Every year I wait for the first week of December, the week of the biggest fashion and beauty event - The Clothes Show. With a (slightly) new name, layout and re branding, did it live up to my excitement?
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| The finale of the fashion show. |
For the past three years The Clothes Show has been such an important event for me. Spending hours researching what brands are there each year and scrolling down numerous hashtags, I could just be obsessed? Or maybe not. Without The Clothes Show I wouldn't have had some great experiences such as having the press pass opportunity or being surrounded in a bubble of beauty stalls and a frenzy of fashion catwalks. If that doesn't sound like an amazing day already I was lucky enough to be named Young Fashion Photographer of the Year in (association with Olympus Pen)...maybe my yearly excitement is understandable now!
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| Made in Chelsea star & candy connoisseur Jamie Laing opening up the show. |
I can remember my first time at The Clothes Show almost perfectly, (even though it was only in 2013!). From the bright, bold banners to goody bags being bashed against me, the craziness of the event didn't even seem to phase a somewhat bewildered, makeup-less 13 year old in a Topshop skater dress. For someone (at the time) who wasn't entirely makeup obsessed but still took interest, The Clothes Show sparked some inspiration and was definitely a catalyst for the passion I have for beauty now. Leaving the day with a selection of goody bags from brands including Barry M and Models Own, I seemed content but amazed from the day I just had, only to rush home and attempt my first eyeshadow look with a Models Own duo..might have made an upgrade to Too Faced, MAC, Urban Decay, VISEART, Smashbox and many others now! To top it all off I won a £50 Topshop giftcard and met Henry Holland. Amazing.
Before I carry on relentlessly about 2013 and 2014, lets move forward to this year and of course, start with the shopping!
After a few hours on the road and a mini sprint of joy into the NEC, we made it! Press pass equipped and ready to go, I stepped back into the swing of The Clothes Show with offers and gems galore. I feel like there was slightly less choice of makeup this year, but with new additions of Nanshy Brushes & NYX Cosmetics I couldn't complain. As it was the final day the deals were even cheaper again, another perk of going! (An in-depth haul will be up soon, I promise! For now check Beth's, click here). Some of best items I picked up were from Spectrum Collections (all time favourite brushes!), Tangle Angel and Peaches+Cream. This year I didn't impulse buy as such and thought about my purchases more, even if I over did it on the eye brushes. Side note: I couldn't leave without picking up a Kardashian beauty Kardazzle Palette, obviously.
The day wasn't all just simply shopping and browsing through endless vintage stores, The Clothes Show would not be complete without a trip to the fashion theatre. With a live performance from X Factor star Josh Daniel to begin, this year was by far my favourite show- and that's a lot to top 2013's theme! The Clothes Show really heightened the standard and exceeded my expectations by dividing the show into several sub-themes focusing on ideas such as Dark, Pure, Red, Rebel, Underwater and even Future! As always, the models graced the catwalk with elegance and beauty, showcasing a spectrum of designs in their full beauty. This year also included a high street catwalk pre-show, focusing on trends such as embellishment and metallics which featured household brands such as New Look, River Island and Oasis. During 'Future' a dancing storm trooper took centre stage and captured the crowd.
I feel like the theme this year was so much stronger and portrayed the beauty of fashion. Having the press pit opportunity again also opened my eyes to an insight of press and media, perfect for a possible career path in years to come.
With all of that taken on board, the day just got even better. As I have previously stated, I was fortunate enough to be awarded Young Photographer of the Year and was the youngest finalist!
After a rapid rush dodging shoppers galore we made it to the Olympus Pen Style Studio where the ceremony was held. With a short talk from an Olympus Pen representative and a catwalk presenting the finalists' images, I was announced as the winner, which I'm still in shock about. The rest of the ceremony just seems like a blur now but I'm more than excited to assist on the Bright Young Things photoshoot in the future - I'll keep you updated!
As the day just seemed to pass like a blink of an eye I sadly have to wait another year for the event to come around again. I can honestly not think of anything else that has inspired me so much & has become such a huge part of my future. Thankyou to everyone who spends countless hours organising and planning such a large event and to everyone who is planning on attending next year (I strongly advise grabbing a ticket!) see you next year, The Clothes Show!
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| Highlights of the 2015 Fashion theatre. |
With all of that taken on board, the day just got even better. As I have previously stated, I was fortunate enough to be awarded Young Photographer of the Year and was the youngest finalist!
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| Receiving my award, £1000 cheque and flowers! (which I nearly dropped..) |
As the day just seemed to pass like a blink of an eye I sadly have to wait another year for the event to come around again. I can honestly not think of anything else that has inspired me so much & has become such a huge part of my future. Thankyou to everyone who spends countless hours organising and planning such a large event and to everyone who is planning on attending next year (I strongly advise grabbing a ticket!) see you next year, The Clothes Show!
Thanks for reading, make sure to follow us on Twitter : @sophbethbeauty.
xoxo,
Soph & Beth
♡
Click here for The Clothes Show website.
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