vogue

Very recently I have become truly mesmerized by the beauty of which is, Valentino. I feel like I should have been a big fan ever since I became interested in Fashion, but only recently has it really occurred to me to look deeper into the latest collections and the in’s and out’s of the fashion house. I’ve more specifically fallen in love with Valentino’s Pre collections. If you don’t know what that is… it’s another full (or half) collection inbetween a season. It could also be called a “Resort” collection too!

~ VALENTINO PRE SPRING/SUMMER 2016 ~
(Images via Vogue.co.uk)

First, let’s discuss the most recent ‘pre-collection’; Spring/Summer 2016. I recently read a comment on an article where somebody was saying that Valentino was getting boring. I can see why (and you will probably) but I personally can push through all of that, starting with this collection. It is utterly divine.

It’s the most intricate mix of South American inspired pieces, heavily embellished and embroidered florals and sleek silhouettes. As you will see from the other highlights in this post, my heart always falls for the embellishments and embroidery. It honestly makes me squeal inside and I almost find it making me feel speechless. There is something so beautiful about fashion when it becomes more of an art form, and this in my opinion, is a great example.

~ VALENTINO PRE AUTUMN/WINTER 2015 ~
(Images via Vogue.co.uk)

This was really the collection that started my adoration for Valentino, and it’s the latest Autumn/Winter edition. When a collection is so clear in direction, it’s another way to make my mouth fall open in awe. I love what Valentino did with the pieces… inspiration coming from both the sky and the Earth, with the beautiful patterns of botanical plants and flowers, and (of course) the embroidery of the stars and planets.

There are also the more simpler and wearable pieces which I believe are representing the “core” of both the collection and the world. The collection was meant to emphasise the fact that fashion can’t change the world, but peace and love can. Honestly the thing that makes me smile the most, is the sheer amount of detail that goes into every piece. It’s beautiful.

~ VALENTINO PRE SPRING/SUMMER 2015 ~
(Images via Vogue.co.uk)

I think this collection shows that Valentino still has the cool factor. There maybe a few repetitive styles (including the ridiculously amazing embroidered dresses), but the collections are still fresh and modern. With this being the collection that most people would be wearing currently (…feels weird seeing as this was on show such a long time ago…), the seventies vibes are spread on thinly throughout every piece.

But, if you go and take a look at the collection for yourself, you’ll see that the real showstopping pieces didn’t feature any suede tassels. A wave of bold prints in rainbow colours attract the most attention. What do you think of the sudden twist in the Valentino Pre Spring/Summer collection? Did it fit in or was it too much of a daring contrast? I like it!

Which Valentino “Pre” collection has been your favourite? I can’t decide! Let me know in the comments…

Hello everyone! I am sat here with a stinking cold, looking out to clear blue skies, but today I have Part 2 of my AW14′ London Fashion Week Collections Review and I hope you like it! Thanks for the comments on the previous one, and if you missed it, you can read from A-the 1st L (haaaa) here.

London College of Fashion MA: A ‘multiple’ collections show from the MA students at the London College of Fashion. This was the collection that caught my eye. I don’t know who it is by, but I LOVE it. It’s so interesting and so me. I love the mix of textures and prints as well as structure. I love the faux fur too! My favourite looks are the ones in the middle. I love how the blue tartan is ruffled and I love the sort of mesh style coat. Absolutely gorgeous! Rating: 100/10

Matthew Williamson: A new discovery is Matthew Williamson. I really liked his collection with the pastel blue, and I adore the trousers (far left), and I wish I owned them! The print is simple, but the colour makes it way more magical. I also quite liked the embellished dress with the faux fur jacket, very snazzy. Not too keen on the sort of lycra stretchy material though…. Rating: 9/10

Meadham Kirchhoff: I’ve never been the biggest MK fan, but I enjoyed watching the show for AW14. It is a very big mish mash of different styles, from romantic pieces, to gothic brocade, and the metallic pieces. I feel like it’s what a young girl would put on her dolls in her dolls house, and nothing would really match but everyone would praise what she had done to them. I’m not saying I don’t like the collection, but I’m not saying I do like the collection. I will leave you to make that decision! Rating: 7.5/10

Mulberry & Cara Delevingne: The big reveal for LFW was the Mulberry and Cara Delevingne collaboration. As you will know, Mulberry is close to home for me so I was really interested in seeing what the collection is all about and I am so happy! It’s definitely a ‘Cara D’ collection, as all the bags come as rucksacks which is not only practical but also exactly the kind of thing Cara goes for. My favourites are the monochrome camouflage ones, I’d love to have one of them on my back! Rating: 9/10

Peter Pilotto: Hmmm. Hmmm. Hmmm. The reason I am ‘hmmm’-ing is because there was no Mary Katrantzou in the ‘M’ section of this post, and that is because I didn’t like the collection, and that upsets me, so I went out on a search for a replacement and found Peter Pilotto. I had heard of his Target collaboration so was intrigued when I was looking through this lot. I do quite like the pieces. They are simple yet the silhouettes and prints make them stand out. Although I don’t think I could say that I have found a new, better version of Mary K, Pilotto has certainly made me happy by filling in the gaping whole of mixing prints. Rating: 8/10

Shao Yen: Another new discovery! I really like this collection, and I love the mix of styles. It’s not a jumble like Meadham K, it’s a subtle mix. My favourite pieces are the sculptured round skirt and the grey look with the cape. I do feel it is slightly ruined by the faux fur as it adds that element of ‘tacky’ to it unfortunately. It’s nice though, and I will definitely keep my eye on Yen in September! Rating: 8/10

Sophia Webster: Oh my word. I loved her in SS14 and I love her in AW14. Mrs Webster, you go girl! I am obsessed with this collection. The colours and the prints are amazing. The backpack and the wedges remind me of Dolly Mixtures and those knee high flats and those pastel clear boots and those shiny robot heels and all the colour and all of it, and oh my gosh I could go on and on. I LOVE IT OKAY. I LOVE IT. It’s just so nice and I am so glad that pastel is going to still be around for AW14. Urgh, now I just have an urge to save up all my pennies and buy it all, but life and bills and taxes and stuff (jokes, I’m 13). Rating: Infinity/10 (that’s a pretty good rating)

Sorapol: I decided I would feature this collection just because it is so weird but also wonderful. Sorapol’s collections may be extravagant but some of the pieces always make me smile. I could imagine some of these pieces being in Star Wars (there has been a lot of Star Wars mentioned in these posts). My favourite piece is the lace dress in the middle. So beautiful, yet it has that element of sexiness (oh gosh Tolly, #cheese). This collection also reminds me that I need to do that interview with their Creative Director (Daniel Lismore). It’s well overdue! Rating: 8/10

Topshop UNIQUE: This collection is always interesting because it is just so… ODD. It’s like Topshop are trying to be a high end designer brand but it never really works out that well… in my opinion. I have to say though, it didn’t disappoint me too much this time around. I like elements of it like the sheer embellished tops and the ‘LBDs’, but I still don’t really get it. I can see the Topshop vibes running through but to be honest… it’s nothing special. Sorry peeps, but that is purely my opinion! I made a joke (well…  it’s kind of true) where if I was behind Anna Wintour at the show I would poke her on the shoulder and point at the other person if she turned around… just for the LOL factor. Rating: 7/10 

Vivienne Westwood: The last, but certainly not least of all the collections, is… *fan fair* Vivienne Westwood. Oh dear lord of all things fashion, I LOVE IT. It’s not particularly ‘me’, but I still adore it. The models have such charisma and sass (sass to the sass, roll over, roll over – random thing I made up whilst talking to Anna, don’t ask!), and the clothes just add to it. My favourite looks are the monochrome stripe dress and the regal style dress with the red sash. It’s all very Westwood style, but something just makes this collection 100 times better than last AW14. I praise Vivienne, because it really is a beautiful collection. *All hail Dame Westwood* Rating: 100/10 

I hope you liked this final instalment of the AW14′ London Fashion Week Collections. There were a few others which I skipped off the list just because I found them very odd indeed. How on earth is Hunter now got a slot at the shows?! The show was interesting because there was a water catwalk and Dynamo ended the show, but the clothes were not worth speaking about. So there we have it until September! Lets all cross our fingers and toes that I will actually be there at the shows for the SS15 collections… I have a feeling it could be my first LFW! 😀 😀 😀

(All images are via Vogue)

Hello everyone, today I am starting a new series. Now, don’t get me wrong, we all know that I am bad when it comes to blog series’ because I never seem to complete them, but I promise that I will. I hope that I can write a blog post every week or fortnight for this series, which is an A-Z Fashion Guide. It’s going to be to do with terms, designers and anything really, from A-Z. The first instalment is Appliqué. I hope you enjoy it…

Appliqué is a French word, for ‘applied’. It basically means, ‘application’. Anything you add to a piece of fabric or garment, is ‘applied’ which means it is a form of Appliqué.  The actual way of adding a piece of fabric or detailing to another piece of fabric, has been around since 980 BC, and one of the first pieces of Appliqué which we know of, came from Egypt, so although the word is derived from the French vocabulary, the actual ‘art form’ comes from Egypt. At first Appliqué was to cover up patches of worn or frayed garment, or to decorate house hold things like curtains.

In the 1800s coloured fabric became more and more popular and Appliqué was used to create historical murals to remember great battles and ceremonies. It was mainly used for quilting, until more recently when designers and artists have used it in clothing. There are different techniques of appliqué, but mainly it just consists of stitching one piece of fabric, to another! There is also reverse appliqué which is where the main piece of fabric is cut and you apply layers of different fabric from behind.

To fit in with London Fashion Week, I have chosen 2 designers which have showed some form of Appliqué. John Rocha & Holly Fulton have both applied 3D floral detailing to their designs, as well as basic Appliqué on Fulton’s beige dress. I will go into these collections more in depth when I come to do my London Fashion Week Review for A/W 14. My favourite way of doing Appliqué is actually the 3D flower, so I do really like the way they have done this, especially Rocha’s metallic detailing onto mesh. The way Holly Fulton’s Appliqué has been done on the beige dress though, almost looks seamless and like a print, but up close is actually slightly lifted off the fabric and looks really nice in different light.

I thought in this series I would show you a piece of clothing from my wardrobe which shows the ‘terminology’ being used. This is my mesh top I got from a jumble sale after seeing Susie Lau – *takes a moment to appreciate the fact that she follows me on Twitter* – wearing a coloured mesh dress on her blog. It’s really pretty and looks so nice over floaty dresses and printed things. You can see me wearing it in this not-so-brilliant OOTD. It was a bargain though and I am very happy with my purchase. *Laughs because she cannot believe she scanned in a top because her parents were out using the camera* *Mentally uses the hashtag: #LifeOfAFashionBlogger*

So, I hope you liked this post! I will try and link it somewhere on my blog so the series is easily accessible, but for now, good bye! Enjoy the rest of LFW!

(Images from Pinterest & Vogue)

I was reading an article recently on a journalist’ daughter who received a Vogue Magazine Subscription for Christmas. It was really interesting because it went over how it could cause the young reader to believe they need to grow up and look like the super thin, amazing faced models on the front page. Being an avid fashion magazine reader, I understand all of that, but I’m not sure whether there should be a worry? (Images from Vogue)

Many children now are quite mature with things like this, and I don’t want to sound vain or big headed, but I do understand quite a lot about things like this more than most. I have read Teen Vogue Handbook & In Fashion which both cover things like air brushing, modelling, magazine editing etc and I have learnt quite a lot, so to be honest, I understand that I don’t have to look like the person on the front cover. But, some girls will, and it’s not just girls. Many boys will look at GQ magazine which has been left around from when their dad was reading it, and think, ‘I need to have guns like that!’ (Um, yeah, sorry about the cheesy-ness) But, it’s true! If you have been reading my blog some time now, you may have read my post on Airbrushing in Teen Vogue. I also found that interesting because, why should teens need airbrushing!? It’s a teen magazine! Okay, if they’re well known celebrities then fine, but teenage life is one of the most important times, you don’t want to have to have the pressure of looking like something.

As, I love fashion, I would die to have a subscription of my favourite magazine (preferably Elle or Company Magazine), and I totally agree with it. But, for 9 years of age, and having it in your hands every month, for a year, and perhaps even more, could influence things. Even if they stopped reading it after the first year, it could have some impact. When I, hopefully, have children, I don’t want them to avidly read magazines with stunning models on (unless, it’s an article on me… then, I may change my mind, but that’s thinking a bit too far ahead…), because, how many imperfections they think they may have, they should believe they’re beautiful, they should have confidence & courage in what they look like. Now, I’m not saying you shouldn’t let young children and teens read magazines, but at least make something out of it. Discuss things, make collages, don’t just have them stare at an air-brushed ‘angel’ of beauty.

If you have anything to say about this, make sure you click the comment link below!

Here’s something I found in this months Vogue Edition, I wish I could dress like this, only if I had the budget!

Click above to watch the making of the full shoot 🙂

I also would like to add the Vogue Festival in London to my Wish List. If I had the ‘pocket money’ I would buy tickets to Session 2 as it includes Stella McCartney 🙂

Vogue Festival

I was looking up the latest Fashion news, when I stumbled across a post  from last year; It was about the Vogue Magazine which Adele starred in last Winter. The cover of the magazine was a picture of Adele, all done up, with nice hair and gorgeous make-up; but you could only see her face. The rest of the post went onto say that it was the ‘one-size-fits all policy’. So, it made me think. Why do the bigger sized percentage of the Fashion Industry, just simply, get blocked out?

Well; you could say that it doesn’t completely get blocked out, because some stores do separate clothing lines for the curvier people around. But, mostly it kinda’ does; It’s the same with people with deformities, they just get stereo-typed into the ‘Fat & Ugly’ group. Personally, I think that, that statement is wrong. Curvy people should be proud to be walking around in clothes that wouldn’t suit a smaller person. So, what’s wrong with having Adele’s full body on the cover of Vogue? In the Fashion Industry’s point of view; ‘everything’.  Models ‘need to be’ size 6/8, between the height of 5.9”/5.11”, and need to have the ‘perfect look’, well after being airbrushed etc etc. Adele is very pretty, and has very good style. But she is not the above standards. She maybe a celebrity and she maybe an award winning superstar singer, but she still isn’t allowed her full body on Vogue Magazine’s front cover.

What’s wrong with a Plus Size women, or a man with a physical deformity? They can still do the same job, they can still pose in front of the camera!?

But, then again there’s the fact that the models need to be smaller so that young girls can believe that one day they will be as perfect as the ones on the front cover of their favourite magazine. Which is impossible, as all models are airbrushed, done up, and edited all on computer.  So, really the fashion industry is being a bit stereo-typical to those who are a bit bigger than your average model.

I want to see more curvier women on the front of magazines, and then I will be satisfied. I maybe only 11 years old (soon to be 12!) but I can have an opinion. But, I am glad to say that the most recent Vogue cover with Adele, did show a bit more of her! 🙂

Adele 2011 Vogue Cover & 2012 Vogue Cover

Vogue.co.uk have put together a portfolio of Spring/Summer 2012 Best Campaigns by designers, including, Louis Vuitton, Calvin Klein, Stella McCartney etc.

Now, if it’s a new collection for Spring, of course you want to show off the new designs and trends, but surely you want to infuse the visible signs of the changing season as well? I like how Louis Vuitton, Mulberry & Bally, have all infused the Spring/Summer theme into there campaigns, as well as showing off their designs; I especially like Mulberry’s ice creams and rock, it goes with the trends of the pastel colours etc. Some people may say that it’s more about the thing your trying to market, and of course, it is; But, if your model is wearing a stunning jumpsuit, a pair of high heels, and a golden clutch bag, in front of a blue backdrop, how are you meant to know if it’s a Spring collecting or an Autumn collection? Now, you’re probably thinking, well you just look at the latest trends or patterns on the jumpsuit etc. But, if you have your model in a nice garden with flowers and perhaps little Easter goodies, your obviously going to know that the collection is for Spring.

So, should Fashion designers think more about their campaigns? Here’s the link to Vogue’s Best Campaign Portfolio > http://bit.ly/Htac7q

Lots Of Love,
Tolly Dolly Posh x

P.S Leave a comment to tell me what you think!