Wednesday 28 September 2011

London Fashion Week!

Hello guys, this is Camilla!  I thought for this Fridays blog we would try something a little bit different, you could call it a 'Special Edition' for you!  As myself and Amie from our recently crowned Salon of the Year in Chester, have been down to the one and only LONDON FASHION WEEK!! Yeah baby!!


Now we were instantly hitting the new and emerging designers as we wanted to see what was going to come strutting down that Catwalk with the freshest ideas, and we saw 5 showcasing their up and coming collections for S/S 12 (S/S means Spring/Summer just in case... like me, you couldn't figure it out!  Thanks Amie!)


But we weren't only looking at the clothes... Ohohohoh No!  Make up and hair was also on our Fashion Week agenda and we were eager to see what the designers had in mind for the Catwalk shows, so that we can report it all back to yourselves for A/W 2011 and S/S 2012, and you can be ahead of the trend!


Our First designer was Eleanor Amoroso


The consistent theme through this collection was the gorgeous wedges that the models where wearing. 

Doesn't matter what colour, texture or size, furry or material, they are going to be massive in A/W 11.  Go peep toe if you want to add a little bit of fun to your footwear.

Next we had the amazing   Jayne Pierson




                                  
Get Leathered... In the clothing sense of the word!  Whether it be hot pants, jackets, or ( I think this is going to be amazingly in season) 
ankle swinger pants.


These are really strong looks from Jayne Pierson.  She is the winner of London Graduate Fashion Week, Ecological Design Award.  

She is also the Vogue Italia New Talent.... so Keep your eye on this one!  (Can you tell she was my favorite?!)


image courtesy of coterie
 Crimping!  Get your crimping irons back out guys, because it is well and truly back, crimped and put up high...simple but SO effective as you can see... 



Hair Colours are starting to get FUN FUN FUN!

Seeing lots of pastel blues and pinks, and even some peachy tones which have recently been seen sported by the likes of Fearn Cotton and Lauren Conrad 




We didn't see too much colour on the Catwalk, however there was an abundance of these pastel shades in the audience, which I think is always a big sign that the trend is changing, as sometimes the Fashionistas influence the season as much as what trickles down from the Catwalk!

I hope you enjoyed our London Fashion Week blog! With Love xxx

Friday 16 September 2011

X Marks the spot

Sally our Academy Stylist, is a young lady who certainly has her finger on the pulse, as I was in London last week with Tommy and Esther at The Most Wanted Awards, I received a little phone call from Sally as I was on the train.  "Gavyn I can't believe it's been 4 weeks since the X Factor started.... and we haven't blogged about it yet?!"  As I hung my head in shame into my Virgin Rail Chicken Sandwich I realised she was right... So I put her on the case straight away, here she is!

4 weeks and no posts about X Factor?  I think it's about time we changed that!  Where should we start?  Well obviously there was massive controversy over Cheryl leaving, and also regarding her replacement... Tulisa from  N-Dubz.  Gavyn and some of the other crew are a bit too old to remember N-Dubz first coming on the scene but I remember her, and she certainly has changed since those first days with her blonde hair, and if I'm honest, she looked like any other late teens girl wanting to be different.  I probably would of passed her in the street and thought 'trying too hard'. 

But then she went brunette... and WOW the difference a hair colour can make!  She went really dark, and with striking lipstick this really brought her style completely up a level, and gave her a level of sophistication that she had previously been missing.




Then came the new look of rich browns, and the flash at the front of blonde mixed through a subtle rich red.... I think it really adds something different without going for the block flashes which can sometimes look like a disaster if not done correctly.

I have young ladies coming into the Academy with longer hair, looking for something different, but wanting to keep the length.  I feel like colour statements such as Tulisa's on the right, are a really great way to give longer hair a new lease of life, without having to completely change your style.  The colours work well, and it's an easy way to make a statement without going over the top!



Then we have my new style icon.... 
Kelly Rowland

The Destiny's Child singer just oooooozes style, fashion, and brilliance every time I see her!  The singer has had some style changes over the last 18 months, but her new stylist Mekel Bailey is doing an amazing job!

            My favourite outfit on the left, the gorgeous lace dress, with Copper belt and her bright red Giuseppe Zanotti wedges.... AMAZING!

      She has been seen in figure hugging body con dresses, mini dresses, and skirts that nip in to show off her tiny waist. And why wouldn't  you with a body like hers!!  

      She has apparently been working hard at keeping her body in trim, on the X Factor this weekend, Tulisa made a joke how at 1am the judges where having drinks down the bar, when Kelly Rowland walks in with a skipping rope and starts working out before heading off to the gym! AT 1AM!! You go girl!



      When I discovered Kelly Rowland was going to be on the judging panel, I must admit I was a little dubious, and I wasn't too sure what she was going to bring to the table, but she has an air of maturity and sophistication topped with killer style that makes her absolutely the right choice to be an X Factor Judge!


      So all in all I think the new X Factor Judges are doing a fantastic job, and I'm really enjoying the show so far.  I can't wait to see what the competition is going to turn into in the coming weeks.... but in the meantime, I will be enjoying the fashion show and hair ideas that are hitting my TV every Saturday night.  

       Hope you enjoyed my first blog!  xxxx




Thursday 8 September 2011

Thank Blog it's Friday! Blow Dry Blues?


Ok so we have all had it.

You get to that point before your next hair appointment, and you just wake up, and do everything as normal when POW! Your hair feels, looks, and acts as though it has been replaced with the hair of Satan.

It's fly away, it's lumpy, it won't curl in the right place, or lie flat where it's supposed to. So what do you do? Back in the day, I used to start with a little water, put it on, lay it flat or curl it out and wait for it to dry... Into exactly the same position it was in before.

Secondly comes the product attack. We start with gels, seeing if we can somehow push it down, just to watch it... slowly... rise back up. As if in slow motion pushing up a hairy middle finger at you in the mirror.

Thirdly comes the all out surrender of washing your hair, and trying to make it work again, and again, and again.... And we arrive back at the start.

Well ladies, i'm a gent, and I can't begin to imagine the horror of having a bad hair day when my hair is over 6 inches long, so for you girls with meters of it... I salute you. However I came up with a solution and it worked for me and my short curly locks, so for you guys it's a sure fire thing. It's a three pronged attack, and it is amazingly simple.

Step 1. Switch on your Computer

Step 2. Sit in their chair

Step 3. Watch Camilla show you how to do it!

Here she is with hints and tips on how to blowdry your own hair....Thank Blog It's Friday!