Parisian Style Lookbook

Last week, I spent a few days travelling around Paris and, of course, I had to make the effort when it came to fashion. Paris is one of the long-standing fashion capitals of the world, and I’ve always loved and admired the simplicity and effortlessness of Parisian style and culture. During my exploration of the city, I wanted to wear classic and comfortable pieces (especially because the weather was so hot!) that looked well put together and somewhat paid homage to the fashion of the capital.

Look One - Casual Boiler Suit

Boiler suit - Boohoo (https://www.boohoo.com/oversized-ecru-boilersuit/FZZ92273-124-30.html)

Bag - New Look

Shoes - Primark

Accessories - Primark / Lovisa

Now, if you know me, you know that I love a jumpsuit as they’re such effortless pieces to wear. This one is made of thin, breathable cotton which makes it a lot more comfortable for hotter weather, and I love the details of the buttons and stitching on it. I wore this look for exploring the landmarks of the city, such as the Eiffel Tower, which I took way too many pictures of. I paired it with gold accessories, which are amongst my favourite things to wear to glam up any outfit, and a white backpack for ease.

Look Two - Parisian Chic

Top - Primark

Trousers - Pretty Little Thing

Accessories - Primark

I loved this look as it was super comfortable, and one that I feel embodies Parisian style a lot. It’s classic and elegant, but never too much. I wore this when visiting the Palace of Versailles, which is honestly one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen and definitely worth the two hour wait in the queue! I also love the shoes I wore throughout the trip, a simple Chanel inspired espadrille from Primark, as it matched everything and was very comfortable to wear and walk in all day. The only downside is the embarrassingly harsh tan line that I now have on my feet!

Look Three - Disneyland Magic

Top - Pretty Little Thing

Jeans - Primark

Accessories - Primark

Shoes - Nike Air Force Ones

I thoroughly enjoyed acting like a big kid at Disneyland all day, and I wanted to wear something super comfortable but on theme for exploring the park all day, but I did get a little hot and bothered in this outfit so note to self, wear thinner layers and less tight shoes! As you may know, Aladdin is my all-time favourite film and Jasmine is my favourite princess, so I just had to wear this top, and the characters loved it! I’m probably way too old to get as gassed as I did, but nevertheless, I had such a good time that day.

Look Four - Classic Pinstripes

Top - H&M

Trousers - Not sure

 
For my final day in Paris, which I spent visiting the Louvre Museum, I went for another more simplistic and elegant look. I really liked the fit of these trousers as they were super flattering yet comfortable to wear, and I decided to tie the shirt to give the look a bit more of a summery vibe, despite the very rainy weather!

I was slightly apprehensive beforehand, due to the alleged Islamophobic attitudes of the country and their laws around the hijab, but my trip went without a hitch (apart from some disapproving looks, which I’m very used to)! Despite this, I had the most wonderful time exploring Paris, and it’s a city that I would love to visit again in the future.

Au revoir!

♥

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?