LFW: Mary Benson SS 16

On my last day in London I was fortunate enough to attend the Mary Benson SS 16 presentation Benson is an up and coming British women's contemporary designer who's pieces have been worn on celebrities such as Rita Ora and Ellie Goulding and also had the privilege to work for Alexander McQueen. Though she has had much success, the young designer is extremely humble. Benson practically hid amongst the tight crowd during the presentation that it was difficult to snap a good photo of her. 

 The collection called  "Letters from The Darkest Corners of my Heart" featured dramatic silhouettes and eclectic styled makeup that is reminiscent of the late renowned designer. There was a couture essence of her pieces, which some were designed with hand written love notes which were also tossed on the floor.  The models were accessorized  jeweled embellished sunglasses and artistic headdresses.  Overall, the collection was extremely creative and unique.   

  

LFW: My Mod Moment

Coat (old) & Shoes: Zara, Top & Skirt: River Island, Bag (old): Top Shop

It seems as though fashion is currently in this 60's and 70's moment with a millennial rejuvenation. London is the city that originated the Mod style, which began in the 1960's. So, in London fashion, I wore a Mod-inspired look to my last Fashion Week event. River Island is one of my favorite UK based brands (think H&M and Topshop.) There were several all over the city, which made it easy for me to spend my money. I wanted to shop places and find pieces that I knew I would not find in the states. I loved the color-block of this skirt and A-Line is a silhouette I have yet to try. The top had the same white and black  "graphic-ness" as the skirt that pulled this look together in an unexpected way. I paired my favorite new boots and old coat from Zara to complete the outfit.

Look to the next to post to see where I wore this look to!

My London Trip: Sept 20, LFW Fashion Film River Island Event

After my tour of Buckingham Palace, I dashed off to attend one of my London Fashion Week events.  The event, sponsored by London based high street fashion women's brand River Island, featured 3 London based designers: Zandra Rhodes, Zoe Jordan, and Mary Benson. Each designer premiered a short film that summarized their SS 16 collections. It was interesting to witness the collaboration of film and fashion. 

One of the main venues where this year's London Fashion Week was held was at the Brewer Street Car Park in the Soho district. (Car Park is a parking garage in British terms. I was mainly excited to see the look of all of the attendees, and there was little disappointment. The energy of the fashion week atmosphere is electric.  It was inspiring and exciting to witness the London fashion scene.  

Mary Benson

Eccentric Zondra Rodes

Zoe Jordan

Attendees at the Fashion Film event 

This cutie told me to stop snapping, but I couldn't resist!

My London Trip: Sept 20, Buckingham Palace

Dress: H&M, Shoes: Zara, Bag: River Island

Touring Buckingham Palace was definitely a memorable experience. Every even numbered day, the Palace holds a ceremony for the changing of the guards. Tourists from all over the world swarmed the  Palace gates to catch a glimpse of the guards parading around during the ceremony. I was fortunate enough to be right on the gate so I practically had a front row seat. Unfortunately, I was not allowed to photograph inside the Palace when I took the official tour of the Staterooms. Each room had a story and they were all as grand and magnificent as one could imagine. 

For the tour, I wore this chiffon maxi dress from H&M. It flows beautifully and the color is perfect for the Fall season. I paired it with one of my favorite finds in London, which were these taupe Zara ankle boots with an orange transparent heel. The patchwork River Island bag was the only purse big enough to carry my camera, so I had not choice but to bring it along. However,  I also like to mix match my accessories and pair certain pieces together that are unexpected.   

Buckingham Palace

Guards during the "Changing of the Guards" ceremony

Cliche Tourist photo with the phone booth 

London Trip: Sept 19., Portobello Market

Coat: Bought at Portobello Market, Dress: Timeless Boutique, Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell via Nasty Gal, Bag: River Island  

During my London trip, I visited a couple of markets. Portobello market in the Notting Hill district was, by far, my favorite. I was on the hunt to find something that I would not be able to find in the states. It took less than a half an hour for me to spot this gorgeous one of a kind fringe plaid coat. I haggled the seller to knock 10 pounds off and immediately swapped my yellow Zara coat for my new outwear piece. It made my look a lot more interesting and it got several compliments as I walked through the rest of the market.  Its the perfect piece to add a splash of color and pattern to a solid canvas. 

It was difficult to restrain myself from dropping more pounds at the Portobello Market. I was also able to find most of my souvenirs for my family. There were so many interesting people and sites to see. Towards the end of Portobello Road, there were these houses lined up that made the prettiest pastel and primary colored palette, which coincidentally coordinated with my new coat. I had to take advantage of this perfect photo op moment. 

    

Birthday Suit

 Dress: Nasty Gal, Shoes: Aldo

Every girl needs that special outfit to celebrate that one special day of the year. I was on a serious hunt for the perfect birthday look and finally found this dress from Nasty Gal. Wearing white after Labor Day is not a fashion crime!  The simplicity of the dress allowed me to add pop of color with my shoes and even my hair! I encouraged myself to try something a little bolder with the color, but its just a temporary spray. I also added hints of gold accessories to tie the whole look together.

With my birthday around the corner (the 16th of September to be exact), I have had a lot on my plate. I have been mainly preparing for my trip to London, which I am extremely excited for! I plan to scoop out all of the amazing sites and people. I am of course planning to style watch as well, seeing all the different and forward street fashions! This trip will definitely give me inspiration and clarity, which is something I am needing at this point in my life. I am extremely blessed to be able to see another year and to see it in amazing city at that. I will document my whole trip on the blog day by day, so stay tuned!