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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.

Our Australian version of the "UK Catwalk to Checkout" chart is topped by fashion favourite Sportsgirl, followed by Zara (soon to hit Australian shores) and newcomer MNG. Bottom of the list are Supre, Esprit and Gap who need to go back to the drawing board on cut and quality.

Just walk past the windows of your favourite stores, and it is clearly noticeable when a brand has worked closely with catwalk looks and chosen the correct designs to suit their brand.

The nine "must-have" looks that no store can be without for this Autumn are
- Block colour inspired by eighties pop
- Wide belts and corsets drawing attention to the waist
- Hitech details such as the sci-fi heels seen in the Balenciaga shows
- Minimalist looks in luxurious fabrics
- The 40's inspired "starlet" looks
- Modern boho- combining hippie trends with high tech themes
- The new "embellishment" style using ruching, quilting or feathers
- The dress up look of full length dresses
(Source : Retail consultancy Piper Jaffray 2007)

Sportsgirl has been leading the pack over the last three years taking up and coming designers and having them create "Exclusive collections for Sportsgirl". Other brands have hired these talented designers inhouse, while others have crudely ripped them off. The smart retailers get as close as possible to the originals while changing enough details to keep copyright lawyers at bay.

Head down to your local Westifelds and check out for yourself who is really delivering speed chic fashion to your wardrobe this season!

Must have Checklist!

- Metallics
- Fitted Waistcoats
- Military detail
- Jewel embellishments
- Funnel Neck Coats
- High waisted Trousers
- Bell Sleeves
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QOTAU (Queens of the Amazon Underworld)

The one thing constant about fashion is change, and up and coming Bondi based Designer Mary Paul is leading with way with the hottest jackets and knickerbockers this season. I caught up with Mary Paul to interview her about her latest collection


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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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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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Motorola Melbourne Spring Fashion Week

September 10th 2007 02:47
Motorola Melbourne Spring Fashion Week
Motorola Melbourne Spring Fashion Week



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We have all seen the power of the stylist. Before we knew it, Hollywood stylist Rachel Zoe had Lindsay Lohan, Nicole Ritchie and Jessica Simpson all sporting drapey gowns over wispy thin bodies. One journalist touts that its only since Celebrities and Designers realised that revenue could be bought in from red carpet photographs, that the Stylist has forged a position in society on par to a Publicist and Celebrity Manager. They are THE ultimate accessory and Celebrities today dont leave home without them.

A new super power has emerged with the baby boom among CEO's, Supermodels and Hollywood's A-List - having on call one's very own Parisian Baby Stylist. I had the pleasure of catching up with the name in every starlets Little Black Book - Laetitia Lerouge


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A Strange, New World of Accessories

September 9th 2007 07:07
I don't know when it happened, but the humble accessory, once an interesting pair of earrings, has morphed into strange objects of vogue. I blame this on the co-habitation of the Consumer Culture and the Technological Age. Their love child is Consume-Tech, the dirty beast that requires people to have things, not out of interest or appreciation, but because everyone else has it. You know when someone says, "I'm going to the shops. Would you like anything?", and you feel the urge to make a request, but you can't actually imagine an object in your mind? That is a symptom of the cultural atmosphere of today: you simply must have something, anything at all.

One object that people feel the need to update update UPDATE is the mobile phone. Apparently, for one to be stylish, one must purchase an updated version of these gadgets every two months. I am therefore a total dag, as you can't even get a new battery for my phone and it was only released two years ago. Today's phones hold a microcosm of your world: your address book, your camera, your photo gallery, your video camera and associated home movies, your mp3 player, a radio, navigator systems, mirrors and they may even make phone calls too. It can't be singularly planed either - it has to flip, slide or rotate. Call me Aunty Mable, but I just don't get why something that is hidden most of the time is considered more desirable than a pair of Christian Louboutin's


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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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Confessions of the cloth

August 27th 2007 13:02
How long did it take you to get dressed today? I had planned what to wear today well in advance of tucking myself into bed last night. Of course, nothing ever goes to plan. I had chosen a Kinki Gerlinki tent dress with puff sleeves, made of alternating thin stripes of red and blue wool. It has Impressionist style tapestry flowers over it. Oh man, I love it. I usually wear it with a black cardigan, as the dress is enough on its own, but today I was just not content with said cardigan. I then spent the next half an hour trying to figure out what to cover my arms and their goosebumps with (I eventually settled for a black fitted spencer underneath). Trying to sleep through the wardrobe bangs and groans of despair, my boyfriend was witness to my little "episode". He was also witness to a much more panicked, and altogether (with the benefit of hindsight, of course) pathetic case of 'I have nothing to wear' a week earlier. This one lasted an hour, and as a result, I was late to university. Yes, readers, I was freaking out about what to wear to university.

When I admitted to a friend the shames of my shallow life, she confided that she too has days where she feels so uncomfortable she wants to "get off the train and go home". Her self-conscientiousness is also a result of the perils of attending a city university (but to be fair, she goes to a university dedicated to art theory, history and practice


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Black pinafores a-go-go

May 17th 2007 05:59
For any young style monger the contradictions that are Sydney weather in May produce a host of difficulties and the only solution is layering. And the best kind of layering? Why the black pinafore dress of course!
I can hear some of you screaming, but Alice, didn't you say yesterday that ubiquity is death? Here comes the important distinction between an overdone trend and classical elegance. Trench coats, high leather boots, large (but not too large) sunglasses and black pinafores all have something in common, even if every second person on the street is wearing them, each item has sufficient flexibility to be adapted by the wearer. Audrey and Marilyn had entirely different body shapes but each worked the elegance factor in their dress styles.
The black pinafore can work for everyone, depending on the cut, obviously. So if you don't have one it's time to invest, they can be worn over long sleeved tops or under man-style jumpers for day, with bold jewelery and heels at night, over skinny jeans if you like that sort of thing and in just about any weather Sydney wants to throw at you in May
Classic not boring
. You won't regret it. Trust me.
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