The Art Of Crochet

The art of crocheting took our SS15 wardrobes by storm and has been worn by pretty much every celebrity under the sun since. Crocheting was previously associated with the 70s bohemian, the spiritual individual and the festival loving hippy, however, thanks to the huge 70s trend we all saw this summer, crochet tops, dresses, skirts and even flares have stumbled back to being a wardrobe stable for any fashionista. 

The crochet top was worn by pretty much any girl at any festival in any country around the world this summer, but why? Because it hits the nail of fabulous festival attire right on the head! Just like florals in spring, the crochet piece has too become a SS no-brainer.  Ugly Bettys' memorably awful crochet poncho is now the pinnacle of high fashion, and was seen making an appearance on many catwalks this year, including Emilio Pucci. 

However, summer has almost passed and the tanned legs and golden hair of women everywhere will soon be disappearing. Therefore this post is more of an ode to crochet rather than a heads up for future trends. Nonetheless, I have no doubt that crochet will be back once more next summer to brighten up wardrobes everywhere. 

In the meantime here are some of the best websites to visit for unique crochet designs:

Rat & Boa - http://www.ratandboa.com 

(The Inferno Dress is pictured below)

Andi Bagus - http://andibagus.bigcartel.com

(This small company based in Bali is by far the best place to go for anything crochet)

A few of my own...nearly enough to start a small shop I know :/

                       

Why It's Okay To Wear Second Hand Clothing

We all know the feeling when your letterbox has laid dormant for slightly too long and once more you're beginning to crave a parcel with your name on it. Whether its a new pair of jeans, a winter coat or even just a tiny weeny bit of jewellery, you have to have something new. 

Now this could just be me publicly announcing that I am a serious shopaholic (which I'm sure I am) or this could be a post that many of you can sympathise with. Either way, the feeling of buying something new, in store or online, is without a doubt a pretty fabulous feeling. Knowing that this new item is bringing you another step closer to wardrobe completeness, and making you look great a long the way is pure ecstasy for many women. However with happiness comes a price...a really big price too. Surprise surprise all of this wonderful stuff costs money! Money that the majority of the time we, especially students, don't have to spend. 

YES if I could shop on Net-a-Porter without a care in the world by hell I would. If I could buy a £1200 leather jacket from Acne without becoming bankrupt by hell I would...but for now anyway, I definitely definitely cannot.

This is where second hand clothing comes into play for me. I know a lot of people have problems with wearing clothing that has already belonged to someone else, and I completely understand that (ish). However, for me, this is one of the best ways for me to look my best. The vintage clothing industry has grown phenomenally over the last few decades and is now worth billions. Nonetheless, regardless of 'Vintage' being stamped onto a novelty tag somewhere on the garment, the majority of items we buy are far from what is really classed as 'vintage'. Vintage used to mean an item of high quality that originated from a previous time period, like a 1940s Chanel blazer, however, nowadays, vintage can mean an old M&S jumper or a Florida Keys Tourist T-Shirt from 1998.  

The stigma that comes with second hand clothing is rife, especially within my family, who think every moth in our household is my fault. However, for me, I enjoy the idea that something I own was once special to someone else, and that you can no longer get it on the high street, and not forgetting how you are also helping to save the world by recycling.

Yes its nice to buy something new, but the reality is, nowadays these items are mass produced by materials we cannot sustain, by corporations who exploit their workers, for a trend that will be gone in the next few months. As we all know fashion comes in cycles, so that new River Island dress you want is probably a copy of an original sat right across the road in your local Oxfam shop, waiting to be loved once again. 

Below is a picture of some funky tartan cigarette trousers and a blue crop t-shirt I got for just £1 each in a Manchester Thrift sale.

90s Nostalgia

The most prominent youth trend of the last year has most certainly been that of the 90s! From butterfly hair clips to bucket hats, the trend has completely engulfed the adolescence of today, leaving nothing but glitter and Nike sweatshirts in its wake. But why?

The majority of us embracing this trend were in fact around in the 90s. However, not as the acid house enthused puma wearing partygoers we look back on today. Instead, we were just tiny boring babies. While the real 90s kids were revolutionising youth culture across the globe, we were chewing the heads off our Troll Dolls and pushing our rainbow slinkies down the stairs.

So why are we trying to relive a decade that we so very clearly missed?

The 90s created a revolution for its youth culture, which encompassed all areas of life including art, music, and fashion. The rise of skate culture and even the lazy appearance of the teen stoner created a craze for dressing down. The 90s was all about loose fitted sports apparel, modern twists on old classics (like tartan) and the famous denim takeover. The clear lack of discernment and sophistication was exactly the point. Simply throw on a sports branded sweater, a baggy pair of jeans and some scruffy New Balance and boom, you've nailed the look. It's this simplicity that we still love today. 

However, there may be other reasons as to why we are loving the trend. As offensive to some as this may be, I believe that our generation is pretty dire when it comes to originality in fashion. We all know fashion comes round in cycles, but previous generations have managed to make their youth style their own. So what on earth are we doing? Are we too busy saving the world? Are we creatively stunted? Or are we just lazy? The most original trends the youth of today have witnessed is that of 'Normcore', and all that is is an amalgamation of plain sports apparel and simple tailoring. 

Individual style is completely confusing, in order to look different we all look the same and then squirm at the thought of consciously making an effort. However, this is a problem that has faced the worlds teens for decades. The majority of youth style is an act of rebellion to the previous generation (our boring old parents), however, are any of us really sure what we are doing? I will happily vouch for myself and say I have absolutely no idea! 

Regardless of my little rant its plain to see that the accommodating simplicity of 90s fashion will not be fading anytime soon. So throw on that Burberry Harrington and your favourite plastic chocker and lets carry on doing what we seem to do best... and throw it back to the good old days! 

                                   

Top trends this AW15

                       

Autumn & Winter are undeniably the best time of the year. Each to their own on this, but in my opinion there is nothing better then wrapping up in layers upon layers with a big winter jacket thrown on top. Winter fashion is much easier than summer, the basic rule is the more layers the better, which is pretty easy to follow. In summer us girls have to worry about smooth legs, a nice tan, painted toe nails and beach hair, in winter this all goes down the drain (lets be honest). 

The trends following this years Paris Fashion Week are pretty great. A lot of things have come back around as expected, however there are some new interesting styles that are sure to be embraced by all.

Here are my top 5 trends that will be gracing our high-street shops over the next month:

1)

70s Bohemian - As expected some of the summer trends have carried over into next season, so don't panic, those flares you just bought are still on trend (for now). The 70s look is still very much focused on the hippy/bohemian woman, so think florals, brown suede and a good amount of tassels. 

For all the 60s lovers of last winter, have no fear the turtle neck is still very much on trend for this season. A mustard turtle neck paired with a black boyfriend coat is always a winner for me.

2)

Dark Gothic/Victoriana - This season there is a major focus on gothic fashion. Just like the crotchet trend of summer, this dark version was seen across all the catwalks, especially at the McQueen and Givenchy shows. You have my word that black lace will be everywhere. 

3)

                   

China Doll- Paris also showcased a real tribute to traditional Victorian white lace. For a gothic look suitable for the office, think of a white high neck blouse paired with a leather pencil skirt and simple black heels. The white dresses above are from the truly stunning Alberta Ferretti show. Think modern china doll look for this one. 


4)

Winter Warmers - Yet again fur for winter is very much on trend. This season designers have all come together to celebrate the use of faux fur, so don't worry, literally 0 animals were hurt in the making. Though maybe not practical, white is very popular this winter for a variety of jackets, fur in particular. Think Kate Moss' 2009 jacket, or even winter Bond girl.


5)

Margot Tenenbaum - For any Wes Anderson fan the dream of being able to dress like Ms Margot Tenenbaum is a common one. Thankfully this geek chic look has been a real hit this year, and now we can all dress as the perfect kooky heroin of The Royal Tenenbaums. This look is all about clean tailoring, long jackets, loafers and a whole lot of autumnal shades. Just add a completely nonchalant personality to nail the style.

Top 3 Summer Exhibitions

Having recently moved to London, I've spent the last few weeks aimlessly wandering around in search of new places and exhibitions. Luckily the last few exhibitions I've visited have been some of the most interesting I've ever seen, so I thought I'd share them with you lovely people!

THE PHOTOGRAPHERS' GALLERY, OXFORD CIRCUS

First of all I visited my favourite London gallery, The Photographers' Gallery. With a grand total of £3 spent for the whole gallery, I was able to see the work of Shirley Baker with her amazing 'Women, Children and Loitering Men' exhibition. Her work inspired my A-Level street photography projects hugely, especially her focus on the rawness of British urban street life, all shot in 35mm b&w film. This particular image below was my personal favourite from the exhibition.

Moving up the gallery I came across the amazing Dazed 'We Want More: Image-Making and Music in the 21st Century' exhibition. Dazed presented 5 1/2 hours of music videos, some of which included Björk, Radiohead, and Jon Hopkins. Although I didn't spend the whole 5 1/2 hours there, I did manage to catch a glimpse of both Björk and Aphex Twin doing what they do best (going completely artistically OTT).

The excitement of Dazed continued onto the top floor of the gallery with the 'We Want More' exhibit. There is an undeniable focus on photographies relationship with modern music culture and the way in which is defies it. The rise of the digital age is seen clearly throughout the third floor, where musicians have personally connected with photographers they feel best express their music and image. This included work from Die Antwoord, Radiohead, Lady GaGa, Katy Perry and Michael Jackson lookalike portraits. My favourite of the whole exhibition was the colourful work of Gareth McConnell, which abstractly portrayed dance music fans in Ibiza.(As pictured below)

THE HAYWARD GALLERY, SOUTHBANK CENTRE

GO TO THE HAYWARD GALLERY ASAP! The Carsten Höller exhibition is with out a doubt one of the most contemporary and experimental exhibits I have ever seen. It all starts as soon as you step into the building. You are warned, with a health and safety overload and then led into a completely pitch black tunnel/maze. The tin structure is designed with multiple angles and turns to ensure complete and utter darkness. This is apparently done to enable us to experience artificially created perception of ourselves and movement around us. Frankly it was terrifying, but as a claustrophobic sissy it was bound to be.

The rest of the exhibition was just as obscure as the entrance, and with a real focus on perception, much of the exhibition was interactive. Pictured below are thousands of red and white pills which are dropped from a small hole in the ceiling every few seconds, and pictured below that is my friend using an interactive headset.

                                        

Also don't forget the slides on the way out! I'm talking three floors high worth of spiralling silver tubes, snaking there way down the side of the building, all made extra fun and fast with an adult sized potato sack and a little push at the top. 

THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, TRAFALGAR 

Last but by no means least is the fabulously glamorous 'Audrey Hepburn: Portraits of an Icon' exhibition in The National Portrait Gallery. With A Roman Holiday being one of my favourite films, and Miss Hepburn being a big style icon of mine, the exhibition was right on point for me. I had had a bit of a taster for Hollywood glamour after previously visiting the gallery in 2012 for the 'Glamour of the Gods' exhibition. Which had included portraits of Miss Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Jean Harlow. 

The elegant exhibition depicts her transition from chorus girl to movie star and everything in between. It especially focuses on her role as a fashion icon during the 60s, 70s and 80s. It provides us with both classic and famous images that we have all seen time and time again as well as some unseen images, provided by the Hepburn family. The enchantment of this exhibition doesn't lie with the reputable work of the photographers, such as Norman Parkinson and Cecil Beaton, but instead with the sheer beauty and gracefulness of Audrey Hepburn herself. 

Unlike the other two more modern exhibitions, this one is all about playing by the rules. Although contemporary exhibitions are entertaining, everyone one needs a masterclass in classical portraiture and fashion photography now and again, and this is exactly the place to do it.