It seems fashion is returning to its roots, back towards appreciating personal style and creativity, with a particular British edge that quite likes a gap in the teeth (think Lara Stone) and messy hair along the way. Natalie Hartley, the ex Sunday Times Style magazine Fashion Editor, used to have a single page every week called ‘Natalie Hartley Wears…’ where she would tell us how to work the latest fashion thing, à la Natalie. This page was initially a shock to those accustomed to seeing perfection in print, as Natalie was portrayed as a regular British girl who looked like she drank and smoked a little too much the night before each shoot. Natalie was channelling the Sunday morning look, albeit wearing a host of fantastic clothes. Every week I felt she was trying to mirror the reader, in an effort to reassure them that they too could pull off this or that particular look. She was the ‘cool’ girl who was a little bit out there, but only just enough to make her style choices interesting and not daunting to recreate.

It seems fashion is returning to its roots, back towards appreciating personal style and creativity

Visitors to elleuk.com will know that it too publishes daily photographs of the people behind the magazine, in its ‘What ELLE wears to work’ feature. Over the last week we have seen Editor Lorraine Candy sport a camel coat and kitten heels, looking very proper and ready for the office, and Stacey, the Executive Fashion Editor, teaming a big scarf, Diesel jeans and YSLs with socks. This daily upload of how the fashion’s insiders, who are normal people living without daily blow dries and stylists, successfully team looks and trends provides the rest of us with the belief that we too, with a bit of imagination and creativity, can look as good as they can.

Then there is Anna Dello Russo, the Fashion Director at Large of Vogue Nippon, who has been transformed from the girl who works at Vogue to an absolute streetstyle icon by Scott Schuman of The Sartorialist blog. Their relationship has developed to a point where the photographs are no longer taken at random, but planned, so Anna is able to style herself, like she would any model.

Anna explained that “the whole streetstyle thing these days is like a job, it’s all planned and thought up in advance; it’s not as though you just ‘happen’ to run into one another. Outfits are prepared in advanced … I just hope it doesn’t end up making it lose it spontaneity and make it become fake.” And that is the worry, that our fashion editors are treating this as a job, and thus have an vested interest. They create the magazines we read and are also becoming our style icons. We have to make sure we keep looking for real people – the one group with enough intrigue and integrity left to fire our imaginations and ensure the industry does not become too insular.

After graduation, the fashion world needs to see continuous commitment, not just an impressive online application form. Such dedication has often been criticised by the press, who have often deemed internships as the equivalent to ‘slave labour’.

Yet, no matter how bad some internships can be, there will always be fantastic ones out there. It is possible to gain a real insight to the fashion world, and make great friends along the way. However, let’s not forget the few horror stories that have been reported this year.

The Guardian researched and produced a piece about the hard working conditions for the interns at the Alexander McQueen showroom. It was found that the interns would work up to 17 hours a day in the lead up to fashion week, outnumbering the actual number of paid staff by 2:1.

Yes, people put up with these conditions because internships are essential for anyone who wants a career in the industry, but how do you avoid being bundled into the fashion cupboard for months on end with endless returns and tidying to do?

It’s difficult to avoid, so, for starters, don’t be star-struck by the prestige of the company that you are working for. Ask for more responsibility and input. They will more likely than not welcome pro-activity and be pleased to give you other work.

For starters, don’t be starstruck by the prestige of the company that you are working for

For example, a few summers ago, I interned at a leading fashion magazine. My responsibility was to organize Fashion Week for the team, a mammoth task which involved co-ordinating with hundreds of PRs in Paris, New York, London and Milan. A friend of mine got the chance to go on cover shoots and work with well known models. However, these tasks often involved staying late to ensure our share of the work was done.

This summer, I tried a different part of the industry, and interned at a fashion PR company during Fashion Week. Although many of the tasks were simple and not creatively challenging, I was given the opportunity to meet and talk to a number of industry insiders – whether it was inviting them to a celebrity dinner or showing them to their front row seat at the hot show of the season. This, I learnt, was the ticket. The networking opportunities that fashion internships offer are often as, or more, important than the internship itself. And make sure you keep in contact with your fellow interns – one day they might be giving you a job.

So, tips for getting an internship: persistence – if they don’t reply to your letter, phone call, or email, pester them till they do. Secondly, keep a clean internet profile. Your Facebook page is the first thing that any employer will look at, and, sadly, they won’t be impressed with that photograph of you funnelling beer on Wednesday night. Lastly, pull favours from people you know. If you ask around, you might be surprised how family friends have connections in the fashion world that might very well lead to an interview.

Theoretically speaking, you already have your Chanel clogs, your 505 Alexander Wang harem trousers, Céline messenger bag and your maxi dress – and you consider yourself ‘on trend’, right? Wrong. You were on trend. Those who have their fingers on the fashion pulse are already gearing up for the Autumn/Winter 2011 season by snapping up key pieces in the pre-fall collections, while the rest of us worry about bagging pieces in the sale.

This new breed of customer had been labelled the ‘fashion-fetish’ customer by Liberty, and they are beginning to realise, along with other top department stores, that sales aren’t of interest to these women. The pre-fall collections, or ‘pre-col’ for those in the know, are a small collection of mid season designs that drop into the stores to bridge the long gap between the Spring/Summer and the Autumn/Winter collections.

And you consider yourself ‘on trend’, right? Wrong. You were on trend.

Cruise collections are delivered in the darkest part of the winter and the pre-col in the height of the summer. Traditionally, these collections were designed for women who were wealthy enough to travel to exotic locations in the winter – hence the name Resort or Cruise collections. Style.com, the beacon of cutting edge fashion, seems to think these titles are outdated, and claim they will “keep calling it that until someone comes up with a better name”. I tend to agree – especially considering the hype surrounding this year’s pre-cols. They are sought after as much as the main collections, and the fashion world is beginning to sit up and take note. This year saw a two week fashion week spawn out of the mid season collections, with glamour, press and celebrities on the front row. In the past it was presented quietly and without fuss. However, this season, or mid season, Stella McCartney’s presentation attracted the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Hudson and Naomi Watts. The Evening Standard last week reported that many pre-col pieces are already selling out. An orange Derek Lam dress, a Lanvin, £4,500 Oscar de la Renta dresses and a giant Balenciaga bag with a price tag of more than £1000 to name a few.

The main concern with this growing trend is that by the time the seasons change and these new pieces are good to wear, might we already be bored of them, having seen them hang in our wardrobes every day? However, there seems to be no escape from the ever growing popularity of the pre-col, so we all better go shopping now (and be in risk of making our bank managers very angry) or accept that no matter how hard we try, we will never be precisely ‘on trend’. That suits me fine.

Now, when are these sales starting?

Photographs by Sam Newsome and Justyn Hardcastle

Blouse, Mulberry, £197. Trousers, Zara, £19.99. Bracelets, Mulberry, £75 each

Silk racer back top, Reiss, £79. Dress, Mulberry, £247

Jumpsuit, £95. Vest top work underneath, Reiss, £39. Bag, Mulberry, £486

T-shirt, Zara, £9. Jacket, Mulberry, £247. Shorts, Reiss, £89. Necklace, stylist’s own

Shorts, Whistles, £59.99. Shirt, Whistles, £85, Waistcoat, Zara, £19.99

Shorts, Zara, £29.99. T-shirt, Whistles, £35. Sweater, Whistles, £35.00 (Sale Price). Belt, sylist's own

All of the above is true, but what the film and the book fail to show us are the beautiful and creative sides to the city, most recently fuelled by the intense Indian thirst for up-and-coming fashion.

Over the last few years I have travelled to Delhi and Mumbai on many occasions, and each time I have noticed these cities becoming more cosmopolitan as they reach tentatively into the international fashion world.

In 2007, Vogue India hit the street stalls, the new Indian Grazia followed shortly in 2008, and at Fashion Week I met a group of Indian fashion journalists from Mumbai, eager to learn from the well established scene in London.

“Great”, you may say. The booming Indian economy is supporting the country’s love for fashion. I thought I’d show my support too and picked up copies of Vogue India and Grazia in Mumbai airport to help fill the hours flying back to Blighty. Visually, the magazines were impressive. They were sleek, sophisticated and continued the glossy quality we have come to expect from their European counterparts.

However, expecting revolutionary and exciting new designs from the East, my heart sank when the contents paralleled the western examples far too closely.

Page after page, I was confronted with product spreads filled with Chanel tweed bags at RS 135,362 (£1,994), Anya Hindmarch wallets for RS 22,569 (£332) and iPods, Diesel denim, Juicy Couture and Tod’s sandals. When products like these are featured in British Vogue or Grazia, the majority of us consider them expensive – and this is when the average British wage is somewhere around £22,000 a year.

This western attitude towards fashion journalism alienates many of Mumbai’s middle earners

Compare this to the £700 average Indian salary and the products appear astronomically expensive, and only available to the super rich. This western attitude towards fashion journalism alienates many of Mumbai’s middle earners, who take home around £10,000 a year, curbing their healthy appetite for fashion and shopping.

When Vogue first hit the shops in India it caused controversy: children were being paid RS 25 – about 30 pence – for every copy they managed to flog to ‘rich madams’ caught in the endless traffic jams.

On top of this, Vogue orchestrated a sort of “Third World chic” shoot featuring some of the poorest members of the city wearing Alexander McQueen and Burberry – both expensive British labels. This juxtaposition of rich and poor highlights the vast gap between the fashion featured in India’s glossies and their readers. After devouring both Indian Vogue and Grazia, I wished the volcano had erupted a week earlier and stranded me in Mumbai.

I would have been given the opportunity to really explore the innovation and creativity in the city; to hunt out some of India’s own design talent, of which I’m sure there is so much of. If only Vogue India and Indian Grazia would do the same.

Karl Lagerfeld’s creative director of beauty, Peter Philips, gave the illusion of tattoos inspired by blossoms, delicate chain bracelets and pearls by painstakingly hand painting the models. The designs took the place of statement jewellery in the ‘Marie Antoinette-goes-to-the-barn spectacle.’ So, short of actually taking a paintbrush to May, our model, our options were limited.

Chanel now rules the ‘Decalomania’ trend, and seem to have a monopoly on the chic transfer market (Rodarte and Gaultier have not followed suit as far as I’m aware). These really are the coolest transfers around, and are most definitely not your average ‘I Love Mum’ or ‘British Bulldog’ tattoos. And, as this is the first season in ages where jewellery doesn’t seem to be about making a huge statement, and make-up and hair are also fairly laid back: why not stop wasting hours of time applying eyeliner or cocktail rings and embrace something a bit more exciting? Love it or hate it, body art is back (I’m not actually sure if it was even ‘in’, but never mind).

The trend has already caught on with our celebrities. Cast your mind back to the photograph of Daisy Lowe wearing the Christopher Kane black and white chequered skirt, with the thigh split arranged to a great effect to show off her new Cheryl Cole style band around her thigh.

“Why not stop wasting hours of time applying eyeliner or cocktail rings?”

But, take a closer look and you notice the chain design is a lot more elegant than the usual thigh tattoo, and the little interlocking Cs recalled the emblematic codes of Chanel. All well and good, but over the past two days at London Fashion week, full of people sporting the hottest new trends (I’ve seen clogs, I’ve seen summer leather, I’ve seen bum bags), I haven’t seen a single Chanel tattoo, or any other transfer for that matter.

You might point out to me that the Chanels are not released on general sale until March 1st, but these are all industry insiders, most of whom will have all been send a packet or two to test out at the beginning of February. Maybe they know something that we don’t? Hannah Betts from The Telegraph describes the “colossal wastage rate” when trying to apply them, with bits falling off like “dead flies” and a final effect which is “tight, itchy, shiny as a scab, with a rather dubious love bite-type rash developing around it”.

So, I’m in two minds – is this the ultimate fix for label lover? A once in a lifetime chance to actually wear Chanel, by literally branding themselves with interlocking Cs. An extreme form of ‘conspicuous consumption’? Or, is it cool? Has Karl managed to make the tattoo a must-have this season, quirky, tongue-in-cheek, and a refreshing change from jewellery? You decide.

We are all aspiring to emulate an ‘ideal’ often modelesque figure

Gold is confusing fashion with body image: rather than worrying about models, we should focus on fashion as an individual entity rather than bringing the focus back to the body. Fashion enables people to express themselves in creative and original ways. In opposition to Gold, one of the most influential figures in the industry, Alexandra Shulman, editor of Vogue, put the notion to rest last year in a strong worded letter addressed to some of the largest fashion houses in the world. Shulman accused designers for pushing thinner and thinner models into magazines, ones with “jutting bones and no breasts or hips” as a result of the “miniscule” sample sizes they receive for shoots – the Vogue art department was, for years, retouching photos of models to make them look bigger! Also, take a look at Mark Fast – he sent three plus sized models down the S/S 2010 catwalk, another stand against the beauty ideals of the fashion industry.

All the models looked fantastic in tight, ripped and short clothes – dresses that I would never wear. Why would I find it difficult to wear one of these dresses? It is because we are led to believe clothes like this are designed for the ‘ideal’ body to which we aspire, but yet the models look great. While we struggle to get thin, an increasing number of models, with an ‘ideal’ body, are breaking away from the rules dictated by their profession and putting on weight.

Think Gemma Ward, Crystal Renn, Lara Stone – maybe they know something that we don’t: curves might actually be having a fashion moment. Currently, billboards all over Manhattan are posted with high-fashion images from V Magazine showing beautiful girls who do have a bit of meat on their thighs and the odd tummy roll. The catch line – “One Size Fits All”, appropriately describes the side by side identical looks from two models..one is a typical model size zero, the other more ‘normal’. The effect is powerful and shows that fashion can flatter bodies other than those of models. So, maybe we should join, Fast, Shulman and V Magazine in encouraging designers to create clothes for different shaped women and promote individuality, and hope that comments such as Kate Moss’ “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” have been put to bed…. fingers crossed for LFW next month!

Do you find it hard to source the vintage embellishments?

I wouldn’t say hard to source, but time consuming. It’s also taken time for me to really know when a piece is right for re-working, both technically and aesthetically, and so I try to marry what I think people will like and what I find interesting.

Describe the process from conception to reality?

Now that would be giving it away… I can’t reveal my techniques verbatim, but I will say that each cuff is made with integrity. I have to use skills that require patience, detail and time, (three hours minimum per piece from start to finish).

Perfect outfit to accompany one of your cuffs?

Literally anything. I think there’s a cuff for anyone who likes to accessorize, but high profile people include Kate Moss and Helena Christianson. Both have such great taste and style and I would be proud to adorn them with my jewellery.

Do you have any future plans or new lines in the making that we should look out for?

Loads: my mind is way ahead of me. One thing I’d like to produce is a belt similar to the cuffs. I made one that I wore to an event and it had a great response, but it will need some technical tweaking first.

Grazia has recently featured you, which I assume was very exciting. Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years time?

I have a few prestigious shops that I aspire to being seen in, and marketing myself properly is one of my goals this year.

Have you ever sold anything and regretted it?

Yes, one cuff that had press and then sold. It was made with a fur stole clip, the kind they wore in the 1920s – 1940′s. It was a big, chunky graphic piece with the rich reds of a pomegranate and I miss it, but I hope someone’s enjoying it somewhere..

The vintage clothing section was also good, but difficult to navigate. A good tip is to buy ‘Paris Vintage’ by Sarah de Haro from Amazon which tells you exactly what is worth a visit, and what is worth a miss. I discovered Isabelle Klein’s vintage fashion store which was filled with beautiful, designer pieces. There was so much to choose from but all I managed to buy was a new trilby to shield me from the rain. The market has been given the seal of approval by French fashionistas by hosting its own Spring/Summer ‘09 fashion show but, in spite of this, it was not the most fashionable part of my trip. The hotel was.

Designed by Philippe Starck and strategically placed in the new coolest quarter of town (on a par with Hoxton or Shoreditch), this hotel seemed to be a beacon for fun-loving, partying types (I spotted Robert Pattinson at the bar taking time off from promoting New Moon, and yes, he is gorgeous). There is no ‘Mama Shelter’ sign outside the door – only a bored doorman- but once inside, they are everywhere. Starck has gone graffiti mad and covered the carpets, walls and ceilings in slogans such as “let’s trash the place” and “can we hire a room by the hour? The rooms are equipped with Mac computers which double up as TVs and the bar was heaving on a Monday night. Mama Shelter is trying to be très chic, and with Paris’s most renowned live music venue, La Fleche d’Or, located directly opposite and with rooms going for €79, it gets my vote.

But the main reason why I am so keen to get on my bike is that I have finally bought a Pashley, which I coveted for many months over the summer.

These bikes are not cheap, brand new from Harrods they sell for £565, but I managed to pick one up off Gumtree (in perfect condition) for £150. Bargain. The Pashley Princess is a sit-up-and-beg vintage style bicycle, complete with brown leather saddle and wicker basket giving automatic style points wherever it goes. Bicycles, albeit pretty ones, seem to be taking the place of designer handbags as the ‘it’ possession of the season: Kelly Brooke was recently spotted pedaling on her Pashley wearing a silk dress and Louboutin heels, Elle Macpherson is often seen pottering around Notting Hill on her Electra, a style rival to the Pashley, wearing skinny jeans and ballet flats. Aggy uses hers to get from one show to the next at Fashion Week and Lilly Cole uses her Pashley to get to lectures in Cambridge wearing white jeans and oversized knits.

The best thing about Pashleys are that they reject the Lycra wearing, foul mouthed, aggressive, pointy helmet, everyone-is-in-my-way modern biking mentality. A Pashley for me is perfect as I have strong aversions to Lycra, and feel no need to wear aerodynamic shaped helmets.

Do you think speed is on my mind? The only thing on my mind is what to wear when on my bicycle, because if I’m not careful my own bike might outdo me in the style stakes.

This is a type of bike that you want to look pretty on; all floral skirts and flowing hair with flowers in the basket (look at copenhagencyclechic.com for inspiration). But think again. The reality of life in England does not lend itself well to look good on a bicycle.
I know this because I have cycled everywhere all week to see if it is at all possible to look good at all times on a bicycle, which I can promise proved very difficult. It’s either so cold that you layer up to look like the Michelin man, or raining so you wear a huge poncho, or dark, which means reflective clothing and bike lights.

I had trouble with my lights as I cant seem to find any that actually fit onto my Pashley and even the buffs at Halfords are stumped. I have resorted to clipping the front one onto my handbag which sits in my basket – not the most practical of methods, but hey, it works.
I even cycled into town the other night to go to the Nouse social, and it was by far the best method of getting from a to b with six inch heels on; my feet didn’t have that searing pain in them which would have resulted from the 10 minute walk into town.

The downside? I had to squeeze my lights into my small elegant clutch for the evening! Lets hope things change in the spring with longer daylight hours…

Lets start with one of the well known boutiques, Coggles. The women’s and men’s stores sit two doors away from each other on Low Petergate and provide a modern, eclectic shopping experience; these shops scream cool. The brand mix down to a tee, providing the perfect ‘in between shop’, for the kind of people who go to both Selfridges and Topshop regularly, and want it all in one place. Coggles reflects this and sell designer names such as Vivienne Westwood, PPQ and Lulu Guinness along side more affordable, up and coming labels. Best thing to buy here: Cheap monday jeans (very cheap at £40!).

Along the same road, slightly nearer the Minster, is Selkie. Set over three floors in a beautiful town house, Selkie is a slightly strange shop, selling a mixture of well known labels such as Graham and Spencer and Tatty Devine, along side creations from young York designers straight out of design school. Although Selkie is still trading off its Mary Portas reinvention, it is worth having a good look for fun party dresses, especially around Christmas. Best thing to buy here: fun, individual jewellery.

Low Petergate also sports a Paul Smith for men and Reiss, which is again great for party dresses. Heading up Stonegate you will find a Whistles which has a fantastic collection this season, all gold zips and silks and leather (I have my eye on a washed silk, zip embellished, waisted dress). Not the cheapest high street shop but well worth it. If you are looking for more high street, York does not have a Primark (unfortunately) but to make up for this there is a fantastically huge Topshop. It’s never as busy as the Oxford Street store, but this may be down to their lack of the fashion forward collections found in London. No Topshop Unique, no Christopher Kane, and no Boutique. You can also find a large Zara and H&M just as you step off the no. 4 Campus to town bus. This season, Zara has a great collection of shoes and boots; I just bought a beautiful pair of wedge ankle boots for under £60, much cheaper than in Topshop.

For Vintage, there are a couple of shops on Walmgate. Deep is a modern, ‘anti vintage’ vintage shop, which is clean, neat and orderly, similar to American Apparel. There is a choice of sizes for most of their collection, and good dressing rooms (often lacking in vintage shops). A bit further down lies Purple Haze, a tiny, pretty, girly vintage shop selling cute tea dresses and leather satchels.

Just a few weeks ago I remember being amazed seeing Michael papped in Grazia, not for looking obscure or weird, but for donning one of the it items of this season, Balmain’s woman’s military jacket, ready for a doctors appointment at a Beverly Hills clinic. He was joining Beyoncé, other celebrities and supermodels in following the eighties trend that has appeared this season, but the look was nothing new for Jackson. Shoulder pads, military detail and crystal embellishments have all appeared in Jackson’s costumes over the years, and the ‘new’ Balmain look has borrowed much of what Jackson loved so much in the eighties. Some reviews of the Balmain S/S 09 collection suggested that it was influenced by the King of Pop himself, harking back to the 1980’s frogged jackets and crystal’s. The recent eighties trend provided a perfect environment for his comeback London tour, which was due to start on July 13th, just two weeks from today, as his costumes would have been more fashionable and relevant than ever. Elleuk posted a news feed declaring that just hours before his death, Swarovski announced a collaboration with Michael with the costumes on his tour!

Apart from Michael’s uniform of embellished jackets, there have been other iconic fashion statements – who could forget the rhinestone studded glove which first featured in ‘Billie Jean’? This idiosyncratic style was amplified by MTV, who chose Michael to be their first ever black artist to appear on the show. Teenagers all over the world wanted what he had, and wore single white gloves to school, but it was not only kid’s that were influenced, even Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld featured white gloves on the runway. Aviators were also thrust into the limelight by Michael, who was frequently seen in a mirrored pair. No longer were they reserved for pilots and they became a huge hit.

Michael Jackson stood out from the crowd for his constant originality and creativity in fashion. This is what made him a fashion icon and why he became so influential in the way many of us dressed – we all wanted a bit of what he had. From his bell bottoms as a child star to his military inspired suits, his fashion statements are etched into our memory: no matter your personal opinion of the star, it is undeniable that he has driven fashion and the way we dress to a whole new level.

Jen Kamal, buyer for River Island, official sponsor of the show:

Jen spoke on behalf of River Island, but came across as really passionate about the young designers showing at Graduate Fashion Week (GFW), highlighting its importance in offering a platform to “meet new talent and to promote the brand itself.” River Island clearly takes a proactive, fostering role in the development of new talent. Last year’s Gold Award winner, Jessica Au, secured a permanent position with the company: “It is amazing,” says Jen, “A lot of the designers at River Island have been found here; a lot of the people within the company have done work placements through GFW. Its a way of getting new fresh young talent through the business.”

Jen says she is keeping an eye on Natalie Rose-Evans (see below) in particular: “I loved her collection. As a buyer I have to constantly keep my eyes and ears open, it’s important to keep things quite commercial. I know we are going to be seeing sequins everywhere in A/W and it was interesting to see her take on it.”

But does fresh, contemporary design sit well with the traditional image of River Island? Jen insists that “We are launching the A/W collection in July and it’s going to be all big shoulders and shimmery fabrics. We are taking everything that sells well and elevating our fashion credentials and the quality of fabrics. We are trying to push our girls into wearing even more fashion forward clothes and at the same time trying to bring in a new customer, someone more cool and edgy like Alexa Chung who would normally shop in somewhere like Topshop.

Natalie Rose-Evans, Northbrook College:

Natalie’s collection was a buyer’s dream: achingly on trend and with key similarities to the A/W Ashish collection that caused a stir in the fashion press earlier this year. She describes her collection as conveying “a tourist’s impression of New York City. The cut of my garments draws inspiration from the incredible architecture and magnitude of graphical imagery. Katy Perry was my target customer for my Graduate Collection. I find she’s not afraid to have a lot of fun with what she wears yet still look very feminine and sexy.”
Natalie admitted that the sequins she uses are glued on. “They are sequins on a string. I found you get a clearer visual this way as opposed to sewing them on which is an added bonus as it takes half the time!”

Yatri Pabari, University of Northampton:

Yatri was nominated for the prestigious River Island Gold Award, and showed at the final gala show. Her show was “very much about looking at the luxury side of fashion.”

She acknowledges the debt she owes to her university’s top fashion tuition: “when we started our final year at Uni, we were told to think of a bold statement, which consisted of a few words that we felt described ourselves. My bold statement was, ‘Sexy, Attitude, Individual and Unique”.

Ideally, Yatri would love to work for “Giorgio Armani, because the look of the womenswear collections is so high-end”.

Isla McLean, University of Northampton:

Isla was selected by Dazed Digital as a Graduate to watch, and she certainly didn’t disappoint with her tartan outfits: “My collection is based on hunting, a very British sport and past time. I love how elegant and smart everyone looks when out hunting or shooting, whether taking part or just observing. The smart tailoring, and cuts of hunt jackets was what really inspired me, I wanted to create a collection that evoked all of my passion for the hunt. Smooth lines enhance the silhouette of the woman, but I was also trying to keep things sexy. Finding all these vibrant, colourful tartans helped to achieve a sophisticated, traditional collection with a twist.” Isla is inspired by Vivienne Westwood, and was tempted to go all out on styling, but thought she should “play it safe”.

Last years Award winners at Graduate Fashion Week; Jessica Au (Gold Award and Textiles Award), Tim Rhys Evans (British Fashion Council Creative Cutting Award), and Domingo Rodriguez (Menswear Award):

I asked Jessica how winning the Gold Award had shaped her career in the fashion industry: “I wouldn’t be working for River Island now. They offered me a placement which turned into a permanent position so I was able to stay on in London. A lot of us can’t afford to stay in London without a job and I met a lot of industry insiders who I would never have had the chance to meet: Garry Hogeth (Agent Provocateur) Mulberry, John Lewis, the GFW commitee, and Jimmy Choo.

Domingo and Tim have both been aided by their presence at GFW too: “We are at the London College of Fashion doing a masters and were both awarded the Harold Tillman scholarship. This is funding us through our course which is great because otherwise we would never been able to have afford it.”

All three of last year’s winners offer sound advice to those wishing to succeed in the design side of the fashion industry: “Keep your head down and keep at it”, says Jessica, “Don’t think about the awards when you are doing your degree. Concentrating on getting your collection done should be the only thing you’ve got in your head.”

Jessica is keen to laud the efforts of the current crop of graduates, and highlighted the Kingston show as being of very high quality. Indeed, the Kingston graduates showed immense maturity and promise in their manifestly wearable designs.

Roxanne Pitteway, University of Northampton:

Another graduate lauded by Dazed, Roxanne’s collection had a more conceptual feel than her peers, which makes sense, since she would love to work for Hussein Chalayan “where I could be creative.”

Roxanne’s black leather creations were “inspired by beetles and cockroaches, taking from that the hard exoskeleton and the way a beetle’s back fits together into tightly locked shapes.”

She believes she is distinguished from other graduates by not pandering to scouts, instead creating a look of her own and not showing items “based on trends or previous designers”.

The Edinburgh university show was an eclectic mix of sleek silks, multi-coloured ensembles and bearskin-esque headpieces, but it was obvious to Roksanda that a lack of experience was evident: “I think it was really good and quite diverse, but, obviously this is just the beginning and I think some of the graduates probably have to learn a little bit more and get to know fabrics better. However, for something that was just the beginning it was very good, with a lot of creativity and diversity.”

GFW is an amazing platform for new graduates to get their designs noticed, and gives them an opportunity to show their collection in a professional catwalk show, something usually reserved for established designers. Though it remains a fantastic kickstart to their careers, Roksanda explained that she didn’t think GFW prepares the students completely: “Fashion is such a complex process of designing and showing, and it takes a very long time to learn how to master these things. But it is definitely a start, we are in London and there are a lot of influential people watching, and also a panel of very experienced judges”.

Desperate to know what we can expect from her next season, Roksanda unfortunately left it “a secret!”

This type of camping was a world away from the cold, soggy and muddy memories of Duke of Edinburgh trips and Glastonbury, and more about the luxury necessities that a girl just sometimes has to have. Persian rugs, string flowers, lanterns, egyptian cotton sheets, sheepskin rugs, double duvets and even our own mini bar were all part of the fashionable camping experience.
Our tent looked like it had taken hours to set up and could have been one of those overpriced (but beautifully decorated) pre bookable tents you get at festivals, but it only took us forty five minutes to erect and decorate. One pole, one groundsheet, 10 guy ropes and our perfect home for the night was up in less than 20 minutes. Perfect.

The trick is to invest in a good tent which isn’t too big or too complicated to erect, but is roomy enough to feel special. A canvas bell tent does the trick, they are surprisingly warm at night, but also has great ventilation for those sticky summer evenings. Prices start from around £219 at soulpad.co.uk and can also be bought at belltent.co.uk.

Camping is officially back in fashion and if you want some helpful tips on how to turn your experience from something practical and deeply uncool to something verging on the glamorous, go and buy Cool Camping, one of the best selling travel guides over the last few years. They have also just released a Cool Camping Guide to Festivals if you need some inspiration on that front.
Festivals are harder to ‘glamp’ at because you are often not allowed to drive your car into the grounds, and trust me, it would be absolutely impossible to carry everything needed to create the whole glamorous experience, even if you did have a wheelbarrow. But, if you are going to camp at a festival this season and feel the need for a bit of luxury, there are new options popping up all the time. One of the more simple ways is to book a MyHab, a funky new innovation made from recycled plastic.

Your MyHab will be erected for you and comes complete king size foam bedding, mirror (very essential), light and built in locker. myhab.com. At the Secret Garden Party this year Boutique Camping is on offer, complete with Bell boys, posh showers and if that wasn’t enough, boutique butlers will be available from Midday to Midnight on hand to fetch you anything you desire. (More information is available at secretgardenparty.com).

Bestival offers ‘podpads’ which are cosy, lovingly built and decorated wooden huts, along with Eve’s Tipis, amazing structures furnished for you with rugs, floor cushions and low tables. (More information available at bestival.net).

I hope I have convinced you to try ‘glamping’, the most fashionable and eco friendly way to holiday this summer.

I am sitting in York Railway Station waiting for a train to London (I’m going to Graduate Fashion Week so keep your eyes out for interviews and all the coverage next edition) and a large gaggle of girls have just passed by.

Every one of them was dressed up to the nines with full-on big hair, dark eyes, fake tan, six-inch strappy indented platform shoes and ‘on trend’ clothes. This, you could say, is a group of girls having fun and dressing up for a night out, but, its 1.30pm on a Saturday afternoon! I’m still enjoying a Starbucks skinny Latte caffeine hit and reading the weekend papers while they all seem to be ready for a big night out. Something is wrong.

The physical addiction to look perfect and emulate stars such as Posh and Cheryl means that girls are too scared to leave the house looking anything but. Feeling inadequate without cake loads of make up, towering heels and fake tan is becoming an easily perceptible trend. Just last week during our recent spell of sunshine, there was a sudden appearance of very orange-coloured streaky legs in York. Fake tanning was the only way the girls were going to get their legs out.

There are even some who feel it necessary to sport their high heels on campus, tottering into lectures and looking very uncomfortable with their feet thrust so far forward there is a gap at the back of their shoes. The girls at the train station might have been on their way to the Races or out to lunch to celebrate a birthday – both valid excuses to dress up – but they went about their outfit planning the wrong way. Their way equals looking like a daytime drag queen.

My way to avoid the the dilemma of looking too done up during the day is to not think of it as dressing up at all. Be it summer weddings, village fete’s, Sunday lunch, Henley or Wimbledon we are all going to have to master the smart, ‘I made an effort’ day time look this summer.
If hats are called for, don’t spend a fortune on naff headpieces, invest in a panama or straw hat which looks classic but also work wonders on the beach. Wear block coloured dresses or ones with geometric patterns to give a modern twist on the floral tea dress. Stay well away from black as this can propel your look from daytime chic to trashy and never ever enter into the Formal Wear section of any department store. Whites can wash out pale skin so go for unusual pastel colours such as light greys and nude pinks and then layer them for an individual look.

Remember, don’t worry about having to look well dressed during the day, and don’t plan your outfit in too much detail. Stay away from heavy make up, fake tan and the six-inch platforms and you might just avoid end up looking ready for a night out at the Soap Awards. The look is okay for parties and clubbing but just unforgivable during the day.

Theselby.com features a collection of photographs by Todd Selby, featuring interesting people in their creative spaces. The website offers an intimate sneak preview into the lives and homes of celebrities, designers, artists and Hollywood agents. You are given the impression that Selby actually knows the people he is shooting. The website is organised into cities: in Brooklyn you can see Peaches Geldoph pose in her apartment. In London delve into Bella Howard’s girly pad and look at Alexander Wang’s Manhattan atelier.

Charity: Art Against Knives

Supported by the likes of Vivienne Westwood, Giles Deacon, Marios Schwab, Tracey Emin, Meadham Kirchhoff, Richard Nicoll and Rankin, this charity has some serious backing. On the 28th August 2008 Oliver Hemsley, a 20 year old fashion student from Central St Martin’s, was stabbed repeatedly by a 15 year old in an unprovoked attack outside a pub in Shoreditch. This charity was set up by Olivers friends to raise funds for him (Oliver is now paralysed from the neck down) and, most importantly, to raise awarness. An exhibition was held last Monday where all works of art were for sale along with an auction on the 5th. To donate or offer support visit www.artagainstknives.com

Model: Johanna Kneppers

Tipped to be the most talented model of her generation, Johanna Kneppers exploded onto the scene this season on the runway of Balenciaga. Johanna came out of the blue from new agency in town, Just WM in Paris, which brackets great new faces and strong portfolios. Johanna was the first model from the agency to secure catwalk billing. The next step was to sign with Ford in New York joining the likes of Erin O’Connor. She currently resides in Paris.

Trend: One Arm Dress

As the asymmetrical dress goes from strength to strength in moving from avant-garde to commercial sucess, we have seen a new, more daring version emerge into the spotlight. Designers have found a new way to emphasise the imbalance and quirkyness of an asymmetrical design – add a sleeve, but only to one side. A design that takes architectural inspiration, it gives a focal point to any outfit and can add a modern twist to a classic design. Wear with dangly earings that are not too long, and not too solid, as this will best bring attention to a graceful neck. Pictured: Hervé Léger.

If you hadn’t already clocked on crop tops are back. Daisy Lowe sported the look (a silk cami version) at the recent Coachella festival, combined with tiny denim shorts. Some have criticised her for revealing too much flesh, but, if you can pull it off then why not, especially in the Californian sun. The midriff featured heavily on the catwalk this S/S 09 from Prada to Alexander Wang, warming up the look for our celebrities. Although successful for Miss Lowe, I predict we will see many try this look and fail miserably. Also, as the summer matures we will witness these crop tops shrink in size – from a short baggy t-shirt to a tight fitting bra top. I would reserve the latter for anyone with a washboard stomach. Otherwise layer with longer cami tops underneath. 

Next up are shoulder pads. The accentuated shoulder has been all over the catwalk this season, from Gareth Pugh in London to Balenciaga in Paris. The new season sees a step up from the old 80s Dynasty style of wearing reinforced shoulders. No longer a box-shaped jacket, it’s now all tiny waists, tapered jackets and ultra wide shoulders. This is power dressing take two, and there is no way of hiding the fact that you are recreating a full on fashion look. For those of us who can’t afford the £2,920 pricetag of the Balmain jacket (pictured), log onto ELLE.tv which has just posted a ‘how to’ video, giving step by step instructions on how to recreate the Balmain look. They even suggest sewing shoulder pads onto a t-shirt, but the ‘casual power shoulder’ is to me, something of an oxymoron. 

On to leotards: once reserved for garish 80’s workout videos, ballerinas and Jane Fonda, this all in one piece has now become everyday wear. Starlets from Lindsay Lohan to Lady Gaga have been spotted sporting the trend – Lady Gaga more daringly than the rest. Wear with skinny jeans and a jacket to complete the look, allowing some extra time for those bathroom breaks. American Apparel has the best selection.
80′s fashion is in this summer, so it’s time to embrace all acid wash denim and the above, but let us hope the trend doesn’t spiral. We do not want bouffant hair, blue eye shadow and legwarmers featuring on next year’s catwalks.

Photo credits: George Lowther, Alexandru Hristea