Fashion Institute Of Technology - Fragrance Workshop

During my visit to New York a few weeks ago, a select few of those on my course had the opportunity to visit New York fashion university, Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) to take part in a workshop within the cosmetics and fragrance marketing course they offer. The FCP course at Nottingham Trent has connections with FIT and even offer an exchange programme where FCP students have the opportunity to travel to New York for 6 months to attend FIT, so after hearing so much about the university it was really nice to finally see it with my own eyes!

As we walked into the Annette Green fragrance foundation studio, where the workshop was to be held, it instantly reminded me of a school science lab just much more technical and interesting. This is the only fragrance studio on a college campus in the United States, so you could say I was rather exited to be there. We were introduced to Virginia Bonofiglio, Associate Chairperson of Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing department at FIT who ran the workshop. It was amazing to meet a woman who has been behind some truly groundbreaking fragrances and has had so much experience in the fragrance field.

Fashion Institute of Technology - Annette Green fragrance foundation studio

During the workshop Bonofiglio explained that there is a methodology of smelling and that scents can be categorised into different genealogies (groups) including citrus, floral, green, herbaceous. She also stated that fragrances are designed to make us feel a certain way, whether this be happy, sad, empowered, which is determined by what you associate with that particular scent. I'm sure you've all noticed this before, I know that certain perfumes take me to a particular place, for example my mum bought me 'Flash' by Jimmy Choo as a gift for doing well in my GCSE's so as I started A-Levels this was the perfume I was wearing, therefore every time I wear Flash it reminds me of being at college.

Bonofiglio also discussed how a popularity of a perfume is often determined by what else is going on in the world during the moment in time that perfume is released. She used unisex fragrance 'CK1' by Calvin Klein as an example, CK1 was bought out in 1994, a time when Calvin Klein was really popular as a brand and when gender and gender equality was topic of conversation. Therefore this perfume catered for exactly what consumers desired hence it became so popular. She also touched upon how different cultures are attracted to different types of fragrances explaining that the American market love fragrances which linger however, this is not at all popular within the Asian market. Bonofiglio used Viktor and Rolf 'Flowerbomb' as an example explaining that this scent will linger in a lift long after the person wearing it had stepped out.

Yesterday during a lecture my course mates and I were given a brief overview of our next module which will be based around fragrance (yay). We will be starting this module in a couple of weeks, but for now I will be touching upon the fragrance topic within my blog as a bit of background research. So I hope you're ready for many more fragrance based posed over the coming months.

Love, Isabella x

Photo Credits: All Own Images 

Calvin Klein - Ad Campaign Spring '16

It would seem that yesterday was a big day for it girl, Kendall Jenner, not only did the young model appear within Chanels haute couture Spring '16 show, the Calvin Klein Spring 16' campaign she features in was unveiled! Just as you think that Calvin Klein couldn't possibly release yet another celeb festered ad campaign they do it again, and somehow it just works, as always.

I must say regarding Calvin Klein's ad campaigns, the brand is admirable. It makes sense doesn't it, why hire models when you can hire a whole bunch of followed celebes who will splash the images, videos and specified hashtag ALL over social media? The below images featuring Kendall Jenner and Justin Bieber were posted onto Instagram by the stars themselves, where they currently have a joint following equating to an immense 102.8K. Although it was Jenner and Bieber who teased us by releasing the first images of the campaign, shot by photographer and filmmaker Tyrone Lebon, they are not the only famous faces to star within it. Rapper Fetty Wap 'makes money' in his Calvins, actress Abbey lee Kershaw hypnotizes in her Calvins and artist FKA twigs 'breathes' in her Calvins. 

The idea behind the campaign and the hashtag '#mycalvins' is that social media users are urged to share photos of themselves wearing Calvin Klein apparel and fill in the blank with what they do whilst wearing their Calvins which intelligently, I may add creates a platform of free advertisement for the company. 'Millennials reject labels when it comes to their own identities, and they want products that are personalized and individual...We have to recognize that people don't want traditional one-sided advertising anymore. Instead they want to participate in campaigns that capture their imagination. With this campaign, we feel we have created something that truly illustrates the future of the brand, and captures the current youth culture zeitgeist. Judging by this statement made by the CMO of Calvin Klein, Melissa Goldie this campaign is clearly aimed at the millennials and I feel that the it has been perfectly crafted with this in mind. Within a press release Melissa Goldie also said 'This campaign is representative of how culture is evolving as we speak,' she continued 'We're bringing together a diverse mix of provocateurs with a unique collective of visual artists to create content that sparks and drives cultural conversation.' 

I really love this ad campaign and would even go as far as saying for me, it has topped all previous Calvin Klein campaigns. I not only love the styling, photography, minimalism and the interactive aspect of it but also the ideas and thoughts behind the campaign as a whole.

Love, Isabella x

Photo Credits: Instagram, Observer.com

My Trip To Chelsea Market - New York

During my week spent in New York I visited Chelsea Market, located within the Chelsea neighbourhood of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, the market is a a food hall come shopping mall come office building come television production facility. The Chelsea Market website states 'Chelsea market is a neighbourhood market with a global perspective.' I knew next to nothing about the market prior to visiting so I was really unsure what to expect although really intrigued at the same time. To reach Chelsea Market, my friends and I decided to walk across the high line, an elevated section of an old unused railroad spur which has been converted into a linear park, allowing us to see some amazing views, particularly of the Hudson River on the way.

Once we had arrived at Chelsea Market, Anthropology was the first shop we came across which was so colourful and quirky, I can't believe I had never been! After I had finally managed to remove myself from Anthropology, we continued to walk through the Market where we stumbled across so many cute shops, eating places and stands, my favourite was the beautiful florist stand (pictured below). As we came to the end of Chelsea Market we were greeted with a hall/shop like area 'Artists & Ideas', which hosted a range of stands selling handmade jewellery, vintage clothes, floral headbands and paintings. There were also a few walls which were dedicated to new years resolutions, visitors were invited to write onto a post-it note their new years resolutions and stick it to the wall, I thought this was such a sweet idea. Once we had finished up in Chelsea Market, we walked back across the high line which runs straight through the Meatpacking District. We spotted the Giorgio Armani headquarters and were even lucky enough to see through the windows, where some sort of photo shoot was underway which was exiting to say the least! Below I have put together a bit of a gallery of best bits from my trip to Chelsea Market.

Anthropology mugs

Anthropology candles (they smelt divine)

The cutest florist stall

Fairy light heaven (AKA my heaven)

Soo American!

A wall of new years resolutions

Handmade jewellery  

'I am flawless with flaws & all'  

Giorgio Armani Headquarters 

I've still get so many photos from my visit to New York to share with you, so more posts will be up in the near future!

Love, Isabella x

Photo Credits: All Own Images 

Angelica Hicks - Artist Crush

I came across Angelica Hicks, a London based artist back in November when one of her images which you're probably familiar with 'Victoria's Secret Service' appeared all over social media platform, Instagram. The illustration featuring models Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid, was used to announce the girls debut as Victoria's Secret Angels. Hicks posted the illustration onto her Instagram page and it remains her most liked post to date, Jenner and Hadid also posted the image onto their Instagram accounts. Below I have collected together a handful of my favourite illustrations by Hicks, I couldn't just pick a couple to share I'm too in love with her work!

A handful of my favourite illustrations by Angelica Hicks 

The young illustrator is currently taking Instagram by storm, by quite simply making fun of fashion and culture with her witty puns and faultless illustrations. I love how her pieces are so aesthetically pleasing yet so witty, fun and humorous at the same time, fashion can be taken far too seriously so it's nice to see that a lighthearted approach towards the industry is being embraced!

Within an interview with Bazaar, Hicks expressed her feelings on the power of social media 'If I hadn't put one of my first cartoons on Instagram and received positive feedback, who knows whether I would still be illustrating'. She then went on to discuss how she felt that Instagram and social media have influenced the world of fashion 'I was talking to an editor the other day and we were discussing the way in which Instagram and social media have removed the need for people to buy magazines.' This is definitely a statement I must say I agree with! Social media platforms are bombarded with spoilers regarding the fashion industry, Instagram is always the first to make users aware of a new campaign, magazine issue, or up and coming model or photographer, and so on making it unnecessary for us to pick up a magazine to find out the latest news within the fashion world.

During an interview for Tory Daily, Hicks explained that she puts her flare for illustration down to her parents 'My father is a decorator and my mother is involved in both fashion and interiors so I was brought up with an astute awareness of the importance of aesthetics; everything was either "ghastly!' or "divine!" As a child, my father would constantly urge me to "be more observant," and this emphasis on the visual from an early age, coupled with a photographic memory have proven invaluable to my illustrations as I cross-reference popular culture with fashion'.

Angelica Hicks' Instagram 'angelicahicks' (https://www.instagram.com/angelicahicks/) is a must follow account, which she keeps updated with her work on a regular basis. I would also highly recommend giving her website a visit, http://www.angelicahicks.com.  I'd love to see Angelica Hicks collaborate with a fashion campaign or magazine issue in the future, wouldn't that be AMAZING?

Love, Isabella x

Photo Credits: Angelica Hicks' Instagram 

The White Ankle Boot - Trend Alert

As we soon begin to leave the winter season behind and prepare our wardrobes for the spring season ahead, I have picked up on a particular shoe trend which I have really taken to, the white ankle boot. Spring is always a particularly awkward time for footwear, you're not quite ready to let go of your staple black boots but as you begin to pull the white jeans and pastel coloured tops out from the back of your wardrobe the black boots just aren't really working for you however, it's just not quite sandal/flip flop season yet, this always leaves me in a predicament. However this Spring I feel fashion may have finally found a solution for this problem. The white ankle boot trend fits the bill for the transformation from Winter to Spring perfectly, the colour allows the boots to work alongside your Spring/Summer wardrobe but you're not wearing your gladiators at the beginning of April when quite frankly you're just being overly optimistic about Summer being on its way. I'm most exited about this trend as hopefully it means a pet hate of mine could be left behind, the black boots with white jeans look may be ditched at long last.

From Left to Right - Louis Vuitton Spring 2016, Celiné Spring 2016 RTW, Vetements Spring 2016 RTW 

Above are some examples of the white ankle boot on the Spring 2016 Catwalks, My favourites being the sock style boots by Vetements, far right. Not only have we seen this trend crop up on the catwalk for Spring 2016, but this trent has trickled down and is also beginning to appear within high street brands such as, American Apparel, Asos and New Look and as brands continue to stock up on their Spring/Summer lines I'm sure we will be subjected to much more of the white ankle boot.

The white ankle boot - Street Style 

If you're liking the idea of the white boot trend above are some of my favourite street style images featuring this trend which may be of use for styling inspiration. I feel that this trend will really catch on this Spring as it is just so convenient, lets face it we're never ready to say goodbye to our boots for Spring. However, although I love this trend I have a feeling it will only last as a fad, purely because it will only be durable for one season, Spring. This trend is unlikely to stick around for any longer as unfortunately due to the Summer weather we can't wear our beloved boots all year round!

Keep your eyes out for this up and coming trend particularly within high street brands as they begin to introduce their spring lines, I'm hopefully and patiently waiting for Zara to introduce their rendition of the white ankle boot!

The following link leads to my Pinterest board 'The White Ankle Boot Trend' feel free to take a look! https://uk.pinterest.com/ichriston/the-white-ankle-boot-trend/

Love, Isabella x 

Photo Credits: Vogue.com, Google Images, whowhatwear.co.uk

My Trip To Dash - New York

You either love or hate the Kardashians, and I must admit I love them. However, even those that hate them can't deny that they are clearly doing something right, I don't think theres another family out there that have done so well for themselves through being famous for.. well being famous! When deciding what I wanted to see and do in New York, visiting Dash in Soho was definitely up there. The store definitely lived up to all my expectations, it was gorgeous!

The store is basically a treasure trove made up of EVERYTHING Kardashian which I thought was really clever, this store is an attraction for the Kardashian fanbase so it makes sense to retail all things Kardashian. Although I didn't spot any of Kanye's Yeezy trainers or Kylie's lip kit, which I can only put down to the fact that these products are in such high demand and have been major sell outs, there was practically everything else the Kardashian fangirl inside of you could ever wish for. From Kylie and Kendall's book 'Rebels: City Of Indra', to Kris' cook book and Rob's Arthur George sock line to all of the Kardashian autobiographies, oh and not forgetting Kim's book of selfies, 'Selfish', which was strategically covered in transparent plastic to make sure you couldn't just have a quick flick through without actually purchasing the book! The store not only sells the Dash collections but also a range of other brands, my two favourites being For Love & Lemons and WildFox. It's clear that all of the external brands found in Dash have been carefully selected and not randomly chosen to feature within the store as they work really well together allowing the store to flow effectively and overall work as a whole.

As I'm sure you can imagine the store itself is impeccably laid out with a gorgeous interior. It is very simplistic and neat even down to the signage, which is reflective of the brand. Inside the store is very modern and predominantly white which is representational of the glamorous Kardashians. However, the outer architecture of the building in which the store is located is much more old fashioned and detailed as you can see from the right image. I really like this contrast in design between the outside and inside of the store. The detailing within the outside architecture of the building is also really eye catching, this is what initially drew me into the store. There were a few tables located in the centre of the shop which were covered with Kardashian and Dash merchandise along with the odd pair of denim shorts and over priced T-shirt. The rest of the garments were hung on rails surrounding the store, making the shop neat and easy to navigate around.

If your'e heading to New York any time soon I would recommend visiting Dash as it's such a beautiful store, not to mention the gorgeous clothes you'll come across.

Love, Isabella x

Photo Credits: All Own Images 

Linda Richards New York Showroom

Whilst in New York last week I visited the the garment district where other FCP students and myself were taken to a sample sale, however if I'm honest it was the fur showroom next door which had really caught my eye! As we left the showroom we had been initially taken to, I hovered outside of the Linda Richards showroom next door, sneakily trying to take some pictures through the glass door when a lady invited us in to have a look around. I was over the moon to be able to have a quick look around not only because I'm such a lover of fur but because my summative brief topic is fur! (I'll link the blog post explaining my summative brief project below for those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about).

Fur Pom Pom Beanie Hats 

As if I hadn't already seen enough of the fur pom pom amongst the streets of New York here it was again! The showroom had a range of gorgeous quality fur pom pom keyrings and beanie hats for sale which were all beautifully laid out as you can see from the images below and above. In a previous blog post based on the fur pom pom trend (I will link below) I discussed how the fur pom pom had become particularly popular amongst the beanie hat and keyring, so it was really interesting to see a fur based company's adaptation of the fur pom pom trend.

Fur Pom Pom Keyrings 

I was so overwhelmed by the showroom that I even forgot to look at the prices of the products, however as the garments were all made from real fur I had already assumed that the prices would be high and after having had a browse on the Linda Richards website this was confirmed. But who wouldn't be willing to pay in the thousands for one of these beautiful fur coats?

I'm in love the muted colour palette of this rail of fur garments above. I particularly loved how the showroom had been set out, which I think was partly why I was so drawn to it. The showroom was very colour led, each rail was dedicated to a different colour palette, for example the image above features a rail made up of a nude/beige based colour palette and another rail was made up of garments of turquoise and blue toned colour palette. I also liked how the interior of the shop was very clean cut and modern, it was predominantly white and relatively plain which meant that the fur garments really stood out, which is reflective of fur itself and the connotations of luxury and prestige fur holds.

'Market Visual Awareness Brief' blog post: http://isabellafcp.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/market-visual-awareness-brief.html
'The Fur Pom Pom - Trend Alert' blog posthttp://isabellafcp.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/the-fur-pom-pom-trend-alert.html

As wifi was near enough impossible to connect to when I was in New York, unfortunately I was unable to keep my blog up to date with what I did, where I went and what I saw whilst there. However I plan on posting on my blog as much as possible this week with what I got up to whilst in the City that never sleeps, so stay tuned!

Love, Isabella x

Photo Credits: All Own Images 

The Fur Pom Pom - Trend Alert

The fur pom pom trend has been around for a while now and as fur is the topic for my summative brief project, I thought I'd put to use the Pinterest board I put together based on this trend a while ago. Fur pom poms are currently everywhere, on our shoes, bags, keyrings, hats, caps and clothes. Lets face it if you don't have a fur pom pom keyring on your keys you're in the minority. 

I have currently been focusing on Fendi as part of my summative brief project and I'm sure you'll all agree this Italian brand has to be the king of the fur pom pom keyring. I feel that the Fedi keyrings, priced at around £395-£3000 really instigated the popularity of the fur pom pom keyring. We have seen a handful of celebrities pictured with these the pricey accessories attached to their bags and keys, including Cara Delevigne, Poppy Delevigne, Khloe Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Kendall Jenner, Kylie Jenner and Olivia Palermo. But if you're not willing to part with at the very least £395 to jazz up your car keys you're not to worry as it seems every possible high street brand is offering us a cheaper alternative, from Topshop to Dune and River Island to Kurt Geiger. 

According to the Guardian, 'The undisputed fashion smash of Christmas 2015', the pom pom was a very popular Christmas gift this year, if you didn't receive any pom pom embellished presents for Christmas then yet again, you were in the minority. According to Topshop, the brand that had almost a whole walls worth of pom poms in the form of hats, scarfs and bags within their flagship store on Oxford Street, said sales of pom pom bobble hats were up 100% on last year.

The fur pom pom made an appearance in a number of Autumn/Winter 2015/16 collections, below are three of my favourite pom pom looks to grace the catwalk. Gucci has been amongst those to jump on the fur pom pom bandwagon and Alessandro Michele definitely did the lovable pom pom justice with those gorgeous black pumps (below right). 'It's the Gucci effect again. Michele finished his lace-up pumps with pom poms and suddenly they become fashions most wanted. They have always been fun and frivolous, but now they are cool too.' said Kay Barron, Porter magazines fashion feature director.

From left, Ulyana Sergeenko A/W 2015/16 Couture, Maison Margiela Fall 2015 couture, Gucci Fall 2015 RTW

If there was ever a trend to reveal fashions fun side it has to be the pom pom. I love this trend and anyone else who doesn't like to take them self too seriously will agree, it's just so fun! Although I think the fur aspect will be lost due to the season, I have a hopeful feeling that we will see a lot of the pom pom into Spring/Summer 2016 (eek pom pom sandals!).

Follow this link to my Pinterest board dedicated to this trend; https://uk.pinterest.com/ichriston/the-fur-pom-pom-trend/

Love, Isabella x

Photo Credits:Google images, Pinterest, Vouge.com

Fashion Loves The Mature Lady

We're living for longer than ever and this 'ageing population' mega trend is now beginning to contribute to a micro trend I believe to be emerging. We're seeing much more of the older woman within the fashion industry and I love it. It's so great to see fashion positively embracing these admirable women, all gorgeous in their own right!

To the left has to be one of my favourite fashion editorials to embrace the older lady. This Céline editorial featuring 80 year old American writer Joan Didion, was shot by Juergen Teller. This image is right on brand for Céline, allowing the French Fashion brand to reach out to its target market of classy, wealthy women of their 40's and 50's, by opting out of casting an irrelevantly young glowing blonde as the face of their brand. Céline have excelled here where so many brands tend to fail as they cast young bright eyed, fresh faced models who are often quite frankly irrelevant to the brand and its target market.

I think it is admirable that here, Joan Didion is respectfully celebrated for her on trend silver hair and wrinkles. I think it's about time we stop shaming ageing and embrace it, as it's something that even the most beautiful can't avoid. We're all going to reach that point in our lives at some point, so why not celebrate it for what it is!

When recently flicking through my Hunger magazine (I highly recommend giving Hunger a read, it's a particularly great source for fashion editorials) I came across a fabulous article 'I Was A Teenage Anarchist' shot by Trisha Ward. The article is simply fantastic, each of the photographed glamorous Grannies are dressed head to toe in Prada. These remarkable women are so admirable for their confidence and pride and quite rightly so!

'I Was A Teenage Anarchist'

When looking into the ageing population trend I came across the most fabulous street style blog 'Advanced Style' (I will link at the end of this post). The blog which launched in 2008 went on to inspire a documentary in 2014 which I am desperate to watch, as judging by the blog it would be a truly fascinating watch! IMDb describes the film 'Advanced Style examines the lives of seven unique New Yorkers whose eclectic personal style and vital spirit have guided their approach to ageing'.

'I Was A Teenage Anarchist' (Hunger): http://www.hungertv.com/feature/i-was-a-teenage-anarchist/

Advanced Style blog: http://advancedstyle.blogspot.co.uk

Feel free to have a browse at some of my favourite fashion editorials featuring the 'The Mature Lady' found on the Pinterest board I created when researching for this blog post;  https://uk.pinterest.com/ichriston/fashion-loves-the-mature-lady/

So could 80 really be the new 18? I'm sure this trend will continue to flourish and we will hopefully see many more mature women making an appearance on model agency websites, magazine covers and maybe even the catwalk! 

Love, Isabella x 

Photo Credits: Google images, Hungertv.com, advancedstyle.blogspot