From Black Pepper Martini's to a Diet Coke photo shoot, I wanted to share my little jaunt to London Fashion Weekend, on Friday, with you all.
For those that aren't aware of London Fashion Weekend, it's essentially a very large and discounted shopping experience, following London Fashion Week. This ticketed event, although has a focus on Fashion (obviously), also offers some fun and stylish treats to attendees in order to make it much more of an all round experience.
Firstly, the weather was beautiful in London on Friday, warm, sunny but there were already crunchy red and brown leaves on the ground. My mum and I took a lovely stroll across London, through St James' Park all the way to Somerset House, where London Fashion Weekend and also London Fashion Week, is held. Suffice to say we worked up an appetite so we dined at Tom's Terrace before we got stuck in . Tom's Terrace and Tom's Kitchen are always situated at Somerset House, so this was not one of the restaurants/cafe's that LFWend put on for the event. The Terrace was spectacular to sit at on one of the very few good weather days we've had in London this summer and I would recommend anybody drop by, even just for a cocktail. You'll have to be quick though as the Terrace is only open between May and September!
I opted for a Black Pepper Martini, which was divinely delicate. Sitting out on the funky terrace, the decor was very contemporary and it had some chilled out club versions of Madonna, amongst others, playing in the background. Apparently on Friday nights they have DJ's and musicians too, so put it in your diary for next May folks. For £25.90 my mum and I could not resist the Sea Platter, which consisted of; a very generous amount of gravalax, curried crab in lettuce leaves, potted shrimp in a chilled lemon butter, smoked mackarel pate, alioli and ciabatta bread. Although it may not have looked massive for two, it was quite rich so actually the amount was more than enough and we both felt a little guilty over the gravalax we left behind. We did, however, over-indulge with an extra side dish that really we should not have ordered. Chips with truffle oil and parmesan, I dare you not to be tempted too.
After stuffing my face and evading my diet completely, I proceeded to get stuck in a Twenty8Twelve dress. Yes folks, alone in a canvas curtain, make-shift dressing room, mother outside cooling off, I managed to get myself in a bit of a pickle. The zip was nowhere to be seen, I proceeded to find it afterwards, so I brazenly placed it over my head forcing it down my body. When it resisted just a little bit too much at the thighs I decided to call it quits. Up it went and there it stopped. Flustered, gasping for air, blinded and hands restrained I had no way of calling for help. After what can only be described as a fairly traumatic experience I finally won the battle. Upon finding the zip I went back for more. After getting stuck a second time, although slightly less traumatic, I decided that maybe I wasn't built for this supposed "size 10" dress. I blame the truffle chips.
I did manage to snag myself a couple of bargains however. One was incredibly practical, the other a sheer desire. Juicy Couture always has quite a large area at LFWend but a lot of it is on the more "bling" side of Juicy and not really my style but I did find a body warmer that I was drooling over last winter reduced to £75. I can't quite recall how much the original price was when I saw it in store but I think it was around the £250 mark.
I also fell in love with this quirky clutch bag from Wilbur and Gussie which was reduced to £50 from £135. The brand had a number of different styles and brooch clasps but this was by far the coolest and the most relevant for me.
Diet Coke were running a promotion to get a free can of coke as you wander round as well as your very own cover shoot. Please bear in mind I did this post Twenty8Twelve-gate, so I look a bit of a hot mess! Thought I'd include it anyway for a little bit of a chuckle. Great fun to do with a bunch of friends! My mums camera shy though.
Our ticket also included a goody bag which I think has improved since my last jaunt to LFWend a few years back. It included...
Karl Lagerfield Diet Coke bottle, label m protein hair spray, Kleenex tissues, Kleenex face wipes, Johnson's baby oil, Lavazza coffee, Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Gold Ultra Restorative Capsules and a pair of false eyelashes that are nothing short of horrific and will be staying firmly in the bag. There may have also been some Gu Rocky Roads *ahem*...
All in all it was a fun day and so glad I ventured back to LFWend after so many years away. Hopefully I'll make it in February too and if you've never been before and London is feasible to get to, or you're visiting then I'd definitely recommend signing up for some tickets!
