An overview/ review: fashion SS19

As the lover of fashion that I am, I am constantly sourcing new shows, collections, trends, designers: the like… to ensure that I am aware of what the current fashion scene is exhibiting. This SS has really stricken me in terms of the sheer amount of change that has occured. From the passing of legends and the rising of new, it has been an interesting handful of months to say the least. But with Summer’s end upon us and AW upon the foreseeable horizon, here is a brief overview of my favourite shows, trends I have enjoyed and my personal misses.

Notable shows of the year so far…

ELIE SAAB aw19/20: What can I say?! Consistently outstanding ready-to-wear. Boots, ribbons, glitz- seamlessly chic and feminine. I found myself absolutely in awe of all of the garments amongst the past few seasons.

ALEXANDER WANG aw19/20: Has always been a firm favourite and I still haven’t been given a reason to doubt. Beautifully cast. Executed perfectly. Trench coats and blazers are absolutely everything. Pure euphoria.

CHANEL aw19/20: Simply magical. A beautiful send off and an iconic show which will withstand the generations. Watched with tears brimming in my eyes. Amazing.

FENDI aw19/20: Structured, feminine and elegant. Beautiful colourways. Enjoyed the lightweight fabrics amongst the collection; a very refreshing twist on what is ubiquitously displayed amongst typical AW garments.

DOLCE & GABBANA aw19/20: Personally, the execution of the show was just not for me. The constant narration throughout the show seemed oddly cheesy and dated, though the intention to throw us back into fashion’s past (50’s seemingly), was certainly achieved. Despite this, i thoroughly enjoyed the masculine, clean cuts of the jackets and coats. But the heavily floral prints were not for me.

CELINE aw19/20: Seriously wearable and stylish. Impressed.

ALEXANDER McQUEEN aw19/20: The collection appeared to be commonly androgynous, gothic and dark as per, yet but undoubtedly glamorous. I thought that the choice of makeup in particular was very complimentary of the clothes, as it was dismal and did not distract from the beauty of the collection itself.

GIVENCHY aw19/10: Very underwhelming for me, based on my love for last years collections. The poofy and somewhat… rounded sleeves and necklines were a personal absolute miss. Saying this I did find that the heavily-tailored appearance of the blazers and trousers throughout the collection, was chic. All in all, I was left somewhat unimpressed.

BURBERRY aw19/20: Not what I expected of Burberry at all, yet it was very interesting and i was compelled throughout. Trendy, hip and fresh.

YOHJI YAMAMOTO aw19/20| Menswear: Mythic, timeless and beautiful. I was captivated by the longline, oversized fits as well as the diverse range of models. I was getting anime character antagonist vibes throughout.

VETEMENTS aw19/20: Exciting, quirky, unpretentious streetwear. The collection felt very apocalyptic yet still effortlessly cool.

GUCCI aw19/20: Wow. I was left speechless after first watch. I have to say I am not usually a fan of Gucci and tend to skip over their shows out of habit, however this collection was incredible. From the pieces themselves to the eerily unsettling atmosphere of the show, I was enthralled and surprisingly very impressed.

ACNE STUDIOS aw19: Youthful and cool. I don’t think this man can do any wrong.

ALYX ss19: Once again effortlessly cool and grunge-esc. I wish I could take the whole collection for my keeping.

LOUIS VUITTON aw19| Menswear: Incredible. I can pick no fault in the show nor the collection. Even down to the minute details, just beautiful. Impeccable macs and to-die-for jackets. The bags are also stunning.

LOUIS VUITTON ss20| Menswear: Absolute art. Virgil Abloh is pure genius and I love the direction Louis Vuitton is taking in his lead. The colour scheme, location, music, atmosphere, models… perfection.

Trends that I have loved…

BAGS. BAGS. BAGS and more BAGS.

I was just recently discussing with a friend how I feel that this year has been spectacular for the bag scene. Like… seriously good! I am in absolute awe of the dinky bag trend and hope that it is here to stay. From the colour pallets, to handles, to texture, to size, I truly believe that bags have been more stylish than ever this spring/summer.

2. SUNBURNT ORANGE & DEEP RED

I have seen these colours absolutely everywhere. Many may say that neon has thrived over the past few months, and I agree. However I just can’t seem to take my eye off of these colours. Also frequently fused together via print, these two colours are classy yet vibrant and fun.

3. BLAZERS PAIRED WITH SKIRTS

This trend will never cease in my books. I absolutely love the girly, powerful and sexy look that can be achieved when the two pieces are paired together.

4. BLEACHED DENIM

I love the crisp and youthful look of light-wash denim during the summer months.

Trends that I have disliked, and in some cases despised…

NEON- disliked
CYCLING SHORTS- seriously despised
FRINGES and TASSELS- despised
LEOTARDS- disliked

And that concludes my somewhat jumbled overview of the fashion year so far. I hope you found reading my opinions even mildly interesting.

Bodacious Breakfasts

Commonly known amongst my friends and family; breakfast is my favourite meal of the day. I truly find solace in waking up as the sun is rising and making myself a hearty breakfast. To my disadvantage, most days consist of school; resulting in little time available to construct my earliest helping of food.

This being said, I find that a simple breakfast is always the way to go. Complex breakfasts consist of one too many steps which quite frankly, can leave the kitchen resembling that of a tip. Pots, pans, plates and utensils… are certainly kept to a minimum whilst I am cooking.

I urge you to try these quick, simple breakfasts and hopefully they tickle your fancy as much as they do mine!

Raspberry jam on toast accompanied by a cup of English breakfast tea

I would say that this is my most commonly consumed breakfast. Regrettably, I cannot help but have two slices of toast. Because you know, one piece is rarely ever satisfying enough is it? A British staple, you simply cannot go wrong. Any type of bread and jam would suffice, despite my personal preference being seeded bread with a generous layer of raspberry jam.

Strawberry jam would also be a delicious choice, or perhaps a home-made jam of choice; equally as delightful.

This quick fix should take no longer than 5 minutes to make, and serves as a pleasant start to the morning.

All-butter french croissant and chopped strawberries with a latté

This is my favourite breakfast of all time. More often than not, we don’t have croissants at hand in my house, (sigh) resulting in me taking a stroll to the local co-op to grab some. Handily, inside is a bakery which always has fresh croissants readily available. I will grab a few of these in preparation for my breakfasts ahead of the week.

Many prefer to eat their croissants straight from the packet; cold, soft and very underwhelming in my opinion. I place mine under the grill for five minutes, as I find it provides a crisp, flaky texture and revives its pastry properties that are otherwise stripped away without.

A couple of fresh strawberries add a healthy element to the breakfast, whilst the coffee makes it addictively bittersweet . A perfect balance of flavours and a real treat to wake up to.

Cinnamon porridge

This is a simple, hearty and comforting breakfast which is perfectly in-keeping with the chillier months. Out of all of the breakfasts, I would say that this takes the longest to cook. However the result is always incredible.

How to:

. 1 cup of rolled oats

. 2 and a half cups of milk (half-cup set aside for within your bowl)

. cinnamon powder

. sugar (optional)

*additional: Any toppings of your choice, fruit, nuts, seeds etc.

Cook oats over a medium heat in two cups worth of milk. Stir continuously until you have reached a creamy, thick consistency- at this point remove from heat. (Optional) Incorporate sugar into the porridge and two heaped teaspoons of cinnamon.

Pour the remaining half-cup of milk into your bowl, heat in the microwave for two minutes whilst the porridge gradually cools.

Pop your porridge into the middle of the milk, and then finish by topping the whole bowl with a hefty sprinkling of cinnamon.

Side note: As a substitute to sugar, half of a banana mashed up and incorporated into the porridge adds a natural sweetness. It is also delicious.

Hello!

I’m Mea. A 15 year old teen who is unconventionally obsessed with coffee, fashion, literature and anything slightly artsy and/or vintage. I hail from Birmingham, though constantly fantasise living in London to pursue a fashion-related career, despite my love for this vibrant City and its wildly diverse mix of inhabitants. When not sat in a coffee shop, or somewhat sporadically hunting for new buys downtown, you can catch me reading countless magazines and books, working on new designs or commonly (and most likely) eating. I am partial to voluminous hair, bold lips and neat manicures.

Read on for lots of fashion, beauty and book musings. With a dose of general insights into my current lifestyle.

Enjoy!