Fashion Voyeur

People will stare, make it worth their while.

Categories: Fashion

Alexander White FW18 at London Fashion Week

London Fashion Week isn’t just about the garments, there’s also a whole host of millinery talent, accessory designers and footwear brands in amongst the other schedule fixtures.  On the final day of FW18 show season my schedule showed no signs of slowing down and right in the middle of my day I found myself at an awesome footwear presentation at the previous home of London Fashion Week, Somerset House.

Alexander White is a British luxury footwear brand offering timeless, elegant footwear combined with contemporary and playful silhouettes.  Each piece is designed in London and expertly handmade by skilled artisans in Florence.  The collections produced by Alexander White are inspired and influenced by White’s surroundings, from architecture to antique and vintage jewellery, and reinterpreted in a fresh and energetic way.

The Portico Rooms at Somerset House provide the perfect location for the FW18 Disco Cowboy presentation.  The huge windows mean that the room is flooded with natural light making the huge disco ball centrepiece, the most perfectly placed prop.  For his FW18 collection White found his inspiration in the southern regions of the US and it shows right through the Disco Cowboy collection.  The collection is very much a fusion of Studio 54 with its glamour and vibrancy, and Western staples including buckles and accent stitching.  Think glitter and wet look snakeskin, the collection features all of it.  With extra glitter.

Central to the collection is the most perfect pair of heeled cowboy boots covered in silver glitter, the very embodiment of the theme Disco Cowboy and probably what you’re likely to imagine in your head when you say the words.  White has incorporated Swarovski crystals, floral prints, glitter, velvet and satin to create a variety of textures and shapes throughout the collection.  Each silhouette has been planned and developed meticulously and White has expanded on his penchant for printing eye catching designs on to specchio leather to produce a collection that’s as worthy of a light up disco floor, as it is of a red carpet.

Alexander White FW18 Presentation London Fashion Week front view of presentation board

White is ahead of the curve when it comes to presenting fashion forward footwear.  His designs inspire a million lookalikes on the high street every season and if you think the shapes are familiar that’s because high street footwear giant Kurt Geiger have lifted several of White’s designs and respun them in seasons gone by.  Flattering yes, but also very naughty.

White’s A-list clients include Emma Watson, Alicia Vikander, Joan Smalls and Carey Mulligan amongst many others and although certainly not A-list, I’m thinking of adding myself to that list by starting with those side buckle glitter boots.

Pixie xo

Categories: Fashion, Pixie, Uncategorized

Primark’s Bee-autiful Transition Shoe

Stop everything Voyeurs, I’ve found the perfect shoe to get you through the transition between seasons, and it’s not a heel!  You know by now that I love heels, in fact I have a collection to rival Imelda Marcos and maybe even put her to shame.  I have boxes and boxes of shoes in the attic and garage and six shoe closets.  I know, pretty cool/crazy right?!  I bloody love a statement heel, anything a little out of the ordinary, you’ll never catch me in a plain old court shoe, even a Pigalle or a So Kate is too boring for me (soz Louboutin, still friends ok? – call me….)

I’m a big fan of a sneaker too, my sneaker collection is one that I’m proud of, I’ve built it up over the years and it’s made up of everything from Reebok classic high tops and essential Stan Smiths, to more obtuse pieces like Batman and Joker opposition Chuck Taylors and Chanel quilted high tops, I have some pretty amazing bespoke pieces that Nike crafted for me from their archive too.  It’s a pretty awesome collection if I do say so myself.  Anyway, we’re not here to talk about heels or sneakers….

So, the transition between Summer and fall is often a tricky one when it comes to footwear.  If you’re in the UK you’ve probably confined your sandals to the closet and looked longingly at them on occasion wondering if the rain will hold off long enough for you to showcase your new pedicure.  It probably didn’t.  But on the other hand, it’s way too soon for boots and tights. The shops are starting to look to FW17 and eek in the new trends as the last remnants of SS17 sit on the shelves contemplating their uber short life span.  What do you do when you’re at that in between stage?  A ballet flat? A sneaker? A loafer?  Any of these work, (if you said flip flop then log out, take your device back to the store and tell them you’re not fit to own it or have access to the internet.)  But there’s something way better out there, and it’s available right now!

I’ve found you the perfect transitional shoe that works with jeans, cigarette pants, dresses and skirts.  they come in two colours, teal green and boring black, they’re velvet AND they have embroidery.  With this many trends in just two shoes you’re expecting a hefty pricetag right?  Well get this Voyeurs, these little beauties are £8 from good old Primark who are coming up trumps with their Luxe range and new team of trend designers (more on that next time).  Check out these gems….

Bee-autiful right?!  These Bee-auties are on shelves in selected Primark stores right now and at £8 they won’t ‘sting’ you either!  Ok I’ll stop with the bee jokes now…  Seriously though, these shoes get a tick in the box for being on trend, they’re flat and so completely manageable, glam enough to wear for a night out and above all else, they’re actually comfortable.  One thing, as with all Primark flats, when you get them home from the store and you’ve checked they fit and you’re definitely keeping them, rub the front section of the soles with some Wet and Dry sand paper.  Primark flats are notoriously slippy and this helps to give them a little grip, you don’t have to go hell for leather with it, just rough them up a bit to take off the shiny coating.

Now, all that’s left to do is get to Primark, get these in your basket, then get them on your feet and wait for the admiring glances.  You’re welcome Voyeurs…

Pixie xo

 

Categories: Beauty, Fashion, Models, North East, Pixie, Uncategorized

M.I.A SS17 Campaign Shoot

I’ve been a fan of North East accessories brand Mirror Image Accessories since I discovered it around two years ago, the distinctive llaser cut, Art Deco shapes had me hooked at first sight.  I’ve bought a few Gatsby style pieces from M.I.A and have been lucky enough to have been gifted some too, all of them are vacation staples for me because of the awesome way they reflect light.

Each style is designed in house by owner and designer Ellie and sold via her Etsy store before being packed up and shipped.   Each style is produced in small numbers meaning that whilst you’re pretty unlikely to bump into someone wearing the same item, but also that if you see something and fall in love with it, you’ll need to act fast.  These pieces are a good shout at a family wedding and an M.I.A accessory is always a conversation starter.

Loving the brand as much as I do, I was ecstatic to be asked to front the M.I.A SS17 accessories campaign.  Ecstatic, and super surprised to find out that Ellie is a fan of Fashion Voyeur, if that isn’t the perfect fit then I don’t know what is.

We set about creating campaign inspiration boards and ideas of how we’d create the perfect look to fit the theme of the latest collection.  With an 80’s glam vibe in mind, Ellie pulled together an awesome all female team to shoot the cocktail inspired collection in a Gatsby-esque waterfront cocktail bar in South Shields.

Styling on the shoot was a real homage to the 80’s with huuuuuuuge hair and super colourful paintbox style makeup, think Elizabeth Shue in Adventures in Babysitting crossed with Young Jenna in 13 Going on 30, and you’re on the right track.  We even worked in some experimental lip stripes to to give the first part of the shoot a modern twist.

With fun pin badges, hibiscus chokers & cute mismatched wooden studs, the SS17 collection is kitsch and adds another dimension to the brand, expanding on M.I.A’s usual 20’s style pieces.  The Flamingo choker is a vacation essential and the smaller pin badges are a dream on oversized denim.  My favourite piece though, is a laser cut deco style necklace that Ellie tells me was born out of an experiment.  Needless to say it came home with me to compliment the other pieces in my M.I.A collection.

The full collection launches in the M.I.A Etsy store very soon but for now you’ll have to make do with my behind the scenes shots from the set.  With a distinct Summer vibe, the SS17 M.I.A collection is full of vacation must-haves, I’ll be wearing the pin badges on a denim pinafore and the mismatched wooden earrings with braids while I’m sunning myself on Sant Tomas beach.

Keep your eyes peeled for the full campaign Voyeurs, it’s due to drop any time!

Pixie xo

Categories: Fashion

London Fashion Week FW17: VIN + OMI Present Submerge

VIN + OMI are known for their elaborate show sets during London fashion Week and as a brand famed for its couture, it draws in a pretty impressive crowd.  For FW17 the brand has partnered with the iconic Michelle Violy Harper to produce its first ever ready to wear collection.  Exciting stuff right?

With Violy as their muse, VIN + OMI have created a fresh aesthetic with new silhouettes and shapes to flatter form.  Bold new patterns and colours reflect a fantasy waterworld, using fabrics made from recycled plastic collected from the ocean alongside the highest quality silks, sustainable latex and wool.  The duo are always exploring new methods of fabric manipulation and fabrication and with Submerge for FW17, they’ve produced their most relatable and wearable collection yet.

“The collection is for that international, creative, art loving woman, with a sprinkling of menswear in there too.  The collection has a balance of light pieces and heavier winter outerwear, pastel shades and bold colours.  Global temperatures are changing and people are jumping on planes more often.  Seasonal collections need to reflect this.”  VIN + OMI

In a fully immersive London Fashion Week show staged at The Sanderson Hotel packed with the fashion elite, celebrities, and me, models walked the boards of the Perrier-Jouet enchanted garden before taking to the sidewalk to showcase the collection. A co-ed show saw both men’s and womenswear together on the runway, topped off with VIN + OMI’s signature quirky accessories including oversized silk mittens and zip tie jewellery in uber bright colours as well as hand drawn shoes.  Oversized proportions and elongated shoulders and sleeves have been a favourite with many designers in the FW17 Showcases and these extreme shapes managed to remain flattering to the female form at VIN + OMI.

“My obsession with creating clothes that are avant garde, and steeped in the fantasy of the awe inspiring underwater world inspired me to work closely with VIN + OMI to create a collection that both challenges and delights.  I was drawn to their work because they push boundaries and are able to explore and translate not only concepts, but also feelings.”  Michelle Violy Harper

Radio 1 DJ Jo Whitley took to the runway for the finale alongside her two sons and daughter Coco, who led the finale, saying “well they got me out of Doc Martens!” As she closed the show.

Every Fashionista worth her Himalayan Pink Salt knows that London Fashion Week is where we look to find fresh new shapes, silhouettes and colours, it’s where most emerging trends come from and the VIN + OMI show provided a hotbed of inspiration for the high street.  Come September, expect to see chiffon and mesh daubed with watercolours and frills (already huge news for SS17) on a high street near you.

Pixie xo

Professional images taken by Christopher Daw, all other images taken by me.

Categories: Fashion, Uncategorized

London Fashion Week SS17

If there’s one Fashion Week that’s associated with new talent and a passion for supporting the underdog, it’s London Fashion Week; and with the likes of Prophetik, Gareth Pugh and Mulberry all showing strong collections, it looks like the bar is set to keep on rising.

I’m headed to London SUPER early in the morning for three jam packed days of shows and events and a special something from one of my all time favourite designers (more on that later).

Stay tuned Voyeurs, after a very mediocre NYFW, I’m predicting big things from London.  BIG things….

Pixie xo