Fashion Trend: SPICEMANIA

The Spice Girls 90s

Linked to the recent 90's revival that we've been seeing on the runways and red carpet events is an obvious tribute to the Spice Girls. The Spice Girls originated in England in 1994 and were "Britain's most successful band since The Beatles" - BBC. No wonder they've had such a big impact in the music and fashion world over the years, as they were the most popular girls band of all time. Their group was an ideal example of branding: each of the five girls had their own individual and distinctive style and personality and expressed it through their nicknames, outfits and behaviour on stage. Mel C "Sporty Spice" represented an active tomboy, Mel B "Scary Spice" spoke for fierceness and independence, Geri "Ginger Spice" was the confident and sexy red head, Emma "Baby Spice" the youngest from the group stood for youth and innocence and Victoria "Posh Spice", my personal favourite, embodied class and sophistication. The ladies were pop culture icons of the nineties with their "girl power" motto.

It's not an accident that their style and relevance has resurfaced now. The fashion world is often inspired by anniversaries, and in case you hadn't noticed, July marked 20 years since their hit "Wannabe" was released. In honour of the anniversary of the international girl anthem a video with a feminist background was released 

1. in which the topics of violence against girls, equal pay for work and underage marriage are brought up

2. to promote women's rights and empowerment 

Current Spice trends include:

Posh mid-length bobs: lately fashionistas have been cutting their gorgeous locks in favour for this hairstyle which was signature for Victoria in the nineties...

Posh Spice 90s

Kim Kardashian July/August 2016

Kylie Jenner July/August 2016

Cara Delevingne July/August 2016

Baby Hair Buns: a while after Miley temporarily popularised the high tiny hair buns they're finally appearing again and they are ADORABLE!

Baby Spice 90s

Cara Delevingne July/August 2016

Khloe Kardashian July/August 2016

Hailey Baldwin July/August 2016

Sporty Style: it's not an accident that tracksuits are suddenly starting to appear at events and in magazine spreads...

Sporty Spice 90s

Baby & Sporty Spice 90s

Bella Hadid May 2016

Gigi Hadid 2016 (phot Bauer-Griffin)

Rihanna 2016 (phot Bauer-Griffin)

Cara Delevingne & Margot Robbie August 2016

Spicy Platforms:

Spice Girls Platforms 90s

Baby Spice Platforms 90s

Spice Girls Platforms 90s

Charlotte Olympia Pre-Fall 2016

Giuseppe Zanotti FW 2016

Giuseppe Zanotti FW 2016

Sophia Webster SS 2016

Sergio Rossi SS 2016

Spice on the Runway:

Scary outfits straight from the wild

Jean Paul Gaultier Fall 2016 Couture

Baby minis in white

Giambattista Valli Fall 2016 Couture

Career in Fashion: JOURNALISM

Photo from Pinterest

Do you ever go through glossy magazines and envy the profession of the writers of the articles? Have you got good writing skills and a passion for fashion? If yes then perhaps you should consider a future in journalism in the field of fashion.. 

Kelsey M Designs

"Fashion journalism focuses on design trends, beauty products and marketing strategies, written to appeal to image-conscious consumers." http://work.chron.com/careers-fashion-journalism-5422.html

What are the missions of a fashion journalist?

• Presenting interesting information to a general audience through words and photos
• Generating ideas for stories
• Researching a subject and story
• Conducting phone and email interviews
• Ensuring that your work is well written, accurate and submitted to a deadline
• Sourcing images to accompany written pieces
• Reporting the latest fashion designs or trends 
• Planning the content of the issue with your colleagues
  

Photo from Pinterest

What is expected of the job? 

Well, depending on where you want to apply you may have different requirements. Most often it is expected of you to have a bachelor's degree in one of the following: journalism, English, communication or a fashion-related field and also have several years of experience in journalism or fashion. You have to be knowledgeable about the fashion industry, you are here to educate your audience rather than vice versa. In order to be a good writer you have to be passionate about writing and depending on where you'll be working you have to have excellent language skills. Due to the relevance of online communications nowadays, the understanding of blogging and social media is an absolute must. You have to be organised and patient since sticking to deadlines and working under time pressure are strictly linked with the position.

Are you fit for the job?

If you are by nature a determined and communicative person with intermediate computer and online publishing skills then you might just be! It would also be beneficial if you had good online detective skills for research.

Hayden Williams

What is the expected salary?

Entry-level: staff writer, graduate writer, journalism trainee
       UK £15,000-£26,000       US $25,000-$66,000

Mid-career: senior staff writer, sub-editor, features editor
       UK £18,000-£35,000       US $46,000-$108,000

Late-career: editor-in-chief
       UK £22,000-£65,000+       US $35,000-$99,000

Freelance: (1000 words) small magazine £420; large magazine £700

*Salary levels depend mainly on location, size and the popularity of the magazine

Any last minute advice?

Take any opportunity that you can and apply for work experience!
Network at any given chance!
Study the history of fashion - it will make it so much easier to spot common links!
Stand out from competition by going the extra mile!
Keep up-to-date on trends and popular culture!
Stay motivated with your long-term goal!
Be in it for the long haul!
Stay positive!

Photo from Pinterest

Where to apply?

UK

Condenast, Hay Market, Time Inc. UK, Hearst, Fashion Workie, The Guardian, Vogue

US

Fashion Jobs, Freelancer, Fashion United

Fashion News: RAF SIMONS MOVES TO CALVIN KLEIN

Raf Simons bids Dior farewell

After Raf Simons announced his resignation from his position as Creative Director at Dior in October 2015 (after working there for just 3 and a half years) we couldn't help but wonder where he would go next. It is rumoured that the Belgian fashion designer's choice of leaving the French fashion house was linked with his limited creative control there. 

Yesterday, after approximately 9 months since Raf's departure, Calvin Klein revealed through its social media channels that Raf was appointed as the labels new Chief Creative Officer. The brand discontinued further work with its previous men's and women's creative director in April earlier this year, and has kept it a secret until now who the replacement will be. Earlier in June CK revealed that they weren't yet allowed to reveal the news (due to circumstances involving Simons contract at Dior), but added that "the whole industry knows".

If you're a fan of Raf at Dior then you should definitely check out: how the couture dresses from 2015 were made and Dior & I.

Check out some of Raf Simons best looks from the past:

Raf @ Jil Sander SS 2009 Ready-to-Wear
Look  25 // Look 30

Raf @ Jil Sander SS 2010 Ready-to-Wear
Look  9 // Look 22

Raf @ Dior SS 2013 Ready-to-Wear
Look  30 // Look 31

Raf @ Dior SS 2013 Ready-to-Wear
Look  35 // Look 44

Raf @ Dior SS 2015 Couture
Look 30 // Look 47

Raf @ Dior SS 2015 Couture
Look 46 // Look 20

Raf @ Dior SS 2016 Ready-to-Wear
Look 16 // Look 37

Runway photos from vogue.com

Career in Fashion: VOLUNTEERING

The Devil Wears Prada

Are you considering pursuing a career in the fashion industry? Would you like to work among respected designers? Would you like to work in a field that you are genuinely interested in? When starting a career in fashion you have to know that you will most likely have to start at the bottom, where the salary is close to nothing. But that's not a problem! Volunteering is a great opportunity to learn more about the industry, gain work experience and meet interesting people. The best way to start out is through volunteering. There are many different roles to fill, so start looking! It's not difficult to find something, just do some research online. Some websites that I recommend are The Business of Fashion, Fashion United, Fashion Jobs and Fashion Workie (for UK). There is no need to worry about there being a language barrier if you are living in a country away from home, some of the placements only require English. All of my volunteering positions I had whilst living in Paris were in English. It's important that you do a good job and are a good coworker as you may be offered to work with them again or you might get a recommendation.

Showroom Assistant

This job position most commonly takes place during Fashion Week (but not only) and is a short time thing, usually lasts just a few days, but those days are long! In my experience it was 10 hours everyday for almost a week. Main tasks include helping to set-up and take down the showroom, welcoming clients and making drinks, keeping the showroom tidy and putting items away and assisting the models. It's a good experience for people who are interested in careers in buying and merchandising. Although you most likely will not be talking with the clients, you can see from up close what it looks like dealing with buyers, how meetings look and how the products that are later present in boutiques and department stores are being selected and ordered. I know it sounds like fun, but it's not as good as it seems. Apart from the tasks I mentioned before you might be expected to run errands such as: collecting food orders from all the employees and then going around town to pick them up, being sent to an electronics store to buy a new music player, because the old one stopped working, carrying heavy things from one place to another and ordering taxis for the clients. Perks of this position, apart from adding it to your CV, are that you get to see the brands collection months before the products make it to stores!

Sophia Webster Showroom (Jan 2016)

Sophia Webster Showroom (Jan 2016)

Sophia Webster Showroom (Jan 2016)

Trade Show Assistant

A trade show is like a collection of showrooms under one roof. Here you're being hired by the organisers of the event so you're not working for any of the fashion brands. Your responsibilities include: setting up and taking down the venue, registration of the buyers and exhibitors and assisting them on the floor of the showroom. There are usually quite a lot of interns working here so you're not even required to work all the time. You get to see important people in the fashion industry like buyers from big department stores in New York and occasionally a celebrity will make an unexpected appearance (Kanye!). You have to be communicative and patient as you will be dealing with clients - there's always something wrong, whether it's that someone forgot to register at home and has to do it there, or the internet or air con isn't working. Be friendly with the exhibitors and you might be able to buy their products at wholesale price! If you're a good worker they might consider hiring you again. One of my friends was invited to work with them again, but this time in Las Vegas!

Capsule Show (phot. @CapsuleShow)

Capsule Show, Paris 2015

Capsule Show, Paris 2015

Backstage Dresser

Out of all my volunteering experience this one was the best! I had to be at the venue at 5am to start setting everything up and preparing the space, but it was all over after a few hours and I made it in time to get to my class at uni. The main function of this job is to dress and undress the models during the runway show. It's a fast paced environment, you legitimately have under a minute to undress the model, take her shoes off (in my case they were tight strappy sandals), help her put on the next garment without ruining her makeup and then squeeze her feet back into the shoes. Most of the models were nice, but my poor friend had the privilege to work with a real diva. People who come to fashion shows are either working in the industry or in media and press, so it's a good place to see interesting faces, and it's cool that you get to meet and talk with the designer. If you're interested in working in the future in planning fashion events or as a designer then this job placement is for you! Oh and you might be leaving with a goody bag!

Backstage at Peet Dullaert SS 2015

Backstage at Peet Dullaert SS 2015

Backstage at Peet Dullaert SS 2015