I've never really done a yearly round-up, new year's eve kind of post on principle - it always seemed slightly boastful, to list all the things that had happened that year and for some reason I just never felt comfortable doing it. This year I am actually going to - I guess its more of me trying to remember everything that happened this year, and celebrate 2015 a little more before it's no longer with us. I made a few little collages from my instagram photos which pretty much cover everything...
Starting from January: I really loved working at Hirst Antiques, and feel like I have learnt so much over the course of the year (although there is still so much more to learn!) I also discovered Margate, and re-discovered my love of clashing prints.
In February I was able to attend my 3rd Fashion Week, then I went on a school trip to Wales, worked with Beyond Retro on their Prom Shoot, spent a week in a yellow campervan in Cornwall and met Antonio.
I met up with Ailera again, hung out with Antonio and Sophie in London, took too many film photos of literally anything that moved, spent lots of time at the park after school and managed to keep journals quite successfully.
I spent two weeks in Indonesia at the start of the summer, which was the most amazing experience, before going on holiday to Barcelona with 15 girl pals, and tagging along on my family's annual trip to France.
I met Georgie, spent a day with two friends in central London, browsing through art galleries, trying to give away a spare ice cream and having a dreamy afternoon in Hyde Park, took a spontaneous ride on the London Eye after being given a ticket on the Southbank, met Elisa, went to my 4th Fashion Week, turned 18 and hung out with Mona (we saw & hung out with Craft Spells and it was amazing).
It's been such a crazy year - I'm excited to see what 2016 will bring.
I've discovered lots of designers and fallen in love with too many collections this year, but I wanted to do a quick roundup of some of my favourites, if only for me to remember and have them all in one place!
Starting with London Fashion Week, one of my favourite shows was Ashish. Ashish Spring/Summer 2016 was a wonderful disarray of sequins, patches on denim, colour and pastel hues, taking a huge turn from Fall 2015's use of dark tones, lingerie and fur. The whole collection felt light, like the arrival of a carefree summer, and promoted that sense of fun that comes with just wearing what you like and not overthinking it. I really love fashion that isn't forceful - it should be natural, the pieces should just flow together and collectively stick to the concept of the collection without having to try too hard. Ashish always manages to do this effortlessly; the clear concept of inclusion was tackled wonderfully through not only the haphazard but harmonising use of sequins, but also the choice of model. Male models wore the same pastel colours, dresses and floaty fabrics as female models, in an attempt to reject the strict categories of today's society and make a statement about gender, and general co-existing of different groups of people. The commentary on the mulitcultural aspect of society seen clearly in the Spring/Summer 2014 collection was also continued here, with hybrids of traditional saris with western jeans. (All photos - Vogue.com)
I started looking at Fashion Week in different countries this year, and completely fell in love with how different each city is and how many designers there are out there to discover. Beyond Closet has remained a firm favourite of mine from Seoul Fashion Week ever since I found myself watching a stream of their Seoul Fall 2015 collection. I was instantly taken by the layered, stylish look, the incredibly on-trend features and the element of fun woven into the garments that I couldn't help but a) watch it again, b) take notes and c) find out more about them.
Beyond Closet is the work of designer Tae Yong, who established the brand in 2008 and has become known for his preppy menswear with a modern and quirky twist. His work seems to begin with a classic silhouette or style, that he then reconstructs and subverts to create a fun and youthful take on traditional menswear, combining sophistication and individuality effortlessly into sleek and wearable pieces. (You can see the collections here, also where the photos I've used are from).
The first collection I saw was the Fall 2015 collection, and I knew immediately from the first look that it was going to be a good one. Tae Yong does more than just design garments - through Beyond Closet, he promotes a feeling, a concept, a sort of state of being by adding character to his work. The looks are not just garments on a model but carefully put together outfits that suggest both sophistication and frivolity, high fashion and streetwear, and the sense that fashion is fun, youthful and unique. He changes slight details of classic pieces, for example having a coat worn off-the-shoulder, a smart jacket without a shirt underneath, loose tops over smart shirts and trousers that promotes the image of effortless style - a sort of individual, comfortable fashion that is both practical and wearable as well as being innovative and a little rebellious.
After being so inspired by this collection, I was really looking forward to seeing the Spring 2016 collection, and as expected, it did not disappoint. Without losing any of it's punch, the brand managed to easily shift their designs into a more spring-like style, still incorporating all of the aspects that were so good about the Fall 2015 collection but with a slightly lighter colour palette and lighter, flowing fabrics. The use of traditionally smart and sophisticated tailored trousers, jackets and shirts, made on-trend and "hip" by pairing with jumpers, bare chests and sliders continued to promote that sort of carefree feel that is so unique about Tae Yong's work - it never appears contrived, or overthought, but instead natural style and flair that you can feel as a viewer. Obviously, as a person who loves patterns, the use of clashing and matching patterns as a theme throughout the collection is another reason I think I love it so much. (All photos from Vogue.com)
I've also discovered lots of independent designers and brands this year that I have completely and utterly fallen in love with. One of these is of course MadeMe NYC, a punk-inspired, youthful label made "for girls, by girls." I stumbled across their section in Urban Outfitters once, whilst on a wander around Oxford Street listening to music and trying to kill time as I was too early for the event I was going to. I couldn't get enough of the patches, clashing tartan and general vibe of the collection, and genuinely stood stroking each item in the hope I could magically own them all. Thanks to the Urban Outfitters sale, Christmas money and a voucher, I can now say I finally own a piece myself - I couldn't resist the clashing tartan jacket, and am beyond excited to wear it for this season's LFW and probably every day of my life. (Website / Instagram)
Another brand I discovered this year was Little Sunny Bite, a Tokyo based label specialising in cute, stylish streetwear. I love the way designer, Yoppy, creates fashionable pieces that promote a sense of fun and joy - the idea that to be stylish should be to wear what you love, and do what makes you happy. Their lookbooks are always hugely inspiring, with the styling of each shoot perfectly capturing the fun and carefree nature of the brand, making you want to dance about and have as much fun as the models are. Also - world customers can now buy Little Sunny Bite from Dolls Kill! (Website / Instagram)
Third but by no means least is one of my favourite brands I have discovered recently - Freckle London. I stumbled across their site on Depop whilst looking for a red beret, which swiftly led to me falling in love with all of their pieces. The sleek and stylish look of their designs caught my eye and really inspired me to think more about structure and silhouette when I dress, as well as making even practical and comfortable clothes stylish with simple additions such as pairing loose sweaters with structured flares, or an on-trend high turtle neck underneath a baggy t-shirt. (Website / Instagram)
Sorry for the incredibly long post, there was just so much that I wanted to say about this year and the collections I saw. I hope you all have an absolutely wonderful New Year - I will see you in 2016!
