Katie Bowkett

It’s a wrap! The first day of the Vogue Festival is nearly over and it didn’t disappoint. Visitors were treat to on trend eye makeup by Dior, glossy lips courtesy of Yves Saint Laurent, hand massages from Vertu, a Chanel cover shoot and hair braids at the Vogue Braid Bar.

I arrived two hours ahead of the talk that I was later attending Mad About the Girl, to visit the different beauty stands and soak up the ‘in vogue’ atmosphere of the festival. Already it was clear to see the venue choice was far more suitable than last year, with several cafes, a Vogue shop and plenty of stands to wander around without it feeling over crowded. The first stop was the Yves Saint Laurent Lipstick bar were you could test a range of neoteric shades, I opted for the blood orange shade to match my outfit.

If you keep up to date with hair trends you’ll know that the braid is the style of the moment and if you like to experiment with your hair you will also know that it is near impossible to master or complete without help from a professional. So I was delighted to visit the Vogue Braid Bar and have my look completed with a fishtail, it’s interesting to note that as a child I objected daily to having my hair in this style for school but if Vogue says it’s cool…

After having an entire beauty makeover I was ready to take my seat at the Mad About the Girl discussion, speakers included Anna Dello Russo, Susie Lau and Garance Dore. What was suppose to be a colloquy about street style soon changed direction into a discussion about blogs, as Anna Dello Russo began by explaining that only a few years ago at fashion week she questioned “blog, what is blog?” the name was almost unheard of, now blogs are firmly part of the fashion landscape and “they have become the new journalist, reporter and observer” ADR. The panel agreed that street style has become so influential it has replaced images of supermodels that twenty years ago would of been pinned on the  walls in studios of designers now it’s the girl on the street that inspires collections and influences trends. Susie Lau explains that the images represent a “globalised connected view of fashion,” the internet and the digital revolution has had an influence on fashion “now people dress to shoot and wear things that pop for the camera” the panel suggest. Anna Dello Russo also revealed that she views creating her outfits as a job “I use to dress models, now I dress myself,” preparing her looks up to 6 months ahead of fashion week from her wardrobes apartment in the centre of Milan!