South Coast Fashion Week

Hey there,

Right before we start, I suggest you go get yourself a cuppa tea, hot chocolate, glass of vino, what ever you fancy, and get comfortable, as you are about to indulge yourself in some serious fashion reading! We will be talking models, style, high street, boutiques, performing arts, accompanied by some awesome pictures of the spring summer collections and talents of the South Coast.

If you are one of my followers on twitter, (@Beautybykaris), you would have noticed me avidly uploading pics, hash tagging and generally non stop tweeting about the SCFW show last Sunday.

I was fortunate enough to be invited along as a blogger to the SCFW event last weekend. I love events like these, they are a good excuse for a social, both gossip and networking related… It involves fashion, shopping and models, so of course if I’m invited, I’m going. After attending Bristol and Winchester fashion shows, I was excited to see what the South Coast had to offer. Being the first ever South Coast fashion event, it did not disappoint.

I went down with my friend Hannah, whose boyfriend Dave was part of the event team, and we made a proper day of it. The whole event well planned and set out, with a variety of things to do, see and listen to, (It didn’t feel like we were there for over 5 hours…Yes I was there for that long). Bournemouth has to be one of my favorite places in the UK, it’s beaches are gorgeous and the seaside houses are to die for, (I often day dream about owning one of the amazing sandbank mansions…Imagine the parties), so it was nice to escape down there for the day, and take advantage of the views and weather, (As well as the fashion).

We arrived about midday, and started with some ‘window shopping’ in the pop up shops around the show. First stop was the Estée Lauder stall, of which we didn’t stay at long, I had to take a picture and leave before I did some serious credit card damage, (You should know that I am currently on a spending ban). Pictured in the shot are some of the shows models having their makeup done, (One of which I believe is Jacqueline Boulton, a model, blogger and photographer). Next was definitely the most fun and quirky shop, (One the boyfriend would approve of), the ‘Geek Boutique’. I am a massive marvel film fan, (Maybe not their biggest as I have never read the comics) but I thought the collection, (Although I wouldn’t personally wear it), was pretty cool. They even had a minion dress!

‘East’ showed of a collection of ocean blues, and pinky corals, some classic spring summer colours, that made you instantly want to go on holiday. I could of stayed at the French Connection stall all day, literally (Me and Hannah could not stop going on about the pink Cami top all day), with a spending ban in mind, I just revisited the spot about a hundred times, and then became the green eyed monster as the models strutted their stuff in each FCUK outfit. This SS14 I have found myself with a new obsession for yellow, (A color I had never previously admired much), so you can imagine my delight over these stunning floral prints, and my struggle to leave them there.

Mint Velvet was overwhelmed with soft greys and blue tones, colours which compliment each other well. Perfect for those who like to keep their wardrobe attire relatively neutral, but of course you can always add in a bold print, or accessory to boost the outfit. A collection I have been recommending to the mother.

The Azelia dress I liked so much from the Winchester Fashion show, made a second appearance not only at the phase eight stall but on the catwalk, and so did Winchesters Boudoir Blush.

The pop up shop which got me most excited was Stella and Dot, (Rumour has it the owner, is married to one of the Cartier brothers), the jewelry was beautiful, so bold, and colourful. The design of the necklaces, the stones and jewels were exquisite, with the most beautiful tones. The corals, and oranges of course catching my attention, (And if I wasn’t lusting over it enough, the range is nickel free…Yay for me). The women at the stall were so friendly, showing us various ways of wearing the jewelry and putting up with many of my questions, (You can even host your own Stella and Dot party).

There was a stall for fascinaters, and masks, never had I been so eager to go to a Masquerade ball. The detailing, colours, and shapes were fabulous. And rumor has it, that the lady at the stall designed dresses for strictly come dancing, (Or one of those fancy shows).

After a lot of ‘window shopping’, we settled down to watch the Emma Castle Performing Arts show, (The girls with incredible bodies…Figure envy right there), where we were entertained with many choreographed dances. The performance was then followed by the House of Fraser Fashion show, which included collections from Coast, East, Raging bull, FCUK, Dickens and Jones, and more.

The day was made so much more interesting with the alternative performances and the entertainment of bands, and presenters, (We even had the band who were supporting Tom Udell perform). I thought the whole event really helped to showcase the talent and creativity coming through from the South Coast, including Urban dance acts, performing arts, fashion students, arts and crafts.

During the interval, we of course browsed more shops, and came across some more unique stalls. ‘Recycled For You’, had some amazing alternative pieces of jewellery, (And all made out of junk). As well as this, there was Samantha Redgrave showing off her House of Redgrave bespoke jewellery, and other businesses such as ‘Heat Wave’ encouraging you to get creative and design your own tops with their workshop.

A stall which caught my eye, and really took my interest was ‘Colour Me Wellies’, a Wellington boot designed for kids which you could doodle all other, (Perfect right?). The girls said they had only been up and running around a year, but me and Hannah thought the idea was amazing, and said they most definitely needed to get this idea to the festivals, (Adults love to doodle to, right?).

I really admired the artistic and creative element that went in to the South Coast fashion week, as well as the local boutiques and shops set up in the hall. It really showed the creative flair that you find in Bournemouth.

As well as showing what’s on offer this spring summer from the South Coast retailers and boutiques, we were lucky enough to see first hand the talent coming through from the fashion graduates. This was most definitely the best part for me, some of the outfit designs were outrageous, the prints flamboyant, and just completely fun. While others kept quite tame, yet still quirky and full of originality.