Being branded the UK's largest fashion and beauty event, Clothes Show Live had a lot to live up to. My visit was for three reasons; educational, the show and of course... shopping! Tickets priced £27 for regular and £40 it was quite a price to pay to travel two hours down the motorway to be potentially disappointed. I had never been before but this was a risk I was willing to take after hearing numerous reviews of previous years.
I arrived at CSL, withdrew cash and headed straight for the stalls. After trawling through hundreds of stalls I was disappointed with the range and quality of the clothes. A lot of what was trying to be sold felt cheaply made and nothing really caught my eye. I did buy one item, a ELLE goody bag, priced at £2. It contained two issues of ELLE a Gemma Kidd eyeliner and ST Tropez gradual moisturising tan, I felt I had received a good deal and kept me happy for the day despite being persistently told to buy things I just didn't want . The price of food on the other hand was ridiculous, but with event's like CSL I would not expect anything less.
Shopping aside, I attended a seminar on styling with industry
specialists Ella Heath Pearce (stylist) and
Caryn Franklin (former co-editor and fashion editor of
i-d). Whilst the seminar was on styling I felt it was a great help to me and would recommend it to anyone trying to enter the industry as you are able to take part in a Q&A session with the specialists. I visited the university stalls which enabled me to gain an understanding of what each of the universities I have applied for are like. Again, very helpful.
I watched the diet coke show; a showcase catwalk with a range of students creations. Here are some of the photo's and work I captured:
The first image was a collection from the students at Falmouth University. I love the colour, in particular the long fur poncho. Another item that I thought deserved recognition was sheer trailed maxi skirt hemmed with a spectrum of feathers, the material draped beautifully. This collection for me stood out from the rest, the range colours and textures were broad and showcased the strong creative talent of the students. I feel like they have really thought outside of the box creating beautiful, unique pieces.
The second image was an item from Manchester College. Using transparent PVC to create a structured dress, this was one of my favourite items and a trend that has been seen on the catwalk for S/S 2013 from the Valentino ready to wear collection. The third and final image was an outfit from Wolverhampton College. I have chosen this outfit for the top; the soft flounces are of a high quality and create an amazing silhouette. Again flounces are a trend set to be big this spring.
The Show
So what you've all been waiting for, "The Show". Presented by Henry Holland and Grace Woodward , the show lasted 45 minutes, contained over 200 outfits and nine scene changes, quite the show. After 15 minutes previous to the show enduring girls shouting and jumping for JLS's performance I was ecstatic to see the first model. The theme this year was based on the life of a fashionista, photo-shoots, fashion week, the fashion awards and of course the after party. Of course the elaborate lighting and staging was amazing, I sat in awe watching the models, male and female as they strut down the runway. It was what everyone says and more, although more dance orientated than a traditional runway, but nether the less, fantastic.
In conclusion, I would definitely go again just perhaps not on student day, there was too many young teens there who rushed round under your feet. Other than that, astounding.
With Love,
xox
