Style Profile || Eden Gasson

Meet Eden Gasson (aka choccyprincess), a sixteen year old retro-fashion loving feminist from Northampton, England and with over 4000 followers on social media. I've been following her on twitter and instagram for  a long time now and, without this sounding horribly over-enthusiastic, she is probably one of the coolest sixteen year olds I've ever seen and spoken to. She is open-minded and isn't afraid to express her opinions and beliefs, and is a strong advocator of positive body image and feminism. For a sixteen year old she seems way beyond her years and exerts a very mature view on the world. 

What strikes me about Eden is her unique and eclectic style, she has the most amazing wardrobe I have ever seen, and with most of it being vintage. Her style illuminates a sort of joy and confidence that so many girls lack nowadays, and that so much fashion does not have. Her bold colours, one-off finds and hidden gems all, I feel, represent what Eden is like as a person and her style emanates her and truly is unique.

After laughing at her tweets and stalking her instagram I found her tumblr and was introduced to much more of her wardrobe than I had already seen and I was, I have to to say, exceedingly jealous. She seems to have this whole fashion thing figured out and she told me that she has no main fashion inspiration, and all at the age of sixteen. It's enough to make you look at your own wardrobe and wonder what you are doing wrong…

"I love fashion and love planning my outfits, getting inspiration off of tumblr and from magazines etc, and colour-coordinating my outfit with accessories. I feel like my fashion sense does reflect me as a person in some aspects and it is a way of expressing myself and my artistic side, but I honestly do just wear whatever I like to wear just because I can."

Anyway, I've haven't done one of these before, but I have been very eager to try it, so I thought I would do little style profile/interview with Eden and see what she feels about her own style, fashion and fashion within feminism.

Tumblr || Twitter || Instagram

Have you always been interested in fashion, and if so can you remember when you first became really interested? 

I think I have always been interested in fashion, but didn't really get fully into it until I was around 15.

What would you consider your style to be?

My style can go from 50s movie star to 90s goth to 5 year old in the length of a week . My style is a mix of anything and everything I think is cool. My classmates used to say I came into school dressed as different person every day!

I've noticed your massively into vintage - can you remember what the first vintage thing you bought was? 

I wish I had both a cool answer to this and a good memory, but no I do not. I can remember the first time I went into my local vintage shop though. It's this ginormous warehouse hidden just out of my town and I had never seen so many different colours and styles in one place. It's called 'A Most Marvellous Place To Shop' and it really is.

Favourite era of fashion? 

I want to say 60s but this is honestly like a mother having to chose a favourite child.

Have your parents (or any other family member) influenced your style in any way? 

Yes, both my parents! I was around 14 and I remember my parents bringing a load of clothes down from the attic and it included my Dad's original 90s Nirvana oversize tie-dye jumpers and my Mum's clothes from her goth and punk days as a teen. My Mum influenced my style mainly though, her teenage days she was a punk with bright red hair and fishnet tights and in her later teens she was a goth with corsets, choker necklaces and these long black pvc coats which were so kickass. In the 90s she also used to go clubbing with my Dad, her in fur coats and him in his pin stripe suits, they'd call themselves the "King and Queen" of the local live music venue. My mum also used to wear a suit jacket whilst topless underneath or with a bra which I always though was super cool (which I'm yet to experience).  

How do you think feminism has influenced women's fashion, specifically today's fashion? I've not had a big think about this. I know it's now acceptable and pretty badass for women to wear suits, I've seen a lot of women wearing them lately too in the fashion world which I think is awesome and is influenced by feminism. 

Would you say your own style is influenced by feminist movements etc?

I wouldn't say my own style is, I do own a few T-shirts with Feminist phrases on if that counts, although since becoming a feminist I don't care if people don't like what I wear, or if it's too "sexy", "shows too much skin" or "isn't 'right' for my body". So my confidence in outfit choice has been effected by my journey as a feminist. 

All images are taken from Eden Gasson's Tumblr with permission.

|| London Fashion Week || My Favourites from the Week ||

With Fashion Week having been and gone, it seems the fashion world is still obsessing over the biggest fashion event of the year.

I, unfortunately, did not go, however my plan is to try and go next year. Fingers crossed. Anyway, over the past week I have been scrolling through the various pictures and videos of the past Fashion Week from numerous sources; from Fashion Week’s website, Vogue.com to Cara Delevigne and Kate Grand’s Instagram. Every picture and video I have seen has made me so jealous and I just wish more than anything to be there, admiring all the collections (anything is better than A Levels) from the sophisticated and classy to the weird and wonderful.

London Fashion Week has now ended and I thought it would be acceptable to do a post dedicated to my favourites throughout the week, and give a little insight into why I like the collections.

All the images I have used on this post are taken from Fashion Weeks website.

No copyright intended.

Vivienne Westwood Red Label Spring/Summer 2014

Vivienne Westwood has been one of my favourite designers for as long as I've been involved with fashion. There's something so fascinating about and intriguing about her work, her collections reflect her and h er chose style. For me her collections reflect more of art than fashion, they represent freedom, femininity, fashion and art. I am particularly in favour of this collection, there's something about the combination of colours, patterns and various textures that is so mesmerizing.

Tata-Naka Autumn/Winter 2014

How utterly fabulous is this collection?! I think I'm obsessed. Admittedly, I had not heard of Tata-Naka but after a bit of research I discovered that these two Georgian sisters are now one of my favourite labels. When I was scrolling through London Fashion Week's website, I  instantly saw this collection and it is safe to say that it was love at first sight. I'm not sure why I am so completely in love with it, but I am. The clothing has a similar appeal to that of my grandmother's curtains, the sort of appeal that makes you question yourself: why do I like this? What is it that is so intriguing? But there you are, still doting over this bazaar yet beautiful combination. 

Erdem Spring/Summer 2014

I think monochrome is a trend that will always be around. It will circulate the fashion world for eternity, constantly making reoccurrence's on our catwalks and in our magazines. It is just so effortlessly chic and sophisticated, and it cannot go wrong. It is faultless. Erdem's S/S collection for 2014 is the epitome of all that. With a combination of just black, just white, and the two mixed together, Erdem Moralioğlu has created a collection that not only is simplistic in colour, but is profound in the details, the fabrics and the designs. Monochrome at its finest.

Emilia Wickstead Spring/Summer 2014

And moving on from the simplistic colours, we encounter the bold colours. Emilia Wickstead has pulled out all the stops in creating a beautiful and stimulating collection. The structured cuts and shapes contrast with the bold, yet soft pastel colours creating a collection to suit everyone. There is something about Wicksteads S/S 14 collection that just has me falling head over heels. I love everything about it. The angular shaping to the clothing against the pastel colours is just beautiful. I just love it...

Whistles Autumn/Winter 2014

Lilac. The marmite of the fashion world. It has the potential to be fabulous and eye-catching, or the potential to drown all colour out of your face and make you look severely ill. (Personally I am a fan of lilac.) Whistles' A/W 14 collection is wonderful. The colours are, I must admit, some of my favourites and the combination of them just works. The clothes look comfortable and easy to wear, yet still having an effortlessly chic look to them.



So here you have it, just a couple of my favourites from London Fashion Week. Hopefully next year  you will be reading a post dedicated to when I actually went to Fashion Week. We can hope. Please let me know your favourites from Fashion Week.

|| Rome Trip - January 2014 ||

A thousand apologies for the lack of posting, I’m very ashamed.

Nice wet morning in Rome

I know I always say this, but I have been incredibly busy – A Levels are not fun. And that is a fact. I’ve been very bogged down with coursework, homework and a week of work experience at the Wilts & Glos Standard (more to come on that later.) I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while, and have been putting it off for ages. I’m sorry.

Anyway…

At the end of January I was fortunate enough to go on a trip to Rome with my Classical Civilisation class. We stayed in the beautiful city of Rome for four nights, and just around four days and I have to say it was one of the most wonderful cities I have ever been to (it may even top Paris…)

Admittedly the weather was appalling. It rained the whole time we were there, with the exception of the sun making an appearance on our last day in the city – typical. The rain unfortunately caused a few problems to our schedule, for example we were not able to visit Ostia Antica because the rain had left some “puddles” which meant we couldn’t look around. It’s safe to say my lecturer was extremely irritated. However, we didn’t let the weather affect our spirits as we traipsed around the city of Rome with our troop of umbrellas and soaked shoes.

Initially we couldn’t get into the Forum, again because of puddles. The Romans must not be as well adjusted to the rain as we Brits are. However we did eventually get a chance to take a tour around the political centre for the Roman Empire and it was absolutely mind-boggling. 

Me and a bust.

It was absolutely fascinating to see where Cicero would have performed his speeches, where the Caesar was cremated, where the Vestal Virgins lived and prayed, and all the other bits of history that I got far too over-excited about. Along with the Forum, we also visited the Palatine Hill and the Colosseum, which were all valid for our knowledge on Roman History.

Amongst all the Roman historical sites, we all visited all the ‘typical tourist’ sites of Rome including; the Sistine Chapel, St Peter’s Basilica, the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon. We also went to many other churches and fountains but unfortunately I can’t remember all their names. 

One of my favourite places was definitely the Vatican and the Vatican Museum. It was so unbelievably mesmerising and everything was so beautiful. The Vatican Museum in particular was astounding. There was so much to see and there was art and history everywhere; on the walls, floors and ceilings. I would be walking down a corridor and my eyes would be automatically drawn to a painting on the ceiling, and then to the main features on the walls, and then to some more art dotted around the whole area. Just incredible.

(L-R) Me, Zeus, Georgia

We were lucky enough to get a guided tour around Cinecitto Film Studios (kind of the Hollywood of Rome.) We went into the studio’s mini-museum which had props and costumes from various films filmed on the location, along with information about the films and a short documentary about the studio’s prime set designer Dante Ferretti. Cinecitto also happens to be the location where HBO’s series ‘Rome’ is filmed and the set is still currently up. This proved to be very interesting as it gave us an insight into what Rome would have looked like ‘back in the day.’

Other than all the touristy and historical sites, we also got the “real Italian experience” when we went out for pizza and pasta for every meal. I’m pretty sure I doubled my weight out there with the amount of pizza, pasta, ice cream and wine I had. It was so worth it though. 

|| Review || iMerchandise: The Fashion Buyers Hero ||

To all you fashion buyers out there, have you ever wanted a device or app that makes the wholesale clothing buying process simpler and more efficient? Well look no further: iMerchandise does just this. 

There's nothing quite like it out there and best of all it's free (who doesn't like a freebie?) Its aim is to help stores and line owners that attend fashion shows get rid of those pesky handwritten line sheets and order forms. No more hours spent cutting and pasting your favourite pictures and designs onto "vision boards." iMerchandise does all this for you!

"The new fashion app that simplifies the wholesale 

clothing buying process for retailers."

CEO and Founder of the app, David Secul is a retailer himself and said of the app: "I've created this app with my own funds initially for my personal use." He soon realised how wonderful his app was and how much the rest of the buying world and retail world would benefit from experiencing it themselves.

The idea of iMerchandise is to keep all your info and ideas in one place and, in a sense, act as your own virtual personal assistant.

Personally as I am not a fashion buyer or retailer, I have no need for the app. I do however know that if I was a buyer/retailer I would love this app with every bone in my body and there would be no turning back. I honestly recommend every buyer and retailer out there to download, and get their mitts on this wonderful app - so do it. 

GET THE APP HERE

(All images are property of iMerchandise)

|| Happy (late) New Year || Resolutions ||

I've realised I never did my 'New Year' post last week, poor form Libby. However, here it is for all you lovely readers, admittedly 6 days late but better late than never right? I hope everyone had a wonderful christmas and new year and that you were all blessed with many gifts and that you well and truly stuffed yourself. Also, Happy New Year!

Now with 2014 gracing our guilty and spoilt bodies I felt it was time to really crack down on some certain things I had been saying I would do, but never got round to. I suppose by making them my New Years Resolutions or Things to Achieve in 2014 gives it a nice ring and that extra push I need - let's hope. 

1. TO BE HEALTHIER

Being healthy is something that I've always had an on-and-off relationship with. There are times when the idea of being healthy and looking sophisticticated with a cup of green tea and a goats-cheese salad and then doing some yoga and just being wonderful really appeals to me, however on the other side of the spectrum I am very fond of sitting in bed, stuffing my face with a pizza whilst watching Sex and the City. 

I've decided I want to break out of this rut - at least for a while. I want to start eating healthier and to be fit. I want that "glow" we are so frequently told about. I want that. My action plan to be healthier is: 1. cut out junk food ie. no snacking on crisps and chocolate, drink lots of water throughout the day and carry a waterbottle with me (my skin really needs it), eat plenty of fruit and vegetables. Also, practically live off herbal teas.

2. GET FIT (KIND OF)

Over the years I've had problems with joints which has resulted in not being able to participate in sport (which in all honesty has definitely not been a bad thing - I hate sport.) I, for a while, did yoga and I absolutely loved it, however when I finished school I never got back into it. I recently got a new yoga app which is absolutely wonderful! So therefore my plan is to do a yoga programme twice a week, three if I can manage it, and to at least try and get fit - oh dear.

3. TRY NOT TO STRESS

What with starting A Levels I can already feel the stress mounting and I have never been good at dealing with stress. However I plan on cracking down on this early to prevent me stressing and having a breakdown: early nights, sleep well, trying to get all my work done the night I get it and in my free-periods in college so not to have it piled up at the weekend, lots of little pampering ie. baths, cups of tea, reading etc.

4. READ LOTS OF BOOKS

Pretty self explanatory really...

5. BE HAPPY

Just generally be happy (cheesey I know.)  Have less negative comments about myself, and try not to put myself down so much. Compliment people when I apprieciate them, tell my family and friends more often that I love them, try not to get in arguments - apologise instead of furthering the argument.

What are all your resolutions for the new year?

I hope you all have a wonderful new year. Love and blessings to you all.

|| The Fight Against Fur ||

As many of you will know, I am very much against the use of animals and their skins, furs and products in fashion. It is a controversial  topic amongst many people with various different views, but a topic that I feel very strongly about. I have been a vegetarian for many years now and have, I have said in previous posts, dabbled in veganism, therefore, for me, the idea of eating meat and parts of an animal really disturbs me and I really dislike the idea of it very much.

The use of animals is fashion however is a whole other matter to me. Rather than making me feel nauseous and uncomfortable, I've found that it makes me angry and irritated. There is something so uncomfortable and unsettling about the idea of wearing an animal’s skin or fur, and then there is the horror that animals endure just purely so we humans having something to wear.

“Animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, use for entertainment, or abuse in any other way.”

PETA

Fur is one of the oldest forms of clothing and has been around since the days of cave-men, I suppose for the humans of the past it was an ideal piece of clothing and relatively easy to get hold of; it kept them warm in the coldest of days and due to the primitive time it would have been incredibly easy to get hold of and would have been part of their hunting any way: eat the meat, wear the skin.

“The decision not to use leather or fur is not just because I don’t eat animals or that I think that millions of animals each year shouldn’t be killed for the sake of fashion. It’s because I also believe in the connection between fur and leather and the environment. There’s a huge connection.”

Stella McCartney

As we are now knee-deep in the cold winter climate, fur coats have started appearing everywhere, making a return to fashion. Thankfully, most of the high street stores sell mainly faux-fur coats, however many stores and designers are selling real-fur coats and jackets and accessories ranging in a variety of different furs: fox, rabbit, grey wolf, raccoon and many, many others. All these animals used for the pleasure of people endure a tremendous amount of suffering and pain and lose inevitably their lives.

Fur Farms are generally the most popular source of fur, with PETA estimating 85% of the fur used in industry coming form these fur farms. Animals in these so-called ‘farms’ are kept in conditions that are too horrific to even imagine, they are confined to small wire cages, which are cramped and filthy. These animals will spend most of their lives trapped in conditions such as these. These ‘fur farms’ are very similar to the factory farms used to rear animals for food: their aim being to increase their profits, exploiting and without a care for the animals.

Images from PETA

[[For more information of Fur Farms visit the PETAwebsite.]]

There are so many alternatives to fur, most of them are just as soft and look almost identical to the real fur. There is also a huge price difference, faux-fur coats are generally immensely cheaper – if that doesn’t sway you toward faux-fur I don’t know what will. Personally I am also against faux-fur, only because I feel it is promoting the suffering.

One of the issues I find that is often associated with the wearing of fur is the frequent contradiction. Many people find themselves hating fur and the use of animals within fashion, however on the other hand they are frequent meat eaters. However we realise that, even though I don't eat meat and haven't for some time, our bodies do (as I shiver at the thought) need proteins, often in the form of meat (however for me thats pulses and tofu.) However we as humans do not need fur, it is not a vital part of our lives.

This is when the "well if you're going to eat the meat why not use the fur as well etc etc" debate, and yes I hear you. But most of the furs used in out clothing are not animals that are consumed as food. When was the last time you ate a bear? Or a fox? Or a raccoon? Yeah, I thought so.

As you can tell I have a very strong opinion on this matter and it is something I feel incredibly passionate about. I read on Independent Fashion Bloggers that talking about a controversial topic, and one that is important to you is an interesting thing for your blog, and a way for readers to connect and understand you as a blogger.

|| Isabel's Retro Inspired Clothing Market-Stall ||

The quiet Cotswold town of Cirencester is famous for its markets, ranging from the Home & Garden ones, to the Crafts Market, to the Italian Food Market and the regular market held Monday and Friday in the middle of town. 

Isabel

Over the past few months a new stall has recently started to catch my eye, particularly due to it being relitively new, and I have to say I absolutely adore it. It is a retro inspired clothing stall run by the fabulous Isabel.

"6 months ago I was a stuffy suit wearing business woman (area manager ) working for boots and apple. I changed my lifestyle and now follow my passion." 

When asked what her favourite thing about vintage/retro clothing, Isabel simply replied with: "I love the styles through the years, and the feminine glamour." I have to completely agree with her here as my favourite thing about vintage clothing is how much it changed throughout the years, and how it is still changing right before us.

One of the things that massively drew me toward Isabel's stall was how quickly her stock grew. I remember the first day I went to visit it and the range of clothing was small but wonderful, and as the weeks have passed the about of pieces has grown massively. 

The stall contains a range of pieces from various decades such as 1920's flapper dresses, to 1940's skirts and blazers, to 1970's inspired dresses. The collection of fur coats is extensive, with many being real fur and other being faux-fur and in various different colours, tones, styles and cuts - one suitable for everyone. You will also be delighted to hear that the clothes are all at amazing prices.

This particular dress I am utterly in love with. The rich purple is gorgeous, and the velvet is so soft it almost slips through your fingers. I didn't get round to trying it on (I was too busy taking pictures and i was also freezing) but fI definitely think I will next as it is at an amazing price of £20.

Definition of vintage (putting aside wine option):

1. being of a specified vintage: vintage wine.

2. representing the high quality of a past time; classic: vintage movies.

3. of, imitating, or being a style or fashion of the past; retro: vintage clothing.

4. being the best of its kind; choice: vintage Shakespeare.

5. old-fashioned or obsolete.


For me there's something so wonderful and exciting about vintage clothing. It's a way of celebrating art and history in one single item, there can be so much unknown history within one dress.
It represents a lasting interest and importance along with a air of class and maturity not found among much of the current fashion.

I suppose the definition of vintage is fluid in a way. The term has being taken up by the advertising and marketing industry and has become a term that is used for clothing that is just inspired by a certain era. I personally believe that a dress made in 2010, but made to look like a 1960's dress in not vintage, however is certainly is vintage-inspired or retro-inspired. I believe that real vintage is pure and dates back to the time is was made and was in fashion, I believe it comes with history and a story.
It is apparently known that anything older than 100 years is perceived to be antique, not vintage. This therefore means that everything eventually becomes antique which I think is a nice thought.

More pictures below.

|| Black || The Greatest Colour in Fashion & Art? ||

Yves Saint Laurent once said that “black is the liaison which connects art and fashion,” supporting Gianni Versace’s similar citation that “black is the quintessence of simplicity and elegance.”

The colour of black wasn’t really introduced into fashion until around the 14^th Century, in which the status of black within fashion and art began to change. The fine quality dyes began to be imported and exported and soon arrived on the market. Initially black was to be worn by governmental officials and magistrates, acting as a symbol of ‘importance’ and ‘seriousness.’

Black was the colour of power; of dignity; of humility and temperance with the rulers of the European world basking in the symbolism of black.

Gustave Doreé || The Inferno, Canto

In the 18^th century black began to retreat as a fashionable colour, and as Paris became the fashion capital of the world; the powerful men and women of the world began adorning shades of pastels, creams and colours – a sweet shops of colours.

Then came the Industrial Revolution and everything changed. The cities of Europe and a-like became stained black resulting in the art and literature of the time to reflect the landscape – think Charles Dickens and famous French artist Gustave Doré. 

Henri Matisse || Potrait of
Madame Matisse

Within the world of art, black was a controversial topic with some artists fully loathing the colour within their works, whereas others, such as Manet, incorporated the colour in their works to capture the lights and true emotion of the subject. In the 20^th century black became the colour of Fascism from counties such as Italy and Germany. However within art, black regained some the territory is had previously lost in around the 19^th century.

In 1945, Henri Matisse (personally one of my favourite artists) greatly expressed his love for the colour within his work, explaining the significance and importance of the colour: “when I didn’t know what colour to put down, I put down black … Black is a force: I use black as a ballast to simplify the construction … since the impressionists it seems to have made continuous progress, taking a more and more important part in colour orchestration, comparable to that of the double bass as a solo instrument.”

Coco Chanel's 'LBD'

In 1926 our beloved Coco Chanel famously said this: “A woman needs just three things; a black dress, a black sweater, and, on her arm, a man she loves.” Along with her famous LBD – Little Black Dress – she helped to revolutionize fashion, and of course the colour of black within fashion. Women’s fashion became sophisticated and simplified, symbolising freedom coinciding with chic. One of the most famous dresses inspired by this movement is of course the one worn by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, designed by Hubert de Givenchy.

In the 1950s, black became the symbol of individuality and intellectual and social rebellion, spanning from the leather jacketed greasers to the punk subculture of the late 20th century.

Designer Ann Demeulemeester said that black is of “the purest of colours … the most poetic, but at the same time strongest. It’s the colour of poets and writers and of rebels.”

Coco Chanel

Black within fashion is a recurrent feature, the only colour that stays no matter what. No matter the season. No matter occasion. No matter the style. Many speculate that black within fashion is greatly linked with the economy and in a sense I agree. Black has been, and still is, a symbol for various movements, subcultures and personal expression. Black became a way in which men and women could fully express themselves without giving in to the conformity pressed by society. It became is symbol of power, freedom, individuality and rebellion, and symbol that, without even knowing, would change the face of fashion and art continuously. Black is a colour that is in-definitively adaptable to our surroundings, social status, economical stance, and our political and moral movements.