Surveillance & Voyeurism Exhibition at the Tate

I saw a poster on the London Underground for this the other day and found that it complimented many of the Design & Visual Culture (DVC) lectures we have received over the past two years. Although my dissertation is based upon the high heel and its symbolic meanings, my friend Megan is looking at the role of social networking as an extension of the self. Therefore, seeing this exhibition being advertised rang alarm bells that it is definitely something worth seeing! We're both planning to have a look whilst we're together in London in September around the time we will be working at London Fashion Week!

I found a link for the exhibition if you want further details: http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/exposure/default.shtm

Hat-itecture

My sister told me about this pop-up exhibition that is in London for the next month (17th June-18th July) which I am really keen to see. The hats are on display which show designers/milliners/architects interpretations of London.

For more details, follow this link: http://www.youandmearchitecture.com/

I shall let you know what I make of it once I go!

Freshers-Fifteen going on Third-Year Thirty

Everyone expects new students to indulge fully in the student lifestyle for a while: late nights, heavily alcohol-fuelled and kebabs at 4am etc. etc. Well I wasn't an exception to this rule. Cooking in a kitchen shared by 13 people was never a particularly nice or hygienic environment to want to prepare and cook food. The speed-dial for the local Chinese was always a more appealing option.

However, the Fresher's fifteen (pounds in weight, that is) became a reality for me and whilst my initiative was there to join the University gym, the self-conscious part of me dreaded (and in turn completely put off) actually attending for fear of sweating it out in front any fitties!

Instead, here I am at the end of my 2nd year with many hangover-curing MacDonald's and Burger King's under my belt (literally) seeing the effects of University life on my waistline. So I have attempted to take control and take advantage of my youth (while I have it) and getting into shape. I'm not promising a half-marathon (like my sister) or even a 10k but I do hope to tone up all the wobbly bits!

My second visit to the gym today consisted of an aerobics class with a bunch of menopausal women followed by an aqua-aerobics class with 60+ women. It struck me as rather odd that these "Older Women" were so eager to get into the swimsuits having had two grandmothers who refused to sit by a pool in anything other than shorts and a t-shirt and a mother who relies on her sarong and kaftan like a safety blanket. But then the instructor walked out: tanned, tones and in tiny shorts! Not sure I'll be back next week but I'll be damn sure they will be...

Lily Lewis...my favourite discovery amongst the vintage collection

I've heard you're either a hat person or you're not! Luckily for me, I am. Obviously it can't be down to genetics because both my mother and father tend to steer clear of hats at all cost. It was at the Frock Me vintage fair I visited back in Easter (2010) at Chelsea Town Hall where I came across the young designer Lily Lewis. Her stand stood out by a mile; an array of hats and head-pieces relating to different time periods. My favourite were the 1920s cloche hats and one in particular which was royal blue and featured peacock feathers as the decoration.

I even stretched my budget to purchase a hand-made headband of black velvet decorated with a beautiful black and white chinese bird feather. The cost may have been high but the compliments make it totally worth it!

Check out her designs at: www.lilylewis.co.uk

Sex and the City...Dry Spell

Reports are confirming that the much-loved girls are "hanging up their Manolo's" and drawing a line under the Sex and the City chapter. Whereas I think even the most avid fans can agree that the two films never quite lived up to our expectations following the six series on HBO, it still feels like we are entitled to a grieving period.

I for one was never able to watch any of the leading ladies in their other work where they weren't playing the relatable Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte or Samantha. (Although a much younger Sarah-Jessica Parker does appear in First Wives Club and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, which are great chick-flicks!)

I shall be keeping a close eye on what Patricia Field does next. I don't think Carrie Bradshaw or Sex and the City would have had quite the impact without the jaw-dropping outfits she concocted.

Will anything ever come close to the phenomenon that was Sex and the City?

La Vie en Rose au Parie: The Journey Home

I am amazed how quickly the journey went home considering how eager everyone was to get home. Mostly we managed to catch up on the sleep we had lost from the drilling but we also learnt some interesting South-African choir songs and heard our coach driver demonstrate his skills on the bagpipes!

Didn’t I start by saying I was slightly apprehensive about going to Paris without my Loved One? Well before I finish I must say it did sting to see a load of guys waiting as the coach pulled in with flowers, hugs and kisses for their special person. But in reality, being a Single Girl in Paris proved to me that in the end, the close friendships I have made are worth a whole lot more and ultimately we comforted each other through some pretty grim situations…priceless!

La Vie en Rose au Parie: Premiere Vision

Today was the day which explained the whole reason we had taken the trip to Paris at this time. Premiere Vision is a world-aclaimed trade show which is held in the outskirts of Paris to showcase the trends predicted for Spring/Summer 2011 and in particular the fabrics that buyers and designers should be taking note of. Our visit to Premier Vision has provided the biggest insight with regards to colours, textures and fabrics.

A combination of leaflets and articles that I collected from Premier Vision suggested a trend for workwear, implying that fabrics will be faded and stressed including elements such as ripping to create the worn in look. This trend has been considered when identifying key colours, textures and fabrics. Loving the fact that my ripped demin jeans will back in the height of fashion the year after next was really exciting (especially for my bank balance!).

Haivng been to the trade show Pure in Earl Court, London, this scene was not entirely new to me. In fact I felt I was at more of an advantage at Pure as I was able to walk around with a Buyer/Agent for her own fashion company. Therefore I gained an understanding of how a buyer and/or agent would approach an event like this, how they would record the information and translate this into necessary information for her business. However, as I had this insight I was able to consider this at Premiere Vision. The disappointing factor was that as a ‘Student Day’ at Premiere Vision, buyers and textile designers were not interested in speaking with us and by midday many stands were packing up to leave or had already vacated!!

Getting to see a short film informing us of the future 2011 trends was helpful and perhaps the most interesting part of the day. This was to massively help with the formation of my Paris Trend Briefing which I was to present on my return. Dragging our feet around, tired (from even more drilling) and hungry (unable to afford the ludicrous food prices), by 2pm everyone was sat at the entrance just willing the lecturers to turn up earlier and arrange the coaches to take us home!

Our final night was definitely marked with celebration. We all made an effort to dress up, i.e. not wear thermals, trackies or worn-out fleeces (I’m kidding, like we ever wore that? But you get my point…) and went out for dinner to meet the majority of our tour group at our favourite haunt, De la Ville Café. Another amazing dinner later (gourmet cheeseburger again for me. Don’t judge, Megs got the steak again by which point she’d had four steaks in a row!! Judge her.) and our trip had come to an end. The nightmare of packing was hanging over us just as badly as the early morning get-up was looming but we had all started to get excited by the thought that our clean beds were only a few hours away.