Designer Spotlight - Missoni

London always has something going on, it's one of my favourite things about living in the city, having access to everything.  And almost always there is something fashion oriented going on.  Today I went to the Fashion and Textile Museum to have a look at the Missoni exhibition that is running till September.  
Missoni is known for their knitwear.  The average person may not know the name of the brand, but they would probably recognize their colorful knits.  Missoni had a sellout collection at Target a few years ago. What I had no idea going into the exhibition was that the original designers were heavily influenced by art.  The exhibition, which was actually quite small, was very focused on the art that both influenced the creation of Missoni as well as art that was created by the designers.  The influential art was avant-garde and the designers sought to add another dimension to the art by using the inspiration of the art, patterns, and colors and adding material, form, and movement.  In turn creating beautifully colored knit fabrics and turning them into amazing clothes.  

    

Trend Tuesday - Denim

Denim has been around for forever and is definitely a staple is everyone's everyday wardrobe.  This season denim has been seen all over the runway, from 70s flared jeans, to boyish cutoff shorts.  For, what I'm calling, Trend Tuesdays, I 'm going to focus on the fabric we all love, where you can buy the best pieces on the high street, and what are the best ways to wear it.

I recently styled a denim story for Phoenix Magazine.  I created the moodboard below for this story with looks from SS16 collections.  Frayed denim was big on the runway as were various washes.

One of my favourite images from the shoot.  Check out the whole story on my website here.  I love this images because it has an Americana theme to it, to me it says modern Western wear and an ode to America using red, white and blue, fringe, and stars and stripes!

The high streets is perfect for on trend denim.  You won't have to pay a lot to get a trendy pair of shorts or denim dress that may not be quite in fashion next year.  So you should definitely have fun with it.  These are my top 5 ways to wear denim this summer.

#1 Frayed denim jeans in an updated length

#2 Denim Vest with character

#3 Denim Dress

#4 Denim Wide Leg Trouser

#5 Denim Swimsuit

Bonus! - and just because I am a bit obsessed with these shoes at the moment.  They are by Cleo b and you can find them at Anthropologie, although they might only be available in Europe.  I think they would go great with everything and definitely transition well into fall.

Hope you've enjoyed this first edition of Trend Tuesday and found some inspiration to inject into your summer wardrobe.  Be sure to check back regularly as I try to be more attentive to this blog!

Oscars - Best and Worst Dressed

So, with New York, London, and now Milan fashion weeks finished there is so much to talk about!  February has been getting me down, it has been probably been the coldest month this winter here in London, and although my 2 favourites things happen in February, Fashion week and the Oscars, it definitely has felt like the longest month and I'm so happy to be in March and hopefully moving towards warmer weather!
I can't wait to delve into all of the fashion weeks, but first I want to share my best and worst dressed of the Oscars.  In London the Oscars aren't shown live, if even at all, so I have to periodically check E online for updates.  White was definitely a theme throughout the dresses, as well as ruffles which is currently a huge trend for SS16.  

Top 5 Best Dressed

The color of this dress on Cate Blanchett is amazing, it goes quite well with her blonde hair and fair skin.  The jewelry is perfect although I probably would have gone with stud earrings instead of the one earring that is hanging.  Dress by 

This column of colour on Olivia Munn is simply divine.  The color is so rich and sits so well against her darker skin and dark hair.  Off the shoulder is huge right now and definitely adds some interest to this sleek dress.  Dress by Stella McCartney.

Mindy looks great in this black and blue dress by Elizabeth Kennedy.  Again showing her shoulders makes for a very flattering shape for her.  There is a bit of a fit issue around her stomach and thighs, but she is a curvy woman and her waist looks great cinched in and then the straight skirt to the floor.  I don't care for the bag too much, I think it could have worked if the she wasn't on the red carpet.

With the deep V neckline and the long sleeves on this Tom Ford dress worn by Margot Robbie.  I think the gathering at the bottom of the V is great.  And with that amazing bag with the exaggerated tassel, I love it! 

Charlize Theron always looks great at the Oscars.  This red colour is great on her, and she's not showing too much boobage.  Again with the deep V, but the way this dress skims over her body and then goes into the train at the back, it's simple and elegant.  Dress by Dior.

Top 5 Worst Dressed

Jennifer Lawrence quite often gets it right, but for me this nude and black dress by Dior.  I thought the position of the ruffles starting at the waistline only added to the design of the cinched in waist causing more bulk.  From the bust line up she looks amazing, the neckline was perfect and I love the lace, hair and makeup were great.  The dress just wasn't very flattering.

I hate to say it, but Kate looks like a shiny pair of rubber boots.  Kate is not particularly big, but in this dress her hips look massive.  I don't like the shine of the dress, it makes the dress look more voluminous than it is.  Dress by Ralph Lauren.

Amy Poehler is wearing an Andrew Gn gown and I really don't think it's her fault.  This is not an Oscar worthy dress.  Although really beautiful embroidery, there is too much going on, it almost looks like she is wearing a sack.  I think it could have worked a bit better if the dress was sleeveless.  the fullness of the sleeves is quite overwhelming.

Heidi Klum usually gets it so right, but this lavender and white chiffon dress by Marchese, who also usually get it right, was so wrong.  I think remove the flowers and the long sleeve and it could have worked.  the gathering over the chest is stunning, but there is too much fabric in the skirt, it makes her look quite bottom heavy. 

I have seen Olivia Wilde on a few best dressed lists, but for me this Valentino gown is doing her no favours.  And I love Valentino, they are one of my favourite designers, but I think she is showing too much skin and I would prefer a V neck line vs the square neckline.  The pleated skirt is quite nice, but the fit on top and in the waist doesn't seem quite right.  I think the hair and makeup work really well and I really like the chocker. 

AW16 London Collections Men - Day 3

The third day of my LCM experience was the fullest of them all, it consisted of dressing 2 shows, Belstaff in the morning and KTZ in the evening.  Belstaff was a presentation, I wasn't sure how it would go, usually with a presentation models have to stand for up to 3 hours, so I wasn't sure if we could get them dressed and then leave, or would we have to stay the whole time while the presentation was going on and then undress the models after.  A bit disappointed, it was the later, sit around and wait for them to finish.  The presentation was inside a car park, so it was a bit cold, but the stuff from Belstaff is amazing, super warm, and models had to wear multiple layers.  My model was Look 11, his look was really warm!  I loved all of the leather mixed with shearling, fur, and printed nylon.  The set was really cool making the car park look like a winter wonderland, with faux snow and boulders.

Backstage images that I took

Top 5 Looks, see the whole collection here

The KTZ show was next and it was a big one.  I had heard that there would be 45 models and 45 dressers, a lot of people in one small backstage space.  When we arrived the clothes hadn't arrived yet so it was a bit of standing around and waiting.  I was assigned to the quick change room where I would get a model that had 2 looks, there were about 10 models that would need to have a change during the show.  My model would be Eliot.  After becoming familiar with her 2 looks, I got her in the first look, there was a rehearsal where we went through the quick change, which went really great.  This was Eliot's first fashion show, she had a good energy, excited but a bit nervous!  She was really nice and we worked great together to be sure she was ready on time.  Because there were some many models, dressers, and KTZ team members, there was a crazy energy backstage.  We were not able to take photos backstage, so sadly I only have a few photos from after the show.  But again KTZ delivered a great show with great clothes!  There were ton of sports references from the helmets to the stitching design, mixed with leather, and oversize shorts.

Top 5 Looks, see the whole collection here, the first model is Eliot

Photos taken backstage, I only learned at the end of the show that Eliot was actually the daughter of Sting and is a great musician in her own right.  These 2 guys below are the designers.