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Ode to an Italian Dress

October 1st 2007 01:52
DOlce and Gabbana Summer 08 PAINTED BLACK DRESS
All images from http://eng.dolcegabbana.it


Flamboyant and theatrical, Dolce and Gabbana’s Summer 2008 collection is indeed replete with works of art. From the hand-painted fabrics, the obsession with intricate embellishments and details to the matte velvet lips, D & G invoke a Keats-ian realm - instead of a Grecian urn, this is my ode to an Italian dress.

Dolce and Gabbana Summer 08 grey dress
Delicate but commanding.


In nearly each of the ensembles that traversed the runway the accessories near clashed with the colour and the style of dress. But instead of conflicting, the juxtaposition enriched the overall vision, the brocade on this bag is entirely different in tone, texture and connotation to the delicate silk and painted flowers on this geisha-like dress but through the symbiotic contrast a fascination arises.

Dolce and Gabbana Summer 08 lady in grey dress
Beauty through contrast


Again with this dress the fabric is delicate, the cut lady-like but the size and genre of the bag, the suggestion of gentlemen in the shoes balance the style and save it from being too feminine or frivolous.

Dolce and Gabbana Summer 08 lily donaldson
Never has dainty Lily looked so spectacular


But the real highlight of the show were these spectacular gowns for the finale which really conjure notions of walking art. Their sheer scale and massive meter-age of fabric are not simply opulent but create beauty of the kind to which haute couture should aspire.

dolce and Gabbana Summer 08 purple and yellow painted dress
The grandest of finales


For some action shots see Style.com, the video of the collection is certainly worth a look (despite the occasional vapidity of the interviews). I also highly recommend Dolce and Gabbana's website, which reflects the attention to detail in their garments
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Autumn Trends

September 26th 2007 16:33
Its the holy grail for every high street fashion chain boss - take the cream of the best catwalk designs from London, Paris, Milan and New York and turn them into speed chic, affordable fashion that flies off the shelves.

In the golden years of Haute Couture (1947-1957) Dior, Fath and Balenciaga had a one month publication ban on all images of their runway, as the exclusive sale of one calico toille to a Ready to Wear house was often enough to fund the beginnings of their next collection; Those caught sketching in public faced public prosecution. Today copying is rife, and it seems that not an Australian Fashion Week goes by without another young designer being accused by the media of copying


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Queens of Bling

September 15th 2007 15:17
Designing a crown fit for a Queen is no simple feat but Jewellery Designers Ana and Contessa Nicolaou of Tessarella House have become quite the experts since being announced as the Exclusive Designers for Miss World Australia two years ago.

Miss World, tiara, Tessarella House
Miss World Australia 2006 wears Tessarella House

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Tristan Blair - What Else!

September 11th 2007 17:56
It's fair to say after trawling boutique after fabulous boutique in this beautiful city, there is noone aside from Massarro of course, who quite puts the same shine on a pair of shoes than Australian Designer Tristan Blair.

He is elusive, demure and completely humble about his creativity. I once attempted to help him source a shoe manufacturer in Brazil. He had become great friends with a man and his chicken in Bali and was loathe to change. Given my experiences in working with Brazilian timeframes I can understand why. Nothing quite happens fast enough in that country. Needless to say in a Summer that sports cotton candy and casual style you cant go past his new collection "Wonderful Armour


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Penthouse Mouse - Pop-up Retail

September 11th 2007 02:43
Penthouse Mouse Limedrop Clothing
All 3 Dimensions - Limedrop clothing - image from penthousemouse.com


Purely for the duration of MMSFW, a team of youngsters created a new concept; pop-up retail. Titled Penthouse Mouse, a group of sweet young things tidied up an abandoned warehouse tucked away amongst Melbourne's Chinatown in Market Lane (opposite the infamous Flower Drum restaurant).

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He may not have won the International Hat Designer of the Year 2007 competition but this is one Finalist whose pure talent already rates number 1 in his own country.

Steve Harrison is a Brisbane based milliner who only began his craft last year. He was announced a top finalist in the International Hat Designer of the Year 2007 - a prestigous international competition being held in the world's fashion capital of Paris. 47 year old, Steve Harrison has been recognised for his three extraordinary millinery entries all aptly entitled, Fashion Burqa, Question Mark Cocktail Hat and Japan - Then and Now. These creations have been showcased in an installation at the world's most exclusive accesories trade show - Premiere in Paris. An event that attracts more than 45,000 visitors from all over the world


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Melbourne Cup Carnival Fever 2008

September 10th 2007 15:35
Whilst Sydney's spring carnival racing may have been bought to a standstill, the Stylist whose Celebrity was voted one 1 of 9 best dressed at the Melbourne Cup, this very blogger shares her tips as she prepares the 2008 VRC Ambassadors wardrobes for this years Melbourne Cup Racing Carnival...

What’s In


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Who's Hot for Summer 2008

September 7th 2007 16:15
Who's Hot for Summer 08

Forget the unwearable items you see strutting down some fashion runways, european fashion speaks to the sillhouette and moves us back to the real aim of fashion - expressing ourselves AND flattering our body shape


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Saturday Powerhouse (Part 1)

August 20th 2007 01:45
Sydney Design Festival 07 Logo
Sydney Design Festival '07 - image from sydneydesign.com.au


Fresh from an early morning breakfast, the family and I headed to the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney on Saturday morning last. As well as having a Special FX exhibit to keep the rest of them occupied, the Young Blood Designers Market was on and the Fashion from Fleece exhibit featured as part of Sydney Design 07.

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J'adore Dior

July 20th 2007 08:20
I realise I’m running a little behind the couture shows but I am grasping the moment because, as the title indicates, my infatuation with Dior continues, exacerbated by Galliano’s recent designs for their couture show.

Couture is the aesthetic height of the fashion industry epitomising Oscar Wilde’s motto: “art for art’s sake”. Certainly some of the dresses are sold but couture is a millstone round the ankle of fashion houses as far as profit is concerned. The hours and effort spend to make each dress are Herculean, the expense of fabric and beading utterly Olympian (as in the Mount not the games


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In this rainy wintry weather looking at Junya Watanabe’s men’s collection in Milan I was reminiscing about college. For those of you unfamiliar with the Canberra education system, years 11 and 12 at public schools are called colleges, are located on their own grounds, have no uniforms and the teachers are called by their first names. There’s no HSC, assessment is close to the university system and generally they’re far nicer places to be. Anyway when I was at college the boys used to dress like this, themselves nostalgic for some sort of 80s punky/motorcycle rider style.

Junya watanabe chequered pants
From Vogue.co.uk

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VivienneWestwood.com
From Viviennewestwood.com


After visiting the Victoria and Albert exhibition which travelled to the National Gallery in Canberra a few years ago, I’ve been obsessed with Vivienne Westwood. It’s not just that she’s sixty and has a beautiful thirty-year-old Italian lover, although that does impress me, and it’s not just that she’s been an inspiration for generations of fashionistas, mostly it’s because for Westwood, fashion is thought


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One of the most striking models of the contemporary brat pack is Jessica Stam, a statuesque Canadian who has the kind of natural physique required for catwalk shows. She is indeed long and slender but there is nothing painful about the proportions of her legs or the position of her clavicle. My general rule is that if the knee is wider than the thigh there’s a problem but Stam is in proportion as you can see from the Stella McCartney show.

Jessica Stam in McCartney
From Style.com

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I love Marc Jacobs

May 21st 2007 00:22
What I really wish I had right now is the entire Marc Jacobs Fall 2007 Ready to Wear Collection. So rarely do I view a collection and consider that not only would I wear just about every piece therein but would look exquisite, savvy and elegant in the process. This collection is a sort of blend of Gatsby-esque 20s chic and slender 70s day-wear. Jacobs manages to create a collection so rich in detail and pleasurable in palate that I just want to eat it all up.

Blue-grey coat
From Style.com

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