Calling all shoppers!

You may have noticed a rather long gap since my last blog post - unfortunately due to a very stressful period called DISSERTATION (and another called being lazy and enjoying the summer).  Since getting over the dreaded word and after a long period of procrastination, I have finally decided to kick myself into full gear and aim for that almighty first.

I am looking at the ways fashion businesses are changing their approaches to retail in order to remain successful on the high street – currently focusing on the relationship between online and physical shops.  

This is where I’d really appreciate it if all you lovely readers would get involved and contribute to my research.  If you could help with a few sentences on the following questions, I would be really grateful!

- What percentage of your fashion shopping do you do online? What do you find good/bad about this? 

- What percentage of your fashion shopping do you do in physical stores?  What do you find good/bad about it?

- Do you prefer to shop online or in physical stores and why? 

- How do you think you will be fashion shopping five years from now? 

I know blogger can be a pain to use so if you are having trouble leaving your comments below, please email me at lilliemcfillie@gmail.com  

Thank you in anticipation for all your help and for contributing to my dissertation (still hate that word).

Much appreciated x 

Take 5, Metallics

"Shiny is my favourite colour" - Ed Burstell, Liberty of London programme.

They may have been around for a while but my love of metallics just keeps on growing! Here's some shiny stuff to brighten your weekend.

Bored with the High Street

Today, I literally picked up the same item of clothing in three different chain stores on the high street.  The only difference was the price. 

When, for goodness sake, will we start to see a bit more variety across the usual group of chain stores that make up our High Street?  Those of use who can’t afford designer labels, but still love to shop, don’t want to see repeats of the same clothes – we want to see some individuality in the stores; to know that a particular brand is pursuing its own fashion identity rather than copying the runways and regurgitating the same stuff as everyone else.

It is such a shame that 30% of independent fashion boutiques have been lost from our high streets.  This is where those of us who can’t afford designer, but want something more special than economy, would go to find special pieces to express ourselves as individuals. 

Message to the high street chain of retailers: Let’s risk a little imagination please!

Revisiting All Saints

 

I first fell for All Saints when I was fourteen and would stretch my budget to buy something from this very different and fascinating store whenever I had the opportunity.  I just loved their visual identity from day one.  But in the last few years I felt their designs were simply getting too dark and gothic and, as for the price, just really silly.  So I stopped buying there and then even stopped going to browse.  And it seems I wasn’t alone as we heard in the press that the brand was suffering and at risk of collapse.

But All Saints on Regent Street caught my eye again the other day.  I was really happy to see that they have completely transformed their brand – and for the better!  The SS14 collection has introduced bold lines, clean cuts and strong silhouettes - perfectly bridging the gap between luxury and high street whilst keeping their strong identity. 

Let’s hope this is the start of a brighter future for All Saints.  I’m back to saving for a few pieces already!  

Take 5, Think Pink

Lets all take a minute to think pink!  If you haven’t noticed baby pink is here, there and everywhere at the moment, and quite frankly I love it! Here’s some pictures to get you in the pink. 

Isabella Blow: Fashion Galore!

Bored with the rain and looking for something interesting to do?  Get yourself along to Somerset House to see their really great exhibition: ‘Isabella Blow: Fashion Galore!’ before it comes to an end on 2 March. 

    

Isabella Blow led an extravagant life in her work, her home and the clothes she wore and this exhibition gives a great insight into her unique character.  Attributed with discovering great talents and models, we get to see Alexander McQueen’s clothes from his very first graduation collection, where Isabella first discovered him, right through to his Oct 2008 collaborative runway show with Philip Treacy ‘La Dame Bleue” which was dedicated to Isabella after her shocking death.  We also get up close and personal with Philip Treacy’s creations – before this exhibition I had not seen much of his work and was absolutely blown away by its beauty and elegance!

My favourite part of the exhibition by far, was a look into Isabella Blow’s fantastic and slightly outrageous wardrobe – this, along with little notes about Isabella’s life and fun facts such as her favourite shade of red lipstick, her preference for writing with pink ink and how clumsy and forgetful she was (apparently, like me, she often left things in taxi’s) makes the whole exhibition more personal and intimate.

In the final section, we see selected clothes from the “La Dame Bleue” catwalk, accompanied nearby with a video of the runway show playing on a large screen.  This is where we can see the static exhibition come to life in a beautiful show themed around flying birds, which was one of Isabella’s fascinations and therefore a fitting tribute.  This bit really pulls on your heartstrings.  What a unique personality and complex life, and what a sad ending for someone with such energy and passion.  

Really beautiful.  Really worth you time.    Go even if it isn’t raining.