Spring is springing or at least our calendars tell us so! Despite the chill and that recent snow, there are definitely colours out there for us to behold thanks to Gucci, DKNY, and Derek Lam, to name a few. Last year, our fascination with flashes of neon and bold colour began to build its momentum. This season, our dalliance is set to get bigger and bolder.

Back in Milan Fashion week 2012, Gucci exhibited a very vibrant and influential catwalk. Despite showcasing neon bright clothes in combat blue, turquoise and citron yellow, it was the bright azalea pink suits and dresses which grabbed most attention. Inspired by the talented photographic work of Richard Avedon and particular photographs of Marella Agnelli and Gloria Vanderbilt featured below, Karl Lagerfield presented a floaty and feminine collection which broke the rules just like Richard Avedon did when capturing models in natural, less staged poses throughout his successful career.

Although evolving from two piece designs from the seventies, these ensembles were anything but typical to their era. Clever touches like puffed sleeves and flowing chiffon necklines and arm embellishments rebelled against their original pattern blocks, adding movement and energy flowing throughout each outfit.


Gucci SS2013 Milan Fashion week  Marella Agnelli and Gloria Vanderbilt. Richard Avedon Bing images


Gucci SS2013 Milan Fashion week


Versus Milan fashion week DKNY New York Fashion week : Bing images

Favouring more fuchsia pink tones, Versus and D Squared then showcased their short suit ensembles at New York Fashion week and you only have to look around the shops to see that these very pink tones are everywhere.
But how to wear them without channelling Barbie girl is most definitely the question. With Gucci showing us that bold is definitely more and DKNY backing this assertion with more block colours in pink suits, nailing the pink trend can become almost palpitation inducing to the faint hearted. And the question is, do we go full on or skimp out on the detail?

The answer I feel, Is around us when the blossoms finally start to spring. Take many shades of pink and mix them up in colour blocks. And we have azalea, hot pink, and fuchsia pink and even rose pink to play with. Still not a fan of too much pink? Then mix it up with a few shades of coral or even orange but keep the base colour as bright as possible.

I particularly like this suit from Zara. Definitely a must have to build so many looks around. And take inspiration from Gucci, choose a tunic top or a short dress to accompany your trousers to recreate that seventies look which will hide a multitude of sins and move the eye down the contour of your figure. So let's be bold, be pink and bring in the spring, at least to our wardrobes!


Blazer: £ 69.99, Trousers: £ 39.99 Zara Dress: £12.99 MaryJane.com Sleeveless roll neck top: £38.00 Top shop


Top: Boohoo.com £35.00                Skirt: £48.00 Topshop                    Shoes: £54.99 Zara

A story of war and after life by Sydney Davies.

Exhibiting first time for Fashions Finest at London fashion week, Euphemia Sydney Davies's collection featured gas mask-clad men, shoes bearing bullets and even the odd wedding dress with celestial overtones. Moved by this macabre yet transcendental collection, I had to interview this talented designer and find out more about where this design story begun.



Born and raised in a loving Christian family in Sierra Leone, Euphemia's first memories of fashion were of wearing mostly skirts and dresses in her formative years as trousers were not 'a popular favourite' for women in African communities back then. One of her earliest memories of being a fashion conscious teen was owning a chocolate brown sketch- short sleeve top with sheer panels on the chest and stomach area. Twelve years on, she still owns this shirt although would not wear it for sanity and dignity reasons despite it still fitting her!

Although things are changing for women now in the big cities, this wasn't always the case. Things were also far from stable in her home country when, at the age of twelve Euphemia and her mum had to escape through neighbouring countries Gambia and Kenya, then eventually to the UK as war refugees. Recalling this nine year civil war as being one of the most brutal ever recorded, her collection 'BirthAlife' retells her experiences of war though the eyes of her innocent childhood.

This immensely personal and biographical collection records hopes and fears she experienced throughout this time and her and her interpretations of Armageddon. With pieces representing her observations during and after the war such as an orange dress inspired by a rusting oil tank, prints taken from her personal journal and the bible, her clothes re-tell a moving account of loss, devastation, rebirth and new hope. 


 Michael Mba photography 

Total devastation and war: these hand embellished Paraboots bear the bullet wounds of combat and war. This black, vulture inspired dress representing death itself.


Michael Mba photography

This orange rust dress, her most favourite piece, detailing the rust and decay she saw after the war on an old oil tank. The flashes of gold in this trouser ensemble representing experiences of celestial inspiration.


Michael Mba photography

Exclaiming "I want these dreams to stop", this shirt features actual print taken from excerpts of Euphemia's personal diary retelling of enduring sadness and nightmares following a relationship break up during this time in her life.

Despite describing part of her dying in this war she states that she did eventually rise victorious and embracing of the afterlife when she escaped Africa. What I like especially is that, despite enduring one of the worst ordeals anyone could imagine, she doesn't dwell on the negativity of it.

"We all go through things we feel kills us. Whether financial demise or an unforgettable heartbreak. That moment of absolute low. But, when you recover, pick and dust yourself off, you are given new life, a new beginning a chance of freedom peace happiness. We can all live our afterlife." 


Michael Mba photography

To re-birth, hope and afterlife. This beautiful virginal angelic wedding themed dress speaks of hope and anticipated marriage dreams of a young girl.

Indeed, this spirituality, positivity and empathy permeate though all areas of her life. She believes that her clothes are an extension of her and clothes can indeed become a physical representation of you. I suspect, humbled by experiences of having and losing things in the war, she also cautions though that not everyone can afford the luxury of experimentation and we should never judge people by their appearances.

In her personal life she doesn't conform to following fashion trends, instead choosing to wear what she likes regardless of whether in fashion or not. Currently she is enjoying wearing a couple of sweatshirts by "illustrated people". She also has clothes in her wardrobe by Henry Holland, Aqua, and BCBG Max Azria. A wardrobe we would all love to root through for sure!

As a teen she was heavily influenced by the works of Alexander McQueen Picasso and the general Cubist art movement. Still influenced by McQueen's brand now designed by Sarah Burton, she also loves the work of Todd Lynn, Christopher Kane, Chanel, Alexander Wang and Dior but one constant which remained throughout her UK life was her love for well-made and edgy clothing produced by Top shop. Liking their clothes for "as long as she can remember", she admits to enjoying spending much time down London's Oxford Street branch!

Recently achieving a high BA Honours degree in Fashion Design for industry at Scotland's Herriot Watt University and developing expert skill in in knitwear, digital and screen print, tailoring, pattern and garment making, I had to ask this successful graduate what advice she would give to others in the same shoes as her. Her advice, especially for designers is to be hardworking, resilient, determined, and strong enough to take criticism and to be absolutely non-negotiable.

In her experience the fashion industry is one of the most difficult industries to penetrate on talent alone. Comparing it to getting 'in' with the popular crowd at school she thoughtfully states: "It's mainly who you know and who knows you that grants you acceptance to this exclusive tight- knit club." However, she feels that, if you have LOVE and truly love what you are doing, regardless of the profit or gain, you will have zeal and passion to work hard and achieve your goals.

So what can we expect next from this emerging talent I hear you ask? Well, after her successful exhibit at London Fashion week, Euphemia is working on her next collection, setting up studio space, working with PR and funding streams to really kick start the business side of things to get her next collection recognised and sold.

And zeal and passion are words I definitely have for Euphemia. I anticipate a lot of future success for this hard-working and expressive designer and can genuinely say what a real pleasure it is to comprehend the thought-provoking and artistic work of this very talented lady. 


Michael Mba photography

Sydney Davies BirthAlife: London Fashion week 16.2.13 Fashions Finest. 

An interview with designer Jocelyn Dee.

After watching her sensational catwalk at London Fashion week and having the pleasure of meeting this warm and passionate designer, I was surprised to hear that all her garments originated from modified upcycled garments. Moreover, astounded that they were created by a designer who never formally studied fashion design. Already captivated, I had to find out more about what made this designer tick.

Brought up in a rural mid Wales, Jocelyn's first influences of fashion were from her mother and father. Her mum wearing her hair in a Mohican and making punk clothing, her dad influenced by the early Glastonbury scene, customising items of clothing such as a jacket he wore one year. Indeed, proof that cool parents breed cool children came at fourteen when she first put on her very own fashion show at school featuring no less than twenty items of clothing! Such an achievement for someone who was capable and creative yet not in the top sets at school. In her experience, she feels that many creative types either created or disrupted at school. Luckily, Jocelyn was most definitely the former type.

Throughout her earlier life she recalls sporting an individualistic style until her late teens when outside influences such as Andrew Logan, a local jewellery designer collaborating with Zandra Rhode's at the time, started to influence her designs. This freedom and expression still alive today within the clothing she makes, and even down to her creating process which is enhanced by wearing her favourite short batik dress which allows freedom of movement when designing new clothes. History and coincidence then repeating and presenting themselves later in 2005 when she too got the chance to collaborate with Zandra Rhodes, model for her and exhibit her own clothes on the same catwalk!


Is if this wasn't enough to determine Jocelyn's fashion destiny, despite studying Art and Environmental studies at Falmouth university, she continued making her wonderful clothes to fund her studies. All was not at lost though, as her studies in the ecologically conscious community of Falmouth shaped the strong ecological values she holds today.

By upcycling pre-existing garments and giving them a new lease of life, Jocelyn keeps business local and reduces the impact on industry on the environment. She believes that; "Designers should be responsible and realise the consequences of their actions on all factors they are creating or distracting such as social welfare, economy and other peoples lifestyles."

Working with recycled materials does come with some issues though such as reluctant buyers worrying about correct fabric care instructions. Reproduction can also be tricky as all her pieces are one off and do not originate from a traditional design block, rather, the garment inspires her and takes shape from that point onwards.

Taking inspiration from the environments around her and channelling this into her creation process, she especially enjoys the challenge of recreating the patterns from clothing seen down London's Bond Street and evolving them in new ways. Classing herself as a shy person, particularly in her former school years, she feels that clothes are an imperative way to communicate our interpretation of the world around us.
Her recent exhibition our London fashion week featured her individual take on tweeds, metallic's, tapestry and silk styles from the "English eccentrics" look. Already inspired by this collection, I had to ask her what she would communicate via her next collection.

I learnt that she had recently returned back from Australia and experiences of the outback and the Great Barrier Reef were influencing her current design thoughts. She envisages the use of ripped leathers to represent land and textured bright rubber to reflect the marine biology and has also been thinking about creating more stylish environmentally conscious clothes for cyclists. Such clothing, both comfortable and bright, so people can be seen.



Starting out as curtain fabric by Laura Ashley-(another Welsh-based designer), Jocelyn felt that this fabric was simply too good for curtains and pinned it up instead to make this high spec dress. Michael MBA photography

This London fashion week was her first time exhibiting for Fashions Finest and she felt inspired by the designs and thought processes of designers such as Keneea Linton Designs, Shenna Carby and Gregory H.O.D Williams of the Jamaican Collective and appreciated their beautiful ball gowns and flashes of Caribbean influence.

She also attended a pure trade show in London and got drawn in by the sparkle of a plastic diamond smothered fabric which she'd usually find a turn off but states is now close to covering every wall in her house with it!

Given her success despite not studying fashion at university, I had to ask what advice she would give to people starting out in the world of fashion. Her advice is simple yet very wise: "Stay focused and do what you feel is worthwhile. Have a 'can do' attitude and see where it takes you. Help yourself by helping others such as models, writers and photographers. Swap trade to enhance your portfolios. "

Indeed Jocelyn is very passionate about helping others. She helped new designers back in June 2007 by hiring a big top circus tent to host an event where she invited many fashion 'creatives' to collaborate. She is appears driven by the desire to help others and states that she would love to put on a fashion show in the future to help young designers.

What a truly thoughtful and inspiring woman. Jocelyn, you give hope to so many of us out there and I wish you every success for the future.


Jocelyn Dee 17.2.13 Fashions Finest London Fashion week show.

Contact: www.jossdee.wix.com/wwwjocelyndeedesignd
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