LFW: Day four daily wear

It's hard to know what to wear when it's raining then snowing then raining again and you have to spend the whole day running between venues and queueing outside waiting to get into shows. That means sensible shoes and loads of layers.

So today I opted for thick black tights and brogues. Then I layered on a thermal heat-tech top. This was followed by a denim dress from Topshop, my snake print jacket from River Island and my black H&M snood. I intend to add gloves and a hat for extra warmth. Accessories-wise I went for my oversized tan bag and double wrap tan belt.

This isn't the outfit I had planned for today: i've spend the last couple of days fighting off and ultimately sucumbing to a horrible cold/'flu type creature. I even had to miss some shows yesterday so I could be wrapped up warm at home. I don't feel much better but I know I would really regret it if I don't drag myself out to some of the shows today. I just hope I feel better soon!

Love, Tor xx

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LFW AW10: Twenty8Twelve presentation

After milling around for ten minutes with a glass of wine in one hand and a square of bitter chocolate in the other, we were lead up an incredible staircase and into the presentation room which was set up like a Medeval banquetting hall. The models were on a slightly raised platform posing and chatting to each other: the atmosphere was very relaxed.

The presentation was at 2 Temple Place which is a folly building and very very beautiful: almost more impressive than the collection we were there to see. And on that note, on to the clothes:

The collection was very punky, and like lots of other collections i've seen the hem lines were either very long or very short: nothing in the middle here! There was also a nod to a Sixties bohemian aesthetic, notably in the patchwork cardigan and the thick velvet turban headbands several of the models were wearing.

Utilitarian jackets in khaki, denim shirts, and a khaki shirt dress added a masculine touch to the collection, at did the slouchy hat shown in the next image:

The "grunge" styling that has been very popular this season and the tough wedge ankle boot and sandal trend doesn't appear to be going anywhere. Tartan was also used, adding both to the grunge and the punk themes, and giving a "Highland fling" overtone.

The collection was inspired by the early club scene of the 1980s, hence the drain pipe skinnies and the acid wash overload.

This collection is a mash-up of so many themes! Nonetheless I enjoyed the contrast between the luxe dresses and the layered knitted daywear, and found the collection very very wearable. What do you think?

Love Tor

PS - For those of you that like the celebrity spots, I saw Sienna Miller who was dressed in black and looking very pretty and crazy thin. She is even more petite in "real life" than you imagine she would be when you watch her on the big screen.

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LFW: Bloggers take it in the neck again!

It all started with this article on the global herald. (Not sure how much sense this will make until you read the article!) I think that there are some interesting and valid points in the article, but there are also many that seem so wrong to me. It's them I want to address.

Firstly, I don't like the suggestion that there should be a fixed hierarchy of blogger or press types that all PR agencies should follow. Yes there is a hierarchy and rightly, big publications and buyers come first but the hierarchy of bloggers is more difficult to define. So why should there be just one? I'm sure this would make things "easier" but easier doesn't mean better Why should there be unity? Some deisgners are ready to accept bloggers and some aren't. Some designers want as many blogs as possible to cover their shows. Surely that's up to them!

There also seems to be a bit too much focus in the article on Danish pastries: if all the bloggers promise not to eat any baked goods will they leave us alone!? Its a difficult situation. I'm sure there are some bloggers who do turn up to take as much as they can but it hurts to be tarred with the same brush.

Regarding these "bliggers" everyone is tweeting about today: I kind of resent the idea some people have that all bloggers are only attending LFW for the "freebies": i'd like to point out that I haven't had a free glass of champagne or so much as a cup of coffee all week. I've also only received one goodie bag, and I usually save the stuff from them for giveaways for you guys!

I go to watch the shows, I head to Starbucks to write up my reviews, and then I go to the next show. Repeat until tired and ready to go home. I work hard and i'm proud of the coverage I post. I'm also prepared to accept that it doesn't compare to the coverage from Vogue!
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I agree there does need to be some quality control, and the best way to do this would be for the PRs to take two minutes and look at the blogs they're thinking of inviting. If somebody decides that this blog isn't good enough or doesn't have a large enough readership to warrant my attending the shows then that's fair enough: I would be prepared not to go if the powers that be decide to bring some order to things. But please don't treat us like second class citizens. This sentence in particular made me angry:

Either that, or create a different ticket for bloggers, and create a “bloggers room” which is full of computer terminals and tap water.

I mean really? Separate tickets and tap water? It seems to me if anyone is "blagging" its the chap writing this article who's scared someone is going to take the cup of coffee he's so entitled to!! I mean are we really reigniting this debate again because "real" journalists dont want to miss out on a cup of tea?!

This debate isn't going to go away until the blogger versus 'real' journalists issue is resolved.
LFW is an overcrowded event as it is, and I can see that people would be worried about it only getting more crowded: but there has to be a way of handling this constructively without alienating the bloggers that are there to work, and do the best job they can.

Love, Tor xx

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