LondonEdge September 2016 [photo heavy post]

Back in September, myself and Nicole who blogs over at Coco Von Vintage headed to Angel, Islington to check out LondonEdge. LondonEdge is an alternative fashion trade show on twice a year in London with brands showcasing their new fashion collections for the upcoming seasons.

LondonEdge is all about promoting underground clothing and subcultures with brands showing off anything from clothes, shoes, hair and make up and accessories to potential wholesale buyers. Now, I was invited down back in February this year by Voodoo Vixen as a blogger to write about the event, but I then had to end up working so unfortunately I couldn't go. So this year when I was given the opportunity to go again and see all the alternative brand's upcoming autumn/winter collections.

The day itself started off really oddly; I met Nicole at Euston and right before I met her, the handle on my Sunjellies bag broke. To say I was annoyed was an understatement, but it was definitely my fault for packing so much stuff into a plastic handbag. Obviously, I tried to sellotape the handle to save myself from having to splash out on a new bag. But, uh, in true Sarah fashion, this didn't work out well and the handle kept coming apart and I really did have to buy a new bag. Incidentally, even though it cost me £45, I have used it constantly since. 

Finally making it to Angel, we head into the venue with a new courtesy Collectif/LondonEdge carrier bag in tow. It was quite difficult to know where to start actually because having never attended one of these events before it seemed a little overwhelming. 

One of the first stands we went to look at were the wonderful people at Miss L Fire.  They were so helpful and friendly, it was a joy to look at their collection. They kindly allowed me to take some pictures as well which was nice as other stands seemed to be very funny about it (but that's a story for another time). 

The selection of shoes were of course just beautiful and I was left absolutely drooling. We went around looking at all the other stands; it wasn't as busy as I was expecting but of course that worked out well for me because I just cannot deal with crowds.

I was most eager to look at Voodoo Vixen and Collectif's stand so we made our way there which was on the first level. We met Blaire, Sarah, Jody and yes, another Sarah! They were walking models for Voodoo Vixen and pretty much all ladies I've met through the internet one way or another. It was also a pleasure to meet Neva Moria who was working for Jawbreaker (I believe!). It basically felt like a day of getting to hang out with other pin ups and bloggers whilst looking at awesome clothing.

In the afternoon we caught some food in the canteen and we had the pleasure of a magician (unfortunately I really cannot remember his name) come over to our table and he actually performed the most amazing trick...it was mind boggling! You know you see these things on television and maybe you'll be a bit skeptical - I know I am - but then you see it in person and you JUST want to know how they did it. I DON'T GET IT. So that was a really cool and unexpected part of the day.

There were a few catwalk shows throughout the day and we managed to catch a couple. There was a nice mix of goth and 40s/50s clothing. Although I cannot remember all of the brands on the catwalk, the highlights for me were Collectif and Voodoo Vixen.

It was awesome to see the ever beautiful Miss Deadly Red in the flesh and looking at all the upcoming clothes for Collectif just made me very very excited.

A special mention to Manic Panic who were ridiculously friendly and very helpful, talking to me about their products and introducing some new colours into my life. They showed me some very beautiful coloured cosmetics, particularly the lipsticks, so I'm looking forward to ordering some in the near future as they look fantastic. I didn't manage to get some pictures but honestly, their lipsticks are stunning.

After a full day of wandering around looking at all the stalls and admiring the beautiful Pin Up Academy ladies, there was time for a quick talk by Ree Ree Rockette on the blogging industry and she offered her tips and what to do and how to approach and talk to brands. I was really pleased to meet her actually because I've been a client at her salon a few times and do read her blog so it was lovely to meet her in person. Her talk was really helpful and she has a way with words, I found her really informative and engaging.

I was kindly given an invitation from Voodoo Vixen to come along to the after party sponsored by Banned. Whilst we weren't there long, it was still awesome. From great songs, free drinks and a bar made from an old Tube carriage, it was the perfect way to end the day.

I have to thank all the girls I met that day who made me so so glad I run this blog and get to meet such amazing people from time to time. Not only that, it was interesting to see how trade and wholesaling works and to meet people in the business. We also walked away with a couple of goody bags from a few of the brands which was lovely.

Top: Lindy Bop

Skirt: The Oblong Box Shop

Belt & hair scarf: eBay

Shoes: Primark

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Review: The Oblong Box Shop Flamingo Skirt & Criss Cross Sweetheart top.

The Oblongbox Shop is a brand I'd heard of for a while through Instagram but had never gotten around to checking out properly. I always thought "well I can't spend this money so I might as well not bother looking" and so I didn't. For a while. Pay day arrived and I then found myself more curious than ever to check out their beautiful skirts I'd been spying online.

Now what sets The Oblong Box Shop apart is that owner, Denialle Von Fitch, handcrafts all of her skirts which includes down to the actual skirt illustrations. I think people tend appreciate little nuggets of information like this because it normally means that a lot of care and attention has gone into creating the item of clothing. Another thing I noticed was just how easy the website is to navigate; okay that may sound supeeer lame but this kind of thing is important to me. It's really fast, organised and visually SO pretty to look at. I suspect a lot of people wouldn't care but a crappy website bothers me and loses me as a customer faster than you can blink.

Browsing through their website was more tempting than I could have imagined. I had a little look through all of the clothing but what really caught my eye in particular was the collection of skirts. By far, my favourites are the novelty print skirts; since I bought my first Pinup Girl Clothing Jenny skirt, I've absolutely fallen in love with kitsch printed clothing, so to me these were heaven to look at. 

I went with the flamingo design for a couple of reasons; one, the turquoise colour is vivid, stunning and totally eye catching.....which I really like despite actually loathing attention 99% of the time (I know I'm a weird one) and two, you may know that I have mentioned on the blog a few times now that I just adore flamingo prints. When it comes down to it, go with what you know! 

The skirt is made from 100% polyester which is something I've not experienced in a full skirt (or any skirt) before. For me, it's perfect though as I've since carried it around in my suitcase and it just doesn't crease. I'm only used to wearing cotton skirts so it did take a little getting used to but I feel that this will only make the skirt last a lot longer. It really is beautiful to look at; the colours are incredible and so vibrant and worth the $95 for that on it's own; but it also features a hidden side zipper with an adjustable waistline which is also another first for me! However, I could have easily downsized in this. As an inbetweenie, I tend to size up to be safe, especially when ordering from America. I've found it isn't too much of a bother because as you can see here, I've put my trusty ebay belt on to accentuate my waist and break up the colour.

Worn with the skirt, is also a top that is from The Oblong Box Shop. As far as I could tell, these tops aren't made by the brand but are from elsewhere. The selection is fantastic however, and SO CHEAP. When I made my order, I also bought this 'It's A Wrap' crossover top for $20 and the one I'm wearing here which is the 'Criss Cross Sweetheart Pinup Top' in baby blue at $19.50. They are both fantastic quality, especially for their price. I'm so used to pinup style seperates being stupidly expensive most of the time so it is refreshing to see affordable prices. 

What I love about this top though, which also comes in many different colours, is the variation. 

You can wear the neckline as a criss cross or just as normal straps like shown above. I might at some point try and tuck the straps under and wear it like a boob tube style top and see what that looks like, So it is versatile as well as being stretchy and very flattering on the body and bust. I suspect the built in cups are a bit useless for the bustier lady but are perfect for me. The colour also goes perfect with the skirt, they're like a match made in heaven!

Well, I hope you enjoyed reading this review. As you can tell, I fully recommend making an order from The Oblong Box Company, especially as you'd be helping out a smaller business. The selection is really to die for so you won't regret it. 

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