LondonEdge Feb 2016 part two: Faces!

Following on my from my previous post about the some of the brands at LE, here's some more shots from the catwalk and some generally cool cats I found wandering the event.

Here are some of my faves from the first catwalk:

(I *think* these are mostly, if not all, from Collectif.

Naturally there was a lot of rad looking folks wandering about and some let me grab a photo!

The Collectif gals looked AMAZING!

These dolls from the Pinup Academy (left) handing out free sweets hell yeah.
Right: Reps from Glamour Bunny.

These vintage babes from In Retrospect Magazine.

Two fabulous gals from Audrey Star's Boutique

The blogger seminar, with a guest panel compiled of Vintageena, Honey Pop, and Sophie Hannah, was an interesting opportunity for brands to get to understand the power of bloggers and how to form the best relationships that's productive for both sides. One thing I did notice at the event was how welcoming everyone was to bloggers, and how there is a real push to see the power of blogging.

Shortly after arriving I found myself arriving at the Pinup Academy stall, offering free hair and make up. I was over there in doubletime! Especially given that, catching an 8am train, I was in not fit state to be brushing my hair let alone styling it. 

Admiring the ladies in action

This gorgous lady whipped me up some victory rolls so quickly I barely warmed the seat. She was absolutely hilarious. 

While waiting to get my hair done I bumped into fellow PS bloggers Becky, Charlotte, Lottie, and Tanya. We wandered some stalls, bumping into Georgina of FullerFigureFuller Bust. At the latex stallit was only natural that someone was going to wriggle into something. Don't they look amazing?

Dresses by Yummy Gummy Latex



After a round of latex-clad bottom slapping we hit up Pizza Express for some much needed food before making our respective journeys home.

A long ass-day but I loved every second of it. 

LondonEdge Feb 2016 part 1

Last week I had the privilege of getting a blogger pass to LondonEdge. For those of you not familiar with it, it's an alternative fashion and lifestyle tradeshow and was being held at The Olympia Conference Centre.

I was super excited to attend because, for once, this was the type of brands and styling that really excited me. These were the brands I was shopping and coveting in my gothy teen years and right upto the present day.

Arriving upstairs I got my pass, and a fabulous bloggers goody bag which including some awesome bits including a free bottle of Manic Panic dye! Straight off the bat I was snapping away. The stalls all looked amazing and I was pretty giddy slipping around, lusting after so many amazing bits, discovering new brands, and chatting to some lovely people. That's one thing that stood out to me throughout the whole day was just how welcomging and friendly all the business' were. As bloggers we're not tradesfolk and so being given as much time as we were was really appreciated.

Here are some of the many, many brands at the show (seriously, this wasn;t even like a third of what was there!)

I'll let the photos do the talking!

Killstar

Banned Apparal

The lovely ladies from Lady Luck's Boutique. They were SO friendly and chatted to me for ages.

The Rogue + The Wolf

Victory Parade and Voodoo Vixen

Sourpuss

Erstwilder

Silly Old Sea Dog-These ladies were the nicest folks, and pictured with THAT Flamingo dress

Collectif

THAT Taco Dress from Iron Fist (also the lady who we talked to was SUPER cool)

part two coming up, with catwalks and great faces I saw there!

#TimeToTalk

Thursday 4^th February saw the campaign Time To Talk Day with a view to put mental health in the spot light, and end misconceptions about around it. 

Mental health affects 1 in 4 people in any given year and amongst young people 1 in 10 will experience a mental health issue. Hiday et a 1999 found that “People with severe mental illnesses, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or psychosis, are 2 ½ times more likely to be attacked, raped or mugged than the general population”

Mental health still faces enormous stigma in our society and is sensationalised in the media, portraying mental health illness suffers as violent to others, or tragic victims. With the negative, dismissive, and outright insulting narrative of mental health it’s hardly surprising that people would be ashamed to speak out about their own experiences.

My depression peaked around the age of 18. I was in 6^th form. I don’t remember much but I remember that it suddenly became increasingly difficult for me to leave the house, and eventually leave my bed. The nights before school I found myself gasping for air, choking on tears as this terror filled me. The anticipation of the next day was too much.

Naturally it affected my studies and I became anxious at the domino effect as I gradually fell behind with each of my subjects. My head of year arranged it so that I was able to study one subject, but I was only allowed to come in for classes and was not to spend time in the common room socialising.

So I had the pressure taken off in terms of my study but my social network stemmed and any opportunity to not dwell indoors with it. I did not attend my exams and flunked out towards the end of the final year.

I felt like I wasn’t being taken seriously; that I was trying to get out of hard work. That’s the thing with depression; you don’t need a reason to feel sad. It’s a sickness that makes you sad.

 But when I say ‘sad’ what do I really mean? The feelings that come with this illness are more than just feeling a bit teary and tired. No one asked what was wrong. Though honestly I don’t think I could have begun to explain.  How do you describe nothingness? A void that grows inside you, that consumes anything in its path. Joy, happiness, hope, motivation, and in fact any other feelings you might experience.

Image taken from a series by Spencer at heymonster [x]

I felt an immense amount of guilt and sadness as I watched my peers go on to university, starting their new lives, as I sat in my bedroom with the curtains drawn. I got into a vicious cycle of feeling down, then feeling anxious because I was feeling down, and then feeling down because I was always anxious.

But it was the nothingness that hurt the most. Some days I would be grateful for the sadness, if not to feel something. Sometimes you can fall in love with your sadness because the alternative is staring into silence. 

I’m pleased to say in the decade that’s followed I am in a much better place, but my cloud is still there. Some days I find myself overwhelmed with inexplicable sadness and emptiness. I cry out of fear, frustration, and sadness. But I do not know why I feel it. Some days the thought of going out, or doing anything other than curling up in a blanket feels like an insurmountable weight crushing you.

But it can get better. It may not go away, but it can become manageable with the right help and the right resources. I know this isn’t always accessible to people but there are many helplines you can access as well. I will list some below.

Samaritans (for any problem): 08457909090 e-mail jo@samaritans.org

Childline (for anyone under 18 with any problem): 08001111

Mind infoline (mental health information): 0300 123 3393 e-mail: info@mind.org.uk

Mind legal advice (for people who need mental-health related legal advice): 0300 466 6463 legal@mind.org.uk

b-eat eating disorder support: 0845 634 14 14 (only open Mon-Fri 10.30am-8.30pm and Saturday 1pm-4.30pm) e-mail: help@b-eat.co.uk

b-eat youthline (for under 25's with eating disorders): 08456347650 (open Mon-Fri 4.30pm - 8.30pm, Saturday 1pm-4.30pm)

Cruse Bereavement Care: 08444779400 e-mail: helpline@cruse.org.uk

Frank (information and advice on drugs): 0800776600

Drinkline: 0800 9178282

Rape Crisis England & Wales: 0808 802 9999 1(open 2 - 2.30pm 7 - 9.30pm) e-mail info@rapecrisis.org.uk

Rape Crisis Scotland: 08088 01 03 02 every day, 6pm to midnight

Allie Brosh wrote some really relatable posts about depression on her blog. Hyperbole and a Half. Allie is super funny, and her famous drawings equally so. You can find the posts here and here

Remember: you are important. You are valuable. You are loved. You are NOT a burden. Do not let anyone convince you that you are difficult or unlovable. 

Photoshoot with Velvet D'Amour

Back in November I bumbled my bumpkin' butt down to London to meet with Velvet D'Amour for a photoshoot. 

I met with Velvet, and MUA Rachel Williamson, in a swanky apartment in Central London. They were immediatly warm and welcoming, with compliments and conversation flowing straight off the bat. I was so nervous because I'd never done anything like this and this was so out of my comfort zone. I was clueless as to what I was supposed to do. Velvet was so vivacious and her energy was infectious, and I soon started to loosen up a bit.

It goes without saying that I was floored with the results. Red and I had such a time choosing from the contact sheets. The experience was difficult at times; London is a hard place for me and because of my inexperience I felt I inconvenienced people at times but Velvet was gracious and understanding throughout the whole thing. I'm really glad for the experience. Sometimes it's worth stepping out of your comfort zone and making fun things happen!

Images courtesy of Velvet D'Amour

Hair and makeup by Rachel Williamson