Hi everyone! So as expected I'm about to go into my next year of university this month which is also the scariest year yet as it will be sadly, my final year at Nottingham Trent! :( Even though I can honestly say I am terrified about the thought of having to write my dissertation this year, there is also a lot of other exciting things which I will be getting involved in! Therefore, after a few swift decisions in the past week, I thought I would share with you what I will be getting up to for the upcoming months!
So as part of third year Fashion Communication and Promotion at NTU, we take part in an exciting live project with a brand that the university has connected with. Initially we were all given a choice of six brands to work alongside with this year; the brands being...Speedo, L'Oreal, Anya Hindmarch, Stack Magazine, Boots and Levi's. It truly is crazy how lucky we have been as a course to secure such amazing brands like the ones just listed, but sadly we were only able to choose one! Therefore, working in a group of three, my group decided to go for the live project working with LEVI'S!
Not only do I love the brand Levis, but throughout my interest in fashion, I have always been deeply passionate about how brands can contribute to a persons identity throughout their life and how they can also be strongly linked to the birth and rebirth of subcultures. Throughout the world of fashion, I find Levi's to be one of the key innovators behind the concept of influencing individuals style and images, so I could not think of a better brand to fit with my own personal interests. Therefore, I can't wait to be able to enrich myself with the history of such an iconic and influential brand, which has inspired the identities of many British and American cultures and tribes for many decades!
Moving onto the actual brief we have been given by the brand, Levi's have set us the task of marketing the brand to Generation Z through experiential communication tools. Generation Z being from the age of 17-22, it is really important that we create something both engaging and of course, instagramable! Therefore, the options of what we could possibly do with our creativity is endless. From video campaigns to events, we really are able to test ourselves as both professionals and fashion students with this project and I am undoubtably so excited to see what my group manage to pull off!
Anyway, I shall be posting the journey of our project throughout the next few month so keep an eye out to find out what my team will be creating for Levi's!!
Wednesday, 18 October 2017
Tuesday, 5 September 2017
Venice Film Festival Fashion 2017
Hi everyone! For this post I thought I would opt for one of the more sartorial and niche fashion events of the year, instead of writing about the pop culture takeover for music, the VMA's, which I have done in the past around this time of the year. Therefore, heading over sea and away from the limelight of California that surrounds the VMA's, the Venice Film Festival has conjuring up a European fashion fuss over the past few days.
The perfect backdrop for canal-side photoshoots and a warming sunset glow filtering across an Instagram lens, this year's film festival in Venice was graced by some of the upcoming and credited icons in the entertainment and media industry for 2017, ready to make an unforgettable red carpet premier debut. Without further ado, here are my five favourite looks from the night...
The perfect backdrop for canal-side photoshoots and a warming sunset glow filtering across an Instagram lens, this year's film festival in Venice was graced by some of the upcoming and credited icons in the entertainment and media industry for 2017, ready to make an unforgettable red carpet premier debut. Without further ado, here are my five favourite looks from the night...
Chloe Sevigny in Miu Miu
Eva Riccobono in Tommy Hilfiger and Jaeger-LeCoultre
Julianne Moore in Louis Vuitton.
Nicole Warne in Michael Lo Sordo
Stella Egitto in Gucci
Monday, 7 August 2017
My Summer So Far...
Hi everyone!
Sorry that it has been so long since I last updated my blog! Things have definitely been non-stop since finishing my second year of university. However, I thought I would fill you all in on what I have been getting up to in the mean time. Apologies if my writing skills are not as up to scratch as they were; it has been far too long!
Although I have not really mentioned it in any of my recent posts, recently I took part in a four week long placement in London at the online lifestyle and fashion magazine, SheerLuxe. As an aspiring fashion journalist, hoping to go into a job in editorial or copywriting after completing my studies at Trent, I could not have asked for a better place to gain experience. The magazine offers a range of different areas for young, style-savvy women to enjoy reading in their spare time. From dealing with friend troubles, conquering that summer diet or mastering the perfect emoji red dress, SheerLuxe is always one step ahead of the game when it comes to all things on trend and I was more than inspired and grateful to gain the opportunity to work alongside their team for a month! As most of you may know last year, I completed a three month placement at the E-commerce brand, Jules B, in Newcastle, so this placement definitely had a lot of similarities. However, this time I was going it alone in London, a long way from home up North and as you can imagine, I only had CityMapper to help me out!
Anyway back to my placement, during my time at SheerLuxe I was able to take part in an array of jobs that any intern in the fashion industry would love to take part in. From running errands, to working on the website, sourcing images and uploading content, to spending endless hours scrolling through ASOS to find the perfect summer cover up for readers of the magazines upcoming holiday! As a reader of the online magazine myself, it was great to get a glimpse of the behind the scenes of such a fast paced and inspiration publication. Not only did the placement reassure me that this is definitely the sector of the fashion industry I would like to go down but it also taught me a lot about myself as a professional in the industry...
Therefore, here is a few tips I would give anyone who is about to / or planning on taking part in a placement in the near future!
1) Always smile; it may seem like not a lot but in an office working 9-6 every day, a smile can go a long way to get your fellow colleagues through the long hours!
2) Don't be late! Probably an obvious one but imagine yourself as a worker who has interns helping them out! Your relying on them and therefore, although you may think differently, you definitely have a great deal of responsibility whilst your at the company.
3) Ask questions! If your stuck on something, don't just sit around and wait to be told what to do. Go up to whoever your shadowing and ask them for help. At the end of the day, they would be more happy to take a few minutes out of their day to help you than it be done wrong! Even if your not so confident, like myself unfortunately, you have nothing to lose by asking questions, only knowledge can be gained!
4) Make yourself remember. I'm not talking about singing and dancing around the office of course. However, I am talking about the little things like asking if your colleagues would like a cup of tea or asking them how their evening was. Even when you are nipping out to the local Tesco Express on your lunch; ask a colleague if they want anything or if they fancy nipping out to.
5) Lastly, editorial meetings! Even if you feel scared to speak up, always suggest an idea. Whether it is lousy or not, it shows that you are keen and that your mind is always working. You are dedicated to the publication already by taking part in your internship so why not exceed yourself and share your ideas. Not only will you impress your colleagues but it shows that you are aware of their USP and values as a company and are forward thinking when it comes to lifestyle and trends.
One last message, if anyone reading also would like to take part in an internship with SheerLuxe, alongside your studies or if you are just trying to get an idea of what you would like to do in the future, SheerLuxe run internships every four weeks for aspiring girls or boys looking to get their foot in the door, so check out their website for more details!
Sorry that it has been so long since I last updated my blog! Things have definitely been non-stop since finishing my second year of university. However, I thought I would fill you all in on what I have been getting up to in the mean time. Apologies if my writing skills are not as up to scratch as they were; it has been far too long!
Although I have not really mentioned it in any of my recent posts, recently I took part in a four week long placement in London at the online lifestyle and fashion magazine, SheerLuxe. As an aspiring fashion journalist, hoping to go into a job in editorial or copywriting after completing my studies at Trent, I could not have asked for a better place to gain experience. The magazine offers a range of different areas for young, style-savvy women to enjoy reading in their spare time. From dealing with friend troubles, conquering that summer diet or mastering the perfect emoji red dress, SheerLuxe is always one step ahead of the game when it comes to all things on trend and I was more than inspired and grateful to gain the opportunity to work alongside their team for a month! As most of you may know last year, I completed a three month placement at the E-commerce brand, Jules B, in Newcastle, so this placement definitely had a lot of similarities. However, this time I was going it alone in London, a long way from home up North and as you can imagine, I only had CityMapper to help me out!
Anyway back to my placement, during my time at SheerLuxe I was able to take part in an array of jobs that any intern in the fashion industry would love to take part in. From running errands, to working on the website, sourcing images and uploading content, to spending endless hours scrolling through ASOS to find the perfect summer cover up for readers of the magazines upcoming holiday! As a reader of the online magazine myself, it was great to get a glimpse of the behind the scenes of such a fast paced and inspiration publication. Not only did the placement reassure me that this is definitely the sector of the fashion industry I would like to go down but it also taught me a lot about myself as a professional in the industry...
Therefore, here is a few tips I would give anyone who is about to / or planning on taking part in a placement in the near future!
1) Always smile; it may seem like not a lot but in an office working 9-6 every day, a smile can go a long way to get your fellow colleagues through the long hours!
2) Don't be late! Probably an obvious one but imagine yourself as a worker who has interns helping them out! Your relying on them and therefore, although you may think differently, you definitely have a great deal of responsibility whilst your at the company.
3) Ask questions! If your stuck on something, don't just sit around and wait to be told what to do. Go up to whoever your shadowing and ask them for help. At the end of the day, they would be more happy to take a few minutes out of their day to help you than it be done wrong! Even if your not so confident, like myself unfortunately, you have nothing to lose by asking questions, only knowledge can be gained!
4) Make yourself remember. I'm not talking about singing and dancing around the office of course. However, I am talking about the little things like asking if your colleagues would like a cup of tea or asking them how their evening was. Even when you are nipping out to the local Tesco Express on your lunch; ask a colleague if they want anything or if they fancy nipping out to.
5) Lastly, editorial meetings! Even if you feel scared to speak up, always suggest an idea. Whether it is lousy or not, it shows that you are keen and that your mind is always working. You are dedicated to the publication already by taking part in your internship so why not exceed yourself and share your ideas. Not only will you impress your colleagues but it shows that you are aware of their USP and values as a company and are forward thinking when it comes to lifestyle and trends.
One last message, if anyone reading also would like to take part in an internship with SheerLuxe, alongside your studies or if you are just trying to get an idea of what you would like to do in the future, SheerLuxe run internships every four weeks for aspiring girls or boys looking to get their foot in the door, so check out their website for more details!
Friday, 19 May 2017
Advocates for female equality in the 60s & 70s
In terms of the areas that have taken my interest with regards to fashion history in the 60s and 70’s, I have thoroughly enjoyed research into the role of women within society and the industry.
Firstly, although it was not advocated initially by a woman, designers such as Pierre Cardin in the 60’s were responding to the social changes such as space and tech advances, to create a new look for the modernized women of the era. His garments sported sharp geometric shapes as an integral part of style. He also combined these shapes with contemporary materials such as plastic and vinyl to translate innovation within silhouette, sculpting and re-shaping the female figure.
Following on, designers such as Mary Quant and Yves Saint Laurent were also responsible for responding to social changes within society, post war, by producing garments that intended to shock and translate an aesthetic that was far from the feminine women that graced society before WW2. In regards to the assertion of women, Yves Saint Laurent’s take on androgyny started a revolution at a time when many second wave feminists were avoiding discussing fashion in a social context. He freed the nipple before social media platforms such as Instagram even existed, focusing more on asserting sexual equality, rather than pleasing the onlooker. As for Mary Quant, as a designer to valued popularizing risky garments such as the mini-skirt with the intention to shock, whilst also capitalizing the 1960’s new found love affair with synthetic materials such as PVC, to create a ‘wet look’ for experimental and daring women of the era.
Not only did the 60s and 70’s change the face of feminine fashion, but it also saw the rise of some of the most utterly British style icons, that would continue to have a lasting reign within the world of fashion still today. Jean Shrimpton and Twiggy, both enlightened the fashion industry with their wear of Quant’s and Biba’s modernized silhouettes and donning short, daring haircuts to translate the idea that the fifties feminine woman was out and a new, youthful looking girl was here to stay.
However, Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton were not the only advocates in the modelling industry to change the face of fashion. With the 70’s just around the corner, the era saw an array of diverse models such as Jerry Hall and Iman come onto the scene, who were popularized for their unconventional yet flawless beauty. Discovered by her long neck and narrow yet sharp physical attributes, Iman did not fit with the typical conventions of beauty but instead, these alternative qualities were ones that allowed her to catch the eye of one of the biggest icons of all time in the 70’s, David Bowie.
Lastly, a game-changer for paving a rebellious sense of fashion for women in the 70’s as punk began to bring anarchy to society, Vivienne Westwood graced the industry with her assertive vision in this era. Selling fetish and bondage wear, Westwood’s SEX boutique, with Malcolm McLaren dressed rock stars of the era, who were most likely to be dating the likes of Iman, Jerry Hall or Jean Shrimpton. Their slogan T’s caused controversy, with slogans like ‘Cambridge Rapist’ sparking outrage. All of this was a youthful reaction from both women and men against the older generation, reflecting England’s depressed economic and socio-political condition at the time in the mid-70s. However, it was Vivienne Westwood who really provided that vision for women, that it was not just men who could be outspoken and express themselves against the state of society but the voice of women could be utterly rebellious to.
Firstly, although it was not advocated initially by a woman, designers such as Pierre Cardin in the 60’s were responding to the social changes such as space and tech advances, to create a new look for the modernized women of the era. His garments sported sharp geometric shapes as an integral part of style. He also combined these shapes with contemporary materials such as plastic and vinyl to translate innovation within silhouette, sculpting and re-shaping the female figure.
Following on, designers such as Mary Quant and Yves Saint Laurent were also responsible for responding to social changes within society, post war, by producing garments that intended to shock and translate an aesthetic that was far from the feminine women that graced society before WW2. In regards to the assertion of women, Yves Saint Laurent’s take on androgyny started a revolution at a time when many second wave feminists were avoiding discussing fashion in a social context. He freed the nipple before social media platforms such as Instagram even existed, focusing more on asserting sexual equality, rather than pleasing the onlooker. As for Mary Quant, as a designer to valued popularizing risky garments such as the mini-skirt with the intention to shock, whilst also capitalizing the 1960’s new found love affair with synthetic materials such as PVC, to create a ‘wet look’ for experimental and daring women of the era.
Not only did the 60s and 70’s change the face of feminine fashion, but it also saw the rise of some of the most utterly British style icons, that would continue to have a lasting reign within the world of fashion still today. Jean Shrimpton and Twiggy, both enlightened the fashion industry with their wear of Quant’s and Biba’s modernized silhouettes and donning short, daring haircuts to translate the idea that the fifties feminine woman was out and a new, youthful looking girl was here to stay.
However, Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton were not the only advocates in the modelling industry to change the face of fashion. With the 70’s just around the corner, the era saw an array of diverse models such as Jerry Hall and Iman come onto the scene, who were popularized for their unconventional yet flawless beauty. Discovered by her long neck and narrow yet sharp physical attributes, Iman did not fit with the typical conventions of beauty but instead, these alternative qualities were ones that allowed her to catch the eye of one of the biggest icons of all time in the 70’s, David Bowie.
Lastly, a game-changer for paving a rebellious sense of fashion for women in the 70’s as punk began to bring anarchy to society, Vivienne Westwood graced the industry with her assertive vision in this era. Selling fetish and bondage wear, Westwood’s SEX boutique, with Malcolm McLaren dressed rock stars of the era, who were most likely to be dating the likes of Iman, Jerry Hall or Jean Shrimpton. Their slogan T’s caused controversy, with slogans like ‘Cambridge Rapist’ sparking outrage. All of this was a youthful reaction from both women and men against the older generation, reflecting England’s depressed economic and socio-political condition at the time in the mid-70s. However, it was Vivienne Westwood who really provided that vision for women, that it was not just men who could be outspoken and express themselves against the state of society but the voice of women could be utterly rebellious to.
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