London Fashion Week this year was a very chilled one for me. I wanted to make the most of the networking opportunities and the fabulous events rather than squeezing myself into every show possible, so I planned ahead, got my outfits ready and purchased my rather exciting new vlogging camera, so that I could capture the day for you all.
You can have a little watch of what I got upto here, or you can read on for a more in depth explanation. Because as much as I’m loving this whole new YouTube sphere, I do find that I tell my stories with more eloquence through my blog. Words and photographs are my ultimate ‘baby’, so I wanted to document it on here too.
You only have to watch this Qatar vlog to realise that speaking out loud, on camera, is something I’m still getting used to. “It’s windy and the camels are cute.”
Award winning stuff, eh?
Anyway, back to London Fashion Week.
Our day started off with an early start and a fast train into Kings Cross. I looked slightly out of place in among the half term commuters, wearing my grey knee high boots and a white lace dress. But hey, I could have gone a whole lot more crazy for fashion week, so they got lucky.
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We made our way to The Aptmt, which was our first stop of the day and a lovely way to kick start the fashion festivities. If you haven’t come across it before, The Aptmt is an exclusive lounge for bloggers and influencers over fashion week, showcasing some incredible brands, food and mini events. Designed by Abi Marvel, the lounge is an incredible place to network, get those all important outfit shots and even borrow a bag or watch to complete your outfit.
Every year they go above and beyond to make sure bloggers are well catered for – and each season, they completely out-do themselves. GBK provided us with mouth-watering burgers for lunch, Aspinal lent us adorable little bags to wear and Bare Minerals topped up our make-up to ensure that we were photo ready at all times.
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There was even an entire Candy Kittens station just in case we fancied a sweet treat, which in my case, I took full advantage of. The Pineapple flavour is completely vegan and absolutely addictive.
After showing David around, I went straight into hair with Priv, who turned my frizz into presentable curls – and then I headed round the corner to shoot with Comb. As a mobile fashion app, Comb are dedicated to making shopping for fashion super easy and I was delighted to discover how simple it is to shop your favourite bloggers looks from your phone.
One amazing feature is that you can take a picture of someone’s dress/shoes/bag and it will search the entire online fashion catalogue (including all the major retailers) to find you that item, or something similar.
Is this not the most amazing invention, ever?
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I had the privilege of spending the morning with Yassmine Rehrhaye, shooting for this very post. Usually I find shooting outfits a little stressful but she made the process super fun – and the end results were great!
I wanted to wear something slightly more adventurous than my usual all-black go-to attire and yet at the same time, stay true to my typically quite girly style.
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So I opted for this white lace high neck dress (which is SO cheap considering it looks a lot more expensive), a pair of grey over-the-knee boots, a white jacket and a gorgeous baby blue Aspinal bag that I borrowed from the showroom.
The boots especially I was really impressed with, because I’ve been wanting a pair for so long but all the ones I’ve come across have looked a little cheap and tacky.
I LOVE the Stuart Weitzman boots but physically cannot justify spending hundreds of pounds on a pair right now, so I needed something more affordable that would offer the same level of comfort, size and luxury suede-esque look.
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I found this particular pair online for under £60 and I had so many compliments on them.
My jacket was purchased initially because it’s a little bit of a Chanel dupe, but really and truly, I love it in it’s own right too! It’s so comfy and despite being £49.99, it looks rather luxe!
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Once we’d finished shooting and eating (for an event that is probably most renowned for not eating much – we ATE loads), we jumped in the Bare Minerals taxi and headed to the W Hotel for my friend Em’s event. She was hosting a LFW Finishing Touches lounge on their first floor – and of course, I wanted to make sure I went along, supported her and said Hi! Em and I are heading off on our own travel adventure soon, so it was exciting to catch up!
The W Hotel, if you’ve not yet been – is a masterpiece in itself, with glittering chandeliers, floor-to-ceiling shelves stacked high with celebrity china plates. The cocktails are a little pricey, but it’s worth a visit if you’re in London – especially as they have a free photo-booth on the first floor where you can snap sepia pictures against a sparkly background!
After doing a little spot of shopping and pampering, we were starting to work up a bit of an appetite (I know what you’re thinking… already?), but please be rest assured a few hours had passed since our last feast.
We had a dinner reservation booked at Harrods, so we hurried onto the tube and exited at Knightsbridge, whiling away an hour browsing the handbag section, which feels more like 15 minutes when you pass Valentino and get lost in among a sea of studs and pastel greys.
Our destination for the evening was Pan Chai, a small but perfectly formed concession within the Harrods food hall. You’re right within the heart of some of London’s finest food counters – and yet tucked away within a little bar area, the perfect spot for people watching.
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With a Pan-Asian menu, you’ll find a mix of Nigiri, Sashimi, Tempura and Grill dishes on offer, as well as ramen and rice. It’s all your favourites, but with a fine dining twist. And I love the fact you can watch the chef’s meticulously piece together sushi rolls and then torch the sesame seeds on top with a flick of his lighter. It’s quite an art!
We perused the menu while sipping on bellini’s (the only way to do it, obviously) we decided on four grill dishes between the two of us. You never feel quite as guilty when you’re sharing – and there were so many options, we couldn’t decide on any less.
And before long, the dishes started arriving, each one more tempting and delicious in appearance than the previous.
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Chicken teriyaki…
More chicken, but this time marinated in Korean chilli oil, fruit juice, herbs, grilled and glazed with spicy bulgogi sauce.
Slow-cooked tender beef curry with coconut milk and Awana blended herbs.
Lashings of dark, rich soy sauce.
And finally the, Grilled Chilean sea bass marinated in plum juice and miso paste. This quite literally melted in your mouth and the flavours exploded in your mouth as you eagerly went back for another bite. The bass disappeared very quickly.
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We finished off with a few more bellini’s and a traditional green tea before catching the train home, back to the usual realities.
Until next time, London Fashion Week…
Did you go to London Fashion Week this season? Do you enjoy all the content surrounding it – if so, what’s your favourite kinds?
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Our review at Pan Chai was complimentary, however as always, all views are my own
Photos by Comb & David Mitchell
