Last Friday, I had the chance to attend my first press event for a fashion (and then some!) company. I was invited to the House of Fraser Spring/Summer 2015 preview day, and it was a completely different experience from the first time I attended a blogger event! It may have been because I got there as the day was winding down — I tried, really, but at the same time, I’m really happy with the nighttime shots I got — or because I went in thinking about gathering content for this feature rather than intending to mingle, but it was a really enjoyable evening. I maybe fell in love with fashion all over again.
As most of you know, I’ve been on an incredibly tight budget for the better part of my life, and the last time I went shopping was maybe January, and just because I needed a long-sleeve t-shirt and a hoodie very, very badly. I wear that long-sleeve tee about twice a week on average, and my sister kept the hoodie back home. Since then, I’ve been so focused on making ends meet — staying housed and fed — that I felt like a fish out of water walking around the racks at #bloggersfestival, wondering if I was expected to shop — spend money? What money? — or network — social anxiety! — or something else.
Two months later, I have an inkling I was supposed to get photos of the products and show them off here and on social media. At the time, from a photography standpoint, I approached it more as “meet-up with brands in the background” than “press preview.” Thankfully, the House of Fraser SS15 press preview day was straight-out a press preview, and I didn’t have this problem.
I bumped into Georgie from Away With The Fairies when I walked in, whom I’d met at #bloggersfestival in September, and I was fed and watered by the waiters who were still milling around with trays of treats (I’m annoyed at myself for not picking up a macaron though!), and that was all the socializing I did, which suited me just fine as I walked around the room getting shots of the racks, shelves and products on display.
And there were so many beautiful things. There were things for a multitude of tastes — things I would never have worn in a million years, really flashy patterns, a lot of silky fabric that I can’t stand — but also things that I plain old sighed over, and things that made me long for a chance to wear them. This was me discovering House of Fraser for the first time, and there were two things that really stood out for me: Therapy, one of their house brands, which had the loveliest sundresses I wanted to live in for the rest of my life; and the long, beautiful, feminine dresses from JS Collection, which were — you guessed it — the ones that made me wish I had places to wear them to.
So, without further ado, here are the things I loved from the Spring/Summer 2015 Press Preview at House of Fraser.
What do you think? Did you notice any trends you’ll be hunting come spring/summer season?
If you’re ready to shop at House of Fraser already, check out their current offers page — and remember to check back for their Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales!