Hey kittens, hope you’re all okay! Today’s fashion update is one of the ones I look forward to the most out of the whole year, and its always a marker that Summer is truly on it’s way for me! Last week I was lucky enough to attend the Harvey Nichols Spring/Summer 2014 fashion show again. Personally, this is always a highlight of my Spring and when March rolls around I am just -waiting- for the invite. As a huge fan of Harvey Nics, I know their events are always top-notch and last week’s luxury catwalk did not disappoint.
As per usual with a Harvey Nics event, we were greeted by a rolling red carpet, the obligatory paparrazzi for the inevitable local celebs that were bound to attend and copious amounts of champagne. As Harvey Nichols is a brand reknown for its luxury, their events never disappoint and I always leave feeling well looked after, a valued customer and not at all intimated (the way that SOME certain luxury department stores can leave you feeling). My only niggle with Harvey Nics is their Louboutin concession – I’m not sure if these staff are trained differently from the other staff, or are employed by the concession and not the store, but on two separate occasions, two different men have spoken to me very rudely at this stand. But that’s the only time – everyone else is nothing but welcoming, especially in the beauty hall I find.
Guests were welcomed to the store an hour or so before the show was due to start, to sip bubbly and take advantage of the 15% off current season fashion collections. I must say, this is a pretty good incentive for a luxury store to offer – especially off new items – as usually there is no discount available at all. But, as the lights were dimmed, we were invited up to the womenswear on the first floor to see the usual layout of high-end designer concessions wiped out and replaced with a pop up catwalk. It’s a pretty huge space and if you had not seen the area before, you might even think the horse-shoe runway had always been there!
Each look was modelled by a pair of models (bit of a mouthful!), showing a male and female alternative for each look. This is something I personally enjoy from Harvey Nichols – so often menswear is neglected, so its a sensible move to include both within the show, especially when many regular customers attend and will be scouting out looks for their boyfriends or husbands!
One of the other things I love about Harvey Nichols is that each look is handily written down for each model, with the theme, designer and clothes all accounted for. Again, a good little way to let customers know exactly how they can purchase each look, without making the show -all- about that; after all, some of the looks were a little too high fashion risk-ay for the average customer.
The catwalk itself was bright white and decked with flowers, vines and weeping willows – florals for spring, of course! Some of my favourite looks encorpated the theme of the backdrop, too, such as ‘Midnight Garden’ which showcased the hottest flowery prints for this season, in Harvey Nics fav designers, McQ Alexander McQueen and IRO. Other looks included, ‘Keen Explorer’ ‘Seductive Softness’ and ‘Metallics’, the final look of the night and my favourite for menswear, which ended the show on a fashion high note!
Over all, I had an absolutely lovely night, living the high fashion life for a couple of hours! I always feel so priveledged to be let into the world of Harvey Nichols whenever I attend any of their events, and they certainly never disappoint. As arguably the most luxurious store in Manchester, I believe their contribution to the local fashion community is a valued one and I personally cannot wait to see what they do for their Autumn/Winter show this year – after all, we missed out last year due to Vogue’s Fashion Night Out 2013 in Manchester; I want double the fun this year!
So kittens, which is your favourite look that I was able to snap from the night? Which is your favourite luxury designer that you’d be willing to save your pennies for? Leave me a comment below and let me know – I’d love to hear from ya!
Full time I'm an ambitious Head of Marketing and Communications in the luxury industry. Part time, I'm an enthusiastic British Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle blogger and YouTuber from Manchester, UK. This blog has been my outlet for the past 7+ years, and as a longstanding, Award-winning blogger I take the most enjoyment from creating content I truly love and believe in. All authentic. Always.
