London Fashion Week AW16: Outfits

(No usual lengthy commentary this time round but sometimes I just need to shut up so it's all good) 

Day 1

Blouse: Crimson Designs (Pune, India)
Watch: River Island
Skirt: H&M
Coat: Blue Vanilla 

Me & my cutie blogger friend, Tola <3 

Day 2

Blouse: M&S
Skirt: Apricot
Necklace: Guess
Bag: River Island
Watch: River Island 

Day 3 

Blazer: Custom-made in Mumbai
Vest: Bonmarche
Trousers: River Island
Boots: River Island

Anicée, Lizzie, Josh & me <3 

Sadie Clayton AW16 London Fashion Week Presentation

With an hour to go until the Barrus x Rolls Royce after party I decided to dash on over to the Sadie Clayton AW16 presentation. As I walked up to the oh-so glamorous hotel, the excitement kicked in and my first step inside gave me such life I can't even begin to tell you! The interior was simply divine & regal. All gold errythang. Perfect venue to set the scene for an equally divine presentation... 

I had heard of Sadie Clayton's work before and followed the brand on Instagram a while back. I was fascinated at the thought of seeing some avant-garde pieces using the unusual element of copper. Yes, you heard. Copper. 

As I set foot in the buzzing room filled with champagne, bloggers & press, the sparkles hit my face and reached deep down inside my soul. I was transported into a land of complete & utter fierceness. The all-black colour palette teamed with metal embellishments, Swarovski crystals, heavy jewellery & copper accessories may be way too OTT for some but for me, it was perfect. You really can't ever be too OTT for me, let's be honest. 

As Sadie rushed around perfecting all the details she managed to squeeze in a quick hello before I dashed off which I really appreciated. It's not often you see the designer mingling with people so props to her for being such a star! 

I can't even begin to explain how stunning this collection was so I'll just let you look instead... 

(P.S. I'm trialling out some larger image sizes here as I am realising that my previous images haven't been too great as Blogger reduces quality & has weird dimension options so apologies for that guys). 

London Fashion Week AW16: Éthologie by Jasper Garvida

Éthologie holds a special place in my heart. Why? Well because it was one of my first ever fashion shows! I remember the excitement I had experiencing my first London Fashion Week and attending all the Felicities PR shows at ME London hotel. 

I adored their collection then and appreciated Jasper Garvida's feminine tones. There was lots of shimmer, glitter, embellishment & cute 70s silhouettes and coming to his show a couple years later, it was refreshing to see some new textures but also many of the same intricacies. 

The show dabbled between high-impact glamour looks and more subtle, toned-down everyday outfits. Take the look below... it is classy, simple and does the trick. I think we'll be seeing a ton of open waterfall coats with that 'throw on top' vibe very shortly.

The glamorous looks were just fierce hunny! I was living for all of them because as we all know, I live for shiny things. Although there was still lots of glitz and glam, there weren't too many ultra girly silhouettes... rather bomber jackets that glittered in the light. I love the juxtaposition of masculinity with femininity though.

The model below worked that runway like anything. The pose just screams 'fierce'!

This was an interesting look that grabbed everyone's eyes and not for the shimmer this time. It was the snood which covered half the model's face. 'Can she even see?' Perhaps you don't need to see her... after all this bitch is bad & will trudge through the snow (and you) to make her appointment ;)

I was all the way here for this cute bodycon dress. At first the belt seems out of place but now I really think it works to add that masculine edge this season.

Very cute look here... the jacket does all the talking & paired with a metallic miniskirt, this outfit is beyond 'statement'. Interestingly, the models wore sunglasses for an AW show which is quite rare but as part of the whole non-confromist, borderline obnoxious vibe, I totes see it working.

This year, the Éthologie girl is someone who embodies confidence, power and will stomp out her competition any day of the week. I really enjoyed this collection and look forward to seeing the development of the line in years to come...

We Only Making the Highlights: Yeezy Season 3

A couple days ago Kanye West showcased the third season of his Yeezy collection with an exclusive listening party for The Life of Pablo. 

The hype about this show was absolutely insane. Literally everyone on my Twitter timeline was talking about it, even people who had no idea about Yeezy were getting hyped up. I think this time round, Kanye has seriously shown what a marketing genius he is. Combining both his fashion line and his new music in one event is just brilliant. Like the title of this post, I felt that Kanye's show was just full of 'highlights', à la his new track with Young Thug. 

Say what you want about Kanye but he is killing the game... even Naomi came out and strutted her stuff. 

He's built the contacts and he's really worked hard on this line by the looks of it. When Yeezy first launched I honestly wasn't sure if he was going to make it for several seasons because of all the controversy with his Sway interview etc. but let's be honest, it did him good. Any time he 'gets out of line' with his crazed tweets or statements about how he would like to be the creative director of Hermès it creates so much buzz in the atmosphere about Kanye and his brand. He is the king of 'omg' moments and I don't see him becoming irrelevant in a very, very long time.

As for the actual collection, I don't have all that much to say. Mostly he has stuck to the basic concepts of Yeezy being underwear as outerwear and that edgy sports-luxe vibe. I love the khaki distressed jumpers paired with tattered mini-skirts. Something about it is just hot to me. Some of the statement coats and jackets were nice too, like this cropped tan shearling one below. I can see that being worn nicely with a pair of black distressed jeans & perspex heel boots.

In all honesty, I'm actually less concerned about the clothes and more proud that he managed to pull this all off and create such a vibrant show. It really is one for the fashion history books if you think about it. BryanBoy, my all-time favourite fashion blogger, summed it up perfectly with his Facebook post: 'Zeitgeist! So relevant. So now!'

Ultimately, this show is all about culture.

The merging of different art forms. The almost 'wrong' picture of Anna Wintour sitting next to Kim Kardashian. The success of Kanye coming up from all his struggles and creating such a legacy. The idea of him nearly dying in 2002 and still trying to create music from a hospital bed as he came out of a coma. It's only now that I can truly understand the meaning behind 'Through the Wire' and respect him for what he's gone through and achieved.

I adore this picture below. It's so, so, so cute. I just loved seeing the Kardashian-Jenner clan being so carefree dancing to Kanye's music without fear. Just pure love and support. Oliver Rousteing obviously looking back at Kim like, 'God damn she is selling my shit right now'. Not to mention the STUNNING Balmain x Yeezy looks. I can't lie I just love the looks. I wish they weren't wearing animal fur though but I guess everyone has a choice.

Postmodernism at it's finest.

Extreme high-end glam furs meet streetwise beanies & torn mini-skirts. Fab.

One of the most surprising but lovely surprises of this show was seeing Lamar Odom there alongside Khloe! They look awfully cosy to me and I secretly wish that they reconcile and manage to salvage their relationship again. I mean it's a miracle he's even alive and I suppose in the worst of the worst traumas, love finds love and people manage to come together in beautiful ways. I just felt like there was a lot of love with this show all-round. The smiles didn't seem fake to me. There seemed to be a genuine sense of appreciation and family unity there. Maybe it's just me, I don't know.

Overall, I'm happy for Kanye's success and I hope he continues to build on this legacy. I think what we're witnessing now is a major historical landmark within the fashion industry that will be talked about in years to come.

Photos courtesy of Yeezy via Style.com.

L'Oreal Professionnel Steampod: Straight Hair From Steam?

So guys, I decided to randomly to jump on here and write up my thoughts on the L'Oreal Professionnel Steampod purely because I have only used it once and from that one time, I was so genuinely impressed I just have to shout on the rooftops about it.

I purchased the Steampod on FeelUnique a while back and it's been sitting in its box for a good few months. Don't ask me why. I guess I'm just really lazy and I've just kept reaching for my GHDs which are (literally) 10+ years old. Poor things have been used to absolute death and now the wire is actually breaking so I think I should just accept that they've left my world. R.I.P. </3

At first I was getting a bit sceptical that this would take forever to set up and it would be super complicated because you need to keep filling it with water. Another thing that crossed my mind was the danger of using water in an electrical appliance like straighteners.

How wrong I was.

All I had to do was test the PH of my tap water using the strip given, fill up the 'resovior' with water, and plug the Steampod in, select my temperature and wallah, steam was produced within about 60 seconds. I took the first section of my hair and did it once through slowly from root to tip and I was just so surprised at the shine. Honestly, I was touching my hair like 'oooooh, shinyyyy' forever. I've had steam treatments at the hairdressers a few times before so I know how gorgeous your hair can feel after those but I didn't expect to feel the same feeling from using an at-home device.

I bought this because I have become quite conscious about using heat or basically anything damaging on my hair because I have experienced a lot of breakage because of stress & PCOS so I needed something which would work for very fragile hair and luckily enough this allows me to control the temperature and a run-through on 180 degrees works really well for me.

Honestly, I would recommend this to anyone that is looking for something less damaging to the hair. The results are fairly long lasting. They sell products to accompany the device and I have one but I haven't bothered to use it yet so I can't vouch for them but it's not really necessary to get good results. I just used my regular shampoo and conditioner, a bit of argan oil afterwards and proceeded with the Steampod later in the night.

Hope this was helpful to anyone out there who has suffered with hair loss and breakage. It can be really distressing but I think the key thing is to always give your hair a break. Don't use heat all the time, even something like this all the time would ruin your hair. Find out what works for you and don't be afraid to change up your routine even if it means ditching products you've used for years. Anyway, I shall try and keep you all updated as I continue my own health journey and learn more about what works and doesn't work for me. For now, stay beautiful! xo

OOTD: Ellesse Heritage Sweatshirt

I recently had the pleasure of staying at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Ealing for a few nights (you can see my review here) because I just needed to get away for a bit. 

A lot of my time was spent relaxing, writing, enjoying the view & emptying my mind. 

I thought I would share with you a couple of pics of me in my Ellesse sweatshirt, courtesy of Haddon PR. It's perfect for throwing on and getting into something comfortable. Pair it with some leggings and ankle boots and you're good to go anywhere. 

As I have mentioned before, I am excited for the comeback of Ellesse and I think we will be seeing the brand a lot more on bloggers, celebs and on the general public. It's the ultimate cross between streetwear and simplicity. The line carries staples which you know you can keep forever basically and that is much appreciated in today's age of rapidly changing trends, especially within streetwear and sportswear. 

Guest Post: The Worthy Trend Picks from Spring 2016

The spring 2016 fashion weeks ended a couple of months ago and it’s almost like a hangover of what we want to do and achieve with the ideas from the runways. Every season there are some new trends which make an instant mark, and then, there are others, which are more tweaked and twisted versions of the trends we saw in the past. To be honest, spring 2016 has been a mixed bag of both. So let’s unleash some of the best trends of spring 2016 right here, right now, and we'll also talk of a few tips to help you stay in budget for the shopping season.

Shouldered Well

Many designers loved emphasising the shoulders it seems, so we have seen cuts and textures that have been used to create highly unique outfits. Designers that made the maximum impact with this type of detail include Prabal Gurung, Louis Vuitton and Peter Pilotto. The thing is you can find a lot of well-cut shoulder outfits online, and there are some ideas that may seem similar to what you have seen on the runways. The idea is to shop smartly and for some quick online shopping, you can click here.

Back with the Belt 

If you had followed the spring 2015 trends, you may remember how the obi belts were all over Vogue and some time back, we had the kimono inspired outfits with belts designed to accentuate curves. The same idea continued for spring 2016 too, with many designers adding the belt to show off the body in style. Some of the top fashion houses like David Koma, Michael Kors, and Chanel have some great ideas to offer. In case you have never experimented with many accessories, you can choose to try the concept of changing your entire look by playing with belts for next year.

The Stripes are Back in Town

Pastels, soft colours and gingham were some of the common trends in the last couple of years for spring, but for 2016, the focus has shifted back to stripes again. This is clearly an indication that this is a trend that never goes out of fashion and if you have made some stripy designer investments, you'll probably be wearing them in years to come. The stripes for spring next year are bold, effective and very appealing. If you are looking for ideas, you can check out the collections from designers like Christian Dior, Alexander Wang and Max Mara.

Return of the Ruffle

Finally, let’s also talk of ruffles and pleats, which also made a serious mark on the runways in many shows with ruffles used for cute detailing around the hands and pleats working wonders for bright & girly dresses. If you're still not convinced, check out this divine piece from Kenzo...

Hope you found your call for spring 2016! Get started with experimenting right now!

Author: Suzy Walsh is a fashion blogger and the chief editor for the budding fashion blog- The House Of Elegance Fashion. Known for her quirky and amazingly practical style statements, she is also a stylist by passion.

[Images 1-3: www.popsugar.com, Image 4: www.wwd.com, Photo by Giovanni Giannoni]