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

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 ;) 

Getting Back Into The Swing

So now it has officially begun, I have my cute little house and the summer brief has arrived. I am so very nervous for 4th year of university but still none the less so excited!

Watching all the girls go to GFW this weekend has really brought it home and I feel so proud of all the girls of UCLAN for their amazing collections. 

This month I feel like something has changed, I have got a new job for the summer where everyone is so lovely and it's getting so close to going back to uni I feel like I can really plan my life. 

Don't get me wrong I am so happy to go back and don't want this year of uni to end and leave all my girls but on the other hand I want to travel and see new places that I know I cant go to right now, also I would love to move out, make somewhere mine. 

But I think what i've really learnt is, be happy in the stage of life your at, your not going backwards you will get where you want to be, so enjoy right now, and work your butt off it will all be worth it in the end.