fashion – The Orbital

Changing the rules of workwear: a photoshoot with RHUL’s Fashion Society

25Feb

By Amal AbdiNo Comments

Lifestyle

Changing the rules of workwear: a photoshoot with RHUL’s Fashion Society

Models featured: Mara Pem Munoz (Fashion Society President) Maria Ding Safi Liesnham Ella Pernet Hredi Chhabria Kimono M D'Souza Seeing as this month we’re celebrating all things women, we thought it would be apt to organise a photoshoot with RHUL’s fashion society. Most of us are riddled with fear at the thought of interviews for jobs, internships and graduate schemes, so we decided to thematise the photoshoot around office-wear/work-wear. We wanted to find the middle ground between stylish and super professional, to offer inspiration to those seeking it (or simply to enjoy the extremely aesthetically pleasing photos – as they all look fierce!) Fashion society certainly delivered. They offered a spectrum of androgynous fashion – mixing masculine...

11Oct

By Jordan ThorneNo Comments

Sports & Socs

Get to know RHUL’s Fashion Society

What did your society achieve last year? We grew! Last year we had the highest amount of Fashion Soc members ever seen. We had a lot of very participative and talented individuals in our group which allowed us to do more exciting activities and participate in very fun projects. One of them was ANATT, last year we organised a fashion show for this society joint event. It was themed “The Red Trend Catwalk” and it featured many of our members who participated as models, makeup artists, stylists, hairdresser, performance coordinator, photographer, event assistant and event manager. Additionally, we care about the career side of fashion and we like to help and inform students who want to get into the industry about the opportunities and the way the fashion industry works in the real world...

12Mar

By Martha LochheadNo Comments

Lifestyle

The Real Fur Debate

Those of you who have seen videos of fur farming will have, no doubt, been appalled by the gruesome and bloody images, and quite naturally will have proclaimed yourself anti-fur. Yet, on the runways of Paris, New York, London and Milan when the new winter season comes, fur is still prominently featured. There seems to be a gap between the average customer and the world of real fur. This is an opportune moment in which to shed a little light on the subject, exploring both viewpoints and possibly seeing if there is a middle way. My partner in this Martha Lochhead, an anti-fur voice, who has joined me in an open-minded discussion on the matter, to attempt to find a way through the heated voices on both sides and reach a place where fashion and compassion can coexist. Tom: So Martha, I d...

8Mar

By Bethany GoodingNo Comments

Lifestyle

Balenciaga Exhibition

“the master of us all” - Christian Dior A brief history. Cristóbal Balenciaga has always been and continues to be a huge influence on twentieth-century fashion. What separates him from other designers is his willingness to go against the grain in a bid to revolutionise the traditional, feminine silhouette. Due to the Spanish Civil War, Cristóbal moved to Paris. He soon became inspired by French established designers, such as Gabrielle Chanel and Madeleine Vionnet and learnt the art of design by dismantling their garments to see the craftsmanship behind them and redirect this same skill towards his own work. To veer away from the popularised cinched waist of the time, a shape that was notoriously linked to Christian Dior’s Corolle collection, Balenciaga broke from the mainst...

What Can the Royal Opera House Do For You?

17Dec

By Jordan ThorneNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Theatre & Performance

What Can the Royal Opera House Do For You?

Situated in Covent Garden, the current Royal Opera House is the third building to stand in the area after the two previous theatres burned down in a fire. The second re-opening kicked off with the royal seal of approval and a new name ‘the Royal Italian Opera House’. After hosting composers such as Handel and Michael Costa, the Royal Opera House was growing in both audience and repertoire. It was renamed once again to what we know now as ‘the Royal Opera House’ after it sadly burned down for the second time. However this has not affected its popularity as it now covers over two acres – from main stage to rehearsal studio… But over the years words such as ‘Elitist’, ‘snobby’ and ‘highbrow’ have been used to describe ballet, opera and other art forms on display at the Royal Ope...

5Jun

By Victoria ChapmanNo Comments

Lifestyle

Instagram: The New Catwalk?

Victoria Chapman discusses how Instagram is becoming more influential within the fashion industry than the catwalk. Ever found yourself aimlessly scrolling through Instagram and wanting that cute outfit you saw on a model? You're not alone; Instagram makes the inaccessible accessible. It’s a social trend that’s reconstructing the fashion industry into a new virtual catwalk. Instagram boasts 600 million monthly users, with 400 million of those using the app every single day. The app gives its users a ‘visual voice’, allowing them to express themselves through photos of their clothes, face, hair, makeup, food, places, you get the idea. Instagram is becoming more popular, influencing fashion especially, with clothing brands publicising their products across the world to millions of peop...

Gigi Hadid, Vogue, the Hijab and the West.

28Mar

By No Comments

Opinion

Gigi Hadid, Vogue, the Hijab and the West.

There has been much controversy surrounding Gigi Hadid’s cover for Vogue Arabia in which she adorns a veil and poses for the camera. But why has this caused such a stir? And what is the real debate here? As a young female Muslim living in Britain the hijab is of much importance and of great value to people like me. For me the hijab is an absolute assertion of my faith and my gender. I believe it helps empower me by giving me the confidence to be who I am – a female Muslim. I can show others that I am not afraid, despite the negativity I may receive for my religion and despite the limitations I may face as a female. The real debate here seems to touch upon the deep divisions within our society. In a time where the likes of Donald Trump and Brexit generate a vastly negative rhetoric ar...

27Mar

By No Comments

Sports & Socs

Reel Fashion Show

Kathryn Pearson reviews the Reel Fashion Show: a collaboration of societies' designers and performers. Set in Stumble Out under hazy lighting and the soft scent of perfume, the Reel Fashion Show radiated elegance from the outset. The collaborative event was organised by Reel Music, Textiles and Fashion Society, and CoppaFeel, with guest appearances from Dance, Sustainability, Cheerleading and Band Society. The spectacle of artists and designers colluding under one roof was certainly a night to remember, and displayed RHUL student's innovation and creativity at its finest. The evening kicked off with an introduction from Textiles' Rakaya Fetuga and Fashion's Rachel Foster, who outlined the inspiration behind each of the three catwalks. The first, a spring/summer collection of swimsuit...

20Mar

By No Comments

Lifestyle

Diversity’s Demons

Hefina explains how to embrace your individuality ‘Be your own person’, ‘don’t let others dictate who you are’ -the sad reality is, people find it difficult to express who they want to be. The lack of diversity today is an appropriate reflection of the media’s influence on our own bodies. Often the media depicts how we should look, what size we need to be, what we should class as normal; most of us have grown up in society’s constructions, demonstrating the lack of diversity today and why this needs to be changed. There are many examples of an absence in diversity, mainly through the different industries; however, it is more prominent in fashion, especially through the form of media. It can be argued that the clothes, accessories and often even the hairstyles and make-up presented in...

12Mar

By No Comments

Lifestyle

Tackling Gender Codes this LFWM

Lifestyle journalist Chloe Hill discusses the changes in gender-normalisation at the most recent London Men's Fashion Week With the current strain on politics, now seems like a perfect time to discuss the perversion of the rules in terms of men’s fashion. This year’s Autumn/Winter 2017 collection overlooked traditional masculine codes and embarked on a new sense of style for today’s man. Designers were addressing political fear by diminishing the idea of conventional street-style and replacing it with androgynous, speculative pieces. Not only did this ignore the same-old masculine aesthetic that is often presented on the runway, but also introduced us to a more sensual and diverse man; one who can wear sheer fabrics, drapes, and embellishment if he wants to. At no point has Vivienne ...