Introducing the Freemans Student Fashion Writer Winner: Harriet Oliver
Back in September, we invited students from all over the UK to share their passion for fashion by writing a guest post for our official blog. We received dozens of fantastic entries, and we’re happy to introduce the grand prize winner Harriet Oliver of Manchester Metropolitan University, who won a brand new iPad 2, in addition to being invited to contribute a series of additional blog posts that we’ll be publishing very soon. We caught up with Harriet, who also writes her own fashion blog, to find out more…
What motivated you to enter the competition?
My course leader informed my year about the Freeman’s competition back in September and it just sounded really exciting. I’ve been very keen to get into writing and styling for quite a while now and the competition seemed to combine both of these elements so I just thought why not? I love to write and so getting as much exposure to that is my main goal at the moment; it all comes down to experience and what better way to do that than write an entry for a successful fashion brand.
Why do you want to become a fashion writer?
I’ve always been very creative and knew from a very early age that I wanted to be involved within the fashion industry. It’s taken me a long time to get to the point where I know what I want to do (I’m currently studying Fashion Buying!) but now that I know I want to write, it’s a very exciting prospect. I think the first time I started to think about writing was when I was about 15 and I read a very long article in Vogue about six young girls who were up and coming in the fashion industry. It was a really engaging and interesting article and the editorial was incredibly cool and hip. I just remember thinking how great it was that you can capture so much about someone or something through writing and how inspiring it can be to others and I think that’s something I’d like to achieve one day.
Do you feel there are enough competitions like this out there for students?
I’d say there are lots of great opportunities out there for students. I was lucky because my course leader had done a lot of leg work last year to provide us with information about different competitions available to us, and I chose the Freeman’s competition because it sounded the most interesting and also fun and innovative. Until now competitions weren’t even something I’d considered before and always assumed that getting as much work experience as possible was the main thing to focus on. But if you find something relevant to your interests, competitions like this are such a valuable way to gain experience.
The Winning Entry: By Harriet Oliver
The most alluring part of a women’s body is her back. The back is sophisticated and elegant, it doesn’t show too much; it leaves a little to the imagination.
The best fabric a woman can wear is lace. Lace is transeasonal; it can be romantic, fresh or sassy. The combination of a beautifully fitted dress that is draped to perfection, with the flash of the back and a dash of lace is enough to make anyone gush. Cue the Patrizia Dini Dress from the Freeman’s Catalogue.
Forget The Red Number or even The Little Black Dress, this is The Dress. It’s perfect for the party season. It’s fitted, it’s got draping, it’s got shimmer and it’s got shine and, as previously mentioned, it’s got that all important lace.
It glistens just the right amount to catch the eye of an admirer on New Year’s Eve. It’s also perfect to take you through all the parties leading upto that particular night and even any special events taking place after it. Its classic style means you can team it with different accessories of different styles and colour each time you wear it to get a completely different look.
For the up-coming party season, team it with Ravel’s Studded Platforms for a colour pop sensation. These shoes are the perfect compliment to the Patrizia Dini dress. The large bow at the back gives them a feminine touch in-keeping with the womanly nature of the dress. The shoes also give the whole look a bit of an edge with their studded heels.
Add simple gold jewellery like this 9ct gold rope chain bracelet and textured ball stud earrings. Gold will compliment the colouring of the top half of the dress perfectly and is always an elegant and luxurious choice. Finally, add the evening bag in black for all your must need items and you’ve got a perfect party outfit that oozes timeless glamour.