The Fashion Closet Archives - Page 18 of 29

Dr Raj Acquilla launches YUVA MEDI-SPA

When it comes to aesthetics, education and trust are key. We’re constantly searching for innovative new ways to turn back the clock and retain or regain our youthful appearance and because of this, the aesthetics market is booming. Selecting an aesthetics practitioner is difficult, after-all, you’re trusting this person with your face and potentially how it might look for 12 months after any treatment you elect to have, that’s a scary thought right? You can do research and ask friends, but ultimately it’s your decision and you’d be surprised how many people I’ve spoken to who cite “proximity to home” as their top priority when selecting a practitioner. Me personally? I’d travel for the right practitioner any day of the week, if it means the difference between being a Leslie Ash or a Margot Robbie then distance isn’t a factor. Fortunately, from the moment you enter the prestigious new YUVA MEDI-SPA in Alderley Edge, you know you’re in safe hands.

Founded by award winning doctor and aesthetics educator Dr Raj Acquilla, YUVA MEDI-SPA is a cut above other offerings in the UK. Not strictly brand new, the clinic is the second in Acquilla’s expanding portfolio and opened to a three month wait list back in April 2017. After months of planning, the official press launch was set for the end of September, yes, they’re that in demand and there’ll be more on the press launch in my follow up post.

Dr Raj Acquilla

YUVA MEDI-SPA occupies an entire mansion house and former recording studio with its own pretty gardens and parking, it’s a pretty spectacular setting and a step away from the usual high street pop up clinics. Acquilla’s vision for YUVA MEDI-SPA was grand: to take the traditional idea of a medi-spa and turn it on its head. Acquilla wanted to step away from the expected clinical environment and create something luxurious, unique and beautiful. Ultimately, a place where patients could feel relaxed, reassured, not rushed, and enjoy their aesthetic journey.

“Our philosophy is to make our patients not only look but feel better about themselves through proven, safe and effective procedures. We pride ourselves on listening to their needs so that we can tailor and deliver a treatment plan that suits their individual goals. We understand the emotions that are attached to age-related changes in appearance and endeavour to make all our patients experience and journey with us a memorable and positive one.” Dr Raj Acquilla, Founder of YUVA MEDI-SPA

YUVA has certainly achieved that, everything aspect of the clinic has been planned with the client in mind. From the furnishings and calming colour scheme of soft grey and gold, to the individual waiting areas, the medi-spa is focussed entirely on patient experience and comfort. I chatted to Dr Acquilla and he told me that patients don’t want to have to sit with other patients before or after having treatment, they want to be able to relax alone and leave when they’re ready without worrying about being rushed out to make space for the next patient. With that in mind, Acquilla decided that despite the fact that this would cut down treatment space, it was something that absolutely had to be factored in.

Private Waiting area at YUVA MEDI-SPA

Private Treatment room at YUVA MEDI-SPA

Communal Waiting Area at YUVA MEDI-SPA

WHAT HAPPENS AT YUVA MEDI-SPA?

YUVA is on the cutting edge when it comes to aesthetic treatments. With a whole range of injectables available as with most clinics, YUVA also offers non-invasive, non-surgical, proven treatments such as HydraFacial. There’s a whole suite of A-List treatment available at YUVA, all of it tried, tested and proven. Acquilla has a hard and fast rule when it comes to offering new treatments, everything he and his team offer must be backed up, certified and proven meaning that you’ll never be a guinea pig and you’ll never be ‘The First’.

The YUVA menu has you covered top to toe with an extensive range of treatments including Wrinkle Relaxing Injections, Dermal Fillers, The Liquid Facelift, HydraFacial, Skin Peels, Spotlight Treatment, Body Shaping and Skin Tightening with Exilis, Photo-rejuvenation with IPL, CO2RE Fractional Laser resurfacing treatment, Exilis RF Skin Tightening and rejuvenation for the face and neck, Laser and IPL for Vascular Lesions and Thread Veins, Injections for Excessive Sweating, Laser Hair Removal, Laser Tattoo Removal and the highest quality, results driven skincare solutions to address every concern including the ZO range developed by Dr Obagi. Phew, that’s some list right? But it doesn’t end there, Acquila is one of the most recognised and applauded global aesthetic educators, where new treatments and products are made available, he’s there, watching and waiting for long term efficacy to be proven.

THE A-TEAM

Sidebar, there is no B-Team, YUVA’s team is made up of the best talent in the business. Dr Acquilla has hand selected every member of his team and when you consider that all of them are amongst the Top 20 Injectors in the UK, it’s safe to say that you’re in good hands at YUVA. The team ethos is to never administer treatment that isn’t needed, when it comes to aesthetics there’s a level of trust between patient and practitioner and with the team at YUVA, you’re given options based on your desired outcome and quite often, they’re not what you might expect.

Emma Chan is YUVA’S Advanced Aesthetic Nurse, and one of the first Advanced Nurse Practitioners in the UK. Chan is a visiting Associate Practitioner at YUVA and a faculty member for the renowned RA Academy masterclasses, teaching doctors and nurses around the globe.

Dr Liesel Holler is YUVA’s skin maestro, having graduated from Ulmea University in Sweden in 2005 this uber talented doctor moved away from abdominal surgery and anaesthesia to focus fully on aesthetics. The former Miss Peru turned down a TV career for medicine and aesthetics.

Dr Raj Acquilla is one of the UK’s most respected aesthetic doctors known for his natural looking results and his dislike for over inflated lips. Driven by his passion for science and safety in beauty, Acquilla has been a practicing doctor for 18 years.

Like what you hear? I’ll be bringing you the verdict on a live treatment at the official launch of YUVA MEDI-SPA but if you’re too keen to wait, then you can contact the clinic to book a consultation on 01625 322430.

Pixie xo

SHOW BEAUTY BRAIDS BY SHOW DRY

You already know I’m a huge fan of SHOW Beauty, I could wax lyrical about the products all day long. SHOW Beauty is one of those brands that you’re either aware of because you use and love it, or admire it from afar, or you’ve never heard of it. If you fall into the latter, then let me give you the skinny: SHOW Beauty is a luxury haircare brand born out of founder Tamara Ecclestone’s love for beautiful products, scents and ingredients that really work. In a nutshell, it’s like having your cake and eating it, it’s the very best of the best and it fuses the luxury fragrance industry, with the haircare market to give a truly unique range of high quality, sulphate free hair products that leave you smelling better than Harrods Fragrance Hall.

So, you know that there’s a range of products that’s constantly being researched and expanded because you’ve obviously read my posts on the launch of Lux Volume, SHOW Beauty and the SHOW Beauty Hair fragrance right? Well, London is also home to the physical arm of the business: SHOW DRY.

SHOW DRY is the ultimate blowdry bar. Not only is it home to some of the best Hair Artistes in the business, it’s also a very cleverly thought out business that’s pitched perfectly to the needs of the client. Ecclestone frequents the salon herself and every new member of staff inducted must first blowdry Ecclestone’s hair in her signature style, as well as create a custom up do. That’s quite the test when you think Ecclestone’s hair is literally her crowning glory.

The salons themselves are uniform, the signature black and gold detailing oozes polished elegance, whilst the blush pink cuts through with a feminine edge. My regular SHOW DRY salon is in Notting Hill and they always ‘manage’ my hair for me throughout each season of London Fashion Week. I’m not too proud to say that I’ve been brought forward from second to front row because of an awesome braided up do by SHOW DRY during the FW17 show season and if that’s not a high five moment then I don’t know what is.

The SHOW DRY team live and breathe SHOW Beauty. They know the range inside out, they know the dual purposes of each product and can teach you some hacks that will change your life, like using the Moisture Conditioner as a leave in serum – seriously guys, you blew my mind with that one, cue BOOM emoji. They can prescribe the exact product from the range for your hair’s needs, but more than that, their styling skills are amazing.

When I first partnered with SHOW DRY for show season, I was coming out of a pretty grim period with my hair, remember my post on Overcoming a Hair Disaster? Well this was around the time of said hair disaster and I was very limited on what we could create with what little hair I’d been left with. Because of that, we decided to shoot for some funky braids that would conceal the damage to my hair and still showcase my awesome colour. Fast forward to the SS18 LFW season and I’ve still never actually had a blowdry by SHOW DRY (although I’ve sat next to Tamara Ecclestone whilst she’s had hers done so can vouch) and I’m back here for another braided creation.

What makes SHOW DRY different than other blowdry bars is that here, your every need is catered to. Whilst you’re in the care of the salon, you’re very well looked after. Each station has an iPad Mini with the latest magazines downloaded for you to browse, a lightning charger for your iPhone and a range of products for you to peruse. Your iPad is loaded with a menu from which you can select drinks like Prosecco or custom blend coffee, or light bites like popcorn and other sugary treats whilst you’re coiffed. The salon is both pet and child friendly too with dog bowls for your furry friend and a mini blowdry menu for your mini me.

In my case, my Stylist and I browse the internet for inspiration and find two styles that will work well on my hair and decide to mash them together to create something urban looking that will last for a couple of days. She coats my dry hair in a mixture of SHOW Beauty Finishing Oil and Moisture Conditioner to not only tame it, but to also give it some grip, and gets to work on two African / Dutch braids. Once they’re braided back, she sets about creating two braided buns at the nape and pins them securely. Within around 20 minutes we’ve got a cool, urban style pinned in position and I’m ready to hit up my first show of the day SEMIR x GREENCODE.

SHOW DRY isn’t just about the Bouncy Blowdry – which they do amazingly – they’re also able to create bespoke styles depending on what you’re up to and your own personal style. I’m working on the improving the condition of my hair right now as it’s a little delicate, it did start to thicken up again then had a bit of a dip in both length and condition after misplaced faith in a big name North East hair salon (you can read about that here), but who knows, it may even be thick enough to sport the signature blowdry next season.

Pixie xo

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet

Ones To Watch SS18 at London Fashion Week

After a rough start to day one of London Fashion Week, I hit the ground running, albeit a few steps behind, with the multi-designer Ones To Watch show for SS18. The Ones To Watch show seeks to raise the profile of emerging talent globally and the rostered designers are selected from a long list of emerging designers by a panel of industry experts. It’s a must see show every season and if you’re an LFW regular, then you can guarantee that you’ll see these names cropping up further down the line. They’re selected on a number of criteria and the resulting showcase is always a very interesting show.

“THE ONES TO WATCH SHOW IS THE PERFECT LAUNCH PAD FOR TALENTED NEW DESIGNERS. THIS SEASON’S FOUR DESIGNERS PRESENT COMPLETELY DIFFERENT VISIONS OF THE FUTURE OF FASHION. THIS IS THE SUCCESS OF ONES TO WATCH AND WHY IT IS SO POPULAR.” MARTYN ROBERTS, FASHION SCOUT

The Ones To Watch show for the LFW SS18 season featured four strong designers, each with a different focus and style, I was already flustered on arrival after having to hot foot it from Kings Cross but a coffee and a chat with the lovely Donna Air fixed all of that and set me up for a pretty decent show.

NEO DESIGN

With a palette of black, black and even more black, this almost gender neutral collection cast a stark contrast against the all white show space. The brand was born out of a graduate project and focusses on the manufacture of the garments as much as the appearance of the final product. This SS18 collection connected the past with the future with a range made for modern warriors. Leather, quilting and rope combined in the deepest shades of noir to give an untouchable aesthetic making the wearer a force to be reckoned with. A collection designed to give the illusion of power and one that certainly succeeds.

JI WON CHOI

LFW Fashion Scout Ones To Watch Ji Won Choi 3

LFW Fashion Scout Ones To Watch Ji Won Choi 4

Ji Won Choi’s collection is one of vibrant colour with an underlying message. The collection, entitled Excessivism, highlights the waste in our closets today. Swathes of fabric cover the models bodies with exaggerated graphic lines, cuts and strapping. Ji Won Choi is a designer defying the traditional fashion calendar by showing a seasonless collection, seeking to shift the focus to sustainability over fast fashion.

Bright, playful and clever with elements of wearability. The message to society is strong with this one…

TRIINU PUNGITS

LFW Fashion Scout Ones To Watch Triinu Pungits 2

LFW Fashion Scout Ones To Watch Triinu Pungits

Pungits is an experienced designer with 13 years of design experience under her sequinned belt. Normally I’m a fan of her work, a champion of self expression and freedom, her prints are to die for. This latest collection for me was underwhelming. Yes, sure there was the whole novelty foam hands thing but it wasn’t consistent enough throughout the collection to be something to sit up and take notice of and felt like it had been added for drama.

I loved the geometric lines, printed leotards and added red heart feature but the whole thing felt a little disjointed for me, especially after the success of SS17 and a meaningful and satisfying collection. Interesting sure, but more filler than killer for me I’m afraid. Soz Pungits.

STARSICA

LFW Fashion Scout Ones To Watch Starsica 3

LFW Fashion Scout Ones To Watch Starsica 4

Talk about going out on a high, Starsica SS18 rocked my world and gave Day 1 of LFW an injection of youth and vibrance with that all important wearability factor. Taking it’s name from the term Star Seeker, depicting a wise man forecasting the movement of the stars and therefore predicting the future, Starsica represents the concept of ‘Everyday luxury wear with the anxiety of modern society’ and it gets it right on point.

Simple shapes and cut out detailing at pivot points gave a youthful edge to the collection and rolled head torches gave a nod to the explorer vibe hinted at in the brand name. I loved this collection and there’s a space in my wardrobe for that gorgeous human heart sweater and Victoriana ruffle dress. Despite being a playful collection, Starsica never loses its elegance and stays just the right side of wearable. Definitely One to Watch.

Pixie xo

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet

What I Wore: For London Fashion Week SS18

The Spring / Summer 2018 season of London Fashion Week is over and it’s been a rollercoaster! From abhorrent terrorist activity and resulting bomb scares and evacuations, to the ceiling of my room collapsing, it’s been a whirlwind five days and that’s before we even get to the awesome display of design talent.

I’ve had my busiest season to date, hence no full blog posts yet – although they are coming! And I’ve completely neglected my social channels because preserving battery life is everything during Fashion Week. So to whet your appetite Voyeurs, here’s a quick post on the outfits I chose to wear to the shows this season, with a disclaimer on why they were not my intended outfits.

I packed my case meticulously with ten outfits. Nothing particularly trend led, just a mixture of things that I own and like, and things that designers and brands had sent to me in the hope that I’d wear them. Amongst these things was a pair of brand new metallic boots which led to the utter demise of my planned LFW SS18 Wardrobe…..

DAY 1

I left on the 8.38 Virgin East Coast train, which was delayed due to what we now know was a home made explosive device on the Parson’s Green underground. This understandably delayed the arrival of my train into London Kings Cross considerably meaning two things happened:

1. I missed the Pam Hogg show, which I later heard was awesome. Dr Hogg is known for her wonderfully quirky and imaginative runway shows and I was gutted to have missed this one, but you know, bigger things were happening in London at that time. I also missed the Billie Jacobina show which was a real downer – Jacobina’s creations are amazing. Think pink, negligee, teddy bears, fur, voile and throw it all together and that’s Billie Jacobina. The kitsch designer was promoted from presentation to runway for SS18 which is a really big deal. I did get to catch her static exhibit at Fashion Scout, so all was not entirely lost I guess.

2. I attended my first show of the day wearing my train outfit. I landed in London, ran to my hotel, which luckily is a stones throw from the station, ditched my shiz and literally legged it out the door to catch the much hyped Ones To Watch runway show in Holborn.

So, this outfit is an eclectic mix of AND / OR jeans (which I love), with a sheer, black ballerina skirt layered over the top. On top I’m wearing a Year One Collective spoof tee and my Starlover Clothing custom painted leather jacket. Obviously I travelled on my own and had to cut a dash so didn’t have anyone to grab a picture but I featured in Donna Air’s Insta stories wearing this and she said it looked cool so, ’nuff said.

DAY 2

My most jam packed day and one where I knew I’d be cramming a good weeks worth of regular people activity into 24 hours and for that reason comfort came high up in my list of priorities. I chose a Maison Margiela MM6 Denim shirt dress. Simples. The best bit? Pockets. Crammed with protein bars, my Oyster Card, hotel key card, San Pellegrino water & gum.

Remember those metallic boots I told you about? Well they broke on Day 1 running across a road into the show venue and sadly died that evening, leaving me with one pair of metallic fuschia flat loafers to get me through the entire week. I topped this off with bed hair and a tiffler from Marks and Spencer.

DAY 3

Another crazy schedule climaxing with the awesome Hellavagirl Couture show, and a link up with SHOW DRY London, the salon arm of SHOW Beauty who very kindly look after my hair during London Fashion Week. After fixing me up with some super cute Dutch braids, I set off for my first show of the day wearing high shine PVC fetish store pants and a custom printed slogan tee made specially for me by Virgo Seven UK. On my feet? You guessed it, those feet murdering pink loafers with white fishnet socks.

DAY 4

Day 4 was wet, with intermittent downpours; I knew I wanted to be warm. I also tried to keep the afternoon free to go buy Plankton a present in Hamleys and get myself out of the fashion bubble and take in some London architecture. None of these things actually happened, I took on extra shows and headed out into the cold with yesterday’s braids, Topshop tweed shorts and a cosy Primark sweater.

Part way through the day after The Great Foot Massacre of London Fashion Week, I went back to my hotel to switch into jeans (Plankton’s) and socks which I bought that day, mid hissy fit. I met a photographer friend for drinks that evening and he told me convincingly that I managed to style it out….

Front Row for Dumpty Studio SS18 LFW

DAY 5

With the finish line in sight, I let out my braids and whizzed the flat irons over my hair to give a soft curl and after waking up to a suitcase full of water and rubble, I was left without my intended outfit. When your hotel ceiling collapses, sure it’s funny at first, until you find your Mark Fast sweater is soaking wet & your underwear is laced with plaster dust.

Luckily I was well equipped with a wipe clean PVC A-line skirt from Primark, some purple Wolford fishnets (never go cheap when it comes to fishnets) and I cut a dash to Monki to buy this Where’s Waldo-esque red & white striped tee. I added one of my signature metallic tattoos, this time a diamond gifted with the Fenty Beauty press pack and a deco style necklace from M.I.Accessories. Job done.

By this point my feet were destroyed and I’d adopted a penguin style walk that even I couldn’t style out. Note to self, sneakers or sliders next season.

Pixie Tenenbaum Frow Day 5 SS18 LFW The New Rashtra

Pixie Tenenbaum Day 5 LFW POST NYASA Facial

The next morning I shamefully put on yesterday’s outfit to head to the station and make my way back up North to a slower pace of life. After experiencing the tornado that is London Fashion Week, and my busiest schedule to date, I’m ready to do this all over again in six months – albeit in better shoes.

Pixie xo

Send me your top tops for packing light and treating blisters for the chance to be featured in an upcoming post!

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet

Amira Haroon x Yana Markova SS18 at London Fashion Week

It’s not often we see a partnership at London Fashion Week and on the rare occasion that we do, there’s usually one designer or brand battling for supremacy within the collection. This one however, is a perfectly complimentary relationship and that’s a rarity in fashion. Beautiful and delicate clothing pieces, complimented perfectly by expertly crafted headpieces. This Amira Haroon x Yana Markova collection is a match made in fashion heaven.

Amira Haroon showed her American pop culture inspired Spring Summer 2018 collection at London Fashion Week with the late, great Whitney Houston serving as muse. With a strong focus on the 80’s disco era, the collection was laces with glitter thread, scallop edging and satin, sounds garish but was actually uber cool, relevant and very wearable. Seven years after setting up her own label, she’s owning the retro disco look with this collection. It’s a collection that combines the past with the present to great effect and all topped off with some of the most Whitney-esque headpieces you’ve ever seen. Remember the signature floppy bow that we swooned over in the early 90’s? This partnership collection showcased a rework of that look perfectly.

Those signature headwear looks were recreated and reworked by rising star milliner Yana Markova (a darling of the Russian beau monde). The bow, which will be making an appearance on my very own head during SS18, was crafted using a secret milliners fabric coated in iridescent glitter. The second headwear look created specially for the Amira Haroon show is one you’ll have to double take to spot as it’s so effective. a chain style headband crafted from dozens of individual, delicate gold chains, sewn together to give the appearance of an Egyptian style golden wig. Clever huh?

“I was really excited to be asked to collaborate and was honoured to see my pieces on the catwalk over London Fashion Week. I hope that we can do another partnership. We worked well together and understood each other’s design philosophies.” Yana Markova, Milliner

This talented milliner has roots in fashion, after training in fashion design at the Ural State Academy of Architecture and Arts and went on to work for some of the largest designer fashion, jewellery and accessory brands for fifteen years before launching her own label. Her first collection was met with critical acclaim and she continued to create a fashion range, before turning her attention to millinery. Her designs have been featured in some of the most prolific Quarterlies in fashion including Jute Magazine, l’Etoile Magazine and L’Officiel, this gal ain’t messing around and with a celebrity following including Lady Gaga (she produced the headpieces for Gaga’s tour wardrobe), this collaboration is sure to cement her status as one of the best and most current in the business.

If like me, you’re a fan of a crown, or any other elaborate and striking headwear, you’ll be pleased to know that the Amira Haroon x Yana Markova headpieces will be available to buy as part of Amira Haroon’s Spring Summer 2018 collection.

Pixie xo