British Vogue: Then and Now

Then: Vogue January 1981

I recently had the privilege of viewing back issues of Vogue  from 1981 in The National Arts Library in London (which I would strongly recommend getting a free membership for to anyone living in London that's interested in Fashion). I found the differences and similarities between Vogue then and now so interesting that I decided to write a blog post about it. The interesting thing is not only the difference in fashion but also the differences in articles and audience, and also in price! Back then you only had to pay 90p for an issue whereas now the figure is racking up to almost £4.

The obvious differences are in the appearance of the magazine. The lay out is more like a newspaper with small articles and advertisements on each page. Most of the features are printed in black and white, with some adverts and photoshoots printed in colour. Perhaps this accounts for the lower price as it's cheaper to print in black and white than in colour. The magazine also includes many fashion illustrations which is something we don't see very often in modern magazines. I like the use of illustration as it makes the link between the fashion and art worlds more prominent and gives variety to a publication by using multiple medias.

Now: Vogue January 2014

In 1981 the magazine featured more adverts for shops and cigarettes than designers and there are fewer full page ads. Nowadays we have to wade through pages of designer campaigns before we even get to the contents. Personally I prefer the advertising in present day Vogue as viewing a designers advertisement is, to me, as informative as an article or a photoshoot because it shows you key themes in that season's collections.

Within the magazine there are some key differences between

Brights in Winter?

Pink Zip Front Jumpsuit - Miss Selfridge

Stereotypically winter is the time for subdued colours and rich fabrics. We all search for a Christmas party dress in a dark green or red made from velvet or covered in sequins. But why, when the world of fashion is ever changing and challenging the norm do we still stick to these traditions? When it's dark outside and everything is gloomy would it not be more sensible to brighten our days with colourful, bold outfits? This winter break out of the stereotype and instead of buying your standard LBD go for something bright to really stand out! I recently bought this bright pink jumpsuit (left) and will be wearing it all winter. Here are some of my favourite bright dresses around.

Sleek Scube Knit Skater Dress - Forever 21

Maxi Dress by Wal G - Topshop

Crepe Seam Flippy Dress - Topshop

Connie Dress by Jones and Jones -Topshop

Hello My Name is Paul Smith: Exhibition Review

On Tuesday I treated myself to a day off from job and university applications to go and visit the Hello My Name is Paul Smith exhibition at the Design Museum in London SE1 and it was well worth the trip. The exhibition has broken all design museum records for the number of visitors it has received and after viewing it myself this becomes very understandable.

Paul Smith in the hall of pictures

The exhibitions tracks Sir Paul Smith's (he was knighted in 2000) career from a replica of the 3 by 3 metres, windowless room that he called his first shop in 1970 in Byard Lane to a video of the man himself discussing his latest menswear show in Paris. For me the highlight of the show was the replicas of Smith's office and studio (actually located in Covent Garden). The curator Donna Loveday told Vogue 'we really want to take you inside his head and show you what inspires him.' and through these sections of the exhibit I really felt like I had been inside Smith's mind. From the office desk stacked with books (below) to the studio tables covered in fabrics and vintage magazines inspiration was everywhere.

A replica of Smith's Covent Garden office

Clothes feature more in this exhibition than his last exhibition at the museum in 1995. A circular corridor (that rather reminded me of the Mode offices in Ugly Betty) is lined with designs that Smith hand picked from the brands archives (below). The designs are split into four sections: travel, colour, print and British tradition, demonstrating the main inspirations and themes that run throughout Smith's work. At the end of the corridor is the video about Smith's fashion show that was held this year in Paris. This was particularly fascinating for a future fashion promotion student (aka me) but would still be interesting for anyone interested in fashion and again gives an amazing insight into Smith's head.

The Corridor of Designs

Although the majority of my readers live outside the UK I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is near to London. The was one of the best fashion exhibitions I have ever seen, that opened a window into the designers mind and was informative as well as visually exciting and enjoyable. Time Out gave it 4 stars but I would give it 5! Let me know if you visited the exhibition and what you thought of it in the comments!

Hello My Name is Paul Smith, The Design Museum London, SE1, until 9th March 2014
http://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/2013/paul-smith

Isabel Marant Pour H&M

Image from the Lookbook

High street brands collaborating with designers is becoming ever more common and H&M have been leading the way since 2004 with their Karl Lagerfeld collection. Since then the high street brand have collaborated with many designers including Stella McCartney, Jimmy Choo and Lanvin. This winter they've teamed up with Isabel Marant to create a to-die-for collection that will be available in stores and online from the 14th November (only 2 days!!). Prices range from $29.95 - $399 which is excellent for people like me with not so much cash to splash! The launch party was held at Tennis Club de Paris on the 24th October and many famous faces were seen sporting Marant's designs including January Jones, Freida Pinto and the epitome of French chic and one of my personal style icons, Audrey Tatou.

'What inspires me? It can be a gesture of a woman in the streets, it can be a stain on the carpet. It's things surrounding me that help me to understand what I have in my head. This collaboration with H&M was really a nice opportunity to re-do what I love in my collections and share this love with a wider public,' said Marant about the collaboration.

H&M declared "The Isabel Marant pour H&M collection is an eclectic mix of boho elegance and rock ‘n’ roll insouciance. The spirit is quintessentially Marant: masculine tailoring is featured together with skinny pants, sweatshirts, loose blouses, airy dresses and textured knits."

Here are some pieces from the collection. My favourites are the red patterned jumper and the grey jogging bottoms (directly below left and right).

£34.99

£34.99

£99.99

£199.99

£79.99

£69.99

£69.99

£49.99

£99.99

£14.99

So what do you think of the collection? Let me know in the comments below!

Isabel Marant Pour H&M is available in selected stores and online from the 14th November http://www.hm.com/gb/isabel-marant#item/6103_SL_W_28

Up-An-Coming Designer: W by Wenjun

About a month ago I attended a trade show in Paris called Tranoi. This trade show is dedicated to displaying the collections of up and coming designers to buyers, press and all the others who work in the fashion industry. At this show I saw hundreds of amazing collections but the one that stood out to me the most was a collection called W by Wenjun created by the wonderful Li Wenjun. I spent a good 20 minutes talking to her about her work and she was the nicest person I met over the three days. After a few emails back and forth I am writing my blog post about her and her collection.

W by Wenjun is a very modern collection that could easily be worn on the street but is still beautiful and fashionable. It’s a combination of Parisian chic with simple cuts and exotic Chinese style from Li’s heritage with the incredible fabrics that she uses. I asked Li a few questions which she answered so here they are as well as the images of her collection that she kindly supplied me with.

Q: Where were you educated and what did you study?

A: I studied in The Academy of fine arts in China, after graduation I came to Paris, France, to study fashion design in STUDIO BERÇOT, a fashion design school which is very understated but well-reputed. 

Q: What experience did you have in the fashion industry before starting your own line? 

A: I began the first fashion internship in a very small designer brand which basic in Paris, as a small company, I needed to work on many things, and I learned how a fashion brand runs from A to Z. Then I began to do my internship in the bigger company such as Vivienne Westwood, Givenchy, Kenzo, Valentino, for those well-known brands, I sometimes worked in the showrooms, sometimes worked as design assistant, sometimes for shop and administration, it helps me to understand more about how fashion companies work as I always had an idea to creat my own brand. After all those experience with the European brands, I went to  New York City for me last internship for 6 months, just wanted to know more about NY fashion, to enlarge my view and experience.

Q: What made you decide to create your own line?

A: Creating my own line is more about freedom, as an artist, I feel like creating a piece of art when I am making clothes. I just want to follow my feelings.

Q: What inspired your collection?

A: Life, it's more about an attitude to life, it could be a feeling, an impression, a sight, a person, a habit...

My favorite piece is a oversized shirt made of fabric that looks like dragonfly wings (above right). It could be worn over anything or tucked into a sleek skirt. I love the versatility of this collection and the way it can all be worn together or with other designers pieces. Let me know what you think of the collection and check out Li's website: http://www.wbywenjun.com/

A Poor Fashionista's Guide to Paris: Le Marais

I've now been in Paris for around 5 weeks (blog writing had to be put on hold as it was rather difficult to settle in) and I feel like I'm already becoming a part of my dream world, the world of fashion! Last week I attended Vogue Fashion's Night out on Rue Saint Honore (left) and this weekend I've been at Tranoi trade show (a blog post about this event will be coming soon!) So having already spent a fair amount of time roaming the streets of Paris I thought I would put together a concise guide of Paris for those who love fashion but don't have the cash to splash! I will write a post about a new area each week so watch this space.

The number one hot spot to visit and the area I'm going to start with is Le Marais, catch a line 1 Metro to Saint Paul and cruise up the escalator straight onto the street. Le Marais is the best place in Paris to find vintage clothing. My favourite store and the generally acknowledged best is The King of Frip. Located on Rue du Roi de Sicile this store has so many clothes inside and they are all reasonably priced (for a vintage store in Paris anyhow). I bought the cape coat pictured above in this store for 40 euros which given the quality of it is a total bargain  Along the same road there a few other vintage stores which are worth a pop in.

The King of Frip

Once you've shopped and dropped make your way to 14 Rue Pavée to L'eclaire de Genie for an absolutely splendiferous ecalire. With a new collection each season these cakes are the patisserie world equivalent of Chanel. This season I would recommend the Caramel Pop Corn eclaire which is crème caramel salted butter with caramel fondant topped with caramel popcorn. A bit pricey at 5 euros each but well worth it in my opinion. If you feel like really splashing out or taking home a tasty gift then they come in boxes of 4, 6 or 10. If you feel like something more savoury then you have to go with the falafel that the area is famous for. There are hundreds of stores and they are all cheap and tasty!

http://www.leclairdegenie.com/eclairs

Once you've purchased your eclaire/falafel make your way to the Seine and eat your food on the river banks. Once you've eaten it all up walk through the area, admiring the timelessly chic Parisians and gazing into designer boutiques until you reach the Pompidou centre. This is one of my favourite places to visit. The place outside is perfect for people watching and inside is a fabulous modern art collection that I find truly inspiring. 

http://www.centrepompidou.fr/en

And so ends your day in Le Marais, if you feel like going out for dinner then I would recommend a creperie because what else would you eat in Paris?! I hope you've found this post interesting/helpful and please leave any questions in the comments below!

Current Inspirations: Karlie Kloss

Karlie Kloss is a model that I've always loved since she was first on the cover of Teen Vogue in 2008. Since then Kloss has graced the cover of multiple fashion magazines, walked for numerous designers and starred in campaigns for all the top fashion brands. Being such a fashion icon, it is inevitable that Kloss has to-die-for style. She has the 'off duty model' look down to a tee and always looks uber sophisticated. Karlie's look is all about comfort, think casual, lots of black and denim, minimal make-up and hair either down, swept up in a bun or a lose ponytail. A slouchy bag is great for carry everything you need and either pumps or boots are the best choice for footwear.

This patterened dress is absolutely stunning and looks great with a boho wavy pony-tail

A white logo t-shirt is always in style

This denim play suit is practical and stylish

checks and tweed suggest upper class Englishness

A baggy vest and jeans is great for summer days

A Chanel quilted bag and a trench coat are staple items

This bright jumper adds a pop to this outfit

This shirt dress is perfect for summer in the city

This outfit looks super comfy and stylish