Somerset House: Miles Aldridge

A couple of weeks ago I did my bi-monthly visit to Somerset House, which is fast becoming one of my favourite locations in London. Not only is the architecture of the building resplendent with its sixteenth century characteristics but the food, beverages (hello the outside bar) and Rizzoli book shop make it the perfect place to indulge in some culture.

So I have to be completely honest and say that I had not heard of the fashion photographer Miles Aldridge until I saw the promos for the exhibition, so I was not sure what to expect. The presentation was short and sweet, but featured initial story boards, sketches, narratives and contact sheets. 

There were some great images, all of which depicted Hitchcock-esque femme fatales with that glazed Stepford wife look, which are Aldridge's signature style, having been influenced by his single mother upbringing - here are some images that I took:

I can't wait for the upcoming Isabella Blow exhibition launching later this month!

Gogo Philip Go

I have known about the jewellery brand Gogo Philip for a while, it has had a concession at Topshop for many years. However the edited range does not do justice to the full array of pieces that can be found at their Cheshire Street residence, which can be found on a side road off Brick Lane, E1. The products that you find at Gogo, are a mixture of yester-year heirlooms and vintage inspired pieces with a contemporary look.

I took a look around a couple of weeks ago, and found some amazing pieces - their shop is officially my new favourite place! Here are some of my favourite pieces - you might recognise the palm tree necklaces as Rihanna was spotted styling this piece.

The Bling Ring

So I have recently had to check myself, as I have been spending all kinds of crazy cash, my final treat to myself was this epic Alexander McQueen skull ring. I was lucky to snag the beautiful ring at Bicester Village, which is well worth a visit if you haven't already been. They hold brands including Anya Hindmarch, Mulberry and Dolce and Gabbana.

I have no words...my bargain ring, is soo BLING

The Studio of Alex Noble

Don't you love it when you happen upon an exhibition, when out and about, and even better when you actually have the time to go in and have a look! That's what happened to me last week when I was checking out the shops in Carnaby Street, I was looking for the Lazy Oaf on Foubert's Place and spotted Alex Noble's pop up exhibition space. You may have heard of him before, having been famed for his work with Lady Gaga on costume designs.

I am not sure what was there before, but the extensive space housed some of Alex Noble's signature pieces - a fusion of fashion and art. From geometric abstract art through to a corset made out of syringes; I would personally describe his work as Pop Art. I spent an enjoyable half an hour there, and took pics of some of my favourite pieces below:

Mark Fast - SS14 Show

So I have to say I am a bit of a wimp when it comes to London Fashion Week, it is exciting and fun to see what everyone is wearing, but unless you are a celebrity or it is part of your work, it can be quite difficult to get into shows. If you are lucky enough to get a ticket to a show, there is still the queuing and jostling for seats to contend with.

I managed to get my hands on a ticket to the Mark Fast S/S14 show which was pretty epic. The show took place at the BFC Show Space at Somerset House with an appropriate punk/rock soundtrack. I know some people have slated it, but I loved the styling, models had backcombed hair, with matching black nails, chokers, fishnet tights and socks completed with chunky creepers.

The clothing was as you would have expected, knitted dresses and separates which are Fast's signature style, however it was given a retro toughening up with acid yellow through to midnight blue threads - an ode to nineties grunge. Here is a video that I took at the show, for a glimpse of the presentation.



I am already getting excited for SS14.

On my radar JNBY

I visited Selfridges the other week - and although I am quite a regular visitor, (I love to window shop) it was the first time I noticed a new segment in the shop for new/under the radar designers. Brands include Buddhist Punk, Long Clothing, Boy London and Made in Hell-A previously, and now there are a host of asian brands including  izzue, A Bathing Ape and JNBY.

I clearly missed the memos on this cool Tokyo brand, whose name is an acronym for Just Naturally Be Yourself. It has been established for quite a few years, and much like other asian labels - is made up of simple pieces with long lines and draping. Below are some of my favourite pieces from the Selfridges selection. check out the full range here

Wedding Chic

Okay so if you are in your twenties like me, you must be experiencing the onslaught of friends galloping up the aisle. Apart from the self-reflection...where's my life going etc. the next big question is what to wear.

My first of three weddings is taking place in November, which in itself is a quandary. It's autumn, do you need to wear a coat, a cardigan or go long sleeved. The second difficulty is that the actual ceremony is only being attended by family, so all of the attendees are just going to a big party afterwards.

I think it is so hard to get that mix of formal and contemporary, while keeping the hemline in check - is above the knee to short, and any longer to frumpy? I have been looking for the last 4 months and these are my top three choices - I am not sure which one to go for:

£78 from Topshop

£60 Cheap Monday

£149.99 from Monsoon

They all serve a purpose, but which one to choose...decisions, decisions, decisions and let's not even get started on the accessories.

American Apparel Pop Up

For those of you who haven't had their ear to the immaculately polished fashion ground - the transatlantic giant American Apparel has been hosting a pop up outlet store just off Brick Lane. Luckily for me it is just a stone throw from my work, but unfortunately for my bank manager I can't seem to resist going back for more.

I am not a fan of the brand's prices, but on Brick Lane you can expect a 30 - 50% discount. So far I have bought two grey t-shirts - which have that multi-blend, vintage and well worn feel to it. I also pocketed a purple Le Sac dress, perfect for the hot weather and a stonewashed, full skirt.

Here are my buys below:

If you get the chance head to Brick Lane, the shop is open for another two or three weeks.

Bloggers Love Event at the Penthouse

Myself and Fashion Somebody headed to the Bloggers Love Fashion Event on Thursday night at the Penthouse in Leicester Square. The night was to showcase new brands within the fashion industry, and what's more everything was reasonably priced with discounts on the night.

In between the celebrity sightings, the fashion show and the cute cupcakes, I discovered two new brands that I can't wait to make a purchase from. First up is Kenza Accessories, if you are looking for statement jewellery look no further. With super-sized jewels and mega diamontes - the accessories will fix up any outfit. Here are a couple of my fav pieces.

The second brand is Major London, which is super cool and totes on trend. Think nineties rave/ club kids - I love the denim on denim mixed with patch work embellishments. The two designers are super young and totally on point, I can't wait to see how this brand develops.

Check these guys out...

How many scarfs?

Not really sure how it happened but some where along the way I became a scarf lady. I would love to say I am a theatre style luvvie, flinging my scarf gracefully behind my shoulder, but in reality I am more  tramp chic. Without a scarf my outfit is not complete, it adds to the unco-ordinated look that I present on a daily basis.

My collection began harmlessly enough a few years ago, around the time when Alexander McQueen first brought out the skull scarfs, with a few pashminas which I wore constantly. Once people saw me wearing them, I started getting them for birthdays and Christmases.

Here are some of the may fav's from my comprehensive collection...

From Left to Right - Pink/Cream leopard print scarf - Monsoon, Tie dye scarf - Zara, Hummingbird scarf - present from Monsoon, Green/cream scarf - present from Crew Clothing, Orange jersey snood - Topshop, Purple/multicolour scarf - present from Fat Face.

Socks to you...

I am completely into socks at the moment, I think it has something to do with the 80s stiletto/sock look that is everywhere on the high-street. Of course I would decide to get in on the act and headed straight to Monki. I really wanted ankle wear made from tights material, if that makes sense.

I found these two pairs; firstly tapping into the brights trend I went for neon pinky/orange fishnet socks. I am working them with my sporty boots, which I will also combine with body con dress and other sporty outfits. My second socks are super cool spotty things, which I am styling with my new sandals, again very sporty, but a lot more feminine. I am going to wear these ones with multiple spotted garments, or a white t-shirt and my baggy stone washed jeans.

I will try and post some outfit picks at some point, but I hope for inspiration purposes that everyone starts rocking a sock...

The devine is Tatty

Tatty Devine first popped onto my radar back in 2004, maybe earlier,  the brand was really on trend with it candy coloured accessories that summed up the fashion of the day. They did a collaboration with New Look and were copied fervently by Topshop. Fast forward to now-ish and the company has become timeless, above fashion and fads. Tatty's collections are bright, quirky, tongue in cheek and contemporary. They have done great collabs with Eley Kishimoto, Rob Ryan, Louise Gray and the Tate Modern. I kind've feel like the brand is constantly surprising us and I can't wait to see what they do next!

Here are some of my favourite pieces currently on their website:

 

 



























And not to be forgotten...

Sporty Whites

I haven't worked on my blog in a while, due to busy busy-ness, as a result I completely forgot that I had already done an article on white shoes. They are truly my obsession right now, which is why I have put together another post on the subject. Luckily the shoes I am featuring are different.

My Cos love, began a couple of years ago and is a constant, with it's oversized, slouchy, minimalistic aesthetic. I have only recently converted to their footwear, much like the clothing it is minimalistic with clean lines. The brogues will be the perfect accompaniment to dresses, shorts and playsuits.

Vagabond, is a contemporary brand, that has been slowly gaining popularity via stockist Urban Outfitter. It's not a brand where you will love all of the products, but you definitely pick out a couple of key pieces. For me it was all about these trainer, come sandal, come flatform shoe. They are so completely sports chic, need I say more.

A blast from the past, Ju Ju sandals...I am not sure I actually owned a pair of Juju sandals when I was younger, but I did rock many a pair of jellies, pre-teen. As Rachel Zoe would say "I die", I will definitely be donning these later on this year.

Another style that I did in the 00s are the Topshop heeled sneakers. I love that they are both sporty and street. With these I wearing body con dresses, baggy t-shirts and flippy skirts.

Here is a little montague/wish list for my sporty looks with white footwear.

I have bored you with white footwear long enough...the next post will be on something new!!! Promise...

Slouchy Jacquard Jacket

So there are small signs that I am getting older...the latest is my love of this jacquard design slouchy jacket. It is mid thigh length, and is both collar and button - less. I would probably add a belt every now and again when I want to try a more structured look. I don't really like the styling on the Zara website, I would do a white t-shirt and a baggy pair of jeans, sort of like Ashley Olsen's signature look. As the outerwear is quite dark, I would lighten everything.

It's White Right Now!

When I think of white footwear, I think of  the stiletto, donned in the 80s by many as the must have of the decade. I have never been keen to dabble with the neutral footwear but this all changed as I have slowly embraced the recurring sports wear trend for summer. Take any outfit and add white shoes and suddenly you have sports chic.

There has been a sea of pale shoes in the high street, and I have ummed and ahhed at the options choosing the following three styles as my favs. I really want to buy these bad boys, in order 1) White sandals £35, Topshop 2) White studded platforms £50, Topshop and 3) White loafers £35, Office.

Accessories for the new season

Over the last couple of years I have developed a really bad accessory obsession. I've become a bit of a snob when it comes to bags especially; only leather will do. Designer labels are also a big draw for me with their superior quality and butter soft uppers. Or perhaps it's just the advertising that has sucked me in. Either way I can't help but dream about the luxury leather goods.

Unfortunately my pay packet doesn't generally stretch to the good stuff, so I also dip into the highstreet and vintage for quality pieces like this small leather bag, which I got from Topshop. The make is Etui Bags, and they introduce themselves as "Vintage Inspired Handmade leather Bags". There is a concession at the flagship store with products ranging from around £18 through to £150; my bag was £29. The colour is very unusal and inky green colour which I love because it works well with everything. The cross over bag is my evening accessory of choice for SS13.

 

My second accessory purchase, is a Anya Hindmarch black leather loose pouch. I had one previously in black hi-shine leather with escalloped edges but it got really scrappy so I wanted to update it. The new pouch has a ribbed outer leather upper which makes it quite hardwearing, although I have scratched it already. The inside is also lined in a gorgueous mint leather and the embossed gold Brand logo. It's all in the detail as far as I am concerned. The purse was a little bit more expensive than I expected, but I have been working hard so I wanted to treat myself. A classic for many years to come.





 

And on my F**K it list...the Alexander Wang black leather Rocco bag. Pure Genius!!!