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Day: 14 September 2017

Made in Manchester

Ah, Manchester. The great city of The North. Home of Oasis, Joy Division, my not-so guilty pleasure Take That, and of course, City and United. Whilst Manchester is world renowned for its music scene and first class football teams, it is now becoming an emerging player on the fashion scene. What’s not to love? It’s considerably cheaper than London — lower rent and lower priced drinks! It’s no wonder that many of the UK’s biggest online retailers are based in our great city; from Missguided to Pretty Little Thing, the Manchester fashion scene is one to keep an eye on.

In addition to their huge online retail presence, Manchester is also home to a number of successful independent designers and brands including celebrity favourite Zeynep Kartal, Forever Unique, and Beaumont Organic.

Zeynep Kartal

Zeynep Kartal first unveiled her collection back in 2013 at Manchester Vogue Fashion Night Out and has since been a sought after designer for celebrities and mere mortals alike. Her signature style celebrates femininity, so expect to see lace and silk, but also leather and fur. Her latest Autumn/Winter 17 collection is predominantly made up of hues of pink: pink fur, pink leather, pink silk. Think less Barbie girl with more sophistication — these looks are timeless. Kartal also includes black and rich emerald green velvet in her collection, for those who want a sultrier look that still exudes femininity. Kartal studied design at Manchester City College, and her showroom is based on King Street. Her A-list credentials include Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams, Marina of Marina and the Diamonds, and Pixie Lott, plus her designs have also been featured in Vogue, Hello, and Cosmo. Zeynep Kartal is a credit to the Manchester fashion scene, bringing a high fashion look to our great city.

Forever Unique

The Manchester based luxury fashion label Forever Unique creates affordable, designer fashion, and is a celebrity favourite.  Seema Malhotra, a Fashion and Design graduate from the University of Salford, established the brand in 2008 alongside her husband, Sandeep, and the business has gone from strength to strength. Seema started with a capsule collection of ten dresses; within one week, the designs had sold out. Today, Forever Unique offers over 200 pieces and remains a roaring success. The designs are completely glam with a focus on embellishment, fringing, and figure hugging silhouettes.  Forever Unique is a one-stop shop for dazzling day and evening wear that is unlike anything on the high street.

Beaumont Organic

Beaumont Organic is a luxurious but affordable organic clothing line based in Manchester. Designer Hannah Beaumont creates pieces using the softest organic cotton that will make timeless additions to your wardrobe. After researching the damaging effects that growing cotton has on the environment, Hannah wanted to make a luxury clothing line that is also environmentally friendly. From this, Beaumont Organic was born. Not only does buying from Beaumont Organic equip you with super on trend pieces, you’re also helping the environment! I’ve never heard a better reason to go shopping.

Whether you’ve just moved to Manchester, or you are starting your final year, take full advantage of the amazing and unique shopping that the city has to offer. From window-shopping at the Avenue to bargain hunting in the vintage shops of the Northern Quarter, Manchester really does have it all. Grab your umbrella and fall in love with the endless fabulous shopping opportunities this town has to offer.

 

 

 

 

 

Review: Letters to Morrissey

Gary McNair’s solo piece Letters to Morrissey is not exactly what one would presume from the title. Needless to say, The Smiths are a running theme throughout, with the iconic lyrics of the British indie rock band being spoken numerous times on stage. A powerful backdrop of striking luminous images of Morrissey with the steady murmur of his hit songs eases the audience in, adding to the feeling that you are truly immersed into a young boy’s life and the multitude of emotions contained within the letters to Morrissey.

However, this poignant piece of theatre is so much more than just a 15-year-old boy writing doting letters to an icon. McNair expresses the power of music through this theatre piece; presenting a lonely young man living in a ‘shite town’ and pondering many different things about his life and the somewhat dark and complex issues he is faced with.

In this sense, the audience is presented with a character that is almost instantly likeable, with his sharp wit and laughable teenage angst. Numerous characters all effortlessly presented by McNair flow perfectly with the captivating storyline. The audience learns as the characters do and each shocking turn or event is ever more powerful.

Twists and turns of the story make for a gripping piece of theatre, with some particularly whimsical moments coming from the office of Mr McKinnon and the looming sign, reading: ‘Do one thing every day that scares you’. This phrase becomes somewhat darkly ironic as the play unravels, particularly in relation to the unfortunate fate of young Tony.

The raw honesty delivered by the ‘boy with the thorn in his side’ reflects the brutal honesty of telling the story from a young boy’s perspective. The array of characters come to life beautifully on stage, it’s somewhat hard to believe that one actor is capable of such vast character changes so convincingly and effortlessly. The 65-minute run-through without an interval was the perfect way for this play to be performed. In the same sense that the lives being portrayed continued, the audience continued to be lulled into a sense of fascination alongside the events taking place.

This beautifully crafted piece of theatre highlights not only the intensity of experiences at young ages, but I also felt it reminded the audience of the power of music, reminding us all of how infatuating and powerful it can be. Not to mention how much we recall adoring an icon of ours, whether that be a 1980s musician or someone more close to home. As the play drew to a close, I began to understand just as the protagonist had, how much power the minute things in life seem to possess, and how this can shape one’s life for what seems like an eternity.

The success that Letters to Morrissey enjoyed at Edinburgh Fringe over the summer is sure to be continued after such a fantastic opening night. McNair and director Gareth Nicholls are certainly a pair to look out for. This was a thoroughly enjoyable piece of theatre.

Letters to Morrissey is at Home until Sat 16th September. Tickets can be purchased here

Wakefield Trinity 16-18 St Helens: Saints clinch victory at Wakefield and hang on to play-off hopes

Justin Holbrook’s side came from 14-6 down with 18 minutes to play to beat fourth placed Wakefield Trinity by two points, thanks to a duo of late tries from Theo Fages and Jonny Lomax.  Saints knew that the fixture was a must-win, and the side showed a resilience which they have been lacking all year.

After an early try from Wakefield winger Bill Tupou, and a penalty kick from Liam Finn, Saints drew level when forward Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook touched down.  Chris Chester’s Trinity then pulled ahead with a second try from Tupou and a hat-trick of kicks from Finn, but Fages gave Saints a glimmer of hope when the young full back was set free by prop Alex Walmsley.

Mark Percival followed up with a second conversion, before kicking for Lomax to go over for St Helen’s final try of the night.  The decision went to the video referee, who awarded the four points. Percival then scored the decisive two points with the subsequent conversion.

Walmsley missed the late surge by his team as he left the field following Fages’ try, to watch the birth of his son.  Fortunately, Saints did not appear to miss his presence.  Holbrook will be delighted with the resolve and vigour his side showed as they appeared to be heading for a costly defeat, after playing catch up for 76 minutes.

They now are level with Wigan Warriors, who will play their game in hand against Hull FC.  A victory for the Cherry and Whites would see them rise to fourth place, pulling two points ahead of St Helens and one ahead of Wakefield.  However, it remains very tight with two games to play in the Super 8s, with the three aforementioned teams desperate to grasp the crucial final qualifying spot.

Next up for St Helens is Huddersfield Giants on Friday 15th September, and Wakefield face a tough trip to the KCOM stadium a day earlier.

Man of the match: Jonny Lomax

It was hard to spot a star man amongst a determined and zealous Saints side, but Lomax proved to be the saviour with his dramatic late try.  Mark Percival deserves high praise for his superb kicking, but Lomax was heroic with his diving touch down.