The Mall Fashion Festival

This post is super late as The Mall Cribbs Causeway Fashion Festival happened weeks ago but by the time I had even gathered my thoughts on the show, the event had finished and if I had rushed the blog post, it would not have done the event any justice. I wanted to write about the Fashion Festival as it is the first time The Mall Cribbs Causeway have done a festival, rather than a fashion show and I think quite a few people were unsure what the event was. I know I certainly had no idea what to expect before attending so I thought I would give anyone who is interested in attending a similar event in the future my thoughts on the event and also a couple of tips on how it could be improved for next time.

I have been attending The Mall Fashion Show for many years and I have written two blog posts on it previously: Autumn/Winter 2017 and Spring/Summer 2018. They did not put on a show for A/W18 but they have come back with a new format and created a Fashion Festival instead. These festival events are really popular at the moment with both Glamour and Vogue doing annual beauty/fashion festivals. I have always wanted to go to one of these types of events and now I don't have to go all the way to London to attend one. Not only that but I did always think there had to be a way to expand the show to make it more of an experience.

As the high street suffers, more people want to spend their hard earned money on an experience rather one single item or something that they are not going to create a memory from. Changing the show to a festival makes it a greater experience and something someone is more likely to want to attend. However, this is where my initial criticism kicks in, the price. When it was just a fashion show, the price was £8.99 for standard admittance and you could upgrade depending on where you wanted to be seated. This time the ticket price was £15.50, which is double what it used to be, and most certainly is not cheap. I will go on to talk about whether I think it is worth it or not later on, for now I want to talk about what the festival encompassed.

About the Site

Previously the event has always been outside and this has not changed. However, before it was a singular tent, this time there were 4 different tents and a bit of an outside area. As lovely as this was, it was pissing down with rain when my friend and I attended so we could not make the most of outdoors section and actually it made some of the tents rather chilly.

Each tent contained a different section of the festival so you had: The Experience Tent, The Styling Tent, The Beauty Tent and of course The Main Tent. They are all pretty self explanatory but I'll give you a quick run through of what each tent contained:

The Beauty Tent: Contained different brands such as Lush, Bobbi Brown, Lancome, Benefit and Urban Decay. Each stand had a large range of products that you could test and have applied by the attentive staff.
The Styling Tent: Had a huge rail of clothes with people on hand to help you with fashion and finding the best ways to incorporate current trends into your wardrobe.
Experience Tent: Oddly there were still beauty brands like Clarins, Charlotte Tilbury and Clinique but you also had GHD doing hair styling, Lush, Nespresso and Superdrug doing brows and piercings.
The Main Tent: Where the Fashion Show happened and all of the talks.

This makes the event sound massive and it was quite big, they had taken up part of the car park to house it but it didn't feel massive when you were there. Everything was really packed in inside the tents. I imagine, it might not have been as nice if there were a lot of people in the tents but when we went it was particularly quiet, probably due to the weather.

The Experience

When I first looked at the site, I had no idea what to expect, nor where to start but there was a check in hut where you were given your passes for the event. We arrived around 20 minutes before our first talk so we hadn't really given ourselves a lot of time to view the different tents. On entry you are given a drink of either bubbles or a soft drink, I went for bubbles as I wasn't driving. After picking up our drinks, my friend and I headed straight to the beauty tent. I practically gave my friend no choice in the matter. As we didn't have a massive amount of time to browse before the first talk, I only managed to try some products on one stand which was the Lush stand.

I've never tried Lush makeup before because I've always thought they are incredibly expensive for what they are so I was intrigued to try a couple of products. They had a wide range of products to test: the new naked foundations, the skincare, the glow sticks and the new refillable lipsticks. I had to go to The Mall straight from work so I was looking a tad ropey, I figured a bit of highlight and lipstick would do me the world of good. Both products were really nice but we had places to be, like our talk.

The Talk

We went into the tent for the talk around 5 minutes early just to get a seat. Unlike previous events by The Mall, there was no designated seating so if you found a space you could sit in it. In addition instead of seating there were long rows of stairs you sat on but the stairs were massive. I would say that this way of seating made you feel closer to the actual runway but further from the talk.

The Mall had booked many different speakers, the two who I wanted to see were Lucy Wood or Giovanna Fletcher and in the end we saw Gi because Lucy's talk was on one of the weekend dates but I already had plans. I was actually really excited to hear what Gi had to say as she does so many different things: she is the creator of a podcast, an award winning author, a wife, a mother and so much more. She had so many amazing things to say and the biggest thing I will take away is 'Be Inspirational, not Aspirational.' She is so right, you should want people to be themselves and the best version of the themselves rather than wanting to be someone else. I completely agree with this statement and it seems to be something that has been lost in today's society. Social Media has made us all want to live the life of someone else when really we should be looking to improve ourselves.

Social Media was definitely a hot topic during the talk simply because it dominates so many people's life. I am someone who always says I hate social media and I do, I hate that it seems to have taken away individually and just so much time but Gi raised a good point, we control our social media so why do we hate it? We follow the people on there and torture ourselves about content but it is self-inflicted. It made me realise that I should take the time to change what I see on my social media because it is the not the platform that is the problem, I have done this to myself.

After covering social media, she then moved on to fashion. Her first point was that fashion is not inclusive at a designer level. Within high end fashion, there is a perception of being right or wrong and no where in-between and I get that. There is definitely an elitism that surrounds the industry but I do believe that your average person can look at the outfits during a fashion week runway and pick elements/trends that they would like to incorporate into their wardrobe. I understand that you will not look at the models and see a representation of yourself but I think you can find it in some of the clothes.

In fairness this is coming from me and I love a designer runway. I mean I did write inspiration posts for each of the Fashion Weeks during A/W19. However, I never look at the models and see a representation of myself as I am incredibly petite and clothes simply do not look like that on me. From what Gi said I completely appreciated her point but in some ways disagree. I accept that there is an elitism which can make you feel like an outsider but at the same time you can take away what you want from a high end fashion show.

From Gi's talk, I did take away a love of Lucy & Yak. When asked about the brands she likes to buy from, Gi mentioned the brand Lucy & Yak. She said they make sustainable, ethically minded and comfortable clothing. After she mentioned them, I had a look on their website and I am now in love with their Dungarees, the pink and burgundy pairs I have got my eye on you! Gi looked gorgeous and her makeup was stunning. It was great to attend a talk by her because she was so down-to-earth, came across as approachable and warm.

I do have a couple of criticisms about the talk. Even though I'm not a mother I do like to listen to Gi's podcast and it just felt like I was attending a podcast, there was very little interaction with the audience. I felt the crowd were sort of watching a conversation rather than being involved. Also because of the layout Gi and the interviewer sat in the middle so they had to keep looking around and because the venue was quite big for a talk it felt quite impersonal. I didn't feel the space worked for that type of event. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed it but it should have been smaller. At the end you could queue to ask any questions or take a selfie but I didn't feel the need to.

The Fashion Show

There were 15 minutes between the talk and the fashion show. If you wanted you could leave but it was pissing down with rain so there was not a single chance I was leaving my seat. It gave my friend and I a chance to catch up and also allowed us to take in the whole venue. Just above the runway there were big screens which played a vital part in the show and there were beautiful cascading flowers which made it incredibly Instagram worthy. On the back wall where the models came out, there were balloons. Bristol is known for its Balloon Fiesta so I assume it was a nod to that. I thought the venue had been laid out beautifully. One of the things I massively preferred in terms of the layout is the fact that instead of the walk way being higher up, we were higher up. It made it a lot easier to see the clothes and simply made it a bit more comfortable.

The screens were used, instead of paper to show where the clothes were from and I thought it was a great idea but in practice it didn't work for where I was sat. In terms of the models, the casting was incredibly diverse, there was even an incredibly petite woman and I saw some ginger hair which is incredibly rare. I believe everyone will have felt represented watching this runway.

Trends

I think the trends they picked were very apt and covered a large variety of trends on the high street at the moment. The trends do have to be dictated by what is available in the stores within The Mall but they certainly had a good mix. The different sections were:

Modern Utility
Mellow Yellow
Florals
Denim Daze
Print Mix
New Neutral
Going Wild
Colour Drench

Out of these trends, there were clear styles I liked more than others. I thought Utility was a strong opener and it definitely showed some of the aspects I had seen within the Isabel Marant show for A/W19 - I wrote about it in my Paris Fashion Week Post. I also loved the floral patterns, as I always do. They included the most gorgeous Ted Baker Dress which would be perfect for a wedding but I've had a look and it is a casual £240 and sold out so looks like I won't be buying that one. As I am loving a bit of leopard print I was incredibly pleased to see a whole section (Going Wild) dedicated to it this season and it was something I included in my Fashion Month Summary as a trend you should include in your wardrobe. Throughout Fashion Month there were elements of leopard print in the shows but the Victoria Beckham Leopard Print Boots being a piece that has really stuck in my mind. The final section I loved was Print Mix because it was something you saw a lot on the runway, especially during the Coach show which was one of my favourites from the whole season.

Throughout the show there were many elements that had been on the runway during both S/S19 and A/W19. Within the Utility section you had a lot of the military elements like large pockets, army prints and khaki. However, they were paired with a bright red/orange lipstick and matching accessories. This pop of colour was used by Victoria Beckham, Emporio Armani and Chloe. This red is something that I am trying to include in my wardrobe and I have been including it in my makeup by using Flame lipstick from Tom Ford. The combination of the makeup and the utility style instantly drew me into the show.

As well as the utility vibe you also had a lot of suits making their way down the runway. A suit featured in both the Mellow Yellow section and in Colour Drench. Tailoring is definitely something that was on the runway this season but the key to wearing a suit is that it has to fit perfectly or you lose the effect. Suits and blazers have definitely come into their own this season and it has been great to see how this look can be created without having to break the bank.

Hair and Makeup

In regards to makeup and hair for each model, they remained the same throughout the show but there wasn't a signature look. Thankfully everyone was allowed to keep their look relatively true to themselves. The makeup was gorgeous, I believe Dior Backstage did the makeup but the lip colour used was stunning and I would love to know what it was. Other than the bold lip colour, a lot of the makeup was pretty parred back but of course they are models so they were all gorgeous anyway. My one criticism with the hair was that on some of the models they did the double ponytail trick where you have one lower down to make the hair look longer however as it was a runway you could see that they had done this and I found it a bit weird. I did however love the low bun they created on some of the models, I wish I was able to recreate this look for work because it looked very simplistic yet chic.

Constructive Criticisms of the Fashion Show

Overall I thought the trends were well picked and that the show had been well organised however, here comes my constructive criticisms. I did feel there were some vital trends missing. During Spring/Summer the slogan/motif tee was big, especially featuring movie quotes. All you had to do was look at the Calvin Klein runway to see evidence of this. In addition, the new era of Dior with Maria Grazia Chiuri at the helm has become known for their feminist tops and the high street seems to still be replicating the large slogan/branding trend so I feel like it could have been easy to incorporate into the Fashion Show.

One of the trends that should have been included was check patterns. A/W19 is all about check and currently there is so much of it on the high street that it would have been a really easy trend to do but it could be that they aren't looking that far ahead yet. I am unsure if this fashion festival covered S/S19 or A/W19 or even both. I just feel like including check patterns would have given other people the chance to jump on the trend early.

Another trend I felt was missing is neon. Neon was not as big in A/W19 with only Saint Laurent using neon as part of the finale but it was incredibly popular in S/S19 with Calvin Klein, MGSM and Marc Jacobs playing around with florescent colours. If even the height of fashion can include neon, so can the high street and I know I certainly saw a lot of it in Bershka the other day. Neon has become a big part of streetwear for S/S19 and I felt like the element of effortless cool that comes from streetwear was missing from the show. Don't get me wrong, I loved the mix of trends but I felt these three could have been included.

I really enjoyed that they included screens so you could see a picture of the outfits and where it was from. Previously you would get a general leaflet which said but you would not get such a breakdown. However, I did find one problem with this. I was sat at the end of the runway which meant by the time I had seen what the model was wearing and decided I liked it, the screen had already moved on. The screen showed the outfits as the models walked out, at the other end of the catwalk, so I would miss outfits and there was no way of going back to see where items were from. I am not a tech genius so I wouldn't be able to do it but they should have changed the screens as the model moved down the runway so everyone could see it at the relevant time.

My final problem was that it was literally half an hour of watching people walk, there was nothing to break it up. Previously there were dance interludes which worked to change the pace and keep you interested but they didn't do that this time so it felt quite long. An average fashion show will be around 10-15 minutes and The Mall Fashion Show is double that so it seemed like a lot whilst I was sat there.

Other then these little issues I loved the show, there were so many pieces I loved that if I had seen them in store, I would probably have ignored them but it is different seeing them styled and seeing them fit to a body. I always enjoy seeing what the high street is putting forward and how you can create a look without spending too much money. The fashion show is a great place to find inspiration and I certainly walked away feeling inspired.

Styling Workshop

When I booked my tickets online: I booked the talk, the fashion show and a Styling Workshop. I had no idea what the styling workshop entailed and to this day I have no idea because we did not bother going. I'm sure if you are looking at my blog, you will have seen a picture of me either on here or on my Instagram and I have to say I am pretty darn stylish and so is my friend. We have different styles but I love what she wears so we decided not to go, plus we were bloody starving.

Before we rushed off to order everything from the Wagamama menu, we had a look in all of the tents just to see what was happening. We did go back to the beauty tent and I tried some of the new brow products from Urban Decay, they were lovely and I highly recommend checking them out. Other than that it was too cold in the tent to spend any time in there. It was freezing and the heating was broken. I felt really sorry for the girls working there but we could not stay in there. I did like the idea that you could freely test the products without feeling overly pressured to buy anything because they couldn't serve you outside.

We then went to the styling tent but because we were there quite late there were only two women in there and a lot of clothes. The clothes were nice and my friend and I had a look around but the two women were busy so we I couldn't tell you what that tent was about. They did have a lovely Khaki Leopard Print Top which was from M&S of all places but when my friend and I went to look for it, they were out of stock.

That left the experience tent. I thought this one was a tad odd because it was mainly more beauty brands and it felt like the ones they couldn't fit in the beauty tent were here. They did also have Nespresso, not sure what for, a hair salon which had closed by the time I was there and Superdrug were busy doing brows and piercings. The only thing that took my fancy was Clarins so we tried a couple of their products and after that, we were off for some much needed food.

My Thoughts

There were so many things I enjoyed about the show. I mean they still displayed some really good trends and it was a good girly evening with one of my best buds. I loved the venue I thought the attention to detail with the flowers and balloons made the venue look stunning and it was great to be able to look around the different tents whilst we waited. I thought the beauty brands taking part was incredible and I really enjoyed the beauty aspect of the festival. Beauty has previously been included but not to the same extent and it had always been very separate. I loved that this time the site brought everything together.

Having slightly criticised the talk with Gi Fletcher, I did think it was very enjoyable and I loved hearing some of her opinions on fashion as they are opinions that are slightly different from my own but that is fine, I love hearing how others feel about topics I am passionate about. The fashion show was a good mix of trends and I think anyone attending the show could take away something they want to add to their wardrobe. I really hope that they do this style of event again because next time I might be a bit more prepared.

If they do it for A/W19 there are a few things that I did note for anyone reading this from The Mall. Firstly the price had doubled but the goody bags were taken away from us. To be fair the goody bags had been shocking for the past few years but they had so many beauty brands there, I'm sure they could have dished out a couple of samples. I did not receive a single sample from a brand and there was no discount booklet which they have always given out in previous years. I was disappointed because I did use those booklets. Secondly you were given an all-day ticket but there was definitely not enough to make a full day out of it, plus I'm not sure who could as most of the days were weekdays, when people work. Speaking of work I did feel sorry for the staff as it was pissing down with rain, it was cold and they just had to stand there. In addition, the tickets were confusing, I could not understand what I was booking and why there were so many options. The final problem is that all of the stores close at 8, the show goes on later than that so if you have seen something you want to buy, you have to remember it for the next time you are shopping.

I mention this every time but there are no designer fashions which is something I would have liked to see but it is something that is not available to The Mall which is a shame. I do really hope they put on this style of event again because it was really fun to attend and did make me feel like the fashion/beauty editor I have always wanted to be. Considering the A/W runway has already happened for designer brands, here are my suggests for trends that should feature in next seasons show:

Check - There was not enough of it this season
Ruffles - Super feminine and it featured a lot in the Alexander Mcqueen runway
Satin - A texture used a lot by Burberry, Vivienne Westwood, Tom Ford, Saint Laurent - it adds a bit of luxe, especially in jewel tones
Tailoring - Large oversized jackets with little dresses or masculine cuts with a feminine fit.
Red/Orange - It was everywhere and is sure to be popular
Large Chunky Knitwear with big collars
Belts - to give shape and it is all about accessories this season, statement accessories

If you live in or around the Bristol area with even a mild interest in fashion, I would highly recommend getting yourself a ticket for next season as it is really good fun and just an easy night out. Do I think it is worth spending £15.50 on? Perhaps it would be if you made the most of it, we only experienced a tiny part of the other tents and we did skip a talk. However what we did attend was really interesting. As always I loved the fashion show and I did really enjoy the talk with Gi Fletcher. If someone is giving a talk who you admire then it is completely worth it but if you want to go solely for the show unfortunately compared to the old prices, it would not be worth it.

If you do have any questions about my experience or if you attended the event and have thoughts of your own on the festival, let me know in the comments!