29 October 2013

NFL FAN RALLY









Last Saturday I headed down to Trafalgar Square to check out the NFL Fan Rally that was being held that day. The rally was a gathering of NFL fans to celebrate the international game that was being held the following day between the San Francisco 49ers and the Jacksonville Jaguars. A similar event for another international match had been held earlier in the month in Regents Street. There were performances from both drumlines as well as performances from the Jacksonville cheerleaders and the All star cheerleaders. Not only were there the performances but there were also interviews with the NFL commissioner, members of the participating teams and ever talks with NFL legends.

The atmosphere was great from both the crowd and the venue and I'm so glad I went down for a nearly the whole thing. Mini american footballs were thrown occasionally into the crowd, although I sadly didn't manage to get one! It wasn't just the performances on stage that were going on there was also a lot of things situated around Trafalgar Square. There was a a chance to see the Vince Lombardi trophy, dunk some footballs, play the official EA game and more. There was also the chance to buy merchandise at the official NFL and New Era shops. Some rather delicious pulled pork burgers were on offer along with other refreshments.

Overall it was a brilliant couple of hours and definitely something I'd love to go see again. Despite the rain, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I'm hoping next year that I can get tickets for one of the three internationals being held in London as I'd really love to see an American football game being played live, but if not I will definitely be going to the fan rallies!

22 October 2013

VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM - V&A











The Victoria and Albert Museum (also known as the V&A) is set near the Natural History Museum, on Exhibition Road. It is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4 million objects housed within. It was founded in 1982 and is named after Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert. Entry to the museum is completely free but as with many museums like this they do ask for donations to keep it running. The museum is open from 10:00 - 17:45 daily. On Fridays 10:00 to 22:00 (selected galleries remain open after 18.00).

The museum is split into 5 sections:
Exhibitions 

There are currently two ticket ticketed exhibitions that are running. These are Pearls (21 September 2013 - 19 January 2014) and Club to Catwalk: London Fashion in the 1980s (10 July 2013 – 16 February 2014).
Asia
This section houses pieces from China, Islamic Middle East, Japan, Korea, South Asia and South East Asia as well as Sculpture section.
Materials & Techniques
Housing a range of articles and pieces on a variety of materials from glass to silver, there is a lot to see in this section of the museum. Whether it's stained glassed windows or old tapestries there is something for everyone to take a look at. There is also a section within dedicated to fashion showing a variety of pieces from different periods and styles. This is where the exhibition Club to Catwalk is held.
Europe
Take a look at pieces from 1500-1760 Britain before traveling through Britain in 1760 - 1900. Then there is the chance to look at pieces from Raphael and the Medieval & Renaissance pieces. Also housed within are pieces from Europe from the period of 1600-1800 and Europe & America from 1800-1900. With this section containing some of the largest in the museum there is a lot of delicate and intricate detailing to look at on these pieces.
Modern
The final section is Modern showing pieces from the 20th Century.

As well as the exhibitions and the various pieces there are also shops with in the museum and also a cafe/restaurant to allow for you to grab something to eat whilst having a break from browsing the museum. 

The V&A is a place where you could spend hours discovery and I would highly recommend it. With so many things housed in a incredible building it really is worth visiting if you find yourself with a spare day or couple of hours in London.

Nearest tube station: South Kensington

15 October 2013

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM









Situated along Exhibition Road in South Kensington, the Natural History Museum showcases a wide range of specimens and and exhibits from across various sections of natural history. It is open everyday of the year apart from the 24th-26th December. Opening at 10am and shutting at 5:50pm there is plenty of time to have a really good look around. There are also Late Nights held every last Friday of the month where you can explore the galleries and exhibitions in the evening until 22:30.

With free entry, as well as some ticketed exhibition, there is a lot to see all under one roof. The museum is split into four different zones.
- The Blue Zone is one of the larger ones showcasing dinosaurs, mammals, human biology, marine invertebrate and fishes,amphibians & reptiles.
- The Red Zone is more physical geography natural history whose galleries include; Earth's treasury, From the beginning, The Power within and Earth today & Tomorrow.
Until January 2014 the Power Within Gallery, located in the Red Zone, is closed due to refurbishment.
- The Green Zone houses birds, minerals, creepy crawlies, ecology and Our Place in Evolution.
- Finally, the Orange Zone features the Attenborough Studio, the Cocoon (entrance), the Wildlife Garden (entrance outside) and the Zoology Spirit Building.

As well as the permanent galleries, temporary exhibitions are also run through the year at various points. A temporary exhibition showing at the moment is Wildlife Photographer of the Year. This is running from 18th October 2013 - 23rd March 2014. The tickets for this cost Adult £12, child and concessions £6. As well as the temporary exhibtions there is also the ice rink, outside the builiding, open from 31st October - 5th January 2014. Tickets for that are Adults £12.65 and Child £8.80 with family tickets also available.

With so many things to see and do at the museum, where the majority is free, it's really worth heading down there for the day. Whilst your down in South Kensington you can also check out the Science Museum (located next door) or the V&A which is slightly up the road. For information on what they have there as well as findning out what other exhibitions are currently showing, check out their website http://www.nhm.ac.uk/index.html.
Nearest tube station: South Kensington

08 October 2013

COVENT GARDEN









I really enjoy taking photographs and documenting days out or places I've visited. As I now live in London I really wanted to start a new series doing posts documenting places I visit or things I've seen whilst around the city. I hope you enjoy these posts as much as I know I'll enjoy visiting the places and taking the photos!

First up Covent Garden! A well known and popular shopping and tourist attraction, Covent Garden is a place worth visiting whilst you're in London. With a mix of food, shops and culture there is plenty to see.
Theatres nearby include the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, currently showing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the Lycuem Theatre, where The Lion King is shown. So if you fancy seeing a show, it's worth visiting Covent Garden for a bite to eat before or after you catch a performance. Other attractions around the area include the London Transport Museum and the Royal Opera House.

In terms of food there are plenty of restaurants and places to eat to choose from. For those with a sweet tooth I'd recommend grabbing a Ben's Cookie or a Crème de la Crêpe. If you fancy a more savory affair then Jamie Oliver's Union Jacks is great for a place to sit down and eat. When looking for something a bit quicker and for on the go you can try one of the many foods created in the lower courtyard areas such as the huge paella served just outside Sass & Belle.

Not only is there shops and restaurants to keep you occupied but Covent Garden is known for having street artists so make sure you check those out. For the best experience of seeing these street performers I'd recommend heading down at the weekend as there is a greater variety of acts.

Covent Garden isn't just the main market area and courtyards it spreads a bit further a field, so make sure to have a good look around all the back streets to find some hidden shops when you visit!
Nearest tube station : Covent Garden.

I hope you enjoyed this post and thanks for reading!

07 October 2013

FASHION WEEK SUMMARY - S/S 2014





Fashion season is over for another year! I'm actually quite sad that it's over as I've loved seeing what's on offer from the designer this year. I've really enjoyed every minute that I've spent writing about the various fashion weeks this past month. From creating the images, to writing my designer reviews it's something I haven't regretted at all and I'm so glad I did it. To round up this season I thought I'd just show you a teeny selection of my favourite selections shown for Spring Summer 2014.
MISHA NONOO (full post here)
 JENNY PACKMAN (full post here)



BURBERRY PRORSUM (full post here)

TEMPERLEY (full post here)

ALBERTA FERRETIS (full post here)


GIORGIO ARMANI (full post here)

VALENTINO (full post here)
NINA RICCI (full post here)



So there we go. That was my final post about fashion week for this season! I hope you enjoyed these posts as much as I have writing them. I'd love to know what you think! Don't forget to check out each individual coverage for the different cities - New York, London, Milan and Paris.

Thanks for reading!
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*Photographs via Style.com

06 October 2013

SUNDAY SUMMARY #40







1. I went to my first blogging event this week at the lovely DUO Flagship Fitting Room in Covent Garden. I have a full post up about that - here - if you wanted to read and see a little more about what went on!
2. I had a nice weekend away at my grandparents this weekend and I'm heading back tomorrow morning. I',m excited to see my friends and start getting into a proper working routine now. I've nearly been at university a month already now which is crazy, it's gone a lot quicker than I thought!
3. Just a short post today as I've got to get on with some university work, but there's been a lot of posts going up lately so I hope you've enjoyed them! 

As always, hope you had a lovely weekend!

05 October 2013

PARIS FASHION WEEK SUMMARY





So that's it! Another Paris Fashion Week over for another season! I've really liked a lot of different designers this year and it's interesting to see the different style that Paris brings to the scene.

There was the recurring mix of both pastels and darker colours shown throughout the week. Dark, more rich toned colours aren't normally what you'd expect to see for Spring/Summer but they've been quite popular this year. Brights also featured a lot but I think monochrome colours still remained strong. 

In terms of trends at this fashion week, whites featured quite heavily again. There was also a strong presence of richer, jewel toned colours along with pastels. With a mix of both tailored and more delicate pieces there was a lot on offer across collections this season. Lace featured  in quite a few shows across the week including at the Nina Ricci and Louis Vuitton shows.

Obviously one of the main pieces of news was Marc Jacobs leaving Louis Vuitton. It's sad that he's leaving but it's going to be exciting to see both what's next for Louis Vuiton but also Marc Jacobs' own brand as well.

I hope you enjoy this coverage of Paris Fashion Week! Were there any shows that were your favourite?

Thanks for reading!

04 October 2013

CHANEL & LOUIS VUITTON - S/S 2014





Chanel and Louis Vuitton are designers I always keep an eye out for at every season. My favourtie collcetions from both of them to date are definitely the Spring/Summer 2014. This year was a lot different to what I was expecting so thought I'd do a separate post on the two collections, together.

Louis Vuitton S/S 2012 is my favourite designer collection shown at a fashion week. I loved everything about it, so year on year I can't wait to see what the designer brings out to top it. This year I wasn't wowed but I was however, intrigued by this collection. Firstly, I loved the setting! With a mix of a carousel, escalators, lifts and fountain, it was a lovely mix of settings from previous shows. The whole show was rather dark with the whole of the set being black. I had, and still have, mixed feelings about this collection. I really like the more wearable pieces, such as the denim, the solid dress and the jackets but I wasn't as big a fan towards the full lace pieces or the body suits shown. The colour palette was all black, to make the set, for the main fabrics with a small amount of denim running throughout. The shapes were kept quite classic in their design with the lace really adding to the collection. Overall I loved the settings, the attention to details and the way the collection was shown, but some pieces just didn't appeal to me as much as others in previous collections have.
I couldn't not post about Louis Vuitton without mentioning Marc Jacobs leaving the brand. I really love Marc Jacobs work for Louis Vuitton and I will be sad to see him go. It'll be interesting to see what Louis Vuitton brings next season but also interesting to see what Marc Jacobs does with his own brand!



Much like with Louis Vuitton, the Chanel S/S 2012 cat walk was amazing. The attention to details with the slick, wet look hair and the whole under the sea theme was just beautiful. The 2013 collection I liked, with the interesting use of patterns and the extremely interesting hula hoop style handbag, so I was ready to see what this season could bring. With over 80 looks there was a lot to see with this collection. There was such a wide variety of textures, colours and patterns used that there wasn't a look that didn't attract my eye or capture my attention in some way. The classic Chanel pearl featured in the show once again. This season it was in the form of two giant pearls on the end of a necklace. The main fabric used was tweed which was really interesting to see. I'm still not to sure how I feel about that for Spring/Summer though. I think the jackets would work really well for the colder Spring months but it's not a fabric I instantly think of using for Summer due to it's weightier nature. One thing I really liked about this collection was the amount of colour involved. There were pieces that were bright and fun with almost a brickwork bright patter (seen above). Other pieces had a softer, more subtle, colour choice with more mutual greys and oatmeals being used. One of my favourite pieces from the collection was an outfit with a multi-coloured tweed dress with an over laying black vest (above, top left). It really caught my eye and I just really liked the look of the multi-coloured tweed as it's something a big different. Overall, I liked the collection but I'm still unsure of some of the pieces shown. The pieces worked well and there was a lovely variety. It was nice to see so many designs but still each one being kept different from the next.

I had mixed feelings on both shows this year but after looking at the both multiple times now they have started to grow on my a lot more. What did you think of think of the Chanel and Louis Vuitton collections this year?
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*Photographs via Style.com

03 October 2013

PARIS FASHION WEEK #3









The third and final post in a series, featuring some of my favourite collections from Paris Fashion Week this season.

Elie Saab's collection featured lots of different colours, shapes, fabrics and embellishments. Each outfit varied with no two outfits being too similar. The pieces were split into coloured sections with around 5 in each colour or pattern. They colours used were coral, white, forest green, multi-coloured flower detail, red, monochrome and finally back. The overall feeling of the collection was very feminine with the dresses
For many of the pieces the shapes of the outfit was kept simple but with detail being added through the embellishment. One of the most interesting pieces that used embellishment was a simple full length, white dress with a high neckline (above, second from left). This dress on this dress really caught my eye and look beautiful. Not only was there this texture embellishment added but also lace was used in many of the pieces to add another dimension and texture into the collection. The colours used and the pretty embellishments and florals on many of the pieces really made this a lovely Spring/Summer collection.

Stella McCartney showed a collection with florals and rich colours and fabrics. Many of the outfits shown in the collection were trouser pieces. The shapes of the trousers were kept feminine with the more tailored style but with the fabrics allowing them to be slightly looser and more floaty than a traditional suit trouser. A large flower print was used on many of the pieces. The print wasn't too big or overpowering but instead worked really nicely with the cut to the clothes. The silky fabrics used for many of the pieces, both as the main fabric and as accents to some other pieces gave a more luxurious and rich feel to the collection. I really liked this collection. Although the pieces were kept fairly simple, the fabrics and colours really created a nice rounded collection with pieces that are suitable for the new season.

Neil Barratt is a designer I've never heard of but it was one that attracted my eye due to it's simple nature and easy to wear pieces. It was quite a small collection compared to others. There was a mix of sweaters and skirts both in simple colours. It was an overall casual collection but one that still had a feminine feel to it with the more structured skirts and looser fitted pleated skirts. It was an overall monochrome affair throughout the collection with just a few pieces containing a pop of red. There were high necklines with scooped necks and the hem lines were kept a bit shorter with an added layer of cycling shorts added underneath for some of the short skirts.
I really like the Valentino collection this season. It was a collection that featured different ideas and a theme we haven't really seen this fashion week. To me it had quite a Gothic/Medieval feel to the collection but I really enjoyed. There was a mix of hem lengths which really worked nicely with both the fabrics and styles of the collection. There was a mix of fabrics from the lighter laces to the heavier pieces. There was an amazing amount of detailing and embroidery which gave a really luxurious look and feel. The patterns on show were amazing and very intricately detailed. In terms of the colours shown they are slightly darker than we have seen this season in other collections. Although they may not be that typical colours for Spring/Summer, I really enjoyed the look of this collection and the colours worked well with their richness and the embellishment shown.

I hope you enjoyed this post today so please do let me know your thoughts! Make sure to check out the coverage of the shows as some and steaming live and check out Style.com

Thanks for reading!
*Photographs via Style.com