LFW - Backstage with Label.m

When we saw the email pop up in our inbox inviting us to go backstage at LFW to the shows Label.M and Toni and Guy were working on we both knew it was too good an opportunity not to go. 

We were lucky enough to head to LFW in February to see the Matthew Williamson show so after that experience we were both excited to head to LFW again. We both love all things fashion, hair and make up and thought to see what happens back stage would be really interesting.

Label.M is a brand we've been lucky enough to try a few products from now and it's fair to say we both love them. Especially the protein spray! When we arrived we met Lucy who gave us the bands to allow us back stage! 

The shows we attended were held at Freemasons Hall. It was such a beautiful setting and the building was amazing!! Inside there were lots of great high ceilings, guild work and paintings!

I decided to test out the panoramic feature on my camera. It's great to show the set up of the room. We were both really shocked at how calm it was before the show. Everyone was really busy but it was so well organised that everyone was just working efficiently.

When we walked in we were lucky enough to speak to the head hair artist for the designer. Mateus (hope I spelt that right) explained the concept for the look to us. For Natasha Zinko it was more of a Presentation than a catwalk show, this meant the models hair really had to last. Natasha Zinko is a Jewellery and clothing designer and lots of the models would be wearing hats. The plan for the hair was big hair with curls that looked natural and effortless. 

The hair was prepped with Label.m Extra Strong Mousse and blow dried to ensure it would hold. 

The hair was then curled using tongs and wands and pinned into the curls and left to set. Mateus would show the stylists how to do it on one model and then they would go and repeat. It was all very well organised. The placement of the curls and where the pins should be positioned were all standard so that the finish look would all look the same. Some of the girls would have two or three stylists curling the hair to get it all done. 

We loved being able to have a nosey around and see the whole look come together. A combination of Mac, Bodyshop and Nars make up were being used. The make up was a strong brow (Cara Delevingne esque!), cat eye with white liner on the water line and the liner going underneath into the inner corner and an amazing red lip! 

One of the models with make up done and hair waiting for the next stage. The lips were a stunning colour and Mac Lipmix in crimson was used. Am I right in thinking this is only a pro product?

The models all had grey nails. It was an essie shade but we couldn't figure out which. Maybe slightly more grey than Chinchilly. I think it was most likely to be Cocktail bling, It looked so neat on the nails. 

As it was approaching show time set stylists were given the job of finishing off the hair so all the models would go to him one at a time to get it brushed out. It was impressive how organised it all was.

Here the finishing touches are being done!! How beautiful is that hair!! We both want to try it out and are hoping we've picked up the tricks to gorgeous volumous curls. It looks so soft and big!!


How stunning is the final look!! The hair and make up look amazing and Natasha's Designs are amazing!! I'm a huge lace fan and love the classic simple look of this dress!! I love the garden theme and layout of the presentation.

This is definitely a look we will be trying to recreate!

The second show that we went backstage at was for Pam Hogg. Unfortunately as they were running late and everything was a bit stressful here we didn't stay there long as we didn't want to get in the way.

Even so we managed to snap a few quick pictures!

The style for this show was sleek hair blow dried straight to be pinned back or underneath. The main focus at this show was the clothes and the head pieces, there was absolutely no way anything was detracting from them and you can see some photos from the Metro of the show itself below:

 

The models at the Pam Hogg show were lovely, they even posed for us and it just shows how used to the chaos they are!

The make up for this show was laid out beautifully, there were so many products and I just wanted to get my hands on it all!

Particularly the lipsticks they look amazing!

It was really cool to see the notes the artists had made as well, the pictures look awesome!

It was a fantastic experience to attend LFW again and especially to go backstage. Seeing all of the hair being done was so interesting and we picked up a lot of tips.

I think we'll both be trying out the mousse technique to see how much better our hair looks and how much longer it holds, the Label.m Extra Hold Mousse is supposed to be amazing for this!

Which shows were your favourite from LFW? Did you do any celeb spotting?

L and M xxx

   

LFW Matthew Williamson Show

This post is going to be photo heavy.....but well worth it!!

When I saw Benefit were running a Twitter competition to win tickets to Matthew Williamson's Show and a Benefit goodie bag I immediately retweeted the tweet.

A few weeks ago I was having a really bad day. Finished off by splitting my skirt. When I checked my twitter Benefit had tweeted me saying I was the lucky winner. I was completely over the moon. I was so excited. I've been wanting to go to London Fashion Week for a while. I thought it would be really exciting.

Of course I immediately text L to invite her along with me. She rang me as soon as she finished work to discuss plans. We decided to make a weekend of it and booked travel and somewhere to stay.

The show was on Sunday and was a great way to end the weekend. Before the show we met up with some of the lovely ladies from Benefit, they kindly gave us both a goodie bag with some great goodies in.

After a quick drink we went to the Royal Opera House, which was an absolutely beautiful location. It has the most amazing ceiling to the building and was perfect location for the show.

There were obviously lots of celebs....here's a few snaps of my paparazzi style photography!

Above is Twiggy having an interview...

Here's Olivia Palermo surrounded by photographers.

 

A whole host of other front rowers including Mary Charteris in the pink and my new idol for being so beautiful is Vanessa Kirby in the pale green dress.

Daisy Lowe was also in attendance...

and quickly made her way over to Yasmin Le Bon and Olivia.

Then the lights went down.....and the show began!

Matthew's show was amazing with some gorgeous pieces. The colours were amazing and the attention to detail was stunning. Some of the detailing and beading on the pieces was so pretty.

The show featured some gorgeous colours from sky blues to navy with turquoise and some beautiful orange and purple combinations. There were also some beautiful pleated skirts which were similar to last years fashion with frills being added to the bottom for a more feminine touch

One of my favourite things was the lighting panel at the back of the runway. The theme was based around Northern Lights and the panel reflected this perfectly!

 

L's current favourite colour is coral, and this dress was everything she wants in her wardrobe!

Personally for me the stand out piece was the stunning sky blue dress. This was skater style with mid length sleeves. What really caught my attention was the way silver glitter was added to the skirt in almost an ombre style. I'd absolutely love the dress. Of course I'm sure the price tag will mean that won't happen.

L also loved the orange coat and matching skirt with gold sequins. The structure and style were perfect!

Cara Delevigne was also in attendance strutting her stuff down the runway with fabulous brows as usual.

There were some gorgeous floor length gowns with lovely colours merging. One of the floor length dresses had the same colours as the invitation. The greens merged into orange and blues was stunning.

For the finale the ceiling began to snow!

It looked beautiful with the models being lightly dusted with flakes and the lighting setting it all off beautifully.

The man himself! Taking a very well deserved bow at the end of the show.

And as we were leaving who should we see but Cara Delevigne!

The poor girl must have been blinded with the amount of flashes going on but she still seemed to enjoy it.

It was an AMAZING experience and we would have loved to do it again and again!

No doubt you'll be hearing from us soon with regards to the Benefit goodie bag!

Thanks again to Benefit for putting on the competition.

What would have been your favourite dress?? Which designer would you have loved to have seen at LFW?

L and M xxx