London Baby!

So at the beginning of the week I took a trip down to London with the guys from uni for GFW, and omg was it amazing. Graduate Fashion Week was so great I learned a lot, and my work being on the catwalk was so amazing, but I thought id share some of the things we did outside of going to see shows and networking with brands and also some of the cute little places I found around Shoreditch, btw its mostly to do with food hahaha.

We visited Spitalfields market a lot while we were there, it was just next to the Truman Brewery so any spare time we had we dotted over to see what was about. One of the places I saw well actually smelled was a little cart doughnut called Crosstown Doughnuts which had a such cute array of flavours like matcha or peanut and blackcurrant jam, however I chose a vegan chocolate one which was divine, I'm personally not vegan but this was sooooo good and I couldn't tell the difference, it was smothered and filled with a chocolate ganache on top of a sourdough doughnut.

On the Tuesday my brother had come to visit to look at my work so we decided to go to the Diner for food and I've never been here before but my god am I going back, and mainly for the garlic butter fries alone! It was so cute and the cocktails were amazing too!

Another place we found was Dark Sugars, now this place is a little past the Truman Brewery and it smells incredible! The chocolate is so rich its ridiculous, and I just had to pick some up. I chose from a large selection and picked chocolates like, gin and lime...obviously, then a orange and vodka, as well as mandarin etc. Also they had the cutest little truffles which had pipettes stuck in them filled with fruity purees and these were omg so amazing. 

On the final night we took a trip all the way to the top of Selfridges (after shopping around Oxford street obv) to have the best little Italian meal ever. The restaurant was called Alto, and you take a certain lift up to the roof, which made me feel waaaaay too posh btw. It was a sort of tapas and we all ordered around two portions each, and eating in this most beautiful open space was such a treat to end the trip. 

I honestly can't stress how cute this place was, from the orange arch as you walk in to them handing out blankets later on in the evening when people became a little chilly, it was honestly perfect. 

I will want to take a trip back here every time I head down to London and make sure if you can you check it out!

Top: Missguided

Trousers: H and M

Trainers: Adidas 

x

Summer Is Here...Kinda

So living in England sun is scarce, and when its out, I'm out. I love being in the sun and not being away on holiday for four years hurts my soul! (Thanks student loan) 

So yes I am that girl who will be in the garden in my bikini for every hour that sun is shining down, and since this bank holiday it was about 26 degrees, I was out, however being at uni we don't really have much of a garden so we decided to venture into town in something quite breathable and light, in order to get the best tan I could. 

I had spotted a few nice dresses in Topshop but since Uni life takes over I nosied into Primark and found this sweet dusky pink dress and picked it up for £10, I love the cute buttons down the front and thought it was perfect for the weather.

They also had the dress in a bright yellow colour, which came to a tough decision at the changing rooms but I'm glad I went with the pink and would 100% recommend. 

Barbie Realness

Who doesn't love a bit of pink? Well clearly I doooooo, and this outfit is totally me, I love a statement tee with a good pop of colour somewhere, and my god does this outfit POP colour and I mean come on, it even matches my phone case!

Top: Missguided £18
Trousers: H and M £39.99

Lessons From A Fashion Student

So about three and a half years ago I rocked up to a new university, with so many worries, expectations and hopes for the next four years of my life. I didn't know anyone who had done a course similar to this before and I really didn't know what was expected. So after I've been doing this a while now, I wanted to put something into the universe  that could possibly help future students. 

1. Be Prepared To Work Your Ass Off

    This is number 1 for a reason, quite a lot of people go to uni to get drunk, sleep and have a break before the 'real world' begins, no no no, doing a fashion design course you will be doing any amounts of all nighters, you will find the cheapest and nearest food joints to your building and then spend every second working. Dedication is the key, and it will pay off. You may want to ball your eyes out (and trust, I don't know one girl on my floor who hasn't had a melt down) but it will all work out just keep going.

2. Save, Save, Save

   This course is going to cost money, you will need fabrics, equipment, threads, components, and you will even need to buy things that you will just stick in a sketch book and never use. If you can search around, look for bargains and never throw away, I collected fabrics from first year that I have only just used in my fourth year, you may think its rubbish but using spare fabric or anything for samples is a help. 

3. Research and Keep Up To Date

   Researching will help you massively when developing ideas for your collections, and help to develop your creativity. So basically if you don't already, look at catwalks, ads, anything you can, even if you have 5 minutes on a train or something, use your time. We were advised to make files on your computer of collections you like, manufacturing details you like, colours, and label them with who the designer is and the date of the collection. Its so good for referencing and you may be able to use them later as inspo in your sketch book. 

4. Listen, Write and Respond

   TAKE NOTES, right, you may think 'oh I don't need to write that down I will remember that'...you won't. You will take in so much information that you WILL forget. The amount of times I have thought that and then had to actually ask one of the girls who did write it down is ridiculous. Also ask questions, no question is silly, you can really get ahead by asking the right questions and if your too nervous while in a seminar or a large group, wait till the end, or message someone from a higher year, I love it when people from a lower year ask me things, I feel so helpful, ha! 

5. Be Your Own Support System

   In the fashion industry you will get people who want to knock you down, and friends may even turn on you, its a very cut throat world, and so many people will try to bring you down, so you don't need to bring yourself down too. Have confidence in yourself, and it will pay off, arrogance and confidence are different, be confident in your work, I have seen girls who are confident and it shows in their work, they have a reason for their designs and they see their goal. This tip also ties in with being independent, you need to know how to work on your own, you won't be able to rely on others in the fashion world, and even your classmates have so much work that you need to know how to work and can't keep asking for help with every little thing. 

6. (The Most Important) HAVE FUN

   This is gonna be your life, if this is what you really want to do, enjoying it will make it sooooo much easier. You will meet the best girls in the world, and have such a brilliant support system. You will need to work your butt off but you do need time to unwind and I'm telling you, fashion girls know how to party, and when we let our hair down, who knows what can happen!

And finally, just do it, you'll love it ;) 

New Glasses

So after like 100 million years I finally invested in some new glasses. I knew it was time for a change my prescription had gone up and I was starting to hate my thick black and green framed porno secretary glasses. I wanted a total new look and something fashionable that I would actually wear out of the house rather than just on a Saturday morning when I was too lazy too put my contact lenses in. 

I had looked about in a few places for some glasses that weren't ridiculous prices and I wasn't bothered about anything designer, I mean they're glasses. I came across two pairs in Specsavers and because they were on 'two for one on glasses over £69' I was so happy because this included lenses and frame which is such a good deal! 

I picked two pairs that were totally different cause I knew I could pair them with any outfits, and would be worth the money. I'm so happy with them and I would 100000% recommend looking for glasses there!

Elegant Touch Nail Review

I've always been a nail girl, I was the girl in school that got really into nail art, I mean deeply into nail art. I tried all the tricks from newspaper printing to water marbling, I even had angry birds nails, yes  your heard right, angry birds but I was never one to have fake nails. Being in school and dance I would always have to remove them but also being a contact lens wearer, touching my eyes is a daily activity which can become painful if something sharp and pointy is in your eye.

But not too long ago my best friend gave me a half used pack of elegant touch stiletto nails as she had used all the ones she needed and I wanted to give them ago. They were so beautiful and I was hooked on them instantly. The nails come in so many different shapes and designs, plus they have most beautiful Henry Holland collection!(Like serious, they're amazing)

They usually stay on for about 5 days but can be more/less depending how hands on you are at everyday life, and also come with two pairs of each size, and therefore can be used twice (but i blates use them more than that, just re-glue them its sound).

For everyday use I do love the bare nails, they're great as you can just swap out colours when you need them rather than being stuck with the same colour all week. They don't chip and I have recieved so many compliments from people thinking I have gone to the salon for like £20 acrylics when they're really just £4.50 glue ons.

Also if your a bit nervous to use the nails as they can sometimes damage your real nails underneath, elegant touch also have nail guards which are just clear adhesive strips that you stick on underneath your fake nails and they will help protect but also help with the removal of your nails and are well worth picking up.