Your style guide to Wimbledon 2016

Are you planning on spending your next two weeks at Wimbledon? For this blog post I thought I would share with you a collection of my favourite previous looks for the summer event which will allow you to steal the spotlight at the tennis court this season.

Valued as one of the most utterly British events to take place across the sports calendar in London, Wimbledon has become an event where champions have been proudly birthed since the 19th century and some of the most memorable macro trends for fashion have been tastefully created.
 Follow my style guide to see what kind of looks I would opt for throughout the event and to get a first hand view on what to expect from the dress code at Wimbledon. Even if you aren't heading to Wimbledon within the next two weeks, these ensembles will allow you to subtly showcase a casual yet glamorous aesthetic throughout the summer months.

Eleanor Tomlinson

Steal Eleanor Tomlinson’s look by styling a simplistic, yet ever so graceful midi dress with bold high heels to translate an innocently fashionable appeal this summer.

 

Ella Eyre

Exude vibrancy and statement just like Ella Eyre by complementing your favourite blouse with a brightly hued pair of tailored trousers or a skirt to turn heads across the traditional sporting event.

Rosamund Pike

Revamp a traditional garment just like Rosamund Pike did with her experimental twist on the classic shirt dress.

Kate Middleton

Accentuate bright geometric prints just like Kate Middleton did in 2014 when she wore this cool and creative Jonathan Saunders knee length dress.

Jameela Jamil

Look sophisticated and stylish just like Jameela Jamil by layering daring prints with a sophisticated boyfriend blazer to achieve a professional yet extremely on trend aesthetic.

Remembering John Galliano's A/W94 Japonisme Collection

Although John Galliano has had many extraordinary collections during his time in the industry, (his 2012 collection which was a tribute to the late Amy Winehouse will always go down as one of my all time favourites), his Autumn/Winter collection on March 5th, 1994 at São Schlumberger’s Hôtel Particulier was definitely an unforgettable contribution to the world of Ready to Wear. Obviously it is quite random for me to choose a collection which was in fact created over twenty years ago. However, it is one that has been recently credited and resurrected from the archives of Galliano by many fashion publications so I thought it would only be fair to give my own response to the spirited collection.

The collection represented a study of the 1920's model Kiki de Montparnasse in order to portray the essence of sex appeal and exotic eroticism that escapade around this period. Therefore, Galliano's collection included garments consisting of slinky slip dresses worn with stockings, 40s smoking jackets and micro-kimonos fastened by rose-embroidered obi belts. If we thought that was interesting enough to steal the hearts of many keen fashionistas, this was just one influence behind the designers work, as he also offered a combination of different aesthetics and cultures mixed within the 1994 show.

Arguably, his ultimate aim was to achieve a harmonious combination of romanticism and Japanese aesthetic throughout with Autumn/Winter Ready to Wear. This was because Galliano had always been inspired by the Japonisme, Chinoiserie and arts that had that permeated fashion at the beginning of the 20th century. Galliano’s collaborator, Amanda Harlech even suggested that the muse for this collection was an “oriental kittenish princess” to further this exclusive yet alluring Asian theme.

In terms of the designers who had inspired Galliano's vision for the collection, the creative had taken major influence from the likes of Paul Poiret and Madeleine Vionnet, who were two of the first European designers to experiment with the silhouette of the kimono and Japanese attires. (Poiret had already been known to have taken influence from the likes of Turkey and Russia to fulfil his global taste.)

However, Galliano's approach to the kimono was not exactly your typical traditional Japanese way of wearing the garment because he had teamed the oriental jacket up with stockings with seams up the legs, embroidered obi belts used as corsets over tailored smoking jackets which acted as mini dress for the night.

Therefore, the collection was the perfect combination of Japanese modernism mixed with 1920's  fashion to show a multi-cultural approach to fashion in the 90's just when minimalism was returning. However, this was also arguably a time when the 'zen' age was occurring therefore, fashion was also becoming a lot more experimental and challenging as designers were becoming more acquainted with taking inspiration from all different origins of the world and really expressing their creativity to pave the foundations of fashion for the 21st century.

Lets take a quick look!

How to style yourself for Royal Ascot 2016

Hey everyone so I thought I would share with you a recent post that I wrote for the brand I am currently interning for! Its all about how you can accentuate your formal wear at this years Royal Ascot event without breaking any rules at the very traditional yet fashion orientated event.
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Respected as Britain’s most elite racing event, Royal Ascot represents true sartorial elegance which is translated through it’s ultra-elegant and formally fabulous acquired dress code. In the heated month of June, ladies and gents from across the world gather in awe of the event, to express their fashion forward style which communicates a relationship between old English wealth and heritage. Every year each guest debuts their choice of garment at the Royal Enclosure, the Queen Anne Enclosure or the Windsor Enclosure areas which are designated throughout the Royal Ascot venue. Whether you are in the Royal area or the Windsor area, it is without a doubt that you will want to make a statement that will have people remembering your outfit for years and years to come. 

Receiving inspiration from the hottest celebrities and fashion icons around is a great way to innovate your style and mix it up a little for the summer weather! Not only that but it will most definitely prevent you from being taking into custody with the Royal Ascot fashion police who are bound to be patrolling the grounds during the event! (So you really don't want to get caught out!) Therefore, I have put together some great looks from previous racing seasons which will allow you to elevate your formal attire and still look as glamorous and lady-like as ever during this exquisite event.

Royal Enclosure

The dress code for all females in the Royal Enclosure is known to be extremely conventional and established in terms of its approach to fashion due to the length allowance of dresses and skirts falling just above the knee or longer, hats acting as a essential accessory and shoulder straps consisting of one inch or greater. Therefore, as you can imagine, it can prove to be quite difficult to find an appropriate formal outfit, especially when your trying to channel your outfit choice with the unpredictable English weather.

Kelly Brooke in Azagury 

The Queen Anne Enclosure

Although the Queen Anne Enclosure is not seen to be as prestigious as the Royal Enclosure at Royal Ascot, that does not mean that it is any less of a stylish, reputable place to be during the summer event. Guests are still instructed to follow the set dress guidelines which consists of mid length dresses, hats, head pieces or fasteners and most importantly, the number one golden rule for any female visitors, no midriffs allowed!

Danielle Lineker in Victoria Beckham

The Windsor Enclosure

Last but not least, the Windsor Enclosure encourages all of it’s guest to dress in a smart, conventional way for the event. Although there are no strict dress guidelines for this area of the Royal Ascot, like the Royal Enclosure or the Queen Anne Enclosure, garments such as sports shirts and shorts are prohibited so leave your trusty beach kimonos and sandals at home and replace them with a show stopping evening dress that will be sure to put you at the top of the best dressed list this year!

Jodi Anasta

A Few of my other favourite looks from previous Ladies Day events...

Katherine Jenkins

Pixie Lott

Lady Serena Armstrong

More to come....

Hi everyone! Firstly I just wanted to apologise for the lack of posts I have written within the past week. As of last Monday I finished and handed in my final project for the end of first year on my university course, Fashion Communication and Promotion, so as you can imagine it has been quite a hectic week. I also started my editorial internship with the E-Commerce brand, Jules B on Monday (which I am absolutely loving so far!) so it has been really difficult to balance working 9-5 and keeping you all updated with what is going on within the fashion world!


However, I will be back with more exciting posts for you as of tomorrow which will involve dress codes for the prestigious Royal Ascot event and a reflection on the recent London Collections Mens show! So keep a look out because they will be coming very soon!


As always thanks for reading,


Kate x

Highlights from the Mercedez Benz 2016 show in Sydney

Last week it was the annual Mercedes Benz fashion show in Sydney, Australia. Therefore, similarly to what I did for the A/W 16/17 shows across London, Milan, Paris and New York, I have decided to put a post together to recognise and highlight some of the best collections from the Australian showcase.

Even some of the biggest names in fashion were flaunting their collections down the runway in Sydney including Cynthia Rowley, Maticevsk and Oscar De La Renta so lets see what they had to offer!

Cynthia Rowley

Cynthia Rowley's Resort runway show was a scene dedicated to the 'Dudes' and 'Betty's' of Australia. The designer dressed her models up in colourful geometric scuba suits and floral bohemian fashions to communicate a vision of the laid back lifestyle and young stylish girls hitting up the waves during the summer on the beaches of Oz. The designer was also communicating an ironic reference to the historical figure Cleopatra during her show by having numerous male models bring the female models out on platform which were supported by their shoulders. However, to modernise the traditional pharaoh entrance, Rowley used surfboards to perch her models on to fit with the 'surfs up' theme whilst still showing the importance and significance of what they were wearing.

Oscar De La Renta

As always Oscar De La Renta's collection did not fail to show off the elegance and beauty that female fashion can really achieve. With the use of powerful and very complex shades of turquoise, tangerine orange and luscious blossom pinks, De La Renta's creative Director, Peter Copping was able to transform the Sydney showroom into an inquisitively sophisticated scene for ladies who lunch and dined in some of the best restaurants across the globe. Since the fashion house is known for its ornate eveningwear and graceful day clothes, Oscar De La Renta was not the first designer to come to mind when thinking about who would be the best fitting for the Mercedes Benz show in Sydney. This was because many of the other brands who were also showcasing their work, were offering bikinis and two piece scuba suits to an excited crowd of fashion observers surrounding the catwalk. However, that is definitely not to say that De La Renta's collection was a disappointment!


Maticevsk

Handcuffs, bondage and gags. Not exactly what you would expect to open the Mercedes Benz Fashion Show but the Australian brand, Maticevsk intended to make sure that the opening of the show would be something that would not leave the audiences mind right through to the end with the hope of having viewers talking about it for days. (And a week and a half later after the show, it seems that the designers goals were accomplished.) Toni Maticevsk's models took to the catwalk one by one at The Cutaway in Barangaroo dressed in a selection of eye catching garments including floor length sweeping metallic gowns with daring bustiers, racy sheer body-con cover ups and experimental, modernistic two piece suits. The garments were also bizarrely paired with bondage-style jewellery and chains to mix explicitness with attitude and chic styling. To further visualise this sense of provocativeness and bondage styling, two of the models stepped out with silver spheres in their mouths embellished with floral-shaped crystals which stretched from one side of their faces to the other.

As for the colours of the collection, Toni Maticevski 'Resort 17' featured a dominant monochrome colour scheme which was inspired by 'inner darkness' and contemporary gothic revival. The collection was also made up of stunning 'dream-like' garments which had been created from coated woven cloths, pleated ivory white fabrics, icy blue cloths and sherbet lemon materials.




We are Handsome

Similarly to Cynthia Rowley's collection, the outlandish Australian swim and gym brand, We are Handsome were doing what they do best by presenting Sydney with new alternative and innovative ways to wear your bikini this summer. With edgy new structures and daring graphic prints, husband and wife, Jeremy and Katinka Somers knew exactly how to capture the spirit and emotion of summer whilst also offer impeccable quality, striking colour palettes and neoteric feminine shapes in a cool way. See what you think? Do you prefer We are Handsome or Cynthia Rowley's approach to swimwear this summer?



We are Kindred

There are two words to describe 'We are Kindred's' recent collection at the Mercedes Benz fashion show in Sydney and these words are whimsical and elegant. The  ironic winter floral collection communicated an essence of fairy-tales during the frosted season when flowers glaze over and the snow begins to fall, covering the ground in soft glistening white textures. To further this idea of a whimsical setting, the clothing almost appeared fit for the modern day ice queen with the cold botanical crisp designs layered onto the surface of the clothing in rich chilled gold tones, piercing whites, bold turquoises and intricate, yet statement lace details. However, there were also some dark shades floating around this wonderland catwalk show as the designer, Lizzie Renkert had imprinted deep rose textures across velvet indigo blues and midnight purples to translate a dark romantic theme across the collection. Obviously, this all contradicts with the idea of a Resort collection. However, were loving what We are Kindred are doing so much that we can wait a  little while longer for something summery and fitting to the season.

'I'm not a Trophy' campaign featuring Cara Delevigne

This week the first ever campaign for the international organisation 'I'm not a Trophy' was released and it seems that it is featuring a very familiar face from the fashion industry. The retired model turned actress, Cara Delevingne has been announced as the face and spokesperson for the animal rights campaign which is aimed at encouraging greater education, understanding and appreciation of the tragic acts of trophy hunting and the killing of innocent animals.

"I am extremely passionate about animals and am so honoured to be representing an organisation and cause that is fighting for the rights of these innocent lives," Delevingne said of the campaign.

To really connect with their viewers emotionally and physically, the organisations editorials feature images of Delevingne completely nude with digitally imposed images of various endangered species layered across the surface of her skin. Each of the images were taken and edited in post production by French artist Arno Elias​, who is known and credited for working with charities and organisations such as UNICEF.

Furthermore, although the campaigns primary aim is to expose the reality and negativity of animal hunting, the campaign also intends to translate messages about female empowerment, strength and gender equality which Delevingne is extremely in favour of.

Another reason behind Delevingne's collaboration with the global initiative organisation was the traumatic killing of Cecil the Lion last summer. Following the awful tragedy, the supermodel auctioned off her TAG Heur watch to raise money for wildcru.org. Delevingne even has a tattoo on her right index fingers which arguably represents her passion for this endangered specie.

"I wanted to highlight women as powerful figures within our society. Much like the species that are trophy hunted and displayed as prizes, women are often seen as possessions. It's time for our society to end the treatment of humans and animals as trophies."- Cara Delevingne





To get involved with the organisation or if you are interested in purchasing one of these colourful animalistic prints featuring Cara Delevingne, you can follow this link to the website of 'I'm not a trophy':
ImNotATrophy.org

Rihanna for Dior: Sunglasses Collection

It seems that Summer really is the season for collaborations. First we had the announcement of Olivier Rousteing in collaboration with Nike, then Kenzo and H&M decided that they were going to work together and now, Rihanna is pairing up with the high end brand, Dior to design a sunglasses collection for the French fashion house. Rihanna has been known to have collaborated with the brand previously. Therefore, this collaboration was definitely no surprise to the fashion world. Rihanna's first collaboration with the brand took place a year ago, when Steven Klein photographed the singer in “Secret Garden IV”. The Secret Garden IV was a campaign and short film that was shot in Versailles and featureD Rihanna wearing Dior sunglasses, carrying the brand’s bags and wearing looks from the Esprit Dior collection shown in Tokyo in December 2014.

Furthermore, this new design collaboration demonstrates how credited Rihanna is by the brand as it is a privilege that has never before been granted to one of its house ambassadors such as Charlize Theron, Marion Cotillard, Natalie Portman and Jennifer Lawrence.

Rihanna "is an artist, an entertainer, an entrepreneur, a philanthropist, and a style icon for today’s generation.” said Dior chief executive officer Sidney Toledano

The collection, which is simply called 'Rihanna' offers a new expression of eyewear that mixes high fashion with modernism to present something very futuristic, technological looking and innovative. Rihanna even suggested in a recent interview with the fashion publication 'WWD', that her inspiration had evolved from looking at all the old Dior archives to see what had already been done before and then taking trends of the present day and acquaint Dior's high end aesthetic with new materials, colours and structures to exemplify a 21st century feel. Or in this case maybe a 2030 feel for the brand. Furthermore, in the same interview, Rihanna also implied that the sunglasses collection had been heavily influenced by La Forge from Star Trek to further communicate this science fiction meets luxurious fashion theme. I would never have put Rihanna down as Star Trek fan but I suppose we will just go with it because these sunglasses are fun, creative and extremely unique in a serious high end fashion way.

“I’ve always been obsessed with his eyewear [La Forge], and when I got to Dior and saw all the materials I could play with, it all just came together.” - Rihanna

There is only one frame to the collection. However, they do come in five different and distinctive colours consisting of silver, pink, blue, green and red. The sunglasses will also be priced at $840. However, Rihanna has also designed a deluxe 24-karat gold-plated pair which will go onto sell for an outstanding $1,950.


Take a look at the different variations of the sunglasses that Rihanna and Dior have to offer! Which pair are your favourites?