June Through a Filter

Another ridiculously quick month, another Instagram post.  Capturing the world around me through the magic of yet another Apple product never gets old, so here's what I've been up to during June.

Tempted by the Helter Skelter in Brighton earlier this month - Amazing graffiti - Obligatory Union Jack

Antique maps - Neon decoration in a marquee - Owls in Liberty

Previous Lovebox line-ups - You can decorate the walls at The Breakfast Club in Soho

Ice Cream twins with Lucy - My Nandos chicken is always hot - Homemade brownies for Father's Day

Brunch at Workshop Coffee - Attempting to share a platter at Jamie's Italian

Cloudy lemonade - Pad Thai - Never thought I could get cupcakes at a festival

The Jonathan Saunders t-shirt of my dreams is now mine - Initial earrings & geometric socks

More brogue-love seen in Elle Magazine - Browsing the COS sale - Saw this girl in the most amazing shoes

The new Underground Shop in Berwick Street - My brother is getting trendy with his prints - First Aubin & Wills purchase

Tribal nails - A rainy Jubilee outfit - Wearing Shimmer Twins lashes

Resurrected my old Topshop lace dress - Finally trying some nail art from the Wah nails book

Paisley henna design - Another unexpected festival outfit - My flamingo print dress for when the sun shines

Remember to follow @fashionknitsta to see all of my updates; it's always interesting to see the kind of pictures people tend to post.  I do seem to love an eclectic display or intricate pattern as well as a nicely arranged meal.  My head is so full of social media outlets that I forget I can't pin or retweet the pictures I see (within the app), but maybe it's best to keep things simple and just absorb a constant stream of mostly pretty pictures.  What have you been up to this month?

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Things Street Style Makes Me Think I Need #1

sources: Park & Cube, Vanillascented, Vanessa Jackman, Mr Newton, Stylesight, Views by Laura

I think it's time for a new pair of jeans.  You might have noticed that I rarely wear them on here, as they tend to be my attire for my 'off' days when the glasses are on and the hair is sticking up, but lately I'm starting to see sense.  They seem like a sensible option when you're unsure about the weather (my main predicament these days) and don't necessarily need to look scruffy.  Recently I'm starting to become tempted by something other than my typical skinny shape, deemed 'The 90s Boyfriend Jean' by Stylesight or even 'Mom' jeans by those across the pond.  Even the most horrifying trends from the past start to look right again eventually with a new sort of spin (case in point, jelly sandals).  My old memory of boyfriend style jeans involves wearing them low on the hips with a hoody and possibly a scowl but the 2012 reincarnation means wearing them rolled up at the ankle with a baggy tee tucked in and statement heels.  They look relaxed yet provide an understated sort of fashion sense that can work equally well at fashion week or when facing a nightmare commute.  The reason for this sudden change of heart?  I blame street style.

1. J Brand 2. Zara 3 Asos 4. Urban Outfitters 5. Topshop

I've located a few pairs that might just do the trick on the interwebs, however as much as I love shopping online, this challenge may have to be tackled in person.  It's all about balance; the waist can't be too high (too Mom-like) and too many holes and rips scare me slightly (I'm not Rihanna).  Hopefully the effect is more like a denim version of sophisticated tapered trousers rather than some 90s throwback.  What are your go-to jeans to wear at the moment?  I'll let you know if I manage to look even remotely like the pictures above and whether I will end up purchasing.  My purse is leaning towards Topshop or Zara but I'll let you know if I find my perfect pair from an unexpected source.

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Dressing Like an Ice Cream

Do you ever wake up and feel like dressing in full-on 50s Americana mode?  It certainly wasn't due to the weather (which was as confusing as ever on this day) but sometimes it's best to disregard the forecast and dress like how you feel.

Cardigan - Topshop

T-shirt - Weekday

Skirt - c/o New Look

Shoes - c/o Brandosa

Ring - V&A shop

Necklace - c/o Tatty Devine

I've had this skirt since March now but it's never seemed quite right to wear it until now.  In windy June, of course.  I was tempted by the Primark version of the Prada car print skirt, but thought better of it after seeing it in reality and decided to go for a subtler take of the collection with yet another pleated skirt.  My trusty Topshop green cardigan has been perfect in adding a pastel touch to the most sensible of outfits and the Tatty Devine necklace strikes again to provide the random necklace quota. 

Have you been embracing the pastel trend, despite the weather?  Are you bored about me talking about the weather?  It really is frustrating to go through a few seasons in just one day!

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Graduate Fashion Week 2012

My, how time flies. The year since graduating has flown by at rocket speed and I find myself watching the current crop of fresh talent, whilst my room has barely recovered from the influx of yarn and extra furniture I brought back with me.  Watching the Nottingham Trent show at Graduate Fashion Week brought back a few choice memories of the eventful final year, so it was nice to go into a show without having witnessed all of the drama behind the scenes (but also strange as I could remember the feeling of anticipation before seeing my show last year).  I spent most of the hour filled with the amazement that I get when I see a jumper with an interesting detail or a dress made up of intricate stitches, trying to work out how it might be done in my head before giving up entirely.

Hover over the photos to see the names of the students

There was an almost equal mix of Fashion and Knitwear students, the latter being what I automatically focused on with my trusty Canon, though you might notice a few woven collections have slipped through.  I did cheat somewhat by seeing a hint of the collections on a friend's Facebook page prior to the show, but the experience of being two rows away and having the extra styling touches made me appreciate the work more than through a computer screen.  I normally filter out menswear, yet somehow couldn't help loving the poppy brights and contemporary styling of Lucy McLoughlin's collection, which wouldn't seem out of place on the catwalks at the recent menswear shows.  My photos of Tamsin Lakhani's collection didn't capture her sophisticated patterns as I would have liked, but luckily the images of her controlled stitches and colours are etched into my mind.  See more photos (from the front) here (plus Ashanti's amazing shots) and admire for yourselves.

I didn't quite realise how many awards there were when I sat down to watch the Gala Show, but reassured, GFW has every discipline within fashion covered.  My seat wasn't ideal for catwalk photography (turns out that Row F is the back row) so I made the most of not blocking anyone's view by grabbing these pics standing up.  Luckily the designs still had impact from afar, with the surreal nature of James Walker's accessory inspired collection and serene cloak-like dresses by double-winner Chloe Jones becoming firm favourites.

Have you been following any of the graduate shows this year?  I'm overwhelmed by some of the ideas out there and maybe it's inspired me somewhat to create something else.  Hopefully the next year won't go too quickly and I'll have a more suitable lens for next time.

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An Unexpected Festival Outfit

I am not your typical festival-goer.  I like home comforts, clean surroundings and queues in an orderly fashion.  My last festival outing was Reading in 2007, which I still harp on about till this day.  I make a point about only using the Waitrose toilets after witnessing the infamous 'long drop' on the first day.  Spontaneity usually fills me with dread, but when I happened to win Lovebox tickets after instagram-ing a pic at the Minkpink party on Thursday, I thought why not.  I knew a few of the bands that were headlining and hoped that I would discover a few more, as my iTunes playlist is woefully out of date.  I'm in musical limbo at the moment.  Whenever someone asks what music I'm into, I never know what to say without embarrassing myself so there's nowhere better than a festival to go and discover something new to listen to.  Although I spent much of the time wandering around and trying to gather enough courage to use the portaloos (conveniently labelled 'DAVLAV'), it was fun to absorb the festival experience and witness the merry attendees going about their business.

Parka - H&M

Dress - Evil Twin @ Urban Outfitters

Wellies - c/o Hunter

Necklace - Me & Zena

Ring - Monki

Bag - Vintage

It seems that the typical festival look isn't just for the benefit of magazine articles.  There were enough pairs of Disco pants to keep American Apparel afloat for many years and if I had a pound for every pair of denim shorts I saw, I'd probably be able to buy my dream apartment on Shad Thames.  Your festival outfit has to be adaptable to all sorts of weather conditions, baking sun, pouring rain and relentless wind.  It was the latter that got the better of me; I was sneezing all over the place!  Still, I was glad I chose to wear my sheer tights and a suitable jacket, with plenty of pockets for my much-needed tissue supply.  I bought this Evil Twin dress before realising that it went in the sale a week later, so I had to do one of those cheeky exchanges (whilst spending part of the difference on something else).  The black paisley pattern is perfect for all seasons and I love the loose fit and front button fastening.  I was handily able to swap my shoes for some brand new wellies at the Hunter stand and I'm beyond happy as I've been after a pair for a while.  They'll come in very useful for any future festivals I go to and are the perfect addition to my collection of grey items.  Anything really goes at a festival and although I've played it pretty safe (I did spy a girl in just a leotard and wellies), I felt comfortable and true to my usual style.  What's your usual look at a festival?

Rita Ora performing - The scary looking Tornado ride - Amy's amazing jacket got a lot of compliments

So what's my verdict?  I definitely prefer the London festival experience, as you're never more than an hour away from a hot bath and clean sheets.  I think the going to all three days of Lovebox would have tired me out, so it's been great to recover today and try and remember some of the songs that were played.  Have you got any festivals planned for this Summer?  I'd definitely like to try some abroad next year, mostly to avoid the rain that always seems to turn up in England so let me know if you've been lucky enough to go to the likes of Coachella or Primavera.  London-wise, who's up for Field Day next year?

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A Day in my Disco Pants

Oh dear, you might be thinking, yet another blogger cliché.  First came the Instagram posts, now it's time for the disco pants, but please hear me out.  I was curious about the shiny-tregging phenomenon ever since they surfaced on the website a while ago and have since spread through the blogosphere (and streets of East London) like wildfire. When Republic got in touch about styling up a pair, my mind was slightly filled with dread as I've not been successful with American Apparel bottoms in the past, but luckily Jen convinced me otherwise.  They may look deceptively small on the hanger but somehow they contain Spanx-like properties and smooth things out where jeans might crease.  I stuck to fail-safe black and attempted to make them less grunge and more girly armed with my favourite buckle shoes and bow ring.

Shirt - Vintage

American Apparel Disco Pants - c/o Republic

Wishbone necklace - Marc by Marc Jacobs

Ring - V&A shop

Sandals - c/o Brandosa

As you can see, I kept things pretty safe with a vintage floral shirt over the top to hide that awkward nether region.  I'm not sure if I'll ever venture into tucked-in territory like what Olivia did (see what I did there, excuse the grammar), but it is fun to have a nice and shiny alternative to jeans.  Finally I can channel my inner Sandy from Grease when I go out and not worry about a Ross from Friends leather pants situation.  Although I may have cheated slightly and not countered my fear of high-waisted skin-tight things, I think these will really come into their own during the Autumn/Winter months when I can layer up to my hearts content.  The AA page pointed me towards some non-typical styling ideas, which I want to interpret in my own way once Summer has truly left us.  They definitely have a lot of potential as they are such a basic item and easy to put your own stamp on, whether your style is more Darling than Dalston.

Are you tempted by the Disco Pants trend or not a fan at all?  I did venture into Shoreditch later on that day and spot a least five others in the same style, but maybe they are no less of a 'thing' than denim jackets or Dr Martens.  Now all I need to do is try out some dancing in them!

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Best of the Brands

I guess I didn't really think the reality through after accepting a lot of press day invites this season and I've been attempting to make sense of the few thousand pictures I've taken in the past few months.  The inconsistent weather has reaffirmed my love for the Autumn season as I feel that clothes for the colder months are well worth investing in, seeing as we end up wearing them for most of the year.  I can't help it, I love layering up, disguising bits and putting some imagination into an outfit, time permitting.  I'm really excited for AW12 as there were so many collections I adored and want to channel into my everyday life somehow (namely a slightly boxy 60s-style coat).  Instead of wading through rails of vintage wares to find the answers to my AW12 prayers, I've picked out a few pieces from some select brands I liked this season.  There'll be a few more posts like this, which I will stagger across the Summer months (including a handily separated shoe-related post) so that your thoughts are perfectly prepped for Autumn by the time September arrives.  Let the pretty pictures speak for themselves.

Urban Outfitters

Paul & Joe Sister/Paul & Joe

TBA

Baum and Pferdgarten

Mother of Pearl

Whistles

Most of this post is purely inspirational as I doubt my budget will have quadrupled, but exciting to see nonetheless.  I'm determined not to buy too many more summery items now (apart from a few things I'm willing to go in the sale) as I'd prefer to save some money towards some key wardrobe updates for next season.  Although I'll be able to wear a lot of the fluffy angora jumpers and a-line skirts I bought last year, I'd definitely like to embrace the novelty knit trend and find the perfect velvet dress.  Is it crazy to be thinking about this sort of thing in early June?  Hopefully I'll have a more summery post for you soon!  Which brand are you most excited about?

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