WORK | Glastonbury Festival 2013

This time last week I had packed up the tent I’d called home for a week and was making my merry way home, along with the rest of #teamfash, from my first ever Glastonbury Festival. I joined approx. 250,000 other people who descended on Worthy Farm, Somerset for the iconic 5-day event. Having had a year-long break, anticipation filled the air, soon to be mingled with the odour of portaloo, alcohol, overall euphoria and a mixture of musical accompaniments. 

OXFAM

I was lucky enough to be working as a quarter of Oxfam’s #teamfash for the festival and alongside around 2000 other Oxfam volunteers who were part of the stewarding, campaigns and shop teams. Making our way between the three Oxfam shops and the press/hospitality area, we were intensely style spotting, shop styling as well as having an Oxfam Festival Fashion photoshoot with dome of the shop’s finest wares.

OXFAM FASHION PHOTOSHOOT

FASHION

Glasto is an extremely good looking festival with such a mash up of different styles and fashion statements. Here is a selection of style spots from across the festival site…

Top festival fashion trends as picked up on site are…

FLORALS
BRIGHT WELLIES (particularly Orange Hunters)
DUNGAREES (Despite the portaloo impracticalities)
ANKLE BOOTS
CROCHET
DENIM
MEGA PRINTS

MUSIC

Work took precedent over the epic line up of this year’s festival. Whilst the majority was absorbed as an occasional melody floating through the crowds, we managed to catch the Arctic Monkeys and The Rolling Stones EPIC headline sets. 

ARCTIC MONKEYS//PYRAMID STAGE

I feel it necessary to mention that a low point of the festival falls under the music category also. Public Enemy, I have no idea why you felt the need to desecrate all over Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit but it was excruciatingly painful.

It’s accurate to say that Glastonbury satisfies every musical taste. Even if you ignore the stage scheduling, there are tucked away tents and bars hosting everything from various drum & bass sub-genres to a motown disco. I also felt a lot of love for the Chameleon Bar which was sponsored by my favourite club night Propaganda. 

CELEBS

We couldn’t help but do a bit of celebrity spotting whilst in the press/hospitality area. Amongst the musicians, press, PRs and photographers we saw: Greg James, Nick Grimshaw and Chris Moyles of Radio 1 fame; Dawn O’Porter and Chris O’Dowd; Cara Delevingne who was walking through The Park completely unnoticed (except by us!); a very colourful Florence Welch; Caroline Flack, Keith Allen, Millie Macintosh and Professor Green amongst many more..

HOSPITALITY BAR 

GLASTO PRESS TENT 

ON SITE

To list the amount of weird and wonderful things I saw over the weekend would take a ridiculous amount of time and I’m sure it was only a small portion of the wonders the festival holds. From what I got to see, here were the highlights… 

The Healing Fields 

This area felt like the vibrant soul of the festival nurturing the same peaceful energy as when the festival began over 40 years ago. Quaint tents and teepees offered spiritual healing, massage, tarot readings and various other divine techniques. 

Block 9

A train carriage crashing out of a block of flats and NYC Downlow, the first established gay venue at a UK festival, was the post-apocalyptic start of our Saturday night expedition. Purchasing our moustache entry tickets from a glitzy drag queen, we entered the smoky, makeshift cub for a full trans-everything treat. Next door was the Unfairground which was a carnival of nightmares and a salsa sensation at Glasto Latino. 

Shangri-La 

This is a notorious post-headliner hotspot which was this year themed with Heaven and Hell. We sacrificed the last hour of the Rolling Stones to beat the rush and ventured through a maze of graphic obscenities to come across the Shangri-hell stage. Shangri-heaven was alleged to have carpeted floors and a free bar if you could convince St Peter you’re cool enough. 

Arcadia

The 40-tonne, fire breathing spider structure, whose ferocious flames can be seen across site, is the work of arcadia spectacular http://www.arcadiaspectacular.com/ who attend numerous festivals with their recycled sculpture and acrobatic performance. At the heart of the scrap metal beast is a DJ pod where the likes of Andy C and Chase & Status performed sets to the crowd below. 

The Park 

This whimsical wonderland was home to the infamous rabbit hole, the ribbon tower, the famous Glastonbury sign and, most importantly, an Oxfam shop amongst other exciting vendors.

To get even more of an idea of the Glastonbury beyond the Pyramid stage, I highly recommend Julien Temple’s documentary ‘Glastonbury: After Hours’.

Was anyone else at Glastonbury this year? What were your highlights?

WORK | See you in a week...

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EXPLORE | Magical Books: From the Middle Ages to Middle Earth @ Bodleian Library, Oxord

“Let us suppose that this everyday world were at some one point invaded by the marvellous! – C.S Lewis

As a Father’s Day treat, my family and I ventured into Oxford to explore the Bodleian Library’s Summer exhibition – Magical Books: From the Middle Ages to Middle Earth.

Across the paved courtyard and through one of the tiny, Latin covered doors, an exploration of childhood tales, magic and fantasy was enveloped.The dimly lit, compact cove contained ancient books, manuscripts and illustrations from the Bodleian archives which depicted mythical beings, magical practices and enchanting tales, both fictional and factual.

Included in the collection were treasures linked to some of arguably the greatest childhood (and adulthood) tales and their authors - a map of Narnia drawn by CS Lewis; an original illustration by JRR Tolkein; the working pages of Philip Pullman’s The Dark Trilogy amongst many others. 

The picturesque Bodleian Library, Oxford

When imagination and fantasy are channelled into fashion, magical things happen. You just need to look through the collections of McQueen and Westwood to be taken on a sartorial fairytale.

The Bodleian exhibition is open until October but, for those unable to make a quest to the ‘shire, is explorable to an extent online here.

MAKE | Lace Panelled Shirt

AS PREVIOUSLY WRITTEN FOR THE MARKS & SPENCER SHWOPPING BLOG AND INSPIRED BY ABEAUTIFULMESS.COM

The catwalks have been swamped with subtle injections of lavish fabrics such as lace, velvet and leather adding a hint of glamour to otherwise classic pieces. One such timeless wardrobe essential is the simple shirt, a much-shwopped item found in an array of materials, shapes and colours and inhabiting the wardrobes of most.
It’s quite easy to give this old faithful a new luxury lease of life while creating a versatile look for both day and night. The opportunities are endless with this DIY technique and you can experiment with different materials and colours to really spice up those shirts.

 

YOU WILL NEED...

• One shwopped shirt
• Lace (we used old lace curtains!)
• Sewing Machine
• Pins
• Paper and Pencil (to trace pattern)
• Tape measure
• Scissors

 

STEP ONE
Cut out the back panel of your shirt leaving a ½ inch gap from the seam as you’ll attach your new lace panel to it later.

 

STEP TWO
Using this removed panel as a pattern, pin it to your lace fabric and cut out to create the new back panel. Again, add a ½ inch to the outline to attach it to the shirt with.  You could also trace around the back panel plus ½ inch on paper to make a pattern.

 

STEP THREE
Now the fiddly bit. Turn the shirt inside out and pin in the new lace back panel matching up the ½ inch around the seams.
STEP FOUR
When it’s all even and looking fabulous, carefully sew into place along the shirt’s original seam and hem the bottom edge. If you want to be really precise you can trim around the excess material on the seams so it’s all neat.

STEP FIVE
Sit back in your ‘new’ shirt and bask in the glory of being a DIY fashionista.
To pick up a shwopped shirt, or material, find out where your local Oxfam shop is.

MAKE | Memories Board

AS PREVIOUSLY WRITTEN FOR THE MARKS & SPENCER SHWOPPING BLOG...

This DIY is the perfect way to display those photos, pictures, postcards and letters which are shoved in a shoebox at the back of your wardrobe. This craft can be cheap and easy and bring a unique, colour co-ordinated accessory to any room.

It’s easy to just charity shop by your dress size but don’t neglect pieces which catch your eye for their prints and patterns as there are plenty of ways they can be used in different projects. This craft uses a Shwopped M&S dressing gown with a fantastic, retro print.

YOU WILL NEED…

• AN OLD PILLOW
• ITEM OF CLOTHING WITH A FABULOUS PATTERN
• OLD PINBOARD (or stiff cardboard)
• SPLIT PINS (make sure they are long and strong enough to pierce through the padding)
• LONG STRIPS OF RIBBON
• SCISSORS
• PENCIL
• STAPLER
• DRAWING PINS
• HAMMER
• SMALL TACKS/PINS

1. Lay your chosen item right side down on a flat surface. We’ve used this old M&S dressing gown picked up in Oxfam.

2. Place your pin board on your clothing and draw around it.

3. Cut it out leaving a good few inches around your outline to ensure it will easily cover the board with padding. Put this to one side.

4. Cut open an old pillow and spread the padding over your board evenly, just enough to give it a bit of cushioning.

5. Put your patterned fabric on top of your board and padding. Tuck the edges round the sides of the board, pulling tight, and temporarily secure with pins. Keep adjusting to ensure the fabric is pulled as tight as possible.

6. Turn the board over and staple around the edge of the excess fabric, keeping the fabric as tight as possible and tucking the corners in neatly.

7. Hammer a tack or pin into the side edge at each corner of the board or wherever you would like your ribbons to begin from.

8. Cut several lengths of ribbon long enough to stretch over diagonally across the board.

9. Knot the ribbon around the tack at one corner and pull it down tightly to the diagonal opposite corner and tie to that tack. Repeat this on the opposite corners. We are using wrapping ribbon which will split if punctured but if using fabric ribbon you could just tack through it to hold it in place.

10. Take a split pin and push it through the centre point formed by your crossing ribbons. Use a pin to create an initial hole if necessary and hammering it can help force it through the pin board. When it punctures through the other side be sure to bend it flat so it doesn’t catch or scratch.

11. Repeat this process for the amount of ribbons you want on your board. Insert split pins at every ribbon cross point and tuck the ribbon around the head.

12. To hang the board you need to cut and attach another length of ribbon or string to the back of the board.  We stapled ours. Hang your new memories board pride of place and use to display your favourite photos, letters, pictures or knick knacks.

TOP TIP 1: You can paint the golden heads of the split pins in complimentary or contrasting colours using paint or even nail varnish. You could also glue buttons on top of them for a quirky, crafty look.

TOP TIP 2: Cut your pinboard into a shape or letter for a really individual creation.

READ | Vogue - June 2013

VOGUE // JUNE 2013 // PG 89

I loved this article in last month’s British Vogue by Polly Morland, author of The Society of TimidSouls, which gave insight into her quest of ‘how to be brave’.

In the pages of her book, she has sought out and compiled stories of the world’s most courageous people triggered by her own timid soul. She told Vogue: “I was underequipped in the courage department…little by little I realised how much I’d love to be brave, or at least a little bit braver."  

It got me deliberating the subject myself.

My mind automatically deems courage an act of extreme bravery or action; something life threatening, transforming or with high levels of risk. This is still true and I can’t begin to imagine what depths the courage arises from to tackle such feats. Then there’s also the self-imposed courage it takes to throw yourself out of a plane or swim with sharks which is again triumphant.

BRAVE:

ready to face and endure danger or pain; showing courage

a young man who shows courage or fighting spirit.

endure or face unpleasant conditions or behaviour without showing fear

However, I also believe courage seeps into the everyday too. As well as the generally confirmed forms of valour, there can also be an extremely personal level of bravery. A single step outside your comfort zone can take a tremendous amount of bravery. Traits such as speaking your mind and standing up for yourself take bravery. Snap, spontaneous decisions, take bravery.  Sometimes, with events such as the monstrosity in Woolwich not to mention global sufferings, it can feel brave to even leave the house on a daily basis.

Yet avoiding being brave can leave you stuck in your mousehole. In her article, Polly said: “Fear turned out to be absolutely central to their mettle, the intuitive bedrock from which their bravery sprang.” We’ve all heard those vacant inspirational phrases such as ‘do something everyday that your scared of’ alongside the ‘YOLOs’ but maybe there’s a whiff of sense amongst those treacly words. Is it fear that forces us out of the safety zone into a more fulfilled life?

As also mentioned, it seems this craving for bravery in such an unstable environment has triggered a reaction on the fashion front too. Loud prints, bright colours, bold ensembles and ‘crazy’ designs could all be deemed as ‘brave’ by the wearers. Statement style evokes individual strength and fearlessness and defies mass conformity and in the end, is vital to the future of the industry.

“I’ve learnt that it’s in looking and thinking beyond your own bubble, your own immediate comfort, that courage starts to grow,” Polly said, words my own timid soul and I will be taking heed of.

Polly Morland’s book, The Society of Timid Souls – the namesake of which was a group for stage-frightened wartime performers on the Upper West Side, is now downloaded onto my iPad and top of my reading list.

How would you define bravery? Who would you classify as brave and why? Is it important to be brave?

WATCH | #GreatGatsby & The Roaring 20s

“Can't repeat the past?  Why, of course you can!"

I can’t help but join in the hype around the much anticipated Great Gatsby film, based on the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel and directed by Baz Luhrmann, which has already been championed for its spectacular visuals.

Having finally seen the film this evening, BFF and popcorn in tow and paper version finished, it satisfied, if not excelled, its preceding reputation.

The film captured 1920s New York and its vacant excess magnificently and doused it with the perfect measure of contemporary, from Jay-Z’s soundtrack to Luhrmann’s signature acidic colour and energy. You are sucked through a champagne bubble haze to become carefree and lost among the revellers of indulgently decadent parties.

Catherine Martin, Luhrmann's wife, was the film’s costume designer responsible for presenting a wardrobe for a film which was as anticipated for its wardrobe as its story. My personal favourite is the outfit Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan) wore to one of Jay Gatsby’s many infamous West Egg gatherings with husband Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton)…

I adore the opulence fuelled by emancipation of 20s fashion, from flirty flapper dresses, classic dropped waist tea dresses, cloche hats and beads and pearls EVERYWHERE. The post-WW1 era was an exciting time for female fashion as ankles were flashed and the Women’s Rights Movement meant restraint was easing. We saw the first inkling of 20^th Century androgyny as hair was bobbed and styles became loose and boyish. Coco Chanel was a pioneer of this era’s style and 20^th Century fashion as a whole and represented the new, stylish women of society.

Men didn’t miss out, particularly on the headwear front, with fedoras, bowlers or trilby complimenting their sharp, regimented suits.

STYLE GUIDE:

Flapper Dress
Beading
Fringing
Bobbed Hair
Fur Stoles
Feathered Headbands
Cigarette Holder
Dropped Waist
Masculine Tailoring
Long Shorts/Sophisticated Sportswear
Embellishment

“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past”

FASHION | Selfridges Windows - May 2013

The fabulous Selfridges' windows...

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LIFE | #Instaweekend