AW14 Press Events

Through my blog rachelnicole.co.uk, I get the opportunity to attend some amazing events and get previews of the upcoming seasons to share with my readers. Around April and May, companies are showcasing their Autumn/Winter collections and these are just a couple I've viewed in the past couple of weeks. 

River Island AW14 Press Day: There is lot's of Faux Fur coming our way at River Island - On shoes, bags, coats, dresses and more! Along with fur there was a lot of hounds tooth, snake print and monochrome within the collection. My favourite piece that i saw was defiantly the pastel fur handbags, I really love the development of the pastel trend going through to the next season.

Very.com AW14 Press Day: Held at The Vinyl Factory with DJ entertainment from MTV presenter Lilah Parsons. At the press day, I saw the brand new Fearne Cotton Womenswear and Homewear range, as well as Very.com's own collection and Love label. Monochrome was a heavy trend seen throughout all the collections and a beautiful camel coat was a hightlight for me.

Reiss AW14 Press Day: Held at the Reiss HQ behind Selfridges, there was not a major trend throughout the collection. Lot's of leopard print, embellishments, lace and leather - Very luxurious, but staying true to the Reiss image. I also got a sneak peek at the Archive collection which is launching in September and includes a lot of the stand out pieces seen over the past few years.

Debenhams AW14 Press Day: The Debenhams press day was a great preview of all the designers at Debenhams such as Henry Holland, Jenny Packham, Julien Macdonald and more. Aswell as all the different designers there was the in house collections from Red Herring and Floozie and other brands such as Dune. Beautiful garments filled the rooms of the luxurious house in Fitzrovia. My favourite items were the heavily embellished evening gowns seen from Julien Macdonald, Debut and Jenny Packham.

New Look AW14 Press Day: The accessories stood out at the New Look press day, Lot's of metallics, baroque clutches and fur handbags. There was alot of sparkle garments which were a personal favourite of mine - They would be perfect for the festive season. 

House of Fraser AW14 Press Day: Held at the HofF HQ in their press rooms, they showcased a small taster of what brands such as Michael Kors, Vivienne Westwood and Lulu Guiness had to offer. The rest of the rooms were filled with exclusive brands to House of Fraser. I was surprised that so many brands such as Therapy, Biba and Mary Portas were exclusive to House of Fraser. I particularly loved the pastel leather jackets and Biba's collection, which was bejewelled and embellished with a vintage vibe.

Heathrow Terminal 2 Retail Preview - Press Release

Welcome to the Queens Terminal - A Terminal of world firsts.

With the grand opening of the brand new Terminal 2 fast approaching, Heathrow is presenting the retail offering to the worlds media. Since the closure in 2009, £11 billion has been spent on the terminal's refurbishment which will be opened by the Queen on the 4th June. With 52 retail stores and 17 bars and restaurants, Terminal 2 will be a place of world firsts amongst the shopping, leisure and dining experience. 

The world's first ever personal shopping service in an airport will be available in the terminal. Stylists will be on hand free of charge to help customers with their shopping experience. Regardless to ticket type, travellers will be able to use the personal styling lounge where they will be advised.

60% of the brands retailing in the terminal are British with the massive high street store John Lewis making their airport debut at the terminal. The store will be a unique airport store offering the best of home, fashion and gifts. Another British favourite, Heston Blumenthal - who will be opening a brand new restaurant "The Perfectionists' Café". The restaurant will have a 15 minute menu and on-board picnic options. Heathrow will be the only airport in the world to have two Michelin star chef. Along with Heston, Gordon Ramsey also has a restaurant in the airport.

With over 80,000 passengers expected to be passing through the terminal per day, the retail offering has rose to an exceptional standard. Cath Kidston, Ted Baker and Thomas Pink are just some of the high street stores that will be located in the departure lounge. Designer stores such as Burberry, Bottega Veneta and Harrods will be offering travellers with luxury products.

Max Vialou-Clark, Retail Director at Heathrow said, "Terminal 2 marks the next step in our quest to provide passengers with the best possible experience when they choose to travel through Heathrow. Heathrow is now the only airport in the world to offer a free Personal Shopping lounge together with a selection of over 140 brands that have been selected especially for our customers."

--ENDS--

Pradasphere at Harrods

On a recent trip to London, I visited the famous department store on Brompton Road - Harrods. At the moment, Harrods is hosting an exclusive Prada exhibition where they have transformed their windows and fourth floor into 'Pradasphere'. In collaboration with Miuccia Prada, the exhibition explores all aspects of the world of Prada from fashion, culture, architecture, film and arts.

Laid out in cabinets were key components in the history of Prada - which was founded in 1913, from the original packing, catwalk invites, vintage pieces and even a model of their headquarters in Italy.

In a side room was a small cinema showcasing 10 of the famous Prada short films. One of the ones I watched was entitled 'CASTELLO CAVALCANTI' which was written and directed by Wes Anderson. Although the plot was focusing on a car race which came to end a small village for one driver, the film captured the Italian culture brilliantly. The lead actor was sporting a 'Team Prada' jumpsuit but this was the only referance to Prada in the film.

The exhibition was filled with garments throughout the years which have caught the attention of the fashion world. The windows of Harrods were filled with designs currently on sale in the department store.

The Pradasphere exhibtion was very inspiring to see and it was great to see the history and where the brand stands now. Pradasphere was free and open to the general public until the end of May 2014.