Touchdown in London town

Last Tuesday me and the rest of FCP went to London on a day trip to collate some research for our chosen brands for projects 2 and 3. Before being able to browse the famous streets of London, we were taken to the V&A museum where we were lucky enough to experience an exhibition: 'London Fashion in the 1980s.' From being able to go into this exhibition , it taught me a lot about 1980's fashion and how clothes were heavily influenced on this 'punk/rock' music genre. The 1980's was a time of experimentation where club wear was on trend and materials such as PVC, netting, mesh and tassel's were being introduced.

Above, is a photo of the way a Ted Baker concession within a Selfridges store was visually merchandised. With it being one of my brands that I am researching, it gave me a clear indications of their fun, funky flair and colour pallete they use within their branding and clothes. The way that Ted Baker is portrayed through their merchandising makes them seem like a witty, playful and charismatic brand.

CHRISTMAS IS COMING.. and its definitely showing in LDN!

As evening drew, we explored the streets of London and were able to appreciate the beautifully lit lights of the biggest stores such as Harrods,Selfridges and John Lewis. The atmosphere was lively and fun and definitely got me into the Christmas spirit. 

An experience to remember!!!! :D

Manisha x

A worldwind of 'fast love'

During today's seminar we analysed an article called 'Fast Love' taken from 'The Times'. The main points of the article were discussing this idea of how many women juggle a very fast paced lifestyle nowadays what with work, children, social commitments. It then goes on to state how the pressure to look glamorous is more than it has ever been and remaining that look is very tough due to this lack of time people have. The article promotes a possible solution to this problem, in which is to have express salons in which you pay for the service not the personal touch and the individual that does your grooming. The concept is suggested to be a quick 30 minute service in which customers come and go and pick a certain 'look' whether it be a blow dry or makeup in which they can look glamorous all the time.  In my opinion, I don't think this concept will work as well as people think due to the fact that the whole process is very factory like where one person goes in and another comes out - a conveyor belt of people coming into the salon all having their own diverse look and style about them, and all coming out as clones of one another. The other issue which arose from this article was the fact that it was mainly targeted at the 'business woman' who doesn't have time to get all this pampering done. However, the type of people that go to salons typically are those with a lot of time on their hands and ones who are going in for this whole 'salon experience', therefore a massive consumer will be lost because of the lack of personal touch and the social aspect of the idea. The idea mirrors this idea of 'fast fashion' and is being applied to beauty; however, how successful would this idea be?

Brands are slowly using this notion of 'Fast Beauty' such as Topshop who, in one of their flag ship stores actually have a personal hair stylist in store in which customers can go and get their hair blow-dryed.In this case, people are paying for the brand name and the fact they can then go on and say they've experienced it rather than getting it done due to the quality.

The tone of voice of the article was very opinionated in the sense where it identified the problem as being that women's main concern in this modern day and age is their appearance. It then went on to say how the lack of time people have restricts them from going to the average salon and spending time on their hair, nails and general grooming. Rather than being a suggestion, this was presented in a form of factual information where the consumer of 'The Times' would begin to believe that this is a problem and the article is the solution. 

 Are you team 'Fast Beauty'?

Manisha x

Creep It Real.

HALLOWEEN IS COMING and the first thing probably on your mind is what to wear?

Here's some halloween fashion inspiration from a collage i created.

The beginning of something great

My creative sketchbook -- completely and utterly in love 

PRINT CLASH!

As one of our briefs for my course, we had to create a mood-board based upon our favourite designer or brand. Without thinking twice, I chose Oasis fashion, as not only do I work for the brand, but I also genuinely love the retro yet classic fashion they portray through their clothing. Below is what I created from being inspired by Oasis.

When I initially think of Oasis as a brand, I think of how they use many different prints on a lot of their clothing making them very unique and innovative from other brands. Continuously bringing ranges out such as botanical, floral and monochrome,we see the clash of prints that Oasis brings as a brand and this is what inspired my mood-board.  The three main areas I picked up on were the bold colours which are shown on the left, the embellishment which is shown on the top right and last but not least,the floral shown in the bottom left. I also added iconic motifs in there such as the butterfly and love hearts which heavily represent the brand as
one of Oasis's top motto's are...
#LOVEWHATYOUDO!

Don't be boring - Invent something.

"Style is everything...style is a way of life. Without it, you're nothing."

-Diana Vreeland

If somebody approached me one day before I had started my Fashion, Communication and Promotion course and had asked me if I knew who Diana Vreeland was, my response would have been no. However, now I can honestly say she is one of the most inspirational women I have ever come across.

During week 2 of University, we were all made to watch a fashion film called 'Diana Vreeland- The Eye has to Travel'. The film documented the life of Diana Vreeland who I soon found out had a major role in the fashion world. 

Initially having opened up her own lingerie business, Diana had something very unique about her and being able to understand what women's lives would be. Soon after, her talent became recognised and she followed on being the fashion editor of Harper's Bazaar.

During her time at Harper's Bazaar, she created things and saw things that nobody else did. She believed that 'one can make fashion, or one is fashion' and she certainly was fashion for that time! 

Moving on to the 60's, the film documented how Diana's career changed from being the editor of Harper's Bazaar to then being the editor of Vogue. During the film, I noticed how the era in which she was editor of Vogue was very much about the 'freedom of the 60s' in which people listened to the Beatles and wanted to see something innovative that they had never seen before... and Diana brought just that!

I felt Diana Vreeland captured things that nobody else would normally pick up on. Rather than capturing a model looking like a mannequin in a shop window, she made them all have their own personalities and individual styles; taking up this whole idea of the 60s by being free enough to be whoever you wanted to be. She was the one who initially celebrated Barbara Streisen's nose and twisted conventions by making people proud of their faults rather than it being a negative. 

The work ethic that Diana Vreeland harboured was one that inspired me and all my peers. The success she had throughout her entire career made me feel motivated to want to be the best I could be and rather than being boring, to invent something!!!!

I hope this has inspired you to go out and watch 'Diana Vreeland- The Eye Has to Travel' for yourself or even read the book as its definitely worth the effort and time; as Diana Vreeland wasn't just anybody...she was fashion!

Manisha x

Sketchbook Fun!

Just gone out and brought my very own journal for my course!

Got slightly carried away with my sticker collection and glitter and thats only the beginning. 

Ready to start getting creative - watch this space!

'Products are made in the factory, brands are created in the mind.'

-Waltor Landor

Time to photoshop my life

If you've never used Photoshop now is the time! In my seminar introducing me to Photoshop, me and my peers had to choose at least 2 images which we liked and then were able to manipulate these images and create something rather fun! Take a look below at what I created and try it out for yourself! 

And it didn't end there..

After having had gone home inspired from my Photoshop introduction seminar, I thought I would get the software on my own laptop and experiment for myself! On the right is what I created from my thoughts based on Autumn. I used different textures and imagery which sprung to mind when I thought of Autumn and I tried to create something quite fun, experimenting with mainly positioning and layout. Warm colours such as browns, oranges and red represented the Autumn mood for me and therefore were the predominant colours presented in this mood board. 

Having way too much fun on Photoshop since my seminar but you know what they say.. Practice makes perfect!

Manisha x

Trent has style!

First and foremost I would like to introduce myself. My name is Manisha Pannu and I am a fashion student at Nottingham Trent University studying Fashion, Communication and Promotion! 

Let me tell you one thing, Trent has style!

Our first task given by our tutors as a somewhat ice breaker and a way to get familiar with our peers was to undertake a street style task. We had to go around Nottingham and search for the hottest trends but not in shops or stores, but on the STREETS! Teamed up in groups of 4 or 5, we roamed the streets of Nottingham searching for what we thought was unique, who we thought had flare and a definite abstract style! Take a look at what we found!

When in doubt - CHECK! Here's a guy we saw going for a cheeky shop outside Victoria Centre in Nottingham rocking the check print which has suddenly rocketed to all the high street brands! Check out tartan and check prints in the upcoming months, its definitely a trend worth looking out for :D

After this street style task, I have a new found love for knee-high socks! The school girl look definitely stood out to me and it was surprising how many people I noticed after seeing this girl rocking the knee high sock trend! The red bag complimented the outfit perfectly and matched the socks which brought the whole outfit together. Definitely one of my fave accessories of the day!  

Hippie Fashion was ruling the streets of Nottingham!! Here's a few snaps below of my faves...

How to get inspired?

Some of you aspiring fashion students may be wondering, what inspires you to notice these particular people? 

Prior to doing the task, me and my peers were taken to the cinema to watch a documented film on the life of 

***Bill Cunningham*** 

Check out the movie trailer, definitely worth the watch if your lacking inspiration or even if your interested in the fashion industry!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYqiLJBXbss

The feelings i gained from this movie was full motivation to be able to succeed in anything. It made me want to go on the streets and find unusual trends out there which could predict trends for the near future or just say something about a certain individual. It viewed fashion as an artform which it is and how it expressed individuals. The respect that Bill Cunningham had from his peers and fashion icons was inspirational and is what made me enjoy the street style task even more!

Thanks for checking out my first post and I hope you keep checking out my life as a fashion student! 

 Manisha x