SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

YES! Its the hat.

I am in love with foxes. I recently sited one outside my house (very unusual as my area is so urban) and named him Pierre. 

I love this hat, I bought it on line a couple of years ago and I think its so cute. Its made of felt so it does not crease and is water resistant. Whenever the weather is crummy, I wear this and feel better. All hats are made from scratch to order too.

I got it from this website www.kyaaa.biz

There are lots of different animal designs, here are some of my favourites.

I am fascinated by hats. I think hats are an extension of ones self, you can tell a lot about a person judging by the hat they are wearing. 

Hats are so daring to me, I wish more people wore hats. A good hat can really communicate the look you are trying to create, it can really take an outfit to a whole new level. 

Me looking very Pete Doherty at a house party nearly two years ago. I wore this bowler hat with a white lace dress to toughen it up a little. When I see these photographs I kind of miss my black hair...

I think anyone can wear and look good in a hat. I think wearing a hat takes courage but the gamble pays off when you marry a beautiful hat with the perfect outfit. 

My favourite hat of all time! How could I not refer back to this when I'm writing a blog about hats? It reminds me of a mint humbug. With this, I'd wear a very plain outfit. A black dress would do. 

I still feel unbelievably honoured to own this Philip Treacy hat. It stays neatly in its rightful box!

I was so thrilled when I worked at Philip Treacy as I was able to expand my knowledge of millinery. I applied for many Fashion internships after I finished my first year at University and I can honestly say that I wanted to work with Philip Treacy the most - even above my heroine Vivienne Westwood. I felt this way because there is so much you can learn from accessories. At University I have been fortunate enough to learn the basic crafts of a Fashion student - pattern cutting, sewing and actually bringing Fashion drawings to a finished fully functional garment, but I'd never worked closely with accessories. I've always had a love for hats so working at Philip's studio was a dream. I loved being able to see how hats are developed and it was beautiful. The hard work it takes to create a hat is astounding to say the least.

I felt that working at Philip Treacy really aided me to broaden my Fashion horizons. I was essentially taking a crash course in something I'd had no prior knowledge of at University. If I worked for a clothing designer, I knew the basics of how a garment is made. With hats, from the creative process to devising a finished piece was a mystery to me. 

One woman who I think can carry a hat like no other is Isabella Blow - she was a close friend of Philip Treacy. She had a "more is more" attitude, no design was ever too over the top for her. I think this philosophy has been applied to the hats she wore. I love her signature flamboyant style. I also love referring back to her quotes - one of my favourites "If you don't wear lipstick, I can't talk to you" headlines my page.

 I also love her response to why she wears such elaborate hats (the majority of the hats she wore were Philip Treacy designs)...

"...To keep everyone away from me. They say, Oh, can I kiss you? I say, No, thank you very much. That's why I've worn the hat. Goodbye. I don't want to be kissed by all and sundry. I want to be kissed by the people I love."

Here is Isabella Blow wearing some of my favourite Philip Treacy creations.

How could you not be in awe of these hats? I could spend hours pining over the detailing of these beautiful creations. You can imagine how beside myself I must have been working there...

Other celebrities have turned to Philip Treacy for avant garde millinery.

Britney Spears

Cheryl Cole

Beyonce

Pamela Anderson

Grace Jones and Iman

Naomi Campbell

And probably most famously...

Gaga

Maybe if I am very lucky, I'd love to work for Stephen Jones one day too, just to see how another milliner works. 

I'm excited for what the future holds, if I was fortunate enough to be rewarded with such a wonderful internship in my first year of University, I'm very excited with the prospect of working with other designers too.

COSPLAY - SAINT OR SIN?

I have a little confession to make...

Last year I attended a Cosplay event - Edinburgh's much anticipated Auchinawa Convention. The convention comes once a year and people travel from all over Britain to attend the event. Myself and my friend Naomi went to Auchinawa in 2010 and stayed for the whole weekend. 

It was the strangest weekend I think I have ever experienced in my entire life.

Lets get one thing straight, Conventions are not my thing. Neither is Cosplay. My friend Naomi begged me to go and I knew I would feel a little out of my comfort zone, I did not know anyone else who was going to the event other than another girl from my High School called Eilidh, I did not know how serious the Cosplay scene is and I didn't know if my costume would receive a good reception. Fortunately, everyone loved my costume. I chose to dress up as Sailor Venus - from the Sailor Moon series.

Apologies - this is the only suitable photograph I could find of myself. I was terribly camera-shy that weekend. So unlike me, but I felt very mediocre compared to the other Cosplayers.

The REAL Sailor Venus - my costume was close enough.

If any of you are Sailor Moon fans, you can see that my costume is not accurate. I'm missing a tiara, red hair bow and although you can't see it in the photograph, I was wearing incorrect shoes. This quickly became a problem to me as all the other Cosplayers took their costume VERY seriously. Most costumes had been tailor-made by a Cosplay costume designer or had even been made by the Cosplayer themselves. It's safe to say that as a Fashion student, I quickly became very ashamed at my lack of effort. I ordered my Sailor Venus costume on Ebay from Japan, cut the length of my dress very unevenly as the skirt was huge, quickly hemmed  it and then complained to the seller as half of the accessories did not fit me. As for the wig, I borrowed it from a friend who wore it for a Lady Gaga themed party.

Despite my Cosplay faux pas, my costume received a very positive reaction. My character was pretty old skool and really recognisable. I played it very safe compared to some of the others.

My confession is that I am a bit of an anime geek. 

I chose to be Sailor Venus as I grew up watching Sailor Moon, it was my all time favourite TV show as a kid and I loved speeding home after school to watch it. To this day the best gift I've ever received - even above my Vivienne Westwood bag, is my complete Sailor Moon DVD collection. I mentioned to my boyfriend in passing that I always longed for it and he bought it for me last Christmas. He went to so much trouble getting them as many that are sold online are the wrong region.  They cost a bomb too as they are so vintage. 

I collected the Sailor Moon books as a kid and foolishly threw them away later - WHYYY?? I had the first volume which is now being sold on Amazon for $89... I assume this is because the books are discontinued and therefore collectible items now.

I found watching Sailor Moon as a child so romantic - I was in love with the characters and I always thought that the Sailor Scout's costumes were beautiful. 

The original Sailor Scouts

One of my favourite Sailor Moon costumes - Princess Serenity dress.

As you cannot see my makeup at all in the photo I provided, I've decided to recreate the Sailor Venus makeup I applied that day. I followed Michelle Phan's Youtube tutorial and amped it up a little. 

What I used to get the look. Mac Studio Fix Fluid foundation, Urban Decay "blond" eyebrow kit, High Beam by Benefit, Barry M liquid eyeliner, Loreal siver eyeshadow, Mac lipstick in "Frosted Bombshell".

On the day I also wore HUGE fake eyelashes to look more anime-like. 

Although Cosplaying is not my thing - I wouldn't readily attend another Cosplay convention any time soon, I think it is a really fun hobby and not to be taken too seriously, although I know too well that it can be pretty competitive!

A perfect example of competitive Cosplaying can be seen with world famous Cosplayer Yaya Han.

Cosplaying Christie from the video game Dead Or Alive

Ada Wong - Resident Evil

My favourite costume of hers - peacock design costume

That weekend I met some lovely and very extrovert people. I think Cosplaying is an excellent way to channel your love for your favourite cartoon characters and putting  artistic flair into practicality. I'd love to be able to design and create my own Cosplay costumes!

WOULD ANY OF YOU COSPLAY? WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ANIME?? I also like Fruits Basket!

xoxo

P.S. Here is Michelle Phan's tutorial if you are interested...

1960's VINTAGE

Mini skirts, mismatched patterns, paisley, tie dye, bell bottoms, PVC, sequins, beehives, geometric hair cuts, false eyelashes, Brigitte Bardot, Vidal Sassoon, Twiggy, The MODS and Rockers... Ever feel like your were born in the wrong era?

I hate to be terribly cliché, but since purchasing my 1960's gingham vintage dress, I've felt compelled to write a post about my admiration for the 60's.

I wish women were as risqué today. I find it really sad that many women opt for a disposable approach to fashion - buying cheap pieces in bulk for them to only be worn away in a few months time.

This is why I love vintage. I love putting on a retro garment and embracing the mystery behind it. I wonder how the piece has kept in such wonderful condition for so many years - was it worn only a couple of times then locked away in an illicit wardrobe somewhere in an old woman's house? 

The quality of the material behind vintage clothing and accessories never ceases to fascinate me. The fabric always seems to feel so genuine and barely worn in, however the missing and/or loose buttons tell a different story.

I always ask myself "who did this garment belong to?" as I'm twirling in front of the mirror in a vintage store's changing room. What kind of person wore this dress? Was she into Fashion, like me?

I also love the SMELL of vintage pieces. I can't really describe that signature pungent smell that is embedded within any piece of vintage - dresses, shoes, bags - even jewellery! A sort of musky powdery smell that I adore.

My favourite vintage stores are "Rokit" (the Covent Garden shop is best) and now Aberdeen's "The Closet".

Here are some of my favourite 1960's pieces I found on the Rokit website. 

Wrap over effect orange mini dress

Green and blue floral day dress

Blue and green bathing suit

Tan suede fringed Pioneer jacket 

Fashion recycles itself. I think that designers will always flock to the 60's for fashion inspiration.  

WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE VINTAGE PIECE YOU OWN? WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR WHEN YOU GO VINTAGE SHOPPING? I tend to flock to dresses and handbags.

Here's a few of my latest vintage buys

1960's belted gingham dress - will upload pictures of me wearing this later.

Sheer body and Jaeger high waisted flared shorts

1950's red hat and little black boots!

Black leather briefcase 

xoxo

LFW SNEAK PEEK

Yesterday I visited a vintage store I didn't even know existed. 

My friend brought it to my attention that in my home town of Aberdeen there is a vintage store called "The Closet" neatly tucked away in the heart of Aberdeen. Since I'm suffering London Fashion Week blues and feeling anxious about what to wear, I took it upon myself to investigate. Little did I know that the store would rival vintage I'd come across during my stint in London.

The store is teeny - literally a closet. At first I felt anxious as I don't know about you, but when I browse in vintage boutiques I often feel very nervous as the shop assistants tend to stalk you like a hawk - with good reason. Soon I discovered that not only the "shop assistant" would later be revealed as the shop owner, but she would also become my best friend in a matter of minutes.

For two hours I tried on an array of clothes she recommended would suit me. It was so bazaar, she read my style like an open book - a little kooky, random, "effortless" but chic. She picked out clothes for me that I felt were MADE for me. If I was rich, she would now be my personal stylist. 

After a while of being thrown size UK 6-8 gorgeous vintage (flattering, but this is NOT my size. I'm a small 10) I finally began to see myself wearing some lovely, very Fashion Week worthy pieces that I went back and purchased today. 

I've taken some sneak previews of what I'll probably wear to Fashion Week. I don't want to take full body photographs of the outfits as everything could change from now until September. 

I bought an original 1960's belted gingham dress, a sheer black body suit and a pair of 80's Jaeger shorts.

This dress is ALL about being noticed. Not usually my kind of style, but the shop owner Elaine said "What a piece to carry on throughout fashion". I think that's the beautiful thing about vintage - buying one off pieces to keep for years to come and hopefully give away to a very lucky girl in many years to come.

Original Jaeger shorts - a steal at £20.

I might upload proper photographs of me in the outfits later! Sorry I don't have one if the vintage body suit.

Its such a shame as the shop is deadly quiet. The stock they have is a dream, unbelievable prices for original DKNY, Paul Smith, Jaeger and Miu Miu. I guess if I'm being really cruel, this means that there is more bargains for old magpie me :)

Elaine and my friend and I then got into a conversation about how many key pieces from the likes of Topshop are so mass produced, amazing garments will be worn by multiple people all at once. Where is the originality? Keep vintage alive - wear one off pieces.

I'm so delighted to have been able to go back and purchase these today. The woman did not take card after ALL that trying on so she let me keep these pieces aside for today, which they never usually do. She swore across the fashion bible - Vogue, that she wouldn't put them out until 1pm. I had until then to collect my goods. I arrived just as the store opened and had to be let in by a member off staff. Better safe than sorry.

I'm going to Glasgow at the end of the month for some more vintage raiding. Why does my gut instinct tell me nothing will compare to The Closet?

xoxo

P.S. Thank you new followers! Will check out your blogs tonight too.

COOL CATS FROM LONDON TOWN

While I was interning at Philip Treacy's studio a couple of months ago, I met some really interesting people. 

Only recently whilst I've been completing my Summer Project my University has given me to do before I go back in the fall, I have really began to appreciate how talented these people are.

Part of our summer project is to devise a diary of contacts - PR companies, models, stylists etc. The diary has to be presented in a contemporary way. I feel that my two month internship at Philip Treacy will really benefit this part of my summer project as I worked in the PR department there. 

I attended a "Ladies Lunch" charity event at the Haymarket Hotel. Philip and Zandra Rhodes presented some of their latest collections and I helped out backstage. I helped the models change into their outfits, made sure their changes were as swift as possible and fixed their hats in place before they hit the run way. It was one of the most thrilling experiences of my life. I remember the atmosphere being unbelievably tense backstage as there was hats scattered EVERYWHERE, it was up to me and another intern from St Martins to find the correct hats for each girl. At the end of the show, Philip was really pleased with our efforts so I felt that our hard work had paid off.

Here are some images from the show.

She looks so fierce in that McQueen jacket. I remember the collar never wanted to sit properly but she worked it!

Couture bubble perspex dome with ornate patent flower trim - I still remember the names of all the hats :))

Chloe Flowerdew

IMG

Zoe Brown

IMG

Zoe Brown

Red flyaway bow

Prior to the Fashion show, some professional models from IMG had castings at Philip's studio. I met the girls featured in Philip's runway show at the Haymarket Hotel and they were all lovely - Chloe Flowerdew, Zoe Brown, Chelsea Donaldson and Katya Ko - she was my favourite.

Katya Ko for Dazed Japan

On a separate occasion, I met some one else who I found particularly fascinating.

One day I was asked to pack some hats for a photographer called Kurtiss Lloyd who was coming to pick up the hats for a photoshoot. I remember feeling terribly embarrassed when he turned up slightly early to collect the hats and they were not packed yet. I invited him up to my office and packed the hats in front of him and in doing so, we began talking. He turned out to be one of the most lovely people I met in London whilst I was interning there.

I recently emailed him and requested if I could use some of his photographs in my Summer Project - not only did he say yes but he also sent me some brand new photographs he's taken recently of some models wearing Philip Treacy hats. He's been so kind and I'd like to show you some of his work.

Here are the results of the hats I packed for his photo shoot.

I think he's so talented. Thank you again Kurtiss for letting me feature you in my project and use your images for this blog post. I'm mostly grateful however, for how kind you were that day. 

I appreciated it so deeply when people took the time to get to know the little Scottish girl when I was tackling big bad London.

xoxo

THE DILEMMAS OF ATTENDING LONDON FASHION WEEK

Hi everyone! 

Sorry I have not blogged in a couple of days (I usually blog every single day without fail) but my friends and I have been trying to tie loose ends in regards to London Fashion Week in September.

It has been brought to the Fashion Communication students attention that we are attending the event and will be taking photographs of the flamboyant street style surrounding us during our trip.

I am so excited as I love London! My friends and I have spent the last couple of days arranging where we are going to stay for that week and booking our transport down. It has been stressful to organise but the hardest part is yet to come...

Suddenly it hit me, what on earth will I wear? 

Of course, whilst I was living in London a few months ago, I bought A LOT of clothes, but now I am questioning "Are they Fashion Week worthy?". I have a few vintage cat suits I will take with me that I purchased in Camden. I think they are lovely and I received a lot of compliments when I wore them to work in London. My main problem is shoes, however. 

My emerald green cat suit - got it way before the jewel-toned trends started!

Sorry that my hair is white again. The pink lasted less than one hour before I bleached it out again!

Back to my old white hair... And still looking unbelievably dark from my holidays!

I might dye my hair pink again for LFW... So I look kinda interesting...

I don't have any shoes with much wow-factor. I bought a lovely pair of shoe boots from another vintage store in London and I have a pair of red Kurt Geigers, but other than that, I can't say the footwear side of my closet is fabulous. 

The way I see it is I have two choices.

1. Buy outfits - dresses and accessories.
2. Buy ONE pair of kick-ass designer shoes. 

I've opted for choice 1. I don't think buying a pair of amazing shoes is worth it if I don't have an equally amazing wardrobe to match. I am such an awkward shoe size too, I'd be devastated if I ordered a gorgeous pair of Westwood heels, only to discover that they don't fit.

After discussing WHO we will wear with my friend Fiona (another Fashion Communication student), we discussed the possibility of wearing vintage - so not even WE will know who we're wearing. Genius. 

I love the likes of Topshop and Urban Outfitters, but I don't want to be wearing strictly high street on the day. A mix of designer and vintage would be ideal. Wearing my designer jewellery and always being equipped with my Vivienne Westwood handbag with a thrifted outfit is my plan.

I think this trip will be the first time my Philip Treacy beret will be worn out! I'm looking for a plain black dress to wear with this as the print is rather wild.

I am going shopping on Friday to trawl the vintage shops of Aberdeen for some one-off garments that will hopefully withstand my budget. I am praying to the lord of Fashion that I'll be able to pull this off. 

IF ANYONE KNOWS OF ANY GOOD VINTAGE SHOPS IN SCOTLAND - LET ME KNOW.

EQUALLY, IF YOU KNOW OF ANY ONLINE SHOE STORES WHO SELL DISCOUNTED DESIGNER FOOTWEAR, LET ME KNOW!! JUST IN CASE.

The panic is settling in very quickly... It is so sad but the past two nights I've actually lost sleep over this. My boyfriend and I might be visiting his grandpa and aunty in Glasgow towards the end of this month so that trip may become my last resort!

Are any of you attending LFW?

xoxo