Catrin, darling!: London Fashion Week A/W13 #1 Helena Christensen

London Fashion Week A/W 13 tickets were complimentary from Glacéau vitaminwater, the official soft drink supplier to London Fashion Week.

Wearing:

Day 1- Olive Leather Skirt (TOPSHOP), White Crop Top (TOPSHOP), Black Boots (TOPSHOP). Will add a photograph later.

Listening to: Polica- Lay Your Cards Out.

Last week I got to live out one of my lifelong dreams (okay, so I’m only 23, but you get the drift) of going to London Fashion Week A/W13 courtesy of the beautiful people at Glacéau vitaminwater.

The excitement began when I received my ‘LFW Survival Kit’ from vitaminwater including an American Apparel sports bag, some gorgeous ASOS sunglasses, Benefit make up Porefection kit, some Models One nail wraps and, of course, the piece de résistance- Vitamin Water to keep me fuelled during the events!

DAY 1-

My first stop was at Maison Triumph for a Q&A with Helena Christensen who is the brand ambassador. I can honestly say never have I been in the presence of someone so humble and endearing - a true testament to both fashion and women! For a woman who can boast a professional portfolio as vast as hers (ranging from supermodel status to a renowned photographer in her own right through to being a sterling ambassador for Oxfam) she is surprisingly down to earth and grateful for the ‘surreal’ life she has been given. I think we could all learn a great deal from Helena Christensen who, in her own words, recounts life as ‘one little crazy ride and then that’s it!’

Helena Christensen talks to Caroline Rush (British Fashion Council) about her career, fashion and things that inspire her.

She noted that she finds constant inspiration in the world around her from the things she sees on travels for Oxfam through to those amazing people she has had the privilege of working with throughout her life (Karl Lagerfeld and Peter Lindbergh she notes as the greatest inspiration to her in her fashion career). She is also a woman after my own heart in terms of women that inspire her- ‘Women of all types inspire me. Strong, confident and unique women who will not be dictated to’. Very empowering!

Ethics is another area in which Helena Christensen has a lot of wisdom to impart- making a difference in fair trade, work conditions and generally having a social conscience is a cause close to her heart and with an industry as huge as fashion, a real difference could really be felt if even one designer or high street store took action- ‘Once one industry giant takes action, the others will be forced to fall in line’.

In essence, it was Helena Christensen’s absolute passion and zest for life that really struck me. She has a contagious lust for life that I know many of us (myself definitely included) could stand to reflect in our every day life! She even stopped mid Q&A for an ad hoc photo shoot in the Elle style studio!

So, back to the main reason Helena was taking part in the Q&A to begin with. Not only is she the brand ambassador for Triumph Lingerie, but she has also followed the likes of Matthew Williamson and Louise Gray in developing her own collaboration with the brand. (This might be a good time to note that she looked phenomenal during the Q&A wearing what can only be described as 'underwear as outerwear- see below). It is refreshing to see a collaboration which is this well thought-out and representative of real women! The notion that if she ‘doesn’t truly feel for something, she doesn’t see the point in it’ can be felt throughout the collection. The attention to detail really comes through in the femininity and beauty of the range. At £80 a pop for a bra it is pretty steep for the average Joe (a.k.a me!) but I can definitely say that the price is worth the product.