who you know

You know the old saying, 'Its not what you know, its who you know.' It has probably never seemed more accurate more accurate to me that when endlessly applying for jobs.

ashish a/w 2014

burberry prorsum a/w 2014

Burberry Prorsum is always one of my favourite shows to watch during fashion week. The high profile audience (and models) are almost as anticipated as Burberry's collection and this year was no exception. For those of us who aren't lucky enough to be there in person, Burberry stream the show worldwide anyone can watch it as if they are front row. The latter works perfectly for me as I can watch from the comfort of my sofa without having to even brush my hair. (This is the life, believe me.)

tate modern, london

As far as London tourist attractions go, I think the Tate Modern is one of the best. Apparently others agree because it is the most visited modern art gallery in the world with around 4.7 million visitors per year. And its free, students rejoice! You could spend hours here, there is so much to take in. The first thing that struck me was the sheer size of the building. You can't miss it! It is located in the former Bankside Power Station and you can actually see the tower from the nearest tube station (Southwark) so its hard to get lost!

when in London

Do as Londoners do.. Ok, maybe not. I wish I could act like a cultured city dweller but until then I'll continue to be a tourist taking photos of everything and anything. Obviously there was the obligatory trip to Topshop because they don't have one in every single city in the UK.. oh wait. I actually ventured to the first and second floors to Topman this time to have a nosey and I'm so pleased I did. On the first floor they have a area where you can customise your own t-shirt and on the second floor there is a barber, suit fitting service and personal shopper.

They also had this installation suspended above their selection on suits which I thought was so so nice. It just loads of chains hanging but the window above meant the light was shining through them and the overall effect was really pleasing.  

Light fixture at Bertie shoes. I love the rustic look of the fixture and how it is obviously in keeping with the brand and merchandise.

Last time I visited London I didn't get the chance to look in Liberty so it was on my list for this time around. There is far too much to get round in one visit; we wandered around the first floor and then skipped up to the top floor where they have all their antiques and fabrics. After looking at the prices of a few items (and then trying really hard not to touch, knock or bump into anything) and browsing the fabric sections we decided to call it quits and return next time when we're millionaires.

After minor tube confusion we visited the Tate Modern (I'm going to write about this in a separate post) which was so interesting but so huge! By the time we left it was dark and we headed for the Millennium Bridge, which we had vowed to walk across earlier; something along the lines of: 'That's the one from Harry Potter!' 'We have to cross it!'.

 St Paul's Cathedral from the Tate Modern

 The Shard from the Millennium Bridge

Finally, we wandered around Soho looking for somewhere to eat. We passed this store, Cheap Monday, on Carnaby street and I had to stop and get a photo. I've heard of the brand but never bought anything from them but I adore this display, a little bit grungy and a bit different, it lit up pedestrians as they passed. I think its the simplicity of the combination of a standard window display and lighting that resonated with me. Simple but effective. 

urban outfitters oxford street, london

As I mentioned in a previous post, I had planned a trip to London for researching my honours project. I booked my train a couple of weeks ago to give myself time to prepare (panic about getting lost/trapped with a pigeon on the tube). When it dawned on me I might need emotional support in case either situation arose I asked one of my oldest friends to come with me to help navigate. What I didn't realise is that he hadn't been to London since he was 13 (TEN YEARS AGO) and was therefore even more stressed and useless than me. Thankfully we didn't get lost and after some speculation over at what was classed as peak times (4.30am - 9.29am fyi), whether I would appear a complete tourist with my printed off tube map and how to get through the ticket barriers, we were on the tube to Oxford street.
My main aim was to get into Urban Outfitters to get some photos of the interior and get an idea of the space that I'm using for my project. We came out of the underground and there it was, like something out of a hipster's dream.

 The store has three huge windows running along the side of the store which looked typically Urban Outfitters, young and trendy with graphic prints. They had the graphic design running through all the windows, even the smaller sash windows on the first and second floors.

 Once we ventured inside I resisted the urge to shop and had a look around. The first thing that struck me was the lighting. I managed to photograph my two favourites. The first image below was in the basement between the mens section and the music displays. I loved the mix of colours and sizes and how it acted as a focal point within the room. I always like that although Urban Outfitters are really merchandise heavy on their fixtures they don't mind having other points of interest in their stores.

The second fixture is actually one of many similar ones which were hung at different heights all the way up the stairs, from the basement to the second floor. I think the mix of lights is so interesting and provides so much light within the space without using standardised lighting like some stores do.

There is so much floor space in this branch, it has 4 floors, but I felt as though there was so much crammed into all the fixtures, until I reached the second floor. This is where the fitting rooms are along with displays for some of the designers that Urban Outfitters stock. I felt like this floor was such a breath of fresh air as there was more open space and the rails and shelves weren't brimming with merchandise like the other floors. They also had wall space to display images and a little section where customers could put on headphones and listen to a playlist made by Urban Outfitters. 

On the second floor they also had space for customers to shop online, I'm assuming if something isn't available in store then staff will refer customers to this space. I think along with the little music section this showed how Urban Outfitters could incorporate digital in store to enhance customers' experience. The brand has a heavy social media presence and it was nice to see some of it reflected in store. 

job centre plus

When home for a visit I decided to pop into the local Job Centre Plus. Having only been in once before with a friend in the distant past (high school) it was (almost) a new experience.