My Fashion Life

Tidbits of little rules you would do well to observe, if you have any you have discovered please let me know and I’ll add them to the list, It’s our responsibility to prevent everyone making hideous fashion faux pas’ !
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1. Avoid patterned or dark underwear under white linen.

2. The darker the top the more sweat patches will show.

3. Airtex is good material when really hot as it breathes.

4. Never wear black shoes with all white too harsh opt for cream tonal or silver.

5. Don’t follow a trend to closely, take a gypsy skirt and pair it with a structured shirt for a unique look.

6. Accessories can say more about you than the outfit- check Shoes, Glasses, Bag and Watch.

7. Not always about brand but the look.

8. To get a look make sure there is part of you in it or it just won’t work.

9. Basics should always be of high quality as they will get the most wear.

10. Guys- Invest in a plain black v neck from Gucci it will last forever.

11. Don’t underestimate the investment purposes of dry cleaning.

12. White shoes are rarely acceptable ever.

13. A good high quality suit will always serve.

14. Organise your wardrobe however you wish but keep 3 or 4 key ensembles together so in an emergency you have a last option.

15. All black can be jazzed with a white jacket or something white, always be careful though- if you feel remotely like a cater waiter don’t wear it- you look like one.

16. Girls – Accessories more is more, less is more, but be sensible when over junking.

17. Never mix navy and black.

18. A good look for a summer event is a 70’s money- silk shirt, white trousers, beige shoes and gold everything else – ala Versace mixed with St Tropez. Would be seen as tacky but trust me big hair, big money – it works!

19. Never buy a must have in the Sale – It wont fit, its out of season or worse the colour is putrid- just from experience circa Maharishi time.

20. If you are a designer fiend, sell old pieces on Ebay or at Retro man in Notting Hill or Exclusivo in Hampstead.

21. Being Kitsch by mixing patterns and clashing colours is seldom a good idea and takes either a person who couldn’t care less or an experienced accomplished fashionista to carry it off.

[Text: Amar Thapen]

Battersea Park became a haven of budding new talent on the verge of venturing forth into the ‘Real Fashion World’. Four days of graduate shows, showcasing the labour of four years of hard work. With 19 colleges showing some 25 collections each, there was a lot to see, and unfortunately a lot to be missed.

All in all the week was a success; I am sure to the joy of this year’s new sponsors River Island. Having taken the title from Topshop many in the tent hinted towards the fact that it was better to have River Island because not only did they put up actual money but were more involved in the whole process. River Island does not hold a ‘designer’ section like Topshop does, however many suggested this was not really what customers care about anymore.

The main concern of Graduate Fashion Week and for the graduates themselves is where does it take them? Where can they go? Although GFW received a nice press turnout it was still relatively thin on the ground, not to mention the sheer cost colleges have to outlay for these shows. Do students really go on, or do they get stuck in limbo? According to various colleges including Northumbria and London College of Fashion some 80% do make it into employment so there is hope.

Why haven’t we heard of the next Galliano, McQueen or McCartney? Well mainly because designers go in as execs in already established houses such as Calvin Klein Louis Vuitton etc.

Was there a next “someone” in this GFW? Well no not really, there was however a definite leaning towards commercial appeal, which will undoubtedly benefit with placements, but we are back to the age old dilemma - can fashion be fashion if it’s commercial, or is real fashion about grand ideas? There was definitely no lack of superior cuts and imagination. Innovative ideas in knitwear and menswear were present throughout. Sadly however there was a distinct lack of Avant Garde, which can be seen to show lack of imagination.