Southampton City Screams Style

Southampton’s style savvy residents hit the high street in full force today. Good style is something that is often questioned due to its diverse nature and its many different interpretations.

“I always want to feel comfortable in what I wear,” explained 17 year old student, Melissa Rose from Southampton, “If I feel happy in what I’m wearing then I feel comfortable with myself, I always wear heels if it’s just to go to the shop! I really like Fearne Cotton’s style as she always looks really comfortable but always looks good as she knows how to put outfits together”.

However, it seems that not all style hungry shoppers share the same idea of what it means to be comfortable as discussed 20 year old student, Sophie Hawks:

“I’m a hoody and trackies kinda girl, I definitely dress for comfort over style. I do find it hard studying a fashion course when it comes to dress though, there’s always a kind of pressure to look the part and look good, but I tend to dress how I feel though.”

Fashion styles change each season which may induce pressure onto those interested in the world of fashion, but the majority of those interviewed said that they dressed for themselves rather than to impress others:

“I definitely dress for myself I don’t really have a style icon, I like keeping an eye out for what people are wearing on the street but I tend to do my own thing, my friends don’t want to be seen with me today as I’m wearing a man’s vintage Hawaiian shirt,” said 20 year old student Katherine Pearson.

Fashion is clearly a form of expression and a time for experimentation or a chance ‘to do your own thing’, but where does the inspiration for different outfits actually come from. Living in a world where the celebrity is the focus of modern culture do people actually create their own looks or is style simply filtered down from celebrity and the media into regular society?

“I think that dressing for your shape is the most important thing to consider in fashion”, said fashion student, Sam Pullen aged 20. “I hate body-con, it’s so unflattering, when I dress I look at curvy celebrities for inspiration such as Kim and Chloe Kardashian as I can relate to their sizes and think if something looks good on them, it might just look good on me too.”

With experimentation will always come fashion mistakes and mishaps but what fashion items turn these hipsters stomachs?

“I’m such a girly girl it’s ridiculous, so I absolutely hate anything which makes women look too masculine such as shoulder pads as they make people look like rugby players and boyfriend jeans,” said Melissa.

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“I really don’t like Holister or Jack Wills as I feel that people buy from there for the lifestyle more than the actual clothes themselves I don’t understand that,” argued Sophie defiantly.

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A Cultural Reinvention

Southampton City Council today unveiled plans to start the renovation of the arts culture within the city.

It marks the plans of the launch of the new Arts Complex of Southampton in which the arts council has invested 2 million pounds into a project that is set to revamp the city into a striving arts capital attracting both tourists and local residents.

“The objective of these plans is to make this area of Southampton a hive of cultural activity,” explained Project Leader Gill low. “Southampton is a city in need of renovation; it has been proved in other cities such as Nottingham that introducing an arts quarter works in terms of renovating a city.”

Southampton has a vastly growing cultural scene with The May Flower Theatre, Guild Hall and The Hansard Gallery. 2012 will also introduce the opening of The Sea City Museum which marks the 100th anniversary of the Titanic tragedy therefore the museum will focus on this as well as the way in which Southampton as a city is the gateway to the sea. The Hansard Gallery is also a popular destination for viewing artwork and exhibitions, however although it has been host to various collections it is located in the outer city on the Highfield campus of Southampton University therefore making it not of easy access to Southampton residents and visitors.

“We wanted to create a contemporary art gallery that is accessible to both residents and tourists,” explains Low, “We wanted to open a market to everyone ranging from families to people who are interested in a lively night life, it was important to get the balance right.”

Regular Southampton residents as well as those within the art industry are sharing this opinion; the arts complex that will open on Above Bar Street in 2015 has been well received by most, café worker Natalie Barrett aged 23 had this to say:

“Being interested in the arts myself and living in Southampton I find it difficult to find modern exhibitions that appeal to me, I can’t really afford the bus travel out of town to the Hansard Gallery so the placing of this new art place would be perfect for me, it’s a really cool idea!”

It could be suggested that culture and the arts is often seen as something that is regarded as being a pastime for the upper classes but Low explains how this assumption can be challenged:

“Some people think that culture is not for them and is something only for the rich or people with money, what they don’t realise sig that culture is everywhere, everytime you watch a film in the cinema or watch television that is culture.”

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Although many people have been incredibly supportive of the new Cultural quarter it does not mean that the plans have not suffered difficulties as Low explains:

“Grosvenor are the developers. When we first started it was Raven and then City Loft. Since the beginning of the recession City Loft collapsed Raven passed it onto them and our funders where sat their going I don’t know whether this is going to happen.”

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Bored by Beauty

As I walk through the heavy glass doors of the large department store it is as if I am entering another world. A women getting her eyebrows attacked by a piece of cotton, sales assistants with half the products they are promoting smeared onto their already botoxed faces, and more lotions and potions each claiming to be ‘the miracle of the year’ than JK Rowling could ever think of.

‘Fess up ladies, we’ve all been there. Of course I’m talking about that moment that occurs once every few months, the moment that for most women is completely overwhelming, so much so that the thought is perhaps even quite nauseating and that is the buying of new beauty products. Now I don’t mean make-up which as most women I’m partial to not being able to leave the house without my trusty benefit foundation, although testing make-up can come with its own trivial dilemmas especially red lipstick I’m still trying to get over the embarrassment of testing it in Superdrug and being nudged by a fairly older woman in desperate search of a specific pot of lily of the valley hand cream and ending up having smudges of red all over my new white lace shift dress – oh the shame.

No, I am talking about the times in which most women suffer from serious paranoia about their self-image due to reasons such as a bad break up, everyone one of friends is getting engaged/ having babies/ have a sex life. Now there are many different remedies to comfort yourself in these urgent times of desperation for the productive type it is to reinvent yourself with a new image and be a strong, independent woman (think Destiny’s Child). For the wild type there is always the option to go clubbing every night of the week and sooth your worries through jagerbombs, Sambuca and plenty of pro-plus. Then there is my personal favourite for the, shall we say more ‘dreamy’ or ‘homely’ types and that is to lounge on the sofa for hours festering in a fleecy onesie surrounded by various duvets and throws, accompanied by the two main men in your life Ben and Jerry and a rather large bottle (I mean glass) of wine watching re-runs of Downton Abbey and thinking how much easier life would be with men if you lived in those times and how much you would love to frolic around a large country manor in one of those long blowy dress things.

Now what is seemingly apparent within these three options of ways to calm that monster that lives inside your gut, and no I am not talking about last nights kebab, oh dear what a mistake, is that those busy productive women are the more sensible they get on with things as normal although nothing is bothering them although with doing so make note of the new hair colour/ false eyelashes/ freshly manicured tips. I have a friend who is one of the productive sorts and she is to be admired. She is the type of woman who carries everything anyone could ever want in her handbag, she keeps track of her plans in a diary which she takes everywhere and she is forever eating healthy, you know the sort that will only have a bottle of diet coke in Krispy Kreme. One time after a particularly tragic break up of mine and my fourth evening in the onesie she decided to take me out for a day of relaxation and pampering. We got up early that morning and went to the hair salon where the hairdresser

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insisted that she changed the direction of my parting which led to me leaving the salon looking rather like Alan Partridge. My friend then took me to get a back massage during which the masseuse commented that I was carrying a lot of tension in my shoulders, what, really? We then went for lunch at a ‘darling’ little salad bar where as I was chowing down on some lettuce I was already thinking of that Big Mac I would have later. We then took that interesting visit to the department store where she splashed out on £100 worth of Clarins products and I just stood there aimlessly until I rather sheepishly bought just the thing I needed – Bust firming lotion!

Now don’t get me wrong I’m not cynical in fact I rather admire people like my friend who are so in strict with their cleansing, toing and moisturising and are so touch with themselves and who they want to be that they can spend every penny on beauty products that claim to be ‘miracles’, but personally I am far too impatient and, truthfully I find the whole aspect rather daunting. I think it may have something to do with the way I was brought up. Being from a little valley in South Wales has put me way behind in terms of beauty products as people are more interested in rearing their sheep than the latest anti-aging serum. But, is there anything actually wrong with that? My grandmother who ever since I remember I have looked up to is now the mere age of 84 and yet with a daily beauty routine of washing her face with soap and water and getting plenty of fresh air she has the skin of someone 20 years her junior! So I am making a call out to all those fellow beauty-phobes out there, is there anything wrong with not knowing what a toner actually does? Is there anything wrong with your beauty routine being a quick wipe round with an all-in-one make-up wipe? Is there anything wrong with being quite fascinated with just how much make-up the women at the beauty counters are actually wearing? The answer, no nothing at all it perhaps means your just happy in your own skin and do not feel the need for any improvement, so please excuse me while I fetch my onesie.

How to beat the post-turkey bulge this Christmas

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Imagine the scene, we’ve all been there. It’s Christmas day and after a manic morning of being given an array of some really unwanted gifts (about a million bubble bath sets) and having to deal with overexcited cousins running around the place and shooting their new Nerf gun at you, how adorable! It is the after dinner lull after the Queen’s speech but not yet time for Doctor Who, Granddad is sat asleep in his preferred armchair dribbling slightly still wearing his paper hat from the Christmas cracker, Mum is stressing about the amount of washing up there still is but is overjoyed at the littlest of things “ooh we’ve got plenty of turkey left for sandwiches later” and “I think this is the fullest the recycling bags have ever been”, the children of the family are busy with Lego kits and Barbie’s and your brother has zoned out to the world on his new Call of Duty game. Where does that leave you? Possibly squashed like the pigs in blankets between your slightly mad great aunt and childish uncle who keeps trying to reel out the Christmas jokes and makes a pun on everything, passing round the tin of celebrations although you’re already as stuffed as the turkey.

Sounds familiar? And let’s be honest, while sat uncomfortably between awkward relatives watching the BBC’s chosen Christmas film your sat there uncomfortably dressed in a pair of tight, skinny jeans of which the waist band has been swallowed by your expanding turkey belly or it feels as if your about to burst out of the sequined top/dress and you’re just anticipating the moment your living room gets decorated in sequins, well ladies fear not

Cosmo are here to help.

Wouldn’t life be easier if joggers were the height of fashion and not something to be worn to the gym or in a dodgy council estate, although this may be the dream for many of us it is unrealistic. But we have found the next best thing. Here at Cosmo we love getting into the Christmas spirit by munching on mince pies, watching Elf and busting some shapes around the Christmas tree. Well imagine our excitement over the new trend hitting the high street, novelty Christmas jumpers. That’s right you can now have your very own Bridget Jones

moment without being judged as they are the height of fashion this season. Admittedly we were a bit sceptical of this particular trend, that was until we saw some of our favourite celebrities such as Karen Gillian and Victoria Beckham sporting their festive knits and they make the perfect post-Christmas dinner outfit.

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Now ladies this trend comes with no rules it is on you can be as wild or tame as you want. We found some real crackers, Uncle Nick would be so proud, on the high street.

These little delights of knitted goodness can be found in Topshop which have a festive array of jumpers to beat the turkey bloat. This snowman one has a fluffy pom-pom hat, glittery scarf and jet buttons whilst the cute Rudolph one has a glittery red nose, perfect for pulling Santa’s sleigh!

Don’t worry if these are too outlandish for you, there are plenty of alternatives to these glaringly obvious Christmas jumpers, Fair isle prints are currently having turn on the fashion radar and are still just as festive with reindeer and snowflake prints.

This poncho style jumper from H&M is adorable with style being one of the ‘In’ styles

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of the moment and perfect for hiding a belly full of mince pies and posh cheeses, the hood screams the sports luxe trend but still manages to look appropriately formal for Christmas day with the family.

The question is, my festive folk is how to incorporate these fabulously kitsch jumpers into an on trend outfit. One idea is to mirror the useless tea cosy your mum was given from your grandparents, jeeze its electric kettles now Nan. Think kitsch but comfortable perhaps an on trend skater skirt which appear to have taken over the high street paired with a pair of thick woollen socks to keep your tootsies warm, with a pair of mid-heeled brogues to give it a masculine edge topped with a silk scarf wrapped carefully in your hair in a Minnie mouse bow style and possible decked out in the Tiffany jewellery you are bound to receive in your stocking on Christmas morning (we can dream)!

There is another alternative on how to wear these fun additions to your winter wardrobe. Grunge glamour has been around for a while with the likes of Agneyss Deyne echoing the ‘heroin chic’ of the 1990’s and Topshop featuring leather, chains and studs as part of their 2011 collection, the Courtney Love look of the 90’s has definitely been having a moment.

This may sound insane but it is possible to ‘grunge up’ your festive knits. The mix of the kitsch and hard somehow comes together to work perfectly in sync. But chains and leather after Christmas dinner madness I hear you ask? Fear not fashion followers these fantastic Topshop beauts are stretchy enough to overload on turkey and stuffing but make a salute to the grunge trend with a side panel of leather, team with these amazingly bejewelled studded bike boots from River Island and Taylor Momsen-esque heavy eye make- up and

you’re bound to look more Nightmare Before Christmas than It’s a Wonderful Life.

So there you have it. This Christmas it doesn’t matter if you are not flooded by the invites to many fabulous parties that are meant to occur during the festive season, and who cares if you spend your Christmas eve singing carols round the tree in church rather than out on the tiles, and what does it matter if your family end up being the British version of the Griswold’s in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation? What

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is obvious is that comfort is key this Christmas, there is no better excuse to stuff yourself silly so embrace it with a novelty jumper!

“Having started as a vintage wearer I will always be a vintage wearer”

Surrounded by rails upon rails of second hand clothes, twinkling Christmas lights hanging from the ceiling and paper snowflake shaped bunting it is easy to see that this is not your average vintage shop. They often conjure up images of moth eaten old clothes smelling like they have only ever been worn by your old neighbour who owns about a million cats and suffers slightly from occasional incontinence.

Here though, things are different. Within this collection of clothes from past decades stands a woman who is as animated as the window display. The poster woman of positivity, it is quite unbelievable to think that this inspirational woman has survived two car accidents,

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both her children suffering from illnesses, a house fire and deep depression which she describes as being ‘utter rubbish’.

A hair full of wild red hair, a face framed by bold square black rimmed glasses and wearing a deep plum coloured maxi skirt with placement printed embroidery which she bought years ago from a charity shop, a black crepe 1930’s bell sleeved cardigan, a necklace that is made from a broken old brooch and a belt with a buckle of a bull fighter of which she has no memory of its origin, “I like interesting belts, you know with Elvis on or something,” she laughs.

“I like to think of myself as slightly like a Labrador, you know how they are friendly, waggy but still quite calm and relaxed, I once said this to my friend who disagreed and said that I was a lot more spaniel-like, I didn’t really know how to take that!” When asked about how she would describe herself in three words she dreamily looks off over my shoulder as she does countless times during this interview and you can almost hear the clogs going round in her head until she answers, “I don’t really know how to answer that, I suppose I’d say that I’m quite eccentric, well that’s what my neighbours in Bedford Place say anyway, like who’s this crazy lady playing Christmas music. I’d say that I’m sharp; I’m not stupid I’m good at maths and shit! I’m also good at making things I was made an entire set of Punch and Judy puppets with no desire to perform a show just on a piece of advice from my therapist to get creative”.

It would seem that creativity is this fabulous lady’s middle name. As she leads me towards the cash desk of the store I notice something unusual about it. “The shop is rather cobbled together, people say that it’s a pretty and unusual collection but to me it’s just common sense. This counter used to sit in my sister’s front room, I never think what I can buy but rather look around and see what I can use, ”she says. Admittedly it may sound like a slightly bizarre idea but it somehow works with the ethos of this adorable shop and the aura of this “crazy vintage lady”.

She claims this persona saw her through her depression and helped her to come through it as a much stronger person and that “brilliant things come from adversity and hard times”. Catherine Wright’s story of how she managed to transform her life which was one once full of tragedy is one of chance pushed through sheer tenacity to embrace everything that life has to offer. “Life is a journey, the bad times give you something to compare the good times to, you’ve just got to get on with it the most important thing to do is to take the jump with no regrets”.

This seems to be the staple theme throughout the history of the company. In 2005 she met a woman, Donna whom she became friends with and together they discovered that they had things in their wardrobes they had kept because they loved them even though they were no longer able to fit into them. They then had the idea to start selling vintage clothes online and set up a site on Ebay called “Alas too fat” on which they soon made their first

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sale of a non-vintage FCUK skirt on-line, which was highly popular and was sold out in most stores at the time after celebrities were spotted wearing it, until Catherine luckily managed to find 3 which in turn led to her making her first sale.

When asked about the Ebay business and selling items online Wrights amusingly rolls her eyes and chuckles “Ebay? All I can say is that its blimin’ faf!” Although it may have been quite tedious business was booming and it soon outgrew the back bedroom and they moved the stock and business into the basement of Donna’s partner’s coffee shop. Everything was going as planned, People would come into the coffee shop and ask how much the clothes were, I’d be like, ‘wait till its on ebay!” After seeing how much of a demand there was for people to physically buy items rather than purchase them online they decided to sell the clothes in the coffee shop but just as Wright had Screwed a sign on door just before she was told she’d have to be kicked out of basement as Donna wanted to concentrate on her music career. Wright had suffered a knockback in her career but decided to buck up and carry on and in 2007 took over some office space but found it unsuitable and so on the 27/09/2010 she signed the lease to the little shop on Bedford Place which she named Hepwrights. “It’s playful mix of my name and those who inspire me; Audrey Hepburn, Katherine Hepburn and the 1950’s Hepcats.”

What about the woman though, and her style? “I’m 48 years old, I’m a child of the 70’s I was too young for Punk but growing up I was always conscience of the DIY ethos of that trend, it was everywhere when I was growing up. I remember every Saturday me and my friend would make a jumble sale schedule and cycle to each one on our bikes. It makes me laugh how the high street is introducing supposedly vintage style items, vintage is not a style it is second hand clothes, having started as a vintage wearer I will always be a vintage wearer.”

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The Big Sell Off

Southampton Solent University marks the launch of a live project that run across all departments of the university today.

The project is in the style of an ‘Apprentice’ competition which involves four groups of 18 Fashion Management and Marketing students setting up pop-up shops around the university and competing to sell the most products using creative methods of competitions, freebies and websites.

Running for the past 18 months the project was set up in order for students to experience all jobs relating to the fashion industry, embed employability and ‘get their creative sides out’. The project was divided between various fashion courses.

The fashion design students were given the brief of designing different ideas for a new range of Southampton Solent University leisure wear that had emphasis on the casual lifestyle. The collection is incredibly appealing to students as it is comfortable, affordable and stylish. “Style was a large emphasis”, explains Emma Pritchard, “The old design was very old fashioned and plain, the design students actually took a lot of inspiration from brands

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such as Hollister, Fat Face and White Stuff”. The inspiration is obvious when looking at the design of the collection with its prints, colours and shapes it is suitable for even the most ‘preppy’ of people.

The students were split into four groups of 18 where each group underwent various tasks as they would in the real industry considering copyright, production design (such as the design of pop up shops) and the designing of a website to promote their ideas. “I really enjoy working as a team as we generally get on”, explains Yellow team leader, Jodie Coles, 25, “It is occasionally difficult to motivate your team, however we all find it incredibly rewarding when we see people wearing our final product”.

It seems as if finding motivation isn’t the only thing bothering some teams explains Fash01ion Marketing and Management, Rosie Price, 20 “All the teams are pretty competitive we’ll all do what it takes to win, which in the long run leads to plenty of sabotage such as people tearing down posters promoting the opposing teams, stealing cupcakes and general banter”. With all of this competitiveness you’d think there would actually be a job working for Alan Sugar at stake.

Each individual team are trying to appeal to the intended consumer in their own individual ways whether that be through feeding their stomachs by giving away cupcakes or having the best spot in the university to pitch up a pop-up shop. Nethleen Williams of the blue team explains, “Personally I think how much you sell depends on the position of your shop within the university, we’re doing very well as we are in the entrance so that way we get noticed. The price of the stock is also very important as the people buying the products are students living on loans and that is noticeable in the sales as the t-shirts which are selling the best are also the cheapest item of stock”.

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