..where a man goes to become a gentleman

Isn't it amazing how that first moment you walk into a boutique you get a sense of what kind of store it is and who would shop there...

I came across this picture on a blog i frequently visit 'The Sartoralist'

"Easily one of the best men's shops I have been to in a long time. The hats, the canes, the shoes, the pajamas, this is a shop where a man goes to become a gentleman." The Sartoralist.

fashionable cuties

YSL you Amaze me!

Another beautiful colour for the Tribute heel.

Paris.. what more could i say?

Loving the beige heels and the bag full of pink florals!

“I want that look!”

Media has a huge impact on fashion and film, in the past and in most recent years. Many films have made block buster records which have assisted fashion designs and designers themselves rise in great demand.
Media influence from films helped Clark Gable, James Dean, Marlon Brando, Elizabeth Taylor and Rosalind Russell to heavily impact clothing trends during Hollywood's golden age. In the film It Happened One Night (1934) starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, Gable removed his dress shirt revealing a lack of undershirt, this resulted in sales for undergarments plummeting to record lows. This shows that what we see in films has an effect on what we buy and what is designed for the coming season.
Diane Keaton’s tomboy dress in “Annie Hall” (1977) prompted many of fans to adopt Ms. Keaton’s signature look of slouchy fedoras, tweeds, and khaki trousers. Also since the release of “Out of Africa” in 1985, the ivory-tone jacket and khaki safari looks that Meryl Streep wore on the savannah have also been a recurrent distinctive theme on Ralph Lauren’s runway collections and just recently also adding to the runway, blockbuster film “Avatar” has influenced the great designs of John Paul Guiltier and Valentino collections.
In 1955, “Rebel Without a Cause “sported James Dean in T-shirts under his signature red windbreaker, making fashions most basic and easiest possession the T-shirt resulting the "Land of Cool".
Fred Astaire, very closely adopted the polished evening look, wearing a top hat and tails in his very first film, Dancing Lady (1933) opposite a very young Joan Crawford. As Astaire grew older, he adopted a more casual style that was also widely copied by fans and designers alike wearing casual suits with cravats and vests that looked classy, most importantly comfortable and very 'put together.
Makeup and style trends are also launched by Hollywood fashion icons. Celebrities such as Nicole Richie, Angelina Jolie, Sienna Miller, Chloe Sevigny, Kate Moss and Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen are seen as popular style icons for the fashion savvy community.
Also Elizabeth Taylor has been a force in fashion style and influence. Her 60s pearl lipstick and heavily-lined eyes were widely adopted. Cybill Shepherd, Ali MacGraw and Mia Farrow all sported the fresh, girl-next-door image and found a great following for their look among younger women.
Audrey Hepburn was one of my favourite actors and fashion icon. Her style was so elegant and very polished yet quirky. She almost always wore crisp clean silhouettes and always looked timeless. LRR.

one blog, two blog, three blog, FOUR!

WHAT IS THIS fascination of Blogging? A Blog is found on the internet and is an online journal were diary entries are publicly shared and commented on. It is usually maintained by an individual. Focusing on a variety of topics, Blogs can consist of topics such as Fashion, politics, hobbies, fan fiction, social theory and personal journals.

The blogging world offers a great range of online journals dedicated to Fashion. To do the “Done” thing, you must be reading blogs!
Why not start your own blog?
It’s so simple and easy to create,
log onto this site http://www.blogger.com/start
Create yourself an account. The best thing is it FREE! And it’s a fabulous place to write about anything that inspires and interests you. It’s also a great place to find amazing articles and beautiful photography.
Check out these following blogs to get some great ideas and see what inspire me!

www.thesartorialist.blogspot.com
http://trialsandtribulationsofacitygirl.wordpress.com/
http://cupcakesandcashmere.com/
http://www.garancedore.fr/en/
http://jakandjil.com/blog/
http://stockholmstreetstyle.feber.se/

Simply Stunning

I always wondered how (in the past) the trends of the day came about and how they moved from city to city and abroad.. this is how.. Fashion Dolls, Theatre De La Mode.

With a world in restroation and a city in great need, the Theatre De La Mode was organised. By the Chambre Syndicale of Paris, in 1945 this Syndicale organised the sending of small scale couture designed models (dolls) around the world. It opened up the world of apparel that was "perfection in minature." Each doll included every beautifully constructed detail, and the tailors/dressmakers would unpick the seams to assess and grade the garments to fit the customers figures perfectly.

The collection collaborated designers and artists renditions of what the trends were for the Spring/ Summer of 1945. Theatre De La Mode was intended to "show the supremacy of French fashion designing and was an attempt to reassert French Couture."

The couturiers of Paris came together after World War II to create one of the most telling and "complete representations of fashion splendor."

"Louis XIV wanted all of Europe to know about Paris fashions so he began sending life-sized fashion dolls to every European Court. The dolls were dressed in the latest styles. Noble ladies would have their tailors imitate the clothes, footwear, hats and accessories on the latest dolls."

images from: http://www.pbase.com/sparksdjs/mohi

A Stella World

Stella McCartney – A Life Long Vegetarian, born 13 September 1971.
She was born and raised in the English countryside of Notting Hill, also in London town. Stella McCartney graduated from London’s Central St Martin’s College of Art and Design in the year of 1995 were her signature style of ‘sharp tailoring, sexy femininity and natural confidence’ was immediately apparent from her first collection. McCartney was appointed the Creative Director of Chloe Fashion House in Paris France in 1997 and saw great success while apart of the venture there.
In the year of 2001 Stella McCartney launched her own fashion house, with the help of the Gucci Group and showed her first collection in Paris in October later that year. One thing I greatly admire is that she does not use any leather or fur in any of her collections. She has a strong eco- friendly design aesthetic that promotes caring for the wildlife and making fashion “green.” She has a particular capsule line which caters for organics. A seasonal collection which is a special project with all the materials alternatively sourced and keeping her designs and new ideas true to what she believes in. Her collections include women’s ready-to-wear, accessories, lingerie, eyewear, fragrance and organic skincare.
With operations of 16 worldwide stores including flagship boutiques, her collections are now distributed in over 50 countries through 600 wholesale accounts including specialty shops and departments stores.
Stella McCartney isn’t just a Fashion Designer, or daughter of famous musician Paul McCartney, she’s an activist to learn from. After reading Stella's helpful tips from her website, I too want to help in any way I can...

Here are a few other recent eco-friendly designers i researched who i think are doing a great deal when it comes to helping our planet! Its never too late to start..

- Fleur Wood, Bassike, Kate Sylvester, Skin and Threads, Standard Issue.

The newley launched website, howbigisyoureco.com.au has answers and plenty more for those of you who are keen to find out about the green fashion scene!

Vogue, Vogue, Vogue... Oh how you've grown..

Design and technology has come a long way!

Times have definately changed! Look at these photos of the First ever Vogue Fashion Magazine.. born December 17th, 1892.

More recent publications of Australian and British Vogue Magazines..

I scream for Icecream!

Is this not the coolest thing ever! I came across this icecream truck on Cupcake and Cashmere's blog the other night... wish we had one of these here in Australia!

Lauren Nichole

I would like to introduce, Lauren Nichole!

She’s 22 and works full time so she can afford to splurge on some nice things. Lauren is also studying design to help reach her long awaited goal of designing Shoes and Accessories ( what girl wouldnt love to make her own heels or boots lets not forget handbags!!) Her weekday consists of working 9am - 5pm in Advertising/ PR in the glorious house of Net-A-Porter where they have a little more of a smart casual dress code and being creative with your outfits is the done thing.

At nights she goes to the gym straight after work or catches up with friends over a couple of glasses of wine and some nice food. She attends a bookclub once a month and she lives with her boyfriend Brent in a townhouse on an amazing street where the trees along the side walks are amazingly tall and leafy most of the year. Antique lamps line the windy streets around their suburb and make walking their dog Coco a treat.

On the weekends Lauren spends Saturday either shopping/researching/catching up on her study then heading out with the girls for cocktails and some dancing. Sunday is reserved for quality time with the BF, Brunch at the local cafe and watching the football/a movie then reading on the front porch swing at dusk before tea.

She is a frequent subscriber of a few magazines, namely Vogue and Harpers Bazaar and loves planing trips overseas or a getaway in the countryside.

Inspiration

20-year-old Daniella Caputi of Perth, Curtin Gratuate, up and coming designer and lets not forget a great friend of mine has the world at her feet. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Fashion and Textiles) from Curtin University, and has recieved an award for Fashion Technology. Her collection which was shown at LMFF "1:26 inside out" wows the fashion world with her gothic inspired pieces using lazer cutting and explores the technique of line drawing which has influenced her designs strongly.

On March 26th, i interviewed Daniella, to find out more about her new collection debuting at this years StyleAID event and to "pick at her brain" in a sense to understand whats going on in a designers mind...

What would you say are your favourite ideas and techniques you’ve used so far?
Ideas that are inspired by artists and designers both exploring parallel practices in architecture and fashion - the idea of the inside out - architectonic space - and exploring this through techniques such as laser cutting, use of balsa wood - and experimenting with different weights in fabrics...

Describe to us how the process of how designing a collection comes about. What hours/time frame do you use?
The process ... there’s a lot of emphasis on shape and manipulation through patterns and drawing - then draping and experimenting with design and shape.

How did you find LMFF this year? Any pointers/likes/dislikes you can share with us?
LMFF was really exciting - the show came together really smoothly - we communicated with the stylists what we wanted in terms of music, styling etc, and then they took it from there - it was great to finally watch the show and see how the collection came together when showcased...

You’re debuting your collection at Style Aid this year, what were your inspirations for this collection?
The inspiration comes from the last collection - and is an extension and development of the ideas, but also creating new forms and shapes within garment.

Do you have any tips for admiring designers out there?
Be inspired by everything around you - keep creating and be concept driven!

- Daniella Caputi.

Interviewed March 26th 2010

photos sourced from http://dustindesouza.com/dc.html

In Love...

With the days hopefully getting cooler as we head into Autumn and Winter ( im obsessed with Winter! The season, the clothing, the layers, the fabulous boots, (i just purchased a new pair and its still so hot outside) scarves, jackets, coats, throws and of course sitting in watching a great film while drinking Chai and baking every kind of mouth watering recipe from one of my most favourite aspiring chefs, Tessa Kiros) i came across this fabulous photo from my sisters blog http://trialsandtribulationsofacitygirl.wordpress.com/ which i believe is captured backstage at a Burbury show. We can definately still wear our summer favourites and bring them straight into winter with just one accessory... effortless chic.

Reinvent Yourself

Its time to start gathering up any old pieces of clothing your willing to throw away and reinvent your style with some good old fashion recycling!
Its so simple and effective! Once your finished adding a few new aspects to your once old granny look skirt your left with a beautiful new creation, a one-off garment that no one else has and the best thing... its PRICELESS!

Natalie and I started off with two articles of clothing, an old sail boat printed sunray pleated skirt and a black and white chiffon top. We ended up with a beautiful strapless baby doll shift and a bolero jacket.

Check out our photos to see how the process went!
1. The skirt and the top.

2. Our skirt reinvented as a dress. Strapless with drawstring panels both at the back and front under the bust with roloux strings made from the extra blouse material. Ties up on the sides.

3. Using the left over material from the cut hem we made a casing for the rouloux strings to reshape the dress.

4. Here we gathered up (using the sunray pleats as the feature) a long strip wide enough to fit the centre front of the bust area and then attached a piece of red fabric to the centre. If only we found some buttons with anchors on them: P we would’ve sewn them on too!

5. With our top, all we did was cut the sleeves shorter and up the centre front, also cutting the length to make it a short very cute bolero jacket.. The stripes work well with our theme of sailing!

So here they are...the finished products of a three hour pressure test of reinventing something great into something fantastic!

Thanks to Kim for modelling :)

Trend Spotting

So heres my first post! Trends to start watching and trends to start walking for 2010...

Pay close attention to…

Embellished: Burbury Prorsum, Givenchy and Lanvin have it down. Team ornate crystal tops with skinny pants or layer embellished clothing with piles of crystal jewels. A plain tee also looks amazing with a heavy metallic encrusted neckpiece.

Digital Prints: With the recent passing of one Alexander the Great, it only seems right to announce him. Alexander McQueen’s reptilian prints are gloriously graphic with loads of colour, the work of a genius. Vibrant prints work best on simple clean cut shapes; look for simple shift and sleek tops. Keep hair and makeup minimal, and be brave! Mix it up, there are no rules.

Bright Whites: Calvin Klein and Stella McCartney have shown that crisp whites can be spring/summers ultimate palette cleanser using a more tailored look for their 2010 collections while Fendi and Sass and Bide show pure brilliance and soft silhouettes. Layer sheer whites for a more subtle look and add neutral tones for accessories.

Athletic: Sport gets sexy, intense colour-ways and eye-catching panelling; you’ll want to adopt this look for summer. Cover-up with a luxurious hoodie in a silk or cashmere, complete the look with canvas athletic style shoes. Check out Balenciaga, Josh Goot, BCBG Max Azria and Alexander Wang’s recent collection they know what they talking about.

Sheer: One of spring/summer 2010 prettiest most romantic trends is the sheer peek-a-boo pieces. Flowing chiffons and superfine knits combine a perfect way to pull of the look. Make sure you layer chiffons and organza’s to avoid a real see-through look, invest in nude slips and make sure skin is buffed and super soft. Have a look at Ralph Laurens translucent layers of white not to forget the brilliance of Narciso Rodriguez.

Pastels: Sweet like ice cream palettes and coll citrus tones give floaty layers a sexy edge. Christopher Kane is clever and great inspiration for this trend, also check out Valentino and Louise Goldin for a beautiful manipulation of fabrics and shapes. Wear this trend with a boyish belt or tough heels, stick to modern and simple.

Underwear: Lingerie inspired super feminine styles with lace corsetry using satins and pretty lace detailing, Underwear worn as outwear has finally become acceptable. Pair retro corsets with cardigans and tailored pants, or incorporate small detail like a lace slip peaking out from under a skirt hem. Make sure you look at this season runway shows from Bottega Veneta, and Preen for a classier take on this hot trend.

Military/Khaki/Utility: Recent collections from Jean Paul Gualtier and Marc Jacobs, show a fun take on this trend, using khaki neutrals with elegant tailored styling. Balmain is a favourite of mine giving Utility a rock-star edge with embellished shoulders and distressed detailing. This trend can be glamorous simply add embellishments and try using the uniform look for evening with military jackets in softer fabrics.

Future Warrior: Focusing on the ancient world as its focus and centre of the trend, looking at Ancient Egypt and Rome, this trend is hard not to like. Modernise historical elements with futuristic twists such as Metal Plating, Tunics, Chain detailing and tribal inspired motifs. Mix ultra feminine with tough warrior eg: soft flowing fabrics with sharp metal or studded finishes. Most importantly wear this trend with confidence, be creative and wear with conviction!

Start to rethink… Fringed clothing, Asymmetrical lines, Grecian braiding, Fairytale Romance, The Bandage dress, Fur, Retro denim, the knee high gladiator sandal, retro jumpsuits and fake tan!

Picture from http://www.garancedore.fr/en/