Little fashionistas at Hooligans Magazine

The award for the No Debutante fashion shoot of the week goes to......a children's wear fashion shoot for Hooligans Magazine?? Oh my gosh! This photoshoot is the bomb! Brilliantly styled by Yeon You, an 80s inspired concept by creative photographer Michelle Marshall who has created this super styled up fashion delight! 

Where to begin? The colour, the oversized, mish-mash styling, bright colours, kawaii cuteness, crimped hair, socks and sandals? Oh stop it! Just look at these kids, they are cooler than all of us! 

I love the way the girls are styled up in adults clothing in a clown like oversized style rather than in a inappropriate kids dressed as adults way. It's a fine line but it has completely been achieved in this photoshoot! I am barely interested in where the clothes came from as it's all about the styling here! 

I am feeling inspired to recreate these looks No Debutante style, actually it does look a bit like they are wearing my wardrobe! Sadly, my 6 year old daughter Sylvie has different ideas about her style than me, so I don't think I shall be recreating a similar photoshoot with her anytime soon (mores the pity!). 

Hooligan mag also welcome contributor's so any budding photographers and stylists out there should give it a go should get in touch. The June theme is We're All Animals. What? A No Debutante photoshoot? Don't encourage me! 

Random shoes and red tights 

Yellow faux fur and polka-dots? Yesssss!

Animal paw gloves, a gingham smock and sports socks! 

Clown style cuteness

Crimped hair and a rainbow jumper and a ballerina skirt - amaze!

An oversized jumper worn as a dress

Loving the oversized red mesh adult garms layered over white. 

All photography by Michelle Marshall for her Double Trouble fashion shoot for kids fashion and art magazine Hooligans. (images were originally sourced from Junior Style blog). 

If you are having a fashion event, a new collection or fun event you would like No Debutante to promote please get in touch!

No Debutante promotes fashion independents, new designers & sustainable fashion. 

Check out my work with Bristol 24/7 magazine here under my name 

Emma Gorton-Ellicott

If you are interested in collaborating with No Debutante or getting featured on the No Debutante blog please contact me nodebutanteblog@gmail.com

Keep up with No Debutantes OOTD posts, collabs and current fashion obsessions posted daily on all of the following. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest all under the #nodebutante name. 

Thanks for checking in Fashionistas

ND xx 

Sista Fashionistas

I have many fabulous & creative friends, each have their own style & dress well, but there is one friend who is positively on the same fashion wave length as me. We barely see each other anymore & live in different cities but we always seem to rock up with similar looks. My fashion twin is Selena,we are sista fashionista's, who are inspired by street style, bright colours, clashing prints & have been working the Harajuku girl look since the early noughties. 

Streetstyle devotees No Debutante & Dilly Foxtrot on our recent meet up

I met Selena when I lived in Leicester (where I also went to uni), at the time we both liked skate style & punk so were already on a similar fashion vibe, we then discovered Fruits, a Japanese street style book & magazine that featured quirky, Japanese kids from Tokyo, wearing the most amazing outfits. I was hooked from the moment I bought that book & went on a hunt to buy as many stripey long socks & brightly coloured tights as I could to perfect my Harajuku (the area in Tokyo where many of the Fruits photographs were taken) look. Independently to me, Selena was doing the same thing.

Winter layering featuring my new favourite polka dot trousers, a polo neck & a Fix Up Look Sharp sweatshirt.

I am not as influenced by Tokyo fashion as I used to be, the original Harajuku scene ended years ago & Fruits Magazine,sadly, no longer exists. It was also kinda ruined a bit for both Selena & I by Gwen Stefani (who was one of Selena's style icons up until this point) Gwen in 2005, announced she had discovered a new look & started the Harajuku Lovers perfumes, had the 'Harajuku Girls' dancers in her shows & just completely took it for herself, Harajuku had gone mainstream, everyone was into it. 

The Fruits style had been sold out to the corporate giants & whenever something starts 'trending' like that I immediately jump off the bandwagon. Selena and I were late-comers to the scene ourselves back in 2001, as the Harajuku style was first documented by Fruits creator & photographer Shoichi Aoki back in 1997. I, like a lot of people, wanted to remain unique in my style, so the popularisation of kawaii fashion was a fashion nightmare for me, the high street went Harajuku! Nooooo! 

Selena rocking her layers in a mustard jumper & tights, with a cute monochrome shirt & camouflage shorts.
"I got the shorts in the mens department in Primark" 

There is another side to the Fruits style that I am not too comfortable with; these Japanese kids were mass buying clothes, they were from comfortable backgrounds, had disposable incomes & nearly everything they wore was branded with labels from Vivienne Westwood to Super Lovers. It was more bling than the DIY kawaii-punk style that it first appeared to be; although the styling was amazing, there was a price to pay for kawaii fashion & that's not just lining the pockets of big brands, it was also wasteful, unsustainable & ethically bad. Disposable fashion is not something I want to be associated with. 

I took my inspiration from the styling alone, there was no way I could afford Comme des Garcons & Jean Paul Gaultier, so I became inspired to make my own clothes & recreate the look mixing my existing wardrobe with clothes I had created & contemporary items from the high street. The Fruits styling was always about the accessories too, so that was another easier way to covet the style, I am highly inspired by streetstyle these days but the roots to my look stem from Fruits magazine & a need to wear playful, comfortable, non-conformist fashion. 

Don't forget the twinning short crop pink hairdos - another fashion coincidence! 

Selena is also a fashion blogger & is known as Dilly Foxtrot Investigates in the blogging community, the blog is based around childrenswear, as Selena (like me) also used to be a childrenwear designer & (like me) had to put a hold on her fashion career to look after her (yes, like me again) three children (I told you we were fashion twins) & (there is a pattern emerging here.....like me) started a fashion blog to keep spreading the fashion love whilst looking after small children; blogging was a away in, to remain in the fashion industry & by any means necessary! 

The Dilly Foxtrot Investigates blog covers topics from raising children to her latest fashion obsessions. I personally get just as much fashion inspo from childrenswear as I do from adult fashion, the colours, prints & shapes are always so playful, I'm gonna dress like a kid for the rest of my life! Being a blogger, Selena also gets it that I love to document what people wear, many friends like fashion but aren't too keen to have me sharing their looks on my instagram & blog, which I totally respect, Selena let's me photograph her which is inspiring & much more fun! 

Modern vintage twinning back in 2003

Despite our love of playful styling Selena & I are still inspired by underground fashion trends & streetstyle, which is why, even after not seeing each other for a year, except on Instagram (which we both love), we still manage to have followed similar fashion routes & end up looking like we planned to dress the same way. It's laughable really, as we both get comments from people about the way we dress, we know we don't dress the same as the people around us but somehow we seem to follow the same fashion paths without being influenced by each other. As Selena put it at our most recent meet up "People think I am unique, that nobody else dresses like me but I tell them, there are thousands of people who dress like me, all over the world, I follow them on Instagram!". 

We both agree that we love Instagram, it is so friendly, people actually talk & compliment you, there are so many different people to follow & it's great to connect with fashionistas all over the world who have the same fashion vision as you, which was a connection we didn't have before social media. This platform really works, if you don't get hung up on how many followers you have, blissfully ignore the false/ like for like followers & just follow people that generally inspire you, it will make you feel happy, supported & inspired in a positive safe place. Spread the fashion love we say & find your fashion twins they are in this big world somewhere, in their thousands! 

All photography by No Debutante

If you are having a fashion event, a new collection or fun event you would like No Debutante to promote please get in touch!

No Debutante promotes fashion independents, new designers & sustainable fashion. 

Check out my work with Bristol 24/7 magazine here under my name 

Emma Gorton-Ellicott

If you are interested in collaborating with No Debutante or getting featured on the No Debutante blog please contact me nodebutanteblog@gmail.com

Keep up with No Debutantes OOTD posts, collabs and current fashion obsessions posted daily on all of the following. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest all under the #nodebutante name. 

Thanks for checking in Fashionistas

ND xx 

My IWD18 Diary

Phew! What an amazing week! 

Having just attended no less than three events for International Women's Day over three days, followed by Mothers Day (National Women's Day) I am feeling both exhausted & empowered! 

DeskLodge Team IWD18

The first event saw a strong group of women celebrating IWD at DeskLodge, a very successful event, that featured women who either use the DeskLodge coworking spaces and offices as a base to run their amazing companies from female law firms & tech companies to influential women, who were invited to join us, share their skills & experiences as sustainable eco-warriors, female events collectives & of course, the female empowerment group, SisterWorks! 

DeskLodge IWD18 Talks including SisterWorks, Kecks Clothing, Concrete Jungyals & Womens Tech Hub 

This was no corporate event, all the women told inspiring stories on how they got to where they are now, baring all the struggles they faced and the determination to carry on to get where they are today. It was so heart-felt and inspirational, I am really proud of them all and let's add a little self-love here, I am proud of what I achieved too, bringing all of these wonderful women together! Needless to say I had a large glass of wine or two that evening to celebrate! 

Print clashes for the SisterWorks club night

The second event was the SisterWorks Club Night on the Friday, where we promote the talents & skills of local female DJs & women in music. We are so proud to have so many fabulous female DJs on our books at SisterWorks, that we have been able to have lots of different female DJs play at each event. The IWD club night featured a dub set, followed by grime set into a DJ & singer/ rapper female double act, then into house & techno beats. We had a blast! In true Kathleen Hanna style I found myself encouraging girls to the front to dance, enjoy the DJs & feel part of the SisterWorks vibe, in a safe space run by girls. Of course, we love men too so they were most welcome & really supportive. What a fantastic night! 

Female DJs at the SisterWorks Club Night 

By the third event, on the Saturday evening, I was a little washed out but it was all about feeling empowered & representing females in music & the SisterWorks DJs! Myself & Lua Jones (SisterWorks founder & Dutty Girl DJ, Diss Miss), played a mixed set of riot grrrl, punk, alternative 80s & electro (obviously my set) & super-cool soul, funk & hip hop from Diss Miss. We were celebrating the launch of the Bristol brewery Wiper & True's XX beer, which was created & brewed by women. This beer had a strong kick, there was nothing feminine about it, which was great! There were so many people supporting the XX Beer, it was a great event! I banged into mum's from my kid's school & my old partner in crime from Venue Magazine, Ruth joined me for some late night drinks & chats about how great women are!

SisterWorks Djs at the Wiper & True XX beer launch

I think that I actually celebrated 4 days of IWD this year, as there was no better way to celebrate how amazing women are then with Mothers Day! My kids showered me with gifts including amazing pom-pom & perspex earrings from Mango Tango Jewellery (another amazing Bristol based designer), The Breeders latest album on vinyl (of course) & a lovely big bottle of Sailor Jerry's rum! I was truly spoilt again! Feeling rather sorry for myself & my rather hungover visit to the hair salon to get my hair did by girl boss Vikki Mac, it was then off to meet my wonderful Mother & celebrate Mothers Day with the Fam! IWD18 ended with pizza, wine & a family film night watching La La Land (which I actually loved!). 

Mothers Day pampering and new hair! 

Mothers Day gifts!

Thank you to all the amazing women who made IWD18 so great for me, from everyone who shared the love at the DeskLodge talks, DJ'd & helped out at the SisterWorks Club night, to old & new friends, the inspiring women who created the XX Beer at Wiper & True & finally to my family for making the perfect ending! 

Women are still fighting for their rights to be heard 100 years after the suffragettes won the right to vote! Equality is what we want, not world domination! They say 2018 is the year of the woman, let's hope so.

#wherearethewomen

Three generations of strong females and below the equally strong men in my life! 

All photography by No Debutante

If you are having a fashion event, a new collection or fun event you would like No Debutante to promote please get in touch!

No Debutante promotes fashion independents, new designers & sustainable fashion. 

Check out my work with Bristol 24/7 magazine here under my name 

Emma Gorton-Ellicott

If you are interested in collaborating with No Debutante or getting featured on the No Debutante blog please contact me nodebutanteblog@gmail.com

Keep up with No Debutantes OOTD posts, collabs and current fashion obsessions posted daily on all of the following. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest all under the #nodebutante name. 

Thanks for checking in Fashionistas

ND xx 

International Women's Day 2018 - The No Debutante Power List

It's really hard to choose just a few of the women who have inspired me. I'd like to include just a few names from my very, very long list of fabulous female influencers from fashion designers, musicians, actresses & writers who have influenced me in my adult life up until this point & have inspired me think, I can do it too! 

As teenager I was not as confident as I am now, I would dream of doing all of the things I do, like DJing, being a journalist, a fashion designer, writing and performing my own music, I honestly was a small town girl with no aspirations except that I needed to leave the small town as soon as I could & do something creative with my life! 

My six year old daughter, Sylvie reminds me every day, how a young girl is easily influenced by the world around her & that I need to make sure she feels safe, confident & strong enough to conquer the world! As I have also done for her two brothers. 

Feminism is often wrongly associated with men hating, which is ridiculous. I am a feminist & I am married, I have sons, a brother, a father, nephews & as many male friends as females. For me feminism is about empowering females, helping them to love themselves & equality for all. Feminists love men too! Any female who tells you that you cannot like men if you are a feminist, is not a feminist. 

My list of super influencers consists of a lot of punk icons, riot grrrls, feminists, activists, musicians, fashionistas & journalists, it pretty much sums me up, my style & ethos on how I live my life; with each amazing female adding a little to bit of magic & inspo to my life in their own way. 



The Power list 2018

Kathleen Hanna

Feminist, female activist, band member & vocalist from  Le Tigre, The Julie Ruin & the most influential riot-grrrl band ever Bikini Kill! Kathleen started performing her outspoken poetry at open mic nights, shouting out heart-felt, strong & passionate messages about life experiences & how she felt as a feminist. The poetry naturally moved into starting a punk band 'Bikini Kill', where Kathleen would shout out 'girls to the front' to create a safer space for girls to enjoy the band, knowing from her own experiences of going to gigs & being shoved around (& often groped) by the male gig goers around her. To get a better idea of Kathleen Hanna's world you must watch The Punk Singer, it's an inspiring film about an amazing lady. Kathleen Hanna is the queen of my world! 

Caitlin Moran

Outspoken & hilarious! Caitlin Moran became a journalist for Melody Maker aged just 16 & wrote a book about being home schooled , The Chronicles of Narmio in the same year , by the time she was 18 she was a TV presenter on Channel 4's music show Naked City. Caitlin came from a very large family, who were all crammed into a three bedroomed council house in Wolverhampton, her unusual upbringing influenced her honest & raw writing style. I became motivated after reading her book, 'How To Build a Girl' which is loosely based on her life at the time of her journalism career with Melody Maker. This hilarious & honest book inspired me to write more, for both articles & lyric writing for my band  & to just do what I want to do as often as possible; at 40 years old I was a little bit behind with starting my journalism career. Keep at it, it's never too late, I am now a Fashion Editor! Thanks Caitlin Moran, I owe you! 

Chloe Sevigny

Chloe has been one of my style icons & girl crushes since the nineties. She was the coolest kid on the block & seemed to be living the life that I would have liked to be living! I wasn't  jealous of her despite her featuring in Sonic Youth's Sugar Cane video or having a 7 page article written about her in The New Yorker, who called her 'The coolest girl in New York' at just 19 years old! This was a positive thing happening to a young girl who also seemed like me, normal & most importantly, I related to her. During the nineties Chloe was modelling for Miu Miu & acting in her then boyfriend Harmony Korinne's films 'Gummo' (Chloe was also the films very on-point,fashion stylist) & Larry Clark's controversial film, 'Kids'. Despite no formal training in acting Chloe managed to win the Independent Spirit Award for her role as Jennie. This girl just kicks ass doesn't she?? 

Debbie Harry

The beautiful front women of Blondie, who found fame in her early 30s when the bands disco influenced record 'Heart of Glass' launched her into international fame. Debbie confidently crossed punk & new wave with disco & hip-hop with streetwise sass & glamour. Blondie records were part of the soundtrack of my life as a kid! I walked down the isle to marry Phil to Blondie's 'Heart of Glass' (I don't have a heart of glass, this track just has good beats to strut down the isle to) & you may or may not know that the No Debutante name came from the Blondie track 'Dreaming'. In this record, Debbie Harry sings 'you could tell I was no debutante'. I choose these words to name my blog as I needed a name that explained my situation; here I was a pregnant fashion blogger in her mid thirties, I wanted to be honest, 'yeah, I'm older, I'm no debutante but so what? Read my blog!' Did you know Debbie Harry was also the first ever white female rapper back in 1980 with the Blondie track Rapture??? Debbie Harry is still touring with Blondie in her 70s! A total legend! 

M.I.A

M.I.A inspired me through her music. This girl used to sit in her room experimenting with sounds and beats using a Roland MC-505 sequencer, a drum machine & a radio microphone, creating the foundations of what would become her signature sound, mixing electronica, hip hop, dance, rock & world music. M.I.A not only composes her own music she also writes the lyrics, sings vocals, raps & produces her work.  I love it that M.I.A is influenced by many of the same bands as me including The Slits, Malcolm McLaren & The Clash and in turn I have been influenced by her music for my own band Mono Dots. M.I.A isn't just about the music, this girl gets stuff done, she is a mother, an activist, studied fine art, film and video at Central St Martins College, she's an artist & film maker. M.I.A is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.! 

Poly Styrene

X-ray Spex vocalist Poly Styrene is awe-inspiring! She screamed out her soulful wail of bubblegum punk with the most creative, fun & thought provoking lyrics about popular culture, consumerism and life during the 1970s, with a dark undergrowth, covered in day-glo paint! This young Londoner, seemed to observe life in a different way to the other punks, she turns up on Top of The Pops with braces on her teeth, singing about hygiene obsessions & Warriors in Woolworths, looking a little jaded by her fame & naively unaware how powerful her lyrics really were. I love Poly's style, of bright colours, mixed with punk militaria & granny style polyester twinsets and flats, with either a military hat or big knitted hair-wrap. Poly was also one of the very few black women in punk. Sadly this inspiring lady died of cancer in 2011, aged  53. I play her records nearly every time I DJ! 

The Slits & Ari Up (centre) 

The Slits are an all female punk band who formed in London in 1976, the year I was born. Their dubby punk sound was real experimental & had an energetic pulse that had a live, raw feel. The band was fronted and formed by Ari Up, a 14 years old girl who was taught to play guitar by Joe Strummer of The Clash, Ari was no stranger to the punk world, John Lydon (Johnny Rotten from the Sex Pistols) is her step dad. The DIY punk ethos inspired young people to pick up an instrument & 'play it your way', The Slits did just that. Ari Up had a big influence on The Slits music with her love for reggae & dub coming through strongly. Their album Cut, controversially, featured the band covered in mud wearing only loin cloths, giving a strong amazonian female aesthetic without sexual connotations. Their record Typical Girls featured on this album, it talks about girls who conform to acting the way they have been told, to wear make-up, get a boyfriend, don't rebel! It's such a great record, that tries to encourage women to be themselves & not conform to the ideals of men (at the time) & the media. sadly, I'm not too sure much has really changed on this in the past 40 years! Ari Up has an usual way of delivering her lyrics, she seems to weave up & down the verses, leaving pauses in random places & screams out vibrato noises with her very own singing style, which I find fascinating. Perhaps it was to do with English not being her first language (Ari was from originally from Germany) but her delivery was unique, it was amazing! Sadly Ari Up also died of cancer in 2010, aged 48. "Ari was the most dynamic woman I have ever known, the way she carried herself was a revolution." Viv Albertine, The Slits.

Viv Albertine

The guitarist of The Slits, Viv Albertine already had my approval of a being a strong, influential women. Last year I read her autobiography Clothes Clothes Clothes, Music Music Music, Boys Boys Boys, to be honest, she had me at the title! This book merged her life as a member of The Slits, her fashion obsessions including detailed descriptions of what she wore, her boyfriends (including Mick Jones from The Clash) , the grotty side of the London punk scene & her struggles as a women in the music industry. I read this book & it opened a window in my brain, to write & create music & collaborate with other like-minded people. Viv Albertine has recently written a follow up book named 'To throw away, unopened'. I shall definitely be purchasing a copy when it is released! 

Vivienne Westwood

The Queen of punk, Vivienne Westwood, fashion designer, feminist, activist! My ultimate life goal! Creator of punk alongside her then partner Malcolm McLaren, Vivienne created the punk style & a hang out for young punks on the Kings Road at their shop Sex, controversially selling bondage gear with Edwardian teddy boy clothes and Vivienne's own DIY punk creations. After putting together the Sex Pistols alongside McLaren the two were unstoppable. Vivienne & McLaren collaborated on the Pirate collection which launched them into the fashion world with fans that  included Lady Diana!  The pair opened their shop Worlds End in 1984. Following her departure from Malcolm, Vivienne went on under her own name, as the queen of new romantics, conquering the fashion world as she went. I am fascinated by Vivienne when she talks about cutting fabrics & styling, the women could (& probably did) make a bin liner work! Influenced by traditional pattern cutting of the past & completely messing with it to create a mix of traditional & contemporary shapes & styling, with a bit of punk thrown in. This amazing woman is knocking 80 years old but is still showing garments every season, changing her hair more than me, stomping around in the highest platforms & wearing garms from her latest collection like their were made for only her, whilst saving the planet!! This woman can do no wrong! 




Women are great aren't they? Happy International Women's Day 2018! 

If you are having a fashion event, a new collection or fun event you would like No Debutante to promote please get in touch!

No Debutante promotes fashion independents, new designers & sustainable fashion. 

Check out my work with Bristol 24/7 magazine here under my name 

Emma Gorton-Ellicott

If you are interested in collaborating with No Debutante or getting featured on the No Debutante blog please contact me nodebutanteblog@gmail.com

Keep up with No Debutantes OOTD posts, collabs and current fashion obsessions posted daily on all of the following. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest all under the #nodebutante name. 

Thanks for checking in Fashionistas

ND xx 

The Gem of Lazy Oaf

Gemma Sheil is an illustrator, a fashion designer & the creative brains behind Lazy Oaf. You know how much No Debutante loves Lazy Oaf, don't you?

I had to feature Gemma in today's post as a contemporary fashion designer whose fashion brand & garms influence so many fashionistas & designers, including me! I often get many questions & compliments about my Lazy Oaf garms when I wear them & since International Women's Day is on the horizon, I had to give this inspiring, creative & successful female a mention!

Lazy Oaf Rainbow Cardigan

Lazy Oaf, as a brand, has done everything correctly, from the quirky styling, the super-cute colours, the artwork & the whole premise of Lazy Oaf works so well together. You just get it, the fun words on garms about being lazy & bored mashed up with cute styles, characters & colourways, on (always) generously cut garments (it just had to be a women that got this so right) creating colourful streetwear in shapes that are always on point & usually way ahead of the curve!

Sweet ruffles at Lazy Oaf

Gemma started selling her hand printed garms on Spitifields market, printing t-shirts from her Dad's garage, the bespoke range became so successful that Gemma & Lazy Oaf relocated to their flagship store in Soho where they have been ever since.

Lazy Oaf Mens Trip Out hoodie

The store itself is like a fun house of colour, mixing quirky graphics with modernist interior design with a soft, pastel edge. I love it so much that I want to decorate my house like the Lazy Oaf shop, everything Lazy Oaf do is on it!

Amazing Lazy Oaf Shop Interiors

Gemma has now launched a new label named G.E.M which celebrates being a girl & what that means to her, influenced by strong women including Madonna & Bjork, who play around with their indentities and create new personas. This is mixed with 80s glamour and Soho punk influences, creating a range of garms to wear to be rebellious and not do what you are told!

This girl is so inspiring as a fashion designer, creative and feminist. Yes, Gemma Sheil! Keep on, Keeping it weird! 

G.E.M Flemenco long sleeve t-shirt

G.E.M Sheer up jacket

No Debutante wearing a Lazy Oaf cardigan

Read the No Debutante post on G.E.M here 

All images (except the last image) courtesy of Lazy Oaf

If you are having a fashion event, a new collection or fun event you would like No Debutante to promote please get in touch!

No Debutante promotes fashion independents, new designers & sustainable fashion. 

Check out my work with Bristol 24/7 magazine here under my name 

Emma Gorton-Ellicott

If you are interested in collaborating with No Debutante or getting featured on the No Debutante blog please contact me nodebutanteblog@gmail.com

Keep up with No Debutantes OOTD posts, collabs and current fashion obsessions posted daily on all of the following. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest all under the #nodebutante name. 

Thanks for checking in Fashionistas

ND xx