THE RIKA PARTY! aka...the night before the week begins!

I woke up on Thursday morning with an overhwleming feeling that in 24 hours London Fashion Week would begin. This evening however , we had our Rika party to worry about. I planned my party outfit the night before (but more on that latter) & hopped into my day outfit of stripes & skinny's teamed with this brand new cyrillian blue beanie I got from H&M for 2pounds , that i'm kinda in love with. It just adds a pop of color to my look and an element of fun! The color reminds me of that scene in Devil Wears Prada about the blue jumper , cyrillian blue & all that!I walked into the office and 9 and already the buzz had began. There wasnt as many interns today however so it felt like a really cozy fashion family which was nice. The morning started with me going out to do another few runs of invites , some of the invites that are close enough to walk over we walk over and then the rest we post over. Much of the days building up to fashion week have consisted of me running around London to places like Grazia, Harpers Bazaar & Vogue magazine and a handful of Hotels where guests were staying , getting lost and phoning Ben in the process - to hand deliver these invitations. After visiting Cosmopolitan Mag and a few hotels 2 hours had passed when I returned to Goodley. Once back rachel informed me that her and I would be going to the venue for Rika's party to help set up and see how it was all going. The venue was 'The Shop at Bluebird' an amazing concept store on Kings Road - off swanky Sloane Square, that I never knew about. Ive been to a few cool concept stores here and in Paris (Colette one of the worlds most famous) and this place seriously is so much cooler, the space more beautiful and the range of clothing perfect! Think a juxtaposition of Alexander Wang , Isabel Marant , DVF , Halston Heritage along side Rika , McQ and Acne - throw in some homewares, candles, books and magazines and you've got my dream store basically! We walked into what appeared to be a pop-up boutique of sorts, where Ulrika herself (the designer of Rika) was merchandising everything to perfection. Ulrika is a stylist-turned-designer who's had her label Rika for a few years now. She started off with her signature star bags and then from accessories followed clothing. Her style is very urban downtown fashionista - think Sienna Miller & Kate Moss with a dose of Nicole Richie & Blake Lively. Ulrika looked gorgeous in her camel jersey biker jacket/cardi hybrid - from her new range - a white tee , black leggings, black boots, a small floppy hat & Rika animal print scarf - she epitomised her label and greeted us with a warm smile and rundown of what was going on. The room we were standing in was about the size of a small bedroom, 3 walls with an opening in the facing wall. Immediatley you step into the world of Rika , to find her signature bags & accessories displayed dead centre, to the right and left are rails of clothes and the back wall is covered in a collage of pages from Rika's new magazine , which is being launched at the evenings party. It was small with a big impact..

With her , were her two assistants following her every step. I went over to help the other interns with the goodie bags. VIP's got an expensive french candle and the 'Rika Mag' and the rest received just a copy of the magazine , both of which packed into a cute little Rika canvas bag. As you can see there was literally a mountain of goodie bags surrounding our makeshift prep-room!

After steaming clothes , the other interns went back to the office and I was left to represent Goodley, help Ulrika and anyone else who needed help until the party begun. At the entrance of the party was a big display of 4 Rika mannequins and the word Rika written largely in duck tape. awmonths the mannequins Rika began to randomly throw copies of the mag around the floor to not only promote the mag but also to fill the space creatively. I picked up a pile and started helping her. Before I knew it we were styling mannequins and asking each other for advice on how everything looked. I was in awe of her skills, her every tweak and pull resulted in an effortless chic look. The space looked fantastic and as I carried out a box of mags, hailed Ulrika a cab & kissed her goodbye (as she left to resort to her hotel whilst getting ready) I almost pinched myself. Back inside I noticed that the other areas designated for the party looked a bit dull so I took some more mags and displayed them on shoe racks & scattered them on furniture. Before I knew it , it was half an hour 'til the party was due to start & time for a costume change. I opted to stay in my skinny's and striped long sleeve & pair them with one of the most (if not the most) special pieces in my wardrobe - my limited edition sequinned Ksubi (previously known as tsubi) jumper. A piece I bought over a year ago. I cost me a whole month's wage but is such a special piece that holds many fond memories. I wore it to the Sex & the City movie premiere, I wore it to a work presentation back in my Myer buying days and I wore it the first time I kissed my now boyfriend Ben - so it was time to wear it for another prolific moment. I slipped in some shoulder pads for edge and rolled the sleeves up a bit to show some stripe. I was v pleased with the look and ready for the night to begin! Here I am posing it up for all you guys to see :)
5 minutes later Kara , Annette and Rach arrived - 'Here he is...' Kara exaclaimed and before I knew it we were putting her coat and bag away and talking about her shoes. Kara Goodley looked effortlessly chic (as she always does) in a white tunic , Isabel Marant denim jacket and grey suede Acne platforms. Guests began to arrive, the buzz in the air & the drink was flowing. The crowd was a mix of models , stylists , a few celebs and lots of cool 'fashion' people...Amazing raspberry margaritas was my poison of choice for the evening. Ulrika arrived looking simply stunning in her white Le Smoking tuxedo jacket , white tee , black skinny's and black beanie. Everyone at the party had cool style in their own way. Eclectic , rock , chich all styles out! My PR girls looked stunning as always , Rachh and Jane both rocked their individual looks...My favorite part of the party though was the half an hour chat I had with Ulrika - about the magazine , her label, the advice she gave me telling me to follow my dreams and never give up!
I also met a gorgeous TV presenter , who came across to room to compliment me on my jumper, we got talking and now i'm going to be her stylist. She's a television presenter for the BBC and one of the sweetest girls i've ever met so I'm very excited about this prospect (I will update you all on this very soon as its still in the early stages). The night had come to a successful end , handing out the goodie bags (getting to bring one home for myself - I heart candles) but the highlight of my night was coming home to my beautiful boyfriend and enjoying chicken burgers , chips, spicy wings and filling each other in on our day. Models & Designers are all well and good but its the ones you love who mean the most! xoxo Deni