Twice a year I submerge myself into a world which I love. I leave my fruit based day job for a coffee fuelled, outfit dilemma filled, fabulous few days at London Fashion Week. It happens twice a year; February and September and it always chaotic but fantastic.
I feel privileged to be a part of London Fashion Week. I once went to Somerset House, on the Strand where the British Fashion Council have their base. It was with my mother about five years ago. We walked around amazed by what we saw and it is this buzz and hive of activity that keeps me coming back year after year; now as a member of the UK press.
London Fashion Week is a mega for fashionistas, British editors and international fashion press and of course bloggers. Things have changed over the past few years, it's tougher as a blogger to get a pass. You have to prove your credentials, and rightly so I feel. I know what it's like to build your blog up - now I see my website more as an online fashion magazine. But it's hard to get out of being seen as just a 'blogger'. A lot of bloggers now seem to expect to have invitations to shows and events. I never take anything for granted. Any invites that come my way are usually received with a "woop"! Especially this year as I'm covering Issa London for LG Electronics (the guys who do all the steaming of collections at LFW).
There are two ways to watch a fashion show at fashion week. Either seated or standing, usually if you have a personalised invitation or a coloured sticker on it; then you are seated, If not then you join the scrum that is the 'standing queue' which being only 5'4" fills me with dread. I rarely get to see anything if this happens unless I get a lucky standing spot. So this year I'm taking new initiative. As well as attending a batch of shows I'm viewing them in two new ways. From the big screen outside the BFC Courtyard Showspace at Somerset House - live shows are screened here as well as catch up footage from earlier on in the day. Plus as per a discussion on twitter on day one of fashion week ; "SoFrow" is the new revolution. So many fashionistas I know are swapping their heels and outfit dilemmas for comfy loungewear and a cuppa - watching the shows on livestreams via the Internet from the comfort of their sofas! I will be doing this for half of fashion week and its a much easier way for me to get content online quickly and view most of the shows.
Granted, nothing beats the feeling when the lights go down in a showspace, the music booms out and one by one the spot lights come on as the first model comes down the runway. But you know what, I still get that feeling when I'm sat on the sofa watching it live on my laptop. My love for fashion makes sure that feeling still happens. Until that time when the buzz doesn't happen anymore I will battle the London crowds to get to the shows, I'll join the queues but now I'll also enjoy the comfort of watching shows at home. After all it's not always about the experience, it's about the clothes the designers show.