Degree Show Report 1: Wimbledon College of Arts (Theatre Design)

Two things I've learnt whilst training as a stylist (along with about 10,001 other things, some of which I may share with you at a later date) are that keeping tabs on other emerging creatives, and topping up your reserves of inspiration wherever possible, are both crucial, so, to those ends, Mummy Muses and I spent our Saturday on a whistlestop tour of this year's UAL degree show exhibitions, taking in Theatre Design at Wimbledon, Textile Design at Chelsea and Fashion and Jewellery Design at CSM.

And... wow. What a feast of visual delicacies: I took so many photos my iPhone overheated, and I'm going to have to publish a separate post for each college so as not to overheat yours, but, sadly, I don't think any number of images will be able to match the experience of getting up close and personal with the pieces themselves - so many elements of the textures and craftsmanship which "explode" in front of you just can't be recreated in 2D (at least without models and professional lighting!) ...But, since it's now too late for you to check out the shows yourself, I've done my best to document the experience as comprehensively as possible...

WCA's Welcoming Montage - We're pretty sure this is Art

First stop, a handy 14 minutes away on the train, was Wimbledon College of Arts. Had we had sufficient time, we could have spent an entire day at any one of the schools we visited, there was so much to see - but, given our time constraints, we chose to focus on the clothing-related shows, which, at Wimbledon, meant costume design. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given my own theatrical background, I'm often told by my teachers at LCS that my styling teeters somewhat precariously on the borderline between "fashion" and "theatre", so perhaps visiting this exhibition would be a little dangerous, but so be it!

David Bowie's "Ashes to Ashes" music video costume, recreated by one of WCA's graduating students

On stepping inside, we were greeted by this amazing David Bowie costume replica - well, that was me and Mummy Muses sold instantly. Over the next hour, we saw an incredible mixture of historical, stage and screen pieces replicated from photographic sources and patterns (genuinely as good as being in the V&A!), alongside original pieces designed by the students for their own invented characters (many of which were inspired by objects in Windsor Castle, including the chandelier-based design below!). Here are a selection...

"The Forgotten Woman", complete with layer of dust...

The piece on the left was inspired by a 1920s fashion sketch by Sonia Delaunay, shown at the foot of the pedestal

L: Replication of costume worn by Lana Parrilla in Once Upon A Time; R: Replication of dress worn by Natalie Portman in Star Wars: Episode III

L: Replication of Edwardian Day Dress; R: Replication of 1930s Beach Outfit (- palazzo pant alert!)

L: Replication of 1920s Flapper Outfit; R: Replication of 1950 "Safari Suit"

Once we'd had a good look at every scrap of fabric on offer, we had a mosey through the Set/Prop Design and Fine Art shows - I won't go into a full review here, but, again - WOW. Amongst other wonders, full scale sculptures and bronzes which would have looked at home in the Louvre, and installations which could fool you into thinking you were standing in the Tate.

Aside from the delight of viewing some breathtaking creations from some of the people who will no doubt be steering costume design into the future, I think I came away with a better understanding of the (sometimes fine) demarcation between fashion and theatre, which was to crystallise further throughout the day. So, with a massive "bravo" to the Wimbledon grads, it was back onto the train to check out Chelsea...

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Redheads Shouldn't Wear Pink? How to Evade the Colour Police

I'll admit, I thought one of the unavoidable costs of going red would be a rack of unwearable pastels... until, in a "what the hell, I don't have to leave the house today" moment, I decided to pull on last year's candy pink playsuit... hmm, clash-a-rama alert... but what would happen if I added a red belt, tying my new hair colour into a nice little tonally-colour-blocked package? Eureka! No more fear of eyestrain for innocent onlookers, and way more of a statement than I could ever have made as a blonde. And orange shoes... well, why the hell not?

If you're struggling with a colour clash quandary of your own, check out a few of my tried-and-tested tricks, illustrated with a little help from my fellow redheaded rebels - which, with a few tweaks, you can apply to your own colour concerns, whatever your hair shade.

1. Choose the right shade for your colouring. For example, rich, berry-toned pinks (as seen on Ms Hendricks, below), along with lighter, nude-type hues, à la Nicola Roberts, tend to suit redheads' warm colouring better than acid brights, candy tones and dusky lilac shades. 

In the Pink: Redheads Rebel...

But, if you really want to wear a shade which jars with your natural (or not so natural) colouring, you still have a few options available...

1. Block with another colour which does work for you - echoing your hair colour (with a belt like mine, a sweater like Emma's, or even just a bold lip) "brackets" the deviant shade and draws attention back up to your gorgeous face (whatever you may have been told about redheads in red!). Blonde? Try rocking a sunny yellow scarf, like my lovely male model... 
2. Pair with patterns in shades which complement your colouring and pick out the tones of the scary shade, like Florence's fabulous florals.
3. Put your hair up. Simple, painless, effective.

Playsuit: LOVE (Past Season), Shoes: New Look, Belt: Afraid I can't remember for the life of me!

Do you follow colour "rules", or flout them?

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Review: McQueen at St. James Theatre

I was somewhat surprised that, despite being the fastest-selling play in the history of the St. James Theatre, no one in my immediate social circles could summon sufficient enthusiasm to check out this off-the-wall Alexander McQueen bio-drama, inspired by his AW '08 "The Girl Who Lived in the Tree" collection - the actors left cold at the prospect of sitting through a 100-minute play about fashion, and the fashionistas preferring to stick with the real McCoy/Queen. But, as an emerging stylist and actress, catching this was an absolute must for me...

McQueen and his mannequins

...And then it opened with one of the best dance/physical theatre-based movement sequences I've seen on stage, as McQueen's mannequins sprang to "life" to the sounds of Vitamin String Quartet's tribute to Nirvana's "Come As You Are" (soundtrack to the aforementioned runway show) - yet two more of my "Favourite Things" checkboxes ticked! Overall? Despite its relatively poor critical reviews, which I read with some surprise on returning home, I loved it. Dianna Agron? Yes, she was a little wooden, a little monotonous and a little less than sparkling, but I've seen far worse performances lauded by the critics, so are her poor reviews partly inspired by a teensy bit of a "let's bash the American TV actress" mentality? And - give the girl a break - her fairly decent performance couldn't help but appear a little lacklustre in the shadow of Stephen Wight's uncanny portrayal of our eponymous hero, which remained utterly and consistently believable as the production spiralled ever deeper into the realms of the (wonderfully) surreal, backed up by a brilliant supporting cast.

Stephen Wight as Lee McQueen with Dianna Agron as Dahlia

Dismissed as "self indulgent navel gazing" by other commenters, I rather found James Phillips' dialogue to be incisive and insightful, not only clearing a window onto Lee McQueen's personal psychological landscape, but interweaving with set design and choreography to paint a thought-provoking portrait of the "tormented creative soul" and human tendency to depression and despair more generally, which I don't believe could help but captivate and intrigue anyone, regardless of interest in McQueen specifically, or even in fashion more generally (an opinion backed up by my mum, who couldn't pick a McQueen frock out of a line-up... or a pile of feathers).

Stephen Wight as Lee McQueen with Tracy-Ann Oberman as Isabella Blow

If you're quick, there's still just about time to make your own mind up, as there are still a few seats left for the last two performances, on Friday and Saturday... (And, if you're still on the fence, the St. James bar makes some of the most delicious cocktails on the planet... even if they did get our order wrong and serve us Raspberry Gin Fizzes instead of Savage Beauties this time - tsk - although the upgrade from back row to premium seating somewhat made up for it.)

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Sam Muses at London Collections: Men SS16

Yep, aside from that glorious day in April, London has so far seen scant evidence that SS15 has arrived, but, in the world of menswear, it's already all about SS16... The last few days saw male models, celebs and fashionista(/o?)s galore descend on the capital for London Collections: Men, and, buoyed up by my newfound zeal for menswear, I was thrilled to be invited to work with two key brands: Aquascutum and KTZ.

Front of house for Aquascutum, one of Britain's most important "heritage" brands (they invented the trenchcoat, FYI - aquascutum being Latin for "water shield", dontchaknow), I played gatekeeper to the hordes of VIPs (including the gorgeous David Gandy, who turned up looking tip-top in top-to-toe M&S!) and blaggers turning up at our Soho townhouse in search of sumptuous suiting and free bubbles (before turning my hand to some mannequin stripping and dismemberment once the doors closed).

The collection itself retained the classic "gentleman about town" feel the brand was founded on back in the 19th century, whilst sneaking in several delightful little soupçons of modern flair, from ultra-skinny cuts to ultra-chic digi-prints.

 In an underground Southwark club, catwalk bounded by caged sides and strip lighting, meanwhile, KTZ was a whole other story. No David Gandy this time, but the presence of 40ish super-buff, live models went some way towards making up for his absence (added bonus: no dismembering required at the end of the night, other than shoe/parachute de-lacing). No concessions to classicism here - this innovative and directional collection was all about looking forward. Want to get a headstart on your SS16 wardrobe? Get crafty with your bacofoil and chip paper now... P.S. How proud am I that the look featuring my painstakingly coloured-in-with-a-permanent-marker masking-tape-trimmed parachute laces became the most Instagrammed of the night (below centre)?

Outside of the shows I worked on, my favourite collection of the season had to be Topman's Northern Soul-inspired presentation. Directional, yet wearable (given a few tweaks for the man in the street!), I loved their update on the now-ubiquitous '70s trend, combining a dauntless appropriation of the "Oxford Bag" silhouette with a mix-and-match ethos (one pair of stripy trousers - 2 ways to wear!).

What do you think of this season's menswear collections? Can you see yourself or your boyfriend going Northern in Topman, donning a paratrooper-inspired ensemble à la KTZ or easing into printed suiting with Aquascutum?

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