Itinerary for this March... Buckle up!

Rogue Gone Vogue: I really love this blog. I hope you do too. It's been 2 years since launch...

Aside from the rotten fun I have creating content for RGV, I love that it is a pure authentic reflection of my passions: fashion and travel, and that it is read and celebrated by people like you who are passionate about those things too!

But I have a secret... another passion that I have been hankering to throw into the mix... but haven't had the courage or opportunity until now... (more on that in a bit)

I am going totally Rogue (<- ha.) this March... I have 5 trips lined up in the space of 4 weeks!
I am going horse-riding in Spain, a university trip to Paris, a charity walk across the desert in Jordan, and flat/internship hunting in New York, followed by a maybe skii week at home; Switzerland.


DISCLAIMER:
1. Do understand that these are all working/charity/uni trips: not holidays.
2. Therefore I am sharing them with you (in the professional and informal) way I approach my blog with with my motto in mind: Living loving learning sharing.
3. My aim with sharing these trips with you is not/never to insight envy, but to teach you what I learn about a place, to inspire you to aspire, show you how I approach being a frequent traveller/flyer, and most importantly to give you a healthy euphoric dose of escapism!

SO: In order to live, love, learn and share these adventures with you...
I've been toying with the idea...
of...
launching my own Youtube Channel!?!
...and (yikes) Vlogging?!


For those of you who know me, know that I LOVE making film!
(Check out this cute little short fashion film I directed and edited with my uni mates!!)



I've been getting my kit together for a while now with this proposition in mind...  like microphones, tripods, taking editing classes at uni!!, practicing (see above), and coming up with logos/names

My aim would be to share what I learn and be as authentic as I am on my blog
So apologies in advance, if you are looking for £400 worth lighting rigs (in my bedroom or in a desert), it's not going to happen.
Also: I am not a makeup guru, and never will be. (So you're just going to have to put up with seeing my un-foundation-caked freckly-ass face up close.)

Point is: I am professional in journalism and film, so I know you will enjoy the visual I provide you with, but this is the first time I'm putting myself directly in the narrative too, like literally talking to you... do you like me?
and that is what has set me back... attempting to muster up the balls!
I can handle the inevitable mean 'troll' comments but.. can I?

March is definitely a good time to kick off... It's now or never but... would you like to see that kind of content? My blog has become much more than just me, over the past two years; it's now you too!

I wan't your opinon
Would short 10 minute videos of my condensed travels be something you like?
Would you support it? Do you guys even have youtube accounts? Do you watch Vlogs?
What do you like about them? What do you hate that I should totally avoid?

The floor is yours!!

So penny for your thoughts: P-L-E-A-S-E.
(Comment box is just at the bottom of this post if ever!)

Love you all lots! I hope you are excited as I am!!!

This is big.
Huge.
Fashion history is writing itself right now.

What is happening? Burberry and Tom Ford are going against the current unsustainable fashion cycle by reformatting their their shows to twice a year. February and September, their clothes will be seasonally relevant THEN, and more importantly, clothes and campaigns will be ready to buy/launched the second the fashion show ends.

HISTORICALLY, 

fashion shows were never intended for the consumer. A fashion show was a preview of what the designers had in the pipeline, so press, investors and wholesale buyers could speculate and place their orders on the clothes 6 months in advance of clothes hitting the racks.

This is why the Spring Summer shows are in September, and the Autumn Winter shows are in February.

The fashion industry is founded around this 6 month delay; from Zara to Fashion publications, this is how the industry works.

However as we have all come to know; this isn't how the system works anymore. Fashion shows have become spectacles; for we are a Society of Spectacles (Debord, 1967). We millennials are driven more and more by the Experience Economy (Pine, Gilmore 1999). Growing up with recessions and less confidence with money security: it has been argued our whole generation puts more weight on experiences now, than consumer goods. (Pine, Gilmore 1999)

I would argue that fashion shows are now our business. We no longer sit back and wait for the press to report on the shows and be fed second hand: we live stream the shows, line up for hours outside; even exploit the positions of power we are in to consume fashion shows, just as we would consume the products 4 months later.

We also need to take into consideration the instant gratification demanded by us millennials. If I see clothes or a trend? I want it now. I am not going to wait 6 months for it to come out.
This is what brands such as Zara, who have a 6 WEEK turnaround (they see 70's trend, it's in stores in stores within 6 weeks from the trends conception) exploit.

EXAMPLE: I am not going to be able to buy Tom Fords' flared jeans for 6 weeks, so I am going to go to Zara in the meantime. But often before the trends even hit the designers racks: the trend has moved on.
Zara: makes the profit on Tom Fords trend, Tom Ford: misses the boat.

What has changed? 

Fashion shows are no longer for wholesale buyers, investors or press: they are a publicity stunt for the consumer. A shopping experience.

Whether that be experiencing the fashion shows on the frow (front row), via snapchat (as Burberry has done), or through a music video (see Tom Fords' new collection and Lady Gaga's new song in this music video) the consumers expect the fashion shows, just as naturally, we expect the clothes as soon as we see them.

Pros and Cons 

of this new implication to the greater fashion industry.

Pros

Less Pressure on Designers
If you read my article on why Raf Simons was leaving Dior, the reason was that the model of the current fashion cycle (some designers produce up to 14 capsule/full collections a year) places an unsustainable pressure on designers.

Gender Blurring/Neutrality
Which is an issue very relevant today; is once again, unsupported by the current fashion cycle.
Having mens fashion week and women's fashion week at the same time, will allow for the possibility at least, of a gender neutral collection, or clothes being presented as clothes, on gender neutral models. Something integral to this generations cause.

Burberry SS16 Show. Source: fashiontimes.com

Easier for all those involved in the Fashion industry
One Burberry runway for both men and womens show.
One fashion week for industry specialist who have to report on both mens and women's.
Opportunity for those who have only visited mens week or women's week to expand/explore.
The chance for there to be a greater PR cacophony for a brand with a one show hit wonder (imagine twitter hashtags as #BurberryShow as opposed to #BurberryMenswearShow and a few weeks later #BurberryWomenswearShow).
LIFE WILL BE EASIER.

Brands will get to financially benefit from their trends 
(as was always intended) Sorry Zara.

All brands will have to follow suit
and I'm talking, everyone. Burberry and Tom Ford are colossal brands. As I said, this is huge.
It's like dominoes. If they have? Everyone is going to scrap the dated fashion calendar.

Cons

Highstreet brands with 6 week turnovers
...will be forced to step up their game. No more riding on the coat tails of others. That gap in the market will be saturated. However that being said; Zara's high fashion designs and high street prices will surly remain unrivalled.

Fashion Publications
Will be having kittens. They will have to step out of their time machines, and create magazines 6 months in advance MINUS the foresight of trends. (Maybe consider making them 3 months in advance now? Just an idea!)

All brands are going to follow suit
Not everyone is going to like it. Restructuring a brand isn't free or easy. Plus it's a major edge lost for the brands that benefited from 6 months ahead foresight.

PR's and Celebrity Stylists
are too, going to have kittens. How on earth are they going to dazzle and wow celebrities with the latest seen-but-never-worn hot off the catwalk trends and looks, if the general public already has access to it? *yawn, boring!*
'Without envy, glamour cannot exist' -John Berger
Does this mean celebrities will not have to be offered bespoke everything by the brands? Who knows how they are going to make up for this loss!

Conclusion

Not much more can be said? It's time for us now, to sit tight and watch this all play out.
It is certainly a better system than that previous, but how well is that going to work for smaller brands? Publications? High street brands? This is going to have ricochet effects from the major fashion houses to bloggers; just you wait.

Tonight is, again, one of the decidedly more extravagant and exciting nights of my life.
The event tonight was a celebration to welcome Manolo's new Burlington Arcade store.
It was held by Vogue, and Mr. Blahnik was interviewed by Vogue's Ginnie Chadwyck-Healey (who I met already at the Vogue Night Out event at Westfield end of 2015).

The event was; as illustrated by my photo's, a classy sophisticated evening with canope's, champagne, and hot chocolate vodkas.
The event, as my photo's also illustrate, was ever-so-slightly blurry. Considering the wonderful array of cocktails my mother and I had just before the event.. ..

So my mother and I arrived; teetering over across the street from Peyote where we had what turned out to be 'pre-drinks'.
Despite our slightly giddiness: we managed to keep our cool.
Until my name wasn't on the guestlist [when it should have been] and I had to do step away.
Compose myself, and do little of what us PR's do best. ;)

A few seconds into round two; my booze-fuelled apparent charisma and charm, managed to get me and my mother into the event.
Emphasising, as well, for the third time: this was a classy event; which didn't help with the suitcase size noisy paper ZARA HOME bag we lugged into the event.
Teetering on it's own is a challenge. With a shopping bag the weight of a toddler leads into a little bit more of a kind of game of bumper cars with waiters, guests and such.

But alas: I shall let the [hopefully not too blurry] images do the talking!