I had the most wonderful lie in this morning and it was just what I needed to leave me energized for another fun-filled day. Thankfully, slightly I had planned it to be quieter than yesterday as I knew I would be tired from the day before.
I started the day with some delicious pancakes in Caffe Concerto, this was just a walk by find but turned out to be delicious. They also had great service. I ordered the pancakes with strawberries and maple syrup (the usual!), but they arrived surrounded in cream. And cream is one of my least favourite foods! The waitress was so lovely though and ordered me another one without a negative word. That is always a sign of good customer service and I would certainly go back. Yummy food with good service is always a win, and they were reasonably priced too.
Then it was onto Chubby Cloud. As soon as I heard of this fun installation in the Banqueting Rooms, I booked a ticket. And luckily I managed to get tickets to see Anya Hindmarch in conversation with Lisa Armstrong which was a fun interview that brilliantly balanced a design discussion with some business advice thrown in.
And to top off the fun of Chubby Cloud, I also met Anya herself and her daughter. And they were both just lovely. A massive hug from Anya straight away and full of chat. She was honestly just so warm and it was certainly the highlight of my week. More coming up on what we spoke about soon.
The Designer Showrooms are always worth visiting if you go to one of the shows. Basically, they are the trade rooms and there are designers who are there with their work to show to trade buyers and press. Generally, if you go to one of the shows, then you can register and gain access. I was delighted to run into Colette while there who is Editor-In-Chief of Bean Magazine, and she also runs her own website ‘Wide Eyed & Blind‘. I always enjoy reading her work as her pieces are thought out and well written so it was great to run into her.
Often at the showrooms, you can find some amazing gems of designers that I know I may not have otherwise heard of. There is generally fashion, shoes, handbags and jewellery accessories on show, and the designers will be right there alongside their pieces. It is very unusual to have such access to designers and be able to talk to them one on one.
I have to give a special shout-out to 3 designers whose work I really loved:
- Davy J – a swimwear brand making their pieces from ocean waste such as fishing lines – sustainable and it looks high fashion as well – check it out here.
- Taylor Yates – this mother/daughter duo creates the softest leather handbags that are so light to pick up yet would not be out of place in a high-end retailer, their new collection launches two days ago and you can see it here
- The Season Hats – Paul creates stunning millinery pieces – they are timeless yet unique and his latest collection also contains no animal products which is fantastic. You can find more of his work here.
My word of advice would be to leave yourself enough time for the Showrooms, it is a fantastic opportunity to talk to designers directly and some of their stories really can help you connect to their brand.
After the Showrooms, my plan was to head to the House of iKons showcase. I love going to their catwalk show as they strongly advocate emerging designers and there is some fantastic raw talent showcasing their work. Sadly, I went to the wrong hotel – there are two Millenium hotels and in my rush, I went to the wrong one- devastated! I am chalking it up to needing to learn to slow down slightly.
Since it was quite late and my next show wasn’t until 7 pm, I decided to take it easy and head to the closest pub with the latest issue of Vogue (Hello Victoria!). Sometimes you just have to roll with the punches, and since that was my third show to miss I hope the next few days go a little more smoothly!
I ended the evening with one of the Fashion Finest Shows. Again, they focus on emerging designers which I love to help promote so this is right up my alley. To be honest, the Fashion Scout, House of iKons and Fashion Finest shows are some of my favourites due to their support of up and coming designers. I would love for there to be more of a focus on new designers during fashion week, slowly I hope the tides are turning.
Update:
