FLYING SAUCER

London Fashion Week- Day One and Only! Part Two...

Alright my lovelies? Ah today I feel like my head isn't screwed on! Days in England are coming to an end and there's things to do, people to see, and no time! I haven't even thought about stocking up on chocolate rations, I need to get on that! I wish I had longer! But here's the rest of my London Fashion Week, no details spared as usual!

 

I left off when I was just about to hit the first (of two) shows I had invites to. Time was ticking and the road to Victoria House was looking miiighty long, so I hailed a cab! Well, first I considered how you actually hailed a cab, do they do that in London? I managed to spot one that was stopping anyway and had a nice chat with the driver, as you do in London! There was already a queue for the show full of all different kinds of people. The youngest people seemed to be dressed up the most, with lots of brown vintage, great coats, and shoe booties. Check the fab cape below.

Then there were the opposites of older (but I'm only talking like 30/40) women in normal black coats, who were probably more important! I thought the queue was quite long already but it continued up the road during the 45 minute wait. And that wait wasn't even bad! I have no idea how I managed to wear my Miu Mius to a Girls Aloud concert and an after club without pain, yet by now my feet were starting to hurt. Because the patent leather is a stiffer material, it does dig and rub, and they don't position your weight very well. Sometimes when I was walking I could feel my knees wobbling! There was a fabulous lady behind me in what turned out to be a Scottish hat. It wasn't something I've ever seen before, it was almost like a red cylinder with a black pompom on the top if I'm remembering rightly. I was quite intrigued as street style photographers kept asking for photos but she politely refused. That's when I saw Facehunter again!

Check out Claire from The View From Here who facehunted the Facehunter in Copenhagen! Her friend Ruth dared her and she actually did it, while we watched in awe saying 'omg!! facehunting the facehunter!!'. Now like I mentioned in the previous post, street style isn't all fun and games. Again Mr Facehunter went up the queue eyeing everyone up and asked the lady behind me with the amazing hat for a photo, which she sweetly declined. It's almost like your long time school crush rejecting you when Facehunter walks by and doesn't deem you fit for his site. Like Facehunter has been a major street style blog ever since I started and I always dreamed of being featured on there. After seeing the guy absolutely everywhere through Copenhagen and London Fashion Week the novelty kind of wears off and you see him taking photos of very specific looks. And by the way he's not actually looking each queue member up and down and then moving on, but I knew who he was so I spied him walking slowly up the queue checking out everyone.

I think I must have eagle eyes because suddenly I spotted my blog idol, Susie Bubble!! This is so stalkerish of me, I'm sorry Susie! But you can just make her out in the centre of the picture on the phone, in the cage skirt!! Seeing bloggers in real life isn't strange after 0.48475 seconds, it's just cool, almost like your friend! I had the urge to be like Susieeee just like if you see your friend while you're on a bus and have the need to bang on the window like heeey!!!

 

By now I was pretty bored to be honest and in a bit of pain, so really wanted to talk to the people around me. You assume people are busy on their blackberries or don't really want to make small talk, but that's so wrong! Eventually a few people started asking for people with pink or gold stars on their invitations to come to the front. This happened for about fifteen minutes and I said 'haha do you have a green pen?' to the cool hat lady. And with that we had a great little chat! I told her about Facehunter and asked why she wasn't keen on having photos taken. She didn't have a particular reason, just preferred being behind the camera! I guess you either say a blanket no to everyone or you say yes to everyone and who knows where your photo will end up! I have no idea where any of mine where and I posed for about ten.
 
Us bloggers may 'blag' our way into shows, but it's actually hard work! In Copenhagen you were at least let into shows on time and there were drinks provided, but in the shows in London we were outside for ages. I was glad I'd came early and wasn't at the back of the queue but that did mean I was standing for so long; at least the sun came out! These post fashion week cars started pulling up and I'd hold my breath each time the doors were opened but I didn't spot anyone I recognised!

 

Much to my delight, a street style photographer wanted to take my photo again! They'd kept looking right past me for the whole time I was queuing but this Japanese dude with the gold scrunchie asked for a snap! He said he liked my hair and bow, which fits I guess! So you can't take it all to heart, different photographers are looking for different things and he said he was from a Japanese magazine, and they're more interested in bows and red curls than maybe others are! Again, no idea what the magazine was, but I smiled anyway! His scrunchie reminded me of little babies when you tie a bobble to their small tufts of hair and they stick right up like a pineapple!

 

Maybe it's time to talk about the show! Finally the crowd started moving forward and we went straight into the small hall, all white and dimly lit. A white sticker means you're standing so I walked right round the side to get the first views of the models. Unlike Copenhagen there were no drinks, wide spaces, extra benches for the standing; it was just like a smush with most of the end of the queue pushed up at the back. It almost felt like it made no difference if you were at the show or not as the standers don't make any impact. It does make you feel a bit like an unimportant blagger! The reason I applied to this show was that one half of Aminaka Wilmont, Maki Aminaka, studied at my University in Sweden! So she walked the halls of the Textile building and at 10am sharp she probably joined the sudden influx of students on the mid morning break (classes are always 8.30-12 or 4.30 eek) all decked out in wedges and tight denim and hair buns. I might have to sneak my camera in there some time actually, it really is a nice sight! So it was quite special to apply for a show that was from my tiny University and so pleased I got a ticket! It was part of Blow's shows, who showed most of the off schedule shows too I think, so keep in mind that they consider bloggers.

The standers are obviously the last bunch to troop in as the show started almost straight away. As I'm reporting on the show and the ultimate end to the experience is putting up pictures and info here, it's quite hard when you're standing to get decent coverage. I understand that the seaters are getting information for buying and reporting purposes too, but being seated does make a huge difference. When I crashed the Minimarket front row the experience was so incredible, all the setting and makeup and music comes together as you can relax and enjoy it and get such a clear view, but when you're standing you can barely see the clothes, let alone the shoes/hair/makeup. I'm not complaining though, compared to Copenhagen the shows were even more atmospheric here. The models were thinner and taller and everything was that little bit more extreme but streamlined. Not being seated tends to mean you don't get any information on the show as there's usually a booklet or print out on your seat, but I found online that the show was inspired by the aftermath of a catastrophe and the beauty of being so raw. This fits so well when I look back and see the model's hair whipped into a wind-swept frenzy on one side, as though frozen in a chaotic moment.

 

The clothes seemed to have a marbled or paint-splattered effect, the sort of pattern that can be draped tightly against the body making it look effortless but still beautiful. Like say if the dress above was in a solid colour, it might almost look scruffy, but the fabric turns it into something else.

 
 

Forgive my questionable photos but you can  just make out the coats near the end of the show and the feather head pieces, which seemed quite melancholic to me, almost like the way birds can represent bad times or bad luck.





 

I'm a huge, huge model fan and was dying to go to a show with recognisable faces in it but I didn't recognise any here, although they were breathtaking. I'm not one for thinking about weight as truly every shape is beautiful but there's something amazing about such thin, tall frames draped in these dresses without underwear or bags and tights to get in the way. Like seeing them raw just put on a body is very beautiful and fresh. If there were 'plus size' models here like the Mark Fast show I can imagine the effect being the same- all you need is a naked body and a strut! And most of the models did have boobs and hips despite being very thin, we must stop thinking as models as something alien and remember they are women first, models second!

I've ran out of time now but I think this is long enough already! I'm going to Warwick tonight to visit the girls I met in Sweden ohlala! Have nice Fridays people, yay it's the weekend!
 

London Fashion Week- Day One and Only! Part One...

Argh it's a new resolution to blog before hitting the google reader but it's so hard!! Like who knows what's happened in the blogging world today!? Well I'm about a week behind so it could be a lot. Never mind, I can blog aimlessly and ignore the whole bloggers/blaggers thing! Where is the love?!

I think a few (and myself) were a bit confused on the whole aspect of getting into shows and fashion week in general. You can apply for accreditation to get a pass into the exhibitions, where designers who don't have shows will set up a little area to show off their clothes, and you can just email designers to politely request show invites, mentioning your accreditation or not. Contrary to the whole blagger thang, I applied to a few shows that I knew I could get down to London for and I actually liked! There's no point in taking up space for a name I've never really checked out before and that I know readers aren't so interested in. And contrary to another belief, bloggers don't get tickets so easily! I didn't get tickets to any of the big name shows I emailed but I wish I'd got fewer tickets than I did so I could have spent longer round Somerset House! My grand total was um two tickets and a freebie third! So my blog isn't the biggest but this baby has been around for a good three years now, can you believe it?! So long!

So finally after three years I was heading to fashion week. And really my purpose was to share the experience with you guys, find some cool new brands, find some cool new people, and help spread the word and love for fashion week. Just think, previously it was shrouded in exclusivity and mystery until us lot started taking pictures of the people watching the shows as much as the shows themselves! I wasn't too nervous after going to Copenhagen Fashion Week and I only had Beyonce on my new phone so I listened to that really loudly while sewing a button and painting my nails, day dreaming about all the cool things that could happen today! It was Friday by the way, the opening day of the week- surely when everyone is at their most fabulous!

I'd hopped on an early train and had to put my mini case in hold at Paddington as I was staying with a friend that night. Isn't it true that no matter how much you minimise your stuff, you still end up having a heavy bag? Or maybe that's because my Luella bag is stupidly heavy! The charms weigh as much as a couple of baby elephants alone. But as it was the first real fashion event I was attending, how can you not wear your 'best' things? I had a bit of trouble deciding an outfit because it's tempting to think 'right, what's my most fabulous dress? Ok and my most fabulous tights? And my most fabulous shoes? Ooo and fabulous makeup and accessories!!' and before long you are looking a bit loony and defeating the object of the best outfit, not the best individual things. So I knew straight off it was time for my Miu Miu shoes, I always said after breaking them a bit and having them sent back to Italy, I'd only wear them again to a fashion show. Along with them and my Gina Tricot coat with loads of bright gold buttons, you don't need much else! I was thinking of going for some patterned tights but from Copenhagen I realised it's not so comfortable to wear something attention-grabbing when you're making your way around. It's just nice to wear something cute if people happen to spot you. So I wore my all time trusty velvet leggings, the best buy this year on wear alone!

After taking a few tubes I got to Covent Garden and popped into the nearest place to change my flats. Of course I didn't go down in the heels haha, but my thoughts of changing into flats when walking around was quickly ruined as the whole point of LFW is to look fabulous while walking around. No one is looking at you in the shows, they're looking at the models and clothes! I spotted a Dune shoe shop and quickly asked if I could change my shoes, and it was then that the show cooing started! The sales assistants were admiring the shoes and throughout the day I was always saying 'I only got them on sale!!' to sort of show I don't exactly usually wear these and it's a bit of a lucky fluke I own them anyway! I put them on way too early and should have waited until the venue was in sight and these shoes and cobble stones do not mix!!

 

I'm pretty good with directions but in London if you turn off a wrong street, it points you in a totally different direction and you are suddenly at a different landmark or famous street! I walked past Covent Garden and down Strand the wrong way for Somerset House, the main venue where the shows and exhibitions were held. People's eyes kept going down to my feet as these shoes are super high and I was tottering along with my heavy bag on one arm, charms jangling excitedly. A lady even said 'hey, your shoes are wicked!' and I was like ahhh thanks! A compliment from a woman is nicer than a call from a man most of the time! Well unless the man is talking about your shoes and not just being pervy! I eventually saw some fashionable looking girls walking in the opposite direction and stopped the kind gentlemen below asking for directions. I love businessmen with London accents! They were like 'ooo allllriiight, you're orrrf to fashion week aren't ya?', haha!

I strutted on allll the way down and finally got to Somerset House! I wasn't exactly sure what it would be, like a house that happened to have huge rooms big enough to house catwalks?? Right in the middle of this busy street? I started noticing quite fashionable looking people all around and felt like I was part of a cool club!

 

Turns out Somerset House is like you're transported to a stately home in the country side, and just as you walk off the street in the small entrance archway, there is a huge courtyard with the house all around, so there are many entrances and halls. It finally clicked that the 'tents' where they say shows are always held was just a huge black box in the middle of the courtyard. Hardly a tent! Despite it being massive, I didn't quite know how they could fit the whole catwalk and all the backstage stuff in there! The photo below shows some very overcast skies but the predicted rain stayed away that day luckily!

 

It was about 12 but there wasn't swarms of people like I'd imagined, but enough standing around and walking to and from the hall behind the tent, where you could get into exhibitions and pick up your passes. I'd applied for a press accreditation which got you into the exhibitions and sort of approved your status as a valid press member! I asked one of the guides where the hall was and she kindly pointed me around the house and I tottered on! It's so cool to see so many fashionable people, and it's certainly very London centric. By the end of the day everyone started blurring into a big fashionable tribe! I think I went round the wrongish side of the tent as I went right, but it was lucky as I bumped into Audrey of Frassy, a seriously great blogger! She is incredibly cool and I met her on the Eurostar Paris trip before so it was nice to see a friendly face! We had a little gossip and Audrey is a seasoned fashion week goer so I'm sure got some great coverage, check out her blog!

I went on to get my press pass and they scanned my print out and handed me a Mulberry doodled LFW tote bag with a mini guide inside. I was mistakenly not given my pass but I thought maybe the bag acted like a pass or that my pass was in the bag and didn't think much of it! I sorted out my bag on a seat and it struck me just how many people were there in the hall! I had no expectations but I looked at everyone like they were potentially a super important industry member or in the least had a reason to attend fashion week so they were beyond cool! Funnily enough I was approached by a lady doing video interviews about fashion blogs and I was like 'oh, I'm a fashion blogger!'. As bloggers seem to be the buzz topic of fashion week this happened quite a lot. I had to say on film a little about my favourite blog (I have so many but Style Bubble is my ultimate favourite!) and then another lady asked to take a snap of my shoes. It seems that once you are stopped by someone, many more people will approach you. I do think it's hard for street style photographers as I would be quite unnerved if I had to approach people who were walking with purpose, and if anyone approached me for a photo I'd always say 'umm what's it for?' rather than 'oh wow how flattering!' which I was also thinking!

 

I had a show a bit further away at 1.30 so I made my way around the other side of the tent where all the action seemed to be. I wished I'd had time to visit the Topshop Hot Choc Stop! I wonder if they were free? You can see people brandishing cameras all around and it's a bit strange when someone is obviously a street style photographer and they look at you but don't ask for a photo. No one really talks of the experience of being street style photographed and it is really cool but also comes with not being photographed! But I'll go into that later. As I'd got round the side of the tent a lady asked for a photo of my outfit, and then another lady hovered and asked for one of my shoes, and then a few more people waited! I was trying to stand in a normal position and thinking 'wow this is totally a fashion week, I'm being street styled for the first time!' when Fi of Save Our Shoes and Reena of Fashion Daydreams came over! I'd met them both on different occasions but they are totally lovely; the nicest bloggers you could meet! Maybe the fashion blog negativity is because the fashion bloggers are so nice and can form such great friendships!

 

Aren't they gorgeous! Doing London proud, what cool, quirky yet cute outfits! We had a little gossip about whether Facehunter was around and which other bloggers were out before I had to get off to the 1.30 show, getting a little lost on the way! I was checking my map outside the Hilton when a lady asked for a photo and said she was from Elle! My heart skipped a little beat but the photo isn't on the website boo! I asked each photographer where they were from so I could check back and put the photos up here but most were from trend forecasting sites or random places that weren't street style sites at all! I did pluck this photo from SOS! Save Our Shoes which so far is the only photo I can find, but I'll keep looking! Thank you Fi! If it helps I wore a big white bow in my standard curls and orangey/red lipstick.

This won't be the longest post ever (I've done way too many of those!) so I'll write tomorrow about getting extra tickets, seeing some minor celebs, and causing myself insane pain!
 

A Picture an Hour: Borås (to Munich) to Birmingham

I'm home, wahoooo! It's so good to be chilling in my own house! Insanely good. Today I went to the Bullring shopping centre, it was still glorious and I only went to H&M! I documented the day of travelling again at each hour...

8AM

Late to bed, early to rise- always the way! I was quite at a loss with what to pack this time because I should really start bringing things home but didn't have much room left and didn't want to eliminate anything! I got these furry hand warmer things as a goodie bag freebie from the Gudrun Gudrun show in Copenhagen and they came in handy when pulling heavy cases that make your hands sore! I reckon they were made from leftover fabric.

9AM

 

On the airport bus very awake and superbly exciting to be visiting home! Usually I have a little snooze time but I was just thinking of all the things I could do and all the people I could see this week!

10AM

 

I had three hours to wait for the first flight so I mooched around the Gothenburg international airport for a bit, obviously loving the HK pez! I did actually buy some spray from Clinique which is basically like water and you can spray it on your face throughout the day, almost like washing and hydrating your face but not moving your makeup! It is so good!

11AM

 

I typed an article for the Manchester student paper and checked out the start of NYFW; I'm incredibly behind on blogs and shows this week, my google reader must be 3000+ posts now argh! I read an interesting article on blogging on style.com but I'm getting really fed up with this blogging hysteria concentrating on blogs with headline grabbing gimmicks. Whatever happened to the content? You rarely read an article that says 'real girls go home and write interesting things other girls want to read!!', it's just about the super rich or super young. Not that there's anything wrong with that but it gives the wrong impression of the fashion blogging world as a whole to outsiders who are just hearing of the phenomenon. It annoys me that some bloggers too have no time or limited content now on their blogs because they have to maintain different sides of their blogs, like dealing with media attention. It's like a catch-22, if your blog is popular you end up having no time for it! I think a motto should be to put your content first, as that's what people return to your blog for, and not just check it out once because they read a scandalous article. But hey, that's just my opinion! Maybe it's different because I've never pushed out my blog, I just let it run it's natural course. I didn't have a comment for about the first six months and I didn't care, it was just fun to blog! The media articles make blogs sound like they're only good for the experiences the blogger can get and you need an amazing life to be popular, but really it's all about dedication and simply enjoying writing; being popular isn't the priority or a measure of a successful blog, I know my favourites haven't been hitting front rows recently (apart from Style Bubble, my eternal favourite!) and I'm more than happy with the content! Thank you for the kind comments on the Copenhagen post; whenever I read about bloggers going to fashion shows I don't care about the review- sure I want to hear the trends and interesting bits (like how Susie writes), but I'd MUCH rather hear about the actual week. You can't go from blogging from your little town to hitting a real life show- what's it like?! Aren't you scared? I was so intimidated and lost and starstruck just in Copenhagen! Hmmm OK an off-course essay there but blogging is so in your face right now, and the majority of blogs that make the blogging world such a success are the ones that are never featured in the media! I might have to do my own post on my favourite blogs because none get the recognition they deserve too!

12PM

 

On the way to Germany! No special reason other than flying to Birmingham makes a huge difference to getting off the plane in London after the tiring flights and having to go underground with cases and keep travelling north. Usually I fly to Copenhagen but there happened to be some cheaper flights via Munich this time so why not! I still haven't posted the evidence of incredibly snowy Sweden- apparently there's the most snow for fifteen years?! It's just not cool now!

1PM

 

My first plane meal of the year, half a sandwich! I'd already ate one but a girl needs her strength. There was a man opposite me who was tapping away on his laptop SO HARD! Like he'd go 'tap tap tap TAP... tap tap tap TAP', bouncing his finger off the enter key about ten feet in the air! I was like please stop pleeeeeease! But inside my head of course.

2PM

Munich airport was veeery nice, with a super tempting MAC, Bobby Brown and Kiehls. I had a little look but held back on the impulsing, although I liked this sign! Skeleton boyfriends are underrated.

3PM

Maybe I'm a bit weird or sheltered but I thought a shoe shining booth was really strange! It made me a bit uncomfortable to see a suited man on the phone up high while another man was on his knees shining his shoes- can't you shine them yourself Mr! I guess this is a totally normal thing but I thought is looked so odd!

4PM

 

On the plane to Birmingham with Cosmo. I've never read the magazine until one of the Warwick girls in Sweden leant me a copy and I realised it was finally a magazine geared to girls around my age. And the issue was dedicated to girly friendships which was great, I don't understand girls who say they don't like girls and guys are much better to be friends with. Sure I have fab guy friends but I couldn't live without my girlie mates! I liked the playsuit in the top corner by PPQ for Very, but just looking at their website they've used Portia Freeman as the model and after watching her in a random TV documentary there's something about her I'm just not taken with. Same with Daisy Lowe, they seem a bit like they follow the London crowd? I don't know, I don't like slagging off girls I don't know but I do like the playsuit, although I'd have to try it on to see if that shape suited me!

5PM

 

This looks like a what's the object quiz! It was in fact my third sandwich of the day, another twin from the one offered earlier. I had no other options though so it was another plastic wrapped snack fest!

6PM

 

Whenever I pack I always make a reserve pile for the things I can live without taking, but would if I had spare room. The red skirt was one of them and I thought I might as well wear it instead, so I ended up in velvet leggings, my Monki over sized sweater, a tutu skirt and the red skirt underneath. I thought I'd be keeping my coat on but forgot you have to remove it when you go through security checks and it was getting warmer the further I travelled. So I looked a little bag lady crazy, a little kooky, but I was past caring! On this flight there was a bunch of excited school girls who must have been on a German school trip, and for the whole flight they were singing and giggling at the plane noises and screeching, I was like aaargh! When we landed they all applauded and the teacher kept shushing them, although they are forgiven because I was totally an annoying school girl once. I remember one trip to a giant choir concert where my friends and I got lost on purpose just to be naughty! Our designated safety friend told on us though!

7PM

 

Nearly home! I got the train to Birmingham centre and my Mom picked me up. To add to the crazy bag lady look, I had this bright pink shiny case from New Look and to top it off, my main case was this battered fake Burberry affair that my Dad ever so kindly leant me once. I'm not really snobby about things like gadgets or luggage but I wasn't too proud hauling my case off the luggage conveyor belt!

8PM

 

Home finally!! My Mom sometimes writes a cute note on my door and left this postcard reading 'You can never spend too much on ebay.' What a genius statement! She's a rather cool lady but is doing a challenge to not buy any new clothes for the whole year. This means she buys me and my sister things instead though! If you're wondering why my bedroom has a door number, it's not actually my official room, it's just a spare room after I gave my basement room to my brother. And if you're wondering why the spare room has a number, our house was once a guest-house that my Mom ran and the upstairs was for the guests!

9PM

 

I had an insane amount of post for some reason! I finally had the Office velvet platforms delivered to my Grandma in the end and my Mom got me some tights and a book, and then there's another book I got sent to review, a £2.20 fur coat from ebay (yes another one), a new phone so I've actually joined the 21st century and I've totally blinged up, and some London Fashion Week invites!! More on that later...

10PM

 

Chilling on the sofa with my kitty cats, who I still forget we have until I walk in the front door and see them. That's after like three years or something! They don't actually have names still because we couldn't decide. There's just the fat one and the skinny one and then there's the huge, beasty white one from next door that sometimes makes an appearance to chomp some of their food while they just watch on!

11PM

 

I miss 4od and iPlayer so much! Do you have Come Dine With Me anywhere else but the UK? I'm pretty sure I've seen an advert for the Swedish version but my svenska isn't up to much! I can get a few English programmes like Skins online but am missing Friends reruns and the new Snog Marry Avoid season!

Speaking of SMA, I went out in London on Friday with a girl who was on the show!!! One of my friend's housemate's friends and she was totally fab and revealed lots about Pod and the show and everything she owned was all blinged up and fabulous. I'm here for about ten full days and funnily enough (or not hehe) my dates coincided with London Fashion Week, where I went on Friday! It was an incredibly different experience to Copenhagen but in unexpected ways and as usual there were lots of gossip worthy happenings I will write all about asap!! I saw my idol, met incredible bloggers, suffered immense pain, and got shot by loads of random people that I can't find online at all! If you see any photos of a red curly girl in stupidly high shoes, send them my way!

Copenhagen Fashion Week Day Two

 

The second day of Copenhagen was full of gossip and scandalous activities! Blogger Claire and her guest Ruth went off for the morning to explore and I got ready for my first show of the day, David Andersen. It was freezing cold and windy, and I already had a cold myself but this didn't affect my outfit choice?! I wore new thigh high boots with Henry Holland tights so you could juuust see the fake suspender lines, and my Gina Tricot coat. A bit of pink hair and a hair bow too!

 Tiiiired! I knew there would be no time to eat so I had breakfast at Cafe Flora; Scandinavian countries always put hot drinks in glasses, no idea why!

I rushed to the town centre and as I was walking up the steps to the city hall, I saw Yvan the facehunter!!! I knew he was in Copenhagen and I thought it would be a chance encounter if I saw him, but the likeliness is he plants himself by the show space of course! He was taking a photo of a blonde girl in all black but it's not on the site, maybe it's on his personal site? It's hard to work out who he picks to photograph as I could have seen 90% of the people at the shows on his main site, maybe he waits for the perfect person at the perfect time. As I hurried past he'd stopped taking the photos and as I was looking at him, I saw him look me up and down. The idea of someone taking your photo is actually a bit weird and scary so I hurried on inside! Again I didn't seem to have a seat but there were no standers at the show so I must have been seated somewhere! I hovered near the press pit brandishing my camera and the Facehunter was right nearby chatting with some people! I sneakily filmed him, check out the video at the end of the post! Soon enough most people were seated and a man came up to me and told me to take a seat anywhere, pointing to one in the second row. It clearly had a name on it and I gingerly sat down, and the worst nightmare thing happened when the man beside said 'oh that seat is for my colleague'. I was like eeek but then he said it was OK and a few of them moved down! He had a crazy curly quiff and cape and restored my faith that there were some friendly people there! I was still feeling a bit awkward perched there though, trying to look important. I had a notebook so could write random things down as a distraction, such as the way absolutely everyone was wearing fur and there were a few pairs of the Acne Atomica wedges clomping around, and they looked quite comfy!
 
 

As you can see, from the second row you can't see a thing! The catwalk wasn't raised so I had to wait for the model to pass and have a peak of their torso through the gap between the people in front. There was a live singer for the first few minutes which was pretty cool, and the show had a circus theme with the models wearing top hats and carrying canes. There was medals, gems, slicked back hair, leather shorts, and major gold safety pins all over a collar or gloves. A lot of it wasn't a surprise, like bright red tartan, but there were a few random bits like feather earrings, even on the men. I thought the models would seem taller but from ground level they just looked very lean and fierce. I couldn't get any pictures at all so I'll find some online and post a real review! By this time I had considered if I really liked the whole show experience and if you got more than you would by just looking at pictures online? I changed my opinion when I saw the shows that really made an impact but for now I felt quite uncomfortable!

 

I had some time to kill so I checked out the 'It's a small world' exhibition at the Danish Design Centre. It had loads of interactive things like swings and the crazy car wash thing that you could walk through, which I filmed when passing through! This might not be so interesting to recount here but I've done loads of sustainability courses in Sweden so it was interesting to me!
 

 

Then I attempted to follow my map down the icy streets and went to the Recycled Realness boutique at K29 where I had a chat with the owner about Alexander McQueen, news my Mom had texted me the night before.

   
 

I travelled on towards a few shops I'd marked down and went into a little shop that sold those quirky gifts that Urban Outfitters is full of. The man at the counter offered me a sweet but haha I don't take sweets from strangers! That was good thinking as I browsed a little and as I was leaving he said 'I like you... very much.' In was like er huh?? ummm thanks..heh... and he said 'you are very interesting to me... you do not take compliments well?' in his Danish accent. Do you find that if you don't gush over a compliment and say ohhhh wow thank you and act all girly and blush, then people get a bit shirty? I don't know, he was about 40! I carried on and stumbled upon this little vintage basement shop called Kitsch Bitch where I asked if they happened to have any sailor dresses and the lady found this stripey 50's style dress which I ended up buying! I had second thoughts when I left the shop and singled out that second hand smell but a few boil washes should sort that out!
 

The town had huge screens showing the shows and I had a little peek in the shops without looking to buy. Then I got insanely lost trying to navigate the town hall again. I sort of walked in the direction I thought it was but ended up going in some crazy direction! 

 
 
I got to the Margit Brant show just before it was meant to start, but of course it was late! I met Claire in there but at this show I was seated! It felt super cool to have a seat with my name on it, my name!! It was right in front of the press pit though, four rows deep, so it wasn't exactly the view of the year. I realised by people watching that fashion week isn't about standing out. It's much more comfortable to wear fabulous clothes that are great if someone looks at you, but doesn't make people look at you.

 

The show was all 50's silver-screen glamour, even with leather pilot hats. The hair was fantastic, in big blown out waves. There was even the only non-white model there in every show I attended.

 

Again I had the problem of only seeing heads, but I did get a goodie bag! The seats next to me were empty until someone crashed them and they left without taking their bags, so I nabbed them for Claire and her friend Ruth! Outisde the show we spotted the Facehunter again, and Claire dared to snap him! Ruth and I were like omggg Claire's facehunting the Facehunter! She will put the photo on her blog soon I'm sure. We went to a fab little cafe to get some lunch and talked blogs nonstop, then headed back to the Minimarket show. Wow Minimarket was something else! The Swedish brand was one of the big guns and everyone wanted to get into the show. I was way more confident by now after my fashion week crash course and asked if I had a seat or not. The guy with the list on the door said no but produced some tickets for spare seats and gave me one! Turns out the seat was front row!! It was right on the end too, I felt so lucky! I put my bag down and went to talk to Claire but people were already buzzing round it so I had to park myself firmly down. It was the scariest wait of my life!! As people started coming in, you could tell this was a big deal. And then I saw an amazing sight, Gala Gonzalez and Pelayo Diaz!!!!!!!!!!!! Here's a blurry photo as I tried to be subtle and they were moving, but they both looked amazing, Gala in those sky high Burberry boots and Pelayo majorly studded up. Gala was so tall she made him look small!! After a while it was apparent that a lot of people didn't have seats, a lot of very important people. The obvious front row regulars I'd spotted before were wandering round and looking confused in a dramatic diva way. The seaters were rushing around trying to seat people but all the front row seats were full! I realised that I was given a seat that shouldn't have been free at all and was petrified I'd be asked to move. 

 

The show was getting on for half an hour late now and even the influx of Minimarket boots on the show-goers didn't distract me from the fact that I had 'non-important person' flashing on my forehead! I tried to look extremely haughty and confident, but I was preparing to get up and have someone sit in my seat. To distract myself, I started talking to the lady next to me, who was on her 5th fashion week and was a stylist! I didn't want to pry so I'm not sure what kind of stylist, but I told her I was worried I'd be moved and she was like nahhh. As Claire was saying later, there's no rule book for fashion week and no one can appear to be more entitled than anyone else. For all the others know, I could be the editor of Vogue! Well of course not, but you get the picture. I didn't know who everyone else was but some people just looked more important. They strutted round and took their seats so confidently. I must be more like them! The seaters actually laid out another row at the end of the runway and then added more next to me so the rows were extended. So Gala and Pelayo got their front row eventually!

 

I feel SO lucky to have sat front row because the show was incredible. I was flawed! First the colour palette, all block acid pastels in such saturated shades that every model popped right off the runway. From head to toe, the models were so amazing, I didn't know which part to look at! Their hair was moulded under the hats in the smoothest, shiniest curve that they reminded me of toy lego figures, just with oversized, moulded curves. It's quite genius to be that feminine but not sexy at all. The tights were pink or yellow and the boots did not disappoint. The thigh high yellow suede pair raised a lot of muttering and I had my eye on the patchwork pair, the wooden wedged pair, and the classic black wedges with mini ruffled black and white fringing. And then there was the face paint! Sort of tribal but childlike. I got some footage of the models too, check the end of the video! There was even feathers that were patterned to look like an aztec print. It made me really want to buy the American Apparel print leggings!

 

Us girls headed back to the hotel and had a break, and I applied some more makeup and changed my tights! I was determined to wear heels to at least one show. Claire was napping and wasn't planning on going to the show but as I was about to leave she suddenly said yes she would! And it turns out Claire is the most fabulous show partner EVER. We went to the Gudrun Gudrun show and I sampled the mini yet super strong cocktails (cosmos) and we went around the side of the runway to take a standing spot. It seems the later the shows, the busier they are. Claire was like hey lets just sit in those second row seats and I was like nooo! But she coaxed me in and we were sitting second row, plus goodie bags! After a while Claire considered the front row, and I was really against it, fearing someone would come claim their seat soon enough, but she persuaded me and in a moment we moved forward and two girls were in our old seats straight away. How fab is Claire! She really put into perspective that no one is entitled to a seat and we are part of the marketing for the show. She is fearless! She'll make a great lawyer!

As the lights dimmed, a girl walked out in the most incredible, light flurry dress covered in sparkles and gem stones, and took a guitar from a nearby person in the front row. It turned out to be Danish artist Aura, and she sang with just a light on her and it was amazing! So intense with the whole room in darkness and just her voice and a guitar, it really set the mood for the show. And we were so glad we were front row!!! The show had male models who had the most insane six packs ever. Check the video! The male models I'd seen before weren't too hot but these were fashionable and built ohlala! The show was a range of sheer, soft knits, a bit Rodarte with the big weaves. I noticed the girls had bleached eyebrows and they wore studded cowboy boots! Check the video, I like orange cardigan man!

 

  

Despite being bloggers, I only got one photo of my outfit! Claire wore a fab Topshop sheer and striped dress with tights that looked like they zipped at the back, and I'd just added some ASOS heart tights and my pink Dotty P's heels. Thanks for the photo Claire!

  

We met back up with Ruth and went for some incredible Indonesian food, where I had a delicious lychee cocktail too! It was a great end to a great few days and I was sad to leave! The next day was a nightmare of cancelled trains and stations in major cities that have no physical person there at all argh! At least I can say I've been to Malmo and Lund, even by accident. In the end it was such an educational trip, if I'd gone to London Fashion Week without going there, I would be clueless! Not that I know what to expect now as I'm sure shows at the major fashion weeks would be very different, but I know you have to be super confident, or just have to be able to fake it!

Copenhagen Fashion Week Day One

I actually wrote this post last night and then Typepad was all messed up and it disappeared in front of me! GUTTED!!!!! Aaaah! Fmylife. But here's round two! I hope you all had a good weekend, I really missed blogging! Copenhagen exceeded all my my hopes and so many great things happened! At the first show I was practically fashion roadkill but by the last I was sitting the the front row! The flights competition was in the end won by Claire of The View From Here, whose blog I've followed for ages so it was great we could go round together and share a hotel room! And I spotted internet celebrities, I was so starstruck! I've got Facehunter on film but I'll put up the video later once it's edited. My camera work hasn't exactly improved but I tried! Also we renamed him Facestalker haha.

 

I took an extremely early train to Copenhagen on Thursday morning after only one hours sleep due to a stuffy cold. I battled to keep my eyes open and look for the right stations but found UK Elle and tore through that on the final leg into the central station. As I came out and hovered at the entrance trying to figure out the right map angle, a girl approached me and asked if I needed help. Then she said she'd direct me to the hotel but walked for ten minutes in totally the wrong direction! I was too polite to ask exactly where she was going until she looked at the map again and said 'ohhh that street, this is the wrong way!'. Then we went back to the station and the hotel was literally two minutes away! Thanks!

  

I did have a ticket to show in about half an hour but I was so tired that I slept for an hour in the amazing bed and then with a slick of red lipstick I was out the door, Luella bag in one hand, bundles of tissues in the other! Copenhagen was absolutely freezing and very windy, so I grabbed a drink and tried to get my bearings. Copenhagen is similar to London in my opinion, in the way people dress. You're no longer in a Swedish sea of blonde hair and black clothes! If London was subjected to freezing temperatures then I don't think it would be dissimilar to the boots and duffel coats that are on the streets of Cph. The boys are quite Swedish in the way that they have slicked, 50's style hair and amazing cheekbones and complexions. Also it's so strange to see people smoking in McDonalds! 

   

I grabbed a drink there and had a show across town but instead went to the nearby town hall early for the one right after, Munthe plus Sinsonsen. I could have made all the shows though as each started at least half an hour late! I was quite apprehensive and a bit scared as I've never been to a fashion show before, but joined the crowd just inside the main entrance. It was such a fashion cliché of people air kissing and pushing their big bags into you, or standing intimidatingly silent yet amazing. I felt really short and certainly not meant to be there with my spots and runny nose! I stood my ground and the crowd surged forward into the hall. It seemed most shows let people in to stand freely and I wandered round trying to figure out how you knew where to sit. Did you look at the names on every single seat? I approached the champagne people who directed me to the people with the seating chart. As you can see in the before and after pictures above, fashion people are thirsty! My approach was all wrong though because the seating lady asked me first where I was from and when I said I was a fashion blogger she said I didn't have a seat without even looking at the list!! It was a total Devil Wears Prada moment. I walked away feeling extremely small and unimportant, but in hindsight I probably did have a seat because I applied for and received an invitation. Instead I went right around the side and stood near the very front of the runway so I could see the models come out. 

I was quite glad I wasn't wearing anything too childish as the style was frills-free blacks and high wedge boots. Speaking of children, I think the seats in front of me were possibly for friends and family because there were so many little boys! I was so jealous of the kid seated in front of me, and later he practically sat on the runway to take wonky snaps. You can see him in the photo below! There was also many more men than I thought there would be. It intrigued me to wonder who everyone was and what was their purpose in going to the show? I felt very minute as a blogger, especially with the negative press some industry members are sending from the shows. I do think attending a show is valuable as we can write about the whole experience whereas other press members and buyers and stylists can't, but they benefit from seeing the show before everyone else, and also their job titles make them entitled to have the pleasure of viewing the live show. I can see why people always stress that the shows are not a totally pleasurable experience though- they're hard work!! It's like going through airports, you have to queue and stand and search for seats and spots to stand and juggle all your papers and camera, while being aware of everyone else around you. And there's no time to eat or rest, you have to be constantly watching the clock and planning journey times and the shows of course don't start on time ever! All this was super cool to me but if I was there for a week, plus other fashion weeks across the world right after, I can certainly see how tiring it would be!

 
 

Soon the lights went down and the first model strutted out. It's so intense to have hundreds of eyes and all your senses focused towards one thing; with the music and the lights and the buzz of conversation dying down, it was so exciting! I admire models so much, it must have been hard to step out first in front of all those people and walk in the highest heels! My position at Munthe plus Simonsen was great because I could see the models standing just before they went out, and then as they walked back sometimes they smiled secretly at the model they passed! Just before the first model walked out, a snow machine started from above, which created a wild winter wonderland and totally changed the atmosphere of the static hall. As all my shows were there, it's crazy to think they were all so different yet in exactly the same place.

 

As the models walked back through the snow it went right in their faces so most had a bad blinking attack or just walked with their eyes closed! The first row started getting snowed on after a while, much to my amusement hehehe. There was a lot of Rodarte inspiration throughout the shows, with soft, loose knits and Balmain style low-slung trousers and shoulders. The first thing that struck me were the amazing eyebrows and hollowed-out cheeks. The black brows went right to the temples and the orange blush made the models' cheekbones look incredible. I loved the big gem stones in this show in aquatic colours, almost like you could find them washed up at a forest lake. The gems were a bit Marc Jacobs from a few seasons ago and they're so versatile- you know I'm thinking they're great for in the hair! There was also more capes and knee length scarves, which ultimately look best when strutting in thigh high leather boots with the wind in your hair! I thought the styling of this show was great, see there's so many different textures and fits but they all work together don't look too much, they still manage to look casual and earthy, even a bit rustic yet glamourous.

 

 The 'goodie' bag from this show was just a bag with nuts and water in, so finally I wandered the streets near the hotel and got an amazing Vietnamese noodle salad minus the sushi as they didn't have any vegetarian dishes! I wish I could try sushi so badly!

Then a little later at midnight Claire and her fab guest Ruth arrived and we gossiped about the internet before crashing in bed! It's strange to meet a blogger you follow for about the first five seconds and then it's like you're old friends! More about Claire later, she is so fearless and did some daring deeds that involve Facehunter and the Gudrun Gudrun front row! And the video will come too, and gossip on celebrities with no seats and amazing freebies! Plus a hell of a lot of blagging! 

I'm Chuck Bass

You know I am Team Bass. Forget all this Twilight stuff, although my good friend pulled a guy who looks exactly like Taylor Lautner, hiii Ellie haha I hope she reads this! I miss my friends in England!! Anyway, I will always and forever more be Team Chuck Bass, no matter how desperate the Gossip Girl story lines get. Dan's curly college hair certainly didn't sway me and Nate is pretty but sooo booooring! I like arrogant guys! So one day I thought I should express my love to the world and happened across the Yatt Chuck Bass t shirt that quite a few LookBookers have, just check google images! As I just got the link, I found it's now sold out! They say they'll bring out new designs and want to keep them exclusive, but really how many girls across the world actually have this t shirt? Maybe quite a few, after all CB is the hottest. In fact now I just regard him as my secret boyfriend. But yes I truly have no qualms about wearing this, it's the best thing ever! Granted I won't be wearing it to important, life changing events, but I totally wore it to class and then to the impromptu sauna party last night with a massive vat of sangria. Sadly nobody actually noticed it, or maybe they wanted to avoid the strange girl who's acting like a crazed teenager.   

Battle of the Furs

I'm on a role guys! Posts are churning, plans are emerging! In a few days I'll go to Copenhagen for a mere two day sand next week I go back to England for 13 days woohoo! My shopping karma is still on a role because today I decided the ankle boots I got in Gothenburg just weren't special enough;my friend said she was blinded by the buckle! In blog interviews I'm always asked what friends and family think of the blog and most don't care too much, but some friends do read and randomly send their advice! So I browsed the Scorett shop in my lunch break today (one class is 8.30pm-4.30pm whyyy?!) and found some thigh high boots that I'd tried on in August. Back then they didn't fit and I got some just-over-the-knee boots from Skopunkten instead that I've worn so much, they've finally broke! Well the wedge now has a little hole to store snow and stones, but it makes no difference to the shoe! Sadly I probably shouldn't wear them anymore just encase they totally fall apart mid-trek to the shops or classes. Maybe I'll save them for short journeys, seems a shame to throw away something that's still half decent. The thigh high boots seemed even more appealing today, especially as in the Summer I didn't factor in that I'd be wearing leggings or multiple tights under the boots each day. I tried them on again and they're marvy, definite essentials for the next month of snow! I've never appreciated boots before, they've always seemed a bit overpowering, but they're so warm! I still haven't worn jeans this Winter, I will not be defeated by weather! They actually go right up to the thighs and the ties can be adjusted slightly so they don't fall down. They're by a brand called Tiamo? A steal at half price from £75ish!

 

I also popped into H&M as my friend was actually looking for slippers and I never turn down a shopping trip! And I found ANOTHER fur. Things are getting a bit insane on the fur front now. I need to stop buying, start wearing! So please help, which to choose? I am capable of making decisions myself but they were all bargains so it's hard to give them up forever.

For arguments sake I put the boots with House of Holland x Pretty Polly suspender tights in a Prada mimic and threw on a black one shoulder H&M dress. I think the boots with the suspenders would look better with a really full, mini skater skirt; I've got a picture somewhere from fashion week of someone wearing a fur coat with thigh highs, I must find it!

Coat numero uno, the H&M shaggy cream fur, 999kr-200kr. This is pretty warm and insanely fluffy, almost unruly! It's quite bulky but then again all the furs are, I guess the key it to use the silhouette to your advantage by making the rest of you look smaller! This is the most practical as it is the easiest shape to wear but it does stand out the most. I do not want to look like a furry creature and receive unwanted attention! It's OK in Sweden when I have no idea what people are saying but in England people may not be so kind.

The second is the Zara cropped jacket, 399kr-100kr. It's the bulkiest of them all but the smaller shape means it can be thrown on more casually, and is more of an addition rather than a dominating part of an outfit? The fur is duller too with threads of grey so it's more subtle. And it's warm!

The second Zara fur is the long gillet, 599kr-100kr. It's by far the warmest of all as it's got a thermal lining, and it does do up but then it's a bit restricting. I don't have many things with sleeves though so it's not very practical, but in the coming months maybe sleeves aren't essential? By the time I return from my England trip in a week, it will be March! Not that it will be warm, but it won't be freeeezing like now. Also black gets major points for being more wearable, and I quite like the longer coat in these photos!

And here is the bonus coat I got today on impulse, 500kr-349kr. Not a bargain of the century but it feels really great on! I haven't had a little jacket in absolutely ages, not since I got a Topshop blazer in 2008. I'd usually steer clear of bomber jackets, especially with ribbed hems and sleeves, infact this is totally not my style, but I love the furry hood and the light, caramel colours. Then again, am I going to be wearing this in a few months really?

Blimey this is hard!

angel wings

brooke shields, russh, ?, prada ss10 lookbook

There were side plaits at Alexander Wang and Miu Miu but I think most of us don't have hair that long! Getting a chunky plait requires longer hair and fewer layers, and for the first time in my life I have shorter hair and loads of layers! Whhhy! Well it's not the end of the world because there's something happening with pig tails/bunches. Did you know according to Wikipedia some people call them angel wings? How sweet!

So bunches require a few changes to make them less school girl, more grungy. I am not grungy, but I can make them a but less cutesy than below. If Prada sends it down the runway, you know it's hot!

Mango crushed velvet dress via ASOS

Learning from the pictures above, they have to be messy. Back comb the underneath of your hair at the roots and use some dry shampoo to add some bulk. Then you have to bring them right in front of your ears and it would help if you didn't have curls like me! The final rule? As much as you want to, don't use baby hair ties, no matter how cute they are! I'm thinking bunches will be great with a glossy Prada bright red/orange lipstick.

 

The luckiest shopping day in history - Part Two!

If you're reading directly from the blog, check out part one below first! Thanks for all the overnight comments guys, I guess I never considered why I document a shopping trip but it's a rare occurrence nowadays!

So I stopped when I'd just got a lipstick and then left the main mall and went to some of the smaller ones on the streets. I crossed the tram line and the river about ten seconds outside and went into Zara. I knew that if I wrapped up for the snow I'd be so hot in the shops and I was right! I was wearing a jumper but took that off- and I'd actually worn my oversized Monki tshirt because it's easy to whip off in a changing room haha! The Zara store is a decent size and had a large sale section with a huge mound of tops and general leftovers and rejects of the sale. Shoppers were thumbing rails in a busy frenzy so I just looked across and right there were two more furs! I've said how I was hunting shaggy furs on eBay in the past week and then suddenly I see two! What's more, I happened to find three furs in different colours and styles, so I could choose the optimum! 

I will do a separate post for these as I need some help deciding which to keep, but here's the overview. The first two are the Zara furs, which were the only ones in the store and in my size??!! The first was reduced from about £40 to £10 and is cropped but quite puffy, but the fur is a duller white which is more versatile. The second is a looong black gillet which is seriously warm but sleeveless, and I don't wear sleeves too much! I took that to the till and found out the price was £10 reduced from £60, so I bought it too!

 

The last is the H&M coat, which is a brighter white and very shaggy, so makes the most impact! Argh I can't decide!!! If the H&M one was in black I would go for that, but I do like white and it's not that much crazier, I mean it's only white! A short fur jacket would be much safer too and I just feel like they might look a bit crazy-lady ish? Not sure? I don't think I'd wear these with a guy, put it that way, and that's sometimes my deal breaker. But then again, I don't want to dress for guys! Ah I'm still thinking about it. What do you think? I'm only going to keep one!

 

I also picked up this umbrella reduced from about £15 to £5 with skeletons and stars on! By now I had quite a few bags and the furs were bulky so it was getting a bit hard to get around! I popped into Mango but I think their merchandising is terrible and therefore didn't see anything calling out, so I set off for Topshop. Because these shops were all in the same mini mall, I was just walking through on the path straight to Topshop and just so happened to catch sight of a small, full-length window with some designer goods inside. I did a double take and walked back to peek at the Marc by Marc and See by Chloe. The shop was a tiny boutique-y place with embellished rails and sparkles all over the place; there was a lot of Juicy Couture! I happened to look in the doorway and saw a REALLY strange sign: '18th Amendment, 500kr.' Now this is possible the WEIRDEST thing ever because I have been searching for these jeans for the past three years! Here's the proof of when I first spotted them in the weekend Guardian on 20th January 2007!!!!!! I wrote about them when I used to blog from LiveJournal?!

18th Amendment are an Australian brand that made vintage inspired jeans named after silver screen icons, and if you've followed my blog for a while you'll know I love the film Dazed and Confused, and have a special penchant for 70's super-tight, high-waisted flared jeans. I just love the way that era was so new and nonconformist, and the fashion styles were major statements but done in such a cool, casual way. And high-waisted jeans feel amazingly good! They make your legs look so long and require high heels or wedges, but of course they cover your legs. So you feel super sexy but are still all covered so it's not too much! What's makes it EXTRA strange is that in 2009 I went on a shopping trip to finally hunt the perfect high-waisted flared jeans, as I'd only ever found skinny styles, and found a pretty good French Connection pair, but they still weren't high waisted enough. I have a long torso and small waist so anything usually deemed high-waisted really isn't. When I say high-waisted, I want something actually right up to my waist, not just above my hips! The thing that makes this weird is that on the day I was looking for the perfect jeans that I'd been hunting forever, I looked online at who stocked 18th Amendment as I'd always remembered them as looking perfect. I found the Manchester designer store Flannels stocked the brand, and they told me they'd gone to their outlet store in the Northern Quarter. I went there and tried on a pair, but they didn't fit so I deemed the brand as unsuitable for me. And that's the day I browsed around the rest of the outlet warehouse and found my super cheap and equally fateful Miu Miu shoes!!! So 18th Amendment have already lead me to great things, and it was SO strange to see them in a random boutique in Gothenburg in Sweden?!

I went inside the shop and saw they had three different styles, one being the Bacall 'True  High Waist, Wide Straight Leg' style in 'Heartbreaker' so they have HEART SHAPED POCKETS!! I actually said in my 2007 LiveJournal post about this style: 'They are perfection. If only I had £185. IF ONLY!' Well today they happened to be in front of me and 2799kr down to 500kr, which is about £240 to £45!!!! They had a small changing room with a purple velvet fringed curtain that didn't even pull all the way across but I threw off my velvet leggings (see I truly wear them constantly!) and they are an AMAZING fit! Reeeally high-waisted and the perfect colour. They're of course miles too long but I'll get them taken up in England in two weeks and will wear them with platform wedges!! They're actually the best purchase in history! And it was SO lucky that I actually happened to glance right at a window when I was daydreaming straight on the path to Topshop!

The sales assistant was throwing a spin on the jeans but I knew I was going to get them as soon as I put them on! I'm a bit cautious as I consciously put on a bit of weight over Christmas as I was fed up of being bony, and so I'll have to try and keep this weight constant! Nothing major, I just don't think I was really eating enough. When food is so expensive, you're not keen on using up lots of it!

By now I had looots of bags haha, people kept looking at me strangely! I did hit Topshop but they add a third of the price, and TS isn't exactly value for money anyway. Everything I looked at was just a bit insane. They do have a large Beyond Retro section though, here you can see their signature tutus! If you're ever in Gothenburg and are wondering where all the cool dressers and hot guys are, they're all browsing BR!

 

I walked into the store and saw this bow print crop top right away but this face shows what I thought about the £30 price tag. Really that much for a little bit of printed cotton? And this skirt was nearing £50!  Just really ridiculous.

I was feeling a bit worried that I was adding a lot of new things to my full wardrobe, but I went onto BikBok and browsed their great sale! There was nothing I wanted though, but I did pick up these three necklaces on their '3 for 50kr' sale, which is less than a fiver! I might save them for birthday presents if I don't wear them myself!

 

I was excited for Weekday but it was actually really bad! They had a huge sale on Cheap Monday but I wasn't looking for anymore jeans, although I've never tried CM, what's their fit like? Swedish girls look really great with their super slim legs and small hips, so their tight jeans with high boots look quite subtle but really cool, but my shape isn't like that so I wouldn't be able to get the effect! Weekday didn't seem to have any stock in, and what they did have was just random and boring, like they're trying too hard to be cool. I think this Cheap Monday dress was very strange, the black bits were almost like duct tape!

It was nearing four hours of shopping now, so I wrapped it up by picking up these boots in H&M for around £20. They were literally the only boots I found that were OK for snow and cheap enough. I'll take off the buckle because it looks a bit tacky, but I still don't particularly love them. Maybe I'll look in the shoe shops here before I wear them.

As I was getting some lunch/tea, I found there's ANOTHER Monki too! So there's actually three in Gothenburg! They had a much bigger sale section but I didn't see anything better than what I'd already got. I made my way to the station and hopped on the next train with an English Cosmo, but slept all the way back! And so that was my big shopping day, making me not want to shop again for a good few months! My purchases are all in their bags waiting to be worn, and I'll return some furs next week when I got to Gothenburg via Copenhagen. I'll do separate posts for the jeans and coats as I'd love your opinion on which to choose!

The luckiest shopping day in history - Part One!

I am SO glad I spent a few weeks putting off a shopping trip to Gothenburg because I swear today yesterday was the most fateful day ever! And remember the day I found my Miu Miu shoes for half price plus another £70 off just in my size? Well I think I beat that!! 

I've been planning to go to Gothenburg since I got back here because there's only a poor H&M and a few Gina Tricots in this town, and I end up going there out of boredom and buying things that are completely random and make me feel guilty! And shopping should never be guilty. My Mom never scolded me for shopping so I don't understand people who feel like you shouldn't ever be spending or treating yourself. If you only shop on the cheap in sales, your wardrobe might be larger but it's quality over quantity! The student loans are just in and the sales are nearly ending, so I thought a blow-out trip would be perfect right now and I've been feeling a bit disheartened in the past few weeks. Maybe it's hormonal but all the snow and the darkness means days close you inside and my new classes have been a bit stressful. The photo shoot for Photography class did not happen thanks to the terrible teacher, but that's another story! Also there's a hole where all my friends last term were and there's been fewer parties or general activities. And there's been a few other worries, and you know it's bad when two different people randomly ask why you look so sad. Ahh I don't know.

Today was the first day that I'd done everything urgent and had a few days off classes... 

OK I wrote all that last night but was falling asleep on my keyboard! I wish I'd done this post then because I just slipped in the kitchen and have the biggest headache and a lump good enough for Loony Tunes on my head! The sink leaks big puddles of water sometimes and on my way out I fell in the doorway and hit just about every angle of my body on every surface available- they're going to be some nice bruises!! What is with me lately, things are just going wrong!

SO I went to Gothenburg yesterday, which seems like ten weeks ago! I'm knackered! But yesterday I prepared everything the night before and got up early to jump on the bus. An hour of Swedish radio later and I was off into the busy city. Now I'm never really great with sales, I'm just not that excited about a bargain. My thinking is that if the item is that great, you would have had no problem paying full price! And sales are always so messy and filled with polyester and dodgy colours, and I just end up picking up all the dropped items and hanging them over the rails because once you've been a sales assistant you never forget it! But all the things I found were things I'd already been thinking about, so it's just luck! I walked to the main mall Nordstan that has the biggest H&M, the one that stocked Jimmy Choo. They randomly have an Accessorize so I popped in and picked up some JELLY stickers to make my Sweden log book prettier, and two child size rings that were fantastically plastic! My log book is part of my study requirements by the way, it's actually kind of annoying to need to write 'dear diary' every day. A good thing to look back on though! The stickers were 70% off too, so they were dirt cheap, and the rings were about £2 each. I was putting off shopping because I really don't have any money this term and I just booked some flights to England for £179, ouch. To give some examples, you won't get a loaf of bread here for under about £1.50 and toothpaste is beyond £3. You know it's bad when you buy bread, juice and some toothpaste and you've spent nearly a tenner! So I thought if I just got some stickers and little rings, at least I'd go home with a nice treat! Little did I know what else I would find...!

 

I didn't quite see anything great among the new stuff in H&M, it felt like the best things hadn't landed yet. I found some really random things to try on though! This is why I always shop alone, there's no one to waver your judgement. You can try out whatever style you like and take as much time as possible! 

The first strange happening of the day was that in the past week, I've had a sudden but very strong urge for fur. I'm fed up of wearing an outfit-concealing coat and after a month of wear, they always feel a bit old and dishevelled. So I thought a fur jacket would be perfect to layer up for the cold weather but also be fabulous for fashion weeks! And I love shaggy fur at the moment, I got a mongolian crimped  fur bag from River Island but it sheds EVERYWHERE. I've been hunting coats on eBay but the long delivery times have held me back from bidding. I was watching around ten fur coats, mostly white, and was SO close to bidding on this H&M jacket (is that a picture of a fashion blogger?). Seriously I was having a debate with myself on whether I'd be gutted if it was bought out beneath me or if £50 was too much of a gamble for an item you've never seen in the flesh. There was only a tiny sale section upstairs at the back of the H&M store and incredibly randomly there were three of that exact jacket in my size on the rail?!?!?!?! For less than £20! Not only have I never seen the coat in store, I've never seen it advertised or on a fashion blog, so it was the strangest thing ever!! I picked one up to try on along with some super cheap drainpipe trousers that didn't fit, and ended up buying it!

 

I wish I'd got the nude tutu skirt because I've had the black one for years and have worn it so much, it's looking a little worse for wear! Maybe I'll save an eBay search for one as I know I wear these skirts. They had a few hot pink ones in the store and I was tempted by them but something made me put it back. It's not really progressing your style if you buy something you've known for years I guess? Actually I stole that black skirt from my sister hehehe thanks Chloe!

 

I made myself choose only one skirt and settled on this gingham high waisted mini skirt. I've seen them in the store before but it's the perfect fit and I can check gingham off my Spring lusting-list (more of the list to come btw!). I have nothing else blue apart from my little playsuit which I love, so maybe it's time to consider this colour more! I'll wear the skirt in the summer with knee high socks but if I don't wear the skirt within a month then I'll return it. By the time the warmer weather comes, I probably won't be excited to wear it! A great shopping tip is to keep your new purchases in the bags they came in with the tags still on and the receipts inside. Once you see them in your room everyday the magic wears off and if you haven't even taken something out the bag to wear in the first weeks, then you know you should take it back. And it's all perfect to return straight back to the shop! You know what it's like when you try things on and remove the tags, then think back and realise you've never worn it! I totally have things in my wardrobe I've never worn out- so shameful.

I was also browsing the accessories and my eyes lit up for these heart print tights. They're just perfect! A great denier and unashamedly bright white and red. Would they be good with my Miu Mius?? Then I happened to pick up this headband in the sale section and found it was Sonia Rykiel?! I didn't know there were hair bows in her underwear line?! How did I not know. It was less than a fiver so I scooped that up too.

I recently found there's a Monki in the main mall! I spotted it on the floor map after Jimmy Choo and it's hidden upstairs among random cheapie shops. If I had one blogging wish, I would bring every one of you to a Monki store. It is just the best shop ever. I had the scariest thought the other day. In a few months I won't live in Sweden anymore and then I won't be able to shop here anymore. Next season I won't be able to get my hands on the clothes. That is actually very scary and makes me feel quite sick!

 

I love Monki because it doesn't provide clothes to make you look good. If you think about Topshop, the majority of things in there fit the purpose of being flattering and attractive. But in Monki they don't care about making your body look good, they just want you to feel good and have your clothes bring a smile to your face!

 
 
The shop is laid out so well too, I love the merchandising. There's few sizes out but always just enough, and they do have running themes but each item is totally unique to it's neighbour so it takes a long time to browse. Things are so unexpected!

  

Like these rainbow tights! How happy would you feel just wearing these watching TV? I really like the soft checked top too, I love purple and yellow rainbows.

 

I did actually have some shoes on my list to buy because my over-the-knee boots have a small piece of the wedge missing in the sole. This doesn't let water in but they're obviously on their last legs so I need a back up! These wedges intrigued me though as they had all the makings of a great shoe- patent and leather, a platform wedge, bandages, ankle high - but were a bit too orthopedic for me! Here's a pastel version of the rainbow shirt which I love! Looking back at these photos, I'd consider buying it! Something strange has happened since I've been spending so much time indoors- I'm actually liking comfortable clothes! My friend ChiChi is alway saying I wear 'party clothes' (he used to say 'clotheses' haha!) but lately I've been waking up, putting on some mascara, some leggings and maybe just a big tshirt or a cardigan. Hence the purchase below!

I'm liking the thought of a shirt buttoned right to the top, maybe with a high waisted skater skirt or really tight low slung skinny jeans and wedges. This cropped shift intrigued me so I tried the black version below. They've got a few red sailor-style things in for the new season which are right up my street, but I realised I can't buy dresses anymore.

  

I really like this nautical dress and could imagine wearing it to any and every occasion with maybe some white tights or just flats and a cute chain bag, but I can't justify buying something you can only wear one way anymore. Like I used to only wear dresses, but now I feel like it would always be the same outfit and that seems kind of lazy? I'm not sure how to explain it, it just seems a bit wrong to buy such a one dimensional thing? Like I would just use it as a fall-back outfit? Ah I'm not sure, maybe that's stupid and I'm resisting a dress that's great but a bit out of my budget! As you can see in the picture above, they also do it in red. I liked the stripey jumper for comfort purposes, I'm just living in leggings and oversized tops right now. Who needs skirts!

  

They had some fluorescent candy coloured rainbow striped tights too, so insane. Remember Filippa does a shopping service from Sweden if you see anything you like, I don't want to be mean to you by showing all these photos!

I thought this dalmatian print was really cool, have you ever seen that before? Here in Sweden people have such amazing dogs! I don't even like dogs but here they must be the most expensive breeds because I've never seen such incredible dogs. They have some cupcake print stuff in which is quite cute but not as subtly cute as the rest of the stock!

 

In the middle of the store they have these weird spikes, so random! And the changing rooms have eye-level holes in the doors! Remember in Stockholm and even the fabric curtains have holes cut in? Why?! As I was taking this photo there was a woman shopping and I could have had a face-to-face conversation with her! I guess no one looks into the holes so it's OK, but I don't think this would ever fare well in England!

The doors also spin from the centre, so strange! Here's the cropped shirt along with a weird expression haha. It was very sheer so I knew I wouldn't go to wear it many times due to faffing around with a top for underneath, but I still like the idea of a button up.

 
 
The changing rooms had mirrors on every wall so from different angles you could see yourself x infinity! The lighting was random too so it was quite difficult to find a decent reflection! The next lucky thing that I stumbled across was the Monki sale. Everything in the sale was a straight up 50 or 75% off. Wow!! And everything at Monki is cool, there's no filler items, so the sale was great! I tried on quite random things, as I loved everything but could only picture my actual self in certain things. I bought this sweatshirt dress because I can throw it on and it's covered in 'monkis'. They're these little blobbly animals from the logo which feature on some products and are even stuffed teddies available to buy! I'm SO getting one before I leave Sweden! I also tried on this pastel fuzzy jumper because it felt amazing!

 

So in the end I got the sweater with monkis for about £7, a similar purple polkadot dress for less than £5 for my sister's birthday (I hope she doesn't see this picture!), and just a plain black sheer long-sleeved top with a pocket for less than a fiver too. All these were 75% off!! I've never seen a sale so good! If you look closely you can see the carrier bags they have too, which are clear with 'dripping paint' splotches along the top! It's so cool to have a clear shopping bag, it feels like you can show off your purchases! 

 

I'm a bit exasperated with my makeup at the moment! I feel like most of my things, or at least the ways I apply them, might not even suit me! And the more expensive things I have that I've bought on advice from MAC or Make Up Store seem to stop working. Like my MAC foundations always seem great for a few weeks and then maybe my skin changes because they'll suddenly be the wrong colour or go all cakey or oily. It's like my skin adapts to/rejects them. I had dry skin a while ago and used a face wash especially for dry skin and suddenly I had oily skin?! I'm doing something wrong somewhere! So for the fashion weeks coming up (or at least Copenhagen), I wanted a great lipstick in a bright colour that actually suited me. They have a MAC concession in Åhléns but I quite like Make Up Store so I asked for some advice and the girl suggested an orangey-red colour that was very similar to one applied at a MAC makeover once, so I know it must be a good colour! It was quite expensive, maybe around £14, but it will last! I know that you can claim tax back on purchases, but I'm not sure if it's worth collecting special receipts for everything and what condition they have to be in at the airport when you declare them? Anyway, I'm excited to wear this lipstick! I will possibly smudge it halfway across my face or something but at least it's a colour that suits me haha!

 

Right I've been writing this post for so long and it's too late to even call it the middle of the night anymore! I'm falling asleep so I'll have to carry on tomorrow! I hope long posts are OK as somehow I've got my blogging mojo back and I could write forever! I've got so many things to talk about and it's quite relaxing and cathartic to type a post. Tomorrow in part two I will show you the craziest buy ever, something which I've been openly searching for and blogging about since 2007 (no exaggeration!!!!!!!!), and even more sale bargains of the century! Good night! xx

p.s. I've emailed the first generated person for the Copenhagen tickets! Remember people they were just plane tickets so you would have had to book accommodation! If the winner can't make it I'll generate again and contact the next winner asap. I think I gave the impression I would pick the winner myself from reasons given but really I wish I could bring you all to Scandinavia! Seriously guys you have to visit Stockholm or Copenhagen someday, even just for a long weekend, you won't be disappointed! Put it on your birthday lists!