ANOREXIC, FAG ADDICTED AND FABULOUS

Patsy Stone. A fictional character. A real life style Icon. 

Despite never being seen without a cigarette in her gob and bottle of bubbly in hand Joanna Lumley's character in series Absolutely Fabulous is the real MVP when it comes to style. Forget Kim forget Rihanna, heres the real style icon. 

Throughout the series no matter what bizarre situation Patsy and her partner in crime Eddie got themselves into Patsy would still be dressed to impress never wanting to be underdressed which in actual fact was the least of her worries. Ever since the worlds first encounter with Patsy in 1992 her style has been admired and imitated, but no matter who they could never pull it off quite like the woman herself who claimed to have not ate a thing since 1972. Magazine spreads and look books have even been created so that people can copy her style.

From the most garish snake print to a clean and crisp white pant suit it's Patsy's sheer confidence, personality and aura that allows her to pull off each and every outfit. I believe strongly in the fact that how you wear your clothing and your personality is just as important as the styling and items themselves and Patsy is a prime example of how to nail this. From her signature beehive to her sunglasses that are hiding the tales of the night before Patsy is absolutely fabulous. 

Her style may be showcased even better due to the fact that she's always stood next to Eddie who's fashion taste is... questionable. Patsy manages to be a fashion icon without endless amounts of hair and makeup, 6 inch heels or showing off her body, her modest hem lines and her high neck lines only further go to show that you don't need to show EVERYTHING to grab peoples attention.

SHAUN EVANS

TATE MODERN TRIP

WHAT IVE LEARNT AT UNIVERSITY SO FAR

Moving to uni has been a really exciting time, filled with little angst and more excitement. 

I actually didn't find moving away from home that daunting. I feel that this is because I have a great family unit that support me and a big friendship group that have been with me through thick and thin and upon moving to Uni I was confident in the fact that all of these relationships were strong enough to last the minor 1 hour and 10 minute journey back home!

The only real struggle I have faced is the lack of money. Uni is so so expensive and the fact I dont have enough disposable income to buy clothes or go out for meals is hard for me. I was used to having £500-600 to blow on myself on whatever I want and ransack ASOS as much as possible so this was something I've had to adjust with. 

However with this I've learnt how to scrimp, I've learnt how to go on a night out with £1 and get by and if anything the main lesson uni has taught me in these short few weeks is...

WTF did you waste your money on before?!!

SHAUN EVANS

FURRY BALLS?!

Pom poms have became a huge trend recently. The traditionally gaudy and cheap looking objects have made their way into main stream fashion and look like they're going nowhere.
From earrings to curtains to hoodies if it's got a pom pom on its going to catch trend.

One use for pom poms within fashion that I love is pom pom earrings. I love how they take a fun and exciting spin on the traditional image of dangly earrings being formal and prestige. They can instantly add the fun factor to any basic outfit and are definitely a conversation starter! I love trends like this, trends that are a bit of fun and not too serious and don't have too much design to them, I mean they're literally just pom poms...

SHAUN EVANS

PORTISWASP THE UNSUNG HERO

@Portiswasp is an account I have followed for sometime now on Instagram. The scottish collage artist titled portiswasp uses Instagram as his platform to show his reworked artwork collages. The collages main focus is juxtaposition, he aims to shock and provoke by mixing PG imagery like disney film scenes with naked men collaged together. 

His work majorly intrigues me not just due to the attractive men featured but the graphics and thoughts behind it. The idea that two outcomes can be fused and synthesised to create another completely different outcome is fun and exciting and Portis Wasp captures this perfectly. 

I also enjoy the humour and provocacy that surrounds his collages, the fact that he can turn childhood pure and innocent characters into lustful pervs is a unique quality and one that causes a conversation and stir whether positive or negative. 

i find people like Portis Wasp and other artists that use instagram to post their work really clever as they utilise a daily used app by the majority of people, to advertise themselves and their work and gain recognition for this. I think there are a lot more possibilities and advantages of using Instagram as your own promotional platform than many may think 

SHAUN EVANS

WHY CANT WE THROW IT BACK TO THE 90's

A QUICK RANT

Nowadays everything is so structured, corrupt and censored. 

I wish I grew up in the 90's. I wish I could witness the icon moments that happened in pop culture from Madonna to Britney. I wish that I could have witnessed true originality and provocacy as in todays world everything is regurgitated and imitated and there's no such thing as being "provocative" as EVERYTHINGS ALREADY BEEN DONE. 

I also envy the lack of structure in the 90's. The fact that you could get a job solely on your personality and it not be just about grades, stats and figures. It seemed to be much more of a personable world where you were valued on your personality and those attributes rather than what you got in an exam 5 years ago. 

When I enter the fashion industry I hope to try and reverse this. I want to be able to collaborate and employ people that I bounce off, connect with and people that inspire me rather than someone who is boring as fuck but got a 1st in university!

BREAKING THE MOULD

Old ways won't open new thoughts. In a world where each 'new' idea is simply regurgitated or reworked from a previous idea, innovation and new ideas are key to helping the world progress in every sense. In the fashion industry this is no different and in fact even more crucial. In order for the fashion industry to progress and work in a ever evolving digital world Fashion brands must keep current and up to date with these new technologies and ways of thinking in order to keep their place in the market and stay relevant. In fashion, you need to break the mould.

Burberry are a prime example of keeping with the times and breaking the mould when they launched their "Shop the Show" concept over a year ago. Although this idea is a year old it's still highly relevant as unlike most ideas in the fashion industry it has barely been replicated by other fashion houses. The basic idea was simple, to create a straight to the consumer concept where eager Burberry lovers could buy the full range straight after the show allowing global sales to come in straight away. I loved this idea and found it really clever as it can normally take up to 6 months to buy a product after the runway and by this time many people may have lost the hype about a collection and find it old news and not want to buy into it. Whereas having the products easily accessible to buy straight after the show means that consumers will still be excited about the show and want to buy into the experience that they have just undergone. However the only problem with this is the restructuring problems that would occur within the brand as VM's, retail operations and every other process involved would have to happen 6 months quicker than before which would take a lot of planning.

Another example of a fashion brand breaking the mould and keeping up with the times is Vetements showing off season in couture which is 2 weeks before their scheduled appearance at the ready to wear shows. I didn't actually get the reason behind this at first but after research I found how clever this idea was. By previewing their collection it allows buyers to have a glimpse and decide to not spend all their money on couture collections and decide to hold out for the ready to wear shows to purchase the Vetements collection that they had so keenly had their eye on.

SHAUN EVANS