CATCHING UP: Vogue (strike a pose)

Hello, hello, hello, long time no see, no? Well it’s been a busy few weeks, full of university open days, trips and college essays (I thought it was summer but apparently Lloyd George won’t give a girl a break). I’ve finished my AS year and started A2 but, as I sit in the back of a crowded car with a bag full of books and bikinis, it’s officially summer now. I have The Drums on a loop and we’re gonna go surfing (down, down baby, down by the rollercoaster), so I’m happy. Destination: one of the many ‘Port Somethings’ in Cornwall.

As I have been absent from t’internet for a while, I reckon it’s time to catch up. It’s now July, but other than open days and orthodontist appointments, nothing much has happened in the return to college life. Yes, I loved the universities we visited; no, I am not sharing my favourites. We’ll see whether results day shakes things up first. June has been probably the best month of the year so far; I finished exams on the 4^th, went for a steak sandwich lunch, and I was on the train to Exeter the next Monday.

 

Before that however, in late April, I was tapped on the shoulder at the Patisserie Valerie counter in King’s Cross. H and I were meeting in London for the day to visit  the 2015 Vogue Festival. I had a new white tote from ASOS, my skinny Zara gingham trousers and white leather Converse, so I was practically dressed for the day. After a lunch of calamari at Carluccio’s (where else?), we got lost, then found the foyer which was buzzing with swishing midi skirts and sleek ponytails. After about an hour queuing, H had her hair done by the Kérastase stylists while I watched a styling challenge. During her stop at the salon, Jean Paul Gaultier popped into her mirror, said hello and disappeared. That man is cool. A stop by the Vogue Shop was inevitable and I purchased the notepad and water bottle; needless to say, I feel very college-chic at the hallway water cooler. Other activities were placed around the building, such as the Topshop nail bar and Vogue cover shoot which unfortunately we missed due to lack of time.

 

The Vogue Festival talk we attended was an interview with Jean Paul Gaultier and his muse and friend, Erin O’Connor, whose tall, willowy frame I was instantly jealous of. As they already knew each other well, the pair were funny and comfortable together and the interview felt very honest and intimate. Gaultier’s career began with his designing for his teddy bear and progressed to designing for Madonna (the person he would most have liked to have dressed is the Queen Mother). Gaultier was such a funny and fascinating character and I am so glad that we chose this talk in particular as it was quirky, interesting and I was excited to hear about Erin O'Connor's experience as a model and Gaultier's seemingly rare appreciation for the individual personalities and bodies of models. Hopefully we will go again in a couple of years as I loved the experience but there were a few stations I would have liked to have visited in the foyer.

Cheeky selfie waiting for Jean Paul Gaultier ft, FIJI water photobomb

L