Andreea Paula Cristea International Fashion Blogger of stilletoshades.com. Monochrome accesorised with a dash of colour. Brewer St Soho W1

Managed to get just 2 fashionistas that are above the norm that grabbed my attention that I would NOT get walking the streets of the West End any day of the week. Andrrea grabs the headline but Melissa below is rocking it equally. These are the only 2 that leapt out and grabbed my eyeballs which goes to show it’s not all about loud and technicolor colours. Links included for further photos on these two as these are the only two included here.

The weather was up to it’s usual British tricks as in “p#$%ing it down” but checking the weather app on the phone there looked to be a window of opportunity around lunchtime which proved to be quite handy as that’s when a couple of shows were on at ” the iconic car park” including Christopher Raeburn at 1pm and Ashish at 2pm

From past experiences at LFW, the last day tends to be a disappointment but keeping an open mind there’s no harm in taking a look. As they say No try…. No get.

Melissa of Moscow, Russia. Model Instagram @melissa_mustafa. Monochrome and nose piercing and studded ankle boots. Lexington St Soho W1

Some more words of fashion wisdom from icons past and present. Top fashion quotes The Top 5.

1. ‘Walk like you have three men walking behind you.’ – Oscar de la Renta

2. ‘Give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world.’ – Marilyn Monroe

3. ‘In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.’ – Coco Chanel

4. ‘Fashions fade, style is eternal.’ – Yves Saint Laurent

5. ‘One is never over-dressed or underdressed with a Little Black Dress.’ – Karl Lagerfeld

Read more at http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/blogs/542820/the-40-best-style-quotes-of-all-time.html#THodbpUucuzoLLRA.99

Read more at http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/blogs/542820/the-40-best-style-quotes-of-all-time.html#BdHVlLE60zDrIvEV.99

What have I learnt and what can be taken away from London Fashion Week over the last 5 days about style, fashion and standing out from the crowd.

This is what I reckon.

Be yourself, don’t follow the herd and you will truly shine. Be the fashionista not the fashion victim. Be the Shepherd and not the sheep. Style, class and subtlety conquers brash and loud nearly everytime. Timelessness will give fashion a run for it’s money and will still be around in years to come. Beauty and it’s power harnessed correctly conquers all but remember the best beauty comes from within!

Back to the normal Street Style on the streets of London. Next update Friday 25 September.

The post Top Fashionistas LFW SS16 Day 5 Soho appeared first on FJ Girls.

Victoria from Manchester. Shades of Monochrome arriving at the Burberry Event Kensington Gardens

Same critieria applies as the previous days, something outstanding, something interesting, something different, some style, some panache and some beauty and that extra something that lifts up from the rest of the crowd. Gone with Victoria from Manchester above for the headline shot, she posed up with ease and she certainly has it “going on”. Nothing revolutionary here, monochrome in different shades but it’s how it’s put together and how it’s carried with confidence which makes the whole ensemble rock.

Clear PVC Coat and Polka Dot Dress and Shades and Boots Kensington Gardens Burberry Event

Some interesting quotes and words of wisdom have been included from some of the big cogs of the fashion industry who call the shots in fashion terms. They have seen the fashion cycle. They know what rocks and what doesn’t!

Vivienne Westwood

Fashion is here to help make people look very important. If they have good taste and choose what suits them, I give them options on how they can do that. It’s always sexy, and it’s always with the same result: making women look fantastic.

I think dress, hairstyle and make-up are the crucial factors in projecting an attractive persona and give one the chance to enhance one’s best physical features.

Gabrielle Chanel

Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.

Fashion fades, only style remains the same.

Donna Karan

Design is a constant challenge to balance comfort with luxe, the practical with the desirable.

It’s really easy to get colors right. It’s really hard to get black – and neutrals – right. Black is certainly a color but it’s also an illusion.

Donatella Versace

Creativity comes from a conflict of ideas.

It’s no good being too easily swayed by people’s opinions. You have to believe in yourself.

Miuccia Prada

What you wear is how you present yourself to the world, especially today when human contacts go so fast. Fashion is instant language.

Daring to wear something different takes effort.

My summary of those factors included below. Some fashionistas have names as they stopped, others have none as they were on the move. Lot of fasharazzi at this event as you would expect. Some shots were taken “in the swarm” most were taken away from the snappers. The difference is blindingly apparent!

Hada from Malaysia Monochrome spray effect Kensington Gardens arriving at the Burberry Event

Multicoloured print and denim and Union Jack Bag Fashionista arriving at the Burberry Event Kensington Gardens

Melanie from California sitting on a park bench in Hyde Park. Nothing to do with the Burberry event whatsoever. Black and Red and Wedgies. A handshake, good looks and a smile gets her on this page!

Veronica and Eva from Russia. Monochrome embelished and denim arriving at the Burberry Event photographed opposite the Royal Albert Hall.

Oriental Fashionista Green and shades of Brown and Platform Sandals. Arriving at the Burberry Event

Black and Tan High Speed Fashionista arriving at the Burberry Event Kensington Gardens

Oriental Pink Dip Dyed Fashionista arriving at the Burberry Event Kensington Gardens

All black Gagaesque Look Kensington Gardens Royal/Albert Hall arriving at the Burberry Event

Evalina and Izzie from Bulgaria. Monochrome and Mega Shades. Arriving at the Burberry Event Kensington Gardens

The post Top Fashionista Arrivals at the Burberry Event. LFW SS16 appeared first on FJ Girls.

Was there from about just before ten till lunchtime when it started chucking it down so called it a day as it didn’t look like it was going to improve.

Mamin of Barcelona. Monochrome and dip dye hair and shades Brewer St W1

The Felder Felder show was broadcast live on screen in Golden Square. Had a quick watch for ten minutes. Black and Pink featured strongly throughout that show.

A drastic cut down on which fashionistas are being photographed this year. You’ve got to be good and bringing something different to the table that I don’t see on the streets of London that I can photograph any day of the week. Either that or there is something exceptional going on in the looks department or both.

Fashionistas Name and where they are from included with the photo where available. All shots shot with the camera to the eye as in normal with a couple from the hip just to see the difference in quality that it makes to a picture when you can line everything up, take your time and get them posing just right.

Mamin of Barcelona. Monochrome and dip dye hair and shades Brewer St W1

Lucy Monochrome and Colour, Shades and Pink Hair Shaftesbury Avenue W1

Marsha of London. Shades of Red and Pink and Hat and Shades. Brewer St Car Park Soho

Lisa from China. Monochrome and shades of brown and Red. Brewer St W1

Urban Pigtails Soho W1 rom the hip

Monochrome “This is not a Moschino Toy” Fashionista Brewer St W1

Glasgow, Lithuania and ? Fashionistas Brewer St W1

Caroline of Manchester. Shades of Brown and Red Paisley  and Hat. Brewer St W1

The post Top Fashionistas LFW SS16 Day 1. Arrival Photos appeared first on FJ Girls.

Early September and there is evidence on the streets of London that the schools are now back (some), the buzz seems to be returning and London’s pulse is starting to increase in readiness for back to normal next week.

Monochrome polka dot and shades with a dash of colour Marble Arch Tube W1

Monochrome seems to be waning a bit on the streets but black combined with some sort of shade of brown appears to be emerging as the new colour combo. Tan, putty, mushroom, oatmeal, magnolia, camel basically the mid to lighter shades of brown. Rusty shades of red or brown with deeper darker oranges are also springing into life. This was observed in the West End but confirmed also in Knightsbridge, Kensington and Chelsea. Doesn’t look to be a passing one off coincidence, it’s spreading and spreading fast. Black is still there though!

Monochrome and shades of brown Piccadilly W1

Tartan mainly red and embellishment seem to also be emerging buzzwords. About time too!

Monochrome and shades of brown Goodge St W1

Brunette Side Parting Monochrome Trouser Suit Regent St W1

Blonde and Pure Black Oxford St W1

The Debenhams Fashionista All black hat and DM’s Oxford St W1

Oatmeal chunky knit Street Food Stall Fashionista Berwick St Soho W1

Monochrome, shades of brown and green Wigmore St W1

Shades of brown and denim with massive Sleeper Hoops Wardour St W1

Monochrome and hat with shades of red Old Bond St W1

The post Fashionista Spotting London West End. Early Sept 2015 appeared first on FJ Girls.

Bright red hair and Brown Dress (non monochrome) Wigmore Street W1

Gone with this neon red hair fashionista spotted on Wigmore Street near St Christophers Place. A head turner she certainly is and she’s got the confidence to pull it off. Cracking shot!

Get some well heeled types here and again this is an area that you have to hit at the right time of day to get a good hit rate in fashionista terms. With the number of shops/boutiques on this short stretch of road and Harley Street a couple of blocks away it’s a good stamping ground to get pictures of the “street style” variety. St Christophers place is also part of the patrol route and Baker St. All these photos taken within an hour. Will certainly be back here again!

Oriental tourist multi coloured jacket Marylebone high Street W1

Monochrome and DM’s with a splash of green. Marylebone High Street W1

Monochrome with a hint of colour  sporty Fashionista Marylebone High Street W1

Blonde, shades of brown and black leather jacket, mini bag and shades Marylebone High St W1

All black and black knee length boots Marylebone High Street W1

The post The Marylebone High Street W1 Fashionista Patrol. August 2015 appeared first on FJ Girls.

Simple but deadly Cream Dress Fashionista (Non Monochrome!) back of Tate Modern, Southbank SE1

Covering the areas of  Southwark St, London Bridge and Station, Tooley St, Southbank, Borough Market, Millenium Bridge, Tower Bridge, Shad Thames and surrounding back streets. Did try Old Kent Road, Elephant and Castle and even Peckam Rye where the new hipsterville is supposed to be but not much was happening during the daytime when I was there so came back to SE1 with Borough Market being the hub. I am looking to head beyond zone 1 to see what is happening where the real Londoners live but just seem to keep coming back to Zone 1 and 2 on the tube map.

Gone with this lady above for the headline shot, funnily enough the last one of the day, she got out of the cab with her boyfriend seconds earlier from the cab pictured left. Sometimes simple amd giving the impression of not trying too hard is best!

An area that this time of year is heaving with tourists and first thing in the morning is rush hour crush land with commuters. So in fashion terms you’re not going to get anything Camden punky or Shoreditch vintage here so the bar has to be lowered a couple of notches to ensure women who are going out on a limb just a little bit further than most appear on this website.

Monochrome print dress and shades and flip flops Millenium Bridge SE1

This is the vibe that is out there early August 2015. All shots taken with a Canon DSLR and Street lens (wide angle zoom) and shot from the hip or knee to give more natural shoots. They know what I’m doing these women but as soon as you put that camera to your eye when you’re close it’s either the daggers or they go into catwalk mode. As usual  never said a word to any of them. Promise!

Monochrome with cream and shades  near Blackfriars Bridge SE1

All black and blonde with tassle bag Millenium Bridge/Tate Modern SE1

Close Up Monochrome brunette and shades with green bag Shakespeare Globe Theatre, Southbank SE1

Anti Monochrome blonde denim and colour London Bridge Tube Tooley St SE1

Oriental cream and white hoody fashionista London Bridge Tube, Tooley St SE1

Monochrome with colour and ripped jeans and shades fashionista Globe Theatre, Southbank SE1

Monochrome with floral print and shades Tower Bridge SE1

The post Fashionista Spotting SE1. August 2015 appeared first on FJ Girls.

This is the slightly weirder and arty farty part. Headline shot for me is this picture taken at a pedestrian crossing outside Harrods. Saw this girl with a yellow top and psycherdelic leggings that looked possibly Brazilian earlier thinking there’s your headline girl but she was on the other side of the Brompton Road, not an easy road to run across. Damn

Yellow, Black and Heavy Print Leggings. Brompton Road near Harrods SW3. Canon DSLR

Luckily saw her again an hour later as I was just about packing up for the day and dived in and grabbed a manic all or nothing shot but with the camera in landscape view not portrait. Result she’s eyes down, she’s not full length, it’s slightly blurred, it’s a bit manic looking, but there’s just something gritty about this shot I like. I call this my revelation or eureka moment shot. It’s not your ordinary somebody walking down the road style photo. It’s a confused jumble of people and steet furniture but within that confusion the girl in the yellow top is definitely the focal point amongst all that chaos. It’s a street shot, you can really feel and smell the street here to quote a Bruce Gilden line. Could be more shots like this in the future.

Further fashionista fasharazzi full length photos along with some experimental shots which I call “fashion bits” taken in Sloane St at Jimmy Choo and also some bizarre shots that are “photographer errors” or bloopers which are a result of shooting from the hip which seems to produce more natural shots but of course without the camera to your eye you really are half guessing what’s in the frame.

Monochrome Sloane Square SW3. Canon DSLR from the knee

When you get it wrong the results can sometimes be hilarious as above and are interesting photos in their own right. Shooting from the knee is a new technique I’m using which seems to produce some startling results with an unusual view point although again trying to compose a shot this way is challenging to put it mildly. The alternative is to practically lie down on the street in front of these women to get the same angle of shot which as you can imagine is going to look just a bit bizarre and will probably have them running in the other direction screaming “nutter”

Disaster shots I normally delete but a couple have been included and appear below. They are too good to miss!

Headphones and Shades and Boots Fashionista Draycott Place SW3. Canon DSLR shot from the hip

Mega Heels South Kensington Tube. Canon DSLR

Blonde, Shades, Monochrome and Neutral. Sloane Street SW1. Canon DSLR shot from the knee

Blonde Faux Fur? or Crushed Velvet? and Flats. Kings Road SW3. Canon DSLR shot from the knee

Black Faux Fur Gilet Close Up Bromptom Road SW3. Canon DSLR shot from the hip

Cycling Fashionista Sloane St SW1

Blonde Shades, Tan and Monochrome with Neutral heels. Canon DSLR shot from the hip

Shades and Cara. Brompton Rd SW3

Monochrome shades and flats motion blurred. Harrods SW3. Canon DSLR shot from the knee

Monochrome Jimmy Choo Shoes Close Up Jimmy Choo Store Sloane St SW1. Canon DSLR

Green Jimmy Choo Shoes Sloane Street Store SW1. Canon DSLR

The post The Street Fashion Times Knightsbridge Edition. May 2015 Part 2 appeared first on FJ Girls.

Spent a couple of days floating around South Kensington, The Brompton Road, Harrods, The Kings Road and Sloane St and Sloane Square. Weather was good, loads of sunshine, the Fashionistas were out and about, prime territory for a fasharazzi to get some street style pics.Gone with this photo for the headline but any one of those below would have been just as good. Good street vibe on this photo!

Monochrome Fashionista with a dash og green and multi coloured bag. The Brompton Road SW3

So what’s the vibe on the streets in Knightsbridge, Kensington and Chelsea? To sum up, monochrome, flats, draping is still in, block heels, saw a few stilettos, shades of the coloured mirror variety and distressed denim and leggings with ripped knees. Hats were lacking. Horizontal stripes are cool and abundant. Gilets are still in, Maxi long flowing skirts also seemed to be making an increasing appearance.

Oriental Monochrome and Faux Fur Gilet. Duke of York Square, Kings Road SW3. Canon DSLR

All photos taken Wednesday and Thursday this week and as usual follow the criteria of a fashionista that caught my eye, either by her looks, an item of clothing or the whole style package. Stunning looks is not necessarily a pre requisite to appear on this site BUT “something going on” most definetly is! Shots via Canon DSLR and shot from the hip and knee.

Blonde, Shades, Monochrome and Flats. Sloane Street SW1 near Knightsbridge Tube. Canon DSLR shot from the knee

Red Black and Tan Block Heels Brompton Road SW3. Canon DSLR from the hip

Monochrome and Neutral Heels Brompton Road SW3. Canon DSLR shot from the knee

Monochrome and Salmon Fashionista Sloane Street SW1

Brunette, Shades, Flats and Pastel split Maxi. Kings Road SW3. Canon DSLR shot from the knee

The post The Street Fashion Times Knightsbridge Edition. May 2015 Part 1 appeared first on FJ Girls.

Headline girl was this blonde walking over Westminster Bridge with Big Ben as a backdrop. This was a shot that was more planned and waited for which is not normally my style, I’m more the spontaneous shooter of the knee jerk variety. As soon as I saw this lady marching up the road I just knew this was the headline shot and “That’s my girl”. She’s not a tourist, she’s on a mission and is a Londoner no doubt. Looks like she could be sans make up as well and she still rocks that look.

Blonde Monochrome with a dash of brown. Westminster Bridge SW1 in front of Big Ben. Canon DSLR

Have to say I wasn’t expecting much on this Victoria and Westminster visit. Just a lot of jeans and trainers and jackets of the more homogeneous variety. Dull office workers and bland tourists with cameras and those incredibly annoying selfie sticks. How wrong I was. This area will definitely be a regular. Arguably better than Oxford St with some spectacular backdrops.

Grab Part 2 of this SW1 fashionista spectacular including a monochrome microphone holding brunette fashionista doing a recording for something. Asked for permission for that shot as they were filming at the time. She gave the nod and job done!

Monochrome Brunette Victoria St SW1. Canon DSLR

Oriental Mirror Shades with a dash of Faux Fur. Westminster Bridge SW1. Canon DSLR

Monochrome, Leather? shades and pearls. Parliament Sq SW1. Canon DSLR

Monochrome, stripes and riding boots. Westminster Cathedral/Victoria St SW1. Canon DSLR

Grey Coat, Monochrome Floral and black knee length boots. Victoria St Westminster Abbey End SW1. Canon DSLR

Presenter Fashionista in Monochrome at Charing Cross/Embankment WC2. Canon DSLR

The post The Street Style Echo April/May 2015. Victoria and Westminster Edition. Part 2 appeared first on FJ Girls.

Thought I’d give this area a try. Can’t be as hard as Islington N1…..surel

Headline shot is these two tourist fashionistas who I spotted on Westminster bridge doing selfies and then spotted them again walking past Buckingham Palace. Result!

Part 1 Tourist Fashionistas doing selfies on Westminster Bridge in front of The London Eye SW1. Canon DSLR

Part 2 The same Tourist Fashionistas walking past Buckingham Palace SW1. Canon DSLR

Took in the area around Victoria station, Victoria St, Westminster Abbey and Houses of Parliament, Westminster Bridge and Big Ben plus just south of the river at County Hall and the London Eye then back over the river to Charing Cross and down the mall to Buckingham Palace then back to Victoria again.

Weather was good, sun was out and so were the women and it was a red letter day with enough photos for two posts. Much easier than Islington, you can’t fail to get 5 or 6 decent fashionistas in a couple of hours.

Good mixture of stacks of tourists with cameras around the landmark areas and commuters and office workers and locals around the Victoria area.

Part 1 results below. All shots Canon DSLR and mostly taken Thursday 30 April. Keep your eyes peeled for a bonus Part 2.

Monochrome shades, denim, hat and boots tourists. Westminster Bridge SW1. Canon DSLR

Monochrome Tourist Fashionista Westminster Bridge SW1. Canon DSLR

Monochrome and Lace and flats. Victoria St SW1. Canon DSLR from the hip/knee

Brunette shades and blue and black stripes Victoria Street SW1. Canon DSLR

The London Eye mess around shot standing in a front of a fashionista at Count Hall Pre Shot

Monochrome side split dress. County Hall SE1. Canon DSLR

The post The Street Style Echo April/May 2015. Victoria and Westminster Edition. Part 1 appeared first on FJ Girls.