You're Only As Young As You Feel

I recently completed my first Uni assignment of the year, it involved combining a trend, brand and product and coming with an original idea to promote the product. I wanted to share a section of my final image, featuring the one and only Baddie Winkle! 

Trend: Historical Romanticism

Brand: Argos 

Product: Shopping Trolley 

Who is Baddie and how did she get so bad?

I've been doing a lot of research into the older generation in relation to fashion over the past weeks; I'm starting to appreciate a well dressed older person far more than you're average 24 year old blogger. Labelled 'The World's Coolest Grandmother' Baddie Winkle has had in insane amount of media coverage over the past years especially after leading one of Missguided's recent campaigns - Baddie is now an official Missguided Babe. But how did she go from Helen Van Winkle to fashion icon and Instagram sensation Baddie Winkle?

Baddie sadly lost her husband to a car accident on their 35th wedding anniversary and her son to cancer in 1999, It's clear this lady is made of some strong stuff. Turning her grief into strength, Helen started a new chapter of her life as she took on the identity of Baddie Winkle. All it took was 1 viral image of Baddie dressed in cut offs, HUF socks and a Grateful Dead tie dye t-shirt to launch the Grandmother of 3 into the public eye. 

I really admire Baddie; she's taken tragedy and used her new identity to move forward with her life. Many people struggle to do this and I think Baddie more than deserves the recognition she's receiving!

Advanced Style

I wish I could fill my entire blog with images of the fabulously dressed older generation featured on Ari Seth Cohen's blog Advanced Style but I'm pretty sure not everyone shares my immense love for these images. There's just something so elegant and classy about a beautifully dressed older person that the youth of today really struggle to achieve. Many people forget about fashion when they get older, turning to comfy slippers and practical loungewear; these individuals' style on the other hand has only strengthened with age. I personally could spend hours scrolling through these gorgeous images, but I've managed to narrow down some of my favourites!

Virginia Bates: Vintage Emporium

Fashion icon Virginia Bates' vintage store 'Virginia' closed in 2012 after 42 years being situated in London’s Notting Hill. I've been looking at images of the boutique and I'm heartbroken knowing I'll never see this fashion landmark in person. Bates collected the most gorgeous vintage pieces, displayed in rooms almost as beautiful as the garments themselves! I've collected a few of my favourite images below...

Historical Romanticism

Garments covered in ruffles, lace, embroidery and velvet have been filling the stores of almost all mass market fashion retailers over the past months. These are key aspects of the trend Historical Romanticism, a trend I was personally unaware of until very recently. The aim of Historical Romanticism is to present a feeling of past eras in a contemporary way. As a result, we've seen this refined trend become saturated as it's trickled down from the catwalk to the high street. It's interesting to see aspects of Historical Romanticism adorning all types of clothing from evening-wear to lounge-wear. When we pick up a frilled jumper or a lace top, we actually have our ancestors to thank! 

Astrid is killin' it

I'm absolutely in love with the A/W 2017 collection by Astrid Andersen and I can't believe I haven't come across this designer before! The colour palettes and fabrics used in these designs are so current, they put a fashion-forward spin on typical lounge wear. The range has a similar feel to Fenty Puma by Rihanna and these looks are definitely ready to wear.

Merry Christmas Mr Wang

Over the Christmas period everybody's been talking about a number of Christmas adverts, the John Lewis advert in particular being a big point of conversation. But I haven't heard many people mention Alexander Wang's #Naughtysanta shoot from the Alexander Wang X Beats by Dr Dre party. Granted, this wasn't technically an advertising campaign, but these images from the Alexander Wang NY Instagram page really deserve more acknowledgement! 

Everything to do with Alexander Wang somehow seems to be effortlessly cool, these Naughty Santa photos are no exception to this rule. I love the dark yet fun mood that these photos have, there's an amazing contrasts between the grimey, unconventional Santa Clause and the expensive celebrities surrounding him. These images would have made an amazing advertising campaign!

More images from the party can be found on Instagram: @alexanderwangny