LFW: c/o instagram.

Ogling men on menswear day, Alex Zane and Curtis (from Misfits), shit seleb spot, Topshop tees, Hi Fashion, night bus vs. party bus, #fashgalcontradiction, tea dancing at Orla Kiely, dressed up to the nines at 8am, more Orla Kiely, The List, Mulberry left overs, David Gandy outside Topman Design, Pandemonia, Sebulous (Notion ed) and Anna Wintour, Christian Blanken, Sophie Hulme, Erdem for Topshop, show freebies, Topman Design finale, Christian Blanken tickets, Sophie Hulme, herself. 

x

LFW: the wardrobe, day #1.

What I wore on my first, first day of fashion week, courtesy of David.

bowler: topshop, coat: h&m, shirt: rokit, shoes and bag: new look.

Contradictory to popular belief, my presence at Somerset House does extend beyond aimless wanderings.

If you don't believe me, log onto the website...

If you're at all about, tweet me or come hither dans la press lounge. I will probs have the bowler hat glued to my head or face and will definitely be in flats.

x

bourjois boutique.

Starting LFW as I mean to go on (HI FREEBIES) and ambling around Shoreditch for an appropriate eatery, I just so happened to pass the Beach Blanket Babylon - the mouth full of a bar that's playing host to Bourjois' bloggers slash anyone's boutique. In conjunction with the fashion goings-on of central LDN, Bourjois have set up camp in an east London bar to offer you 65% off all products, freebie hair styling, manicures and make-overs. If you're in the area, it's worth a gandz. You might even see a cee-leb - Jameela Jamil was filming for T4 t'other day so if you're into the whole celeb-spotting thing, scout it out.

Bourjois Boutique



Day one of Fashion Week is done - I am all aboard the Team Notion bandwagon so life is suitably cray cray. I shall try my utmost to document the week's fashion-y frolics as best I can, on here but I ain't making any promises.<>

Twitter (@helenturnblad) will be the best place to have a nose at what I'm actually doing.

HAPPY FASHION WEEK !

x

OBSESSED.

The gods of SS12 have summoned my presence (and empty purse).

In true, last minute, fashion week, sartorial stress, a curious visit (who am I kidding - its never a fleeting stop, is it?) to TOPSHOP New In, has not done that stress any favours. I am, in a word - OBSESSED.

I could be wearing all of this, all at once, right now (if I really wanted to) if I had got my act together post meaningless uni degree and stuck at some head-desking, egotistical male boss-ing, life sucking employment. NOTHXBBZ. Instead I chose to fashionably float around London, in all my free-lancer glory.

all : topshop

There is something embarrasingly enchanting about parading around like a My Little Pony extra. UGEMME?

Its waaay prettier than those fugly flatforms you're all sexing over. EW.

x

003: recently i've been..

Receiving presents in the post, like someone important.

<333-ing life in London, x3.

Discovering that a 5£ primark wig looks better than my real life hair.

Making sweet love and the best jokes to and with this girl.

Obligatory dicking around in the snow, in fancy dress, as you do.

Collating my life for next week. Its LFW didja know..

x

obligatory.

tba does ss12, that is all...

c/o


Literally that is all; I am lacking the capacity (and creativity) to type anything of remote humor and, or interest.

Excuse the fashion week / house hunting / life sorting induced hiatus.

BRB BLG

x

p.s. my lfw chat will be stellar so it's worth sticking around.

002: recently i've been..

Briefly retreating to the countryside.

Travelling in style.

Restoring normality by returning to London to career / job / house / life hunt.

Educating myself on the world's conflicts.

Hangover cure in red cups.

Swooning / devouring / appreciating.

Receiving LFW show ticket confirmations.

Feeling SS12 spendy.

Rating h&m's SS12 display.

It's been a good'un.

x

still DAZED & CONFUSED.

poster girl: kate moss

Twenty years on since delayed, adolescent boys Jefferson Hack and John Rankin Waddell gave birth to the brain child that sparked a 90's hunger for hispster guidebooks, they claim to still be Dazed and Confused. Another, nonsensical claim is that they made it up as they went along (they so hipster) - the strap line to their Somerset House exhibition which accompanies a book of the same name. Making It Up As We Go Along is a reminiscent celebration, charting the twenty year lifespan of the first, go-to, 'heroin-chic' fanzine.

The original perpetrator that corrupted youth culture with his glamorising of drugs and glorifying of death (according to Clinton), documented on the pages of Dazed & Confused, Hack harvested that poignant first platform to young creatives across the art - Corrinne Day, music - Bjork and fashion - Kate Moss disciplines.

Forget the controversy, they kept it neo-real and the current exhibition remembers and pays tribute to the great talents that earnt Dazed its notorious, irreverent 'rep placing it at the epi-centre of new age, Brit press. I would hate to spoil it for you with streams of visuals but I'll give you at least a taster to persuade you to take a creeeep on down to SH. You're taken on a chronological journey through means of the strongest of visual images representing the iconic covers, legendary talents of the moment and beyond, the breakthrough artists, designers and photographers, compelling, alternative beauty.. and everything else Dazed stood and still does, stand for. It really does illustrate the lucrative, British creative scene at its best. And of course, the nonchalant casual 'tude of the hipster subculture eludes each piece and resonates in equal capacity, throughout the three rooms. I revelled in it.

To be dazed and confused twenty years later, I can think of worse d an c adjectives (and nouns) to be.

The exhibition ends on Monday, catch it before it goes. If you're a magazine fiend (definitely me) or a so called 'hipster' (definitely not me), its compulsory. Bidding the exhibition fairly well, Jefferson Hack and Jo-Ann Furniss (editor of the book) will be in (a sold out) conversation tomorrow night at Somerset House.

Unfortunately, its one of many things I shall be missing out on, in London, this weekend.

Send my love.

x

#LFW: the basics.

source.

The hash tag has (prematurely) reappeared, the check and to do lists penned on various scraps of reporter's notebook. Four measly weeks - Y U COME ROUND SO FAST FASH WK? So, what am I doing resting on my lorrells when I should be typing out show requests to 100+ PRs? I come baring 'Fashion Week Survival Advice' for the virgins out there, among you.

I write this as second-timer so please don't take me as some sort of Fashion Week pro. Bloggers, buyers and press unite for my favourite season of the year -Autumn/Winter baby. Not harmoniously as you'd think though - there was outcry among bloggers, in September regarding their restricted access to the main venue. The BFC have obviously listened to this outcry as they have installed a separate bloggers lounge in Somerset House, for Feb.

This is what I wish I knew pre // what I learnt during my LFW début : 

* shy bairns get nout

    Talk to anyone and everyone - in the courtyard, press or bloggers lounge, Tom's kitchen and the queues.
    Am I telling you to queue for shows? That's right; put your best fearless face and hautest shoes on, you
    have as good chance as any of being granted the privilege. Even if it is in the photographer's pit - you'll get
    better runway shots and less of that supposed, big, fashion name's backside profile.

    'the more you put into it, the more you'll get out of it.'

* stock up

   A school boy error of my Fashion Week, first time.

   Business cards - avoids the "my blog is are u dressing up or.. etc"

   Food and water - fashion people do eat.

   Flat shoes - even just for the journey to and from the venues.

   Phone charger - it will inevitably die on you. Mine did day after day but I never learnt that lesson.

* you are not super(wo)man

    It's fashion; things overrun, start late, get re scheduled. Guaranteed you will not be able to make every 

    presentation and show. It grants the opportunity to find content that not every fashion editor will be 

    covering. Spend time absorbing the exhibitions, talk to the prs and designers, interview street style 

    subjects... Great journalism is all about finding a new angle. Also, few spots come better for people
    watching - soak it up.

Put your hands up if you're joining me?

I hope I have helped more than I have patronised.

See you on those cobbles in your sumptuous sorbets.

x

001: recently I've been..

Oh hi there unannounced hiatus. What can I say, drunk-ing and dancing have been higher up on my agenda than ferociously typing away to tell you about all the clothes I want but can't afford. Due to a losing combination of depleted funds and only collar and jumper (winning) combos within my creative grasp, my recent fash game needs to sort its life out. Hence, the lack of blogging. What is a fashion blogger without a fashion sense? A vacant one. Anyway, back for a quickie.

With London Fashion Week within frighteningly close touching distance, a best friend in tow and excruciatingly exciting prospects for the month of February, I say no more other than - it's going to be a friggan good one.

What have I been doing with all this FREE time? In between floating around London in all my freelancer glory I have gotten acquainted with my new ends some more and fallen a little bit more in love (read: become even more obssesed. I joke it is love of the truest sort).

Less fashion, more life :

Sampling the cuisines of some tasty eateries.

Discovering the joys of paying £10 plus for a Martini when you totally meant a Mojito.

Losing my 'Photo a Day' challenge V plates.

Still rocking the bowler hat.

Prepping for fashion week i.e. commencing the wardrobe overhaul. First step - mental mood board making.

x