Part Three | Designer Blog

For my subculture I decided to choose designers who I feel really epitomise what The Mixers are all about – being fun with fashion and trying out new and exciting things. The first designer I have chosen is the young British designer Katie Eary. A former student of the Royal College of Art Katie Eary has graced us at London Fashion Week with her unique and eclectic prints. To me, I see Katie Eary’s work as very on-trend at the moment with the younger generation and although it may not be suitable for every generation, it does exude a street couture attitude that would perhaps suit the likes of celebrities such as Rita Ora, Rihanna or Miley Cyrus.  My favourite collection of Katie’s would have to be her SS13 collection which had her being the talk of town.  Despite the fact that some may see her work as kitsch or too over the top I think it works just well is definitely suitable for the daring fashionista’s out there.  Her SS13 collection was full of bold, shiny colours and in your face baroque underwater prints that would definitely make you the certain of attention no matter what room you walked into. What she manages to do in her collection is turn what these colourful vibrant prints that could have turned out to be a kitsch disaster into intricate architectural ensembles. Inspired by the bling side of Californian skate culture, this collection saw models walk down the catwalk in everything from embossed crocodile jackets and oversized rucksacks to pure silk shirts with hypnotic aqua blue patterns. From Eary’s work I really do get a sense of a Versace-esque inspiration, but with a difference – a somewhat ‘urban and contemporary street’ twist with a more affordable price tag. Eary also manipulates fabrics, fusing neoprene with jersey and cotton and patent leather for a distinctly luxe-street feel.  What I really find interesting about Eary’s work is that although I do like her womenswear wear collections, I often find myself in awe of her menswear pieces. What I really like about it is the contrast in her male pieces as she uses what could be considered as more feminine and sleek prints for the boxy, heavy and oversized silhouettes.

Pierre Balmain was "a king of French fashion" and outfitted stars including Ava Gardner and Brigitte Bardot and Sophia Loren. Considered to be one of the design giants responsible for reenergizing lavish couture dressing after World War II, Balmain was infamous for its elegant and super-feminine silhouettes that every woman wanted to wear. After Balmain’s death in 1982 the house was led by Erik Mortensen, described by Vogue as Pierre Balmain's "right hand." Oscar de la Renta ran the fashion house between 1993 and 2002. Under Pierre Balmain, Mortensen, and de la Renta, the house was known for its classic, luxurious designs. His 2010 collection, shown during Paris fashion week, was said to be "totally retro" and "[brought] back the glitz and glitter of the 1970s disco era." And for a label that was once known for ultra elegant evening attire with a draping and pleating focus, Decarnin's appointment took it toward tough-chic, thigh-grazing, body-skimming looks — a sensibility that embraces the quintessential trendsetting French party girl. In 2011, the house of Balmain announced the appointment of Olivier Rousteing as its new Designer. What I love about the brand is its strong identity which hasn’t been lost throughout the years despite the fact that is has been run by several individuals. It is very evident that the house has now taken on a more modern and edgier aesthetic however the luxurious and super feminine silhouettes still exist but with a modern twist which makes me more and more excited to see what Balmain has in store every season. It was in 2009 that I became knowledgeable of the luxurious brand after seeing several celebrities including the likes of Rihanna and Beyoncé wearing beautifully intricate military jackets that oozed high couture. A key element of the fashion house is their signature emphasis on the shoulders and their flashy yet far from kitsch aesthetic. Its bold, daring and big. In an relaxed and 80’s infused way, this year’s collection is definitely one that I wish was a part of my wardrobe. I love the new approach with this collection, "I wanted to explore something casual and sporty,” says the creative director Rousteing. And that is exactly what it does – but in true Balmain fashion with sparkles and bling, monochrome houndstooth, chunky gold chain belts and quilted bomber jackets paired with super-feminine ruffled skirts and glossy black leather overalls that scream high-end are all a part of the SS14 collection which makes it ever so more desirable.

After completing her MA fashion program at Central St Martins, Rocha made her debut at London Fashion Week on-schedule with Fashion East in 2010. Rocha’s collections have generated recognition and gained her some of the most prestigious stockists in the world including Dover Street Market in London and Colette in Paris, with Colette choosing to showcase Rocha’s Autumn/Winter 2011 collection in their front window during Couture week in June 2011. September 2011 saw Simone launch a 6 piece capsule collection for Topshop, a design from Simone’s archive re-issued as part of Fashion East founder Lulu Kennedy’s  ‘Lulu&Co’ range and present her spring 2012 collection as a solo catwalk show at London Fashion Week. Rocha’s work definitely oozes femininity and romance but with a modern take. Asked who embodies the spirit of her brand, Rocha quotes “any woman or girl who can identify femininity.” And that is highly evident in all her collections, from her soft and feminine colour palettes to her use of soft, romantic materials like sheer, plastic and so on. Although Rocha’s work without a doubt embodies femininity at its best, for me her work is sometimes a mixture of androgyny silhouettes that have been romanticized by her use of fabrics; think boxy, oversized as well as tailored coats and drop gathered waists.

Part Two | Sub Culture Blog

I actually found writing this blog post quite difficult, as I feel that I can't really situate myself into a particular subculture because of how much I love various fashion subcultures. I would describe my style as being a mix of everything on some days I may be feeling very feminine and decide to wear floral prints and bright neon’s whereas on a another day I may feel the total opposite and wear a more 90’s grunge/androgynous outfit. I think that’s what I like most about my style, the fact that I don’t limit myself to stick to one particular subculture because after a while it does get pretty boring wearing black and white the whole week in order to still be within the ‘Minimalist’ subculture. For me, when it comes to fashion I draw inspiration from the music I listen to, artwork I like, my environment and my family and friends. I also take inspiration from celebrities and the latest trends on the catwalks and turn them around to fit my style and what I like. I am deciding to call my subculture – ‘The Mixers’ to be honest I think this is the best way to describe my subculture as I pick and choose different aspects from different subcultures. I think celebrities that would fit in the ‘Mixers’ subculture would include Rita Ora, Solange Knowles, Miley Cyrus, Kourtney Kardashian, Nicola Roberts and Kelly Osbourne. For me I think the ‘Mixers’ subculture is all about fusing elements of different styles and bringing them together to form something different and something that perhaps gets you thinking whether or not it is fashionable. 


I love how Kelly's style has evolved over the years, from her punk rock phase to her now elegant and feminity style with a hint of edge.

Out of all the Kardashians, Kourtney has to be the one whose wardrobe I would love to raid! I love seeing what Kourtney is going to wear next whether it be a very tailored pant suit or a flowy boho maxi dress. She always looks amazing and mixes different styles together very well!

I think Nicola Roberts has really come in her own with her style ever since Girls Aloud broke up. I love the fact that she is bold and risky with her choices! She mixes androgyny and girly pieces very well.

With her style being pretty much bohemian, I love how Nicole Richie adds a grungy/ rock – chic to her bohemian edgy style.

I really like how daring Rita Ora is with her with her fashion choices. Although her fashion choices aren't always my cup of tea - like Kourtney Kardashian; I'm always on edge to see what she wears next! Similarly Miley Cyrus fuses urban, androgyny, edgy and feminine elements together.

I actually don't think there are enough words to describe my love for Solange's style. Her effortless, extremely eccentric and daring style just blows my mind! I love how she manages to pull off everything she wears effortlessly.

I love how Miley in cooperates urban and grunge influences into her style. I think her style is very on trend right now, I  like how she feminizes some of her outfits, for instance by wearing a baseball jersey but pairing it with a pair of chic high stilettos.

Part One | Fashion Shop Blog

Selfridges 
I really enjoyed visiting the Selfridges Bright Young Things store. I found it really interesting especially the designs that were in the store. I also found the ICA Exhibition really interesting, it gave me a greater understanding of the 1980's subculture that was occurred.

Browns
Visiting Browns for the first time was very interesting, I think that most of the items in Browns are probably best suited to an older target audience or even individuals who have more of a formal style of dressing.

Browns Focus
I loved Browns Focus more in comparison to Browns from the minute I walked in. I'm not too sure why I think it may be because as soon as I walked in I felt more of a 'young/hip vibe' this may be due to the two young sales assistants that were in the store or perhaps because of the more casual and edgy garments and accessories that were displayed around in the shop.

Dover Street Market
I really liked the layout of the store, it sort of reminded me of a maze as you could walk around all the different sections for where each of the brands were. The layout of the store seemed to be very conceptual and artist, rather than the normal store design which looks nice but may not exactly get you thinking.

Topshop
I really like the store layout of Topshop, especially the visual merchandising. Every time I walk into Topshop I just mesmerized by how incredibly stylish the mannequins are.

Burberry
I found the Burberry store's layout quite minimalist in comparison to the other stores I visited, with many of the items for sale displayed on gold shelves and glass screen cupboards.

Urban Outfitters
I found the urban outfitters layout very, with items for sale being displayed everywhere within the store. I think this is done is order for customers to see all that the store has to offer all at once, that way they will certainly leave the store with something. I also found the layout to be quite homely and warm which is a contrast to some of the stores such as Acne, Burberry.

Liberty
I really liked the layout and design of Liberty, although looking from it on the outside it looks very old fashioned the design inside the store is quite contemporary yet simple. The staff however were not very welcoming.

Absolute Vintage
Absolute Vintage was very interesting as there were so many things going on in the shop at once. I felt a warm from the shop, almost sort of homely.

Acne
The layout of this shop was very minimal and clean. I found it to be quite similar to that of Burberry.

Present
I found the design of this store very clean and simple. I didn't really like the design and also the staff didn't seem too friendly.

Farfetch.com
I like the design of this webpage, its very clean and easy to navigate.

Not Just Another Label
I really like the design of this website, the layout reminds me of how a magazine could be designed.

Oki-ni.com
This website is very similar to that of Not Just Another Label and Farfetch in the sense that it has a very contemporary feel and everything is easy to navigate.

Net-a-porter.com
I also like the design of this website it seems extremely sophisticated/luxurious yet contemporary in comparison to the other website.