Bristol Fashion Week

With all the excitement over London Fashion Week, I've been trying to join in, by attending a fashion show at Bristol Fashion Week.  Christopher Kane, Matthew Williamson, Mulberry, Vivienne Westwood at London Fashion Week in exciting venues, verses a tent in the car park of The Mall, Cribbs Causeway in Bristol and a fashion show sponsored by M&S and John Lewis.  It doesn't really compare in terms of glamour and excitement does it?  But I found it a really good night out and got loads of ideas and fashion lusts for Autumn Winter 2010/2011, and most of the clothes were affordable and available now and I've already ordered a few bits having seen them on the catwalk.

The fashion show contained outfits predominantly from M & S and John Lewis, as well as clothes from Dorothy Perkins, Animal, Jane Norman, River Island, La Senza, East, J D Sports, Karen Millen and Jigsaw.  It was a long show, more than an hour long, and hosted by Andrew Barton and Mark Heyes who made it entertaining and imparted some of their top fashion and hair tips for the new season.

The problem was, photography was prohibited, so I wasn't able to take any snaps of the clothes.  There was a running order of the different collections, but no catalogue showcasing the clothes and looks and prices etc.  I think that this would have been a great feature, as there were loads of things I wanted, but I've had to rely on my memory, especially as my pen ran out, so I couldn't even make any notes!

The highlight for me was the gothic/vampire inspired collection from Dorothy Perkins.  I've ordered a skirt and a dress that were showcased already!

I loved this leaf-print skirt from Dorothy Perkins

There was a lovely purple evening dress from M & S with a black band under the bust, with drapes of material cascading down from it, and hiding any tummy bulge.  This was worn by a larger model and it looked gorgeous on her.  Unfortunately, it's not yet released, so I can't show you a picture of it from the website, but it's definitely a winner for the Christmas party season.

There was a great dress and jacket from the brand Damsel in a Dress from John Lewis.  It is a tweed material with a golden silk sheen to it.  I'm not sure if it would suit me, being a larger busted girl, but it looked stunning on the model.

This is £169 from John Lewis

I loved the Karen Millen collection which included camel dresses and polo necks, with very interesting cuts and a slightly preppy/70s vibe.  I love the camel trend, it really makes a change from black, especially as I have a little white cat, so I spend my life cleaning my black clothes of white cat hairs!  They definitely won't show up against camel!

One of the collections showcased the new range of bags and shoes from Radley.  I wasn't taken with the shows which were multi-coloured and quite clumpy - not really my style.  However, I did love the bags which included 70s style patterns, a move away from those cutesy dog motifs. 

I was surpised that I loved the J D Sports collection.  It was all greys, hot pinks and vivid purples, and I've come away lusting a purple Adidas Hoodie, which I didn't expect to!

The major trends to emerge were:

• Camel, camel, camel, from leggings to coats, and including dresses.  I've definitely bought into this trend big style!
• Other colours were purples, greys and blacks.
• Lace T-shirts, dresses and tops, especially in black.
• A slight 1970s vibe.
• Aviator jackets.
• Military style jackets.
• Capes.
• Fur boots/gilets/fur-trims.
• Animal print.
• Cut-out shoes.
• Biker boots.

For hair, Andrew Barton said that the up-coming season would be about very short, sleek bobs, or long and big hair, rather than straight hair, enhanced with clip-on extensions.   He said that colour trends are moving to dark browns, verging on the black, possibly with purple highlights, or a purple tone to dark hair.  That's good news to me, as I've always maintained my brunette locks!

The tickets cost £8, and I though that was a fair price as the seats gave a really good view.  There was also a goodie bag for everyone which was stuffied with booty - definitely worth more than £8 alone. 

All in all, it was a good night out, and I liked the fact it was accessible and affordable fashion, most of which could be ordered straight away.  However, it was a shame that there wasn't  a catalogue of the prices.

I've ordered a lot of clothes for the new season after going to the fashion show (as I couldn't face hitting the shops this weekend), so I'm looking forward to showing you all when they arrive!

Thanks for reading! xx