Designers And Industry Tastemakers Shared Their Stories At The Vogue Festival

April 30, 2013

Designers And Industry Tastemakers Shared Their Stories At The Vogue Festival

Fashion week isn’t the only place where powerful people and fashionistas gather. This weekend, the Vogue Festival was held at London’s Southbank Centre. The Vogue Festival is where the who’s who in fashion meet to discuss what it is like to work in the industry. Through interviews, talks, and panel discussions, participants were given the opportunity to hear all about the lives of prominent designers, models, fashion editors, and celebrities. Attendees included Charlotte Tilbury, Alexandra Shulman, Lucinda Chambers, Sam McKnight, David Gandy, Alber Elbaz, Donatella Versace, and many others.

Various panels and speakers were organized to give insight into different aspects of the fashion world. Industry experts mentored guests about fashion journalism, fashion designing, modeling and fashion styling. They even discussed some hot topics, such as body image. Some of the most well-known speakers include Michael Kors, Cara Delevingne, Mario Testino, Victoria Beckham, Alexa Chung, and Paul Smith.

On Saturday, we heard from Michael Kors, who discussed wardrobe malfunctions and what it has been like to work in the industry for his whole life. The ever popular Cara Delevingne told us all about what it is like to be on a Vogue cover while Natalie Massenet told guests how she decided to create net-a-porter.com. And one of Britain’s most famous designers, Paul Smith revealed that he originally wanted to be a cyclist and why he doesn’t own a computer (he says his four assistants have computers, so why does he need one?).

On Sunday, guests got to listen to Victoria Beckham talk about her transition from a pop star to a businesswoman and designer. They also heard renowned Vogue photographer Mario Testino relay stories about all the people he has met throughout his photography career and what is was like to photograph the British monarchy. David Gandy and Patsy Kensit talked about body image and what it means in the fashion industry.

When speakers weren’t giving advice, guests could get the full Vogue treatment, including a visit to the Vogue Braid Bar, where plaits were distributed to almost every festival-goer. Visitors also had the opportunity to get their makeup done by Chanel, Dior and YSL. Hungry guests could even visit the Vogue Café, serving tasty and healthy dishes, such as Greek yogurt with honey granola and carrot humus.

On Sunday, Vertu president Perry Oosting and Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman hosted the Vogue Festival Vertu Party where guests enjoyed champagne and cocktails.

Melanie is currently pursuing a degree in public relations, fashion studies, and anthropology from the University of Minnesota. She aspires to work in the fashion, entertainment, or luxury sector as a publicist. When she isn’t writing (or tweeting), Melanie spends most of her time reading about celebrities and trying out new lipsticks.