Alexa Chung IT

A couple of weeks ago I was delighted to be accepted by Access All ASOS to be a part of their exciting group! My first invitation from Access All ASOS was to request a signed copy of Alexa Chung, IT before it hit ASOS.com. I have always loved Alexa's effortless style and was funnily enough just about to buy this book, so of course I wanted to try my luck! From the people that applied 25 were chosen and I was one of the lucky ones who received a signed copy. I have recently moved house so the address I had given was my address work. This would all be fine but as I had a week off work I had to wait a whole week to see the copy, it killed me! Although when I arrived at work on Monday morning it definitely helped me get through my first day back at work. I wanted to share with you some snapshots of the book, that tells Alexa's life through her pictures, illustrations and short tales. It is a must for anybody who loves Alexa Chung and as we are creative souls it has the right balance between writing and visual stimulation. For all you fashionista's wanting to break into the career it is a great pick, lets not forget she has a Mulberry named after her so she is certainly doing something right!

Thank you so much ASOS, what a great book. You can get your copy now at ASOS. 

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Timeless-luxe.com

Timeless-luxe

I have been so busy over the past couple of months that I have well and truly neglected my blog, I'm sorry! I wanted to update all of you with some exciting freelance work that I was approached to do by www.timeless-luxe.com. Over the past year I have Graduated from Uni, worked in bars, retail, written for magazines, you name it I've probably done it. The whole time I have kept my linkedin profile active and updated with relevant work experience and jobs. You may wonder what this has to do with Timeless-luxe but they actually came across my profile and asked me to look after their social media platforms. Timeless-luxe is an online platform selling preowned and rare designer goods from Chanel to Louis Vuitton. The price range is on a completely different scale to my work at Celliana and the target market a huge contrast, but it's great to learn about new markets. So if you are looking for that dream job make sure you keep your linkedin profile updated regularly as you never know when your profile is going to be exactly what somebody is looking for.

My Top Picks

1. Judith Leiber Pebble Belt, £280 

2. Chanel Suede Mini Flap Bag, £650 

3. Chanel Vintage Jersey Bag, £1200 

4. Chanel Cabochon Earrings, £220

5. Chanel Grand Shopper, £2350

6. Chanel Purple Sautoir Chain, £1050

7. Louis Vuitton Monogram Bag, £475

8. Marco Bicego Hoops, £500 

9. Hermès '1821' Silk Scarf, £320 

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London Fashion Week: S/S 14

Better late than never, I wanted to share some pictures with you of London Fashion Week, S/S 14. I only went for a couple of days this time because I have been so busy at work but it was still great. Covering shows for Who's Jack was manic as always but that's what I love about it! Some of the shows I covered were: Fyodor Golan, Bernard Chandran (in love!!) and Krystof Strozyna.

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PAUSE Pop Up Launch Party

Menswear magazine PAUSE have progressed so much in the last year that they decided to launch their first ever pop up shop. Funded by the Mayor of London, Camden Council and Camden Town United, Camden Collection supports up-and-coming creative business and backed the pop up shop. I went along on Tuesday evening for the launch party and what a success it was. With great music, a creative crowd from bloggers and PR's to press and designers. I even bumped in Vince Kidd who I interviewed for the 2nd Issue of PAUSE, as he turned round and asked 'Where do I know you from?'. Stocking brands such as Hubert & Calvin, Watch Warehouse, Mr Gugu and TWOANGLE & Serge DeNimes, the pop up shop has a great range of diverse menswear. What a great location for a pop up shop too, situated at 69 High Street, Camden. You have until the 28th of July to pop down, but if I was you i'd get down sooner rather than later!

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One very honest blog post

Over the past couple of posts you may have realised that I have a new job, wooooo- go me! I have been waiting for the right time to sit down and put into words the ups and downs that I have faced during my job search in London, as I think it might benefit others who are in the same position I was. After graduating from Uni with First Class Honours and my work as Features Editor for Third Floor already published I probably was a bit naive about how hard it would be to secure a permanent role. I left University in June/July 2012 and moved in quite quickly with my boyfriend. A lot of my friends were stressing themselves out about finding that perfect internship that would lead to that 'dream job' but I was just happy to have some time back to myself. I had always planned that I would move to London in March 2013 and until then I wouldn't even tempt myself by looking at fashion jobs as living in Southampton just wasn't close enough to commute.

I have never been one to sit about and do nothing, so I kept my Uni job in a busy nightclub and blogged and wrote for Pause magazine in my spare time. That was until the nightclub where I was working and living above closed down in October 2012, whilst I was on holiday. I tried to enjoy my time away but knowing I had 1-2 weeks to find somewhere to live and work really turned things on it's head. I was unsure whether to move back home to Oxfordshire or somehow get the deposit together to move to London. Luckily through this whole process I have a very supportive boyfriend who was happy to go with the flow and try something new. It was very last minute but after selling everything we owned, myself and James (not forgetting Nacho the cat) packed what we had left and headed to the big smoke. I had mixed emotions at first as I had always wanted to live in London, but I won't lie it was a very scary time. My boyfriend found a job in a hotel and within a few weeks I started a job in retail on Oxford St. Lets put it this way, retail was not for me but I managed to stick it out and somehow scraped by each month.

The one thing that I learnt whilst working in retail is that for a large amount of people it is a stepping stone and it allowed me to network with other photographers, journalist and creatives. The one bit of advice I would give is to always believe that you are worthy of your dream job. I have no idea how many jobs I have applied for since I moved to London but my guess is around five hundred. For some job positions I didn't have enough experience and other times I was over qualified and told 'you'll be bored here'. Sometimes it is really hard to see where you  fit in but network, blog, and keep your mind active and you will get there. I am always lucky that I have a very supportive Mum who was always there at the end of the phone when the job search was getting me down. She always told me 'your time will come' and it did! For those of you who say you can't get a job in fashion without interning I am proof that you can! Okay so in my spare time I was writing for a lot of different fashion magazines, attending London Fashion Week, London Collections:Men and a lot more but I still managed to do it without interning.

Early in June I received an email for a job as PR & Marketing Assistant at Celliana.com. I have always had a love for jewellery and social media & PR so it seemed the perfect role for me. After a lot of interviews I was sometimes very negative and thought 'I won't get it anyway', but for some reason when I walked out of that interview I knew I had the job. Don't tell me why but I visualised myself in the role and surely the week later I was offered the job. I will always strive to do better and go further in my career and this role is a great chance for me to learn more about PR & Marketing within a great company. I am proud that most of the girls I graduated with are all doing so well now and in similar roles in London. If you are at Uni now my advice is to really make the most of every opportunity and always believe you deserve that dream job. For any advice on searching for a job in fashion please contact me on: katiehandybeith@gmail.com

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Lulu Guinness x Joseph Steele

What a better way to fuse the world of art and fashion than by literally splatting some handbags with paint. For her latest project handbag designer Lulu Guinness collaborated with artist Joseph Steele to create a range of limited edition handbags, using her design expertise and his chaotic style. What's even better is Grazia invited me and my crazy friend Nicola along to enjoy the launch party. After a catch up over a glass of wine or two, myself and Nicola headed to the Old Sorting Office not quite sure what to expect. With unlimited vodka/redbull cocktails, live photo shoots and a very exclusive crowd I knew this was going to be a great night. Known for her luxury lip shaped clutch and handbags Lulu Guinness pushes the boundaries within her designs, perhaps one of the reasons she is so successful. I spotted three of my style crush's Jamella Jamil, Laura Whitmore and Angela Scanlon all under one roof. After leaving the party and a night cap or three, it's safe to say myself and Nicola weren't feeling too fresh the next day.

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PAUSE Magazine, Issue 04

I have been so busy with my new job that I forgot to tell you how excited about the 4th Issue of PAUSE Magazine. I have been writing for PAUSE since the early days and I must say I was pleasantly surprised at how far the magazine has come in such a short space of time. Everything from the paper quality to the features were stepped up for this Issue and it is down to the hard work of the whole team. Founder and editor-in-chief, Johnson Gold is so down to earth and an absolute pleasure to work with.

Don't think that the excitement stops there, oh no; PAUSE birthday Issue will be out in September and it is going to be bigger and better than ever! It is so exciting to be involved with such a great publication and although I don't have as much time to spend as before I am so proud of the whole team. I'm running away with myself here,  but Issue 04 features my cover interview with Made in Chelsea star Oliver Proudlock about the start up of his brand Serge DeNimes. 

PAUSE magazine is now being sold at a great price of £3.50, available at top newsagents, bookstores and independent stores in London. Also available worldwide you can purchase PAUSE in NYC, Paris, Tokyo, Australia, Berlin , Hong Kong, Dubai and many more. For full stockists visit here and order your copy online now at shop.pausemag.co.uk. 

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