LFW DIARY: Friday

I started the season hobbling to fashion scout with all my luggage and just managing to usher Toria Brightside in before the doors closed, as she stumbled out of a car and up the stairs.

I’ve realised we give new meaning to many phrases, including “Fashionably late”.

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Our first show was Jamie Wei Huang, a designer we’ve been following for the last 3 seasons.

Jamie_Wei_Huang-3Continuing in the vein of her fascination with “urban societies”, her S/S collection featured oversized pocket and strap details and a multitude of sportswear influences.

Jamie_Wei_Huang-11This time, she incorporated lighter fabrics and colours that juxtaposed the details and brought it all together into a sophisticated, utilitarian-luxe.

Jamie_Wei_Huang-10The beautiful airy satins , reworked varsity jackets and soft textures stood out most to me and I feel like this is a collection you can wear anywhere.

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The concept of stylish comfort seems to be resonating with designers more and more as busy schedules have us running around without time to change throughout the day and Jamie Wei Huang has definitely mastered it.

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After a short Champagne break and visit to the showrooms (which I will feature in a separate post) , we returned to Fashion scout for another show.

Ashley Isham stood out straight away, with his unusual catwalk set up that allowed models to appear out of nowhere and make movements other than the usual catwalk strutting. The collection was inspired by Mata Harry, which prompted him to incorporate elements from her dance  routines into the show.  Ashley_Isham_72dpi-34The collection was dominated by dramatic, flowing garments featuring twists and gathers, that were pulled aside to uncover embellishment or cinched tightly with patent leather harnesses and belts.

Ashley_Isham_72dpi-21The model’s heads were adorned by otherworldly visors and metallic perspex arrow fascinators that complemented or contrasted with the outfits.

Ashley_Isham_72dpi-3On the whole, the collection was an austere yet elegant mix of turn of the 20th century chic and  modern detailing with an eloquent finishing touch, presented in a vibrant show that captivated the audience.

Ashley_Isham_72dpi-25To top it all off, each garment is hand-crafted in England, which is definitely something to be proud of in today’s fashion industry.

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After the shows, we attended the Dash magazine party, where the guys from Heavy London were DJing as colourful furry monsters by Bas Kosters danced around the room.

1233993_401664849935064_317733957_nphoto 1photo 210683930_1534948133408532_1046462677_nMore adventures in the next post.

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Current Obsessions #23

current obsessions 23This week I’ve been thinking about LFW and what to wear, shoes (which I will expand on in tomorrow’s post), fedora hats (don’t ask me why), origami inspired details and roses (I’m making designing a new applique for my winter range).

My new armoire (which was featured in last week’s current obsessions) arrived this morning and I have been rearranging the show room to fit it in. I can’t wait for the open house day to see how it all works. There’s a pic on my instagram if you’d like to see!

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Eustratia Open house event.

Next month, to celebrate the third birthday of my label, Eustratia and officially test out my showroom I’m hosting my first open house event.

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The whole house will be open to friends of the brand, models, photographers and potential customers who will be able to view and try on samples, preview the new collection, talk to me in person and find out about upcoming projects.

Regular Eustratia models will be available to talk about wearing latex to those who haven’t tried it before or would like to know a bit more about it.

Our friends from VAUHAUS will also be in attendance with beautiful new faces to introduce and a guest photobooth by Toria Brightside, agent and chief photographer.

Richard Ayres will be showcasing his bespoke chainmail accessories and visitors will have the change to see it in person and talk about about commissions.

TG Manchester promoter Frankie Knuckles will also be making an appearance for those who would like to find out about future events.

I will be inviting creatives that have collaborated with the brand over the last three years, local models, photographers and industry people as well as a few magazines but the event is also geared towards potential customers who want to find out more about the brand or latex clothing in general. Please get in touch if you can get to Manchester and would like to attend. The address will be available on the Facebook event page and there will also be transport available from Piccadilly train station at 2:30pm to bring people to the event if they are not local to Manchester.

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2013 positive points.

This has been a year of big changes for me and though it has been tough at times, I’ve realised that I am moving forward with my life and ambitions.

I have heard a lot of people talking about how terrible their year has been and it’s easy to get stuck in a downward spiral if you just think of the negative. I prefer to start the year with a air of optimism wherever possible so I have written a list of my favourite positive points of 2013 and would urge you to do the same, it might make you feel a lot better.

1. I stopped working from a small desk in my bedroom and got my first solo studio for Eustratia.

427237_10151453871855365_82829251_n2. I suspended my bed from trees for a photoshoot!

_MG_81663. I was involved in quite a few fun and amazing fashion shows.

1276469_576383365732729_609709502_o4. Eustratia became the main brand sold in a small boutique.

734115_574855985872883_2073020654_n5. I went on holiday to Greece with my best friends.

968844_10201689246253037_1694167644_n6. I went to LFW with some amazing people.

1237951_590997460941458_557497677_n7. Had my work published in my favourite magazine, Dark beauty.

darkbeauty18. Bought a house!

733896_10151952960905365_1475728400_n9. I set up a showroom and look forward to inviting people to my open-house events to view my items in person. The first one will hopefully be scheduled for the beginning of February!

1471219_10152068209715365_1131086101_n10. Pretty much learned to drive and will hopefully be passing my test in the near future.

My positive list definitely made me feel better about this year and I hope yours does too.

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Current Obession #10

current obsessions 10This week I’ve been mostly obsessed by this middle image. I found it on pinterest under dream closet and was instantly drawn to it. It looked really familiar and I realised that’s because it’s like something I would have in my shop, if it existed. I actually have a lot of similar items planned for my new house.

This week has also been about experimenting with colour in my make up, horse-related shoot inspiration and finding these boots that always seem to be sold out in my size.  The tree light unfortunately isn’t available for sale but I’m on the lookout for the next best thing.

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