Introducing Céline

 

What passion do I share with Karl Lagerfeld, Andy Warhol and Elton John? No, not fame but frames. Yes- frames/ sunglasses/ shades, or whatever you call them. I may live in a climate that imitates a wet sponge at the best of times, but sunglasses are a necessity, come rain or shine, in the wardrobe of Fashion Obscura.  

My fixation with sunglasses began at the tender age of five when I slipped on my first pair of sunglasses from Next Girl. I felt so mature in my blue tinted aviators which were so heavily encrusted with crystals, they would have made Liberace blush. I was hardly the most confident person at primary school, but as I strutted around the playground in my shades I felt indestructible… well, up until the dinner lady suspended them for breaking the uniform code.

Ten years have passed, yet my love for sunglasses has developed into an obsession. Sunglasses are more than just an accessory and sun protector; they are my extra limb, my shield. I am that ostentatious person who wears sunglasses in all occasions. ‘So what if I’m inside?’ ‘Who cares if its raining/ snowing/ foggy?’ ‘Pfft why save money when you can have these designer glasses instead?!’

I certainly questioned the latter a few weeks ago when I splashed out on a pair of Céline glasses. Yes, I may be a student but in retrospect sunglasses are an essential tool as they conceal the remnants of late night study sessions and partying. Karl Lagerfeld, the Father of all Sunglasses, famously said, “Sunglasses are like eye-shadow. They make everything look younger and prettier.” Indeed Karl, a good pair of sunglasses can instantly revive an outfit, whilst adding effortless sophistication.

The perfect pair of sunglasses should interpret the elegance and glamour of Audrey Hepburn’s chic black frames in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, whilst maintain the cool enigma of James Dean’s Ray Ban Wayfarers. Its no surprise that I instantly fell in love with these Céline shades. I adore the combination of the thick black frame with the oversized cat eye lens. No doubt about it, I had to have these. In fact I dedicated three days searching high and low at every Céline retailer in London for a pair of these super rare frames. Surely that makes me a sunglasses addict?

... M...

OOTD - Metallic Palm Trees ft Typical Freaks

 

 

Jumper- Typical Freaks // Silver skirt- TopShop // Tights- TopShop // Creepers- Underground *special edition* // Clutch- Monki

London Fashion Week!

Photo courtesy of BuyMyWardrobe.com 

Three words: London Fashion Week. Where do I even begin to start explaining this surreal experience? 

Well for starters this was my first ever LFW, and in all honesty I didn't have any expectations apart from the prospect of cold wet weather on my silver heels. Little did I know that Saturday the 14^th of September would be one of the most eventful and unforgettable days ever; I guess you could say every grey cloud has a silver lining…

Photo courtesy of StyleFannet

Photo courtesy of Press Association 

In all honesty my LFW outfit was scattered together at the very last minute. The centre piece of my outfit was a rather daring, acid yellow coat from TopShop which would give a warning cone a run for its

money. The brightness of this jacket certainly made up for the lack of sunshine! I teamed this blinding wool coat with a more neutral palette which consisted of this season’s staple white pencil skirt and a black origami style jumper- both of which were from Zara. I then paired my favourite matching metallic Zara pumps and Monki oversized clutch to add some contrast to the outfit. Lastly, as I was rushing out of the door I felt a bit spontaneous and wrapped some netting around my face (as you do) which created a sort of abstract masquerade.

Despite the rain smacking on my very impractical silver pumps I stumbled my way to Somerset House and within minutes of walking in I was bombarded with photographers, bloggers and journalists asking me about my attire. I actually felt like I was on the red carpet of the Oscars minus the 40 degree heat *sigh*.  The next eight hours rushed by. Every minute consisted of interviews or the continuous flash of cameras- even when eating my lunch which was already difficult considering my face was caged with a net! However the bitter cold and blisters were worth it. I was fortunate enough to be photographed and interviewed for Glamour Magazine, Company, the Press Association, Yahoo, New Look TV amongst many other international and independent magazines, YouTube channels and TV stations.

Getting photograhed and interviewed for Company Magazine

There was a great buzzing atmosphere in Somerset House despite the gloomy weather which certainly didn't crush the mood or people’s wardrobe choices. It was an enthralling experience to see so many various styles of fashion in one compact place. It was touching to see so many people of different ages, nationalities and careers come together as one by the power of fashion. Tartan was a very popular choice of material as were bright neon’s however I didn't stumble across the same outfit once; I definitely picked up some fashion tips and inspirations which I can’t wait to try!

The Central Saint Martin's lot

It was rather surreal to see such a variety of style in one place, especially when I stumbled across some of my favourite fashion bloggers who inspire me so much. Throughout the day I met so many interesting bloggers, journalists, photographers and class mates from my university, Central Saint Martin’s; I’d like the thank each one of you for making the day such an enjoyable experience!
The day certainly became a lot more surreal when my favourite Radio 1 DJ and fellow fashionista Jameela Jamil personally came up to me and asked to take a photo of my outfit! Funnily enough I was running around Somerset House trying to catch a glimpse of her at the time she came up to me!  Jameela was lovely and very easy to get on with, we got chatting and I even got to model her amazing Lulu Guinness clutch which she later Instagrammed a photo of! Funnily enough we were both wearing TopShop coats and white nail varnish!

Me and Jameela 

The day got even better when I attended my first ever catwalk shows which were Holly Fulton,  Ashish and David Koma. I genuinely had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming when sitting third row at the iconic LFW runway (not a bad seat for my first show!). Considering I started reading Vogue from as young as I can remember, this was a dream come true. Its weird to think that I was sitting metres away from some of the biggest fashion names, designers and bloggers. Even Ellie Golding and Paloma Faith made an appearance at Ashish, it was impossible to not notice Paloma's fiery red hair! Both shows were phenomenal in their own ways (I will do a separate post on them very soon), and in all honestly the shows were just as I imagined- loud, snappy, fierce and totally over the top- but it’s an experience I will definitely cherish even if it lasted just a mere few minutes.

On the official LFW catwalk!

The amazing looks from Ashish

The day flew past and before I knew it the darkness and lack of sufficient lighting of the catwalk shows had spread outside. I finally departed Somerset House when they stopped distributing the free popcorn and energy drinks at the catwalk entrances. None the less Saturday the 14^th was by far the most unforgettable and best (fashion) days of my life. I loved every second of it and I can’t wait for the next season!
 Love,              

Maddy X

p.s if I met you at LFW don’t be afraid to follow my blog or email me, check out the links on the sidebar!