What they wore, I adore - London Fashion Week.

KTZ

Tuesday was the final day of catwalk shows for London Fashion Week's On/off venue, and a friend of mine Chris O'Donovan (who also happens to be the best photographer I know) advised me to get there early as it was a hot ticket.

So I arrived super early but as always in fashion (when will i learn?) everything was running behind so Chris snuck me in before the crowds arrived and decided the best seat for me was in the photographers pit, which to be honest slightly panicked me. Still, I decided to get on with it as it seemed too good an opportunity to miss. When those Models did strut out I had a front row seat, and what a show it was. KTZ know how to have fun with their collection, and as a result the models really had fun on the catwalk, which made for a great show.

I want this dress (below) so bad.


And this dress makes me want spring/summertime now.

Everything about this look (below) I love. What amazing jeans.

LFW day 3.

So day 3. I wore this (please excuse the miserable expression, it was a pout gone wrong numerous times translated into annoyance)

I met up with another blogger,

Vikki of Goldrush. We caught up an managed to sit sipping Champagne and chatting for 3 hours, when we were meant to be documenting various exhibitions and shows, oops. Sat next to us were four lovely people had just returned from the Mulberry Show, and they couldn't stop talking about the Mulberry show (it had an ickle dog!) So I snapped a picture of them, as they embodied everything I loved about fashion week. They were (a PR spokesperson, a fashion correspondent and two graduates who were just there because they loved fashion) .

Once we had realised time was disappearing before our eyes, Gabrielle (the correspondent) invited us to head with her and her fash pack to Jasmine Di Milo's exclusive show in the Portico Rooms. The Portico Rooms was the perfect setting for this intimate show, and with The Dead Weather providing the backing music to the show it couldnt have been more perfect. The dresses were beautiful and the swimwear was dreamy.

I really wish I had got a better picture of this dress. (below) It was killer.

After we left Somerset House we headed to Andrew Majtenyi aftershow party in Cavendish square, but it seemed our attempt to arrive fashionably late was well, too late. There was no free bar left and everyone had already moved on. So I kicked off my heels, changed into some comfy pumps and headed home for some kip before attempting day 4 of fashion week. God this fashion malarkey is tiring!

Zero Tolerance

Today I feel the need to mention the Size Zero debate, which now seems to be reaching boiling point. This week at London Fashion Week, EVERYONE is talking about Mark Fast and his decision to use plus size models on the catwalk. A bold move and in my opinion a huge step forward for the world of modelling, Mark himself described his move as “ a rebellion against safeness”. As a result of his controversial show, his stylist and his creative designer were so infuriated they walked out three days before the show.

As a young lady who grew up in an era when skinny was cool, I will stand up and be counted. I admit that I have tried EVERY diet on the block. The cabbage diet, the no sugar diet, the only fruit and veg diet, the not eating anything until you feel faint diet... I could go on. After years of battling with forms of self loathing by feeling I haven’t got the will power to starve myself to the necessary means to become my perfect size, believing three meals a day isn’t acceptable amount of food for the modern day woman (i believed three healthy meals a day was a form of gluttony) and thinking that my naturally curvaceous figure (I always have and always will have a big boobs and a big behind) made me ‘fat’ I got to thinking about how I got here, and where this constant obsession with my relationship with food has come from, and the effects it has had on me.

So I got talking with a few young ladies of this size zero generation, and it seems everyone knows someone who’s been affected by this horrible trend, a trend which if it gets bad enough can result in regular hospital visits, limp unhealthy hair, loss of teeth, and most scary of all infertility. Eating disorders are a massive, massive problem in today’s society. I have known more than a few people to have dangerous relationships with their diet, and as a result I have seen the effects of these eating disorders on not only the individuals but also their friends and family.

Back in June, Alexandra Schulman (the British editor of Vogue) exposed the bare truth of the matter, that it is designers who demand ultra skinny models. According to the letter, the designers are gradually shaving millimetres off sample sizes, therefore forcing these naturally slender models to lose what little bit of body fat they have left. As a result, if a glossy magazine then wishes to use these designers latest collection within their publication (which is likely as Schulman sent the letter to the top designers in fashion such as Karl Lagerfeld, John Galliano, Prada, Versace, Yves Saint Laurent and Balenciaga), these same underweight girls are the models they will be forced to use as otherwise, the dresses won’t fit.

Now, I understand that slender has always been the way for fashion but size zero is starting a massive health crisis in today’s youth, with the obvious consequence that young women (and men, this affects both genders) are aspiring to these frames which are only achievable on a lifestyle in which anorexia and bulimia are acceptable methods of dieting. So I just wanted to say it’s not right, and it’s certainly not ok. By elimating food, or drink from your diet (remember alcohol contains calories) you elimate an aspect of life which everyone should enjoy, socialising. After years of living by the rules of these designers I think it’s time people stood up and demanded a change.

London Fashion Frenzy

For the last few days I have been hanging around London Fashion Week, having fun and staring at the beautiful people. The main reason I (obviously) headed to LFW was to try and catch some of the shows, but as its been soo hard to get a ticket to most, and I'm so disorganised this year that I didn't organise many tickets to shows.. so therefore I wandered around the site and took some photos of some of the exhibitions, and still saw some amazing things and had a great time.

So day 1, (I'm adding madatory outfit shots) I wore this

Met up with her

(Michelle of Cheapskate Chic)

Dranks lots and lots and lots of this,

(which ended in a very very tipsy Alice, I blame YOU Michelle)

whilst generally wandering in and out of exhibitions. One of the highlights was definately the Portico Rooms, where Michelle and I drank pink Champagne and discussed with one of the Models (who had been modelling for over 60 years, amazing) the change in the industry over the decades.

Eventually the model was dragged off for an interview but we managed to hear all about her hey day, and how things were tough for brunettes with long flowy hair in the 60's and 70's as it was all about the pixie blonde hair and big eyes look (think Twiggy). Amazing Woman but I unfortunately didnt get a picute, dammit. But all the same here are some snaps from the Preen collection which was showcased in the portico showrooms on Saturday afternoon.

Also we saw the cutest Eley Kishimoto wedges which Michelle and I both decided we NEEDED immediately.

After a few hours in the showrooms we headed out for a breather when the PR lady from Angel Jackson approach us and tell us there was a party they were holding in a show room with Zoe and Morgan, Featuring Daddy G from Massive Attack on the decks.

After this party we headed down to check out the Red Bull fashion factory, which ok except the PR contact couldn't get us into any of the shows, and I was by this point super drunk and needing to leave.

Subsequently I ended up in a Morrocan restaurant with some friends south of the river smoking shishas and celebrating ramadan (how I got there or why I was celebrating ramadan, I really don't know). All the same Saturday (day 2 of fashion week) was super super fun. I just hope the rest of the week lives upto this...