How is social media changing our shopping habits?

This week I read a brilliant article on the Nylon Magazine website about how social media is changing our shopping habits. Today's millennial's are not choosing to shop direct from brands and stores instead they're picking up on-trend, new and used items from their favourite Instagram influencers. By the means of marketplace app Depop. 

Nylon explain how it all works “The app’s users follow each other, message each other, and “like” each other’s items for sale in a feed not unlike Instagram’s layout. And, of course, like Instagram, the most influential users—from bloggers and vloggers to celebrities—are the ones racking in hundreds of thousands of likes, as well as sales”.

I was a member of Depop for a short while approximately a year ago, but it wasn't for me. I'm not really an eBay shopper either and to be honest online shopping has always proven difficult.

Depop has 5.5 million users and is an innovative way of selling. Social media is constantly influencing what we wear, either through style inspiration from those we follow or via the advertisements that have slowly appeared on our feed over the last year. 

However, there is pro’s and cons to this new shopping movement. Would buying pre owned goods from our Instagram influencers cost us our individual style? or does it promote re-selling second hand clothes instead of buying new ones? and what impacts might this have on retailers? 

I personally enjoy gaining style inspiration from those I follow on Instagram but I’m not on board with shopping that individual closets. Nylon explain this as “owning a part of their personal brand”, but I also think this means you are owning their individual style whether this be from an up-and-coming fashion brand or a piece of rare vintage. Fashion is about personalising your style and expressing who you are. Buying clothes from our Instagram followers could cause the younger generation to become clones of one another and imitate their style without finding their own. 

I do however think it is important to reuse our second hand clothes and not just dispose of them and this is something Depop promotes. The fast fashion movement of ‘buy in bulk’ is having lasting impacts on the environment and changes need to be made. The younger generation are enjoying shopping from their favourite bloggers and vloggers and this is without a doubt going to impact on high street retailers and brands.

Founder of Depop Simon Beckerman says “I see the future of retail being much more about connecting people together, rather than brands and companies.” From now on retailers will have to find new ways of engaging with customers to ensure sales remain positive. This may be done with brand-sponsored Instagram and Twitter content which builds synchronicity between retailers and social media.

Technology is constantly changing and this is forcing brands and retailers to evolve, if not they might find themselves falling behind in the fashion race. 

Nylon Article http://www.nylon.com/articles/simon-beckerman-depop-interview

Ph Credit aboutfitsdotcom.wordpress.com via Pinterest

NYLON Magazine - Natural Beauty

These beautiful photographs were quickly spotted whilst flicking through a copy of this months Nylon magazine in the university library, hence the poor image quality. I love how the camera has caught the models natural beauty.

Ph credit - Nylon, Nov/Dec

Four years later

This month marks 4 years of writing this blog and over the years, I've questioned many times why I'm writing it. Do people enjoy reading it? Are my topics relevant? Is it original? The latter being the most prominent.

At times I thought maybe I shouldn't bother anymore, but something (plus my very supportive boyfriend) has kept me writing.

There's so many blogs out there and its tough finding your niche. My aim has always been to try and create something a little different.

Over the years I’ve pondered the idea of trying to make money out of my blog with advertisements and promotion of products. I have been approached by a selection of brands, many I didn't care for so I opted out and to be honest I'm glad I did, there's nothing more irritating than getting half way through someone's post only to realise it's completely biased towards the company that is giving them free stuff. I didn't start a blog purely for it to be used as a tool to hawk other people’s crap - each to their own but to me, that cheapens content and falsifies opinion. Promoting freebies probably gets you more blog traffic and that's fine as long as products are being promoted with an honest opinion and readers know they are reading sponsored content.

Originally my blog was a place to document my ramblings about fashion. But more recently It's become a place to write about issues and topics that inspire me, whether that be about fashion, style, pop culture or something more serious.

In life we constantly compare ourselves to others mainly through life achievements and ownership but online there is so much more to compare your work to. Is my writing Honest? Interesting? Or is it a carbon copy of what someone else has written?

With so many other blogs out there i guess it's only natural to compare. I don't get the views and comments I'd like but I try and write about something different and maybe in the near future my ratings may improve. But to be truthful I've never wanted to become that typical blogger mainly because I don't fit to that stereotype. I'm a little older (29 to be exact) and I don't have the typical blogger look. I don't have a fortune to spend on luxurious holidays, I'm not super slim or have pristine make up and most of the time I look less than perfect but I've always wanted my blog to reflect reality. I'm a student, I can't afford to purchase new, on-trend clothes every week to discuss but I do continually think about what's new, interesting and inspiring to my readers.

I love to write and that's what will hopefully support this blog to make it to its fifth year. I'm not going to say everything I write interests everyone because it doesn't. The beauty of individuality is that we all have different opinions and interests. If just one post inspires you in a small way, then I feel I've done what I set out to do. 

Ph Credit Still, That Kind of Women on Bloglovin via Pinterest, edited using A Beautiful Mess app

Has reading a book become a lost art??

I love to read - so much so that a man who sees me regularly whilst waiting for my bus home from work commented "You're always reading a book". Random comment, but it really reminded me of how much I love reading. In today's fast paced online world, the joy of reading a (physical) book seems to have been lost. We all read on a regular basis but this tends to be tweets, Facebook posts and comments, daily mail articles or magazines, I'm sure we're all guilty of one the above, right? 

Somewhere along the way we've forgotten to read books. Whilst on my daily travels it is rare to see a fellow commuter reading a book. Looking at their phones yes, but no book! When was the last time you actually sat and read a book? 

Reading has continually been part of my life but more recent in the last year. Since January I've read about 15 books and I have to admit it was a struggle at first. It felt as though I was learning how to read all over again. Focusing on the story and not getting lost in other thoughts was difficult. Learning to follow the story line and think about what might happen next and understanding the characters all seemed new to me. Finding a book that has meaning, that leaves you feeling something is always my main aim. This is a challenge within it's self as it's often difficult to find an exciting and interesting book that's keeps you wanting to turn the page. Great writers can detail something so clearly that you can be transported there in a moment. 

Books can be life changing, they teach us things about ourselves and others that no other medium can. Reading is one of the things that keeps me mentally sane and stops me from worrying about life. 

It fills my boring bus journeys and Saturday afternoons in front of the fire when it's freezing. They are a way to escape our sometimes mundane lives, because let's be honest life's not always fun. Whilst my heads in a book I can forget about the stresses and imagine myself in that world. I also think I might single handedly be able to keep my local library in business (despite government cut backs.)

If you're a book lover or newbie novel reader here's some of my favourites  - 

Savages by Shirley Conran 

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion 

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 

The Girl on the Train - Paula Hawkins

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

The Lesser Bohemians by Eimear McBride

Ph credit teachingliteracy.tumblr.com via Pinterest

Winter Bulking (with added knitwear)

Topshop Boots here and Jeans, H&M Jumper similar here and Matalan Slip

If your from anywhere in the north of England you will know that winter has come a little early this year. On Wednesday morning we awoke to snow, yes snow in November!! Not that I'm complaining I personally LOVE this colder weather. It means I can winter bulk and I don't mean with food. It's finally time for all the layers which means throwing on my favourite jumper, or all five of them (it's been freezing). There's just something about throwing on a woolly jumper that feels so comforting - which is probably why I own so many on them. White, Cream, Navy, Grey, Pink plus many more of this winter sartorial continue to take over my closet, so I'm very happy sweater season is upon us. 

Topshop Reclaim to Wear - Sustainable fashion on the highstreet

I subscribe to the Topshop mailing list and last week this arrived in my mailbox - the new Reclaim to Wear collection. At last our favourite high street retailers are cottoning on to the fact that it's customers are interested in sustainable fashion. So let's get down to the details, the Topshop Reclaim to Wear range is made from sustainable and up-cycled fabrics and boasts zero waste.
Topshop state 'We're all about upcycling! Topshop Reclaim does sustainable fashion with conscience in this collection created from ethical fabrics and production cut-offs'. 

The range has a 90's vibe with patchwork denim, patterned slip dresses and logo sweatshirts (very on trend at the moment.)  

The collection does have an array of unusual designs including a beautiful floral blouse and a matching slip dress. A patchwork denim dress and a pair of two tone denim jeans. Take a peak for yourselves here.

Are we supposed to love all the shows at fashion week?

 

 

As fashion month comes to a close, it gives us the opportunity to reflect on the shows that have filled our social media feeds for the last few weeks. 

I sometimes think we should love all the shows - so much time and effort goes into creating these amazing fashion pieces, don't they deserve the credit? Is it even okay to say you dislike or hate something, even if it's one of the hottest shows on the fashion month calendar?

After I witnessed (via the worldwide web) the Chanel SS17 show I have to admit I didn't love any of the pieces even though I really wanted to. I actually hate saying this, having learnt about the amazingly talented individuals (the 'petite mains') that work behind the scenes creating such exquisite designs. It feels very rude, which is unlike me - like every other English person I say sorry a million times in a day. But I just didn't enjoy it as much as other shows this season or even as much as previous Chanel shows. 

Some of the designs seemed a little dated and over done. Chanel is famous for it's tweed suiting but seeing today's pieces parade the catwalk AKA the Data Centre Chanel I felt as though I'd seen it all before. I understand that fashion houses need to represent themselves and reflect the handwriting and history behind the brand but maybe it could have been done with more modernity. The fabric and craftsmanship is amazing, I would never disrespect that but I just wasn't wowed. 

However, it wasn't all negative, there were some highlights - the letters CHANEL flashing from outside of the perfectly shaped clutch bags was creative and the robot shaped purse was very cute. I also loved the data centre theme, very futuristic and fun. The set up of every Chanel show is often discussed more than the actual clothes. Chanel has set a precedent for creating a mind blowing catwalk space and maybe that's all those who attend look forward to. Every season a different theme, airport, fairground or old school couture house. Man repeller mentioned 'When any other designer does this, the media shouts “Death to fashion!” But when Chanel is the perpetrator? Genius'

Maybe it's time to alert our attention back to the most important part of a fashion show - and that's the clothes!! 

Image source: The Telegraph

Class of 2017

Last week, I embarked on the journey that is 'final year' - that's final year at university I'm talking about. It's been a somewhat lengthy journey getting here (I previously did two years at college) but so far it's all been worth it. I've learned more about fashion and the industry than I ever imagined and unfortunately it's not as glamorous as we are all made to believe.
Deciding to go to university was a huge decision. At the time, I was 24, stuck in a job I no longer had passion and enthusiasm for and in need of drastic change.
The uni fees I would have to pay had been altered the year before thanks to the British government and knowing I was going to have to pay nearly £9,000 a year really overshadowed my new venture but to get that dream job, I had no choice - a degree was needed so university it was.
Throughout my last 3 years as a uni student I've never really thought about the cost or what I'm actually paying for. Like a true student, I have used my student loan to splash out on a couple of luxuries (shoes, prosecco) but the majority has been spent on my education. I did a little math and worked out that while I'm in uni, I'm paying £23 an hour to be there which is extortionate in anyone's book! I'm sure there was good reason to change fees but when I finally graduate I will be approximately £35,000 in debt. That's a little daunting to me even in my late twenties but what about if you're in your early twenties?
That said the cost has so far been worth it. I've studied some very interesting subjects, taught by some really smart and interesting lecturers. Studying has changed me for the better, it's been difficult and I'm sure final year will test me even more, both physically and mentally
But I think having a degree gives you so many options when starting out in your career. Being a fashion student has been an experience, I've had the opportunity to meet great and inspiring people, attend interesting events and gain experience within an industry I strive to be part of. Let's hope that in 8 months time I'm still as sanguine (even though I will have made a very sad departure with my UNiDAYS student discount) - I'll keep you posted.

Artwork by Mark de Villiers

Burberry - Shop straight from the catwalk

This September British fashion brand Burberry launched a new concept and that's offering their customers the chance to shop the designs straight from the catwalk. Customers no longer have to wait six months for the designs to reach stores. All pieces shown on the catwalk were available to buy as soon as the show was over. Burberry are ahead of the game and to celebrate this forward thinking business concept they opened Makers House.
Makers house gave those involved in creating the beautiful 'September' collection a place to showcase their talent and craftsmanship. This was also the place the show was held and all catwalk pieces were displayed for us all to admire. The September collection mixed androgyny and 18th century military with delicate floral prints. The pieces were styled perfectly with clashing prints on heavy and soft fabrics perfect for the approaching Autumn Winter season. The whole collection was inspired by Virginia Wolf's Orlando, the beautiful shirting reflects the narrative of this historic novel which talks of a man, Orlando, who awakes as a women.
Burberry Makers House is open until tomorrow (27.09.16) and if your in London and love beautifully hand crafted clothes please go and take a look.