Vintage Acadème

Following my post about TOPSHOP Oxford Street’s London Fashion Week festivities, I just had to pop by and see if it was as good as they promised, and guess what…it was!

Fashion week is the best time to come shopping, as in my case, from spotting some pretty outlandish trends and creative individuals, I was inspired to become more open-minded about new trends and ideas, rather than worrying about what is most flattering. That’s the essence of London style, no?

Ella’s Bakehouse was my first stop, as I needed a sugar rush, in the shape of a Malteser cupcake. The adorable Bakehouse girls were on hand to serve up dozens of glittery cakes and they looked as cute as cupcakes in their red polka dot dresses.

Having never tried Ella’s cupcakes before, the Malteser cupcakes has made me a convert. They have a similar dense and springy texture to Lola’s cupcakes and the icing is also thick but not too sugary. The glitter on the top appealed to the five-year old in me, but eat it carefully, or you’ll end up with a sparkly ‘tache!

Completely avoiding the helpful information sign, I charged up and down the escalators on the hunt for the WAH Nails pop-up salon. The WAH girls were busy applying metallic Minx nails when I arrived and there’s a display board and catalogue to help you decide which designs to go for. Sharmadean Reid and her team are known for their amazing leopard print designs, but they can also interpret any trend from the catwalk just for your nails.

Vintage Academe’s designer dress exhibition was quite spectacular. They showed some amazing finds, from a Paco Rabanne silver sequin dress and Ossie Clark colour block dress to early twentieth century pieces by Paquin and Mainbocher.

On tuneage duty was Ali Cat (left) from electro-disco band GHOSTCAT with her DJ pal. They were camped next to the Boutique section and played a set of Lady Gaga, 80s rock and soul. See more of Ali Cat’s cool personal style on Show Me Your Wardrobe – something tells me she was an ice skater as a kid!

TOPSHOP Oxford Circus’ London Fashion Week in-store events are running all day until 23 February.

Why should only the fashion editors and celebs have all the fun at Fashion Week? It’s a question that’s being asked by many designers this season, with a number of them like Alexander Wang, Burberry, Rodarte and Proenza Schouler all streaming their shows live on the net (and in Wang’s case, projected on Times Square).

TOPSHOP are continuing the democratic trend with a flurry of amazing events at their Oxford Circus flagship store from 19-23 February. Whether you’re doing the rounds at Somerset House or glued to SHOWstudio, you can stop by TOPSHOP to get nail art done by the coolest nail techs in town, demolish some cupcakes and get insider tips on how to create a hit fashion blog. They also will be streaming the shows that they support as part of New Gen, straight from the catwalk.

Dalston-based WAH Nails are setting up a pop-up concept salon, where the technicians will be recreating looks from the catwalk or anything you could possibly dream of, they really are THAT good.

With a huge presence of bloggers gracing the London Fashion Week shows (your truly included), TOPSHOP have invited some of the luminaries of the blogosphere to share advice on how to create and maintain a must-read blog. Leading the workshops will be Oh Elle, Coco’s Tea Party and one of my fave bloggers, Disneyrollergirl.

But even with all the fashion madness going on, we still need sugary treats to keep us going. I reckon even weary and famished fashion editors won’t be able to resist a ‘couture cupcake’ from pop-up store, Ella’s Bakehouse (founded by supermodel-turned-baking goddess Lorraine Pascale).

During London Fashion Week, it’s all about new creations, so it’s easy to forget about the joys of vintage garments. Vintage experts Claire Nicholls and V&A curator, author and fashion historial Judith Watt will be showcasing a hand picked collection of vintage pieces by icon designers such as Jeanne Lanvin, Chanel, Ossie Clark, Azzedine Alaïa and Balenciaga.

Together they form The Vintage Acadème, specialising in sourcing the very best twentieth-century women’s fashion and haute couture. Clare and Judith will be on hand to give advice on the history of the garments and their designers. You’ll be able to try on some of the pieces – with tips from a TOPSHOP Style Advisor – and some items will even be for sale.

The Fashion Wall will be playing shows by TOPSHOP Unique and long-term designer collaborators Meadham Kirchoff, Christopher Kane, Mary Katranzou, Richard Nicholl, Marios Schwab, Louise Goldin and more.

The impossibly gorgeous Erin Wasson will also be teaming up with Blake Mycoskie, founder of ethical footwear brand TOMS, to host the first ‘Style Your Sole’ workshop, providing ideas to help you customised your shoes. TOMS’ mission is to match each pair of shoes sold by donating a pair to a child in a developing country and fans of the brand include Karl Lagerfeld and Sienna Miller.

Providing the soundtrack throughout the week will be live DJ sets from Stricken City, Peggy Sue, Esben and the Witch, Wet Dog, Bleech, Chew Lips and Samual and the Dragon.

As if that wasn’t enough, every time you spend £80 in store (lets face it, that’s not too difficult), you receive a free gift – just visit the Fashion Wall to see what prize is on offer. Gifts include free WAH Nails manicures, new season accessories and loaded gift cards to spend in store.

Visit the TOPSHOP website for details and event schedule.

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LFW Day 3: TOPSHOP fashion week wonderland…

London Fashion Week comes to TOPSHOP!