Glam-net's buyers usually scour the globe for emerging designers but this week the fashion world was in London for the Scoop fashion fair, a biannual showcase for new mid to high-end labels, both homegrown and international. The main theme at this year's show was Young British Designers, whilst previous years have focused on Scandinavian and Belgian labels.
It's a great place to get a preview of trends that will be arriving in fashion forward stores and it looks like the neon trend is set to continue into 2014. Tara and Joanne from online fashion store www.glam-net.com were at Scoop on Monday for the Spring/Summer 2014 ready-to-wear collections and clearly bright colours and neons will be around next year. Time to snap up some sale bargains methinks as this trend is still au courant.
It's also apparent that London has cemented its reputation as a great launch pad for new designers - this year Scoop has expanded from showing 250 labels to over 400. So in addition to its original Saatchi Gallery home, Scoop has now taken over the Phillips Gallery too! Clean white walls dominated the impressive venues with flashes of art work by the Royal College of Art, whilst beautiful meringues, elderflower sparkling water and delicious cocktails added to the exclusiveness of the event.
So which labels caught Tara's stylist eye?
"Charlie Jade (of course), their pieces are all made from silk with a luxurious youthful feel and all their prints are their own which make them even more unique. There is a good background story to Charlie Jade as well, as the label was started by a Surfer guy on the beach in L.A.
Triwa - I loved these watches and sunglasses, quite retro, unisex and a reasonable price. You can change the watch straps to whatever colour you like - there is a really pretty scarf strap watch I would like for myself. They have also introduced a collaboration with jewellery designer Fiona Paxton. Gwen Stefani is a celebrity fan, recently seen out in her Triwa shades.
Bourne have some great pieces - very bold and sophisticated. Their shoes are very modern. My favourite was a yellow and nude dress the model was wearing, they have also revamped their classic designs for Spring/Summer 2014.
Hipanema - they do gorgeous hand-made bracelets using beads, pearls, shells and take their inspiration from Rio".
Joanne, Glam-net's owner, liked the Stelle Audio Clutch by American lifestyle tech brand Stelle Audio Couture - it's a portable wireless Bluetooth speaker in a clutch bag. Joanne tells me, "Everyone is talking about tech aimed at women. I've decided to call it Glam Tech."
I bullied Joanne and Tara into taking loads of photos for my personal blog www.glamyou.co.uk; as always it's the eye-catching accessories at these shows that attract attention. Right now I'm off to the tail end of the sales to bag some neon swag!
Image courtesy of Charlie Jade from their SS2013 collection.