London's Attractive Shop/ Window Displays

I went in to Central London today shopping and it never fails to amaze me how aesthetically pleasing the window displays look, particularly around Christmas time. As shown below Harvey Nichols especially caught my eye with it's disco themed window display. The outside of the building was covered in these colourful, shiny circular things which were attached to a small hook (as shown in the image on the right). I had never seen anything like this before and I found it so amazing to think of the time and effort that went in to decorating this. While I was taking these photos a shop assistant was hooking more of the circle decorations on to the building replacing ones that had been taken off. This evidently shows the absolute effort that went in to this and that goes in to shops and their window displays in general.

 Their actual window displays were as amazing and I found the present display (on the right) very good. It was boxes of their products stacked in a way with a massive ribbon prop to look like a massive present. I thought this was a clever idea and it certainly caught my eye.




As I walked past Alberta Ferretti in Belgravia, London I was stunned by their window display. It looked so classy and in general aesthetically pleasing and this matches the brand's image perfectly. I liked the fact that it only had two manikins wearing the same shade of green dresses in the centre of the display so it does not look over crowding and cluttered. The actual display behind it gives something unique to it so the manikins stand out and this display would attract people to go in to the shop without having to have lots of their products on display.

I was walking in Brompton, London and saw the Emporio Armani store across the road. Immediately it caught my eye because of the eagle logo that was designed lit up going across the outside of the store. I thought this was a very clever idea and it makes the shop look very prestige and classy which matches with the brand name well.

Summative Brief Task 2..

My rough notes

The next part of my project was based on cultural communication. It was looking at 3 ways that fur is used beyond just in fashion clothing but in a broader creative context. I chose cosy interiors, vehicle products and fur print designs. I researched these and then wrote a comparison of these also. I found this task more challenging than the previous tasks as even though fur is used in many non-fashion things, actually choosing which images are most appropriate to compare took me a while to decide.

Task 2b - The broader cultural contexts

This task involved me analysing fur against its broarder cultural contexts. As shown above I made notes on what I was going to research and what the results of this were. Overall I researched and explained how fur clothing has changed and developed throughout the years. I chose to look at fur in the 20's, 70's and 00's. It was interesting discovering who wore fur before compared to today and the reasons for this. I included images of this and wrote a comparison and explanation for this also.

The Thin Line of Eye Shadow Extremes

As a lover of make up I am constantly watching online make up tutorials. I find it so fun discovering new techniques and make up ideas from others that I can try out to see if it suits me. One main thing I have been focusing on improving my make up technique with is eye shadow. While looking through magazines or watching TV I always find that good eye shadow makes people look so amazing and really makes people's eyes stand out. However, from watching these tutorials it is evident that there is a thin line between eye shadow looking good and classy, and it looking way too extreme/ over the top.

https://www.pinterest.com/explore/navy-makeup/

However, extreme, over the top eye shadow is often used in advertisements for eye shadows or even other non make up related things. This is to get people's attention and it makes the advertisements look unique.

babushanaraen.wordpress.com

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/432486370445922834/

These are two examples of random advertisements and modelling shoots involving these extreme eye shadows. I think even though I would not wear my make up like this going out, but it does present the colours that are being sold well. The bottom image 'True Colors' in particular does this well as the colours look very attractive and the way they have been blended in together shows how the different colours do match well together, without having to show it literally only on the eye lids but instead across the face.

Adidas Fights Back

Over the past few years Adidas had faded out considerably and its competitor 'Nike' sales had taken off dramatically. However, Adidas has come back fighting and particularly within recent months it has become a popular brand to be wearing today. The three stripes is yet again back on trend with people particularly wearing the original black Adidas jackets and the Superstar trainers.
I found it interesting noticing this difference as this time last year everybody at my college was wearing Nike Air Max trainers, whereas, at uni before the holidays it was clear that people were mostly wearing Adidas trainers instead. This may be due to the fact Kanye West left Nike for Adidas to create the Yeezy Project collaboration. However, it is questionable whether this is enough to keep Adidas' name on trend or whether this is just a temporary 'in the moment' thing for Adidas.
It is also interesting because this come back for Adidas is another example of the fashion cycle. In the 90's Adidas was a popular brand and as a young child I owned adidas shoes and clothing. However, as I got older and particularly the last couple years I have been loyal to Nike only buying my sportswear from them, but this changed last month when I bought myself an original black Adidas jacket and Original Superstar trainers.
I think the difference between Nike and Adidas trainers is Nike are more for sportswear (whilst doing exercise) whereas Adidas I would wear more as a fashion item. This is because Nike are more exercise appropriate as they are lightweight and have better support for it whilst Adidas have a flat sole.

Summative Brief Work Begins..

The images above show the first part for my summative brief work. For the first task I had to find two different images of fur advertisement campaigns from different market levels. I chose images from Bally, a couture market level store and Topshop, a mass market store. It took me quite a long time to actually find the images to compare because I wanted to make sure they were different images but with some similarities that I would be able to link them together.



Similarly, the next task involved me comparing two images of visual merchandise from different market levels also. I chose to compare the window displays of John Lewis and Bergdorf Goodman. Yet again I did spent more time choosing the images to compare than the actual comparison but this was because I wanted to make sure I had valid things to compare.

STYLES' NEW STYLE OF FLORAL CONTINUES

www.mirror.co.uk

www.mirror.co.uk

Yet again Harry Styles was seen wearing a floral 'curtain looking' suit at the X Factor Final at the weekend. He certainly stood out from the rest of the boys wearing red floral wide trousers with a blazer and black shirt. Although many people have been giving Styles jokingly negative opinions of this comparing them to granny curtains, the floral print is definitely catching on in menswear.

Men floral coats, shirts, ties, trousers, shoes and other accessories have become fashionably acceptable for men to wear as they are selling out in many shops including on ASOS. Perhaps Harry Styles' fashion choices have become an inspiration for menswear and all joking aside of people's comments referring it to curtains, maybe men do like this new floral trend!

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My First Summative Brief!

As part of my FCP course we have been given our first Summative Brief.

My project is based on fur so I will be researching lots on fur and the trends related to it.

The brief will involve me blogging updates of what I have found out and done as I go along, so you can keep updated if you are interested!

PANDORA CHRISTMAS IN LONDON

As I was driving through London on my way back to Nottingham I was looking at all the Christmas decorations and one thing in particular stood out for me. I noticed there were a strip of trees along the length of a road with lights and a lit up 'Pandora' name. I thought this was a attractive yet clever form of advertisement for Pandora as it caught my attention and would make the name known to encourage more people to visit the store close by. 

This is especially clever to have in a large city like London as everyday there are millions of people in town, either walking or in a vehicle, so it would be seen by a huge number of people. London is known for having amazing Christmas decorations so I liked the fact Pandora took advantage of this idea of using Christmas lights to promote their brand.

OLD SCHOOL FASHION IS BACK

A number of people, myself included have admitted to wearing their parents jackets from 20 years ago. This was brought to my attention partly after reading in the Daily Mail that David Beckham embarrassed his son online revealing the 16 year old borrows his clothes. Brooklyn had posted a selfie with the caption 'rocking the old school Ralph Lauren' to which his dad commented, 'That's my jumper'.

www.dailymail.co.uk

I found this story amusing as I have started borrowing some of my dad's old jackets including his oversized denim jacket which he bought over 20 years ago. My sister also borrows our dad's jacket and she wore it so much she went out and bought one very like it for herself, which suited me so I can wear my dad's jacket more without fighting over it. It was ironic when I came home and met up with some of my friends who also admitted to be wearing their dad's jackets from many years ago.

This is a clear representation of the fashion cycle of how fashion trends come in and out of fashion frequently. 

Outerwear Street Style Trends in Nottingham

As part of my Fashion Communication and Promotion course we went round Nottingham to see what outerwear clothing is on trend. We first looked in shops to see the outerwear on sale and then we went around the streets of Nottingham to see how that compared to the outerwear people are wearing. Our overall task was to see if the WGSN predictions of A/W 2015 were correct by what outerwear is being sold and being worn. It was interesting as we discovered three overall major outerwear trends were Material-(fur), Silhouette-(long line) and Colour-(camel).

When we visited a variety of retails stores we discovered that fur was a major trend. Almost every shop had fur coats. We also noticed that camel was a popular colour and long line coats also. This was evident in the different retail levels including value, mass and couture.

(Left)Primark. (top middle)Topshop, (bottom middle)Primark, (Right)Topshop

Next we then went to the streets of Nottingham to actually see what outerwear is most commonly worn. As we walked through the streets of Nottingham as we spotted the outerwear we liked we asked the people if we could photograph them so we were able to analyse the trends when we were finished. It was interesting that we discovered not very much fur was worn by people compared to the mass amounts being sold in shops. We noticed it was mostly older women wearing fur who said they had them for years and wear them every year, and said they were expensive. This suggests that due to the expense of fur students avoid wearing it and opt for cheaper, yet still on trend outerwear instead.


CAMEL THE MAIN TREND --- From walking around the streets taking photos of what coats women were wearing, it became apparent that camel is a major trend colour at the moment. Most of the coats were camel as it was worn in different styles both long line and short.

From these photos it is clear that the final major trend is long line coats. We noticed there was an overlap of the trends as many of the camel coloured coats were also long lined. These are very on trend at the moment and they are often worn as the main outfit statement. The bottom right image above shows the girl wearing her camel long line coat and it is the main piece of clothing that is seen.
We also noticed that wrap around belts were very popular especially with these camel, long line coats.
It was fascinating seeing and analysing these different styles and trends and concluding the particular reasons for them being on trend depending on particular age groups. WGSN's Autumn/ Winter 2015 predicitions were mostly correct as they predicted fur would be in this year and long line / camel also. However, the lack of people wearing fur suggests that maybe fur is not actually as popularly worn and on trend as they had thought it would be.

Men Embrace Flower Power

Last year it was revealed the sale of floral designs increased by 130% as boys raced out to to buy the new trend. ASOS sold out of floral suits and it seems the trend is possibly set to continue this year as Harry Styles turned up to the American Music Awards wearing a black and white floral two-piece cotton crepe Gucci suit, with a pair of retro-inspired flared trousers.

It will be interesting to see if this floral suit trend catches on and if it becomes a popular trend. ASOS currently have a selection of floral and patterned men's suits of which a few have already sold out in some sizes. This gives a clear indication that these floral suits are actually being bought!

www.asos.co.uk

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3244391/Harry-Styles-pulls-daring-look-bold-geometric-print-suit-attends-LOVE-Magazine-s-London-Fashion-Week-party.html

However, it is clear that it is not only floral printed suits which are a new on trend item in menswear, but other patterns as well. Harry Styles wore a bold geometric-print suit in September at LOVE magazine's London Fashion Week party. This look has an edge over a classic black suit sue to it being a fashion statement and different.
I think the particular suit Styles wore matched the event well due to it being a fashion event -- compared to certain other more formal events for example, a patterned or floral printed suit would not be as appropriate.

RUCKSACKS ARE BACK

It is ironic to think that when I was starting secondary school I refused to have a rucksack because they were 'uncool', yet today I wear a rucksack to university everyday. Old school style rucksacks are back in fashion, especially in womenswear but rucksacks are also a major on trend item today in menswear.

Rucksacks although are a fashion accessory today, I love the fact that they are so comfortable to wear aswell-- so they are overall ideal. Walking around town everyday I see young people in particular wearing rucksacks which is interesting because rucksacks were hugely on trend in the 60's and the 90's also so this is another example of the fashion cycle.

The above photo collage shows the different rucksack styles there are today. The menswear style rucksacks mostly are that particular shape and style shown in the above photos and are canvas material. Whereas, although these are also available in womenswear, a big on trend style evidently seems to be the leather 'old school' style rucksack (like the one shown above on the right). I think this style is so trendy as it has a hipster edge to it. 

ANKLE/ CHELSEA BOOTS

A year later and ankle/chelsea boots are an even bigger trend than they were last year. Worn by numerous people and all over the shops this autumn/winter these are ideal as they can be worn with almost any outfit and can either dress up or down an outfit.

NewLook Black leather
platform ankle
 boots

~ NewLook ~
It is evident how on trend these ankle/
Chelsea boots are this season as there
are numerous different pairs on sale
and display in retails stores

Black platform suede ankle boots 

I love these black suede ankle boots and ended up buying a pair of them for myself. I love the classy style of them and they can be worn with black skinny jeans or leggings and make an outfit look so dressed up. The photo to the above shows me wearing the boots with my black ripped skinny jeans and they made this outfit look different and very on trend!

Over the knee boots - - NEW MUST HAVE!

From walking round the shops and seeing them being worn by a number of people, it is clear over the knee boots are a new major trend. These look sophisticated, classy and very on trend and can be worn with  a variety of different outfits. I think they look really good worn with a mini skirt or dress so the over the knee style can be shown off. These are definitely a must have in any wardrobe and I most definitely will be wanting a pair for Christmas.

www.dailymail.co.uk
Jessicca Wright wearing grey suede over
the knee boots paired with a short black
dress and grey sleeveless shirt/jacket

www.loveclothing.com
Gorgeous chunky black suede, platform
 over the knee boots

RACHEL GREEN'S FASHION STYLE IS BACK

As a fan of the great, famous TV show 'Friends' I have also been inspired by Rachel Green hugely due to her amazing clothing style. As the years progressed it is evident of how her style has adapted to the particular fashion trends, but it is interesting to witness how her style of clothing since the first series in 1994 has come back in to fashion within recent times.

This tartan shirt, cropped jumper with the knee high socks looks stylish with a sporty edge and is a great example of a typical fashionable Rachel Green outfit. She wore this in season one (episode 19) and two decades later the tartan skirt with a cropped jumper is back in fashion. The image on the right shows a similar outfit just in monochrome so it is interesting to see how this is an example of the fashion cycle -- an item of clothing ascending in to fashion after it died.

Dungarees have had a come back since Rachel Green wore them in season one of Friends. Short and long dungarees have come back in to fashion but in a different more modernised version-of black dungarees in particular. These can be worn as a casual outfit or dressed up with heels and a dressy top underneath.





The simple black crop top as seen worn by Rachel Green is back in fashion since crop tops have been a major on trend clothing item within the past couple years. I bought one of these from Topshop last year and due to it being able to be paired with anything makes it a great fashionable clothing to have. 

Off shoulder has been a on trend fashion item in the past few months,--especially over the summer. The image on the left shows Rachel Green wearing a sleeved, fitted off shoulder top which have come back in to fashion and I have seen being worn by numerous people . They are ideal as they can be more day to day when worn more casually paired with jeans or trousers, or they can be dressed up when worn with a skirt or dressy trousers. 

MY THOUGHTS...

The Spinning Life of Fashion Trends:

It fascinates me how fashion trends come and go and eventually come back in to fashion after a certain length of time, but in usually in a modernised version of the previous trend. There are many different reasons for certain things coming in to fashion and fashion culture plays a big part. Films can result in certain styles and clothing items coming in to fashion. An example of this is Tom Cruise in Risky Business caused an increase in RayBan sales. They were the 'must have' item at the time and then after a while fizzled out, and almost two decades later RayBans have come back in to fashion. The wayfarer and aviator style of glasses are the most famous and popular RayBan frames and since coming back in to fashion even though the overall style has remained the same as 20 years ago, -- they are slightly more modernised which gives them that different edge.

This fashion cycle occurs with most clothing as most likely when something goes out of fashion, it won't be very long before it comes back around and is back in the shops. The graph below shows this method of how trends come in to fashion, when they are dominating the fashion market and then eventually die (for a certain period of time) - before the come back around and ascend back in to fashion.

I was in London at the weekend and my sister was wearing my dad's over sized bomber jacket which he bought about 20 years ago. Similarly my friend was wearing his dad's Ralph Lauren bomber jacket which is about 18 years old. These are ideal examples of fashion items which were in fashion 18-20 years ago and now the death stage has finished and they are a dominant items again.

STREET STYLE SPOTTING

WINTER IS COMING -- LONG COATS ARE IN!

As the weather is getting colder people are starting to layer up and long coats are the new trend at the moment. Walking through the streets I have noticed below the knee coats are all the rage and 'smart looking' in particular. Many of them have fur collars which add a feminine look to the coats. After spotting these long, fur collared coats made me want to buy one and fell in love with one from Zara. 

The smart look and long style with the fur collar makes me feel smart and up to date with this trend!

http://www.zara.com/uk/en/woman/outerwear/view-all/coat-with-large-lapel-c733882p2830589.html

FUR GILETS -- THE NEW RAGE

One of my favourite fashion clothing items has finally come back in as fur gilets have become increasingly popular and I have seen them being worn by different people everyday throughout the past few weeks. These gilets look so stylish worn with a simple sleeved top or jumper to keep the attention being drawn to the actual gilet. Autumn is the ideal time for these to be worn as the weather is getting colder but often not too cold to wear an actual heavy coat.  Although these fur gilets entered the shops last year -- (and I bought one from Topshop in fact) they did not catch on as well as this year, - so I've got mine back out of the wardrobe to wear again this year.

Fashion Clothing Update

As I walk through the streets of Nottingham City it fascinates me the vibrant variety of different fashion clothing different people wear. It is evident that due to going to uni and living so close by to it that there are numerous young people who are trying to 'fit in' and yet 'stand out'!

CHECKED SHIRTS AND RIPPED SKINNY JEANS

These have been a major trend for the last few months with an increasing amount of people choosing to go for the casual, effortless look of a baggy check shirt with ripped skinny jeans. This current fad look has been on trend in both menswear and womenswear -- most likely due to shirts in general originating from menswear so shirts were designed for a specific purpose and not just to be a fad.

CHEETAH PRINT IS BACK!

Take a walk on the wild side! A major trend that has caught my eye is the sea of people in cheetah print clothing. Looking through fashion magazines and seeing people walking through the streets it has become apparent that cheetah print is back in fashion. Cheetah print fur coats are a major on trend clothing item at the moment especially as winter approaches and coats are back. This reflects this years overall trend of animal print being in fashion and no longer seen as being tacky.

TRAINERS ALL THE WAY!

A popular fashion item of the last couple years has been trainers. Particularly Nike have seen a massive increase in their sales as trainers are now a fashion statement worn by both men and woman with a fashionable outfit. Before trainers were worn mostly with a sport outfit and for practical use but recently they are on trend and worn daily with almost any outfit