Beyoncé as a cure for Britishness

Being British is great (geddit), there are a ton of countries we can visit without a visa and (at the time of writing) we have a world renowned NHS. We also get to drink countless cups of tea without anyone batting an eyelid. However, in some ways we are cursed. The stiff upper lip and the need to constantly apologise are exhausting, how much easier must it be to be able to scream and shout? How must energy must one save by not keeping a lid on it.

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Bell of the Ball

Have I been fully indoctrinated into the 70s trend for SS15? The answer appears to be heck yes! I should have known I would be susceptible to the allure of the 70s trend, considering Stevie Nicks is one of my favorite people. In fact, I know understand why she was so prone to twirling on stage  -- it's practically irresistible with arms in a bell sleeve. But while I do have an admiration for certain aspects of flower-child wear, I do think every trendy piece must be balanced with some old favorites. In this case, I went with my favorite man-repelling pointy flats and ripped skinnies to modernize this blouse. While it may be tempting to put on your tawny, suede skirt with this kind of top, you will inevitably veer into Halloween costume territory. Time and a place for everything, ladies and gents.

Have you dared to take on the 70s trend this season? Is it in the form of tight-fitting ringer tees, rusty hues, or laced-up dresses? Let us know in the comments what you find the most alluring!

Female Matters: A Girl Gang

A little over week ago, the London based half of RF attended the one-night-only exhibition! Female Matters was held in aid of The Dahlia Project, which works to help survivors of the, quite frankly, mind boggling practice of FGM (Female Genital Mutilation).

Co-curated by Ione Gamble from Polyester Zine and designer Clio Peppiatt, the exhibition showcased the abundance of female talent from the art and fashion worlds, with the artwork on display  exploring ideas of female sexuality and identity. Spread over three floors of an old town house, was a collection of just very cool girls and a smattering of equally great boys, celebrating being female while raising awareness of FGM. Gamble and Pepiatt managed to create an event, which every bit as fun as it was feminist. One of our favourite humans, the preposterously beautiful, Felicity Hayward, contributed both her paintings and her DJ skills - think M People meets Wiley -  ensuring that the dance floor was constantly filled with flailing limbs and rotating hips.

Portraits of F.G.M survivors by Felicity Hayward

One pair in a series of pants, from a group installation of customised knickers.  

One in a series of prints by Delilah Holiday

Part of a series "Body Is A Cake" by Melissa Eakin

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Nap Time, All The Time

Here at RFHQ we've been reading a lot about sleep. Beginning with Ariana Huffington's TED talk, it has spiraled a bit out of control and we will devour any article that we can get our grubby little mitts on, so long as it supports the idea that we need eight hour of shut eye, at the very least. Well we would do, if we weren't too busy napping. Which brings us onto the dreaminess that is the shirt dress - light, loose and oh so comfortable.

Woman of Steel

Photography by Erika Pham

Can dressing in your favorite colors give you super powers? Well, I certainly think so. My fashion modus operandi is grey and whenever I don a steely-hued item I feel an instant confidence boost. I adore all shades from silver to charcoal (as seen here!) and it is a great relief to know that grey is my neutral. Some ladies are visions in black, white, camel, cream or navy but as Skepta/Jme would say: "That's not me." 

I began to wonder what my preference for grey meant psychologically and rather predictably, it denotes a preference for caution and compromise with workaholic tendencies. At first, I thought, "No way!" but truthfully that is part of my personality. Then again, I do find myself inexplicably drawn toward holographic/iridescent shades of mermaid green, so I can only hope there is a diplomatic, raver mermaid madly swimming around in my psyche.  

Wåven Pop-Up

Until popping along to their pop-up, I was certain that London based Wåven (pronounced woh -vun) was a Scandi brand. This was partly based on the unfussy, sleek denim but largely the accent above the A. And I'm sure that this accented A is as considered as every other aspect of the design. Perhaps it's due to the two generations of denim masters, which creative director and founder, Anika Islam, comes from, but Wåven feels much more established than you would expect from a brand, just two seasons old. Clean, minimal and with an emphasis on good quality denim, surprisingly nothing in either the men's or women's collection is over £70.

Available at ASOS and Urban Outfitters, these denim delights are currently housed in 3 D'Arblay Street, Soho, where there is also to be found a customisation workshop, which will run until 10th June. With patches of denim, stripes and plaid between £4 -10 you can be as crazy or tame as taste will allow. 

I got mildly over-excited (standard) and went a little patchwork crazy on a pair of Mom jeans.