Can't Win Them All

A couple of weeks a ago I received a call - it was about 9am, I was still half asleep and not recognizing the phone number I assumed it was the annoying estate agents calling to bug me for a viewing, again. With a short tone (but also trying to hide the fact I was still snoring mid-morning) I answered and to utter shock it was the editorial assistant Kate Williams from Aigua Media. She didn't seem to notice the tone and it quickly changed anyway as I was shuffling around my brains trying to grasp why she was calling! Then I remembered a couple of weeks earlier I had been sent a few emails about an online competition. Being partial to online fashion competitions and a supportive nudge from a really good friend, I'd hastily entered a competition to guest blog for Catwalk Queen by attending their launch party for the brand new made-over MEGAzine (and also get a free goody bag!). 

All you had to do was write a short paragraph about why you thought you deserved to win such an opportunity. I didn't think twice about what I wanted to say - I had pulled a sickie off work the previous month to trek across London just to hear a talk from CQ's Gemma Cartwright about blogging; they were the first blog I ever started reading daily; and are who inspired me to start my very own blog!

So after a pretty surreal phone conversation, I stumbled around wondering what to wear for the launch party just 2 days away and who would come with me?! Immediately my friend E, came to mind as she was the one who had pushed me to enter in the first place - what a wonderful friend!

We arrived at Sketch, some swank venue just off Regent Street - the music was awesome and I was so excited by the best of LFW's shoes projected on the walls and high ceilings. Drinks and canapes were a plenty, and soon enough some very recognizable faces began to stroll in. We chatted with Gemma Cartwright for a short while who made every effort to make us feel welcome and you could really see the charisma and intelligence that she is often described as rolling out in her words and essence.

I immediately recognized Jay from Dirty Sexy Things - having seen him just two nights before at the Fusion@London Launch event! He recognized me too and promised me an interview outside with a cigarette.

For  my full report of CQ's night its its on their site! Here's the link: http://www.catwalkqueen.tv/2011/11/guest_post_my_n.html

Also I've got tons more pictures of the night on my facebook page, so please visit me there!

Below are a few snippets of my blog post for CQ and some pictures of the evening's happenings.

AND I'm on YouTube!!!! Watch below for my interview with the gorgeous Julian from Fashot.tv

Me and E, enjoying the photo booth way too much!

HENRY HOLLAND <3 

Goody Bag! Not the best goody bag I've ever had but the nail transfers were ace.

FUSION@LONDON Launch event: Masquerade Ball

Last week I attended an amazing launch party for Fusion@London. I've been really excited about this event for a while and was so happy to be able to attend the launch event! Fusion@London is the first inter-university event in London involving students from Imperial College, King's College and UCL and supports up and coming talent in fashion, dance and music from all over the city. Being a start-out myself clawing my way into this tough industry I felt so drawn to this event as we should all definitely be looking out for one another! There's a list as long as my arm of the great things going in and coming out of the this organisation having patrons including: Susie Lau of Style Bubble, Blogger extraordinaire and UCL alum; Cristian Vale and Leigh Daniels professional dancers; and Professor Julia Buckingham, Pro Rector of Imperial College. Proceeds will go to Cancer Research UK, a charity close to the Founder's, Angela Udemba's heart. And of course, the the main show next year is a giant collection of acts showcasing London's finest up and coming talent!

The main event is set to take place in February 2012 and on the 31st October 2011 or Halloween, Fusion@London celebrated the launch event: a masquerade ball taking place in central London's Cafe de Paris. I arrived at 10:30pm and the party was already in full swing: great live music, attendees' faces hidden behind extravagant masks, Dirty Sexy Things' Jay Camilleri hosting the evening; and ghouls hanging from the chandeliers!

Live music and acts: a taste of what is to come in February!

Rising from hell...

S rocked up with his grunge tee (which belongs to me from New Look!) and his fake tattoo sleeve. So rock and Roll...

Matching his mask - we kept it simple - a scrap of material for free from Shepherds Bush market. You need to get creative when you have no budget!

Charming, suave and striking couple

Coordinating friends - did she plan to match her earrings with her friend's dress? Amazing contrasting eyelashes too!

Impressive masks on impressed faces.

Outfits of the night? Committee member, Sheena Cowell wore a gorgeous scallop lined dress with a plunge neckline. Daring to wear a creamy white among a sea of black dresses made her stand out in the best way possible.

For me the very best outfit was this stunning girl pictured below. I spotted her from across the dark, disco-ed room! Canary yellow with cut out detail, a slit on the sexy side of high and floor length made this girl a serious head turner. Her outfit was screaming drama (of the good kind) and I followed her around for a full 10 minutes before I felt comfortable enough to ask for a picture. She'd teamed the dress with a gold and black, sparkly mask with chains of gold beads falling around her face and a psychedelic turquoise faux fur - bang on trend this season - to add to the theatre and romance of her look. 

Jay, host for the night, and star of Dirty Sexy Things with Angela Udemba, the founder.

 Later that evening I caught up with some of the committee members for a quick chat!

Getting into interview mode

I first had the chance to interview Alexandra Smith, beauty and fashion editor for Fusion@London and the beauty and fashion assistant, Charlotte Morgan. Alexandra wore an asymmetric, one-shoulder black dress with a gathered waist band from French Connection with a lace mask from Accessorize creating a very sexy, mysterious look. Charlotte wore a gorgeous, strapless, mullet-hemmed dress with material draping at different lengths from ASOS. Her mask was more Halloween-themed and bat-shaped which accentuated her crimson tinted hair and lips (pictured below). Both ladies talked of extreme passion for their work and it became quickly apparent that it was more than just fashion and beauty - it was also about the involvement in a team, a communal goal and the charity involved. With a committee of 18 members dedicated to the success of the event, the two expressed how it felt like an exciting full-time job densely packed with callings, emails, castings. 

Castings took place the previous week and I was so glad to hear that they considered models of all heights, shapes and sizes and that this event would also be a celebration of real shaped women. And why wouldn't it? The 50's style circle dresses are made for hourglass-types and  editorial pieces are made boyish, slender-types!

Designers to get excited about in Charlotte and Alexandra's opinion: 

Caroline Lucy Andrew  LCF graduate:

One of the exciting themes for the catwalk show is Girls who Run the World and styling is about power dressing and strong women. Carolyn Andrew's work is perfect for this category with structure and tailoring at its most finest. ‘A collection inspired by Androgyny, with sub-themes of the Theory of Deconstruction’ for women, which were so well received that her graduate collection will be shown in Vanity Fair this November.

Nova Chiu LCF graduate:

Also from the same establishment but with a very different DNA to her work. Chui toys with colour and texture and has a great exploration for silhouettes in a much less traditional way. In June 2011 Nova Chiu featured in both VOGUE and the Evening Standard where she won the London College of Fashion BA, ‘Catwalk Collection of the Year’ accolade. Charlotte was particularly appreciative of 'her fearless approach to colour'.

With 2-3 designers per act and eleven in total - there's so much more to get excited about! For more details about the other acts involved including the dancers and music, here's the link: http://fusionatlondon.com/fusion-2012/designers-2/

Committee members: Charlotte Morgan, fashion and beauty assistant (left) and Alexandra Smith, fashion and beauty editor (right)

I was extremely excited to meet the founder of Fusion@London, Angela Udemba. She has a warmness which instantly makes you at ease and her glow is full of intelligence and fun. Watching her talk so fervently of her past experiences of the Fusion 2005 as part of York University and her hopes for this year's London take was definitely inspiring and I pictured her as a great leader to motivate people and found myself trying to get involved. She wore a leopard print one-shoulder jumpsuit from Lipsy and fittingly a cat mask and chandelier earrings. By day she's a final year Chemistry PhD student at Imperial College fighting to improve cancer diagnosis and research and somehow she still finds time to put together 18 individuals to create a sell-out launch event! She is most looking forward to Central Saint Martin's graduate Ara Jo for the fashion event - her designs have been seen  Lady Gaga, Jamelia and Leona Lewis and in publications such as Dazed and Confused, Fashion 156, Nylon, InStyle and Ponytail! 

Angela Udemba, Founder of Fusion@London

Be sure to catch the next event Fusionfiesta@cubana 23rd November 2011!
More details here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=258862854165739&notif_t=event_invite

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Alicja Jasnikowska

On my final day of interning of Gok's Clothes Roadshow I was fortunate enough to meet Alicja Jasnikowska who had filled in last minute while we were filming the haberdashery section of the show. I was instantly charmed by her genuineness, her down to earth energy and of course her wisdom of the industry.

Since then I've been really lucky to work with her on two other projects where she has taken so much time to teach and share everything she knows! It's been such a positive experience that she has inspired a blog post :)

Alicja is a freelance fashion stylist and writer, she is in her early thirties and completed her Fashion Design degree at Manchester Met Uni in 2001. It seems she was bitten by the styling bug from her very first year at uni and despite concerned tutor's warnings of the difficulties of the industry she was pretty determined to go ahead and fulfil her passions.

Following a plethora of work placements including the fashion desks at The Guardian, The Times, Sunday Times Style & WGSN, Alicja's first full time job was Fashion Assistant on the launch of Star magazine in 2004. Since then she has contributed to various publications - She, The Sun’s Buzz magazine & Ahlan in Dubai (where she lived & worked for 18 months).  Her experience is also in TV shows where you have undoubtedly seen her work in Gok’s Fashion Fix, Hotter Than My Daughter, Pop Goes the Band and due out later this year, Ashley Banjo’s Secret Street Crew.

Here's what she said in a quick interview:

Three words to describe your style?

Stylish & classic with a tough edge

This season's key accessories?

Snakeskin is everywhere – on bags, shoes, bracelets, clothing – so definitely worth investing in.  Otherwise bright jewel-toned bags or shoes in clean simple shapes reference the modern minimalist trend – heavily influenced by the clashing colours of Jil Sanders collection from last season.  Or get in early & invest in a ladylike granny bag (or better still borrow one from your nan).  These were spotted at Miu Miu & Gucci this season & this trend is going to be huge for next spring/summer 2012 too.

What is your career highlight so far?

There have been several (& hopefully many more to come).  I dressed Danny Dyer a few years back, who I’ve had a secret crush on since I saw him in Human Traffic.  Another top moment was interviewing Ewan McGregor, whilst doing a placement at Sunday Times Style  & working on three series of Gok’s Fashion Fix was such an amazing experience – it’s amazing how popular this show is and makes you truly appreciate the quality of British high street fashion.

Who/what influences your work the most?

Street style is my biggest influence (& something that I really missed whilst living in Dubai). I love checking out how people put things together.  London is fantastic for this – people really do mix things up and never look too polished.  Obviously the catwalks are also a huge influence.  I always check out what Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney, Prada & Burberry Prorsum are showing as these designers heavily influence the high street & usually dictate the season’s key trends.  I am also loving what Raf Simons is doing for Jil Sander & personally adore brands such as 3.1 Phillips Lim, Alexander Wang & Phoebe Philo for Celine - if I had the money I would live in these brands.  I also like to reference art & architecture for inspiration for shoots.

Favourite thing about being a Freelance Fashion Stylist and Writer?

I love the variety of freelancing - no day is ever the same!  One day I could be working on a TV show such as Gok’s Fashion Fix trying to track down the perfect stiletto courts; the next a fashion shoot dressing a 5ft10 model in braces and a top hat (& clothes too of course).  Also I truly do adore fashion & love the satisfaction of tracking down a bargain or predicting a trend before it breaks.  And the fact that my job is so physical & active, so I don’t have to waste time in the gym, is an added bonus.

Some of Alicja's work:

You can find her portfolio at http://www.carolhayesmanagement.co.uk/fashion/alicjajasnikowska.htm 

Behind the Scenes with Gok

Last week I assisted on the photoshoot for the new look book for Gok's range for TU at Sainsbury's!!

It was all very exciting, the new collection is gorgeous at such bargainous prices! There's some sparkly dresses and mohair wrap cardigans, wide leg on-trend trousers and a gorgeous tux all fitting neatly into a beautiful capsule collection in navy, pink and some flouncy prints to keep this AW alive.

Yes that is Gok there! giving his input on what he thinks of the shots so far....



The dress on the model above is a navy and black sequin cling dress worn with some black heels for this season's Christmas parties.





Another of my favourites above - a sparkly gold muscle top. Its so gorgeous its long as opposed to cropped so it makes your body look long. Also comes in a raspberry pink :)



 Sorry to have no better photos - these sneaky ones came from my phone between changings. Most of my day was spent steaming, organising accessories and clothes for the model. And I didn't want Gok to think I'm a loser - we still have that Asian bond thing going on!