Clothes Show London

One of the mini regrets of my life is never making it down to The Clothes Show Live. I loved the show when it was on BBC back in the 80s (yeah I know I am showing my age) and I also liked it when it made a return a few years ago. The event started in London in the late 80s and then moved to Birmingham a few years later. I always meant to make it up there but never got round to it so last year I was pleasantly surprised to hear that it was returning to London. Clothes Show London is aimed at a slightlt older crowd but netherless the aim is still the same which is to offer a great fashion experience to the capital's fashionistas and boy did they succeed. The event runs for three days and is jam packed with fashion and beauty events with a dash of music on top. There were performances by Paloma Faith, new 'male' band The Wanted and a selection of indie rock bands performing at the Sketchbook Magazine stand. Celebrities in attendance were former Clothes Show presenter, Caryn Franklin, TV presenter, George Lamb and his father Larry Lamb, fashion journalist, Hilary Alexander and Hollyoaks stars, Ricky Whittle and Stuart Manning. The venue was packed with stands selling clothes, make up and offering beauty and health tips. After a wander round and a visit to the press office, I decided to check out the fashion show.

This fashion show was like no other that I have seen. For a start it was huge with a whooping 415 outfit changes presented by 40 fabulous models and dancers in eight different scenes. The concept was based on fashion cities around the world such as Tokyo, New York, Paris, Milan and, London. Set to fantastic back drops that celebrated the cities's style. High street, designer, boutique and couture; it was all here. The show kicked off with an image of the world globe and an icon making its way to. Tokyo. We were treated to a. Martial arts dance which was fast and furious and then the fashion began with Shibuya girls and guys parading down the stage. We moved onto New York with its Hip Hop era with breakdancing and grafiti in the background. Then there was there was a Sex and the City lifestyle with Macy's as a backdrop. Then it was onto Rome with clothes that featured the sexiness and sassiness of Italian style. Pretty soon it was Paris and this section paid homage to Moulin Roiuge with lots of ruffles pieces, suits and elaborate head wear. Last but certainly not least was London featuring the punk scene, Carmaby Street and 80s fashion. The funkiness of Brick Lane was featured and we reached full circle with the naughties and the re embracement of Brit fashion. The whole show has a lot of energy from start top finish.

Talking of Carnaby Street, this little nugget in West London celebrates 50 years of fashion and music so it is only fitting that they occupy a stand that recreates that magic. The stand consisted of the iconic Carnaby arch with a selection of the famous streets that make up this popular street as well as brands like Pepe London, Lee Jeans, Make Up Store and Lazy Oaf. Also the wonderful people from Sketchbook Magazine have a space where they hosted up and coming bands. Clothes Show London is a fun event which is perfect for a girl's day out. My only gripe is with the prices: the cheapest was �26 and you had to pay �8 for a goodie bag which contained a programme and a discount card. The platinum premium tickets were a whooping �38 which included the goodie bag and a premium seat at the fashion show. I find this pricing excessive because when you think about it you are simply paying to go shopping; there are no exclusive events there that you cannot get elsewhere. In my opinion I don't think visitors were given real value for money. Note to organisers - introduce an early bird booking price of �20 which includes a goodie and entry to the fashion show. 

Clothes Show London ends today at 6.30pm. 

Frock Me

On the eve before the BBC launches the fashion extravaganza, British Style Genius, Channel 4 in the shape of T4 get in there with their new kid on the block, Frock Me. Fronted by (yawn) Alexa Chung and wonder boy designer, Henry Holland, Frock Me prides itself on being more irreverent and aimed at a younger crowd - well according to Alexa anyway. To sum it up, T4's latest focuses on the relationship between fashion and music which is kind of cool as that is something that fascinates me a lot. It is also a theme that the media find fascinating hence the creation of the starry event, Fashion Rocks combined with the amount of music artists who have ventured into the fashion business.

I am not sure what I was expecting from this show but as it is on T4, which is Channel 4's younger and cooler sister, I had high hopes. However, I was left feeling very disappointed, yes the show has a lot in it such as tips on how to customise your own clothes, interviews with celebs and heading to a different city each week to find Britain's wannabee stylist. Each show has a different theme and this week's one was rock and roll jeans and how to wear them. However, it all seemed so samey and very much like a rejigged form of The Clothes Show in fact if it wasn't on Channel 4, I would have thought I was watching The Fashion Show with a new line up. There was nothing cutting edge about it at all; what show about fashion does not feature celebs sharing style tips and show a roving reporter hounding people on the street? A big fat zero for originality. Even the concept is old hat as we all know that the Frock Me brand was created four years ago as a vintage fashion event where all the top vintage dealers in the country sell their wares. Taking place in London and Brighton, it is now one of the hottest events in the calender. If you are lounging around on a Sunday morning with nothing to do then I would say tune in but other than that I wouldn't bother. They don't call T4 hangover TV for nothing.

Person Henry Holland

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The Clothes Show

The 80s is a decade that will always be dear to me because it is when I spent most of my teens, discovered my love for books and magazines and also when TV was at its finest. There were some brilliant TV shows on in the 80s and one of them was The Clothes Show. It was the ultimate style bible and was showed the latest trends and what was hot in fashion. It was fronted by the frosty Selina Scott, the passionate designer Jeff Banks who apparently runs Graduate Fashion Week and the wonderful TV presenter, Brenda Emmanus. The cool and kooky Caryn Franklin joined a few years later to add an edge to the mix. The demise of the show in the 90s was a complete shock as it left a massive gap in fashion which was never really filled. Thankfully, The Clothes Show has been revived and is now alive and kicking on UKTV Style. Caryn Franklin is thankfully still there but she is joined by Brendan Courtnay and the sweet as apple pie, Louise Redknapp. I managed to catch an episode of the show and I was very impressed. The show is slicker than slick and has many exciting elements to it such as 'Catwalk Challenge' where Caryn is joined by a selection of fashion editors who provide tips on the seasons best buys. There is also stop and search where Louise stops chic looking people in the street to interrogate them about what they are wearing and where they got it from. Now I thought the Brits were a bashful lot when it came to being on camera but the people on The Clothes Show are totally at ease with this. There is also a great slot called 'Body Matters' where Caryn offers valuable advice about how to dress for your body and this week her muse was a young lady who was over six feet tall. Another great segment is 'Stop & Chop', where a celeb hairdresser grabs an unsuspecting punter and treats them to an impromptu new hairstyle. Thsi week we had Nicky Clarke tending to the tresses of a busy PR lady. All this packed in an hour. Whew, I felt pretty exhausted after watching The Clothes Show but very inspired at the same time. The snazzy production values and gorgeous cinematography really capture the excitement and vibrancy of the fashion scene and I will definately be tuning into the next show.

You can catch The Clothes Show on Monday at 10.00am on UKTV Style.

Picture courtesy of UKTV Style press office