Diary of a Fashion Intern: Part II

This week has been ridiculously exciting. I'm all settled in, I know how to do all the basic intern requirements (returns, PR contacts, answer the phone, web links, making a cuppa etc) and this is when the exciting stuff starts. I experienced my first ever professional shoot. And yes, it was unbelievably amazing. You may have noticed Look often team up with brands to do promotional shoots & that is exactly what I was part of. New Look supplied the clothes & Look supplied the style. 

What beats a cheeky panorama shot? This is the amazing Shoreditch Studios - majorly fancy. 

Being the fashion assistant on set means getting there to meet suitcases & suitcases & suitcases (you get the idea) of clothes, shoes, accessories & pretty much everything else you can think of. Once unpacked & neatly arranged it's my job to steam the clothes & have them 100% shoot ready - this is undoubtedly where I come into my element, it has organisational freak written all over it.

Apart from that I get to shadow the stylist, who in this case was the love Lucy, & learn all her tips & tricks - it's the only way to learn in this business. Making things look chic & more expensive is what stylists are employed for. With a collaboration with the New Look team Lucy was easily able to do this & it was pretty amazing to watch develop right before my eyes. 

I was pleasantly surprised by the amazing range of jewellery New Look had to offer this season at pretty damn reasonable prices - I've taken a few pictures (above) of my favourite bits which I'll be making a cheeky investment in this weekend. 

To top off the incredible day we were supplied with a Smeg full of unlimited drinks, coffee & tea whenever we wanted as well as a lovely Greek inspired lunch followed by salted caramel brownies....all for free. Now this is my kind of working environment.

I got to meet some really talented people on the shoot; the hairdresser had worked with Miranda Kerr & apparently she's lovely! The photographer was pretty inspirational & was supported by an amazing team. They worked so well with the two models (two lovely girls from Australia & Holland) & knew exactly how to achieve the shots they wanted.

At the end of the day we had a beautiful two page spread (TPS in the industry lingo - took me a while to understand...) which will be out in a few weeks. I would seriously recommend trying out a shoot if you're not sure where you're heading in the industry - it's really helped me in getting some direction & being able to talk to these experienced, talented people who have already made it is truly invaluable. 

lots of love,

Kathy x

The Topshop Mid-Season Sale Has Dropped...

The Topshop mid-season sale has undoubtedly brightened our week (Isn't it Friday yet?)! Okay, okay - we know it's all super summery stuff but that's no reason not to invest. After all we do have a summer every year & lets face it, when is a sheer cami not going to come in handy? It's the perfect piece for a last minute night out or drinks after work/uni. 

Here's our top 5 favourite pieces to help you on your way but remember to be quick, the Topshop sale doesn't stay on the shelves for long...

Pink Cami (there's other colours too!), £10 ~ link

Printed Maxi Dress, £18 (down from £48 - bargain) ~ link

Silver Statement Necklace, £11.55 ~ link

Tan & Black Heeled Sandals, £35 ~ link

Yellow Lace Bra, £13 ~ link

Alice & Grace x

Alice & Grace Love: Kiko Cosmetics

Always a fan of trying something new there's a definite new favourite beauty brand on the scene. When in Italy I discovered the brand Kiko which is a Milan based company with stores all over Italy & the rest of the continent. I was won over by their ridiculously good prices & their huge range of different products. 

I decided to try their creamy concealer which comes complete with a mirror making it easy to top up on the go (not that I've found I really need to). I'm not usually a fan of applying concealer with my fingers, I normally get a better effect with using a brush but this one was completely different. I went for the palest one (naturally) & found it works a treat for covering all kinds of blemishes. It's pretty heavy duty, which is what I need with my skin tone, but doesn't feel it. It's called their Full Coverage Concealer & it really does live up to the name. Retailing at £7.50 in the UK I'm definitely going to be sticking with my new found favourite. 

Sadly at the moment they only have two stores at the shopping malls Westfield in the UK but there will soon be one popping up at Oxford Circus which is a positive sign for their British expansion. In the mean time they do great delivery deals online which I'm definitely going to be making use of (They also have some pretty fantastic discounts there too). I can't wait to try their Purifying Scrub & Cerulean Blue Nail Polish!

Alice & Grace x

Diary of a Fashion Intern

So, I may or may not have mentioned I've just began a month interning in Look magazine's fashion department (It's not like I talk about it much or anything...). As my first week in the big bad fashion journalism world comes to an end I thought I'd share my experiences with you, you lucky lucky people. 

Unlike most fashion blogs I'm not going to just show you what I wore every day because really, you're probably not that interested & secondly I have to get up at 7 every morning & to be perfectly honest I really can't be bothered to start taking pictures of myself at that time. I want to tell you about what I've really experienced & what it's really like to be the lowest of the low on the fashion career ladder.

On my first day I turn up early, trying my best to make a good impression, to this awfully intimidating building that resembles The Devil Wears Prada a little too much for my liking. I'm left waiting for about thirty minutes & naturally I'm starting to freak out. This is obviously a bad omen isn't it? I should just get up & leave now shouldn't I? Coming to London & missing an entire month of my third & final year at university was a ridiculous idea Kathy, what on earth were you thinking?

Yes, this all went through my head within a short half an hour. Thankfully, I could not be more wrong. I have literally had one of the best weeks of my life & as cliche as it sounds I've learnt so much. Yes, there has been copious amounts of coffee involved (it's free though - IPC Media supply unlimited amounts for all their staff the little cuties) but it's been worth all the hard work. The view from the canteen (top right corner) is enough to make me want to go into work everyday. 

While me & my fellow three interns (Jaz, Megan & Hannah - who are adorable by the way) were majorly thrown in at the deep end, I was always expecting that. Being part of a team has made it so much easier though, ringing up a PR company for the first time can be a little bit daunting but now I wouldn't think twice about it (I'm a pro, naturally).  I've even been able to put together an online piece this week which will be published in the next few days, and yes I will be bombarding you with links. 

Despite having absolutely nothing to do with my journey to becoming a fashion journalist I've got to say experiencing Liberty's this week was a major highlight. I was sent to buy a leaving present for one of the team (Yep, major intern classic right there) & was given their press card...which means 20% off...and I was allowed to use it. Yes, you read right, I was allowed 20% in the most beautiful, fantastical, amazing store of all time. It was worth buying something for the carrier bag alone (That's me being drawn in my advertising once again, cringe).

Although I've pretty much lived off soup this week (Pret you lifesaver) & I don't think I've ever been this tired I have really been able to see the hard work that goes into a weekly magazine. I'm beginning to appreciate how much magazines rely upon their unpaid interns. Sample returns, chasing up photographers, showing models where to go, arguing with PR companies & freaking out when you accidentally barge into the editor (She wasn't impressed). It's all been part of an amazing week & I can't wait to do it all again (Although I am a little sick of soup).

Kathy x

Working Women: Part II

As you may have noticed we've been very busy at Alice & Grace lately with Bex (aka Grace) becoming Deputy Fashion Editor at The Courier & now we sadly must be parted for another month (queue the violins).

Now it's time for me to get into the working world & I'm off to be a Fashion Intern for Look Magazine in London. While this is ridiculously scary & yes I am, to put it politely, bricking it me & Bex promise to report on all our learnings in the big bad fashion journalism industry. Keep checking back for my Intern Diary blogposts where I'll be telling you all about my (hopefully) amazing & fun filled time in Landaaan (I promise that will be the first & last time I do that - I just needed to get it out of my system, I swear...).

& if any of you have any advice you'd like to share with us we would love to hear it!!

My favourite things about London...

Kathy x

Product of the Week

As you may have noticed we have a slight thing for nail varnish. It's such an easy way to stay on trend & add a little edge to your outfit in a cheap(ish) kind of way. 

Keen to experiment with texture this week I tried out Nails Inc Special Effects 3D glitter polish. Now I'm always a fan of something sparkly (I'm a bit like a magpie) but I wasn't too sure about having a heavy texture on my nails. However, after trying & testing this product I can say I'm officially converted to textured nails. While it's a little heavier than polish I'd normally wear I just love the effect it gives - I've even gone as far as pushing the boat out & putting it on my toes as well.

It's £12, which is a little more than I'd usually spend on a polish but I think it's worth it just this once. It's great for nights out though & perfect for the party season which is just around the corner. 

Anyone else tried the new textured polishes by Nails Inc?

Alice & Grace x

Jack Wills Newcastle Launch: Fabulously British

It's finally here! Newcastle has it's own Jack Wills store! Alice & Grace were invited by the lovely Patrick to the launch...

We were pleasantly surprised by their British orientation in producing their brand. After all this does avoid the 'fashion guilt' (you know what we mean, air miles, sweat shops & child labour don't lead to a happy shopper). They even have their own flock of sheep to produce the perfect wool, they're all about the quality of their products & championing the British fashion industry. 

The layout of the store concentrates on their more fashion forward range rather than the classic sportswear, BUT don't worry they still have a great selection of sportswear! 

Ashridge blouse & Marlow Merino Cable Crew

While we enjoyed our complimentary cocktails and listening to the live DJ set we picked out our favourite pieces. This blouse is a timeless piece that's perfect for taking from day to night (plus it felt incredible). The jumper was picked from the men's range, JW are famous for their wool jumpers & this highlights the orange trend at the moment. We're also massive fans of wearing  our boyfriends clothes - so if they buy it...we wear it (and we don't have to pay a penny).

We particularly love the new twist on the famous pheasant logo and you can never go wrong with a classic JW knit. It's always worth the investment.

We were enlightened to learn JW have been working to create the perfect British wool; this involves breeding two different types of sheep, one with a softer coat, to give that great JW texture. 
We are highly impressed JW are working with traditional British brands proving they are, in fact, Fabulously British! 

Any North East bloggers let us know what you think.

Alice & Grace x