London Fashion Week: Day 1 & 2

And so it's here again...the one week that everyone and anyone in fashion puts on their wildest outfits and heads down to Somerset House, flooding it's cobbled courtyard with colour, pattern and style. This season was a particularly meaningful one for me as it is my third season, and exactly a year from my very first time attending. A lot has changed - my decision to go last year was made the day before, leaving me with mere hours to hunt down some eye-catching pieces to wear from my local charity shops. I was pretty much alone too - I barely knew a soul, but somehow managed to have the best three days, befriending bloggers and photographers who I still meet up with a year later. This season has not disappointed me, and once again I have been coming away thinking how lovely it is that there are so many interesting and just plain nice people that are involved in the industry.

On Friday morning I got up early, and decided to go for a very 70's look for the first day. I wore a shirt and coat from Beyond Retro, with a Beyond Retro Label skirt. I have had my heart set on finding a perfect suede panel skirt for years, but they are actually really hard to find in good condition or in a good size. Beyond Retro seem to have noticed this and have solved my problem: handmade panel skirts, made using recycled suede workwear. They come in a variety of colours and sizes, and as they are all handmade from vintage materials they manage to maintain that one-off, unique edge. I wore my mustard shoes from The Whitepepper, and jewellery from Hirst Antiques.

 Once again the street style was incredible. There was a clear 70s feel in the air, with suede being worn across the board and flares being a popular choice. Thanks to Swatch's pet theme, there were also plenty of cute dogs wandering around too, which provided everyone with more than enough entertainment in between shows.
I bumped into the lovely ladies from Beyond Retro, and got to hang out with the amazing Lexi who I've been meaning to meet for ages but have never had the chance, as well as finding Maddy again; her impeccable style has left me completely associating her with fashion week in my head, and once again she looked like she should be walking down the catwalk herself. I also met Hannah for the first time, and she was so lovely and managed to get me into the Eudon Choi show with her. We ended up sitting front row, which was such an experience, especially as the show was incredible.

This collection by Eudon Choi really did show the designer at his best; signature dark florals combined perfectly with his strong, structured geometric shapes, while seventies flares and his winning outerwear sealed his self-declared return to "the old him." (pictures: Vogue)

The Shrimps collection was another of my favourites from the day. After watching Hannah Weiland's funky faux-fur creations climb to international success last year, I was left with the nagging doubt that it was possible to continue to work with (what I assumed) was a narrow range of materials. How many things could you really do with fur? Once you've dyed it a few times, is there really enough give to inspire collection after collection? In fact, there is. So much. Bold, block artificial colours gave the pieces the signature Shrimps look, with the model's simple toned-down make up and red lips adding to the very vintage, 70s movie aesthetic. Stripes, scarves, and clutches added new twists to her ensembles, while the addition of checks and kilts perfectly updated the looks for the upcoming autumn and winter seasons. In short, Shrimps totally pulled it off, and reaffirmed their place as real design talent. (pictures: Vogue)

Today (day two) started almost as early. I wore a gold embroidered jacket and high-waisted gingham check trousers from Beyond Retro, with Asos shoes and earrings from Hirst Antiques. I've always had a thing for the colour red, and can't help wearing at least one red outfit over the fashion week season.

Once again the street style was amazing - Maddy's two piece with Chanel accessories was a winner for me, although we met so many fascinating people with such individual styles that it's almost impossible to pick a favourite.

Show-wise, Mother of Pearl epitomised every aesthetic I love at the moment. They won my heart with last season's pastel florals and three-dimensional embellishment, and reaffirmed it this season with an earthy, seventies colour palette, perfect floral co-ordinates and socks with loafers. I could not be more in love with a collection. (pictures: Vogue)
Anyway, tomorrow is my last day of this season as I have a geography trip away to Wales, so I'm looking forward to making the most of it before it all calms down for another six months. Hope you are all having a good weekend!