A Week In Fashion

Thursday 16th

The Daily Telegraph

The first column in the Daily Telegraph today was about Amazon's efforts to break into the fashion market. I was surprised to read this as I hadn't realised how much Amazon had advanced already with its range of brands and clothing stock. The article was very informative for this reason; and it developed an informative argument by discussing its past progression then leaving an open-ended alternative. The introduction of an existing opinion from a Drapers feature left me with more to consider, as it suggested that Amazon would make limited impact in the fashion market without opening physical retail stores. Given the immense advancements that Amazon has already made (which I have recorded partially in this critical journal) I believe that it is totally feasible that Amazon could one day have physical clothing stores.

Another more lengthy article by the same journalist discussed expensive business rates and what this worryingly means for our high-streets. London Fashion Week got a mention with regards to Amazon's progression of its own fashion label, which Armstrong had previously discussed in a much more informative style. The article as a whole acted like a commentary on the state of the UK economy and its prospects, including discussion on the NHS, the closures of pubs across the country and the way that British retailers have struggled for many years. I worry that this kind of attitude and plea is ignored far too often and it gives me a real urge to act despite being powerless.

Coverage of the final days of New York Fashion Week was limited, which surprised me, although there was this one summary page and large image about the Michael Kors collection that named Anna Wintour as a front-row guest. I watched coverage of the Marc Jacobs show live on the Snapchat Discovery feature; the coverage included snaps from models Kendall Jenner and Winnie Harlow, as well as behind-the-scenes styling and footage from the show guests.

Friday 17th

The Guardian

Features on fashion in the Guardian was limited as today is the first day of London Fashion Week and therefore a bridge day between NYFW and LFW coverage. This article discussed the patterns in UK household expenditure which shows that people are spending less on alcohol, cigarettes and narcotics but more on meals out and leisure activities. Both 'recreation and culture' and 'restaurants and hotels' are priced significantly higher than 'clothing and footwear' in this infographic. I had already noted these spending patterns by using Mintel to look at marketing reports during term one. I think that during uncertain and worrying times, the public find much more confident in making memories and enjoying themselves than they do in purchasing unnecessary goods. This certainly helps to reduce the damages of fast fashion and negative effects of consumerism but it could create an imbalance in the economy which pushes our high-streets into further closures.

This broadsheet also documented the Marc Jacob's show with a short summary - much like the Daily Telegraph. I expect that this is due to the often controversial nature of the Marc Jacobs shows and the outlandish style that is so often seen. I recall an article in the Guardian from the SS17 show which commented on the controversial cultural appropriation of it.

Mail Online

The Daily Mail discussed the appropriacy of wearing real fur over faux. A quote in the article said: 'So-called 'celebrities' who wear fur from this junky shop are invariably taking freebies, while elegant, glamorous stars choose Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood, or other luxury British brands that are proudly fur-free.' I thought that this was quite ironic as the Mail Online so often commentates on the lives of D-list celebrities and controversial well known-figures. While wearing real fur could be seen as scandalous, I don't feel that the Daily Mail has the reputability to criticise people for it. A stylist for the Daily Mail suggested that our ideas of real fur as a taboo are outdated as many think of floor-length mink coats, while nowadays, real fur is often only found used an an accessory or small part of a bigger garment.

There was also a feature on Iskra Lawrence, a plus size model, and what she wore on day one of LFW. Links to her dress were provided in the article so that readers can click through to take a closer look or make a purchase. The article was ultimately used to discuss her attitude towards online bullying and trolls in order to bulk it out. It ended with images and a brief description of the show that she attended and overall, I don't think it was an especially informative piece.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-4234814/Iskra-Lawrence-flaunts-curves-floral-print-dress.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-4231974/Is-brand-making-fur-acceptable-again.html


Saturday 18th

The Times

The Times was extremely heavy in fashion content today - as to be expected - as the Saturday supplement is always packed full of different features, including the Times weekend magazine. The first article on page 3 discussed Samantha Cameron's recent interview with the publication (featured in the Times magazine) which has been headlined to emphasise her son's death. She was briefly referred to as "Mrs Cameron, who is launching her own fashion range, Cefinn", which is interesting as she clearly no longer needs to be referred to as 'the wife of David Cameron' etc. as she begins to establish her name in the fashion industry. 

The next article discussed shares investments in luxury brands which isn't something that I'm honestly particularly knowledgeable about. The article stated that "Burberry is among several brands that have been given a boost by tourist sales", which I would imagine is due to it's innovative flagship store which gains heavy footfall and the brand's British personality which is novelty to those coming from abroad. The article also highlighted that there has effectively been a 20% price fall in luxury goods since the Brexit vote. Brexit has been at the forefront of worries and anxieties in the fashion industry this year and I have been watching it quite closely to see its impact on consumer behaviour and the economic forecast. A second feature, in the form of a trend column, also discussed fashion and Brexit. It mentioned the worry that young designers have about their increased production costs given the falling rate of the pound, concerns that more designers will leave London to showcase their collections at other fashion weeks and the fear that UK brands will generally be seen as less desirable post-Brexit. 

Another small column counted down the top 10 events/things to know of the day, including a statement that "retail sales have fallen for the third consecutive month" despite forecasts which expected it to rise by almost 1%. The column was then expanded into an article later in the newspaper, where the headline read that a slide in retail sales "sounds [an] alarm for [the] economy". 

The Times Magazine (Weekend supplement)

The magazine supplement of the Times on Saturday delved further into the story about Samantha Cameron and her interview with the publication. This article is much more fashion-orientated with a description of her clothing line which is said to be "simple, sleek and very wearable, for women who work and have a family". I really enjoyed this magazine article because it gave a very personal look into the lifestyle of a woman who until her husband's resignation last year, the public had seen very little of. It's interesting to see the way that her 'personal branding' has and will continue to change as she breaks away from her past political associations and forges a new path in fashion for herself - much like Victoria Beckham has done. 

There was also a style page on Gucci and which key characteristics of their clothing have become extremely on-trend lately. This feature is very personable; it includes a number of opinions and personal statements from the writer, Anna Murphy, and a picture was included of her in a Gucci-inspired look. The abstract comparisons and number of synonyms used create a very opinionated piece which exaggerates the writer's feelings towards the Gucci brand.

The Independent (Online)

I found the Independent to be extremely lacking in any fashion coverage which was both surprising and disappointing as I really enjoyed reading this broadsheet last year while it still remained a physical print press. One article discussed the hidden significance of London Fashion Week and rejects the opinion that it is a frivolous and superficial event because it's purpose is really to reflect views in modern society. The article really emphasises LFW's importance by highlighting that while the majority of designer pieces that come down the runway aren't especially wearable, they "serve to inform clothing across the board". Another article (and the only other relevant and recent article that I could find) informs its readers about Anniesa Hasibuan, a Muslim designer who cast her recent NYFW show entirely with immigrants and second-generation children of immigrants. I feel that articles like this, which show some level of political bias and suggestion of anti-Trump rhetoric, are extremely important in fighting racism and bigotry.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/new-york-fashion-week-hijabs-islam-immigrant-fashion-show-anniesa-hasibuan-a7583321.html
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/london-fashion-week-2017-latest-what-is-the-point-lfw-seven-days-runways-style-trend-a7584181.html


Sunday 19th

The Sunday Telegraph

The first article in the Sunday Telegraph discussed the comeback of the noughties and different nostalgia-inducing aspects of it which we should praise and reflect on. This week it was announced that the famous Nokia 3310 'brick' phone would be rereleased in an up-to-date version. This phone, to me, represents reliability, simplicity and security - so it seems natural that as virtual reality and voice control technologies are ever-growing, a fearful part of us would want to retract back to more basic times and more basic technology. The feature also reflected on "buying magazines religiously" including Smash Hits, Bliss, Sugar and Company - all of which are extremely nostalgic to me. There was also a mention of "layering a T-shirt over a long-sleeved top" which could be something that develops into a fully-fledged trend as the next few years progress, along with references to MySpace, Woolworths and a life pre-Youtube.

There was an article about the increasing fashionability of exotic breeds of cats with flat faces and the dangers that these breeds are facing due to their rapid breeding and consequent health problems. Having heard of similar patterns happening in dogs too - with pugs becoming especially fashionable - it is interesting to see trend patterns emerging in all areas of life.

A third feature in the paper today was a runway review of the Versus Versace show at LFW. I really enjoyed this feature and having studied runway reviews during last year's writing module, I understand what elements have been included to make it particularly good. There are a number of quotes and testaments from Donatella Versace which effectively frame the whole piece of writing and care has obviously been taken for the piece to start and end with a quote from her which makes the piece much more cyclical and balanced. There are details about the designer's previous collections which demonstrate good knowledge from the writer and the style of writing always remains very descriptive, with certain pieces being zoned into more in-depth. I was interested to see that Donatella doesn't like the new See-Now, Buy-New structure of fashion week collections, despite being one of the first to experiment with it.

The Sunday Telegraph Stella Magazine (Weekend supplement)

Stories on the cover of the weekend supplement magazine of the Telegraph include topics on ageism in fashion and models at 50, the must-buy British brands of the year, regional trends in beauty (such as the Scouse brow or the London lip) and a lifestyle article on taking family gap-years. The magazine today is a 'Great British Special' which has been timed well to coincide with LFW so that the magazine can effectively act as a celebration of the UK's fashion heritage and dynamism. Lisa Armstrong discusses the issue with searching for the perfect coat in Spring given the UK weather and provides a still-life spread of her favourite picks. It was interesting to note that her 'top picks' didn't involve high-street stores. Their price point ranged from £119 (Autograph, M&S) to £450 (Whistles) which fits their demographic of an older and wealthier audience with a slight female majority. Using BRAD, I compared the Stella magazine readership with the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph readership below to see emerging patterns and differences.

Stella magazine

The Sunday Telegraph

The Daily Telegraph

The Sunday Times (Online)


There was a really interesting article online from The Times on Sunday which covered Burberry's latest collection and it's release to the public at Maker's House. This topic is particularly interesting to me as I'll be visiting the exhibition later next week. The article emphasised the importance of Burberry in the Brexit era as a tool to showcase British style, production and manufacture. 'Britishness' as a brand characteristic has been seen as increasingly valuable to the public in recent times, both to UK citizens who want to feel proud and boost morale in their nation, and to customers from abroad, who are intrigued and want to maximise their designer collections while the value of the pound is weak. British heritage is a notion which I have been exploring in my Strategic Fashion Communications module in terms of building my group's brand personality/values - therefore, this article has been relevant. 

There was also an article which picked up on business rates like the Daily Telegraph did on Thursday although this particular article seemed to be a lot less concerned with scare-mongering and the concerns of a nation and more to do with the basic facts and figures. This initially surprised me, given that a weekend supplement naturally receives higher readership than a weekday issue - however, it's position as an online feature could influence the target audience who may be more inclined to seek unbiased information about inflammatory pieces. The article was broken down into bullet-pointed Q&As and headlined as 'Five things you need to know about the business rates raid' which suggests that the writer and its publication are knowledgeable about SEO (search engine optimisation) so key words and structural tools are used accordingly.

Finally, mentions were both given briefly to style at the Grammy Awards and the feature of model Jeremy Meeks on the runway at New York Fashion Week during a series of images within the feature 'The week in pictures' which extracts and pin-points the most memorable or significant moments during the past week. 

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/burberry-shows-macs-among-the-maquettes-jx5wxjgkc
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/the-week-in-pictures-h0k00qjq0
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/business/five-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-business-rates-raid-m2cdxrvnx


Monday 20th

The Guardian

Today, the Guardian had two large spreads on the state of the high-street/retail economy and the Roland Mouret show at LFW. The first article is concerned with Brexit which I have noticed has been a huge talking point this week, as I imagine it is every week. It discusses the patterns in retail since the referendum, commenting on the slumps or highs of consumer spending and suggesting reasons for it. It also compares figures between the years and discusses how different events have affected the economy in different ways. I find it really interesting to see the press coverage and commentary of Brexit and its effects on the UK economy as every announcement or revelation is often so unanticipated; while it's worrying to realise that even specialist economists don't have the future clearly mapped out, it's interesting to see it develop firsthand in the case of this particular article and the many others just like it. 

The second article reflects the same message as The Sunday Time's piece on Burberry, in that it often comments on the importance of British heritage and manufacture. While I had read a piece earlier on in the week which suggested there was a threat of many designers opting to showcase their collections elsewhere post-Brexit, this article notes that Roland Mouret yesterday brought his show back home to its origins in London after having shown it in Paris previously. The article also notes that the Mouret company employs a mere 75 people and highlights the fact that "75% of the latest collection was entirely produced in the UK", making it (in my opinion) much more appealing to the consumer that buys into British heritage and genuine quality.


Tuesday 21st

Daily Mail

I looked at the Daily Mail today for fashion-related coverage. This tabloid is never my first choice for good content as it is always very concerned with scandalous stories and attention-grabbing headlines over informative facts and valuable opinion. This is why I was unsurprised to find a four-page pullout spread on Princess Diana and 'her life in fashion within the paper today, continued on from a more in-depth weekend addition where she made the front page which I had noticed on Saturday. The Daily Mail often included stories on the Royal Family which is expected given its stance as such a popular British newspaper.  

A good example of the Daily Mail's inflammatory writing style is this feature from today which compares garments on the runway at London's first Modest Fashion Week to the more revealing outfit that Daisy Lowe wore to attend an event in. Instead of celebrating ground-breaking and positive news, I feel that this paper naturally takes a more discriminating angle with most stories. A small feature discusses 'a blow for M&S' as former Next boss Christos Angelides unexpectedly accepted a position with Reiss over the struggling longtime British retailer. The piece finalises by stating that Reiss' profits were boosted due to the Duchess of Cambridge's liking for the brand, and while I don't doubt that this has significantly increased profits, I still question why Marks & Spencer's association with Alexa Chung hasn't mirrored the same profitable effects. 

Independent (Online)

The first online article in the Independent today was concerned with the changing views of the older generation in fashion - a topic which caught my attention during last year's critical journal. The article referenced to the fact that the population of the UK is growing increasingly older and highlighting the sense in targeting this key consumer more effectively. I liked this article as it's very current and the writer is clearly very aware of the recent introduction of older 'style gurus' like Iris Apfel and Baddiewinkle, who have been present in fashion and popular culture for decades but have only recently made it to the forefront. 

Another article comments on increasingly common political response of designers in their work, showcased this week down the London catwalks. This was something that made the headlines during Men's Fashion Week earlier this year, so I haven't been surprised to see it replicated in womenswear too. I'm glad to see the fashion industry offering such a powerful response to Trump and the White House administration in the public eye because, as the article notes, "the fashion industry is so readily criticised for being insular, concerned solely with its own importance". 

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/iris-apfel-baddiewinkie-why-older-women-it-girls-fashion-nyfw-celine-saint-laurent-marc-jacobs-a7549076.html
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/london-fashion-week-british-fashion-responds-to-donald-trump-a7590721.html


Wednesday 22nd

The Daily Telegraph

London Fashion Week came to an end yesterday, which meant that The Daily Telegraph published a summarising commentary of the weeks shows and collections today. The Daily Telegraph has been my favourite publication this past week for the amount of fashion content and relevant popular culture in its page. LFW made the front page today with a large banner across the heading.

The Daily Telegraph replicated a similar piece to the Times earlier this week as Samantha Cameron featured in an interview which saw a more personal side of her away from the politics. Lisa Armstrong often writes fashion/popular culture content so I enjoyed reading style and design related Q&As in this piece which really focused on her new line, her positioning and day-to-day life post-resignation of her husband from prime minister and details on her personal life which are recorded in a tasteful way, rather than scandalously. 


A large two-page spread titled 'the best of London Fashion Week' gave details of the week's fashion shows and events gave details on emerging trends, highlights, insider information on models and guest appearances as well as a closer look at the significance of particular aspects of some runway shows and their hidden meanings. One example of this was a small section which commented on the Simone Rocha show and the inclusion of older models which were identified within the text. This feature did a good job of communicating a message in such a small space on the page, although perhaps a large space wasn't necessary anyway as I have already read content concerning ageism and the older generation in fashion this week - including an extensive online article from the Independent yesterday. Given the repetition of this important topic during the week and assumedly throughout the year too (considering its frequent appearance during last year's Critical Journal) this piece works well as a reminder rather than a source of facts and information.

The Guardian (Online)

Outside of my week in fashion coverage, I've also kept up with the positive momentum of the UK's first Modest Fashion Week. Last year, I saw an increased trend for the fashion industry beginning to cater for the women's muslim market as high street store H&M as well as luxury designer brands began to bring out modest/ramadan collections. This article in the Guardian was really informative - getting the message across successfully about how quickly attitudes have changed and why there is such a necessity to it. I like that the writer chose to speak positively about the attitudes of a new generation rather than predictably approaching the subject as a defiance of the Trump administration and ongoing racist rhetoric. It's been really inspiring to me to see women celebrated for wearing an item of clothing that they are so often demonised for.

It was announced today that a memorial would be erected in London to commemorate David Bowie, a significant influential figure. After his death, articles were laden with words of his driving force in fashion and popular culture for the way in which he defied gender stereotypes and didn't confine to style constrictions. The BRIT awards also took place last night, demonstrating how his influence in popular culture remains prevalent.

Now that London Fashion Week has come to an end, the Guardian and other publications I have looked at this week have posted their 'best bits' and summaries of the week. The Guardian published a collective street style photo album of guests throughout the week, including stylists, photographers, fashion journalists and editors, creative directors and students. Articles like this are really effective when published online as they don't require the reader's prolonged interest.

https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2017/feb/22/generation-m-how-young-muslim-women-are-driving-a-modest-fashion-revolution
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/feb/22/campaign-david-bowie-memorial-brixton
https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/gallery/2017/feb/22/london-fashion-week-street-style-in-pictures