London Fashion Week As A Nobody // Street Style

As I mentioned in my last post, I headed up to Somerset House yesterday as well to soak up the last of the Fashion Week vibes and take some (hopefully) half decent street style photos for the blog. I would have posted last night but had to rush back from London as I had work at 6 and let me tell you, going straight from the glamour of Fashion Week and being asked for your photo to your part time waitressing job is quite the drop back to reality. So here you go:

Guerrilla Fashion Show

The designers of the spontaneous show

I can't decide if this man was ridiculously chic or just plain ridiculous.

My laughable attempt at a serious fashion photo

Lunch avec Maman

As much as I wish I could say I was going back up for London Fashion Weekend this weekend, I didn't order tickets in time and have already spent a depressing amount of money on train fares this week. Which brings me to my next point:

How To Survive LFW As A Nobody...

• Bring Sunglasses | Even if it's not sunny, trust me, everyone will be wearing them. Most people were wearing keyhole or cat eye sunglasses and ASOS have a great selection that won't break the bank:

       

• Don't Wear Flats | This isn't necessarily true, but you will be the smallest person there.

• Don't Wear Stilettos | As ridiculous as most of  the people dress, you WILL look like you're trying too hard. Plus stilettos + cobbles = not chic. It will just equal pain and staggering.

• Appear As If You Have A Purpose | You don't want to look lost, people will just pity you. Basically, bring a Canon DSLR (no other camera brand will do) and no one will question you. If you have a blog, no matter how amateur, print off business cards so you look a little less suspicious when people ask what you're going to do with the photos you just took of them.

• Don't Try To Get Into A Show | Just don't do it. It won't happen. People will snigger. The 'Visitors' section of Somerset House is very misleading and yes, I speak from experience.

Even if you have no purpose, if you're into fashion it's well worth heading down just to soak it all up and pretend to be important. Will you be heading down in September?

Bises,

Riona

"It's London Fashion Week. Oh bugger."

Once again I must apologise for my inconsistent blogging. The last month has been the busiest ever, though don't ask me what I've done as I literally couldn't tell you. Not in an MI6 way but an actually-can't-remember way. So apologies for that.

However I return with almost the most glorious fashion event of the year (Paris Fashion Week pips it to the post) - London Fashion Week. The funny thing about LFW is that, unlike so many corporate fashion events, the public are free to roam around Somerset House, the home of LFW, practically as they please. Obviously, you need the elusive Press Pass or Buyers Pass to enter the shows (apparently a Blogspot account with a total of 3 followers doesn't quite count as Press) so my friend Katie and I travelled to Somerset House just to soak up the fashionableifnotslightlyintimidatingatmosphere.

IT REALLY IS INTIMIDATING. Never has the fashion world felt so real. The constant totter of heels on cobbles. Keyhole style sunglasses on every face. Taxis with blacked out windows rolling in. Overpriced coffee and DSLRs as far as the eye can see, mainly held by girls blogging street style photos. Unlike we naïvely assumed, the Burberry Prorsum show did not take place at Somerset House but Kensington Gardens. So we didn't casually bump into Cara, Edie or Karlie, which, I hate to say, we did have the tiniest hope of doing.

Peter Pilotto opened the long awaited Monday of LFW with not only model of the moment Cara but a collection inspired by medieval art, featuring lots of vivid calf-length dresses worn with black patent shoes. Pilotto kept with tradition in creating red carpet cocktail dresses but with a masculine edge - think sharp shoulders and psychedelic prints.

Christopher Kane, having been tipped to really make it big this year, debuted his first PPR-held collection to a more than worthy audience, featuring Anna Wintour and Donatella Versace in the front row. I hate to say it, but don't throw out your camo just yet (unless you bought it for a fiver at Reading Festival). The collection focused hugely on camouflage prints on both mini dresses and coats. The mini dresses were crocheted and displayed a mix of shapes from flowers and ovals to a spider-like texture on skirts and tops at the end of the show. In summary, lots of chiffon and ruffles with a hard edge. There were also a few human brain-imprinted tops. If you're into that.

Now the word on everyone's lips - Burberry, a show which literally moved the audience to tears. The Burberry collection was classic with a twist, the twist most definitely being the focus on animal print. Giraffe print roll necks and zebra print tote bags. All clutch bags were big and slouchy which carried off the collection perfectly with a laid back vibe. Their classic Macs were given contrasting sleeves and wet look fabric giving us something different but in short the collection was cave girl gone 21st Century.

I write this post as I travel to London again to soak up the last day of LFW (this time avec DSLR) so cannot attach these photos properly. I shall fix them later when I'm writing exactly the same blog post, but about a different day.

Bises,

Riona

P.S. if you're wondering about the title, it was the highlight of the day. Katie and I were standing at the entrance of Somerset House doing some healthy people watching, when a woman who we guessed was an inhabitant of Somerset House, or at least visiting someone who is, pushed her bike into the courtyard, stopped and said "It's London Fashion Week. Oh bugger." in the poshest voice ever. It's almost as if LFW isn't talked about enough.

How To Be A Hipster

I've seen a lot of posts with this exact title and from them, I have realised that there are many different types of hipster. Firstly, you have the self-proclaimed hipsters, who proudly express their love of tea, cats, YouTube vloggers, Apple products and thick-rimmed non-prescription glasses. Secondly, the long haired, tanned, Vitamin Water chugging, iPhone snapping Cali-girls who just love taking photos with skateboards, listening to Drake and saying 'YOLO'. But then you have THE OTHERS. The hipsters in denial, AKA the original brand of hipster, with their worshipping of all Pitchfork-recommended bands, green tea, hidden 'reworked vintage' shops on Brick Lane and 'proper' photography. And this is an all inclusive guide on how to become one...

1) A high cultural capital.
If you want to truly commit to the cultured hipster lifestyle, you have to truly believe in it. You are interested in Jean-Paul Sartre's existentialism theories. Of course you know and love every photo Dash Snow has ever taken and, naturally, you know the V&A galleries back to front and attend exhibitions at Somerset House monthly. A monthly unlimited cinema membership is also highly recommended, so you can go and see all of the hyped up Hollywood blockbusters then go home and write a blog post on how overrated it was.

2) 'Photography'
I use the word photography here loosely. Of course, we're all guilty of uploading a load of half decent photos of fields to Facebook in an album entitled 'errm photography' when we received our first digital camera (...right?) but hipsters are not about the digital camera. Oh no. An essential hipster life mantra is keeping the past alive, so anything too modern (apart from Apple products obvs) is a big no no. If you can afford it (and all of the printing paper you'll need), invest in a Polaroid camera for true vintage style. If times are hard, simply pick up a disposable camera. HIPSTERS LOVE DISPOSABLE CAMERA PHOTOS. I can't deny that I do too, you can't help but feel as if the photos were taken in the 80s. But don't just take normal photos with them. Here are a few ideas...

Classic. If you can get a shot of a load of lights at night time, you don't have to use the flash, which gives connotations of those retro Lana Del Rey-ish cheap thrills, y'know?

Fuzzy quality Starbucks cold beverages on a seemingly sunny day, pink drinks are preferred. We like connotations of road trips.

Ah, none of them looking at the camera gives that natural vibe.

...You get the idea. Naturally, you'll already own an iPhone and have Instagram (which is soooo the place to be for keen photographers) so that doesn't need to be mentioned. Hipsters love putting a brown 70s style filter over an already good quality photo.

3) Read.

Well, duh, what else are you going to do in Starbucks apart from Instagramming your chosen beverage? But don't just get interested in any old genre. In fact, don't read anything written in the last 10 years, far too mainstream and so not showcasing your appreciation for the past. If you really want to be cultured, read a book in French, such as Camus' (pronounced 'Camoo', although naturally you already knew) L'Étranger or Jean-Paul Sartre's La Nausée. Don't study French? Not a problem, it's all about the image. It is also essential to carry a battered second hand copy of J.D. Salinger's Catcher In The Rye around with you EVERYWHERE, a universally appreciated book with the hipster seal of approval. You should generally stick to this carefully compiled list of classic intellectual hispter books...

• On the Road by Jack Kerouac
• Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter Thompson
• Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
• Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
• The Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
• Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
• American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
• Looking For Alaska by John Green (both modern but still loved worldwide)
• Choke by Chuck Palahniuk
• Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
• Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
• Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh
• Post Office by Charles Bukowski
• The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
• House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
• Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
• Animal Farm by George Orwell
• A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
• The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

The last few mentioned are all dystopian novels which you must learn to know and love, as all hipsters love any Big Brother-esque book which criticises society about how controlled we all are, y'know? You could read The Hunger Games but no one would appreciate your literary genius, would they? A few authors you should generally appreciate are Murakami, F. Scott FitzGerald, Oscar Wilde, Raymond Chandler and Ernest Hemingway.

4) Cinema.

You must adore Hitchcock's entire filmography and believe that at least one 'big' director is incredibly overrated. Get to know Hollywood's Golden Age era and maybe some Italian neorealism, whose characteristics combined to create the French New Wave. Watch Jean-Luc Godard's Masculin Feminin, an 'edgy' film for its time which you will probably have seen screencapped on Tumblr at some point or another. Dig black and white films.

Masculin Feminin. Totes deep.

5) Arts & Humanities subjects or nothing.

Gosh, hipsters don't go into higher education to study quantitative A Levels or a demanding medicine degree. Instead, you'll choose subjects all based in the same corridor, such as Philosophy, English Literature, French and Photography. WHEN you go to uni (are you an Exeter 'rah' student? Or more of a grungy music-loving Sheffield student?) you'll read the occasional book, investigate independent local cafés and keep a fashion blog on your MacBook/iPhone/iPad whilst wondering why the physics and mathematics building looks so dreary and why you never see medicine students out and about.

6) Style.

Basically, americanapparel.net  is the bible. Seconded by Urban Outfitters. You love charity shops but prefer to call them thrift shops because it's far more hip. You make monthly train journeys up to Brick Lane/Camden to look for reworked vintage Levi's 512s and buy Lennon-esque sunglasses. You worship the ground Mary-Kate Olsen, Alexa Chung and Charlotte Free walk on and their boho chic style (aka just rolled out of bed and threw anything on) is an inspiration to you. You must own...

• All of the V-necks EVER
• Totes orig white t-shirts with some sort of vintage bicycle emblem on them that you just stumbled upon at a festival or Camden market
• An old blingy thick gold chain necklace
• A plain grey sweater (see how MK wears them)
• Some form of high waisted American Apparel pant
• Converse just go without saying
• A little bit of crucifix embossed jewellery to stay true to the roots but NEVER a top/leggings with the crucifix motif
• A tan leather vintage satchel - never a Cambridge Satchel, obviously, they're far too mainstream now and you'd much rather the original item
• Many, many headbands and Americana-esque bandanas
• A bowler hat
• Lots and lots of vintage band t-shirts
• Plenty of grandad jumpers and charity shop find shirts to pair together (because wearing an old cable knit jumper over a collared shirt makes you a fashion icon)
• Frilly little Topshop socks
• High waisted Levi's shorts
• A bow tie (ha, it's like totes ironic... right?)
• A hell of a lot of crop tops
• The festival bands of all of the festivals you've been to over the years. "Ah, what a crazy weekend that was..." Festival bands = you are living life.

A true hipster would never wear a camo jacket. SO MAINSTREAM GOSH. In terms of hair and make-up, the 'bed head' look is so the way to go. Just roll out of bed, don't even touch your hair, apply some clear eyebrow gel, some bronzer to emphasize those cheekbones, a bit of Olsen-style smoky brown eyeshadow, a flick of winged eyeliner and some Carmex and you're done.

7) Music.

When it comes to music, Pitchfork is your best friend. Any unknown psychedelic indie band they score 7/10 or higher YOU LOVE. There's no question about it, they will be huge in 3 year's time but obviously you're not a fan of their recent stuff, their most popular stuff is their poorest and you think their first ever EP is by far their best piece of work but obviously no one knows about that. It goes without saying that you love The Stones. What's your favourite song? Well, Sweet Child O' Mine is such a tune, right? Oh this top? Nooo it's not from Republic, it's totally official merchandise...

Obviously you love all the classics like Nirvana (note: not a clothing brand), Joy Division, The Beatles, The Stone Roses... But you also love all the alternative stuff, like Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective, Toy, Girls, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Bright Eyes, Death Cab For Cutie and The Avett Brothers. And O B V I O U S LY you worship The Strokes.

8) Coffee.

Yes, coffee does deserve its own category. But not just any coffee - it's black coffee or nothing. You're going for that Brooklyn poet vibe. But for the sake of a disposable camera snap, a few of Starbs' cold (pink) beverages are allowed in the summer. Coffee is a touchy subject with hipsters. Obviously, your main choice is Starbucks but a true hipster would not support this commercialism and would instead support local cafés where they get their own mug hung on the wall. Tea is also controversial. Three years ago, you couldn't get enough of it but ugh, now everyone's jumped on the bandwagon and this whole tea drinking cat loving stereotype is becoming so mainstream, so it's time to switch to green tea. It's all about the detox now.

You are now a fully fledged hipster, but just to be sure, here's a final checklist of must-haves...

• An Italian moleskine notepad to write down all of your deep thoughts and poetry whilst people watching in coffee shops
• Black nail varnish
• A record player
• Magazine collages on your bedroom wall
• iPod AT ALL TIMES
• Some Urban Outfitters headphones for those long train journeys to London spent staring out the window reflecting
• An NME subscription (even if they are a little too mainstream for you)
• An old leather hip flask
• Seemingly pointless items from vintage markets scattered around your room
• Leather bound books on display in your house
• Pinterest. So much less juvenile than Tumblr.

And there you have it. The original hipster.

Bises,

Riona

P.S. If you think I'm being serious you are a non-satire understanding imbecile.

The Rise and Rise of Cara Delevingne

Okay I said I'd 'keep up the blogging' in 2013 but due to exams and other boring things it has fallen to the wayside a bit. So I thought I'd bounce back with a post about my main girl, the gorgeous Cara Delevingne, who seems to have appeared out of nowhere.

Two years ago, if you'd have mentioned the name Cara Delevingne to anyone they'd probably have given you a blank look or asked "Is she related to Poppy Delevingne?" They are sisters but that's not the point. Poppy's been modelling since 2008 but is now nowhere near as ubiquitous as the heavily eyebrowed Cara, who in the last two years alone has been the face of Burberry's S/S'12 campaign and Chanel's 2013 Resort campaign, achieved the position coveted by every model as a Victoria's Secret Angel and graced the cover of Vogue and several other magazines. So, how to understand the rise and rise of Cara Delevingne?

In 2009 she signed to Storm Model Management, one of the world's leading model agencies which also represents names as big as Lily Cole and Alexa Chung, whilst still at boarding school. This was also the year she got to the final casting for the role of Alice in Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland film, but after losing to Aussie Mia Wasikowska was asked to be George Bamford's Alice in his Wonderland themed photoshoot (a photographer favoured by publication companies such as Condé Nast).

In 2010 we saw her at various social events, such as the Remember Me premiere looking slightly bewildered with sister Poppy.

She appeared in H&M's 2011 Authentic Collection...

...before Burberry took a liking to her and made her the new face of their Beauty range.

This then led to her being the face of their S/S 2012 campaign getting cosy with none other than Eddie Redmayne (who turns out to be 31 nowadays, if you thought he was 21 like I did)...

After having been described by British Vogue as the "star face" of the autumn/winter 2012-2013 show season (having appeared on the catwalk for brands such as Moschino, Jason Wu, Oscar de la Renta, Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Victoria's Secret, Stella McCartney and Chanel), she was made the face of Chanel's Resort 2013 Campaign, resembling a Marie Antoinette-esque pixie:

Delevingne was then revealed as the face of DKNY's colourful S/S 2013 campaign, where she can be seen strutting through the streets of New York:

Quite the rise to fame. At the end of 2012 she was also crowned Model of the Year at the British Fashion Awards and played a small part in Tolstoy's Anna Karenina where she played Aaron-Johnson's (urgh) love interest...

SO MUCH CARA. Just remember: however hard you work, Cara works harder.

Bises,

Riona