Wow! That’s what I had to say about this year’s London Fashion Week. It was my very best and most exiting season yet I have to say with backstage sneak peeks into the beauty and fashion world that is London Fashion Week. So, want to know what really goes on at London Fashion Week? Here’s a peak into my week!
The Days Leading Up to Fashion Week – What to Wear
On the days leading up to fashion week I wondered what I was actually going to wear to all the shows…luckily, ASOS came to the rescue and invited me down to their showroom to pick out a few outfits. I’ve always been a big fan of ASOS and have shopped online with them for a long time but getting to visit their showroom was a real dream! I picked out five outfits for each day of fashion week. Here are my looks below – all ASOS. One of them was a green dress that I had saved for my press trip to Spain as it fit in with the weather a bit better there.
The ASOS green floaty number I wore to Spain
Polka Dot Top from ASOS
Red Trousers from ASOS
My other gifting session was with both Boohoo and Nasty Gal. With Boohoo I picked out a simple black blazer to wear as it goes with everything and with Nasty Gal I was thinking about my trip to Spain so went for a senorita-style floaty dress.
Day 1: London Fashion Week
On Day 1 Fashion Week I tried to ease myself into the week slowly. I wore my first ASOS outfit and then headed to the Pam Hogg show with Kyrolan – the professional make-up brand. Pam Hogg shows every year at Fashion Scout and she never ever disappoints. Her shows always leave me feeling excited for the rest of the week – the music is always good, the clothes are epic and the models look like they are actually having fun! I could definitely sense a kind of circus theme going on with the clothes with lots of hats, pom-poms, ruffles and bright pink cheeks and lips. The make-up looks were also fab and one thing that was consistent on every model was the bold lip! I got some Kryolan Lip Stains to take home with me and they are literally the best things EVER! They don’t dry the lips out and stay put all day. The pigment is also incredible.
After the Pam Hogg show I headed to The Apartment for a drinks event with Haig Club. It was really great to see some other bloggers there in a more casual setting as The Apartment has a lot of space and the vibe is very chilled which is hard to find at the rest of London Fashion Week. Although I had promised myself I wouldn’t drink I couldn’t really resist a cocktail from the bar which was delicious and paired with various canapes for tasters.
Day 2: London Fashion Week
Day 2, I got up at 7am and knew I was going to need a lot of energy because it was going to be a big day. My first stop of the day was a Smashbox event with Jaded London where I had my make-up retouched, grabbed a green juice and picked up a gorgeous piece of swimwear from Jaded London that I then wore in Spain.
I then rushed off to The Blogger Programme TBP Hangout where there were lots of brands participating in the event and lots of food and drinks. Again, I ran into so many people I knew at the event and stayed for a couple of hours to chat and catch up. Some of my favourite brands on show at the event were Thomas Sabo and Oh Deer (stationary brand).
Once there I did a quick blogger photoshoot with my blogger friend Daniel Marin and then we were off to the INTO lounge where we took a few snaps for the gram. Then I was off to The Apartment where I was able to work with the fab photographers from All Eyes. As soon as I got to The Apartment I instantly felt those calm vibes again and then met Annie and Nicole from All Eyes to go out and shoot. Surprisingly it was sunny at the time and with the golden hour light we were able to nail some amazing shots. Again, my outfit of the day was from ASOS.
Also at The Apartment you could be gifted products in return for social shout outs. I choose a fab pair of red trainers from Russel & Bromley and two gorgeous necklaces from Ania Haie to shoot with. Once the photoshoot was done I got my nails done at the Apartment through Blush + Blow who did a fab job with it!
Once my nails were done I set off to the House of Holland show with Toni & Guy which is always a blast! I always meet the team backstage and see all the hair inspiration for the show. The theme for the show was ‘Grow Up’ and featured a lot of high neck pieces and puffer jackets as well as layered knitwear. I also did some celeb spotting there and saw Alexa Chung, Edie Campbell, Pixie Geldof and Paloma Faith! The hair inspiration was all about the simple ponytail with a twist, which seems to be a big trend this year. Sleek and gorgeous, that’s for sure.
Day 3: London Fashion Week
Day 3 saw me up bright and early and in an Uber to go backstage at Roland Mouret with Kure Bazaar nails. Kure Bazaar is a natural nail brand and vegan-friendly and I LOVED the nail looks backstage with a focus on nude nails – super classy and very chic. I was able to meet the owner of Kure Bazaar who is lovely and also see all the make-up and hair action backstage too. The show was also simply incredible with the most beautiful ready-to-wear collection I’ve ever seen. Honestly so French, so chic and very feminine with flowing dresses, belted trench coats and double-breasted blazers. There were silks and chevron lace and my favourite part of some of the looks was the lace-stockinged legs with a striped band at the knee. Sort of like knee socks but very sexy ones!
Once the Roland Mouret show was over I was off to The Apartment again for another shoot with All Eyes. This time we captured all the madness of Chinese New Year in Chinatown which was insane. Insane in the way that there were thousands of people crammed into one space and you couldn’t move. Somehow we managed to nail a few shots really quickly in the streets, amongst the crowds. Certainly, the most interesting shoot I’ve been on!
Once we had done our shoot it was off to the Palmer//Harding show with L’Oreal Professional where I ran into my favourite girl and journalist, Zoe Dubbs. This show again was very cool with very wearable clothes. The collection was a fusion between menswear and womenswear with lots of shirts layered on other shirts, jackets, boxy coats and wide-legged trousers. A very cool collection indeed. The hair was a beautiful and centred around a ‘glossy twist’ where hair was slicked back in a natural way and then put into a twisted loop at the back which looked really elegant.
After the show I began to feel that exhaustion set deep into my bones and although Zoe offered me her seat at the Mary Katranzou show I physically had reached my stopping point and went promptly home where I visited the Chinese doctor to get an acupressure massage. I swear that massage plus daily Turmeric shots saved me from getting ill.
Day 4: London Fashion Week
Day 4 I was back at it again with the first stop of the day at Roksanda Ilincic with L’Oreal Professional. Now this is a show I’ve always wanted to go to since the beginning of my blog life and I was thrilled to be able to attend. And what a beautiful show indeed. The venue was decked out in art from Paris-based Caroline Denervaud. Roksanda’s collection was of course stunning with beautiful textures, colours and looks that went from daytime to nighttime. The blanket scarves looked so soft and were paired with satin slip dresses – what a beautiful combination. The whole collection was chic and classy and encompassed both daytime and nighttime looks from camel coats to show-stopping fairytale tulle dresses. The hair was either left loose, parted down the middle and pulled back or pulled back completely. Nothing felt forced but it was more about effortless style here.
Once Roksanda show was finished it was time to head to the National Portrait Gallery for the ultimate show with L’Oreal Professional – Erdem. I’ve always been a fan of Erdem and was one of the first to queue up to buy some of his collection that he launched in collaboration with H&M. The show was nothing short of stunning with models parading through the National Portrait Gallery at such a well-timed pace that you were constantly bedazzled by the looks and the dresses. Erdem is known for his darkly romantic floral dresses and the collection did not disappoint with long trains, sleek tailoring and bustiers.
The hair was inspired by queens, dancing and jazz clubs with faux fur fringes and accessorized ponytails. In fact from all the London Fashion Week shows I went to it does seem that the low ponytail is indeed BACK.
After the Erdem show I headed to The Apartment one last time to do a photoshoot in the dark with All Eyes and also stock up on beauty products from The Pharmacy (more on that to come)!
Over and out London Fashion Week AW18, it’s truly been a blast. See you next season!
Don’t miss all my Fashion Week outfits on Instagram – simply find me @beautyrocksblog.