe my favourite show of LC:M.

What I Wore

Suit- ASOS

Shirt- Paul Smith

Shoes- Office

Bag- Daines & Hathaway

LC:M Day Three

Favourite Collection- Tiger

Tiger of Sweden’s show was what made it stand out to me so much. Models walked briskly down the catwalk in groups of two’s and three’s which gave the runway a more urban edge. The clothes were simple; clean cuts, neutral colours and straight fits were all heavily used in the runway, along with the classic pinstripe suit, which had been given a modern wash. It was Tiger of Sweden’s first show in LC:M and they definitely arrived with a bang!

What I Wore

Shirt- Zara

Trousers- H&M

Shoes- Russell & Bromley

Bag- Daines & Hathaway

 Me getting my 'Fudge Fix'

At the Shortlist after party 

Special Mention

Astrid Anderson

I couldn’t go without writing a special mention to Astrid Anderson. I think her collections are constantly pushes the boundaries of men's fashion each and every show she does and this year was no exception. Her gender blurring rules are beginning to leak into contmepory fashion and I think she is at the forefront of the gender benidng looks which we are experiencing at the moment. I’m in love with each and every one of her collections and her Aw15 collection did not fail to disappoint. Her talent can not be ignored and I look forward to AW15 show!

P.S- Did you see Astrid Anderson used Nike Camel toe shoes and visors?! YES!