Backstage at London Fashion Week

On the 16th February, I had the chance to be a part of the most recent London Fashion Week with the organisation Fashions Finest - I had such an incredible experience, volunteering backstage and front of house, so I wanted to create a post to share how my day went with you all!
Volunteers arrived bright and early at 8am to help prepare for the full day of shows and events. At first, I helped front of house which involved welcoming guests, press and VIPs and I managed to get a good view of their first show which featured an array of incredible designers, with my favourite being The Kemist.

The Kemist

For the second show of the day, I had the pleasure and pressure of helping out backstage. This involved responsibilities such as assisting designers and dressing models, which was such a hectic experience! As soon as a model walked back off the runway, you literally have to run to get them changed into their next design and make sure they’re presentable and ready to walk again within just a few minutes. I found it hard to keep up with the needed pace at first, but after a few quick changes, you just learn what is expected from you and it becomes more a bit more seamless. Honestly, it was such a thrill and adrenaline rush being a part of this and it taught me so much about what goes into a fashion show! As volunteers, we felt so proud when we saw the model we just dressed walk the runway; it was like they were our little babies!

Tuncer Tonun

Joyce Penas Pilarsky

The next event was the Britain’s Top Designer Award, which was my favourite as it was so inspiring to see such passionate, hardworking designers and it felt great to be even a small part of their creative visions. Each designer had such beautiful, intricate creations that I was truly in awe over, too. The award went to the incredibly talent and deserving Tuncer Tonun, who's elaborate red floral truly stole the show.

Kanna Yeung

Joyce Penas Pilarsky

The main things I learnt from my experience of volunteering at London Fashion Week was just how hectic backstage at a show can be! When you see models walk the runway so gracefully, just know that before that, there was probably a mad rush and lots of shouting backstage in order to help make him or her look at beautiful as they do! Trust me, it ain’t as easy as it looks. I also developed a new found respect for runway models as they were all so hardworking and selfless! They were constantly being pulled one hundred different directions, poked and prodded by volunteers, hair and makeup artists and designers and they do it without complaint which is something that we can all learn from.

Overall, I found my experience really valuable and I’ve always dreamed of going to a show at London Fashion Week, so to be backstage and get a glimpse into what happens was so much fun! I learned show much about the fashion industry, knowledge which I can hopefully use in my ideal, future career of fashion journalism.

What is your favourite part of London Fashion Week?

Minimalist Maxi Dress.

Dress - Stradivarius (£19.99)

Boots - Primark (£12)

Jacket - Boohoo (around £25)

Jewellery - Primark (£1-£3)

I am in love this dress and have been wearing it non-stop since I purchased it (which you will probably tell by the amount of times it's been featured on my Instagram!). It's a great transitional piece for the colder seasons and can be worn dressed up or down as it is very versatile, too. Here, I have paired it with tights, boots, a coat and complimenting jewellery for an evening look but I also like wearing it with a denim jacket and trainers for the day!

What's your favourite transitional piece in your wardrobe?

♥

London Fashion Week Favourites

London Fashion Week is truly one of the most exciting times of the year for those with a love for the industry, myself definitely being included. I love watching live runways, following the hashtags on social media and being as involved as I can from the comfort of my own home.
This fashion week has definitely been one of my favourites, solely because it is much more inclusive and representative than in recent years. The runways seem to be a lot more diverse, which for me, makes the whole experience a lot more fun and engaging. I love seeing influential industries represent their audiences and society overall (it’s about time, quite frankly) and I feel that inclusivity is something that has been done well this year.
I love the trends that I've seen and the mix of materials and patterns this year, so I wanted to collate all of my favourite looks from London Fashion Week together in a blog post for you all.

Ashish

Ashish Gupta is definitely one of my favourite designers and his shows are something I look forward to every single fashion week. They are always fun and quirky; whether he has models skateboarding down the catwalk or partaking in a 70s inspired disco theme for this show, they never fail to entertain and this season was no different. I really loved the street market vibe, made up with Persian rugs and plastic bags; it looked really authentic and was something pleasantly different. In regards to the clothing, my favourite for this season was this glittered rainbow two-piece; it’s very in-line with his usual colourful collections, but something somewhat more wearable yet still fun.
Side note: Ashish’s shows were incredibly inclusive and diverse before it became a trend; his Indian culture is not something he shys away from along with representing minorities. He recently said in an interview for the BBC “when you get on a train you don't just see 6ft tall white girls. You see mixes of all people” and that statement alone is so poignant and just reflects why I’m such a huge fan of this designer.

Erdem

My next favourites were those by Erdem Moralıoğlu; his collection for this season were as beautiful as ever and I adore his use of floral patterns, ruffles and classic silhouettes. I couldn’t pick just one favourite from his show at London Fashion Week, so I had to include three! Each one has something really unique about it, whether it’s the soft playfulness of the pink, the vamp feel of the burgundy and lace or the class and confidence of the statement blazer. Everything about these three looks is stunning and each item truly emulates timeless grace and class.

Bora Aksu

This dress from Bora Aksu’s fashion week show really caught my eye as, again, the materials, ruffles and monochromatic colours make a really classy and on trend look. I like how it’s flamboyant yet somewhat understated at the same time which is a difficult combination to create, and overall, this is a beautiful dress from an equally beautiful collection by Bora.

Alice Archer

Staying on trend with the delicate florals, this two-piece is so effortless and something I could even see myself wearing. It’s giving me Japanese or kimono style vibes, whilst still looking business like and put together, particularly in regards to the blazer. The purple and blue toned colour palette is very pleasing too.

ON | OFF

It’s a sis! I really do love seeing my sisters doing so well and being represented on big platforms like Fashion Week, it warms my soul. Lee Lapthorne's brand, names On|Off, isn’t one that I’d heard of previously but I really like what I saw from this collection and I love how this show really showcased diversity with its models. On to the clothing, this casual look is also really effortless and honestly looks really comfy, and the gold colour of this jumper and jogging bottoms is to die for.

Isa Arfen

These. Jeans. I picked this look as one of my favourites as it’s something simple and wearable, it’s somewhat similar to my personal style and I like how each item contrasts with the other. In particular, the bow-style belt is adorable and again, the jeans have won me over completely. Serafina Sama, the founder of Isa Arfen, said on her website that “To me fashion is about desire, beauty and fun. It’s not about dressing up in a costume. Isa Arfen is about a real woman dressing for her real life and really enjoying it”, and this is idea is easy to see in this easy look.

Teatum Jones

This entire collection was one of my favourites from Fashion Week, with every single item on this runway following trend yet looking timeless and wearable. This look is definitely something that I will be copying (on a much lower budget, unfortunately) as it’s modest, fun and a perfect combination for inbetween seasons. According to fashionweekonline.com, these looks from the final section of the show were meant to symbolise hope due to the light colour palette, and I think that concept is very sweet and worth the quick mention!

House of Holland

This sporty look by Henry Holland was right up my street as I love the current trend of wearable sportswear and this look, in particular, was made even better through the use of accessories like the statement clutch and bold earrings. Henry Holland is another designer that I’ve always followed and enjoyed, and I fondly remember buying the House of Holland press on nails from Boots when I was younger and feeling so cool.

Burberry

Last but not least, I had to mention Burberry as it is such an iconic brand and the colourful spin to its collections this Fashion Week is something that was pleasantly surprising. This dress in particular, ties in my favourite floral trend, plus, I like the smart collar and use of mesh, too.

So, those were my Fashion Week Favourites! I really do hope and pray that one day, I get to attend these shows and be a part of London Fashion Week for real, but here’s to dreaming! I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I did and I pray that you’re all having a great week!

(All images were from London Fashion Week on Google / IMAXTREE.com )

OOTD - London Town.

 Excuse Elvis Presley in the background pls

Shirt - Primark

Jacket - Primark

Printed Trousers - New Look

Shoes - Shoe Zone

Backpack - eBay

And here's some pictures from the day, you know, if you wanna see them...

What's your favourite city?

♥