If you’re a long time follower of my blog, you will probably know that I really enjoy checking out events at one of my local shopping centres – Festival Place in Basingstoke (yup, my last post was about another of their events!) Well last Saturday; I was invited along to check out their annual Love Fashion Weekend and I thought I would share what I got up to with you. I’ve actually been to this weekend twice before – both last year and the year before so I pretty much knew what to expect and knew it was something I would enjoy. I always think it’s a great way to see a selection of the new season’s clothing items and get ideas for how to put outfits together.
It was quite a cold and rainy Saturday when my Mum and I made our way over to Festival Place. After looking in a couple of shops (as we were a bit early for once!) we took our seats right at the end of the catwalk – a great place to get photos from – and waited for the show to start.
Gap
The first store showcasing clothes was Gap, which is a shop I’ve only really just started to buy from but wish I’d checked them out sooner! They had a very relaxed and casual vibe, with shades of blue and white on most of the models. The two child models were just adorable – so sassy and cute – they completely stole the show! I recently picked up a beautiful pair of lilac skinny jeans in store, which I’m looking forward to wearing whenever we get some nice weather. And I also managed to finally find a pair of comfy dungarees – it’s only taken me three years!
Apricot
Apricot is a fairly new clothing brand to me. I’ve seen a few of their pieces in New Look stores as a concession, but Festival Place have now opened a standalone Apricot store, which has so many beautiful outfits (and a yummy looking café!) The theme for this walk was very much khakis and jungle prints – perfect for the upcoming summer and matching trends on the London catwalk for spring and summer fashion. I was particularly taken with the palm leaf maxi-skirt (the playsuit was gorgeous too, but I definitely don’t have the figure for it!) But the skirt just reminded me of balmy summer days wearing floaty clothing to try and keep cool.
Moss Bros
Next up was a chance for the boys to show off the best suits for spring/summer from Moss Bros. These definitely weren’t your standard black or navy suits. Pastel colours ruled the runway with blues and pinks being teamed with loud shirts to bring a more casual and summery look to men’s wardrobes. Florals and palm leaves were on display once again and looked super cool against the muted tones of the two-pieces.
River Island
Everyone was out to show off the next store, River Island. I used to be a big shopper at River Island, but for some reason it’s not a store I’ve looked in more recently. But after seeing some of the outfits on the catwalk, I will definitely be checking out what else they have to offer. It was all about the slogan tee (when isn’t it!?) across the board, with the little girl especially looking incredibly glamorous. I particularly loved the pink t-shirt with the big glittery lips, so I might be heading over to their website to pop that in my basket!
Lipsy
Lipsy was the next store to show some beautiful dresses, again in different shades of blue. I’m currently looking for the perfect dress to wear to my graduation (eek!) and so, after the show, I went over to Next to have a look at their Lipsy range. Oh my goodness, they have so many gorgeous dresses! I tried this one on and I absolutely loved the print and the floaty material, but unfortunately the style of the halter neck just didn’t suit my body shap, which I was gutted about. So if anyone knows of any similar dresses that I could try, please give me a shout!
Superdry
Superdry is one of my favourite places to shop for things like coats, hoodies and casual wear, so it’s always interesting to see how they style up whole outfits on the catwalk. I particularly loved the dungaree shorts with the pink baseball cap and white and pink rucksack. That outfit was definitely right up my street. I do like the casual look (believe me, it’s what I wear most days!) but I’m still not sure about the socks with sliders! But maybe it’s something that will catch on one day (or just look better on other people than it would on me!)
Towards the end of the show, stylist JP came out to talk to the crowds. I didn’t recognise him at first, as he’s definitely grown his hair and beard since last year! But he was his usual bubbly self, narrating each catwalk and talking about how he’d put each outfit together.
Marks and Spencer
Then came the finale with Marks and Spencer and some fabulous colour blocking. I always used to be of the opinion that M&S fashion was mainly for the older generation and was rather frumpy. But they’ve really upped their game over the last few years, and I’m buying more and more of my clothes from their store. Apart from the shoes, which were from Quiz and incredibly pretty, the ladies’, men’s and children’s clothes were all from Marks and Spencers’ various ranges. I loved the brightly coloured jeans and coats and loved how they were paired with clashing prints – the outfits just seemed to work.
This was the first of many catwalk shows of the weekend. I know later catwalks showed some different brands as well, so you’ll be able to see some of the other stores over on my YouTube channel when my vlog goes live soon.
As well as the catwalk, Festival Place usually put on additional activities for shoppers to enjoy. For the last couple of years, there has been a health and beauty station, where various beauty brands have come to display their latest products and offered customers makeovers and beauty treatments. But this year was a bit different, with a ‘personalisation station’ pop-up with Hand and Lock. The two lovely ladies were offering free personalized embroidery on items bought in Festival Place over the Fashion Weekend.
I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get something personalized, so my Mum and I headed up to Primark to see what we could find. After a bit of a shopping spree (I’ll be putting a haul up on my YouTube channel!) I also picked up a grey t-shirt with three pink flamingos across the chest. We took it back to the pop-up and chose the font and colour I wanted. The t-shirt was then left with the ladies while we went off to watch another fashion show, and within half an hour I was able to go and pick my embroidered piece up. I decided to go with my name in the bottom corner, and was really pleased with how it turned out!
Overall, my Mum and I had a lovely day at Festival Place and really enjoyed watching the catwalks and speaking to the ladies from Hand and Lock. Festival Place always seems to put on the best events, and I’m already excited to hear what’s coming up next!
Did you go along to Festival Place’s Love Fashion Weekend? What are your favourite pieces from the Spring/Summer range?
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