Fashion Archives - Page 13 of 17

Trendlistr Curated Vintage Popup Shop

You all know that I have my own unique style when it comes to occasion dressing but I also have a bit of a penchant for vintage, as long as it’s good vintage; and that’s the trouble with buying preloved clothing, you never know if it’s any good.

When it comes to styling and dressing, I know exactly what I want. That in itself can be a problem because sometimes the thing that I want doesn’t actually exist, that’s why I hack sleeves off tees, add in fabric and draw on clothing – I like to look unique. Buying vintage is great because it allows you to keep your individuality – you’re very unlikely to bump into someone wearing the same thing – and there are styles available that aren’t repeated on today’s high street.

One of the tricky things about buying vintage, is that you never know if what you’re buying is ‘good’ vintage, genuine or what it’s history is and that’s the risk you take. Sure vintage fairs are great, (my absolute favourite, Britain Does Vintage, tours the U.K. seasonally and makes three stops across the North East) but if you’re that person who really doesn’t know what they’re looking for then Trendlistr might be the solution you didn’t know you needed.

Ok, so first you have to establish that you’re interested in vintage clothing, if you’re not, then maybe I can convince you. Cuts, quality and sizing is different (vanity sizing didn’t exist back then) in vintage clothing, with a focus on quality over quantity, things weren’t sold in high volume so if you find a piece you love, buy it, keep it and cherish it. Good designer vintage in decent condition retains its shape and its value pretty well on this day and age, with some rare pieces (Hermes Kelly anyone?) increasing in value.

Louisa Rogers and I have been following each other for some time now and last night we finally met in person at her Curated Vintage Popup Shop in House of Smith. Louisa spotted a gaping hole in the market for a Curated vintage service that links up clients like you and I, with vintage pieces which have been sourced, checked and verified. This was the inspiration that led her to start setting up her business Trendlistr.

Louisa is super passionate about vintage clothing, but it has to be as close to perfect as it can be to pass her vigourous testing. Sourcing from all over the world, she’s built up quite a collection of eclectic pieces and had a small selection of clothing and jewellery on show at her popup.

Trendlistr will operate in a similar way to eBay which offers a marketplace for third party sellers to showcase their vintage items, minus the auction. Louisa tells me she has aspirations for it to become the ‘ASOS of vintage’ and she has faith in her brand. She talks about the importance of getting it right first time and is currently in the process of photographing and cataloging the collection ready for the website going live.

I scoured the collection last night and scavenged a preppy zip through Roberto Verino dress and a Moschino tank – picked for me by Louisa herself as she says she’s clocked my style and thinks it’s very me, she’s not wrong. Amongst the collection I found a pair of very on trend midnight blue velvet Yves Saint Laurent cigarette pants and a flower camo Salvatore Ferragamo pencil skirt, sadly neither were my size. Boo!

Is Curated vintage worth it? Yes, if you’re interested in vintage then it takes all the hard work out of finding really great quality preowned clothing. If you want to try vintage but don’t know where to start, then Curated vintage is your gateway drug, but be careful, it’s addictive.

I’ll always visit vintage fairs there’s no doubt about that, but Trendlistr offers a third dimension, a way to source items in a particular size, colour or style. A way to request dealers to look for a particular item when they’re out topping up their hauls, rather than just shopping off the rack.

When Trendlistr goes live in early 2017 I’m predicting a vintage revival of sorts….

Pixie xo

Categories: The Fashion Closet, The Lifestyle Edit

The Tyne & Wear Lifestyle Awards 2016

Last week businesses and fashionistas from all over the North East gathered at the Discovery Museum in Newcastle to celebrate the inaugural Tyne & Wear Lifestyle Awards, broadcast live on Made in Tyne & Wear.

With twelve categories, the ceremony toasted a whole range of businesses, ultimately compiling a guide to everything that’s awesome about the North East in one handy list. I swept up the train of my Claire Pettibone Romantique dress and sped over to the Discovery Museum to bring you the lowdown….

Our venue for the evening, The Discovery Museum is an imposing, red brick building which houses treasures from all over the region and as an event venue it’s pretty special. As we make our way up to the Grand Hall hidden away in the roof space, the internal metal structure exposed, this truly is the jewel in the museum’s crown and the perfect place for a Geordie knees up.

I bumped into fellow Blogger Anth May wearing a fitted TopMan suit and he instantly became my designated date for the evening. After being interviewed for a live edition of The Lowdown about red carpet fashion and new season trends (Did you catch it Voyeurs?) we were seated for a three course dinner inspired by North East delicacies including pease pudding and even a stottie. (High five whoever shoehorned that on to the menu). We shared a table with North East favourites Donna Petch from North East Hub and Joe Sexton from cookery show Fit in the Kitchen.

Pre-show entertainment came in the form of a comedy-fest from Britain’s Got Talent favourites The Mimic Men and as the entire night’s proceedings were broadcast live on TV, the audience were given a jovial reminder on etiquette for fucks, buggers and See You Next Tuesdays before the show got underway.

Our hosts for the evening were trio Peter, Mel and Hazel – you’ll recognise them from The Lowdown, who provided the links, glamour and humour between awards, all whilst looking more dapper than ever. The girls wore aqua blue embellished evening dresses and Peter looked uber handsome in a black dinner suit, (you’ve set the bar high guys, remember, you’ve got to better this next year!)

Guest presenters from all over the region and further afield dished out awards to the best North East businesses, as voted for by the public. I was asked to present the award for Best Fashion Retailer which went to Gosforth boutique Have To Love and owner Kate Walton told me she was ecstatic to have won.

At the end of the evening, a special Tyne & Wear Legend Award was given to Colin Burgin-Plews, otherwise known as Big Pink dress, for selflessly dedicating his time to innovative ways of raising funds for Cancer Awareness charities. Kudos Colin, I think you’re pretty damn awesome.

Once the awards were concluded there was just one thing left to do, party the night away.

For one night only, the best of the best in the North East assembled under one roof, just like the Avengers did – although they did it on a plane – and danced the night away. And if there’s one thing we don’t need an award for in Tyne & Wear it’s partying, we’ve got that one covered….

Pixie xo

Tyne & Wear Lifestyle Award Winners:

Best Coffee Shop – Mister Woods

Best Pub – City Tavern

Best Fashion Retailer – Have To Love

Best Hair and Beauty Salon – Patrick Forster Barber and Shop

Best Hotel – Malmaison

Best Bar – The Botanist

Best Cultural Attraction – National Glass Centre

Best Restaurant – River Beat

Best Club – House of Smith

Best Fitness Facility – Model Health

Best Live Experience – Great North Run

Tyne & Wear Legend Award – Colin Burgin-Plews (Big Pink Dress)

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet

LFW: CIMONE SS17

Carli Pearson, Founder and Creative Director of new womenswear label, CIMONE was trained at Central Saint Martins and prior to launching her own brand, she honed her craft in a variety of senior positions at some of the world’s top houses. She spent her first seven years at Stella McCartney, later moving on to become Design Director at Alexander Wang, Head of Show Collection at Pucci, and Head of Womenswear at McQ, Alexander McQueen.

Her second collection for spring/summer 2017, and first runway collection was shown as part of London Fashion Week’s SS17 season and received to rapturous applause.

A web of contradictions, the collection saw control versus chaos and high-end production values paired with repurposed textures; focusing on the interplay between naivety and self-assuredness.

statement pieces featured unique, interactive embellishment, moving with models bodies and reacting in unique ways, never appearing the same way twice. A subtle and muted whitewash was brought to life with a vibrant injection of juxtaposed bold colour, appearing as splashes and stripes.

Very obviously influenced by the late Lee Mcqueen, Pearson has focused on confidence as the recurrent theme throughout the SS17 collection – with a little fun thrown in for good measure.

Pixie xo

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet

Fun Affair: Girls Grow Up at LFW

If you’re familiar with the London Fashion Scene then you’ll already be aware of Fun Affair. Known for it’s gamine aesthetic and off-beat presentations, the brand oozes 90’s cool like no other. From the in your face logos to the vinyl baseball caps, Fun Affair is one brand that should be on your radar.

Integrating abstraction exotica, minimalism and subversion, designer Xi Zhu strives to create an avant-garde and elegant sphere of design. Zhu merges her oriental heritage with European romanticism and modernism to define her signature: ‘rebellion meets optimism’. Seemingly on a mission absolute to manifest extreme beauty, marrying oriental beauty with mystery, stillness and power, Zhu is a designer for the modern day feminist crusader.

Hosted by LFW’s younger, funkier sister, Fashion Scout, the Fun Affair show begins in a perfectly white space allowing the garments to speak volumes.

The Fun Affair SS17 collection is all of that and more and the runway show is a journey from start to finish. Inspired by the New Romantics, 80’s power dressing and postmodernism. The SS17 Fun Affair-girl is edgy, feminine and sophisticated with just the right amount of attitude. A girl gang for a new generation, and one I find myself wanting to be part of.

This season is all about playing with proportion and form. I caught up with Zhu after the show, noticeably nervous, she told me “It’s about women’s strength and rebelliousness, did you see the last look? That’s my favourite thing I’ve ever created”

Highlights of the show and top of my shopping list were oversized bow knot shirts, high gloss 90’s style slipdresses, high-waisted jeans & baseball caps, and yes, the last look was my absolute favourite, in fact I’m working on recreating it right now….

Pixie xo

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet

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