For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to go to London Fashion Week.

I 100% fall into the category of people who are mesmerised by everything Fashion (and yes Fashion with a capital ‘F’ because it deserved a capital ‘F’.

The Designers, the Models, the Photographers, the Writers, the clothes, the sparkle, the razzmatazz and the glamour.  Everything about this industry fascinates me and is one of the biggest reasons I started blogging.

Everyone talks about why they love fashion, all reasons vary and all are very valid.  Yes given, clothes are something we need to wear (unless you follow the naturist vibe!) but for me, they are a representation of you, your personality and how you want the world to see you.  They speak a 100o words before you have even said 1.

Outfits are a collective of how you want to be seen and understood.  They are mood boards, talking points, armour, confidence, perhaps a cover up at times and our own uniform for life.

It sounds serious yes, but not really.  It’s more a way of expressing your personal style and what’s inside your head and your style is your window for the world.  I love that we can experiment, mix it up, have fashion faux pas to our hearts content and discover style in many different ways.  I have a very eclectic style and love trying out new looks, colours, textures and trends.  I can be a bit out there at times, but thats just me and I love it!

Clothes are passion of mine, but equally accessories are too.  They have the ability to take a style from zero to hero and jazz up an otherwise understated outfit.  So more often than not, you’ll catch me in the shoes/handbags/jewellery sections first!  Plus, I am a magpie and I have a special sparkle radar!

So yes, without further ado – LFW!  I can’t tell you how excited I was to be going, it’s one of the most fun and happy days I have ever had and I felt like I was in an environment where I really belonged.  The setting for LFW was absolutely stunning.  Saatchi Gallery is located in Chelsea and the grounds are beautiful.  I felt giddy with excitement waiting in the queue and couldn’t wait to catch a glimpse of all the beautiful things!

Saatchi Gallery

I booked the 9am – 12pm session and what I didn’t realise is that there are limited spaces in order that shoppers can browse without the gallery being absolutely packed to the rafters.  I enter the gallery and am immediately filled with inspiration about how beautiful the building is.  Clothes are on the ground floor, shoes are on the second and accessories are on the top floor.  I’ve a lot to get through as I am also attending a fashion show at 11.30am!  So excited!

The clothes floor is filled with well known designers as well as up and coming designers, all of which fit equally and flawlessly together.  The fusion and buzz around me is so well tuned to the event, what I notice is that everyone I speak to is super friendly too.

Sometimes this industry gives the opposite impression (if you listen and are influenced by the negative or the devil wears Prada effect!), however I have so far experienced friendly and welcoming people who share the same passion you do and are happy to be just as excited and into it as you are.

I sift the rails and quickly spot things that I love (which is quite a lot!).  I did have my eye on a beautiful metallic rose gold dipped hem skirt, but there was only 1 and when I went back to get it – someone was trying it on and bought it – so word of warning, if you love it, get it!   You will regret it, as a lot of designers, especially the up and coming ones, only carry 1 each of their designs.

Keeping with the metallic theme, I have spotted a beautiful grey metallic bat wing top at Armani Exchange – I make sure I get that one!  Also, if you weren’t already aware, items at LFW are marked down too, so you’ll be sure to grab a bargain.  My Armani Exchange top had 25% off, its absolutely gorgeous.

You could go crazy here, there are rails filled with so many delights its unreal.  Imagine going into a bakery and it being filled with all your favourite cakes in one shop – its like that!  And its hard to keep disciplined, so my plan was to really hone in on the things I wanted and also good staples that I knew I would wear again and again.

Its hard though, frills (to be a MASSIVE trend for 2017!), texture, sparkle, faux leather, faux fur, bargains and delights everywhere!  It’s not long before I spot a beautiful faux leather skater skirt, which has the most unique laser cut circles on the outside layer.  Simply stunning.  I decide that this is my next purchase and plus its a staple (tick) and it goes with my Armani Exchange top (tick tick).

Next stop, shoes!  Ah shoes!  The wonderful, beautiful, satisfyingly divine world of shoes!  The ‘pop up’ shoe capsule is located on the second floor and it’s crammed with beauties from top end to high street.  I spy a pair of striped canvas flats (yes I did say flats!) which are perfect for a hot getaway.

After browsing the collections for ages, and trying my best not to buy a pair at every stand, I decide to head up to the top floor and peruse the beautiful accessories.

I walk through the doors and am immediately besotted with all the sparkly and shiny things!  Jewellery is the one big wow statement factor you can make and add some va va voom to your outfit.  If I’m having a month of budgeting and spend my spare pennies on my home or holidays, instead of clothes,  I’ll buy a statement necklace or earrings, because I think they can instantly revolutionise an old outfit and bring it back up to date.

I spy the John and Pearl stand immediately.  I follow this brand on Instagram and love love love their branding, pieces and story.  Go check them out at: https://www.johnandpearl.co.uk.  Their pieces are modern, bold, statement and very chic. And also – unique.

A gold hexagonal bracelet catches my eye so I quickly snap it up, one of my close friends loves it and i wanted to buy her one, but I’ve since found out that it was a limited edition line for Glastonbury and they’ve all sold out!  Wah!

The stands are crammed full of goodies and I am in love with anything sparkly and dreamy.  There is lots of ‘trend’ jewellery around such as personalised necklaces, midi rings, rose gold (love love) and chokers (love love love).   As I am strolling the stands, I come across the Rosie Fortescue Jewellery stand, and OMG there is Rosie Fortescue!

I am usually so shy when it comes to seeing celebs but I bravely ask for a selfie (in fact I think my words were “would you think I was lame if I asked you for a selfie!!?”.  Rosie was really lovely, happily posed for my selfie and didn’t think I was lame or weird (I hope!).

Rosie’s collection was just as gorgeous as her, beautiful midi and stack rings in all colours, heartbeat rings and bracelets (the ones worn across your top palm) and gorgeous bangles.

This collection reminds me of something for the modern woman.  I find it hard sometimes to find jewellery which is a good balance between trendy, classic and fun.  But Rosie seems to nail this effortlessly, allowing us to channel our inner cool by combining crown topped and stackable rings and kite designs.  The collection also reflects classic glamour with “take me serious” endeavours reflected in the gold choker and matching bangle.  These designs take you from day to night in a wink, and scream “where did you get that”.

I am super into Rose Gold at the moment so I go for a rose gold stack ring with clear stones.  It also compliments and sits naturally against my existing jewellery, which is always a winner because if you are like me, despite having a jewellery habit, I always seem to have the same staples!

So if you’ve noticed a theme, it’s that I have bought something on every floor!  Haha!  Well I wouldn’t want to leave any of them out, that would be cruel – and a waste!  But, I have stuck to my plan of buying an all encompassing outfit and things I will wear over and over, so yeah I deserve a pat on the back for that.  And double brownie points to me for enabling myself to look (and drool) but walk past the handbag stand.  It’s all to do with willpower (and the fact that I am saving for a Michael Kors bag when I got to NY, but thats not the point!).

Before I realise, 11.30am is fast approaching, that can only mean 1 thing – catwalk time!  Do you remember being a kid and feeling giddy at the thought of Christmas or a day out or a treat?  It was like you couldn’t keep your feet still and you were so hyper that you might explode?!  Well yeah, that was me,  it was exciting enough to experience the shopping, but the show – wow – now this is something else!

This is my first experience of a designer catwalk show, and it didn’t disappoint.  The crowd is slowly building and there is a real buzz about the runway.  Fashionistas, fellow models, photographers, designers, press and fashion obsessed bunnies like me take our seats.  The area reserved for the catwalk shows I think is a viewing area for the gallery, it’s perfect!  A long narrow room filled with what can only be described as pews, ready for us to watch gods and goddesses grace the glamour filled room.

The show I see is by the designer Sisley and it is incredible.  It’s also got an edge to it which I absolutely love.  Not afraid to be daring and not afraid to be bold, but equally chic and glamourous.  Texture plays a massive part as does different hem lines, often combined in 1 outfit.

Prints and colour play a big part and lots of purple filled the catwalk.  I love that belts have made a comeback, and often pulled an outfit together as the centrepiece.  The show is masterfully created and the music creates the perfect backdrop and heartbeat to the show.

What can I say, I simply loved it all!  There is something enviably delicious about the catwalk world, as each model effortlessly graces the runway, you can’t help but feel a cinch of enlightenment about the popping bulbs from the press at the everest of the catwalk and them being adored by fashion lovers everywhere.  As stressful as putting together a show must be, the rewards of a successful show and being able to wear such beautiful robes must make it feel like one of the best jobs in the world.

Thats why I love this industry.  To me, it feels like a second nature, a love so great that it would never feel like work.  The show lasted 30 mins and I didn’t want it to end!  As we clapped the beautiful models along for their finale,  I was so happy to have been apart of London Fashion Weekend 2016.

I left the gallery with a big smile on my face, one of the best mornings ever so far!  Its given me my first real taste of the fashion show world, and I can’t wait to do it all again.  More and more please!

D Xo

Ps: Some of my Gorgeous Goodies! Xo

Rosie Fortescue Jewellery Stack Ring in Rose Gold & John & Pearl Bangle

Armani Exchange Metallic Bat Wing Top & Es Givien Laser Cut Skirt