I would like to start by saying Happy New Year from all of us at Teen Cheltenham Fashion Week. The last couple of months of 2011 were hectic, especially with CFW official launch in November and many exciting meetings in December. It was great to have a break, but you’ll be glad to here that we have returned and well under way in planning lots of events for you.

Now would be a good time to inform you of the changes we are making to this blog. Instead of four or five monthly posts such as those we created last year, I will now write one big monthly blogging extravaganza, which will encompasses all of the areas we covered before. So welcome to our new and improved monthly blog. Enjoy!

In February we…

..held our first ever team meeting On Wednesday 25th January we enjoyed a creative and productive meeting. The majority comprised of discussions regarding sponsorship, which is all extremely exciting. We also had time to plan some photo shoots, develop our ideas and discuss people who are eager to get involved with CFW. A plan was set in motion, outlining the start of our journey to the first ever Cheltenham Fashion Week, this September.

..started working with our new team members The CFW team comprises of many fabulous people, our latest inspiring members are Sarah Clarke, who is helping to organize and arrange the schools/educational shows and our menswear director, Josh, who is informative, enthusiastic with a whole host of contacts coming out of his ears. Our new members already feel like part of the CFW family, we look forward to working with them in the coming months.

..organised plenty of interesting meetings When planning a Fashion Week, let alone the first of its kind, Sam, our Director and Co-founder, spends most of her week in meetings. Thankfully all of the conversations are exciting. Some include meeting potential designers, interested in showing at CFW, other with sponsors and also chatting to team members, to keep the creative juices flowing.

..our CFW team members had lots of success Our Fashion Consultant, Sarah-Hayley Owen, recently dressed her personal clients for the Golden Globes, our Stylist, Chloe, styled a shoot for the wonderful Cotswold Style magazine and I (Jessica Harvey) won my age category in the face of the Cheltonian competition.

As a team we have drunk…

580 coffees
100 glasses of wine
876 glasses of water

We have read…

Vogue
Harper’s Bazaar
Phoenix
Elle
Marie Claire
Cotswold Style
The Cheltonian

We have received…

30,000 emails
3 CV
10 phone calls

We have bought…

5 pairs of shoes
7 dresses
5 handbags

We have been inspired by…

Donatella Versace

After his death in 1997, Gianni Versace left a huge pair of shoes to fill (pun intended!) and Donatella Versace was left with the difficult job of filling them. Her new role was so vital to the company, it is a surprise Donatella didn’t feel scared, decline the role and flee to the Italian countryside. Thankfully, she was much stronger and returned The House of Versace to the Fashion Empire it was always meant to be.

One of the examples of Donatella’s miraculous achievements is her Spring/Summer 2012 Couture collection. Although the collection comprised of only 15 pieces, the dresses are so intricate and beautifully crafted, it is a wonder the skilled workers of the atelier managed to create that many! The silhouettes were true to the Versace signature style, corseted second-skin tight dresses, cut to accentuate the curves of the body. The famous model, Karlie Klos, opened the show followed by fourteen other models, gracefully gliding down the golden steps of Beaux Arts.

The collection began with pale grey and silvery shades then flashes of red, orange, yellow and green gave the show an electrifying feeling. Donatella made the women look powerful but not aggressive and instead of her usual sun-kissed selection of models, she opted for 15 girls with pale skin, the colour palette of the collection looked striking against their creamy, dewy complexions.

With Donatella’s imagination and passion, she manages to make a heritage fashion house feel very new!

CLICK HERE TO SEE VERSACE COUTURE SS12 COLLECTION ON STYLE.COM

Well Hello! There are lots of exciting developments occurring in the CFW camp and I am bursting to tell you about everything. This section of our new blog aims to present an exciting backstage insight.

CFW Backstage will feature interviews with some of the people that have already become immersed in all things fashion with CFW, assisting us during all of our events. We are always on the lookout for more inspiring individuals to lend us a hand, if this is you..get in touch!

    
One of our first events for CFW was a photo shoot at the beautiful Cowley Manor, attended by many of our team and associates. The shoot was in preparation for our launch event/catwalk show on the 23rd November.

The models that walked in our show were shot (with a camera, not a gun!) by the wonderful photographer that is Spencer from All in the Image.  They wore the garments that would later make an appearance in our catwalk show.

The shoot was meticulously styled by CFW’s own Stylist, Chloe Isobella, and featured three different looks entitled Morning, Ladies who Lunch and After Eight. 

There were a wide range of ages among the models, the youngest being Ellie, a High School for Girls, Denmark Road student who is the same age as myself, 14!  Our only male model was the perpetual gentleman, Richard. 


Cowley Manor is a magnificent and elegant location for these CFW creative happenings. Nestled away amongst a humble Cotswold town, this luxury hotel spa is the ideal place to relax, unwind and indulge, epitomizing the CFW ethos and  motto, ‘Appearances can be deceiving’!


Backstage, rails of clothes were enclosed within the mocha walls and an army of 18 chic black ceiling lamps. The scent of hairspray mingled with the tea infused air and the venue emitted a glamorous ambience. Trays of jewels littered the main table, reminiscent of those found in the bedroom of Karl Lagerfeld.

        
It was an incredibly hectic day yet an exciting opportunity to see a shoot at first hand.

Our launch Fashion Show was also a fantastic event. Downstairs we offered a glamorous affair, with stalls ranging from floristry to chocolates. Our stylist Chloe shone like the star she is and Sam our Creative Director showed off her brilliant sense of style in a beautiful floor length number.

The show featured clothes from a variety of sources, including some items by Stacie Carroll from Dottie Chic. She is located upstairs in the Regent Arcade and her collection houses beautiful Jackets and brilliant wedge wellies, it is a must see shop! If you would like to view images from the look book then please email us.

The show finale was a learning curve for us, as at one stage we had less than two minutes to change a model into a skin tight Wearable Art cat suit, some would say that’s impossible but I can offer on good authority that it is manageable, although not too glamorous to witness!

Stay tuned for our next CFW teen blog post, where we will tell you more about how people are responding and interacting with Cheltenham Fashion Week.  We love to hear from you so keep the emails coming!
 
Until then

Peace , Love and Art Galleries

Jessica Harvey

Teen Fashion Ambassador