Power to the Pads (1980s Power Dressing)

The revival of the loud 1980s fashion met the luxury catwalk earlier this summer for the AW15 season and it is now making a statement on the high street. From velvet trimmings to puffy sleeves, brands such as Topshop and Versace have taken on the tacky 80s fashion that we all love and have made them appropriate for the modern consumer. However, the 1980s was such a lively era regarding fashion it is difficult to pin point what fashion exactly represents the 80s fashion scene.

Moreover, the 1980s was a liberating time in relation to political and social issues such as gay rights, woman rights, etc. Due to the fact that I count myself as a feminist (I would like to think that most people would themselves!), I am going to talk to you a little bit about how fashion and feminism joined hands during the 1980s and where we can purchase these fashion pieces of power to slay this season’s trend. 

BIG hair, BIG jewellery, BIG statements- the 1980s screamed a larger than life lifestyle. Another thing that was waiting to scream out was authority and power from the female community.  During this period, women took on the male dress code in an attempt to access the social and economic scale of society.  Career women practiced power dressing, wearing tailored skirt and trouser suits with statement shoulder pads, presenting a fierce and 

androgynous image. 

Second wave feminism took to a worldwide spread in the 1980s with many iconic moments communicating this. For example, Margaret Thatcher became the FIRST female priminsiter of the United Kingdom in 1979. Also, looking into the light of the influential celebrity culture and media, there were more girl bands such as Bananarama and artists such as Annie Lennox taking centre stage along with shows such as Dynasty promoting sharp tailored suits and strong minded attitude.

Moving along, enough about the history of feminism and fashion, lets talk about where you can buy this seasons sharp style to bring out your inner Joan Collins!

River Island

Blushing Buttons

Jacket £68 / Trousers £38 GET IT HERE!

TOPSHOP

Forest Velvet 

Jacket £45/ Trousers £45 GET IT HERE

ASOS

Smart Magenta

Jacket £50/ Trousers £40 GET IT HERE

H&M 

Relaxed Wrap

Velvet Jacket £39.99 / Satin Jacket £39.99 GET IT HERE

I hope you have enjoyed this piece and I have convinced you to add some tailored (or relaxed) suits to your winter wardrobe! xoxo 

New Beginnings: Nottingham/University

The beautiful Arkwright/Newton building

So this month I packed my bags and headed off to my new beginning in the exciting city that is Nottingham to study at Nottingham Trent University. It only seems like yesterday I was revising for my GCSE's with the far away dream of going to uni and now here I am, time really does fly! 

Of course I was both excited and nervous about this independent journey of mine. Excited to learn more about the fashion industry, nervous if I may be lacking in certain areas. Excited about Freshers week, nervous to meet my flatmates ( who turned out to be lovely by the way). However, despite missing home and meals that do not involve pasta in every dish, I've come to terms that there comes a time where everybody has to leave their comfort zones to become one more step to their new comfort zone, and so on. 

My degree: BA Hons Fashion Communication and Promotion

The fact that Nottingham Trent University has been named the 14th best university in THE WORLD ( Business of Fashion LINK HERE )made me so eager to start studying this course. Covering a range of industry roles such as PR, Advertising, Forecasting, Visual Merchandising, etc, I know this course will help me in figuring out the pathway I want to take. So if anyone reading this is thinking of studying a fashion course at university, I HIGHLY recommend NTU (and thats with only being here for a few weeks) as the environment, team and facilities are ideal for the aspiring fashionista. Oh and did i mention that you go to New York in your first year? 

Nottingham: What a lively place to be

When I have spoken to my friends and family back home, they always ask "what is their to do?" and I never know where to start! There's tasty places to eat such as this exotic Caribbean restaurant Turtle Bay (241 cocktails is a win) along with popular chain restaurants such as Zizzis (40% off for students-even more winning). The nightlife is amazing with retro feeling bars such as Spankey Van Dykes and nightclubbing favourites like INK. From an array of vintage clothing stores (COW, Braderie) to high street favourites, picturesque parks and exciting music venues. Nottingham is a never ending city of opportunities! 

If you want to check out the great culture that Nottingham has to offer, visit Ingrams Review for the best reviews and recommendations.

Thats all from me for now, hope you enjoyed the read xo

Nice to meet you

Hi there! My name is Layla Rawson (my close friends call me Maud) and welcome to my blog "Mode by Maud". I am 19 years old and I am currently studying my first year in Fashion Communication and Promotion at Nottingham Trent University. 

I am so excited to share my thoughts and observations about a range of topics on this blog, and hopefully you will be just as excited to read them! Mode by Maud will explore many aspects of my life from fashion to beauty, film to interior-anything that I find interest and inspiration in. 

I will be posting on a regular weekly basis about my old and new interests.