LONDON FASHION WEEK S/S 15

Yesterday was the last day of London Fashion Week and although I unfortunately did not get to attend the event myself, I was able to keep up with a live feed via Instagram and Twitter. The hustle and bustle of 'who was the best dressed?' and all the talk of who was your favourite of the day is not something that ends as soon as the last show. So what have been the highlights for me?

Well..

Day 1: From many of the great designers opening this well celebrated fashion week, Amanda Wakeley's collection really started it for me. With the clean cut retro tie back shapes hitting the run way, it was a like stepping into Spain in the late 80's for the rich and famous. The collection was sheer, well cut and well designed in pure whites bringing out the low scoop necks and three quarter length arms. From collar to the trim of the trousers, the collection really did it for me.

Day 2: Sheer loose fabrics in muted, powder blue's, greys and clean cut whites. Whistles for me stole the show the day, or at least stood out from the rest. Cut away jackets with strappy neck tops, paired with subtle palm prints and sheer, metallic like t-shirts. This collection is the perfect example of a 'mix-and-match' collection in terms of each item can be paired with any other one of the items if wished. Also, its entrance within Kings Cross Tube Station was the perfect setting to show how this designer brand would fit in to everyday surroundings within the day to day life of commuters in the city.

Day 3: Paul Smith's simplistic, non-over the top collection was the perfect example of 'basic'. There was nothing flashy or outrageous about this collection. The prints consisted of simple stripes in small detail, the shapes of the clothing were very basic and plain. But, this was a great example of everyday luxury, an outfit for any occasion wherever you are. With a muted palet of golden browns, pinks, greens and blues, the materials of the clothes in soft satins was the only outstanding factor within the collection. Again, although this collection was simple; it for me showed how a great designer can be worn everyday.

Day 4: Tom Ford. Well.. Dark couture outfits with legs, legs and more legs is the best way to describe this range. This collection was sexy and mysterious. With short dresses and skirts in dark black, green and gold then smothered in lace and knits. Oversized metallic flares brought a sophisticated eye catching suit style into the range. Open front, sequin nipple covered tops on dresses and paired with trousers also made the collection a simply wonderful evening wear collection. The collection (not usually my type of thing) really stood out to me and showed evening wear at its best!

Day 5: Fashion East (Ed Marler, Helen Lawrence, Louise Alsop Designers) collection this season came together with three main designers and they have made this simply wonderful oversized, pastel collection. With large bold shapes, added splashes of colour in the most strangest of places, but keep this comfortable and very wearable look. Bringing urban styling with slashed items in with silk/cotton oversized dresses, this collection has something for everyone. The odd use of materials and shapes within the clothing shows creativity and a little bit of all three designers interests within the collection, but bringing them together to create this artistic, wonderful collection.

This seasons collections have been both inspiring and exciting. Not many of the shapes have changed from S/S 14 but the colours and the way the designers are dressing these items are certainly changing. The retro, artistic look is definitely a must have next season and it will be interesting to see how this style is interpreted onto the high-street.

All video credits go to London Fashion Week, British Fashion Council, VOGUE and YouTube.

DESIGNER SHOES - COMFORT AND THE CRIPPLE

Today (29th July, 2014) like every Tuesday, students of Condé Nast's Greek Street-based fashion college hold a LIVE Twitter debate which brings up various topics within the fashion industry, helping peoples voices be heard. Todays topic is from a comment made by Christian Louboutin who previously said he "didn't think about comfort when it came to designing shoes", is this okay?

I myself have never bought a pair of designer shoes, maybe it's because I'd like to know I've earned them instead of breaking into my student loan or maybe because one's I have tried on have been incredibly uncomfortable. I am all about the practicality of a shoe and prefer to invest in a pair of heels/shoes that will last and are comfy although some women are not like that, not that there is anything wrong with this. They prefer to say they have the shoes rather than miss out on something that everyone else has or seems to be getting. There are countless times have a I entered bars and seen girls in their new Red, Black or Nude high heeled Louboutin's (popular last A/W 13) which at first I do think "WOW! I do wish I had some of those". It's only when I see them rubbing their feet at the end of the evening of the same pair of shoes tucked under their arms as they tip toe home am I glad I haven't spent my savings on a pair of these. BUT, not all designer shoes are like this and I cannot wipe out all designer shoes based on my own thoughts. 

What I'm interested to know is, are they worth the investment? Are all designer shoes like this and if not, what are they?

If you would like to join in the debate or see other people's views this afternoon the LIVE debate starts at 1pm and will finish as 2pm.

To see this follow #cncollege and join in on the debate! 

CHRISTIAN DIOR - COUTURE A/W 14/15 //

It's the Catwalk show everyone's been talking about the past couple of days and I could not resist a post about this one. The images are what captured my eye at first, from the setting of the runway to the intricate details on the clothing every part of the show was capturing. 

The runway, AGAIN set in the Rodin Museum was draped in another Roff Simmons structure in the gardens of white flowers hung from the ceilings and created a wonderful setting for the days show. The designer took inspiration from the Eighteenth Century French court, Edwardian Tailoring through to the modern day. 

The show began from the end, showing ball gowns in pure white with fine beading and delicate sowing. Gowns where three quarter instead of full length and worn with slimmer, sportier tailored tops in fine silk then accessorised with silver, chunk bangles. Every detail carefully thought of to bring the modern day tailoring but a classic French theme running through. 

The second set showed more of a minimal, tailored collection in dull Greys, Blacks and Olive Greens with accents of Reds, Greens and Blue's to bring the tailoring a modern twist. Coats in mink, chinchilla and cashmere draped over models such as Kendall Jenner and layered the collection with glamour. The models wore simple minimal makeup keeping the focus on the clothing, all the way down to the flat shoes casually strolling the runway. 

The last section showed Eighteenth century inspired coats in embroidered pastels, with a heavy number of dark Navy and Pea Green coats with tailored and exaggerated shoulders to compliment the structure. All in all the collections was a well rounded couture collection and brought together by the colours and details used within the garments. 
This collection shows a history of fashion coming through to the modern day by tailoring, colour and detail.

                 

Images taken from http://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/autumn-winter-2014/couture/christian-dior, with some information also from Vogue.

ZARA - A/W 14 PREVIEW

So.. The famous and log awaited ZARA Sales are nearly drawing to a close and if you have'nt been to busy to realise they have had their preview for A/W 14 online and in-store then turn away now. If not, you've come to the right place.

Just as soon as our Summer favourites (tennis skirts, minimal spaghetti strap tops and short dresses) come around it's time for the Autumn/Winter gear again. Taking an alternative route on the colour wheel this year, ZARA have moved away from the Navy Blue's and are starting Autumn with Muddy Browns, Creams and Olive Greens. 

Still keeping the warmer climates in mind, some styles are still loose and light weight, for instance slouchy drawstring jumpsuits in bright Topaz and Dull Grey's can be found under the 'Dresses' section. Whilst in that category you can still found scooped and back draped dresses that are cut, lined and printed . Outwear offers some light weight short Jackets in Grey's and Cream's, using loose fabrics for Macs and Trenches and thicker, more sustainable fabrics for shorter jackets. Shirts are scooped, laced and printed with splattered prints in pop colours to brighten up the collection. Trousers are casual and shorter on the leg, expressing and exaggerating the length of any woman's leg no matter what your size. In silk printed patterns or linen their trousers look to be statement pieces or a casual throw on this Autumn. Carrying the Muddy Browns over to the Knitwear, loose and casual cardigans hold the warmth next season. For those who prefer a more sassy knit, ZARA have made a bespoke Sequin Cardigan that looks as if it can be thrown any place any time, bringing an outfit to life. 

As always, it seems as if ZARA have got it down to a 'T' again this Autumn and I am very excited to see what they bring out in weeks to come to compliment this new collection. With the September issue of VOGUE and Catwalks set to be happening soon, I'm sure we will find a ZARA lookalike of our favourite GUCCI Dress for a fraction of the price. Another huge reason to love the Spanish retailers. 

Sequin Knitwear - £59.99

Jumpsuit - £59.99 

 Shirt - £29.99

Trench Coat - £59.99

Items:

 Sequin Knitwear http://www.zara.com/uk/en/collection-aw14/woman/knitwear/sequinned-jacket-c269190p2129242.html Trench Coat - http://www.zara.com/uk/en/collection-aw14/woman/outerwear/destructured-trench-c269184p2056047.html Short Blazer With Pockets - http://www.zara.com/uk/en/collection-aw14/woman/outerwear/short-blazer-with-pockets-c269184p2047511.html Draped Front Jumpsuit - http://www.zara.com/uk/en/collection-aw14/woman/dresses/draped-front-jumpsuit-c269185p2028035.html Shirt with Isometric Front - http://www.zara.com/uk/en/collection-aw14/woman/shirts/printed-shirt-with-asymmetric-hem-c269186p2042574.html

RANGE BUYING - & OTHER STORIES //

For three years I have thrown things around, been stressed, mad and cried a couple of times but I am pleased to say I will be graduating a BA (Hons) Textile Design with Retail Management Degree with a 2:1. Pleased to say the least, my hard work has finally paid off. I am also very pleased with my final module result which consisted of a 1st for a Buying Report which I wrote and created a range for a store. With this being the area of expertise I want to build a career in, this mark was the most important to me.

To show a brief outline of the range I created, here are a few details that led me to graduate.
The new range was for & Other Stories which is run by the H&M Group. A fashion brand offering women a wide range of shoes, bags, accessories, beauty and ready-to-wear to create their personal style, or story.Their creative ateliers in Paris and Stockholm design diversified fashion collections with great attention to detail and quality at an affordable price. 

The collections are built around inspiring fashion stories. All their lines are diverse, ranging from masculine tailoring to feminine chic and designed to provide endless styling choices.

Carefully selected materials are an important ingredient in every piece. & Other Stories aims to design lasting wardrobe treasures within a wide price range. (stories.com)

Taking all of the companies core factors and brand identity into consideration, the range I created was created around a Geometric, City Style feel which would go on to create the story, GEO's. This featured oversized shapes, layered materials of mainly cotton and bold, geometric shapes inspired by the shapes found on industrial buildings. To create these shapes I looked at office buildings, contemporary buildings/car parks, industrial findings and glass. 

Using colours taken from the A/W 14/15 Womenswear Industrial Trend on WGSN, I was able to incorporate dark and muted industrial greys with bright accent colours such as yellow, maroon and sky blues to create a colour palette that worked great together. 

Pinterest board that gave online inspiration (http://www.pinterest.com/amycunneyworth1/)

Without going into to much detail of the process of the whole report, the considerations for each stores quantity measurements and colouring was crucial to the collection for it to work. With & Other Stories only having stores in major cities across the globe, the weather and fashion of the cities were a major factor in the whole decision process. For example; The Oversized Coat would be a higher quantity in colder countries around A/W than it would be for warmer climates, but that would allow more skirts to be placed in the warmer countries. Everything was weighed up and picked carefully to allow sales not to drop. A fixed quantity of all the products was able to be bought on the online store. 

To finish of the range I chose several other items from different departments within store. Taking a Geometric inspired jewellery set that consisted of a Necklace, Bracelet and matching Earrings to compliment and accessorise the range. Also, Cotton Care hand cream and a 'Blunt Grey' Nail Polish to suit the colour way. Smart, chunky black shoes where also brought into the range to create a whole look for the consumer. This not only adds on additional products for the consumer, but creates and finalises the story for the customer to see. Leaving outfit choices endless. Finishing off the product I also used a photo studio and improvised with a couple of items to show the style and feel of the range to be sold. This included my model Lily Evangeline (@lilyevangeline) modelling various items of clothing to incorporate the theme and colour way.

The story was to create a city like feel for the every day modern woman who is fashion conscious. Using bold shapes, overlapping materials and bold prints she is able to wear this comfortably to the office or dress it down. Nothing made to be matched together but can alternatively be placed with other items the consumer may already have. Personality through fashion is everything and I think there is a piece within this range for everyone. 

Here are some of the boards and my final Graduation Stand for Birmingham City University:

Mood Board - Colour Way, Inspirational Images, Model Pictures

 Full Range - Including every colour way of each item.

Additional Products and Quantity Measurements 

All contact information: Twitter: @amycbuyer Tumblr: amycunneyworth  Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/amycunneyworth1/

CV Available on request

Copyright to AmyCunneyworth.

H&M x ALEXANDER WANG //

Okay so big news this week! The amazingly talented New York designer (and offering collections we would all die for) Alexander Wang is teaming up with high street store H&M. Known for their cheap Swedish style fashion at low prices, H&M offer catwalk looking styles for a cheaper price.

In recent years they have hyped their store up and created an 'exclusivity' amongst themselves by teaming up with some of the most high end designers of our time. With the likes of Stella McCartney, Kerl Lagerfield, Versace, Isabel Marant, Lanvin and many many more; H&M have outdone themselves with competitors Zara in terms of going above and beyond with collaborations. 

The collection will offer Men and Women's clothing (a change from the usual just womenswear collections) and the designer is reported to say; "I am honoured to be a part of H&M's designer collaborations," Wang said this morning. "The work with their team is an exciting, fun process. They are very open to pushing boundaries and to set a platform for creativity. This will be a great way for a wider audience to experience elements of the Alexander Wang brand and lifestyle." (Vogue, 2014).

The announcement was made on Wang's official Instagram account which featured a basketball sign which featured a digital countdown saying 'Wang x H&M', exciting followers all over the world. The collection will be later revealed on November 6th 2014.

Hello /Amy Cunneyworth

Hi, I started a blog a while ago but have been to busy to maintain it. Once looking back at my posts I saw that nothing matched or flowed in the way I wanted this to come across. So I'm starting a fresh.

Currently studying Retail Management at Birmingham City University and in my final year, as you can imagine I have a lot on. My next stop is going to be London and the waiting game begins.

In this blog, I want to write about my visual inspirations, purchases and/or anything that has caught my eye over the week.

Short and sweet, keep an eye out for my posts. Alternatively you can follow me on Instagram: amycunneyworth or Tumblr: http://amycunneyworth.tumblr.com/.