Photographed by GQ

On the second day of London Fashion Week, I was photographed by Dvora, the street style photographer behind 'Fashionistable', who was snapping menswear outfits for British GQ. And lo and behold, I found myself on the GQ website only a few days later!

At the time of the photo being taken, I was both chuffed for being photographed as well
as getting to meet Dvora, whose street style blog I absolutely love. A big thank you to her! As a result though, my vanity may have sky-rocketed just as much as my self-esteem.

Bernard Chandran A/W 12

Black and midnight blue were the most prominent colours in Bernard Chandran's showcase for A/W 12, in which structured dresses walked with their flowing satin equals. Shimmering neck wear and large collars draw the eye to the neckline. His collection is a bounty of wearable pieces fit for a chic city party.

LFW Street Style ~ Somerset House, London

Diana, Catherine and Nicole are first-year fashion journalism students at the 
London College of Fashion. Noticing the teeline shorthand in my notepad, they 
told me how they have to pass 100 words per minute during their first year, 
which both impressed and frightened me - 100wpm is the goal for my third year! 
Diana wears Ray Ban shades, scarf and skirt from Canada, Topshop bag, Zara 
trench coat, and Kurt Geiger boots. Catherine also wears Kurt Geiger boots, 
vintage jacket, Topshop jeans and bag, and H&M hat. And finally, Nicole wears 
ASOS trousers, vintage knit, and bag from a Spanish market.

Kokon To Zai A/W 12

KTZ's collection for next season is an impressive array of patterns, prints and colour.
The showcase in the BFC courtyard showspace radiated energy profusely, as the brand's famously and zanily cool styles marched the runway in time with the booming music.

Tartan checks dominated the catwalk in colours of red, yellow and blue, followed by iconographic prints in black and white. Diamante embellishment and statement gold jewellery - almost regal in appearance - added what you could describe as a bling factor.

The penultimate catwalk of my London Fashion Week experience was by far one of the best I had. A huge thumbs to whoever was responsible for the music, and a massive round of applause for the fashionable eccentricity of Kokon To Zai.

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 12

The autumn/winter collection from fashion designer twins, Riet and Truus Spijkers, is a colourful affair, mixed with stripes and patterns. A much needed splash of vibrancy for the colder months, when many styles are still dominated by neutrals and dark shades.

LFW Street Style ~ Somerset House, London

Toni Tran of 'Fashitects' is a blogger and photographer I admire for both his 
quirky style and eye for detail. He wears Ray Ban sunglasses, Topman blazer, 
accessories and shirt from Vietnam, Diesel shorts, trousers made himself from 
an inside-out denim shirt, Hudson boots, and Desigual bag. Do visit his blog for 
some excellent street style photography from London Fashion Week.

LFW Street Style ~ Somerset House, London

My sister, Leanne, accompanied me for a second time to London Fashion Week, 
where her black and gold outfit attracted the attention of many photographers. 
Therefore you'll probably see her on a few other websites other than my own. 
She wears platform wedges from Urban Outfitters, Topshop high-waisted jeans, 
River Island top, New Look blazer, and Topshop earrings.

Inbar Spector A/W 12

Inbar Spector's new collection is graceful yet extravagant in its design. Puffy and draping dresses in pastel tones - similar in appearance to candyfloss - walked the marble runway. Metallics were also present in decorative jumpsuits, which glistened richly in the bright white light. Furthermore, models adorned jewelled veils over their faces, adding to the lavishness of the entire collection.

The last piece in particular seemed inspired by the traditional wedding dress, with a flurry of white material swathed around the model. Gold jewellery added a final glittery touch.

Overall, the showcase produced the best response I have so far seen from an audience,
as those watching soon began to applaud each outfit individually, as well as the whole collection during the finale. For such beautiful pieces, I was not surprised it mesmerised the crowd. It is a wonderland collection designed to captivate.

Fashiolista's fashion week party

Last Monday, I was kindly invited to an exclusive Fashiolista fashion week party by Charlotte of TheFashionGuitar. Sadly though, shyness took a hold of me, so I didn't exactly reap the benefits of mingling with some of the fashion industry's in-crowd.

I was, however, fascinated by the unusual paintwork going on at the centre of the party, which you can see from the photos below. When art meets fashion, maybe? It was both entertaining and colourful to watch.

Bournemouth blogger meet

I hope you don't mind the brief interval in my Fashion Week posts, but I want to draw your attention to a Bournemouth blogger meet taking place next month. The meet-up isn't formal; simply an opportunity to socialise and network with like-minded people.

The exact date for the blogger meet is Saturday 31st March, and anyone with a passion for blogging is welcome to attend. We will rendezvous in Pokesdown for lunch at the Tattoo Parlour Café at 1pm, followed by a spot of shopping in the many vintage shops Pokesdown has to offer. We may then head to Sixty Million Postcards in Bournemouth town for cocktails and music afterwards.

I will of course be taking lots of photos during the day; even perhaps a couple of street style photos if your outfit grabs my attention. I am also happy to photograph anyone who wants to publish an outfit post for their own blog. All you need is ask.

If you would like to find out more, including who else is attending and where to stay overnight in Bournemouth, follow the hashtag "#bmouthblogmeet" on Twitter. Alternatively, please leave a comment below expressing your interest.

I hope to see you there!

LFW Street Style ~ Somerset House, London

Cailin and Shannon Klohk are sisters and fashion bloggers from Germany. 
A/W 12 was Cailin's fourth visit to London Fashion Week and Shannon's first. 
Cailin wears Zign boots, Levi's shorts, Mulberry bag, Acne sweater, Urban 
Outfitters coat, and Ray Ban Clubmaster sunglasses. Shannon wears boots 
by Acne, shorts, jacket and bag from Zara, and H&M sweater.

DAKS London A/W 12

The new DAKS collection - the second season to be headed by Sheila McKain-Waid - features dresses, jumpsuits and winter coats. Black and red were the most dominant colours on the catwalk, but there was still room for the designer label's trademark
brown checks. Overall, a warm collection in both design and purpose.

I was disappointed, however, that no menswear was showcased along the runway, but I was still glad to be invited by DAKS for a second time. Fingers crossed I will be invited again in September for S/S 13.

Mr Hudson & Rick Edwards, London Fashion Week

Music artist Mr Hudson and former T4 presenter Rick Edwards on the front 
row at Oliver Spencer during London Fashion Week.

Even more LFW photos coming soon...

At long last, London Fashion Week has sadly finished. However, having attended twelve catwalk shows and taken more than 1,500 photos altogether, I still have plenty more LFW content to publish over the next week or two. Stay tuned for DAKS, Kokon To Zai, Inbar Spector, and lots more street style fashions.

LFW Street Style ~ Somerset House, London

Lady Violet Manners is by far the most beautiful girl I have seen at London 
Fashion Week. She is presently in Year 13, studying politics, and has a job 
next year at the British Polo Event. She wears a Hobbs jacket, necklace from 
her grandmother, and all else is from Topshop.

Anna Popovich A/W 12

This is the first ready-to-wear collection from Anna Popovich, whose inspiration for
A/W 12 was the drama 'A Single Man' (2009), directed by fashion designer Tom Ford. Popovich explains her collection is soft, voluminous and feminine, but at the same time, she wished to add a touch of masculinity to the pieces by dressing the styles up and down.

The colour palette for her collection is simple yet effective - a mixture of gold and pale cornflower blue versus the bright tones of turquoise blue and crimson red. The material is sleek and satin. A beautiful array of outfits from - if I may say so - a beautiful designer.

The Noisettes, Somerset House

Shingai (left) and Dan (right) were waiting on a taxi, so I couldn't take down many 
details. Nonetheless, I love the colourful contrast between Shingai's dress and Dan's 
double-breasted jacket. Shingai's pom-pom dress is by 'MaryMe-JimmyPaul'.

Kanye West, London Fashion Week

Kanye West leaving the Mark Fast show at London Fashion Week.

LFW Street Style ~ Somerset House, London

Toluwani is a freelance creative consultant. He wears Topman shoes, Migraine 
corduroy trousers, vintage scarf, Rotary watch, vintage 1960s sunglasses, and a 
denim jacket from Dubai with DIY studs.

LFW Street Style ~ Somerset House, London

Charlotte is the Dutch blogger behind 'TheFashionGuitar' style blog. I have followed
her blog since my early blogging days, so it was a delight to chat with her again 
(we met briefly at S/S 12) and photograph her too. She wears Isabel Marant sneakers
and skirt, Zara jumper, Pauw jacket, Frenchonista clutch, and Ray Ban shades.

Francesca Marotta A/W 12

My first A/W 12 catwalk was the lacy collection from Fransesca Marotta. The outfits presented along the runway were mostly black, fluid, almost gothic-like, with some sporting neon plastic jewellery. The colour red appeared frequently, usually in small details, but also in a long, trailing, laced cape.

The final look for the collection, however, was especially eerie, when the model staggered along the catwalk like a forlorn maiden. A black lace dress trailed behind her, and red eye-liner was applied in such a way, it appeared as if she was weeping tears of blood.

Overall, the collection was beautifully crafted with an evident theme. I am very thankful I managed to secure a front row seat so I could enjoy it fully.

John Rocha, Somerset House

Fashion designer John Rocha, before his A/W 12 showcase.

LFW Street Style ~ Trafalgar Square, London

This weekend is Jess Bracey's first time at London Fashion Week. She is a graduate 
from Bournemouth University, where she studied Multi-Media Journalism, the same 
course as myself. Her present occupation is a sub-editor and writer for 'Professional 
Photographer' and 'Photography Monthly' magazines. She wears a Topshop dress, 
Zara blazer, Primark bag and shoes, H&M belt, and a beautiful Rotary watch.

London Fashion Week invitations

With more than a dozen invites confirmed, London Fashion Week A/W 12 is looking to be far more exciting than S/S 12. At present, I have 15 showcases in my schedule, including DAKS, Kokon To Zai, Anna Popovich, and Pam Hogg.

A few of my invitations to London Fashion Week - most have come by e-mail
and I'm currently waiting for Kokon To Zai's to be delivered.

PERSONAL SCHEDULE:

FRIDAY 17TH

Ekaterina Kukhareva, 10:00-19:00, Freemasons' Hall

Francesca Marotta, 14:00, Goldsmiths Hall

SATURDAY 18TH

DAKS, 9:00, Somerset House

Spijkers en Spijkers, 15:30, Freemasons' Hall

Bernard Chandran, 17:45, Freemasons' Hall

Shao Yen (presentation), 18:00-19:00, Freemasons' Hall

Ashley Isham, 19:00, Goldsmiths Hall

SUNDAY 19TH

Ubuntu, 11:30, Freemasons' Hall

Fashion Finest, 13:00, The Westbury Hotel

Pam Hogg, 19:30, Freemasons' Hall

MONDAY 20TH

Inbar Spector, 11:00, Freemasons' Hall

Prose, 18:00, Freemasons' Hall

Anna Popovich, 20:00, The Old Vic Tunnels

TUESDAY 21ST

Welsh Collective, 13:45, The Arches

Kokon To Zai, 18:15, Somerset House

WEDNESDAY 22ND

Oliver Spencer, 16:00, Somerset House

All in all, I'm pretty psyched about the next few days. Stay subscribed for a dozens, maybe even hundreds of street style and catwalk photos from the capital city. And if you're attending LFW yourself, please don't hesitate to Tweet me or send me an e-mail.

Dorset Troopers, Pokesdown: Part III

"If we can make one child happy each day, that's good enough for us."

(Official website: http://dorsettroopers.weebly.com/)

Dorset Troopers, Pokesdown: Part II

"Valentine's Day love from the Galactic Empire."

"Valentine"

Dorset Troopers, Pokesdown: Part I

Dorset Troopers, a Star Wars themed voluntary group, made a special appearance 
at Pokesdown's Valentines event yesterday. In the Republic Commando costume 
(pictured) was chairman Terry Welch, who I interviewed for a future feature. Look 
out for photos of other Dorset Troopers characters coming soon!

Montague Street, London

Catching some air outside The Montague On The Gardens hotel, it was by sheer 
chance that I spotted Ini walking along the opposite side of the street. He is a film 
producer living in London and currently working on a short film. Interestingly, his 
outfit is completely designer - Moncler Gamme Bleu sunglasses by Thom Browne, 
Hermès scarf, Gucci blazer, Comme des Garçons t-shirt, Margaret Howell gloves, 
Bespoke trousers, Falke socks, and John Lobb shoes. His camera is a Leica M8.
Hopefully, I'll spot him again during Fashion Week, which he said he is attending.

Sneak peek: Valentines photo shoot

Below is a preview of today's photo shoot. I'd love to show you the other photographs, but you'll have to wait until Valentine's Day morning to see the full collection.

On campus, Arts University College Bournemouth

I love all the vibrant colours in Katie's look, including her fiery hair. From Dorset, 
but living in London, she is a visiting lecturer in Fashion Design & Technology. 
Her boots are from a second-hand shop, whilst the rest of her garments are 
borrowed from her housemate and mother.

Street style photo featured at NYTimes.com

I was very happy to discover last night that my recent street style photo was selected for showcase on The New York Times website. Each week, NYTimes.com asks their readers to send in street style photos under a specific category, of which last week's was socks.

(Click the screenshot above to view the street style slideshow. Or, to view my original photo plus more, please see my blog post: "Covent Garden, London")