London Fashion Week is the most important event of the British fashion calender. It’s where designers, editors, celebrities and buyers join forces and let the world know what will be in and what will be out in the coming seasons. There are fashion students who would give their back teeth to be there- and I’m going!

From January I will be working with Jacob Kimmie, a South African born designer who will be showing his collection at Fashion Week. Myself and some other students from my college will be beading, attaching zips, appliqueing and generally sewing like crazy in the build up to the show. We’ll get the chance to see what goes on in a design studio, working alongside the designer, the pattern cutter, the people in charge of the business side of the company- everything and anything. We’ll be going to London and dressing the models backstage during the show - which believe me, is not all glamour.

It’s an incredible opportunity for me- which I will be keeping a diary of, not only for fat-berry, but to present to Jacob after the show.

You should all check out his website- www.jacobkimmie.com

He’s also a really funny guy. That’s important to know.

Who are your style icons? What makes someone iconic and outstanding? Who do you think is the coolest person on the planet?

I <3 Amanda Palmer, fo sho.

As the financial world collapses in a heap of FAILURE, I’m curious to know how the impending recession will change your shopping habits. What will you be buying less of? Will you be changing your ways at all? How will you survive the materialistic frenzy of the Christmas holiday?

Discuss.

…I have to wear two pairs of gloves and I’m still freezing. I hate winter.

This is just an update on what’s been going on with me, because it’s been crazy! I have just sent off my university applications, and have been busy with my college work. I’ve redesigned the uniforms for Birmingham’s street wardens, I’m currently designing a window display and promotional postcards for my favourite vintage shop, and I’m going to start on a project designing a 1960’s inspired little black dress soon.

It’s a lot of work, but I’ll be posting as and when I can, and I’m working on my portfolio for university interviews too so I’ll be posting my images for those too.

Sorry about the lack of updating. We’ll get ourselves into gear, I promise!

Wow, it’s been ages since we’ve posted. Jaz has been busy with work and I’ve had a horrible week which I’d rather not get into right now. But, what I do want to talk about is how absolutely freezing I am.

I’m incredibly cold-blooded. Winter does not agree with me at all. While others rejoiced in last week’s snow, I was cursing it furiously because I was walking the streets and couldn’t feel my fingers or toes.

I deal with this by layering. If ever there was an icon for the grungy-layering look, it would be me. I can sometimes end up wearing up to 5-6 layers! [Vest top, dress, t-shirt, waistcoat, cardingan/hoodie, coat. As well as trousers, tights, and when it’s really really cold, thick socks on top.] I love being all warm and wrapped up, but it does come with its difficulties. Jaz never layers because she says it looks bulky on her. The secret is to wear closer fitting, thinner layers. It keeps you warmer than wearing fewer, thicker layers too.

Colours are also important to consider. As most of my basics are grey, my t-shirts, shoes and hoodies can be a bit wilder. A purple leapord print hoodie looks pretty awesome over a grey wrap dress and dark grey skinnies. You have to find your own colour scheme and go with it.

There is a downside to all this layering though. Just when you get the textures, fit, colours and accessories right…along comes summer!

Sorry it’s been so longed since either of us blogged. We’ve both been extremely busy getting back into routine. Farah is back at college as a full time fashion student again, and i’ve been working my 9 to 5 with little time to come home and blog.

Anyway, I made a fleeting visit back to England a couple of weeks back and had an amazing time. Not only did I get to visit my old watering holes with friends in tow, and dance the night away in ridiculous footware, like I have so missed, I also had the incredible opportunity to hear, see and speak to Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls.

The college Farah attends, (Mathew Boulton) runs a series of events called Feed, which usually take the form of seminars by people from various artist industries. The last one we attended was by a graphic designer from London. This time round Amanda was speaking and Farah and I were both incredibly excited because we are huge fans. There was only a tiny audience, about 50 people, and we not only got to ask Amanda questions about her music and career, but heard her perform 3 songs and got to get things signed afterwards.

She had been in a bit of an accident a few days prior, and had her foot all wrapped up and proped up due to having it run over by a car. But she still looked as amazing and edgy as usual. I’ve always loved the visuals of the Dresden Dolls, and she was asked about this at the seminar. She acknowledged the importance that image plays in bands these days, and talked about how dressing up made her feel like more of a ‘rock star’.

From her decision to not shave, to her painted on eyebrows, to her crazy wardobe, she’s always pushing the boundries and she always looks amazing. Her eccentric look is definitley reflective of her music and if you havn’t already I urge you to check out both her solo music and that of the Dresden Dolls.

Here’s to Amanda Palmer, a true icon.

It seems like every other celebrity is releasing a clothing line these days, from Justin Timberlake to Fergie to 50 Cent. All of those sound like horrendous ideas and from what i’ve seen of their collections, they’ve proved my initial thoughts right.

There are a few exceptions. Gwen Stefani’s L.A.M.B line is gorgeous and exciting. Also, as much as I hate the woman and her designs, Victoria Beckham’s recent collection was surprisingly well recieved by the fashion community.

But generally speaking, celebrity fashion lines are nothing more than a money making ploy used by people who don’t actually have any knowledge of what they are lending their names to. How many of these ‘designers’ even dress themselves? I find it hilarious that Lindsay Lohan and Mischa Barton both recently launched small lines (leggings and handbags, respectively), when for so long they were both styled by someone else (the awful, toe curling Rachel Zoe).

But I have high hopes for this newest collection. Benjamin Bixby is the collection of Outkast singer/rapper Andre Benjamin (otherwise known as Andre 3000). Unlike other celebrites persuing this side project, Andre actually has a genuine passion for clothes and their history. Despite being from the deep south of the USA, his primary love of fashion is for traditional British styles. He has a love of old school tailoring and materials like tweed. Andre has also expressed an interest in going to fashion school, so that he can “learn the correct terminology and the correct technique", and it’s clear he takes this very seriously. Even Anna Wintour is impressed, and that takes some work.

Read more! »

Greetings from Holland. Ive been absent for the last three weeks as I settle in to life here in the land of clogs and windmills. I’m still adjusting to things and hopefully as things fit into place, and my wireless internet finally gets established i’ll have more time to blog.

Anyway, i wanted to write a quick note about an awful thing I saw on the bus today. To commute to work I have to get a bus, a train and then another bus, so I have plenty of time to observe peoples choice of clothes. Today on the bus to the station, I saw what I can only describe as the most hideous bag I have ever seen.

It wasn’t horrible because of the shape, it was a simple, medium sized handbag with no elaborate details. It wasn’t the colour, the vast majority of it was black. It was the horrible picture displayed full size across the front. At first i was staring at it, trying to work out what the hell I was seeing, but then I looked up at the wearer and realised it was a picture of her. A picture of her and, what I can only assume to be, her best friend.

I was overcome with horror. Why on earth would anybody want to parade around the city streets proudly displaying a very unflattering photo of themselves on their arm? It’s ridiculous! I can’t imagine how awful it would be if Farah walked into college one day with a massive poor quality photo of me and her, spots and all on display, for everyone to see.

The only thing that could possibly have made it worse is if it had been a photo of the girl and her boyfriend. That truley would have been cringeworthy, and I think I would have vomitted there and then.

Please, please, please, nobody ever recreate this look. It’s tacky, it’s stupid and it makes you look like a moron.

London Fashion Week has just finished, so here’s our list of favourite collections.

First of all…Luella, Luella, Luella. I don’t think that woman could do something I disliked even if she tried. Her collection was a mix of assymetric tea dresses and quirky tailoring in a jaw dropping selection of flourescent sorbet shades which I will really be looking forward to seeing filter down to the high street.

Luella is surely the highlight of any fashion week, but there were some other particular stand outs too.

Read more! »

Yesterday I went to London, which is an amazing city, full of some really great culture. I firstly went to see the Viktor and Rolf retrospective at the Barbican, which was absolutely incredible.

I had been dying to see this exhibition as Viktor and Rolf are my favourite designers. I always love seeing couture garments up close, seeing the dedication and workmanship that goes into each peice. As well as displaying garments on hand made mannequins, they had a huge dolls house in the middle of the exhibition which housed miniature dolls wearing versions of the garments. The miniature versions were not poor replicas, but had been painstakingly made by the duo’s ateliers.

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It’s no big shock to see that ethical fashion is hitting the headlines, there has been a growing demand for organic cotton and fairtrade t-shirts. But how far does that extend, and can “ethical fashion” really encompass something which is already widely regarded as unethical?

Origin Assured fur has been developed in association with leading fur auction houses and the International Fur Trade Federation. It aims to be able to inform customers about where their fur goods are from, whether they are farmed or wild, and make sure that the treatment of animals complies with regulations. Upon seeing their advert in Vogue I was both intruiged and angry. Ethical Fur? Surely that’s a paradox which could cause the universe to implode?

In my opinion, fur can never be ethical because the very concept of killing a living creature purely for the sake of fashion or luxury is completely unethical. However, I know that for some people the quarrel with fur lies in the treatment and welfare of the animals. the OA brand seeks to make sure the animals are treated properly [if only in the EU, USA and Canada]…but does that make it okay? Does a happy bunny still deserve to be killed for our vanity?

This is something which everyone must have an opinion on, so I would like some feedback and comments, please let us know what you think! Can fur ever be morally acceptable? As you ponder your answer, please visit www.peta.org.

The relationship between self expression and cultural expression is something which plays a big part in the way I dress, but not neccessarily in a positive way.

I am Pakistani and my family are very traditional, but I consider myself more British than Pakistani and I am really not the most religious person you’ll ever meet. I don’t feel any connection to Pakistani culture, and my recent visit there only served to add to my dislike to Pakistan and my love of Britain.

I dress in a very British manner; all attitude, eclectic vintage and eyeliner. Of course, this is all compromised by my family’s traditionalism, but I see nothing “wrong” with the way I dress. My family do, however, and this is where arguements happen. I don’t want to wear traditional clothing because “I’m Pakistani". I was born and grew up in Britain, as far as I’m concerned, I’m British. I don’t want to wear something that I don’t feel comfortable in for the sake of “fitting in", and for the sake of a culture that I don’t have any respect for.

I am quite aware that I am writing to mainly a very British/American audience here, who probably don’t have this problem, but I know there are a few people reading this who understand exactly what I mean, or at least understand the compromise between two very different cultures.

I know who I am, I know my own style. I don’t care what my past is, it’s not my present and it’s not my future.

I love buying vintage clothes. They’re cheap, utterly unique, and are completely suited to my style and personality. Over the years I’ve gathered a selection of great vintage and thrift shops around Birmingham which sell amazing clothes.

My favourite is COW Vintage Warehouse in Digbeth, which is big, yellow and diviiiiiiiine. I’ve bought three dresses from there recently: a bright blue and white flowery, frilly dress with shoulder pads that sounds rather hideous but for some strange reason, looks amazing for just £9; A purple printed dress with a pleated skirt for £3 and just yesterday I bought a blue dress with the most amazing poofy pintucked sleeves for £12. [I paid on my debit card for the first time! This could get dangerous…]

The thing about vintage clothes, however, is that they’re so unpredictable. When shopping in COW yesterday, I picked out four dresses to try on. The other three seemed to be a much better shape for me, but I was hypnotised by the sleeves on the blue dress so I tried it on anyway. It turns out, the others were frumpy and awful on me, but the blue dress looked great!

I don’t know why, but things which should be completely wrong on me seem to be great when it’s second-hand, but things which should work look horrible! Vintage clothes aren’t sized in the way that we are used to, so it can be a bit of a hassle figuring out what will fit and what won’t. For this reason, although I’m so often tempted by cheap vintage shopping on eBay or Fashionspace.com, I cannot bring myself to buy any vintage clothes online. I spend hours trawling these sites but never ever know what will work and what won’t.

There’s also the thing about buying online. I can understand occasionally buying online, but I don’t understand why someone would favour it over hitting the shops and the fun of trying on things in the shop that you’ll never buy anyway, trawling through bargain bins and unexpectedly finding something special. For me, retail therapy does count as geniune therapy.

And I predict I shall be engaging in a lot of retail therapy this year, as tomorrow Jaz is off to Holland for a year. I’m going to need some serious cheering up.

I am soon to embark on my Foundation Diploma at college, so I will have a purpose in life again, but I want to write a little about my final collection from my National Diploma.

It was entitled “The Freak Show!” and it was inspired by circus freaks. I often do projects about people on the fringes of society, because I think they have so much more to offer than those who are “normal” and accepted. The point of this collection was to basically say that, despite their appearances, these people are beautiful far beyond all of that. Some of the stories I read and watched while I was reasearching were really inspiring and some were incredibly upsetting and showed how people with deformities are exploited.

These are some images from the show. Unfortunately, I didn’t get images of all 4 outfits, and these aren’t how I wanted them to be [the blue dress is worn wrong, and the models were supposed to wear beards, but…things didn’t happen how I wanted.]

Hopefully once I’ve done proper photoshoots I can post all of my outfits!

Okay, so I promised a blog on Pakistani fashion. Before we begin, let me make it clear that you will never ever see me in traditional clothing. Ever.

Traditional Pakistani clothing, for those who don’t know, is called a Salwar Kameez. The “Salwar” bit refers to the baggy trousers which are gathered at the waist. The “Kameez” bit is the dress. I don’t wear these ever in my everyday life, but I had to wear them in Pakistan. My grandma got me pink flowery ones. I was not amused.

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Ladies and gentlemen, I have returned from my three week trip to Pakistan [Well, Kashmir if you want to get technical…] and I would first of all like to say England, I love you!

The fashion blogs will be posted soon, but for now, I’d like to bask in the joy of blogging, I’ve missed it so much.

Okay, so, Pakistan. I really hated the experience. There was nothing to do but eat, sleep and throw up. I ended up doing very little eating, as it led to very much throwing up, so sleeping was the only other available option and as a result, I have lots lots of weight. I was skinny to begin with, but at least I was healthy!

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It’s August, which means it’s festival season for me. For the third year running i’ll be heading off to the Reading and Leeds festival in a few weeks, which means i’ve started the annual process of buying way too much and completely overpacking.

I know for girls, and especially those who care alot about their appearance, the idea of camping at a festival is a nightmare. Dirty toilets, horrible communal showers, and mud everywhere is not every girls idea of a fun weekend. But I love throwing myself into a camping trip and giving up luxuries such as baths for a few days of fun with my friends. But I don’t compromise on fashion.

The reason I overpack for festivals every year is mainly due to clothes and shoes. I convince myself i need wellies for the campsite, doc martins for the evening and comfortable canvas boots for the bands. This is rubbish of course, i could probably get on fine with just one of the three, but his year again i know i will be taking at last three or four pairs of footwear. I also worry so much about walking around in a dirty dress, that i pack more clothes than sense and always regret it when my back is killing me whilst looking for a camping space.

I can live without a nice warm shower with the help of baby wipes, and hand gel is a godsend at a festival where you have to stand in line for 40 minutes just for water to wash your hands. But i still have my limits. I will not walk around for the best part of a week with greasy, smelly hair. Last year a friend of mine took dry shampoo, convinced this was the answer. But whenever i’ve tried it, it just makes my hair look dry and frizzy, and similar to when you’ve left loads of hairspray in overnight. So instead of putting up with this, i opted for a wig.

Wearing a wig to a festival is great in so many ways. It covers up your hair when it gets too dirty, and saves so much time trying to make it looks respectable in the mornings. As well as this though, it’s so much fun if you pick a weird one! Mine was bright blue and short, which meant loads of people were asking about it, to find out if it was real. It’s a conversation starter and makes your festival experience alot more colourful, literally. I know for sure i’ll be wearing mine again this year, even if it does go flying off in the middle of Rage Against the Machine.

Looks like there’s going to be alot of gothic inspiration for this winter. The catwalk shows are full of black. I’m not quite sure what to make of this. Black is a great base for an outfit but i love colour so much it will be interesting to see how bright shades get fed into the mix.

Alexander McQueen, as usual, had some amazingly over the top outfits on display. Much as i am warey of the full on dark look, i love the influence its having on hair, make up and accessories. For me, thats the best way to handle a trend as startling and full on.

I just love the hairstyle on this YSL model. I’m not brave enough to wear black lipstick, but i’m looking to get a drastic new hair style in a few weeks and this has made me think that i definitley want to stick to jet black, and go shorter. I’ve always had long hair and i’m sick of it. I don’t think ill go for a blunt cut like the one above, somthing more layered. I’m on the look out for inspiration.

At a flea market in Holland on Wednesday came across a small stall selling jewelry ran by two old women. Most of the stuff was just small beaded necklaces, nothing exciting. But they had this really weird giant golden dog on a necklace which was so weird i had to have it.

Jewelry is one of those things that i impulse buy without thinking how it could possibly fit into my wardrobe. I generally have a very specific color scheme of neons and brights, so every time i buy something outside of this i find it very hard to incorporate it. This is an example of this as i, as a rule, don’t wear gold. That may have to change now.

On closer inspection it looks like it was originally a belt buckle which they have attached to a leather necklace. It’s really odd, and i am still trying to come up with something to wear it with. It is modeled hear by Pat the blinging polar bear.

Went to see The Dark Knight on Friday. It was really entertaining, an excellent action film that really whooped the asses of other superhero films. I do think it’s a bit long and the continuous plot twists get a bit much, the last 45 minutes could have been spun into their own full length movie. But it still had me on the edge of my seat and was great fun.

Anyway, does anyone else think that the Jokers purple suit is fantastic?

I’m not a huge fan of the other costumes in the film. Batman’s suit is a bit bulky and square, and Rachels taste is pretty boring and average, but this one is fantastic. I love the purple with green and the different layers. Quite near the beginning of the film someone accuses the Joker of being a freak in a ‘cheap suit’ and he immediatley protests that the suit is ‘expensive’. I would love a suit like that, if i was a man. Or wore trousers.

I also loved the scene in the hospital where he’s dressed as a nurse, complete with curly red wig. Good times.