As I woke up on friday morning the bright sun pierced through my windows and though I couldnt help but smile (the sun has that effect on me) I thought 'Nooo , all my outfits are layered autumn looks' as I stepped onto the balcony I was welcomed by a brisk chill 'ah god bless the United Kingdom for remaining cold whilst sunny' I ran back inside and couldnt help but feel giddy, London Fashion Week was about to begin. The night before I lay out all my outfit options for the week to try make getting ready in the morning as quick as possible. Outfit 1 for the day consisted of ripped up jeans by White Suede , white sueded logo YSL tee and the amazing denim and leather jacket by Gripp (which I borrowed from my friend Lora - bless you) , paired with my trusty Zara bikers - my fashion week staple and my fail safe H&M beanie. Urban at its best!
LFW hasnt even begun yet and already i'm hungry (something everyone becomes accustomed to during LFW , there's never any time to eat) so i quickly ducked into the shop to buy my LFW Survival Staple - Jaffa Cakes! The first show of the day was Maria Grachvogel and as I walked into Somerset House I felt like I was back at home , in my element. Stepping into the surroundings of Somerset House during Fashion Week is like walking into a parallel universe where everyone is a fashion obsessed show pony here for the most important event of the season and the cobbles of Somerset House are as much a runway as the catwalk in the tent! The queue for the show was horrendous and in true LFW style I waited half an hour as the show went over time, the best thing about waiting in queues is admiring all the fashionistas, infront of me stood a stunning tall thin japanese girl wearing a tweed coat with shearling collar , white tee, leather skirt and super high hiking style ankle boots (the shoe of the season btw) the whole look was polished & made my waiting a whole lot easier. Once in I took my seat and as the sound of galloping horses introduced the show it soon transitioned into soft music & the show begun. Maria's sheer sophistication was gorgeous! My favorite piece was a silk canary yellow maxi dress that swished down the runway with ethereal elegance , the colour took my breath away !!
The Grachvogel show was beautiful and a lovely way to start of LFW - though the clothes werent revolutionary it was a nice collection combining colour and print with a nod to feminine fashion, draping & the return of the grecian goddess an ethereal character that takes over a room the minute she walks in. The show was over and I made a quick dash back to the office to wrap up the friday reports of a PR agency and after a quick costume change it was back to fashion world for one of the hottest tickets of the week - PPQ. Amy Molyneaux & Percy Parker are the design duo behind the brand and the party couple of LFW their clothes are fun , sassy and girls want to rock their dresses and of course the PPQ after party kicks LFW off with a bang!I met my client Seema for a drink pre show and styled her up for the evening ahead. This was quite a moment for Seema and I , we had met last fashion week so it had been exactly 6 months since our working relationship & friendship & celebration was in order! It was a special moment.
To keep within the fun cheeky spirit and the party ahead I decided to don my new leopard print blazer (the print of the season btw) from H&M with my Dior shirt and skinny tie. I wanted all black and then that splash of leopard. Seema was looking fly in my YSL tee which I rolled up to look slighly more vest-top-esque with some leather and jersey leggings and ankle boots - black and white my favorite combination , she was looking banging and ready for the night ahead! We were slightly early for the show so decided to chill in the private press lounge pre-show. As I sat on the couches I saw Time Blanks walk in the room. Many of you wont know who Tim Blanks is by name or maybe even by face, however he is one of the most influential fashion journalists in the world. He works for Vogue & Style.com & when I was 13 I watched a documentary on John Galliano that was presented by Tim Blanks. That documentary made me realise I wanted to work in fashion and I've listened to Tim's voice constantly since on Style.com so as soon as I saw him I knew I needed to speak to him. He sat at his laptop at the back of the press lounge blending in like he was Joe Smith from down the road and so I made my way over.
Quite nervous I quietly tapped him on the shoulder 'Tim, Hiya, my names Denis and I just had to come over and speak to you I am such a huge fan of yours and the documentary you did on Galliano changed my life at 13 so to me you're kind of an Icon and whenever I hear your voice It makes me think of that moment' , 'Oh thankyou Denis that was an amazing interview with Galliano' as he started to speak I couldnt stop smiling. 'What do you do young man, are you a blogger?' he asked. 'Yes actually I blog and i'm a stylist' , it was then that I asked him if I could ask him 5 questions for my blog. So here is 5 mins with Tim Blanks
1. What show are you most looking forward to? - Christopher Kane , I love how his references always come from some dark and morbid place and then it translates into clothing.
2. Who is your favorite designer? - Miuccia Prada. She also references very interesting ideas that arent necessarily linked to fashion and her collections always make people think deeper. She also understands how to link art and fashion & that is very important.
3. What's the best show you've ever attended? - every Dior Couture collection by John Galliano I see in Paris is amazing.
4. What do you think of Sarah Burton taking over from Alexander McQueen - She's
brilliant, I think she'll do an incredible job!
5. Describe Anna Wintour in 3 words - Sense Of Humour
I thanked him for his time and he gave me a tap on my shoulder 'You're a very impressive young man what are your dreams?' , It was a really big question so I answered 'Well I hope to have my own fashion empire one day , inspire people the way Miuccia, John & Alexander have and hopefully have you sitting front row reporting on it all' , he giggled 'Well I look forward to it and it seems you're on the right path'. As I walked back to Seema I couldnt believe how amazing a 5 minute conversation could be! I took Seema under my arm & as we walked to the show I had been stopped 3 times to be photographed by fashion bloggers and press along the way (the blazer must be a winner then - said my inner voice) ticket in hand we made our way in. As Seema and I have both met Percy Parker (designer du jour) at the Kylie event he had emailed me a week in advance saying he had put our names at the door for both the show & party (which caused me to squeal as I couldnt believe the designer himself had emailed me) however by fate I had acquired a 2nd row ticket through a friend who couldnt attend so as Seema & I were ushered to the 2nd row I couldnt help but pinch myself (little did I know it set the path for the rest of my LFW experience...but more on that later). Before I knew it the celebs had arrived , Amber Rose and one of Destiny's Children took their seats and the show had begun! The music was loud , the lights set for stardom as the PPQ Princesses took to the runway. The collection felt very circus inspired as an array of colours marked the return to Spring Summer! 
For a moment during the show I looked at Seema and then back at the runway and couldnt believe we were 2nd row together at PPQ , I squeezed her hand and couldnt wipe the smile of my face! Though from the photo below you cant really tell so replace my pout with a smile hehe
My favorite look from the show was a fun chic summer outfit of white pussy bow blouse with striped shorts! Literally the perfect combination for the chic city girl whilst having a summer stroll by the river with her girlfriends , ice cream in hand! As soon as it came out I smiled!
The show ended with roars of applause & cheers as the duo came out for their bow! Percy's cute little hat made all smile & its testament to their design aesthetic - fun & fabulous!
As we made way out of the show I noticed the paps going crazy for the gorgeous tall thin leather jacket ppq dress wearing Kelly Rowland - or so I thought. I tried to get as close as possible and kept saying 'Kelly Kelly' though no turn around , hrmm she doesnt seem rude in interviews, 'Kelly Kelly' I kept saying when finally a boy from her posse turned around and said 'Its Michelle' and as she started to walk by and I could see face on I realised 'OMG it is Michelle , that did not 
just happen' , feeling rather bad I giggled and couldnt believe I had just insulted a member of my favorite girl band of all time. I hope she didnt hear me , I thought , and immediatley decided I had to make up for it at some stage during LFW! Upon exit of the tents I bumped into Amber Rose , Kanye's famous ex girlfriend who was a fixture in the front rows all week. 'Amber honey you're fabulous' I said in passing. 'Oh thankyou sweety come here , wanna smoke?' , 'No thanks babe I dont smoke , but how are you , enjoying LFW? I didnt see you last season' , 'Oh yeah I was here with Kanye, i'm loving this season, you going to the after party babe?' , 'Sure am' , 'See you there sweety, by the way lovin the leopard' , 'Thanks hun , you always look amazing' , 'Aw thanks babe' and after a quick photo I kissed her goodbye , like two old friends chatting in passing. WHAT THE FUCK?!?! THIS IS AMBER ROSE! How is this happening to me?
...so with Amber's seal of approval Seema and I were en-route over the river and off to the PPQ after party. As we stepped out feeling fabulous and ready to get down we skipped the queue 'always good when the designer puts your name on the door' I thought - and headed straight in. The problem with LFW is the free alcohol , its both a gift and a curse , before I knew it I was downing doubles with Seema when I noticed Tolula Adeyemi walk in , I saw her at the show and we exhanged a smile. I met Tolula at the Kylie event and then proceeded to dance like crazy with her at the Glamour awards. However with all the alcohol involved I wasnt sure she'd remember me. I walked up to her and said 'Hey Tolula , you probably wont remember me...' and before I knew it she cut in 'Of course I remember you honey , your the cute boy from the Kylie 
event how are you?' and just like that we started talking like two old friends reminscing about our night of crazy dancing at the Glamour awards. It really was a 'I dont think we're in Kansas anymore Totto' moment, I felt a world away from home and literally was and while drinking with Tolula , dancing to hip hop tunes with the Senior Fashion Assistant from SHE Magazine and congratulating Percy on a fabulous collection in the VIP Lounge , I constantly stopped myself to think 'Deni , is this really all happening to you' - as I stepped into my cab at 3am and kissed the party goodbye I could hardly wait for Day 2 to begin and for the adventures to continue! xo Deni 
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