Clown Scarf

Blessed are the Meek Jacket, Salasai scarf, Handmade skirt, Siren shoes

Summer Dreaming

This is a shoot I styled for Lucire Magazine. It's finally up online! Check it out at http://www.lucire.com/ Thanks to all the team for such a wonderful day and all that hard work, and thank you Ruby for allowing us to work with you. You are truly beautiful!

Swimsuit by Jets, necklace by Make Believe, stylist’s own taffeta headpiece, tri gold cuffs and flower ring.

Swimsuit by Jets, dress and leggings by Ruby Boutique, shoes by Mi Piaci

Swimsuit by Jets, dress and leggings by Ruby Boutique.

Insight one-shouldered swimsuit, drape by Waughs, belt by Mogil at Ruby Boutique.

Insight one-piece swimsuit, shorts by Ruby Boutique, watches by Triwa and stylist’s own vintage Seiko watch.

Photography Douglas Rimington http://www.detunephotography.com/
Styling Bron Williams
Hair Rebecca Button http://www.haightashbury.co.nz/
Make-up Lizi Castro
Model Ruby
Location Sanctum Apartments, Wellington
Special thanks to Splash Swimwear http://www.splashswimwear.co.nz/ and Good as Gold http://www.goodasgold.co.nz/
All shoes by Mi Piaci

Currently Channeling...

John Galliano Fall 2009

Genius

Egypt and Junk Food

From theosophical musings to clever wearable junk food, Wellington based jeweller Daniel Nagels is getting us all excited with his creations. He is laser cutting perspex and wood, and casting cheeky treats in solid silver. Though Nagels has gone international, now stocking in London as well as Good as Gold in Wellington and via his website, he will still remain exclusive as his production ranges are so small. We hear he may be casting his Egyptian laser cuts in solid silver soon. Get in now while you can. www.danielnagels.com

Predicting the future - what will you wear?

Last week, Jack (director of Lucire) and I were asked to judge and mark the presentations by Massey University's 2009 fashion students predicting trends for 2010/11. Their presentations were intelligent and thought-provoking. It was clear that they had researched widely, not just on worldwide clothing trends, but on politics, technology developments and the global economy. While nobody can ever forecast the exact trends that will be picked up in the future, theirs were calculated guesstimates, and were very much in line with my ideas and predictions for the next couple of years.

While some students communicated their trend predictions better than others, the gist of it was this:

What we will be seeing in 2010/11 in catwalk trends, and in 2012 in street trends will emerge as refined versions of the trends we are seeing today. Just as 2008's grunge/rocker look developed into the glunge/slasher trend that we see in 2009 at Rodarte and Dion Lee, styles will not change dramatically, but will come forth as sophisticated developments from existing styles.

Rodarte Spring 2009

The current resurgence of the 1980’s luxe rocker, with leather, rips and studs will develop into a trend of lady-killing opulence for 2011. Alexander Wang could be credited with spurring this trend in his Fall 2007 collection. After Wang, every designer worth their salt began sending leather pants down the runway. It took a while to filter down, but now both leather and pleather trousers are available on the high street. 2011 will give us a more gentlemanly approach to this trend – think Gucci’s look in A/W 08 channelling Keith Richards and Jimi Hendrix, or Rhys Ifan’s character Gavin in The Boat That Rocked. Whereas now we are just beginning to feel velvet again, 2011 will bring it to us in a big way – expect to see it worming its way into menswear as well. Military and matador jackets will be rootled out of dusty cupboards, in fact anything with embellishment will be crazed over. 2011 will give you leather boots that jangle and fabrics that glisten.

Alexander Wang Fall 2007


Gucci Fall 2008


The Boat That Rocked

There is a certain degree of contradiction in many trends we are seeing today – particularly noticeable at Australian Fashion week for S/S 09/10, where loose flowing fabrics were roped in with heavy leather belts, and feminine florals were balanced out with heavy heels and patent footwear that screamed dominating sex. 2011 looks like it will be a concoction consisting of all things girly, garnished with a dash of intelligent punk in this contradictory trend. The fetish feel of the future will be a lot more subtle than today’s standard, morphing from our current dominatrix undertone to a loftier “I’m sexy but tough - don’t mess with me” attitude for 2011. See Balmain Spring 2009 for a peek in on the new look.

Bec and Bridge at Australian Fashion Week S/S 09/10

Balmain Spring 2009

With the hullabaloo the world is making about the dire straits our planet is in, it is no wonder fashion is developing a conscience. We are already seeing a rise of the eco-trend, with organic cottons, bamboo and other sustainable fabrics being more widely used. 2011 will see an explosion of this trend, with the development of sustainable fabrics and a refinement in the design of eco clothing. This new movement is all for earth’s preservation, and it is important for us to show others how much we care. We are going back to our grass roots and competing to be more eco friendly than our neighbour. Back in our grass roots the colour scheme comprises of browns, creams and hints of nature’s sky blue. Deep forest green and the greys of the storm clouds also feature. Fabrics are loose and sustainable in organic cottons, linen, re-used rubber, and plastics. The look is bookish and intellectual; the character is a traveller of the world, and stems from Burberry’s spring 09 and Marni’s resort 2010 collections.

Marni Resort 2010

Burberry Spring 2009

These trends are merely a forecast and a framework for what is to come in the seasons ahead. Not all catwalk looks make it onto the main street, certain designers are always going to throw something at us that is left-of-field, and there will always be erratic micro-trends at street level to surprise and inspire us. Let this be a guide but not a restriction to the adventurous directions in which your wardrobe can go.

Images from style.com

Currently Channeling - Matador

Bored of your winter drabs? Amp up your adornments to bullfighting proportions with heavy metal detailing and brocade.

Images (in order) Bbc, Afp/Getty, Jalouse mag, GQ Italia, Vogue, RackandRuin

Fashion Crash Test Dummy - The Pleather Effect

Erin Wasson in leather trou

Generally summing up images of Kiss and other eighties rockers, leather trousers are a look that I didn’t think would come back anytime soon. So naturally I was surprised when Erin Wasson, model-of-the-moment and just-about-everybody’s-style-inspiration was seen at an event sporting a pair.

Inevitably the rage for leather filtered through to the masses, with the leather often being replaced for pleather by those who can’t afford it. Having been a child in the eighties I never got the chance to try this trend the last time round, so I was determined not to let it pass me by this time. I scoured vintage shops and Trademe hunting for real leather pair, but gave up my hunt when I spotted a pleather version in a boutique in Sydney. They were in the habit of slipping down my bum a bit but they would do.

The item of interest sat in my drawer for almost two weeks before I found a suitable occasion to wear them. It was a casual dinner with friends who accept my sometimes strange attire, eating Japanese. And then the friend’s beaus turned up, and it wasn’t so intimate or casual. That was about when my pants ripped. In the crotch, as I attempted my first acrobatic act in them - of sitting down. I decided then that pleather pants were either the sort of trousers that one never sits down in; only stands all night looking cute in the bar, or this particular pair was just made very badly. Giving them the benefit of the doubt I suspected the latter. I told no-one about my breezy crotch, just wrapped my check shirt around my waist and finished my meal. I went home early that night.

The next day I shut myself in my room with the sewing machine and re-enforced every seam. I then added belt loops to help the pants stay up, and finally hemmed them up to fit with the current ankle length trouser trend. That night with renewed confidence I tried again. Going for the original Erin Wasson look I wore gladiator heels, a loose worn T and piles of heavy jewellery. This time my shiny pants were much better behaved and attitudes towards them ranged from exuberant back slapping and envious cooing, to sheer horror. Interestingly enough it was mainly men that hated the PVC.

After a bit of playing dress-ups, I realised that while being slightly clammy to wear for too long, these trousers are surprisingly versatile. Throwing on a casual T and some knitwear and flats with them one day works just as well as flouncing them up a bit with a ruffled blouse, a sassy tailored jacket and some strappy heels. Providing you steer away from the head to toe bogan rocker look and keep a feminine aspect to your outfit at all times, you’ll be well on your way to pleather success. Remember, plastic makes perfect.

Military Trend, Berlin

I'm aware that I need to dedicate a post to exciting menswear, as I have been collecting great inspiration and images for some time now. I couldn't wait to put this one up though, I am mildly obsessed with military jackets at the moment, and they are so much less tacky on men.

So boys, rootle about in the second hand shop, scour trademe, or joing the Salvation Army brass band just to get your hands on one of these jackets. Wear them as you would your leather bomber - with jeans, T's, and knitwear. A pair of rocking boots wouldn't go amiss either.

Image from Fashioning

William Street - the ultimate destination

In the suburb of Paddington, Sydney, is a quiet narrow street crammed with tired old two storey houses. But this isn't a tired street. This is William street, and hiding in these old houses is some of the most exciting shopping Sydney has to offer. These tightly packed together boutiques display the best of Australian clothing brands, jewellers, shoe makers and vintage clothing stores. The quality and beauty of the fashion in these shops is overwhelming. Down towards the end of William street positioned on the corner beneath a grand old tree, a local deli bustles with life, the locals all desperate for their coffee and enjoying the Saturday morning sunshine. This is a street where clearly everyone knows each other - children and dogs dance over one another on the pavement outside while sleek fashionistas nibble sweet treats and look on. Shop owners dart between each others' stores with gossip, samples of their wares and smiles. Conversations are held from across the tiny busy street.

Tatjana Vaune Salon

Amongst all this, the small but luxurious salon of Tatjana Vaune sits. Everything in this salon is elegant, from the smiling welcome, the flowers on the bench tops, to the whitewashed floors and chic antique furniture.

The salon's main service is hair, but a masseuse, a beautician and a nail technician are also available to look after you. Tatjanas' care for her clients is clear to see, she staunchly uses all organic products that do not damage the hair in ways that most commercial chemical based products do. Today I am lucky enough to experience the salon's amazing hospitality first hand, I am having a cut by the talented Sepher.

I'm lead up a narrow stairway into a basin room at the top of the house where my hair is washed. Sun streams in through the wide open window, and a stunning view of the tangling garden in full bloom adds to my immense feeling of calm and relaxation. My head massage is sensational and I nearly nod off to bliss land.

Downstairs, my hair is cut artfully and fashionably, and styled with a beautiful smelling organic pomade featuring lemongrass essential oils. I want to take some home with me. Sepher desperately wants to colour my hair in the new "re-growth look" trend, with darker roots and light caramel ends. I'm desperately tempted to try out the organic hair dyes, but I sadly have to rush for my plane. I leave forty minutes later feeling refreshed and pampered.

For the ultimate indulgent mini escape, Tatjana Vaune is a special serving of luxury tucked away in a street well worth discovering.

Tatjana Vaune Salon

34 William st, Paddington, Sydney

+61 02 9380 8183

http://www.tatjanavaune.com.au/

William Street image thanks to Rachel E

Subscribe to the movement

Like the rebirth of the slow food movement, there has been a global shift in attitudes towards the craftsmanship of lovingly, slowly produced quality clothing items.

Enter Andrew McDonald, representative of the slow shoe movement on the Australasian front, crafter of fine footwear.

Based in William Street in Sydney, McDonald and his small skilled team produce a range of Ready To Wear footwear each year, allowing you to buy directly from their Paddington store or online. Their fame however comes from their made to order service, measuring your foot and working with you to create a shoe that fits you and your sense of style perfectly. With each pair taking up to 40 hours to make, these are the sort of shoes that will last a lifetime.

And not to worry, having designed shoes for Akira Isogawa and Pigs In Space, McDonald is very good at keeping up with current trends.

For more info visit www.andrewmcdonald.com.au. Portrait by Bob Barker

Spotted at Fashion Week...Yours Truly

Snapped by StyleSightings, I am noted as one of Mr Newton's muses. For more pics and story see http://www.stylesightings.com/index.php/2009/05/12/kanga-bangas/

Know what to buy before everyone else does

My first little article went up on the Mix It Up magazine website, a trend report from Fashion Week:

http://www.mixitup.co.nz/v2_thenews_3.php?task=news

The Week That Was...The Best of Thursday and Friday

Best dressed designer of the week - Gail Sorronda. Captured by The Sartorialist

Romance Was Born for best sets and outfits

Romance Was Born - the octopus

Best Makeup - The Cassette Society for disco eyebrows

Best hair at Sara Phillips

Best shoe - Romance Was Born takes title again with their shell adorned footwear

Best displays of idiocy - Bron and Caroline in the Rosemount Wine Bar

Catwalk photographs thanks to Getty Images