London Fashion Week Day 1

It's finally here again! The few, precious days that bring flocks of the extravagantly dressed to the fashion hub of Somerset house; photographers running from person to person, high heels clicking on the cobbled courtyard, business cards being exchanged like gifts at Christmas. Fashion week is everything and nothing all at once...enclosed and fairly cut-off from the rest of busy central London, you feel as if you are taking part in some sort of secret event or preview, like a sort of secret club house meeting that the rest of the world doesn't know about yet. And, when you leave, it's like you've left it all behind you - the cameras stop flashing, the colourful combinations fade into the regular jeans-and-shirt compilation of passers by. It doesn't feel real when you sit at home afterwards, in post-high-heel slipper socks and a baggy sweater, eating a large portion of chicken noodles and trying to plan out art homework.
Today was the beginning of the fashion festivities, and despite having college during the day I still decided to head down to where it was all happening, especially as I was lucky enough this year to be given a few tickets to shows. It felt quite surreal from the offset, as I spent my free period in the morning painting (and re-painting after smudging) my nails and printing off invites, before throwing on my usual odd garb and wandering into school for a double life drawing class (which was actually really good - I felt it really helped my quite terrible drawing) then coming home at lunchtime, manically throwing on my gorgeous outfit courtesy of Beyond Retro, and power-walking to the tube. I may or may not have worn my gold jelly shoes to travel - heels are fabulous but I absolutely can't walk in them for very long, even though these were incredibly comfy and not even that high!

 

I made it down just in time to get a good spot in the queue for my first (ever) show, Jean-Pierre Braganza. I didn't quite know what to expect, although I did assume I would be standing and I was incredibly scared the security guard would not accept my ticket (I always worry about things like that, even though I know they can't just turn down random tickets). All was ok though and I got in without any hassle, and as I climbed up past the seats with the intention of standing at the back, an usher pointed me to a seat that I just couldn't refuse. I never thought I'd get an actual seat at fashion week, and so was more than content for the entire show.

The show itself felt very autumn/winter influenced, with the structure and shape playing a key role in the fairly monochrome collection. The fabrics were all very light, soft and floaty, emphasising the skilled drapery and clever tailoring of each piece. Embellishments were few and far between, but occasionally cropped up in the form of glittery beads or sequins.

  

  

   

I opted for a very 60s/70s style outfit for the day, in my favourite Wes Anderson inspired colour palette of orange, yellow, mustard and cream. The top, skirt, shoes and bag are all from Beyond Retro. I wore some statement antique earrings and colour matching bracelet from Hirst Antiques, which I felt really completed the look.

 

 

I spent the rest of the day catching up with a few familiar faces, before attempting to plan out a sort of schedule for the rest of the weekend. I will be back with another update tomorrow, but don't forget to follow my twitter or instagram for updates and show photos/videos during the day!