Saturday 29 April 2017

Get To Know Me / My Thoughts On Blogging

Having started my blog way back in 2009, before blogging was even considered a 'thing', I have continued to steadily grow my blog and social media channels over the past 8 years. Whilst many bloggers put themselves in front of the camera's on a regular basis posing for the perfect selfie or outfit pic to make for a good Instagram feed or post content, I have shied away from this style of blogging (with the exception of the below two pictures of me). I approach my blog from a different perspective - writing from more of an industry insider perspective. So I who am I? What is my story? How has my career impacted my style of blogging? 
My Career up to now...
I have always been a creative person, loving art and design from a very young age, so I naturally couldn't see myself following a career path in anything other than a creative field. I fell in love with textiles whilst at secondary school, being introduced to the work of Celia Birtwell and Zandra Rhodes whilst studying for my GCSE art. It seems my art teacher recognised my love of all things colour and print! Textiles A-Level was the progressive next step, followed by a Foundation Art Course. After this, I enrolled in a 3 year Textiles and Surface Design Degree at an art college. I loved my degree, getting to be creative everyday, putting pen to paper designing concepts for collections. After spending most of my final year looking like a hot mess locked away in a screen printing room and covered in fabric dye, I graduated with a First-class Honours Degree. I had set my sights high and was able to exhibit at both Premiere Vision in Paris and PrintSource in New York (where I sold one of my fabric designs to the American retailer Bealls). NYC had captured my heart whilst exhibiting at this trade show, so I took a leap of faith and moved to Manhattan for 3 months to undertake a post grad internship with the fashion brand Milly. Upon returning to the UK I moved to London and began my career in the world of 'fashion'. Four years down the line, I have worked in administration, wholesale and trend - now working for a global eyewear / jewellery design house and manufacturer. I am not going to go into detail about my employment history, as I think it is important to keep some aspects of my work separate from my blog, but I have been very fortunate to work and liaise with some of the biggest and best fashion retail brands in both the high street and luxury sectors. When you are studying for your degree you aspire to work with such brands, so it still sometimes seems surreal to be casually emailing these clients all in the name of business! Each job has set me up with a great skill set and I have even been lucky to enjoy work trips abroad in both Europe and the USA. Nothing in life is perfect though, so of course there have been up's and down's but I have managed to keep my chin up and continue to push on with my career in this industry. There is always a solution to be found for a less than positive situation!
The blogging part...
When I first started my blog my posts were related to my degree, so I would showcase my own personal design work. After graduating I began blogging about trend as this went hand in hand with my day job. I was seeing first hand what catwalk trends retailers were buying into for next season, so I was able to form a strong knowledge of which key looks were going to filter through the different market levels of the industry. Trend is a real passion of mine. I look at all the runway collections, street style, fashion influencers, culture, global retail news etc to form solid seasonal trend reports. With my blog, I post 3 times a week and regardless of how busy I am at work I always strive to stick to this schedule. Many people start a blog as a hobby, and whilst only a very small percentage of bloggers will turn it into a full time career or make revenue from it, it can still at times feel like a second job. Getting home from a long day at work and then staying up late busying away on your laptop writing posts can sometimes mean that it is difficult to ever really 'switch off'. Constantly thinking of ideas for content, new trend ideas, when you are going to filter writing your next post into your busy life? For me personally, working in fashion and blogging about fashion does mean that I feel like I have fashion on the brain 24/7 - but is there anything wrong with showing dedication to something you love? So credit where credit is due to all the fellow bloggers who hold down a busy full time job and still manage to produce top class content, without missing any post days!  

These days if you say you are a blogger people role their eyes, with blogs being ten a penny, but its not about becoming the next big blogging sensation or international star of YouTube. It's about pouring your enthusiasm into doing something you enjoy and anything else should be a bonus. Granted getting invited to an event by a great brand is wonderful, and I always feel very grateful for the experiences, but if I didn't get invited to these events or even work in fashion i'd still be blogging about trend because it's what I love (as cliched as that sounds). People look up to the full-time bloggers and develop a competitive streak to try to reach their level of success. Buying instagram followers, follow/unfollow, etc - surely it is a much nicer sense of pride to know that someone follows you because they genuinely like your content as opposed to knowing it's being because you've employed questionable tactics to increase your subs? I also think it is important to have integrity and stay true to your blog ethos. For example, sometimes I get introduced to a brand, who may have great products, but if it's not right for my content I won't post about it. This may seem harsh, but if you want to set your blog apart from the rest finding a niche is key. Of course my blog is not perfect, nobody's is...we are all just trying to do our own thing the best we can!

Stats
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Instagram - 225


Phillippa x

Twitter - @phillippa22
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Pinterest - phillippadesign

Wednesday 26 April 2017

A/W 17 Trend Report - Safari

Taking to the wild plains of Africa for A/W 17, designers led the way with contemporary nods to safari chic. Khaki is a classic transitional colour, coming in various guises and perfectly mixing and matching with other neutral separates in your wardrobe. Silhouettes were tailored - both structured and loose depending on the preferred feel of the collection. Dion Lee opted for boxy jackets with cinched waists, whilst Nina Ricci delivered buttoned blazers with leather panel details. These jackets were also constructed from corduroy (another key trend for the season, so well worth the investment). Over at Balmain, studded suede draped jackets with elongated sleeves gave a relaxed feel to the trend, whereas Stella McCartney layered utility shirts with duster overalls for an ultra modern look. For an extra hint of safari, take note from Fendi, Loewe and Ralph Lauren who added subtle hints of animal print for a more direct take on the trend.
Phillippa x 

Twitter - @Phillippa22
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Monday 24 April 2017

Brand To Know - RIXO

RIXO London is a brand which has been on my radar for a few months now, so I thought it was about time I profiled this London based label on my blog. Founded in 2015 by Henrietta Rix and Orlagh McCloskey, RIXO is a contemporary womenswear brand with vintage inspired collections. If you have been following my blog for a while then you will know that I draw much of my own fashion inspiration from the 70's era, the same as RIXO. What really struck me about this brand, is the fearless approach to colour and print. Having studied textiles and trained as a print designer myself, you can see why I adore RIXO's approach to fashion. Prints are feminine without being twee and the result is a collection with a free-spirited appeal. It's not everyday that you find a brand that looks like every piece in the collection has been designed with you in mind, that is exactly how I feel about RIXO. Stockists include: Net-a-Porter, Baar & Bass and Wolf & Badger
Phillippa x

Twitter - @Phillippa22
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Saturday 22 April 2017

On Trend Now - Slogan Choker T-Shirts

First came the 90's revival of the humble choker necklace, now in quick pursuit is the choker tee. Each summer without fail, slogan tee's are a big trend, capturing the spirit of carefree summers and music festivals, and this year they have been given a 2017 trend revamp with a slashed choker detail. Often coming with a plunging neckline, to reveal a peak of underwear, the highstreet have fully jumped onboard with this look designing countless affordable options to update your SS17 wardrobe. If you are not heading to a festival this summer do not fear, these tee's look equally as good with denim shorts (festival attire) as they do with a pair of ripped skinny's for a suitable daywear look. To evoke that rock'n'roll spirit opt for black, perhaps even a band tee, or for something more fresh go for tie-dye or pastel options. You could always even customise an old tee your have hanging around in your closet. But if getting crafty with a pair of scissors is not your thing, here is a selection of the best styles the highstreet has to offer...
1. Topshop £24 / 2. Tee & Cake £25 / 3. New Look £14.99
4. Bershka £15.99 / 5. BooHoo £10 / 6. New Look £12.99
7. River Island £20 / 8. And Finally £28 / 9. BooHoo £14

Phillippa x

Twitter - @Phillippa22
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Wednesday 19 April 2017

A/W 17 Trend Report - Vintage Blooms

Whilst floral trends are rarely anything new, there was one which made a bold statement on the A/W 17 runway - Vintage Floral Blooms. Gucci have really revived the 'vintage' look since Alessandro Michele took the helm at the brand and this season the bold floral prints hit the right spot in bright colours on a dark ground. There is something very reminiscent of 'archive Sanderson wallpaper' about the whole look, but it totally works. Whilst Gucci opted for vintage inspired silhouettes, Balenciaga propelled the look into 2017 with super short thigh-skimming dresses. Over at Preen, the floral prints caused a riot on the runway and were seen on mid-length dresses and dramatic quilted jackets. Scour you local vintage and thrift stores for true and authentic pieces to work this trend into your wardrobe.
Phillippa x

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Wednesday 12 April 2017

On Trend Now - Corset Details

This season marks the return of the corset! Think 'corset' and you probably think of burlesque dancers at the Moulin Rouge in Paris, but corsets have come a long way since then. Gone are the lace overlays and the contrasting black/red colour combo, making way for chic and practical day options. There's been a recent celebrity craze for waist-trainers (see any Kardashian's insta for pics) and it's inevitable that their influence on social media has had an undoubted impact on the corset revival. Hitting the runway for the Prada A/W 16 show, lace up corsets were layered over everything: trench coats, dresses and tee's - adding the ultimate styling feature to otherwise quite masculine tailored pieces. Balmain went big on a more classic corset, cut just below the bust for femininity, but there was still a distinct element of strong power dressing about the whole look. Fast forward a season and Isabel Marant layered corset belts over slouchy utility wear. And where the catwalk leads, the celebrities will follow. Stylist Monica Rose, whose clients include Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid and Chrissy Teigen, regularly dresses her a-lister clientele in waist-cinching numbers. The beauty of this trend, is that the corsets are intended to be worn over a multitude of garments. Its not a case of having to revamp your entire wardrobe, it is simply about just adding a corset over pieces you already have - anything goes.
Naturally the high street caught on to this trend and have delivered a great selection of wearable options. If a separate corset belt isn't your thing then do not despair, many retailers have combined corset details into basic t-shirt dresses and tops making this trend even more versatile.
1. Zara £15.99 / 2. New Look £9.99 / 3. Next £35 / 4. BooHoo £18
5. Jean Paul Gaultier Vintage £320 / 6. BooHoo £18 / 7. Kenzo £175 / 8. River Island £25
9. Next £38 / 10. Zara £25.99 / 11. Next £40 / 12. River Island £26
13. H&M £29.99 / 14. Stella McCartney £525 / 15. New Look £11.99 / 16. Antonio Berardi £697

Phillippa x

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http://www.refinery29.uk/2017/03/145252/corset-belt-trend-2017

Monday 10 April 2017

A/W 17 Trend Report - Loose Threads

For A/W 17 we saw several designers delve into the world of traditional textiles crafts. With a strong emphasis on application, designers Maison Margiela, Alexander McQueen and Sonia Rykiel experimented with knitwear and manipulated fabrics and threads in a variety of interesting ways. Over at Sonia Rykiel, threads hung loose from hems, whilst over at McQueen contrast red threads were plaited onto black leather corset dresses. In an age where designers are constantly pushing the boundaries of fashion and looking for futuristic fabrics and new techniques, it was refreshing to see designers focus on tradition and execute these techniques with luxury precision. 
Phillippa x

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Saturday 8 April 2017

Shop Now - Zip Up Sweaters

It's the Fall wardrobe staple which has carried over to Spring - Zipped Knitwear. First seen on the runway at Chloe, and stemming from the ever so popular athleisure trend of the past few seasons, zipped knitwear offers a super easy cover up for the transitional season. Previously teamed with track pants for a slouchy 'off-duty' look, now such tops are being teamed with denim kick flares or asymmetric skirts for a new take on the trend. So why not update your wardrobe this Spring and invest in this practical and stylish knitwear trend? Here is an edit of the best the luxury and high street market currently has to offer...
1. Next £26 / 2. Topshop £45 / 3. Tory Burch £330
4. & Other Stories £65 / 5. Topshop £38 / 6. Versace £750
7. H&M £12.99 / 8. Chloe £501 / 9. Marques Almeida £360

Phillippa x

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Wednesday 5 April 2017

Brand To Know - Kitty Joseph

If you love colour and print, then you need Kitty Joseph on your fashion radar. Graduating from the Royal College of Art in 2011, the brand explores the use of the two aforementioned elements with a modern versatility. Having worked as a colour consultant and a trend analyst for international brands and agencies, Kitty's designs have a strong artistic flair. From pleated skirts with contrasting geometric prints, to on-trend bomber jackets - the brand has striking daywear and evening wear pieces. Stockists: Colette and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago.
Phillippa x

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Monday 3 April 2017

A/W 17 Trend Report - Velvet

Sumptuous velvet reigned supreme on the A/W 17 runway. Seen in a kaleidoscope of colours, and even printed, this luxe fabric was one of the key trends to emerge from the season. Nothing says 'Fall' fashion more than a rich velvet, and this season it was seen on: dresses, jackets, tops and even suits for the ultimate chic Autumnal 2-piece. Over at Monse, buttercup yellow and lapis were the colours of choice - adding a vibrant pop to a modern Fall wardrobe. Keeping proceedings classic, Trussardi and Prada opted for traditional earthy tones. If you want to spice up your closet, take note from Erdem, John Galliano and Vivienne Tam who created opulent printed gowns. 
Phillippa x

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Saturday 1 April 2017

Outfit of The Month - April

A shirt dress is a wardrobe staple - super easy to style and very versatile. This silk-blend option from Ganni will work well for day or night and has an edgy appeal with it's minimal Zebra print. A slouchy fit blazer from Helmut Lang ensures the outfit still looks 'put together' but relaxed at the same time due to the loose belt. Toughening up the look, this pair of classic biker boots add an extra stylish hit. The scarf trim detail sets them apart from other pairs of standard biker boots, and also complements the colour of the dress. A classic tote from Anya Hindmarch completes the outfit, with the multicoloured shoulder strap really elevating this bag to high fashion stakes.

Phillippa x

Twitter - @Phillippa22
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