The Fashion Zeitgeist

London Fashion Week Diary AW19  Amidst the political chaos that Britain faces at the moment, one thing is for sure: this year’s London Fashion Week made me proud to not only be British, but proud to be a British young woman, studying and living in London. This season celebrated culture, curves, and colour. An infusion of international heritages with new up and coming designers gave the industry a fresh face. A wide spectrum of shows, from classic to confrontationally colourful, meant there was something different in every single look I saw, both on the catwalk and on the streets. Here’s my diary of exactly what I got up to this fashion week…  Friday:  Poster Girl AW19 Presentation:  I started my fashion week by being transported back to a 1960s spa: think bright colours, retro shapes and girl power. The diversity of models in age and in race created a feminist microcosm of society where women were not belittled by beautifying their identity, but w...

The rise of neon   After their huge winter sale, Zara has been taken over by bright colours and matching suits, and I for one, am here for it. Take a walk down monochromatic Oxford Street with its crowds of tourists, treat your eyes, and maybe even your wardrobe, to a sneak into Zara .   Their mannequins are dressed in a parade of colours: bright blue; yellow; red; pink; green; and the list goes on…  The colours scream out for attention but not in a distanced ‘only cool girls can wear this’ way, but in an accessible way to the everywoman. They ooze sophistication, class, and style, challenging everyday work attire and recreating the office floor ‘vibe’ in a fun and vibrant way. Zara has inverted tradition and made it modern and cool, the vibrancy of these suits are made for the everyday but inject something new and exciting. The cuts of the suits are very classic and smoothly transition from Winter into Spring and into Summer.  Of course this tre...

What happens when fast fashion is your only choice? It’s time to talk about fast fashion… The fashion industry has created an enormous sinkhole that our consumerist society sinks farther and farther into every single second. The designing, manufacturing, photography, and shipping of one item gets reduced into one single wear, maybe an instagram picture, then an eternal destiny hidden in the shadows of your closet. Sustainability and veganism are on the rise, it’s trendy to care about the planet. But we cannot let this trend die. The strain fast fashion brands put on the industry is immense: commercialism has gone power crazy with some online brands bringing in new stock everyday. The industry has turned into a revolving door, and a highly destructive one.  While fast fashion is very topical and rightly so, is it elitist? Sure it’s easy to reduce your wardrobe size when you can afford to invest hundreds into a Burberry coat, or Balenciaga trainers, with premium qu...

   Off Season City Breaks  Barcelona  Park Guell While on the surface Barcelona may be known for its'  stunning  sandy beaches that blend the hustle of the city with the tranquility of the ocean, what lies deeper is a culturally rich city that can be accessed whatever the season.  January: the month of New Year's resolutions, new lifestyle choices, and more crucially, the aftermath of indulgent Christmas spending sprees. While most anticipate the long awaited pay day at the end of the month, few linger over the thought of a city break. However, while purse strings may be tight as we welcome the new year, £100 can get you two nights stay in a four or five star hotel, and flights, in a city with immense cultural efflorescence:  Barcelona. Basilica de la Sagrada Familia  Granted not everyone envisages being anywhere near a beach in a coat or a jumper, the wonderfully picturesque Barcelona shatters this preju...