We rocked up at the ExCeL Centre in London's Docklands and hit the show with plenty of the day ahead for shopping, chatting, pampering and indulging and it certainly lived up to expectations. There were all sorts of brands there - from stalls selling gorgeous chunky leather wrist cuffs to organic fashion stores, right through to some of my fashion favourites such as Yumi and Fig Leaves.
Fig Leaves.com even had a Beach Catwalk that featured every half an hour, showcasing a whole host of their gorgeous beach wear for both men and women. I couldn't decide which of them I liked more, I've been ogling their range of beautiful bikinis online ever since (now I just need a holiday somewhere warm so they can be put to good use)!
On the Expert Stage, various fashion gurus were on-hand giving people the latest in news and interviewing those in the know including George Lamb, Nicky Hambleton Jones and Karen Franklin (one of the original Clothes Show crew I remember seeing every Sunday when I was little!).
My friend and I were also lucky enough to catch an interview with Angela Buttolph, the author of Kate Moss: Style - a wardrobe diary of the world's most famous modern fashion icon. It's out now and I've had a leaf through it the other day. It's on the Wants List that's for sure - Angela takes you right through the years of Kate's ever-changing and up-to-the-minute style all alongside beautiful full-page photos and glimpses of her fashion to date. It's been put together so well and lovingly researched down to the very last button : )
The Tigi stall had masses of giveaways - I pretty much walked away with a year's supply of hair products ranging from Control Freak Serum and Control Freak Extra Extra Straight hairspray (bought together for £10!) to Curls Rock Amplifier and S Factor Flat Iron Shine Spray - I was in hairstyling heaven! In total I think it came to just £40 - a giant tick on the bargain front!
On top of all that there were celebrity hairstylists showing off their talents and the latest trends - if you were lucky you could be picked out of the crowd and have your hair taken care of by one of the experts themselves, so long as you're not shy : ) There were masseuses on hand to soothe away your shopping aches and pains, the Jessica Nail Bar with champers, the ever lovely Benefit counter, and Fake Bake even had their tanning booths onsite if you were feeling in the mood for a quick bronze before you head out!
Bench were offering a mahoosive 75% discount all day (no prizes for guesssing why we couldn't even make it in without an hour's queue!) and of course, women present means there's a need for chocolate - the KitKat Senses Bar had all that covered with hot beverages and sweet yum yums to please all, including plenty of chocolate fountains dotted around the place - paradise!!
But the highlight for me was the Fashion Theatre at the very end - this was the first real-deal catwalk show I've ever seen and A LOT of effort went into it. The theme was 'On the Pier' and showcased S/S 09 clothes from partywear to casual, to punk to nautical. And not only did they have models showing off the latest onstage - they had dancers who performed their own routines throughout the show also wearing the clothes being showcased. There was also a giant mirrorball at one point, and even a rotating stage! It was so much fun, I loved every minute and I'm definitely coming back next year!!
You can find more photos from the Fashion Theatre on the Clothes Show London website, plus you'll be pleased to see that the clothes showcased are all those in the high street and online stores : ) Yay! xImage Source
All images courtesy of Clothes Show London
