Fashion Voyeur

People will stare, make it worth their while.

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet, The Glorious North East

Kathryn Trueman presents Inbal Dror to the North East

This week Newcastle was treated to a very special bridal couture show, unlike anything the region has seen before and I was there to bring you the scoop….

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Bridal couture is big business and Israeli designer Inbal Dror has been a leader on the scene for some time, slowly amassing a following of fans who appreciate her unique craftsmanship and attention.  A skill that puts Dror one step ahead of the pack when it comes to creating standout bridal couture.  A graduate of The Shenkar Fashion Art Academy in Tel Aviv, Dror is a pioneer when it comes to couture, creating gowns that transcend the bridal genre with Beyonce opting to wear one of the standout pieces from the 2016 collection for The Grammy Awards.

With a focus on accentuating the female form by using soft, moveable materials over more traditional and thicker materials, Inbal Dror’s creations have to be seen and experienced to be believed.  Known for being a little more risqué than the average bridal designer, Dror offers something for those brides who want to feel a little more desirable.

The perfect bridal brand to collaborate with Kathryn Trueman then; Kathryn lends her name to what is probably the North East’s premier bridal boutique.  Nestled in the heart of olde worlde Morpeth with a quaint and understated shop front, an impressive boutique lies beyond with couture and more spread over two floors.  Kathryn has an unparalleled knowledge of bridal couture and can size you up in an instant.  Within five minutes of arriving she’ll have you upstairs and into a gown you never knew you needed – it’s just what she does.  With daughter in law Emily by her side, they are a formidable force on the North East bridal scene and one you need to know about.

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Kathryn Trueman Bridal Boutique, Picture by Adamskii Photography

Hence being the natural choice for the Inbal Dror Trunk Show; left with full creative control over the show, Kathryn and Emily wanted to give revellers the chance to get up close and personal with these show-stopping gowns and so came up with the idea of the #RUNFREE Trunk Show.  (That’s the official hashtag and there are some amazing pictures on social media)

I have to say I was excited about this one, I’ve had my eye on an Inbal Dror gown for a little while now (not for a wedding, just because I can).  Invites stated that guests should arrive at 6.30pm prompt at the Millennium Bridge for a “surprise pre-event” so up I rocked in my half wedding dress, baby pink boots & “Surfboard” tee, right on cue with Miss Durham GB, Taylor Hamilton as my guest for the evening.

The opening act was indeed memorable, a bridal “flash mob” arrived by stretch limousine to the Newcastle Quayside at sunset and with the sidewalk as their runway, five brides strutted to perfection while their audience was left gasping in awe.  Making their way to the centre of the Millennium Bridge – they strutted and the paparazzi followed.   At the Gateshead side, models posed for photographs at The Baltic Mill and literally walked off into the sunset.  As far as flashmobs go this was the most romantic, I fell in love with all five of those girls that night.

after moving up the The Sage, guests were treated to a champagne reception and goodie bags from my bridal publishing home, Belle Bridal before taking their place on the Frow for the show.

Exercise caution Voyeurs, you’re about to see couture so beautiful you’re going to want to down told and propose to the person closest to you….

With a live soundtrack provided by Le Sape Nocturne, a collective of eight musicians from the North East and a little further afield, these guys take infamous musical numbers from all genres and re-spin them with a little Le SAPE magic to create music you’ve never heard before, except you have.  Perfect for a bridal showcase of this calibre.

Models walked the runway in a range of styles from the Inbal Dror 2016 ‘New York’ collection which oozes glamour and decadence.  From the classic full length bridal gown to the shorter, more modern backless gown, the collection drew gasps from the crowd of press and potential brides alike.

Obvs this much concentrated gorgeousness carries a hefty price tag, but not as hefty as you might think.  With Beyonce’s (read ‘my’) gown at £8k that’s pretty affordable, and covetable, couture right there.  Sure you could pick up a car for that price but let’s face it, you won’t look as good in it as you will in this gown.

With gowns this pretty I’m considering taking on a part time second husband, or maybe two….

Pixie xo

The collection can be viewed at Kathryn Trueman Bridal, 42, Bridge Street, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 1NL

For appointments call: (01670) 511917

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet

A Lesson in Fashion Pronunciation

With New York Fashion Week and the unveiling of next season’s collections a mere three weeks away, I’ve compiled a handy guide to get you though those Fashion Week chats, namely, how to pronounce those tricky designers names.

We’ve all got that one friend who gushes about “Moschino” pronouncing it “Machine-o” and we all turn a blind eye whilst secretly shuddering inside.  Well no more!  Here’s Fashion Voyeur’s guide to nailing Fashion Week chat:

1. Moschino Let’s just dive in and get this one over and done with.  it’s ‘Mos-key-no’ end of.  Move on.

2. Hermes Often pronounced as ‘Her-mez’ Stop it.  It’s ‘Er-mez’ knowing this will score you points at Fashion Week.

3. Givenchy Given that you’re reading this, I’m assuming you have an interest in fashion and therefore know that the G here is not pronounced, if you don’t already know this then shame on you.  Usually pronounced ‘Ji-von-sheee’ Nope.  it’s ‘zji-von-shey’ often followed with ‘bitches’ in fashion circles.

4. Ralph Lauren Should come with a slap warning.  If you’re in the ‘Ralph Lau-REN’camp of pronunciation then unfortunately you’re just not fashion darling. ‘Ralph Lauren’ like it’s spelled, like the girls name. yes Lauren.  Ralph Lauren.  Simple.  like the people in the latter camp.

5. Rodarte why is this so hard? It’s ‘Ro-dar-tay’ easy.

6. Balmain Total. Minefield.  It’s not ‘Bal-main’ or ‘Bal-mine’ or even ‘Bal-man’  it’s resolutely ‘Bahl-mahhn’ and it seems even H&M employees weren’t educated on this, cue eye-roll emoji.

7. Lanvin I kind of get it with this one but let’s iron this out once and for all.  Stop saying ‘Lan-vin’ it’s longer than that ‘Laan-vahn’ then pause for effect and admiration.

8. Loewe One of my bugbears is hearing supposed Fash Folk refer to Loewe as ‘Lo-wey’  Desist immediately.  It’s ‘Lo-wave-ey’ and it’s an essential in the Fashionista’s bible, do not expect praise for getting this right.

9. Sonia Rykiel Totally underrated designer but that’s not why we’re here, often mispronounced as either ‘Sonia Ry-keel’ or ‘Sonia Ry-kel’  Correct pronunciation is ‘Sonia Ry-key-el’ if you learn one thing today, let this be it, it’s somebody’s name goddamn it.

10. Saint Laurent If you’re not au fait with this one then shame on you, its Francais and pronounced ‘San Lau-ront’

11. Balenciaga I’m only including this because of horrific pronunciation overheard by staff in Cruise recently, it’s ‘Bal-en-see-agar’ you know, as it looks.

12. Christian Louboutin If you’re pronouncing this ‘Le-BOOT-in’ then leave this page immediately, we can no longer be friends and there is literally no hope for you.  It’s ‘LOU-buh-ton’ say it, learn it, remember it.

13. Proenza Schouler Hip brand, hipper name, if pronounced correctly. ‘Pro-enza Skool-a’ there’s no ‘sh’ in there, don’t be one of THOSE people.

14. Marchesa Absolutely not ‘March -essa’ or even ‘Mar-kessa’ why would it be?? it’s ‘Mar-kay-za’

15. Hervé Léger I won’t even go into the various mispronunciations of this, people be cray with some of their interpretations of what these two short words say.  If you own a signature Léger bandage dress and have been pronouncing this incorrectly, then promptly burn it, you are not fit to wear it.  The correct pronunciation is ‘Air-vay Lay-jah’

16. Vetements I’m pretty sure you all did basic bitch French in school so there’s no excuse for not knowing how to pronounce this correctly, hearing “Vetments” outside a show venue is enough to have you removed and barred for life.  The correct way to pronounce this fashion dictionary staple is ‘Vet-mohn’ dahling, and while we’re on this one, the current Creative Director Demna Gvasalia, is pronounced ‘Dem-na gva-sah-lee-ah’.  Not confident with that one?  Simply say ‘the current CD of Vet-mohn’.

And so concludes our lesson today, if you’ve learned something please share this article and your new found knowledge!

See you on the Frow….

Pixie x

Categories: The Archives

Tenenbaums On Tour: Vacay!

As you know Voyeurs, I just got back from an amazing vacation visiting Mama Tenenbaum in Menorca and this time, my (non twin) brother Horlicks and his wife Kate came along too.  I don’t usually write about this type of thing but Menorca is pretty special and I got some awesome pictures so thought I’d let them do the talking…

We got off to a great start at Newcastle Airport; travelling with an Autistic passenger with the added complication of a severe learning disability and a rare chromosomal abnormality can be tricky to say the least but Jet2 Ground Crew member Dean Johnson was amazing, organising a separate bus to take Plankton and his entourage to the plane and even escorting him to the plane door.  Snaps for Dean and Jet2, seriously guys, that’s a great thing you’ve got going on there.

We visited gorgeous Ciutadella on market day, if you haven’t been I’d highly recommend it.  From the beautiful police station to the smell of leather drifting around the market, it’s a veritable treat for the senses and there are tiny side streets to amble along and admire the architecture (and doors).  I couldn’t resist picking up a pair of Little Lord Fauntleroy style bloomers (yes, really) and some other pieces.

In the small hill top town of Alaior, the locals come together every Saturday night for live music and dancing in the square, it’s something not really known by visiting tourists and it’s rare to find another English speaking person there but it’s well worth a visit.  The sounds of Santana blast out during our visit and yes, Plankton and I dabbled…

Back in Son Bou I discovered a picture of yours truly on the Wall of Fame in the world famous Mai Tai Bar (which serves one of the best gin and tonics I’ve ever had, it’s an experience not to be missed).

I wore headwear, but no crowns….

And was woken up far too early on more than one occasion….

I wore ONE BIKINI on ONE DAY, the first time in 22 years in fact, and was trolled for it:

We visited beautiful Mahon, a wonderfully eclectic mix of all things new and old from the flagship Stradivarius store to the old castle walls.  There’s also awesome street art at every turn…

The reason for our visit, my mama’s husband’s 60th birthday, went on for a full seven days of eating out and drinking Mahon gin and far too many pictures of me smiling or looking drunk…

I had a Marilyn moment….

And we watched the most beautiful sunsets over Sant Tomas beach, famed for it’s gorgeous aspects…

The Tenenbaum Olympics took place, disappointingly, my brother and I were the only entrants and the proceedings were halted pretty quickly during the Lunge Race when this happened…

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We took the boardwalk to the beach, something I think of a lot when I’m in the UK, put simply, it’s a myriad of wooden walkways leading to different aspects of the beach and various beach and surf bars.  Doesn’t sound like much, I guess you had to be there…

We haven’t even started on the doors yet…. if you’re a fellow #archilover then the #DoorsOfMenorca are seriously good, yes, even with a #PhotoTerrorist.  Thanks Horlicks, you’re adoorable (see what I did there??).

I bought stuff.  Natch… (Let it be known that this little bottle of golden goodness {centre} is an absolute #HairHero, if you’re in Spain, stock up and then give it all to me)

I took a lot of pictures of my feet, in my defence I was road testing a new gel nail system from Essie, but I know what you’re thinking: weird.  Am I right?

…..and a few of my butt, but that was just for the #BikiniHaters and I gained a few tattoo hating trolls in the process…

As for the rest of the vacation, it truly was lush.  From the busy city to the fishing ports, the night markets to the cocktail bars, the place is visually gorgeous and the people are friendly.  There’s loads to keep kids entertained too, not my usual topic but there’s a gazillion play parks which are well equipped and clean all over Menorca.  Bo actually allowed me to photograph him once or twice too #Winning.

There’s not a lot more you can ask for from a family vacation is there?  Yes, Mama Tenenbaum cried on our arrival and our departure but you’d expect nothing less would you #Voyeurs?

So now I’m back in the UK there’s one thing that’s top of my priority list and that’s booking my next break.  Nice, I’m coming for you….

Pixie xo

Categories: The Archives

Sunderland Fashion Weekend

If you live in the North East, you’re probably already familiar with Newcastle Fashion Week, but 2016 brings us a new stylish younger sister in the form of Sunderland Fashion Weekend.  Making its debut at The bridges Shopping Centre, this weekend saw the north East Fash Pack flock to the shopping centre for fashion advice, runway shows and offers galore.

As a preview to what was in store for shoppers, I was invited to sit on the Frow at the VIP runway show hosted by Heart Radio’s Kellyanne Scott and featuring clothes which were all available to purchase at stores in the Bridges Shopping Centre, Sunderland.  I wore my trusty Warehouse shorts, Chanel boots and an Ivy Park tank and was greeted on arrival with a glass of Prosecco before being shown to my seat.

The show opened with local singer / songwriter and super gorgeous model Afnan Prince showcasing relaxed casual menswear and started as it meant to go on; dynamic, energetic and fun – an absolute must for a shopping centre runway show.  Models from local agency Tyne Tees Models danced, role-played and strutted to fun, upbeat songs and the fashion was current and relevant with SS16 clothing and accessory offerings from Topshop, Select Fashion, Debenhams and many more.

One of the real unique things about Sunderland Fashion Weekend is that throughout the whole event, each runway show showcased different looks, from different stores.  So if you hit the mall at 10.30 and were still there at 14.30, you’d have the opportunity to see three different shows, all short, sharp and to the point and all definitely on trend for SS16.  Sunderland Fashion Weekend was about so much more than just runway shows though, it was about supporting local business and opening up to new audiences.  By showcasing the current trends on the runway, shoppers were shown how to put key looks together for SS16 by making them completely accessible and wearable for Sunderland shoppers, nothing outlandish, nothing crazy, just real fashion, for real people.

Fusionz Hair and Beauty were on hand (literally) to provide bespoke henna tattoo designs for customers, admittedly a business I’d have never known about if it wasn’t for Sunderland Fashion Weekend and definitely one I’d use again.  My partner in crime, Joni and I stayed behind afterwards chatting to the Artist and business owner and looking at some one her amazing creations.

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My partner in crime, Joni

There’s no doubt that Sunderland Fashion Weekend has been a real success for the city and as a debut, was put together spectacularly well with a focus on sustaining local business rather than fast fashion.

I can’t wait to see what 2017 brings for Sunderland, maybe a full fashion week?  After the success of Sunderland Fashion Weekend 2016 I certainly hope so….

Pixie x

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet, The Glorious North East

Love Niche: The Art of Style

Every season Love Niche stages a runway show in Newcastle to showcase their latest collections and SS16 was no different in that respect.  It was however, a huge departure from the regular Love Niche runway show, SS16 brought with it a record number of outfits and a brand new venue.

Following in the footsteps of Karl Lagerfeld, the GodFather of Chanel, Love Niche Owner and Curator Nisha Vedhara, decided to inject a little bit of Paris Fashion Week into her latest show and give every guest a seat on the Frow.  That’s right Voyeurs, no rows other than the front row and all named after the fashion capitals of the world. Natch.

Love Niche Fashion Show At Hood Street Club Newcastle Pictures By Alex Alevroyiannis

You’ll know by now from past posts that Nisha and I have become good friends and I champion each collection she brings to the Fash Pack of Newcastle and beyond.  A thoughtful designer, Nisha designs for everyone, every shape and every size, there aren’t many places that can boast a bespoke service with such wide appeal and Nisha’s studio and respective lines have that in abundance.

“My number one aim isn’t to sell you clothes in fact; it’s to sell you confidence, self-esteem, self-awareness, pride and a new lease of life.” Nisha

Nisha learned her trade from her mother, watching her pattern cut and create designer led pieces in India, she designs and produces her own collections “Luxe” and “Resort” and travels the world sourcing and buying the best pieces for her Love Niche “Paris” and “London” lines, ensuring there is a price point that all clients can shop, without exclusion.  Petite, beautiful and very in demand, Nisha is warm and friendly and probably knows what you want more than you do.  In fact, she’s so in demand that she’s the Stylist that Brazilian model and Victoria’s Secret favourite Adriana Lima has on speed dial when an assignment comes up and she needs the best.

Ok, back to the clothes, Love Niche show off schedule, this means that as the collection is shown, clients are able to shop it right off the runway, no waiting six months for the drop to hit the studio, what appears on the runway is current and relevant to the season we’re in.  So, scheduling lesson over, let’s fast forward to The Art of Style, the name of Nisha’s latest runway show at The Biscuit Factory – an art gallery in Newcastle that oozes cool and the perfect place to stage a runway show.  On arrival guests were greeted with a cocktail and a smile, and with a dedicated selfie zone and pop up shop, the stage was set for Love Niche’s most ambitious show to date.  I wore a hacked up ballgown, a Pearl Jam tee and a Kathryn Russell Country Garden crown – perfectly mismatched chic with an Apple Watch which I’m quick discovering goes with nothing but gym attire.

With everything from resort wear suitable for cocktails by the poolside, through to full length gowns fit for the red carpet, and fun, flirty fashion for the younger client, Love Niche put on a showcase lasting a full 60 minutes broken down into themes and styled with accessories from the Love Niche Details range, carefully curated by Nisha herself.

Models walked the snake like runway ensuring that all guests were treated to a 360 degree view of each outfit, up close and personal, exactly as it should be and were able to shop the exact pieces right there from their seat on the Frow.  With bespoke headpieces, flower crowns and section grips provided by the insanely talented Kathryn Russell, the show had a real flavour of Sicilian glamour, a la Dolce and Gabbana.

If you’re already familiar with Love Niche, you’ll know that a Love Niche runway show needs no introduction, a glamorous affair in some of the best North Eastern venues and a sell out every time, but what you might not know is that Nisha and her talented team offer a bespoke made to measure service.  Dotted around the venue were framed sketches of beautiful gowns coupled with swatches of fabric, after the show Nisha tells me that these are all sketches of real dresses which she created for real people.

“Some women come to my Studio looking for one special outfit; some come looking for an entirely new capsule wardrobe complete with accessories – but all women, without exception, come looking to learn a little about themselves. Women know what they want, but don’t always know how to achieve it… they know how they deserve to feel, but don’t always know how to express it. I know.” Nisha

Nisha tells me her bespoke Love Niche clients come back time and time again and I’m not surprised; the Love Niche Studio, tucked away on Clayton Street Newcastle is pure escapism.  Once you climb the staircase and are buzzed in, guests are welcomed with a glass of champagne and you feel a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre.  It’s a calm and welcoming environment and the team are on hand to dispense advice where needed, there’s no push for a sale, it’s a great place to shop and it’s no surprise that Nisha has many a celebrity client given the level of privacy the studio offers.

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If you haven’t yet discovered Love Niche, then make it your next shopping destination, if only for a browse and if you can, get to the next big resportwear show Kool and the Kaftan at Ramside Hall in May 2016, it promises to be another fashion extravaganza and if you have a vacation planned it’s a great way to get the jump on SS16′ s best swim and pool wear offerings.

You can thank me for this tip later!

Pixie x