New Semester

So... yesterday after struggling to get up to make uni after a fun weekend in Newcastle where my body is starting to become nocturnal, I had a lecture on what to expect in my next semester! I was pretty excited to see what was happening and I'd be working on.

With a hand in date on Friday and two weeks off involving 5 nights in Paris first, I started to realise how much I actually LOVE my course! My next semester is all about Trend Briefing. MY FAVOURITEEE! This is going to be on menswear, which I have to collect information on in Paris as well as carrying it on when I return to uni after the trip. Menswear something I have never taken great interest in so this is something different and fun! Looking at fabrics, street style, styling, colour palettes, textures and influences. This is followed on by a 6 week project with 'Topman Design' which is the more exclusive and individual design-led pieces in Topman. I will be working with a partner and a fashion design team within this. I can't wait! Expect lots of menswear trends now filling up all my blog posts!

As well as this we were also informed how we require to create a Paris blog covering all aspects of our trip, before, during and after, evidencing all the activities associated with the trip work and social related including shopping, preparing and packing for the trip. As well as my experience of the coach, Eurotunnel, first sight of France/Paris, hotel and room, work, research, experiences, meals, nights out, sights, sounds, purchases, people etc! Scanning in marketing material collected, everything I bought and have used them.

So my blog will now involve a lot of menswear posts and become not just a 'Fashion Diary' but now a 'Paris Diary' :)

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Chanel On a Stick?

Chanel On a Stick? What do you think?

I can't decide what I think of these when I came across them.. I just keep looking at them confusingly!

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Topshop Sisters

Every season, day, month there is a product which is the 'it' product and as no surprise this season is no different. Topshop this season are following their 'Freedom' jewellery range for the new spring/summer 2010 collections. The brand has teamed up with the style-savvy sisters, daughters or Annie Lennox, Tali and Lola who are on 16 and 18!!

The beautiful and extravagant on trend jewellery is affordable, and involves necklaces, bangles, rings and earrings in over 300 Topshop stores which has over 300 new lines a month! Beyoncé, Agyness Deyn, Joss Stone, Alexa Chung, Cat Deeley and Holly Willoughby are big fans of the Freedom Topshop jewellery!

The key pieces this season involve, Marrakesh; rich jewel tones, burnished gold, fringing and minor details. Taboo, inspired by a South Sea island paradise, with hand-painted beads and bangles with tropical flowers and exotic feather head-pieces. Beach House Hideaway, which focuses on a bleached, pastel palette; and Fantasy Island, which is based on colour-plated metals, twisted and knotted neckwear in rainbow colours.

I'm excited to see this appearing in the stores, as I'm not always a fan of Topshop jewellery (mostly because of the price!) but these items look reallly niceeee!

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Longchamp

Kate Moss!

From model to Topshop to Longchamp. Kate Moss has secretly been designing a line of handbags for the French brand with Longchamp’s artistic director Sophie Delafo

ntaine. They are set to debut in Longchamp stores on February 11th. The British model has already been the face of the French house for four years already and reports says she'll continue to design two collections year for a period of time.

I hope this leads to lots more collaborative work!!

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Paris!

It is less than a month now until my trip to Paris! I'm extremely excited about going, it is somewhere in the world that I have always wanted to visit. A city which is known for its fashion and art I cannot wait to experience 6 days there and visit the sights!

When I was out shopping yesterday I noticed a lot of Parisienne influenced clothing. Flirty, feminine and fun made up of polka dots, pearls, bows and stripes. The floaty dresses, boucle jackets and embroidered items make a ladylike cool look which is to fill our wardrobes this season. Here are a few I found

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Spring Fashion Trends!

I huge interest within fashion which is fashion trends, something I would love to work in one day.

Whilst reading Vogue, style.com and fashiontoast blog recently I LOVE the S/S 10 trends that are appearing in shops.

As Vogue defined them:

• 'Something Wild' - animal prints and safari colours
• 'Candy Floss' - MY FAVOURITE! ice cream shades in sheer, floaty fabrics is a girly glamour look
• 'Short Order' - the tinier the shorts the better they look
• 'Notice me Prints' - attention grabbing prints from floral and geometrics prints packaged with energy
• 'Raw Power' - rough cut and tagged pieces i unbleached natural shades
• 'Spring Bling' - sequins are still here with dazzling party pieces with elegance and glamour
• 'White Wash' - white garments with fun shape, form and fabric
• 'Modern Military' - feminine combat gear
• 'Inside Out' - silk underwear as outerwear
• 'Fairytale Frocks' - frilly, frothy and fabulous, ultra feminine dresses

All these trends can already be seen in shops like Topshop (yes one of my favourite if you haven't already guessed!) I'm looking forward to going shopping with some birthday money at the end of the month now!

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Burberry

Burberry have stayed with their English roots and have produced yet another great campaign!

Everyones talking about Emma Watson and her brother modeling for Burberry. First watching Emma back in Harry Potter then seeing her feature last season for Burberry and carry on for Spring/Summer 2010, I was very excited seeing this. Not only are the pictures amazing she is featured with four other British guys, two models and two musicans including George Craig and Max Hurd but also her brother Alex Watson!

The campaign images are shot against the white classic background showing the label's three collections; Burberry Prorsum, Burberry London and Burberry Brit which features plaid hangbags to Burberrys signature trench coats. The energy of the images can seen to be reflected within the attitudes and expressions of the Burberry models.

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L'Oreal

So yesterday was the big day at L'Oreal. As I posted a week or two ago, my group was one of the lucky groups to have been chosen to present our marketing strategy of raising brand awareness and doubling sales within five years for the brand Shu Uemura. This was the one live project that all though it was VERY stressful and everyone I know is fed up about me moaning on about 'Shu Uemura' and L'Oreal' as it had taken over my life for toooo long! I did actually love doing it.

We got down to L'Oreal headquaters on Hammersmith Road in London about lunch time and were taken up to a small room to present. Whilst watching the other presentations my nerves built, but I knew I knew my stuff and we'd be fine. It was soon our chance to go up and present our 'tools' idea and all the hard work seemed to pay off after the 10 minute presentation. This was an amazing opportunity and feedback we recieved saying the presentation was very businessy, entrepreneurial, clearly set out and could have been presented to someone else higher up as it was already, as group we were very pleased and feel we took something away from this.

Going for a drink in the pub opposite L'Oreal and out with the FMB course girls for a few cocktails last night to celebrate put a great ending to the day!

This has defiantly pushed me to go further and has given me a real boost!

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You Are Beautiful

Today I was looking through some websites and blogs, clicking on links and came across thiswww.you-are-beautiful.com .

This is website where the creators create installations of the message 'You are Beautiful' and place it in public places. As the website states 'we aim to create positive moments of self-realisation in the humdrum of day-to-day life.'

With collaborations with designers where the three words have been placed in exhibitions across the world and stickers are sent out on request hoping that they will be given to someone making their day better. The aim is to spread the message to as many individuals in as many places as possible.

Just looking through their website put a smile on my face it something which has been created and is very clever! If you were walking down the street and were to see these three words I thin it would change anyone mood and leave people with a pretty good feeling.

Here are some of the installations they have done

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Kings Of Leon

Kings of Leon a band which only recently over the past couple of years I have got to like have become well known and many music fans consider to be a pretty 'cool' brand. The bands style is very individual, quirky and ontrend. The four boys are now following their image look and are collaborating with Surface To Air to release a new clothing collection.

This clothing collection will consist of 12 pieces that all aspire to Kings of Leon. The collection will be exclusive and sold in Chelsea's The Shop at Bluebird.

The collection pieces consist of:

I think that this collection is pretty cool and will be very popular, its something I very much like!

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Snowed In

Today I woke up to find I was snowed in! Not the most ideal situation when stuck in a small village like myself with no friends to go out in it with. However it is the best way of making me doing this uni work I suppose. With an excited brother waking me up at 7:30am to tell me his school was shut (a time I have not seen in along time!) I got up, layered up and decided I would go out in it. Searched the house for my dads Nikon D80 and decided however much I don't know how to use it I would go out and take some pictures in my garden. Also means I can delay starting this ever growing mound of uni work! I took photos with this camera back in October but edited a couple of them in Photoshop however here are the unedited results from the snow.

Tavi Gevinson

I recently came across a new blog.. a blog written by a little lady called Tavi Gevinson. The girl is from Chicago who started her blog when she was 11!... YES 11 exactly what I thought. Now being 13 years old she has hit the fashion industry with a storm, often being found on front row seats at the biggest catwalk shows and has appeared on the front cover of POP magazine. A little bit jealous? I think soooo!

Tavi recreates catwalk outfits that she loves on herself and pictures them. Follows catwalk trends, styles, books, photoshoots and the list goes on. She is pretty amazing and is having huge success off the back of starting this blog. She is someone that all fashion individuals need to watch out for!

Check out her blog http://tavi-thenewgirlintown.blogspot.com

L'Oreal

Continuing from the Shu Uemura post back in November, my group was one of the groups which has been chosen to go to London on the 15th to present our idea to L'Oreal! I'm soooooo excited! However it is now down to the hard work to learning and amending the presentation for the rest of this christmas holiday!

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