SUMMER TIME

What I'm wearing:
NEW LOOK Hat
H&M Dress
NIKE Air Force 1 Trainers
LFW Tote Bag

Hi guys, how're you all enjoying the summer?

I did promise I'd update more frequently during the summer so guess what? Here we go. I really do love summer, although spring is my favourite season, summer just has something about it. Or is it just me? Besides my allergies and the extreme heat we've been experiencing in London I must admit that it's been pretty fantastic so far. The long days, the sunshine, HAPPY PEOPLE and last but not least the fact that everything is in bloom and my gosh it's just beautiful.

I've been exploring London, ticking off all the places on my "Places-to-see/visit-in-London" list and I'm just falling in love gradually. If you ever have to go explore London, do it during the summer. Everything is so much more charming during this time of the year than when it's constantly raining.

So where have I been and what've I been up to? Well, besides working most of the days, I do try to get out, enjoy the weather and life in general! So, I went to visit Primrose Hill, which is like one of the most endearing areas in London with these cute little flower shops, boutiques, cafées and restaurants. Oh and lets not forget the pastel coloured houses. Also, just yesterday I went for yet a stroll to Buckingham Palace - it was such a beautiful day and the weather was just perfect - not too hot or cold just perfect for a pose in front of the amazing palace! I will definitely be exploring more over the summer.

What've you guys been up to?

I hope it was a good read!

Until next time,

Mell O. 

UPDATE | D&G

Hi guys,

I know it's been ages - university and work has been keeping me so busy, but I'm finally back on track and yes, I've missed blogging! I do, however, promise to blog more now that I just finished my first year of uni. Wow, this year went by so fast - I just had to pause for a moment and realise that. 

Anyway!

As I've been enjoying working and loving London's summer weather, I could not help but to keep updated on SS16 Menswear. Let me just say: I LOVE MENSWEAR! I do tend to hear: "Oh, but isn't menswear just the same things over and over again?" and I do get the point, but it really isn't. There's so much more to menswear, than just a suit and a tie. With that being said, Dolce & Gabbana is really doing well! I must admit that I'm not a big fan of D&G in general but I do love this collection! 

The Asian and Italian influences mixed together - wow, what a combination, right? Admittedly, it turned out so nicely with the kimonos, two pieces and even the espadrille looking shoes! Oh and the materials; silk, silk and more silk - I just love it! And let's not forget the tailoring! I especially love the details and elegance, which in many ways is typical D&G, but I just feel like they've upped their game a bit more. Or is it just me - what are your thoughts? 

I hope it was a good read!

Until next time, 

Mell O. 

SPRING | THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR

Current favourites:

PUKKA Night time and Detox tea

NEW LOOK Hat

STOCKROSEN Silver Ring

SLEEK ‘Gloss Me’ Lipgloss

STRADIVARIUS Brogues

Hi people and happy April! Gosh, I can’t believe that we’re already in April, it seems like it was just New Years Eve yesterday. Well, this is actually my favourite time of the year, hence the cheesy title. But come on, isn’t spring just the best time of the year? When all the flowers (let’s not forget the cherry blossom trees) are blooming and everything else is so colourful? I went by several shops yesterday with a friend and we both agreed on how all the shops had several colourful collections. They all make me happy and I promise you I am also trying my very best to try out some colours! I actually don’t know why I don’t wear colour on a daily basis most my clothes are black and I often don’t feel like wearing anything colourful, it’s a subconscious thing I promise. I've been having my current favourites on the left side, but I thought of including them in today's post. I'm loving these two flavours from PUKKA and YES the detox actually does cleanse. The night time tea is oh so calming and it tastes so good! I did buy these with my own money, just thought I'd share as I know a bunch of you out there are tea lovers like me. So if you haven't tried these please do!

Anyway! April means spring-cleaning right? Guess what I’ve been doing the past few days? When I say spring-cleaning I don’t only mean cleaning my room/house, but also my mind, my life and my surroundings. I’ve already mentioned it in a previous post, about moving on and letting things go. However, I feel this is the year where I’m learning not to take things too personally or seriously for that matter. Trust me it’s a learning process, it’s not easy, but I think it’s something that needs to be learnt in order to succeed in life. In these past few months, I’ve learnt that there are a lot of things we need to come to terms with such as: not everyone is necessarily your friend, don’t take things personally and also the fact that it’s extremely important to find your inner peace. I know these are all quite hard to truly understand and also to practise, but I’m guessing no matter who you are, at some point in your life you will experience some stuff that’ll make you understand the importance of these. It’s all part of growing up and evolving once you’re an “adult”. So therefore as a result of my recent realisations, I’m currently doing my form of “spring-cleaning” mentally this time around.

As much as you wouldn’t want to be an extremely self-centred person, it is good to focus on you and love you. Because let’s face it – you’ve only got yourself and no matter where you go you’ll always be there. So why not start working from within – take time to take care of yourself, pamper yourself, love thyself. Find that inner peace that makes you unshakable no matter what may come your way. You’ll see that once this falls into place, whatever happens around you won’t affect you as much as they maybe once did. We’re all doing this to become better human beings, remember that. So on that note, I’ll continue my mental spring-cleaning because that’s what spring means to me.

What do you love about spring?

I hope it was a good read!

Until next time,

Mell O.

LFW THROWBACK: 'FOAMTASTIC KATRANTZOU'

Hi guys. So, it’s been a while – my deadlines are over and I have been trying to relax, but I always find myself doing everything else but that. Anyway, as I was super busy under London Fashion Week, I wasn’t able to do an update on the shows I liked the most. Therefore, I thought why not do it now?

I fell in love with one particular designer’s fall 15 collection. What I admire the most about her is her ideas, which to be honest are quite different from most designers, however she is always able to create amazing pieces.  A designer who isn't afraid of colour, texture and alternative styles - yes that's the first things that pops in mind when I hear the name Mary Katrantzou.

The Central Saint Martins graduate Mary Katrantzou has done it again. With pink nuances and incredible prints, the Greek fashion designer left the crowd wanting more after seeing her fall 15 collection.

Using pink foam padding as a catwalk, Katrantzou took the audience into a new world. Known as the queen of digital print, Katrantzou started her career in London in 2005, where she graduated in Fashion at CSM. 

However, fashion wasn’t her starting point, as the Greek designer first moved to America to study architecture at the Rhode Island school of design, where she later on got transferred to CSM to complete her bachelors degree in textile design. Katrantzou’s architecture background is seen in a lot of her designs, as she is particularly interested in the way in which printed textiles are able to change the shape of a woman’s body: “Prints can be as definitive as a cut or a drape and allows a woman to filter beauty found in design in a subversive way.”

Playing around with prints and various effects, she has been and is still able to create a world of her own, which is also evident in her most recent collection.

 Mixing and matching different materials to create unique looks seems to be an easy task for Katrantzou as seen in the pictures about. Furthermore, the multitalented Katrantzou has collaborated with Topshop, Swarovski and most recently Adidas where she designed sportswear with her famous 3D like prints. Now if she isn’t a talented designer then I don’t who else is. What I adore the most about Katrantzou is her humbleness towards her work and everything else she decides to lay her hands one, which makes her one of my most favourite designers.

I hope it was a good read!
Until next time,

Mell O.  
Photo creds: here.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

What I'm wearing:

H&M Turtle Nech T-shirt 

ZARA Trousers 

ASOS Coat 

PRIMARK Bag

NEWLOOK Boots 

CLAIRE'S Bodychain

Hi guys. I apologise for not being able to update my blog. Deadlines and LFW has been all over my agenda. With almost everything handed in and London Fashion Week over I can now update you on how it went. This isn't going to be one of my random rants, but a little update on Fashion Week and my closet, lol - better late than never right! As you may already know this was my second time attending. It was so different this time around - I actually felt like I knew what was about to happen unlike last time where I was as confused as the word. I was fortunate enough to attend two shows, one by CSM graduate C.J. Yao and another by Fyodor Golan.

They were both so different but I really enjoyed them - they had such newness in their collections and I remember telling my friends that Fyodor Golan's collection was a proof that   fashion isn't all about black. It was so colourful on so many levels and what I liked the most was how they had worked with different fabrics and materials which I think was the "newness" I mentioned earlier. As much as I tried to properly plan my outfit this time, I failed once again. My newfound love for the normcore style is beginning to really show. I do need some colour in my closet, I won’t lie but I just find myself buying more grey and black than ever before. I do promise though, that that is going to be my next project. A colourful closet! By the way, I'm so sorry for such the pictures being such bad quality. 

I hope it was a good read! 

Until next time, 

Mell O. 

LONDON FASHION WEEK NEWBIE

What I'm wearing: 

JAEGER Stripped shirt

GINA TRICOT Asymmetrical skirt 

NEW LOOK Sandals 

UNKNOWN Sunglasses 

Hi world. So here we are in February…. The month of love, chocolate and roses, but for some reason the only thing I really associate the second month of the year with is FASHION. Oh yes fashion – fashion in all aspects. With fashion week going on in New York and London Fashion Week right around the corner I am more than thrilled to see what this season will bring. Last year around this time I was scrolling through my Instagram news feed enjoying different snapshots of fashion week around the world. Little did I know that a few months later I would actually attend one. Personally, fashion week has never really been all about the shows, because let’s be real, how many shows does a so-called newbie have access to? No, what I found interesting and to some point quite intriguing were the people I saw outside the catwalk.

Fashion week is namely the only place where you just did not want to ‘blend in’ with everyone else, owing to the fact that nobody would notice you and actually want to take pictures of you. See, I wasn’t aware of this when I attended London Fashion Weekend in September last year. Although I was beyond excited to be there and had the perfect outfit in mind, I ended up just looking like the girl next door. Even worse, nobody stopped me to ask me where my sandals were from as they did to someone else wearing shoes that excuse my language, looked like bricks. Admittedly I felt over the top, maybe a little bit overdressed and slightly feeling myself a bit too much.

The sun was shining, I had my sunglasses on and for a quick second it felt like it was all about me. This was just until I made it to Somerset House and saw all these different fashion enthusiasts e.g. bloggers, stylists, photographers, you name it. Wow! I felt like a newbie in an instant! But I still managed to pose for a picture in front of the famous ‘London Fashion Weekend’ signboard and immediately uploaded it on all social platforms, because hey – now I was one of “them”.

However, being a fashion student, a year older and wiser, my view on LFW has really changed. Not in a bad way or anything of that sort, I think I’m just very fascinated about it all – the people, the shows and just the atmosphere in general.

 Moreover, I got the biggest grin on my face when they published the show schedule for this season, with so many designer graduates from Central Saint Martins and London College of Fashion such as the incredibly talented Bora Aksu, who had a gorgeous S/S15 ballet inspired ready-to-wear collection, which by the way was like being taken into another world. As Bora mentioned in an interview with Vogue.com, he really did create something light. “I wanted to create something light and weightless but at the same time not too nostalgic.” If you haven’t seen the collection yet, please do – because it is exactly what he describes it to be like. In addition to UAL designer graduates on the schedule this season is LCF graduate Lucas Nascimento, who in so many ways is quite different from Aksu. His S/S15 collection semaphored contemporary colourfulness. With lovely cuts, great lengths and bright colours he definitely had a collection to remember.

Although both designers are completely different in their own way, one thing is for sure. They do not fail to deliver contemporary collections, which is also a reason why I’m so fascinated about the fashion industry and I can’t wait to see what they have to show us this time around. Now with an understanding of how the industry works, how effective and extremely talented people are I am so eager to experience it all over again.

So if you’re like me a newbie to this whole fashion week thing and you don’t really know what to do or how to dress, just make sure to get there in time, dress to not only impress but to stand out and have a blast! Enjoy your time, because you might just be lucky as I was last September and end up getting a seat front row. Good luck.

I hope it was a good read! 
Until next time, 
Mell O.