Suit-Dress

If you have a regular 9 to 5 job, you will love  Balenciaga Resort 2015 collection. The designer gives a whole new meaning to the term "Suit Dress" by creating quite literally a suit-dress.

This Spring/Summer, drop the work-wear to night-wear trend and say: "FFS", yes short for Fun and flirty Suits.

On Point

If you’re looking for something bright and fresh this Spring/Summer, you will find it in Southampton Solent students.

Although many students may have finished University either for summer or entirely, it’s a chilling thought that some haven’t yet. Fashion students, studying Fashion Design hung on to the very bitter end in order to see where the piece of string stopped; used not only to piece together garments, but ultimately helped to reveal their graduate collection.

“The Graduate Show” was held in Eastleigh at The Point on 7^th June, which was created as a way of showcasing and highlighting many talented students. Rebecca Butler, Fashion Designer and student says: “My inspirations derived from religious clothing/uniforms worn by sisterhoods such as the Nun, Amish and Puritans. The uniformity and impact of the clothing evokes a very modest and austere emotion. There is little expression with gesture and it is somewhat oppressive in terms of outer personal expression”. After hearing the designer’s response, this was a good indication of what to expect at the show, which was nothing other than fantastic.

Sitting impatiently in the audience, the suspense seemed to fill the entire room. The light dimmed for what could be one last time, heightening the excitement even more so and the entire audience beamed as they waited to watch the collection.

One by one the Models sashayed the runway wearing the most incredible clothing. The first collection was designed by Ruth Simmons. It was an explosion of terracotta’s infused with fresh blues and yellows, which helped to wash a zinging design to a winning one. Looking at the collection in deeper depth, there were oversized jackets, cocoon jumper dresses, preppy cropped trousers and turtle necks – the designer was rolling with ideas. The end result was that the collection was cool, coy and very wearable. There was a sense of picking one piece and wearing it either as a statement or teamed with something else to create a grand look.

The music played continuously and the flow of fantastic designs continued to fill the runway. Designer Alys Webb collection was nothing other than a clean slate. It had rustic colours and the origami style strapless dress, meant that the designer was off to a flying start.  But the last piece of the collection was a clever play with materials. It was a combination of metallic stiff Midi skirt, which was held together by woven wool and was paired together with a brown jumper. This brought a whole new meaning to rustic metal and truly deserved a medal.

Rebecca Butler, designer kept her promise regarding her collection. The models wore black lipsticks and their hair was neat but messy at the same time and with the name Butler – her collection was clean, sharp and well-polished. It was Nun meets grudge; this was truly an innocent design and gave a devilishly good collection.

Kirstie Ward had her ideas buckled up. It was fresh natural hues, with buckle details that made everyone go crazy for it. Although the models faces were almost hidden from the drapes and folds, it helped to create mystery to the collection; leaving the audience intrigued and captivated.

The entire show consisted of 29 graduates; Ruth Simmons, Abigail Carter, Alys Webb, Suzanne Rennie, Kirtstie Ward, Khloe Pavis, Rebecca Speed, Mira Valerie, Megan Rudd, Leila Alloush, Sue Carley, Jessica Harding, Sarah Mac Crossan, Ashleigh Lawrence, Janu Kumar, Maija Richardson, Amber Smith, Gemma Eldridge, Jay Shah, Georgie Clarke, Joelle Torincsi- Furness, Lauren Richard – Smith, Hannah Rodgers, Lucy –Jayne Hogan, Hannah Thomas, Leanne Willis, Rebecca Butler, Katie Jane Marie and Holly Lake. All their collections were truly brilliant and similar to their MBA– it was Magnificent, Brilliant and Amazing!

SUMMER LOVE

Roses are red, Violets are blue, sugar is sweet and so is this year’s S/S trend…

Yes it’s nearly that time of the year; Valentine’s Day. Now I’m not one for having silly little crushes, but when I saw this year’s S/S trend, it gave me butterflies almost instantly – holding the magazine with my sweaty palms before rushing around in store like a giddy little girl I realise this isn’t just an ordinary little crush; I have fallen head over heels.

From runway, street trend and stores, there’s no escaping it; here are a few of my favourite catwalk trends.

Power flower

Whether you like flowers or not, this year the floral trend is eye watering and when worn either on a date, meal with friends or shopping, you will have a blooming good time.

Alberta  Ferretti

Christian Dior

Life in 3D

If you’re going for a movie or not this Valentine’s Day, enjoy your time by wearing sculptured, ruffles and shake things up.

Vera Wang

Burberry Prorsum

Sharp fringe

Some people can’t pull off a fridge hair-cut, but the fringe trimming trend is fun, flirty and will work either on a date or a night out.

Calvin Klein

Emilio Pucci

A little blush

Wearing a bit of blusher always gives a lovely fresh look and similar to the make-up rule, this year look out for garments in subtle hues of pinks, mint and blues - this will give an effortless but yet classy, elegant and even girly look depending on how you style it.

Burberry Prorsum

Preen by Thornton Bregazzi

Play games

Remember to have fun either on your date/in general and you can do so by wearing the sporty trend.

Vera Wang

Rag & Bone

Carolina Herrera 

Ralph Lauren


You & Me
I want and I need these below items in my life.....

ASYMMETRIC TWO-TONE PLEATED SKIRT

Ref. 2297/852

39.99 GBP

TRF WRAPAROUND SANDAL

Ref. 3629/301

Height of heel: 11,5 cm./ 4,53 ˝.

29.99 GBP

Images found on style.com and Zara.co.uk

A PLASTIC SECRET

“I’m a Barbie girl in a Barbie world, life is plastic it’s fantastic”, yes there’s no doubt that this is some seriously catchy lyrics by Aqua.  And whether you managed to catch Channel 4 “Secret Of The Living Doll” which aired on 6^th January 2014 or not, it will give you the ideology of its literal term “life is plastic it’s fantastic” should in fact never be practised in the real world.

Unlike Barbie’s, the programme follows a congregation of full grown men with a rather bizarre fetish. Some of them were either married, single, rich or poor but they all had one thing in common - they live a double life; in their spare time they dress up like life-size female dolls.

Afraid of the stereotypes of the society, this has meant that they have kept their fetish a secret, but in this programme we see them finally taking their creation from indoors to outdoors.

We first take a trip to California, where we meet Robert, a 70 year old retired property developer. And we soon discover that he has been married for 10 years, but is now recently divorced and now lives with his daughter in a mansion. Like any big house; it’s spacious and looks reasonably normal. Having lovely wooden floor and wide windows, the only thing that stands out is the collections of fine arty mask bought from his travels. But as we go up the spiral wooden polished staircase, before arriving to his bedroom and opening the walk-in wardrobe, we come across his most priced collection – rubber, fleshy looking mask, body suit with female parts used from the clipping of his own hair. This gives a whole new meaning to “Keeping it in the closet”.

The people responsible for the product (Femskin) are a family, consisting of three boys and Barbie Ramos who’s not only their Mother, but also their Manager/Creative Director. Usually unique names are a sign of greatness and sometimes even an insight to what one might do as career. But with the name Barbie, it’s seems ironic that she lived up to her name by co-founding such a lucrative company.

With their business booming more than ever, we come across four more men who buy into this product.  Now you would think a father and husband would struggle to get support from his family but oddly enough they seem fine with the whole situation; his daughter goes as far as helping him dress into his Alter-ego. Taking the vowel “Through sickness and health” this first seems a sickness, but the way his wife supports her husband by encouraging him, makes you wonder whose sick – is it the wife, him, the daughter or us for being so judgemental (It is a free world after all) – a world turned upside down, where plastic dolls have feelings – you can’t help but feel for these plastics!

 Image found on: http://www.docmasters.tv/

WHAT A MARK

If anyone can leave a strong mark, it’s Marks and Spencer’s.

London Fashion week may just be around the corner, but many companies; particularly Marks and Spencer’s gave their otherwise old traditions a modern twist by hosting their very own fashion show, held in the fashion capital on 22^nd June 2013.

Although the event “Fashion Camp” has been running for quite a while now; mainly tailored to their employees for training purposes, this year when we attended, we couldn’t help but get a sense of a new and improved retailer - no more was it deemed as a store designed for the older woman but the city woman!

Sitting impatiently on the chair, we felt a surge of excitement fill and quite literally light up the dark urban room and the runway beamed like a beacon before giving a warm feeling. Ellie Goulding – anything could happen played in full blast and right at that instant “I know it’s gonna be” a good day.

Marks and Spencer’s Chief Director, Marc Bolland and speaker came out in full swing; cracking jokes that his personality could only be best described as one suited for stand-up at the Apollo – there were no boo’s but  “Ooh, Ooh, Ooh” and Aahs as people were mesmerised by his charm. He carried on with his pedantic display; animated wide eyes were so focused that it forced others to gaze in suspense as they realised “anything can happen”.

The bare beams and cascading poles revealed impeccable spot lights that shone brighter than the sun, forcing everyone to stare blindly at it, until it got muted by the curtains gently tumbling down; blocking any day-light from the otherwise full length window and gave a cool/coy demeanour. Looking at the stage, up beat music began to play once more before immaculate models sashayed upon the runway one by one as they wore the latest and hottest brands in utter perfection.

The collection depicted the style of Marc Jacob but had the edge of Vivienne Westwood; clean, sharp  with grit – there was the right amount of attitude and subtlety – it was clever, chic and the chances  if someone didn’t find the garment desirable (although unlikely), they would surely find an element of adorability. Whether it was the tartan mini dress (limited), buckle ankle boots (Limited), leather biker jacket (Indigo) or the plum tweed jacket (Classic) in the style of Chanel – M&S have expanded their audience but has also not alienated their current customers.

In the past Marks and Spencer’s have been categorised as a company that has lost touch with their customers. Heading in Southampton town centre, we decided to test this theory by asking customers for their view and Melanie Stokes, Company Director aged 34 said: “Marks and Spencer’s needs to be more modern and that’s why I wouldn’t shop there”.  The responses were astonishing; 77% of the public agreed with Melanie and the other percentage, were the loyal customers, who loved the ideology of a company that stuck with their traditions.

This years Autumn/Winter campaign focuses on the 30+ customers; it’s a quick diversion from “ For Every Woman You Are” 2012 campaign. Yes this year they are a lot clearer about their ideal customer. Newly appointed Style Director Belinda Earl and former CEO for Jaeger said: “It’s important that we get it right”.  We think they are certainly heading the right direction; this is made even clearer from the increase in sales and the continuity of good press from major Newspapers.

Marks and Spencer’s put a lot of effort in ensuring that our fashion Camp experience was nothing other than positive and we can simply say – Marks and Spencer’s have always made a mark  - this time it’s nothing other than fantastic we’re a fan – tick! 

SUIT YOU

 

Whether you are going on holiday or not, it’s time to invest in some good swimwear. But before making any hasty purchases – just like the garment, I will act as your support (showing you the latest trends) to ensure that there are no leaps/bounds, but just a wonderful shopping experience -  plain sailing.

EASY DOES IT 

 

BURBERRY PRORSUM 

 

“Grab you coat you have pulled", yes Burberry have done it again; giving a new twist/intake to the swimwear. If you want to get the similar look, but with the practical feel - opt for a simple nude or gold swimsuit, add a sheer kaftan and give it shape by nipping in the waist with a belt. By following these simple tricks, you can go from beach to chic.

 

MARI-DONNA

                                             

Mara Hoffman                                            Norma Kamali 

If you love the sixties; Marilyn Monroe or Madonna's look, why not go for midriff shorts and a bustier to show your support. This trend is perfect for the curvy, petite ladies and the high waist will create an illusion of longer, defined legs.

 

TRUE BLUE

                        Marc by Marc Jacob                             Marc by Marc Jacob

Whether you get seasick or not, you will never get sick of ocean blue – this year’s coolest trend. Why not take a leap of faith and go with the flow for a summer glow!

Images found on www.style.com

Short story

The rain landed hard upon the thatched roof, before seeping and dripping upon my bewildered face. It left sound upon sound, becoming music; sounding if anything, a lot like the beat of the African drums.
                I stood with my heavy head slummed against the partially open door and I could do nothing but look outside in daze. The once clear sky was now grey like ash, making me question whether it was actually day at all. It was hard to believe that the rain that tore through the sky like titans; forcing the leaves to hang limp like overcooked vegetables, was in fact the same one that left the gentleness of ripples upon the mucky puddle ground.
               “Why are you standing by the door?” a voice from behind barked at me, making me stand stiffer than a plank of dirty wood.
               The sound of heavy torrential down pour became softer and softer, before dwindling entirely and was instantly replaced with my heavy heart beat. Turning around slowly, moving the same way as a person suffering from a severe neck injuring, I wanted to put a face to this abrupt voice. The figure  was nothing other than a mere blur through the heavy raindrops and I could only stare like a blind fool, as I questioned and wondered who could it possibly be.

“Please can I stay round Achiros?” I repeated myself so many times that I began to sound like a broken record. After much nagging, it had finally paid off, as my mother has finally agreed. Now here I was standing in Achiros house. All the days it could have rained,  it had decided to do so now. Yes now! I had secretly planned this day perfectly in my head and it was always the same. The sun would beam upon my brown skin, waves of laughter would fill the fresh air, I would deliberately allow my soft afro to sway, in-sync with the African grass. Bending down, slowly grasping the warm rock in my bare palms, I would throw it with all my might, before attempting to play a game of catch with a hand full of friends. But instead my lovely day-dream was exasperated. There was no sun to be seen, the bitter chill ran through me, making my brown complexion to look grey like death, everyone was locked up in their hut and my wet afro swayed recklessly before slapping across my face. And the only rock was from the rock-like rain that seemed to assault my bare skin; forcing my hands to quiver. But in spite of all this, I honestly had to chuckle at my lack of luck.

 “Why are you standing by the door?” the figure asked me repeatedly, forcing me to snap out of my daydream and I blinked so hard that I could have sworn I burst a vessel and just like that, the rain-drops that rested upon my lashes fell and trickled down my cheeks the same way a tear does. There as clear as day I saw the figure now standing directly in front of me; it was Achiro.

“I was just thinking” and she looked at me confused as one being constantly slapped by cold rain.
“Anyways, come inside; you are soaked from the rain” she replied and I realised that I was in fact the confused one.