I woke up rather nervous and excited for the final day of LFW. See the night before I had recieved a voicemail message on my blackberry from the producer I filmed with on the Saturday of LFW. "Hi Denis i'm just calling in regards to the filming we did with you & Henry on Saturday. I've watched the footage and I just think you're really great on screen and have a great charisma & personality for this. I'd love to film with you on the last day of Fashion Week so give me a call & let me know what your schedule is" - needless to say I called him back immediatley and suddenly I had a day of filming prepared as they were going to follow my happenings at LFW for an hour or 2 for the day. How this was happening was beyond me , but I immediatley looked to my wardrobe for inspiration & decided it was time to pull out all the stops. Vintage Versace combined with a little Sass & Bide to bring out the animal inside of me & let my fashion roar
Before the filming began I had a very exciting presentation to attend, one that is very close to home - Antipodium. Australian fashion maestro Geoffrey J Finch designs fun playful chic clothes that 'cool' girls and guys want to wear. Fans including Alexa Chung, Diana Vickers, my client Laura Whitmore and ME! I am a huge Antipodium fan and was eager to see what Geoffrey had in store for next Spring Summer. Set upstairs in the Portico Rooms of Somerset House I was 
greeted by my Lubin Lovely Rachel and had coffee and a chat with the amazing Kara Goodley on the balcony. My Internship at Goodley is what opened my door to the fashion world and Kara - ever the inspiration - was still as inspiring as ever. Looking effortlessly chic in a striped breton , chiffon pleated skirt and shaggy gilet she did 'cool' like only KG can! It was lovely to see her and as we discussed New York Fashion Week & Twitter the presentation was about to begin. As the first look came out - a sensible printed silk shirt dress - I knew that this collection was going the be a winner! Last season's playful crucifix's made way for this seasons sheer opulence and 'bookworm chic'. Combining transparency with long silhouettes and layering the presentation was full of beautiful pieces the fashion world & It girls alike would soon all be coveting!
Before the filming began I had a very exciting presentation to attend, one that is very close to home - Antipodium. Australian fashion maestro Geoffrey J Finch designs fun playful chic clothes that 'cool' girls and guys want to wear. Fans including Alexa Chung, Diana Vickers, my client Laura Whitmore and ME! I am a huge Antipodium fan and was eager to see what Geoffrey had in store for next Spring Summer. Set upstairs in the Portico Rooms of Somerset House I was greeted by my Lubin Lovely Rachel and had coffee and a chat with the amazing Kara Goodley on the balcony. My Internship at Goodley is what opened my door to the fashion world and Kara - ever the inspiration - was still as inspiring as ever. Looking effortlessly chic in a striped breton , chiffon pleated skirt and shaggy gilet she did 'cool' like only KG can! It was lovely to see her and as we discussed New York Fashion Week & Twitter the presentation was about to begin. As the first look came out - a sensible printed silk shirt dress - I knew that this collection was going the be a winner! Last season's playful crucifix's made way for this seasons sheer opulence and 'bookworm chic'. Combining transparency with long silhouettes and layering the presentation was full of beautiful pieces the fashion world & It girls alike would soon all be coveting! 
My favorite pieces were a sky blue printed Miu-Miu-esque school girl dress & the transparent maxi dresses layered over a black bra and knickers. They were urban chic at its best and the subtle sea shell prints reminding me of the beaches and urban seascape of back home!
Once the presenation was over it soon came time for the filming to begin. As I met the crew we all had a bite together and got talking about how I came London & my love for fashion. Before long I was all miked up & the camera began to follow my every move. "Just do your thing , be fabulous and we will follow" - were my instructions. Now as I've just started working with the gorgeous Laura Whitmore I was about to become a very busy boy who needed to find some amazing brands to dress Laura in. As she's on MTV 5 times a week this was going to be quite the task so I decided to go for an explore throughout the stands/exhibitions of young up & coming designers and also some more established brands , and the camera's followed. In the first room I discovered an amazing jewellery duo Gemma Critchley & Zara Braganca behind their brand Cabinet. The girls create beautiful unique jewellery and INCREDIBLE embellished collars. When I set my sights on these sequinned and beaded babies It made me squeal! Truly incredible they are the perfect addition to jazz up any outfit. The girls , who I immediatley clicked with kindly let me play dress ups with their bedazzled &beauty's 
and wear the 'French Bead Collar' for the day - please ignore how dumb my face looks in the pic below & focus on the UN-BEELEIVABLE collar of which I was constantly asked about for the rest of the afternoon - at a cool 360quid this is an investment piece and something I feel would 
become like a heirloom. I could happily wear this every day for the rest of my life & never want to take it off! You all really need to check out the range on the website http://www.cabinetstudios.co.uk/ Collar in tact I bid the Cabinet girls' farewell and continued my exploration stumbling upon some great printed t-shirts and incredible shoes along the way. I then came to the stand by dutch designer Charlotte Sparre. It was her eye catching vibrant prints that caught my eye and I immediatley wanted to see more. Besides the fact that she is such a humble inspirational woman, her dresses and scarves are incredible and the fact that she designs all her own prints (100+ new prints are designed each season) is amazing & she has a 
strong celebrity following in LA. When a velvet scarf dripped in a gigantic skull print caught my eye it literally took my breath away. I put it on and could barely speak. "I never want to take it off" I told her "Well than its yours my love" she replied , taken a back I told her I couldnt possibly it was way too generous and she insisted I keep it! Needless to say its one of the most amazing things I've ever set eyes on & will be wearing it ALL WINTER quite literally! I cant wait to get Laura in her dresses! You guys can check her out at http://www.charlottesparre.com/ As we hugged goodbye I was off to the tents as it was almost time for my next show of the day. The producer was incredibly pleased with the filming, "People are just drawn to you Denis and you have a really down to earth sensibility of a boy making his dreams come true that people can relate to, we'll be in touch" and with those comments my mike was off and the whirlwind of the morning was still settling in to my now spinning head. Before I had time to comprehend what was going on I was sitting 3rd row at Todd Lynn. The collection was genuis. A slightly sci-fi element that combined shoulder pads , panelling, metallics and mirrored features. My favorite piece was a gilet with exaggerated mirrored neck piece , very gaga-esque & as the techno music pulsated through the crowd It was quite a short snappy show that provided much stimulation! 
I rushed to the cafe to grab a quick diet coke before the next show. Amanda Wakely is a designer who creates gorgeous feminine dresses , for all my aussie's reading think like the Lisa Ho of London. I didnt have an invite for her show but thought her dresses would be great for any upcoming red-carpet events Laura may have , so I politely approached the PR girl at the door and explained "Hiya , I dont have an invite , but I style Laura Whitmore from the MTV & would love to see the collection - " before I could finish my sentence "Of course come right with me" she replied and before I knew it I was being ushered to the front row. "No you really dont have to make anyone move for me you know" , "Don't be silly its no problem at all" was the reply & suddenly there I was between two , more than likely much more important people than myself , sitting front row at the show. What The Fuck - was all I could think. How is this really happening? I took a deep breath , closed my eyes and appreciated for a moment what was happening to me , opened my eyes and the show begun. The collection didnt dissapoint. An array of grecian style dresses combined with metal jewellery and chain mail details , was really beautifully put together and I must say the view from the front row made it oh so much better!
I left the show loving all things draped , however before I could spend another second thinking grecian goddesses and aphrodite silhouettes it was time for a quick costume change before the Ashish show. Ashish is one of my favorite UK Designers & his show was probably the show I was most looking forward to. Known for his love of sequins & pop culture he designs fun , flamboyant , playful clothes that celebrities and fashionista's love world over. Cheryl Cole sported his sequinned animal print harem trousers in her 'Fight for this Love' video - 
Suffice to say I am in love with Ashish's creations and in his honour decided to don some serious sequins of my own - my incredible Limited Edition Ksubi jumper covered in jet black sequins!
Sequins & wet look skinny jeans on (thankyou H&M) I was ready to go and as I sat with anticipation in 2nd row I chatted pre-show to the lovely Hannah Marshall & amazingly talented Marina from Marina & the Diamonds. The three of us questioned the socialite being papped like madness just two people away from us "Who is she?" we asked eachother "Some princess or something?" we replied all giggling , and as I sat there sharing jokes with one of the hottest designers and hottest singers of the moment I couldnt help but have another surreal moment!
Hannah & I had met on Night 1 straight after her show and had bumped into regurlarly since each time stopping to chat. She's one of the most down to earth people i've met in this industry and it was really refreshing! Other celebs included Pixie Lott & Paloma Faith but before you could say 'Mama Do' or scream 'New York' the show was abouto to begin. The words Amazing. Incredible. Out-of-control - all feel like understatements to describe the Ashish show - before I start talking about the clothes lets have a chat about the atmosphere. The music was banging , urban beats began to blare from the speakers and suddenly I felt like I was in a night club which happened to have a runway down the middle of the room. Guests cheered at their favorite looks - which in my , Hannah & Marina's case was about every 2nd look - and the energy in the tent was beyond exciting! Then there are the clothes - oh the clothes! A combination of sequins , fringing and tongue-in-cheek prints that kept me wanting more and more. The collection was what I would call 'Rodeo-gone-Ghetto' and a combination of sequinned bandana prints , fringed 
jeans and McDonald & Shell logo's made it clear the inspiration came from the United States of A! I loved every look , there wasnt a think I didnt like. The piece I died for If i had to bring it down to one - were the fringed sequinned animal print harem trousers. I would do anything for them and I was already thinking how much I would have to save to buy them for this summer!
As the girls did their finaly march I didnt want the show to end , in terms of style I personally like I would have to say Ashish was my favorite show - jam packed with glitz , glamour and a nice big table spoon of urban hip hop influences it was like a dream collection come true!
As I kissed Somerset House goodbye on the last night of LFW and walked through the cobble stoned paths and the arches that lead me back onto The Strand I hopped into a cab to watch the city of blinding lights pass me by on my way back home. I took a moment wound down my window and took a long deep breath inhaling in the cool London air - this London Fashion Week was truly life changing. How in the course of 5 days I managed to land a client who was about to send my styling career sky-rocketing, attend the show of one of Fashion's greatest Icons (thankyou Dame Westwood) , meet amazing celebrities and designers alike , was given a door to a possible television career (or guest appearance at the least), make a handful of great friends along the way & learn a little bit about my self at the same time - it was all so overwhelming and I couldnt believe it was all happening to me. A week later I still cant believe it did! The adventures to come is what I'm now looking forward to. Stay tuned xoxo Deni
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