fashion - Frock Paper Scissors

3
create the future
Imagine a place where individual
creativity is encouraged across
boundaries, where you can collaborate
with like-minded spirits on projects and
works across design, performance,
production and writing.
QUT Creative Industries is such a
place, offering courses and research
opportunities within a creative
community.
A unique range of study areas includes
creative writing through to film and
television, technical production through
to fashion, and dance and music
through to visual arts.
And in offering Queensland’s only
bachelor degree in Fashion, QUT is
leading the way in preparing graduates
for leading roles in the burgeoning
fashion industry.
Create the future with us.
More information
Queensland University of Technology Musk Avenue Kelvin Grove Qld 4059 qut.com
2
CI-08-266 CRICOS no. 00213J
Phone (07) 3138 8114, email
[email protected], or
visit creativeindustries.qut.edu.au
contributors
e
Editor Peta Rake
Deputy Editor Sofie Lahtinen
Online Editor Lauren Burvill
d
Assistant online Editor Kelly Hawke
Layout Editors Ryan DeVeau, Jessica O’Farrell
ONLINE REPORTS Miann Scanlan
Chief Sub-Editor Linsey Rendell
PR Manager Nadia Walker
Features Editor Jorja Orreal
PR AssistantS Prue Cottee, Michelle Lister
Assistant Features Editor Shannon Powell
PR Team Ashleigh Beddoes, Ashleigh de Groot, Marissa
Reynolds
Fashion Editor Alice Leahey
Women’s Assistant Fashion EditorS
Kristin Siemon, Robyn Taggart
Distribution Ashleigh de Groot
Chronicler Jennifer Wildman
Myspace Hannah Lipman
h
Stylists Annika Hein, Anne Lucas, Carmen Spencer,
Cassandra Taylor
Assistant Stylists Kate Joyce, Meggan Walker
Men’s Fashion STYLSTS Tenille Alexander, Lauren
Clarke, Thomas Williams
Sub-Editing Team Courtney Duncan, Brylee Cleeland,
Anthea Quay, Amanda Saville, Keryn Wilson
Managing EditorS
Kay McMahon, Marie-Christine Sourris
THANKS TO
Robert Hayselden, Alana Rostron, TomBash10 (Bashkim
Isai, Dane Tennant, Georgia Thompson), Stephanie
Graham, Jo Turner, Reb Brammer, Penylane.com
Arts Editor Isabel Leeds
Food and Dining Editor Remy Duscher
Lifestyle Editor Krystle Hoffman
MEN’S Beauty Luke Graham
Layout Team Laura Colley, Stephanie Hudson,
Jessica Laird, Cherie Walker
Photographers Krystal Lasheras, Catherine McIntyre,
Amanda Saville
Photo Editors Jacqueline Anderson, Carmen Spencer,
Kristin Siemon
CI-08-266 CRICOS no. 00213J
Illustrators Kasey Brooker, Blythe Buchanan,
Rebecca Delaurence, Luke Graham, Cassandra Taylor,
Cherie Walker
MAGAZINE Contributors Tenille Alexander, Lauren
Burvill, Brylee Clelland, Ella Cole, Rebecca Delaurence,
Courtney Duncan, Remy Duscher, Krystal Hoffman, Kate
Joyce, Rebecca Kirchner, Sofie Lahtinen, Hannah Lipman,
Nadia Morgan, Krystal Ockerby, Jorja Orreal, Shannon
Powell, Katia Ramos, Linsey Rendell, Robyn Taggart,
Meggan Walker, Keryn Wilson
PHOTOGRAPHY Penylane.com, Akira Spring/Summer 2008
om
online CONTRIBUTORS Jacqueline Anderson, Kasey
Brooker, Sheng Chen, Zoe Clarke, Laura Colley, Prue
Cottee, Maria Ermides, Vanessa Fang, Zachery Fletcher,
Annika Hein, Stephanie Hudson, Jessica Laird, Krystal
Lasheras, Hannah Lipman, Michelle Lister, Anne Lucas,
Nadia Morgan, Carla Parr, Anthea Quay, Amanda Saville,
Miann Scanlan, Lina Skadins, Danielle Trewin, Meggan
Walker, Alexandria Wittke, Tina Wu
3
Editor’s Letter
Fashion has a reflective quality.
It manages to mirror others’ ideas, whilst simultaneously revealing our own.
As creatives, we know that fashion is a valuable reflection of people’s ideas of self: both
that of the individual and of greater collectives.
The combination of these ideas in relation to such a creative outlet as fashion, creates a
distinctive blend where there are endless over-lappings of interests and concepts. Frock.
Paper.Scissors has become the common space for these over-lappings and reflections.
The 2008 Annual is a collection of our ideas, with an emphasis on longevity, that collates
the year that has been and forecasts the year to come. We hope that this becomes a
keepsake and a reference.
This is a compilation of original, innovative and exceptional pieces. We have selected the
strongest features, photo shoots and images that represent thought, intelligence and
artistry.
The Annual issue encompasses bold features such as the Futures of Fashion and Women
in the Men’s Room. Our fashion shoots feature a selection of the 2008 QUT Fashion
graduates such as in our quirky Flights of Fancy and Hue and Me. The people on the
following pages are the ones to watch, with Frock showcasing only a snippet of their
talents.
So a thank you to everyone that contributed to make this year’s Frock.Paper.Scissors,
and to a strong team that was ever full of ideas.
Looking forward to the year ahead,
Peta Rake
Editor
ILLUSTRATION Blythe Buchanan
This has been a production by KFB 205 Fashion and Style Journalism students QUT.
The Annual
Frock.Paper.Scissors
fashion
18 Flights of fancy
30 Out of the studio
35 Hue & me
49 A cut above
60 Accessories report
features
05 Eco-fashion
06 The changing face of
Brisbane fashion
16 Cycle chic
26 Style of the silver screen
28 Future of fashion
42 The way we wear
54 Women in the men’s room
57 Sole searching
58 Blanc + delta
arts
08 Colouring outside the lines
10 Poetry in motion
12 Fashion embraces deco-dence
14 Vanguard – art history and fashion
lifestyle
44 Fashion band-aid
46 Let them eat cake
48 Elizabeth Clarke
56 Man up
62 Fashion fights back
FRONT COVER
PHOTOGRAPHER
Robert Hayselden
DESIGNER Jo Turner
MODEL Paige @ Vivien’s
BACK COVER LOGO
Georgia Thompson
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1
Eco-Fashion
The growing trend of eco-fashion made its debut in
February 2005 at New York Fashion Week and has
been sprouting branches in our home town ever since.
WORDS Linsey Rendell
DESIGNER Emily Stewart
W
ith fresh produce markets boasting organic food from every
corner and sustainable homes popping up all around town, it was
only a matter of time before Queensland fashion started getting in
on the eco act.
Leading the design charge? Brisbane-based designer Emily Stewart's
self-titled label.
"I chose to incorporate organic and natural fabrics into my label
because of the increasing demand for eco-friendly products and the
quality of the materials," Stewart says.
"And my fabrics are all sourced from within Australia, which benefits
local industry too."
This evolving concept is far from the hessian sack-look most people
relate to green fashion – Stewart's label, for instance, consists
primarily of floaty dresses, cute shorts and pretty feminine blouses.
Unlike vintage fashion, which recycles existing clothing,
nature-loving designers try to find new fabrics that won't wither
trees or create gaping holes in our ozone layer for years to come.
Chair of the Organic Federation of Australia (OFA) Andre Leu, lists
wool, hemp and organic cotton as popular organic fabric options.
Which is certainly encouraging for the fight against climate change
– unfortunately, it just doesn't trickle down cheaply to the average
shopper.
Carbon offsets on aeroplanes and music festivals raise airfares and
ticket prices, while hybrid cars and organic food are more expensive
than their standard counterparts.
Fashion is no different. Stewart admits that at the moment,
sustainable fashion materials have higher production costs, with the
main goal to produce materials as cheaply and as quickly as possible,
for maximum profit.
Leu agrees, but says once the industry has matured production
costs will be cheaper.
"Organic production systems tend to have a better economic return
to all the actors along the supply chain."
But as people cotton on to the behavioral difference between
buying for personal satisfaction and buying to reverse the damages
of climate change, people will respond positively to green fashion,
says communication consultant Margaret Lawson.
These carbon neutral fabrics are more comfortable to wear and
have a higher life expectancy.
"I don't think it's so much a matter of turning to eco-friendly
fashion, [it’s more] as to whether the fashion industry decides that
they can market a profitable, eco-friendly product that people will
buy," Lawson says.
More importantly, scientific research has also proven that organic
farming systems, especially cotton ones, have considerable
environmental benefits.
"A lot of international fashion labels are including eco-fashion in
their ranges, so if that's any indication I think it will continue to
grow.
Studies from Cornwell and Iowa State Universities in the USA show
these soils can even store rainwater for later use, proving organic
systems can survive drought-stricken times.
"If it's a genuine, credible green alternative that delivers everything
else we would expect from a product, we will buy it."
"The average conventional farm in Australia with one per cent
organic matter will store about 160,000 litres per hectare; however,
an organic farm with five per cent organic matter will store 800,000
litres," Mr Leu says.
Get amongst it Brisbane.

5
The
Changing
Face
of
Brisbane
Fashion
WORDS Rebecca Delaurence
PHOTOGRAPHY Kasey Brookers
From pencil skirts and sophistication to
leotards, capes and a ‘heroin-chic’ vibe, the
sundry charm of Brisbane’s main fashion
districts prove style can become a product
of its own environment.
A
walk down Brisbane’s Queen Street Mall might force
the ignorant visitor to think they have Brisbane fashion all
figured out.
From the latest breed of eyeliner clad ‘Emos’ (black-clad,
emotional teens) loitering outside Hungry Jacks, to the
tailored office girls in their Cue pencil skirts, the mall is a
stage upon which fashion fantasies and sartorial suitability
collide.
Yet stumble just a few streets uptown and the polarized
looks of the city seem all but mainstream by comparison.
Dormant by day but electric by night, Fortitude Valley is a
living, breathing contradiction where designer sophistication
mingles with a grungy undercurrent of sex, drugs and rock
and roll.
Drowned in retro revivals, mixing second-hand with highend labels and sporting an exaggeration that places her
so close to the edge of fashion she is almost falling off,
the Valley girl’s look can only be described as ‘semiotically
schizophrenic’.
At a second glance, it seems Brisbane truly is a city of
vast contrast, where suburb-specific aesthetics and
attitudes compete to create a melting pot of styles,
each one personifying the lifestyle of the wearer, while
simultaneously resisting classification.
So what is it about Brisbane fashion and shopping that has
created the perception that the Valley is tough, young and
edgy, West End is bohemian and the City is commercial and
mainstream?
A look through Brisbane Council archives shows Queen
Street has been Brisbane’s main fashion thoroughfare
since 1825, with the earliest known garments produced in
Queensland by Margaret Scott, Janet Walker and Margaret
Caldwell.
Walker and Caldwell opened colonial Brisbane’s largest
private dressmaker, Ladies Emporium on Queen Street in
1896.
Yet, at the turn of the century, the now alternate Fortitude
Valley was just as highly frequented as the City centre.
Ideally located on both the tram and train lines, four major
department stores including McWhirters, Overells, ACB
Drapers and Thomas Charles Beirne and Co. (TCB) formed
the hub of Valley shopping.
The great floods of 1893 destroyed South Brisbane as a
retail centre, making the Valley a worthy alternative to
commercial city shopping.
Partnering with enterprising Scottish merchant James
McWhirter in 1894, Thomas Beirne established Emporium on
Brunswick Street.
Through an understanding of modern retailing methods, this
team developed their stores into shopping nirvanas, where
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an emphasis on home delivery, exhibition-style display
and exclusive international fashion was complemented by
personalised, customer service.
In 1889, James McWhirter resigned as general manager of
TCB, transforming his own business, McWhirter and Sons
Drapers from a small haberdashery, into one of Brisbane’s
most sophisticated department stores.
With its commanding Art Deco facade, McWhirter’s was
acquired by Myer in 1955.
By 1961, national retail store David Jones had cottoned on
to the Fortitude Valley appeal and operated TCB under its
original name, before re-badging it as David Jones in 1966.
By the 1970s the proliferation of suburban shopping centres
and the extent of post-war suburban sprawl had rendered
the Valley a ghost town, with families and the department
store’s principal demographic, moving out of the
traffic-choked inner-city.
Strong generational shifts
in sartorial tastes and
lifestyles saw teenagers
descend upon the Valley.
young designer hub, articulating as much style and grace
as it does a cheeky attitude of frivolous excess. When
asked about the appeal of Fortitude Valley, Rita Zmijewski,
manager of TCB’s Barcode Jeans says, “it’s the centre of
universe for fashion”.
“TCB is a fashion destination – we aren’t mass market.
People who shop here are looking for something different
and reflect that individuality in their look,” she says.
Zmijewski says the Valley’s identity as a club precinct also
influences fashion design aesthetics with modern sass.
As Coco Chanel once said, “fashion is not something that
only exists in clothes... it has something to do with ideas,
with the way we live, with what happens around us.”
After taking it to the streets, it seems these ideas do actually
ring true.
West-Ender Hannah Price, says the idea of suburb-specific
looks is alive and well in the fashion conscience of Brisbane
women.
“As Coco Chanel once said, ‘fashion
is not something that only exists in
clothes... it has something to do with
ideas, with the way we live, with what
happens around us’.”
The street was set for a
fashion explosion, serving
no longer as a thoroughfare
but a catwalk, where fractured musical tastes brought the
rise of fashion as a statement.
According to Helen Gregory, author of Brisbane Then and
Now, “the closure reflected the decline of retailing in the
area, as Fortitude Valley shifted its emphasis from a retailing
centre to an entertainment precinct”.
As a high-end shopping precinct, the Valley seemed doomed.
In January 1973, David Jones retreated to the city, closely
followed by Myer in 1988.
From the sophisticated home of department store luxury,
to the dingy nightspot and back again, the Valley is now a
“There’s definitely a kind of undefined
code about dressing in Brisbane.
“I can’t count the number of times
I’ve walked into a store and thought,
wow that skirt is so West End or that
is such a Valley outfit,” she says.
Fortitude Valley resident Jodie Morris, says “it’s also about
the attitude with which you wear it.
“There’s something characteristically ‘Valley’ about a girl
who can wear tricky trends without a care... And while
you probably won’t see capes and leotards worn quite so
effortlessly in the City, in the Valley they are practically an
institution,” she says.
With stores like Carmague, Blonde Venus and Miss Marz
celebrating even greater success since relocating uptown to
trendier Valley pastures, is it just a case of history repeating?
%
7
COLOURING
WORDS Isabel Leeds
PHOTOGRAPHY Penylane.com
Brisbane
continues to blur
the boundaries
bewteen art
and fashion as
internationally
acclaimed,
Brisbane-based
design house
Easton Pearson,
showcase their
designs for the
artistry that it is.
P
amela Easton and Lydia Pearson have been one of the few
long standing local design teams who have been
instrumental in the fast-track ride that has seen Brisbane
transform - from dag to destination in its own right.
Gone are the days when the most culture Brisbane had was
the quasi-Aussie attraction at the South Bank markets
complete with a man selling cheap boomerangs at Kodak
beach.
South Bank has surely smartened up in a fairly good attempt
at rivalling the other great Banks: Left Bank in Paris,
Bankside in London and South Bank in Melbourne.
Easton Pearson Summer 08/09
8
Walk into the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) on any given
Sunday and you can expect to be instantly immersed in the
wonders of Warhol and Picasso, enchanted by the form and
content of the most recognised and revered works that
Australia has ever seen.
Much to the sulky disgust of Sydneysiders and Melbournians
alike, Queensland has been flying the culture flag high in
the last few years, and finally come into the fashion arena
punching hard.
The debut moment was epitomised when the long and
endearing love affair between fashion and art fabulously
got hitched in 2008 as GoMA held the opening runway show
for the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival – now an annual
event.
Furthermore, when the always sharply-suited Premier Anna
Bligh announced that Easton Pearson will be opening a
20 year retrospective show at GoMA in 2009, fashionistas
revelled in the thought of an upcoming exotic celebration
held locally.
“I think because we design
most of our textiles, it’s an
added dimension; it’s like
creating a piece of art”
“Fashion design is an industry that embodies our Smart
State principles of innovation, knowledge and exportability
– it’s an industry that will take Queensland forward,” Bligh
says.
He argues the flamboyant obsession with Orientalism, which
preoccupied Poiret, Matisse and Balrst in the early 20th
century, was the beginning of a general trend that merged
fashion, art and performance.
The label has certainly blossomed from very humble
beginnings when Pearson began designing clothes as a way
to make money after returning from a year-long stint studying in Paris.
Indeed Poiret was onto something when he threw the
chicest fashion party of the century, One Thousand and
One Nights, where he infamously caged his wife Denise and
caused a career-breaking controversy.
“I made clothes for friends and then someone who had a
shop saw them and took them. And that was how I started,
and here I am,” Pearson says in a Powerhouse interview.
Art historian Anne Hollander supports the long binding
relationship between art and fashion, saying the essential
aspect of clothing is its visual impact and “all other
considerations are occasional and conditional”.
After successfully running her own label designing one-off
pieces for a boutique, Pearson teamed up with Easton to
realise their dream together, and the rest is history.
The designers pride themselves on their intricate attention
to detail, which has become the signature of the label.
People now instantly recognise the painstakingly perfected
beading or hand embroidery appliqué as an EP garment.
“We use a lot of demi-couture techniques and there is a
lot of handwork involved in our garments. So, yes, it’s the
detail,” Easton says.
“I think because we design most of our textiles, it’s an
added dimension; it’s like creating a piece of art as such,”
Pearson says.
The choice to show their creations was an easy one for
GoMA Director Tony Ellwood to schedule into the gallery
program.
As prelude, the gallery features architecture in the Place
Makers Exhibition and in the coming years will be looking
at various forms of design, to represent the vast array of
streams that exist in the Brisbane community.
Theorists have been penning ideas on the relationship
between fashion and art for years, yet the boundaries
are still as blurry as the rules to a swingers’ party in the
seventies.
According to theorist Peter Wollen, author of Paris/
Manhattan: writings on Art, the aesthetic dandyism of
designers such as Poiret “clearly played an important part in
creating the culture, which made possible the beginnings of
both modern art and modern fashion”.
Sociologist Elizabeth Wilson, says that we should see fashion
as “a form of visual art, a creation of images with the visible
self as its medium”.
The flirtatious relationship between fashion and art is a
deep-rooted one, perhaps epitomised by the public debate
in the 1980s when (beloved) Yves Saint Laurent was invited
to have a 25 year retrospective exhibition opened at the
Costume Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
YSL certainly caused a sensation in the art world, considering
that up until then conventional exhibitions at museums were
reserved for artworks or historic costumes, as opposed to
current fashions.
Considering the Queensland Art Gallery has never ventured
into the fashion realm it will be an unusual opportunity to
develop and push new boundaries.
Perusing the myriad of fashion publications available,
it’s easy to see the growing Arts sections infiltrating and
blossoming into the fashion world.
“The 20 year survey exhibition is an opportunity to look at
the strength of local fashion design as expressed through
Easton Pearson’s ground breaking and internationally
successful work,” Ellwood says.
“We will continue to look at ways to represent the best
artists and designers within Queensland over future years.”
It is blindingly obvious that the entrenched and intrinsic
marriage between fashion and art seems one set in
stone – sure to surpass any fleeting fling of the modernist
era – no pre-nup required.

9
Poetry in
motion
WORDS Kate Joyce
PHOTOGRAPHY Alana Rostron
The Little Moving Poets have burst onto Brisbane’s cultural scene
as a standout group of young
emerging artists.
STYLIST Kate Joyce and Anne Lucas DANCERS Jane Eastwood and Monique Singh HAIR Tiffany Steves of Countdown Choreography by TNT
MAKEUP Tina Sparks of Countdown Choreography by TNT JEWELLERY Thousand Island Dressing, Bulimba ACCESSORIES Wallflower Suite, Paddington
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S
teadily becoming a familiar name in the Brisbane
independent dance scene, the Little Moving Poets’ raw
style and no-frills approach attracts serious attention from
industry professionals and local audiences alike.
Alex Bellemore, Skye Collins, Angela Goh, Monique Singh,
Ianthe Goodwin-Brickhill and Jane Eastwood have gained a
solid following and support base within Brisbane.
Dance heavy-weights Brian Lucas from Brian Lucas Dance
Company and Maggi Sietsma from Expressions Dance
Company support their work.
Intensely emotive and very individual in their style, the Little
Moving Poets have the ability to draw the audience into
their choreography and evoke a unique experience.
The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) graduates
formed the group in mid-2006 when they performed their
first piece together as a part of Brisbane’s Anne Street Party.
“It was a chance to do something outside of uni, [to be]
seen by other people and doing our own thing,” Eastwood
says.
“We were just a group of people doing [the Anne Street
Party performance]; we sort of grew from that.”
Likewise, Goh spends her days dancing, having been
employed as a member of choreographer Lisa Wilson’s
Elbow Room.
Since then, the Little Moving Poets have staged, performed,
and choreographed their own collaborative work at several
events across Brisbane.
Bellemore and Collins teach dance within their local
communities, sharing the expertise they’ve gained through
industry experience.
An “independent dance collective with a difference”, the
group are also working with choreographers outside
the collective such as European-trained dancer and
choreographer Maartje Belmer.
Eastwood is involved in the business end of things, as a
member of the Opera Queensland administrative team.
The group exists as a basis for individual projects, with
the occasional group project involving some or all of the
members of the collective.
The Little Moving Poets’ work is primarily contemporary
dance, with various stylistic outcomes depending on the
process, situation and intent of the work.
“[The collective is] really diverse - each of us work in a
different way process-wise,” Singh says.
“We’re a support network,” says Eastwood. “We perform
together, we put on shows together, but then everyone
does their own thing.”
This collaboration of six creative minds is the make-up of the
group’s identity, which is recognised as a common thread.
The Little Moving Poets has been a good outlet for each of
the dancers to individually forge their own pathway into the
dance industry.
As Goh says, “we all have input and are interested in
choreography as well as other roles, so we’re a [group] of
choreographers, dancers, performers, etcetera.”
Goodwin-Brickhill and Singh’s individual pursuits include
post graduate studies through QUT as well as independent
productions and performance-based works.
This is the key to their success as the collective expands into
the industry and shares a little piece of their poetry with the
wider world.

11
Fashion embraces
-dence
deco
Oscar Wilde
once said “art is the
most intense mode of
individualism that the world has
known”. So it is no surprise fashion
and art have endured a life-long love affair.
WORDS Jorja Orreal
National Gallery of Victoria
It may have been one of the most distinctive art movements
of last century, running from 1910 to 1939, but Art Deco still
influences the collections and wardrobes of this century’s
most influential fashion bodies.
National Gallery of Victoria Director Gerard Vaughn, says
“glamorous, conspicuously modern, vibrant and often
exotic, Art Deco is widely considered the most popular
artistic style of the twentieth century”.
Art Deco is a fusion of many different styles and movements
of the early 20th century, including Cubism, the Bauhaus and
Constructivism.
Fashion influenced by this movement is lavish and oozes
sex appeal as well as glamour, modernity, luxury, style, and
sophistication - characteristics reminiscent of the hedonism
of the Jazz Age, whereby the movement spanned. The era
produced style icons such as Katherine Hepburn, Gabrielle
‘Coco’ Chanel and Lauren Bacall.
Russian artist and Art Deco for Women website creator
Valeria Kouznetsova, says the study of 1920s fashion
demonstrates how closely its development was linked to
that of Art Deco.
“It explains how the arts and dress nourished each other,
one acting as an inspiration, the other as a medium,” she
says.
12
Kouznetsova reiterates Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel is the
greatest fashion designer to have come out of the
movement.
“[The Art Deco style] can be boiled down to a
preoccupation with surface ornament, a love of geometry,
colour, and in its later stages streamlined forms,” he says.
“Replacing the corset with comfort and casual elegance, her
fashion themes included simple suits and dresses, women’s
trousers, costume jewellery, perfume and textiles.
Earlier this year, the NGV held a comprehensive exhibition,
Art Deco 1910-1939, which included masterpieces from
London’s famed Victoria and Albert Museum. The exhibition
also featured ‘Deco’ jewels from Cartier’s collection in
Geneva.
“Most of her fashions had a staying power and didn’t
change much from year to year, or even from generation to
generation,” she says.
Chanel’s timeless designs significantly influence what people
are designing and wearing today. The little black dress,
the power suit and ballet flats are just a few of her genius
creations.
Visually, Art Deco is characterised by graceful, stylised and
geometric shapes, often in symmetrical arrangements.
Fashionising.com blogger Tania Braukamper, says the
dresses in Badgley Mischka and Ellie Saab’s 2008 Spring
collections possess distinct Art Deco geometric shapes
and detail. She says Chanel and Armani Prive’s Spring 2008
couture shows were also Art Deco inspired.
“Chanel used sequinned and beaded fans on dresses and
Armani Prive carried distinctly deco shapes on belt buckles
and dress centre-pieces.
“Take particular attention to jewellery and accessories in
quirky and exotic shapes, Lucite and Bakelite and 30s style
hats,” she says.
“We’ve been overwhelmed by the public’s response to this
exhibition, but it just goes to show how popular Art Deco
is,” Leong says.
“Art Deco was so incredibly diverse so there are many
elements that designers can choose from.
“Right at the moment we have had a lot of bold floral prints
that are very Art Deco and the latest Paris collections have
shown a lot of geometric forms and details that are part
Deco and part 80s Flash Trash.”
Fashion has enjoyed a synergy with the art world over the
last century.
Buzzle.com blogger Kingston Amadan, says “from the Cubist
motifs of Art Deco era dress to the Minimalist expression
that exposed itself in clothing two decades after the
movement ended, art and fashion have proven themselves
to be less strange bedfellows and more passionate lovers
who occasionally don’t get along”.
%
Not only are Art Deco and fashion passionate lovers, the
movement’s influence spans across other creative forms
such as painting, jewellery, industrial design, graphic design,
film, architecture, automotive design, photography and
furniture.
The Victorian-based Art Deco Society says the style drew
inspiration from many cultures, but is generally regarded as
having its origins in pre-WWI Europe.
“It remains popular around the world and is increasingly
appreciated by new generations who are enchanted by its
simplicity, style, design, superior materials and finishes.”
According to the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), the
influence of Art Deco touches all areas of creativity, from
distinctive handcrafted items to mass-produced everyday
products.
MADELINE VIONNET, Paris
(couture house)
France 1912-14, 1918-40
Madeline VIONNET (designer)
Curator for International Fashion and Textiles at NGV, Roger
Leong, says “fashion was right at the centre of the Art Deco
movement as so much of Art Deco was about style, surface
and pleasure”.
France 1876-1975
Evening dress and underdress
(c.1923)
Silk tulle, metallic-thread, silk
and metallic-thread lamé
“Fashion was the perfect vehicle for expressing the style
and temperament of Art Deco. For example, Paul Poiret’s
albums in 1909 and 1911 kick-started the unique style of
fashion illustration that had repercussions across all of the
graphic arts.
National Gallery of Victoria,
Melbourne
Purchased through The Art
Foundation of Victoria with the
assistance of David Syme & Co.
Limited, Fellow, 1977
13
DADA
The original punks. Marcel Duchamp raised
questions about the design process and what
could be considered art when he claimed a
urinal as art. Dada was a cultural movement
that began during World War I. They opposed
the war and protested against bourgeois
society and everything that came with it. They
were anti-art and anti-conformist. So branch
out from the pack and rebel in a mischievous
punk inspired look. Pure anarchy.
LEFT Antipodium skirt from frockshop.com, Crea Concept knit from Sassie
RIGHT Crea Concept knit from Sassie, Crea Concept waist coat from Sassie,
Camilla & Marc pants from frockshop.com, William Phillips clutch from
mycatwalk.com, Life with Bird boots from mycatwalk.com
V
anguard.
Taking inspiration from art history
WORDS/ILLUSTRATIONS Cherie Walker
FAUVISM
Think of Matisse: his strong colours, wildly
painted brush strokes and his simplified
subjects. The Fauves, whose French name
means ‘wild beasts’, painted without
considering the natural colours of their
subjects and were concerned with expression
over detail. Why not go slightly wild in
full-on colour, rich fabrics and over the top
embellishments from head-to-toe for an all
over playful look.
LEFT Tibi dress from frockshop.com, vintage gloves from Adornments,
vintage bag from Adornments, Thousand Island Dressing headpieces
RIGHT Kirrily Johnston dress from frockshop.com, CC Skye bag from
frockshop.com, Vintage gloves from Adornments, Vintage fascinator
from Adornments, Thousand Island Dressing headpiece
14 2
y
ABSTRACT
EXPRESSIONISM
Become your own canvas and cover yourself in
splatters and spots and everything in between.
The movement that was all about spontaneity
and subconscious creation saw New York
become recognised in the art world and
brought about names such as Jackson Pollock
and Clement Greenberg. Embrace abstract
prints and mix and match. Remember there are
no rules.
LEFT Karen Walker dress from runwaygirl.com, Axessory clutch from
mycatwalk.com RIGHT Camilla & Marc swimsuit from frockshop.com, Alice
McCall skirt from mycatwalk.com, William Phillips bag from mycatwalk.com
FUTURISM
When Italian Filippo Tommaso Marinetti wrote
the futurist manifesto in 1909, he spurred
the beginning of a movement that admired
industrialism, technology and speed. He stated,
“We want no part of it, the past, we the young
Futurists”. The futurists were also concerned
with dynamism and fluidity. Keep moving
forward, like Umberto Boccioni’s famous
sculpture, Unique Forms of Continuity in Space,
wearing futuristic-inspired ensembles with an
emphasis on all things fresh, fast and modern.
LEFT Josh Goot dress from frockshop.com, Camilla & Marc pants from
mycatwalk.com, Vintage clutch from Adornments RIGHT Alice and Olivia
shift from frockshop.com, Ksubi leggings from mycatwalk.com, Goldenbleu
bag from frockshop.com
3
Alice McCall’s limited edition range for General
Pants Co. last year put a new spin on things
cycle chic
Throw on some sandals, channel your inner Agyness Deyn and make
like the Europeans do – on a bicycle.
WORDS Brylee Clelland
T
he mint green frame glistens as the early morning sun hits
Eva Tulloh’s 1940s inspired Electra Cruiser bicycle.
It’s a Saturday morning and Tulloh’s wearing a white,
embroidered Fleur Wood shift dress and gigantic sunglasses
as she coasts between her 9am yoga class, the beach, and
lunch with the girls – intentionally choosing style over speed.
“I love my bike,” she says. “It’s so comfortable and easy to
ride. Plus, I love the fact I can wear my favourite clothes and
not that terrible fluorescent lycra.”
Meet the new breed of cyclists: the 20-something,
eco-conscious, ethereal biking beauties burning up bikeways
in the Sunshine State.
16
Even though Australia has seen a 22 per cent increase in
cycle commuting since 2004, the nation has been slow to
develop a fashionable bike culture outside of the
bike-pants-wearing, fitness fanatics chasing the burn.
Today though, it’s a different story. Australian women are
suddenly seeking inspiration not from the gym room, but
from the uber chic and cycle-centric streets of Amsterdam,
Paris and New York – making spandex and bottom padding
a thing of the past.
Instead, stylish sunglasses, funky converse shoes, leather
boots and glamorous heels have become part of the new
biking uniform.
Fashion media consultant and stylist Nikki Parkinson, says
the European way of biking has opened up cycling to many
people who would prefer to wear their favourite clothes
and not have to change into daggy sports gear.
“You don’t need the latest sport tech shoes, bike pants or
wrap around sunglasses, just your everyday clothes.
“This style of bike [Amsterdam] gives everyday people the
opportunity to wear their favourite frock and heels... and
ride a bike,” she says.
“The fashionable
bike becomes an
extension of a
person’s outfit...”
(fashionable helmet included) outweigh the negative
components.
Aiding her cycle style mission is the fact that it’s not just the
clothes that have undergone a fashion transformation.
“Go to town! Wear your usual style or play the part and fill
your front basket with flowers, don a feminine frock, put on
a floppy hat and put those heels to the pedals!” she says.
Gone are the days of the 80s BMX and the athletic
mountain bike; the modern bike now sports polka dots,
wild colours, leopard print seats and handle bar ribbons.
Dutch bicycle brands such as Pashley and Velorbis allow
cyclists to be more fashionable, thanks to their vintage
two-wheel designs.
Even international fashion houses such as Chanel and Gucci
are taking their pedal power seriously, releasing limitededition bicycles with designer-embossed leather panniers.
Director of Bikeriders Maroochydore, Michael Lamberton,
says Electra’s chic Amsterdam bike is proving especially
popular.
“The fashion industry will always look at different ways to
put their branding on things. The fashionable bike becomes
an extension of a person’s outfit... another accessory they
can use to style their look,” Parkinson says.
“There’s also the Black Betty Cruiser, which is pretty wild;
the Hawaiian style bicycles and the old-school Townie
Balloon bike with fat tyres... there’s heaps of really great
styles,” he says.
Fashion designers, models and celebrities such as Elle
Macpherson, Vivienne Westwood and Kate Hudson have all
been spotted pedalling the streets of SoHo on their bikes.
Electra’s bicycles are built for slower, more leisurely rides
like going to a lunch date, buying flowers at the local
market or simply picking up some groceries on the way
home.
Occasionally, they make it onto the catwalk as well. Fashion
designer Cynthia Rowley recently sent her models down the
runway on floral-print pushbikes.
Noosa-based fashion designer and avid bicycle rider Simone
Leete has a love for all things vintage and beautiful, and
bikes are no exception.
And in order to do these simple tasks, Lamberton suggests
a few vital accessories.
“I really admire the bike street style of Europe.
“The chain guard is important, because you don’t want
grease on your clothing, and the bike basket is the
all-important accessory for women, as they can carry
everything from handbags and shopping bags, to even their
groceries,” he says.
I especially love the fact that the average male looks so
dapper just riding from A to B in his normal clothes,” she
says.
Tulloh glides down Coolum’s cliff-side boardwalk taking in
the beauty of the ocean as the beach unfurls like a ribbon of
white along the edge of Coolum’s sparkling sea.
In Brisbane during the summer months, it could be
considered more of a torture than a of pleasure, but Leete
says the overwhelming heat of the sun’s rays just adds to
the biking experience.
“Bike riding is a year round activity, it’s just so beautiful in
the summer to be outside and even more rejuvenating in
the winter,” she says.
“If you get hot and sweaty, just ride slower…but really it’s
the perfect opportunity to wear a fabulous hat!” she says.
Leete assures the benefits of fashionable riding
So frock up, jump on your bike and take in Queensland’s
beautiful scenery as a ‘spokes’ model for what is really
fashionable at the moment... Mother Nature.

17
Flights
of
ancy
F
Fly free in plumes of striking texture and metallics for a
look guaranteed to cause a flutter.
PHOTOGRAPHER Robert Hayselden HEAD STYLIST Cassandra Taylor STYLISTS Kristin Siemon and Robyn Taggart ILLUSTRATOR Cassandra Taylor
MODEL Kristen @ Vivien’s MAKEUP Loran and Jade @ Napoleon Perdis Makeup Academy HAIR Justin and Dmitri @ papas and pace
18
DESIGNER Kiara Bulley
DESIGNER Catherine van Amstel
DESIGNER Martha Poggioli
DESIGNER Nadia Aguliar-Hernandez
DESIGNER Sarah Leach
DESIGNER Sarah Leach
DESIGNER Kiara Bulley
S
tyle and the
silver screen
Think Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers,
Bonnie and Clyde, Hepburn and
Givenchy – whether by accident or
design, fashion and film make the
ultimate Hollywood couple.
WORDS/PHOTOGRAPHY Shannon Powell
For centuries the explosive fusion of fashion and film, and
red carpet and catwalk, has roped in a niche clientele.
Film plays an instrumental role in defining fashion’s
repertoire in society, with the union of motion picture and
fashion design providing an antidote to the irreverence of
fashion’s credibility.
Australian film critic in Bright Lights Film Journal, Lesley
Chow, says “fashion is more consistently ingenious than
film – its storylines are tighter and the range of references is
more unexpected – in other words there is a fashion story”.
Iconic films such as Breakfast at Tiffany’s and even cult
classics like Pulp Fiction have liberated fashion in the
unassuming eyes of film-savvy audiences.
In recent years this fusion has become even more
prominent, with major fashion houses such as Chanel
employing the cinematic genius of acclaimed directors
like Jean Pier Junet (Amelie fame) to cultivate stirring
advertisements.
“Once upon a time, fashion did
not contain the conceptual
depth and sub-cultural
references it does today”
Closer to home, Australian designer Michelle Jank,
turned her recent catwalk show into a larger than life art
installation by projecting a short film created by enigmatic
director Daniel Askill, above the runway.
London Film Academy graduate Freya Esders, says “Daniel
Askill’s film encapsulated the themes evident within the
collection and opened another dimension of creativity”.
Sofia Coppola’s Academy Award winning film for best
costume design, Marie Antoinette, is a profound example of
the lustre clothing design adds to the film industry.
Set in the 1700s, Coppola’s portrayal of Queen Marie
Antoinette’s indulgent lifestyle is one of compulsive
shopping, elaborately designed shoes and lavishly decorated
cupcakes.
Coppola’s creation is a juxtaposition of modern
consumer-culture, a timeless soundtrack of pop-classics and
a fashion story about one of the most contentious women in
royalty.
26
n
Film-set stylist and Sass & Bide retail assistant, Katia
Ramos, says “costume design creates an aesthetic that is
synonymous with the place, era and themes of the story; it
adds boldness to the character”.
From fashion royalty to the fictional dystopian characters in
Stanley Kubrick’s film, A Clockwork Orange, costume design
plays a main character in the legacy of fashion.
Esders says costume defines character. “It is a crucial
element of a production that requires an entire department
dedicated to constructing a character’s aesthetic, from the
very first pencil stroke to the very last stitch.”
A Clockwork Orange is a cynical film adaptation of a decadent
twenty-first century cult.
While maintaining a conceptually thrilling plot, the main
character in the film also entertains fashion-savvy crowds
with his stylish post-modern get-up.
“Would Kubrick’s futuristic characters have seemed so
impacting if his rascal ‘brothers’ had not been clad in the
purist of white, offering a stark contrast to their dark
intentions,” Esders says.
Wearing monochromatic jump-suits and dramatic black eye
makeup, Kubrick’s silver screen characters were dressed to
kill.
New York Fashion Week designer Jil Sander, thought the
fashion aesthetic of A Clockwork Orange was to die for.
Sander’s store opening was designed to imitate the
notorious ‘Korova Milk Bar scene’ from the film.
Just like any other balance in the arts universe, film can’t
exist without fashion and vice versa.
This harmonious link between fashion and film shows
fashion’s powerful omnipresence will always influence
popular subcultures.
Once upon a time, fashion did not contain the conceptual
depth and sub-cultural references it does today.
Now, fashion is an indispensible story to tell.
And fashion and film, the greatest romance of our era, will
%
live happily ever after. The end.
MODEL Kaela Daffara
27
Future Of Fashion
F
rom mobile phones to the internet, iPods to game
consoles, it is evident that technology is all around us. And
with sales continuing to grow each year, it is no surprise that
the fashion industry is finally joining in.
A decade ago, the field of fashion technology was relatively
unheard of.
These days it’s booming; not only showcasing the latest
accessories, but transforming the garments themselves into
the latest technological ‘must-haves’.
WORDS Rebecca Kirchner
ILLUSTRATION Reb Brammer
Fashion technology specialists have already exceeded
expectations; creating jackets, which not only shield us from
the cold, but also warm us up.
The production of garments featuring electronic messages
and lit-up signage, with re-charge possible through the
wearer’s own kinetic energy, gives a whole new meaning
to self-expression.
Solar panels, game consoles, Geographic Positioning
Systems (GPS) – you name it, the designers in the field of
fashion technology are using it.
Considering computers were once the size of small rooms
and mobile phones the size of a briefcase, it is incredible
to think how far technology has progressed in such a short
space of time, and what new possibilities the future may
hold.
From designers to consumers, the most important function
of fashion today is expression. Which is why it should come
as no suprise, especially with the continuing internet boom,
that the incorporation of technology is the next logical step.
“Fashion technology is already in the mass market
in the form of entertainment
and textiles, especially in the
younger generation who are
more accepting of new
technology”
28
In early 2008, Fashionable Technology was launched in New
York and author Sabine Seymour says there has been an
increased interest in the field because “it makes engineering
a little bit more sexy”.
One example of this is the work showcased in the book by
designers Ebru Kurbak and Mahir Yavuz, who have created
a shirt that receives headlines from google news and
automatically types them across the front of the shirt, using
font, colour and size to display each story’s importance.
According to Seymour, work like this proves wearable
technology will mature in the next ten years. However,
she believes for it to be accepted by the mass market,
fashion aesthetics must change enough to incorporate the
technology, while maintaining their visual attractiveness.
“The fashion industry is finally picking up on this, which is
extremely important because of the aesthetic component
and the understanding of garment construction –
especially with all these technical components. We really
need their expertise,” Seymour says.
Other fields such as sport, medicine and even the
corporate world, have embraced the new technologies
made available by fashion technology specialists.
These technologies have been designed specifically
for niche markets and range in materials, from those
which help regulate body temperature, to items such as
the Smartshirt system, which can record and transmit
important data.
In Australia, the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
(RMIT) has one of the most respected fashion and textile
technology programs in the world.
The program not only focuses on developments in
electrical apparel, but also concentrates heavily on the
advancement of intelligent textiles and design, and
manufacturing technologies.
The staff have recently improved the areas of seamless
garment design for sportswear, nano-technology, as well
as producing textiles for the wearer’s well-being, which
incorporates moisturisers, aromatherapy and
other products.
Program manager Dr Rajiv Padhye, believes fashion
technology is slowly establishing a presence in the mass
market and is changing the face of fashion as we know it.
“Fashion technology is already being accepted by the
mass market in the form of entertainment and textiles,
especially in the younger generation who are more
accepting of new technology,” he says.
“For example, the use of iPods in this age group is now
quite common, with the newest form of electrics being
the use of heated wetsuits for the surfing market.”
Like all fashion, Dr Padhye says it’s difficult to predict
advances in fashion technology, as they are driven by
lifestyle needs and demands, such as the comfort factor,
ease of use and most importantly, the introduction of new
technology.
However, with the time deficiency of future generations,
Dr Padhye believes the next demand on technology will be
to develop a garment that “does not require laundering
or cleans itself to save water, power and renewable
resources”.
As advanced as it may sound, this technology may not be
that far away, with Australia’s Minister for Innovation,
Industry, Science and Research, Senator Kim Carr,
strengthening ties with Indian experts earlier this year.
The relationship will increase our country’s knowledge in
science and technology, especially in fashion, with India’s
National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) being a
world-class leader in the field since its opening in 1986.
With so many advantages, the only major challenge facing
the commercialisation of fashion technology here and
throughout the world is cost.
However with new environmental concerns, today’s
consumers are shifting their focus to the quality of
garments rather than the quantity.
This is a positive step; as despite having a notably higher
price tag than regular apparel, wearable technology may
be considered fair and affordable, depending purely on
the personal necessity of the item.
And with technology already being incorporated into the
latest couture shows such as those presented by designer
Hussein Chalayan, it will certainly not be long before other

mainstream designers follow suit.
29
OUT
OF
THE
STUDIO
Classical feminine beauty takes centre
stage as whimsical prints, delicate
textures and muted neutrals unite
STYLISTS Kristin Siemon and Robyn Taggart
c horeographer Kate Joyce DANC ERS Pip, Megan & Tina
MAKEUP Loran and Jade @ Napoleon Perdis Makeup Academy
30
DESIGNER Kate Wilson
PHOTOGRAPHER Robert Hayselden
HEAD STYLIST Alice Leahey
DESIGNER Jo Turner
DESIGNER Kate Rich
30
DESIGNER Kate Rich
DESIGNER
31
DESIGNER Kate Wilson
hue
& me
Vivid prints, dazzling
brights and sheer pastels
make for a mesmerising
palette that bursts with
colour.
PHOTOGRAPHER Robert Hayselden HEAD STYLIST Carmen Spencer STYLISTS Kristin Siemon and Cassandra Taylor ILLUSTRATOR Blythe Buchanan
MODEL Paige @ Vivien’s MAKEUP Loran and Jade @ Napoleon Perdis Makeup Academy HAIR Justin and Dmitri @ papas and pace
35
DESIGNER Kate Rich
DESIGNER Catherine Nimmo
DESIGNER Emily Jackson
DESIGNER Kiara Bulley
Designer Kate Wilson
Designer Jacinta Dyer
the way we wear
Brisbane is making strides on Vintage Street,
as the ‘sleepy little town’ sews its spot on the
fashion map.
WORDS Sofie Lahtinen
ILLUSTRATION Jo Turner
A
t the risk of sounding like a pun, vintage is nothing new.
‘Thrifting’ was championed long before it emerged in
mainstream fashion, though it was exclusive and existed in a
glamorous underworld.
Today, pre-loved is a permanent part of fashion and
Brisbane’s infatuation with the authentic appeal and the
crank character of vintage is obvious.
Now in its third year, the increasingly-popular Brisbane
Vintage Fashion Fair draws crowds in the thousands.
Beaded and sequinned camisoles glisten from above like
chandeliers; hats, heels, floral compacts and combs lay
alongside other adornments, while voluminous racks burst
with personalities made out of exquisite fabrics.
Not only is Brisbane obsessed with vintage, but it speaks its
own distinctive language when it comes to wearing it. The
Brisbane Vintage Fashion Fair is one of the many outlets
feeding the city’s increasing hunger for vintage apparel.
Event organiser Karen Zavadil, says while Brisbane is still
behind Melbourne and Sydney, where the market for
vintagewear has flourished for over a decade, there is
a strong interest from Brisbane buyers and demand is
growing.
“Two of the major factors influencing the popularity of
vintage fashion in Brisbane are the wearing of vintage
42
styles by celebrities and the use of vintage influences by
contemporary designers,” says Zavadil.
Those who know vintage know the beauty of op-shop chic
lies in its guaranteed individuality.
Portfolio Director of Fashion, Journalism, and Media and
Communication at Queensland University of Technology
(QUT), Professor Suzi Vaughan, says vintage has always
played a role in first-class fashion design.
“Customers have become a lot more interested in their
individuality,” Vaughan says.
“Different periods historically come back into trend and
they’re re-mixed and re-edited, so I think it’s almost always a
part of what we do in fashion,” she says.
It’s no wonder that Spring Summer 08 Marc by Marc Jacobs
runway show was bursting with retro colour-blocked coats,
aviator sunglasses and belted short-sleeved shirtdresses.
Nor is it surprising that Wrangler has gone back to the 70s
with high-waisted denim jeans.
Melbourne-based denim label I Heard They Eat Cigarettes,
stocked at Dirtbox in Brisbane, certainly knows how to
embrace attitude with its old-school-inspired collection of
signature faded denim jeans. The young, edgy label was
launched just over a year ago and its followers appreciate
the label’s distinctive look.
Founder and designer of the label, Chris Brooks, says he
looks at the past to see the future fashion trends and he
pick-pockets from all eras.
“I made a conscious effort to create worn denim washes
that are unique to I Heard They Eat Cigarettes jeans,” Brooks
says.
“It’s appealing because you don’t need to own a pair of
jeans for 100 years before they get the worn look you want.”
According to Nick Goding, the owner of Brisbane vintage
store Box Vintage, the increased popularity of vintage
in recent years is a result of the green-and-growing ecofriendly factor and a revolt against heavily-branded fashion.
“I don’t think the consumer is that environmentally
conscious in fashion yet, but it does have a part to play,
especially in West End, because it’s quite an environmentally
conscious suburb, more so than the rest of Brisbane,”
Goding says as he sits alongside racks of beautiful vintage
pieces in his West End store.
Goding says vintage is ultimately about individuality.
“You’ve seen the rise of limited runs from designers,
whether it be from Nike with their sneakers and doing
limited 100 pieces, to T-shirt designers doing limited 10 to 20
pieces,” he says.
“It’s all about individuality and you can’t get more individual
than vintage because there’s no two pieces the same.”
The generic nature of fashion is continuing to draw styleseekers away from the super-stores and into the doors of
thrift stops.
“There are a lot fewer rules about what we should wear,
so we see high-level fashion worn with high-street fashion
[and] with second-hand clothing.”
Hailing from the UK six years ago, where she ran the degree
program at the London College of Fashion, Vaughan went
on to establish the QUT fashion faculty.
“Coming here from London, Brisbane has a very individual
approach to the way it looks and thinks about itself,”
Vaughan says.
“It’s less worried about following trends. I think there’s
more of an openness to mixing vintage clothing up with
fashion and I think that’s quite fun and eccentric.”
Kathy Szwedzinski, founder and owner of authentic vintage
boutique Ra Ra Superstar at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, certainly
notices a difference in the way Brisbane does pre-loved.
Szwedzinski, who opened her store five years ago, also
runs market stall extensions of her store in Sydney at Bondi
Beach and Surry Hills, and Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley.
“In Sydney, like Bondi, it’s very trend and fashionorientated,” says Szwedzinski, who has worked as a
stylist for Oyster magazine, on music videos and television
commercials. “It’s almost…not clone-ish, but they all want
the same thing at the same time; whereas, in Brisbane, they
have their own little unique style.”
Brisbane vintage-lovers will know that op-shops will
always be the place for truly unique finds. The Endeavour
Foundation, or Endo’s, in Paddington is one of Brisbane’s
finest thrift stores and is a retro and vintage specialist.
Manager of Endo’s, Jennifer Vickers, says it’s simply the
quality of the donations from the area that raises the quality
of the store.
“There’s one lady we call our ‘Fairy Godmother’ and she
brings in her Easton Pearson and Prada and it’s great,
because when we get donations it’s pure profit for the
foundation,” she says as she shows off a fur-trimmed, nylon
Sportmax skirt.
Of course, she has seen her fair share of disasters too – such
as the infamous “green, frilly, ruffled, jumpsuit thing” that
finally walked out the door with a bold fashionista.
While Brisbane is wearing its vintage like a second skin, the
city’s unique style isn’t limited to the way the people wear
their hats and heels. Goding believes even though Brisbane
is still safe with its fashion sense and not quite as daring as
Sydney or Melbourne, the city is coming-of-age.

F
ashion
Band-Aid
The love-hate, harmonious
passion that is the
amalgamation of fashion and
music takes to the stage with a
visual message.
F
rom iPods screaming out tunes on public transport to
the fashionable craving to express individuality and make a
statement; music and fashion are intertwined.
The Courier Mail’s music editor Noel Mengel, says “…music,
art, fashion, film-making and other creative pursuits all find
ways of intersecting.” Mengel says for a majority of people,
music is immensely important and the fashion industry is a
vitally significant part of our society.
WORDS Krystle Hoffman
Ph oTOg ra phy Alana Rostron, Penylane.com
As a music writer, Mengel comes across the music plus
fashion influence often.
“Great artists create their own fashions and followers; from
Elvis Presley through David Bowie to Nirvana and that’s still
true today.”
Music and fashion do tempt how we dress and live, but
“… perhaps no more than books and films help shape our
worldview, our interests and desires,” he says.
Trends evolve rapidly and how a musician presents
themselves can be important, but if that is all the artist is
relying on, they won’t be around for long.
“Bands need to set the fashions, not follow them,” Mengel
says.
In terms of fashion movements, people are influenced by
their heroes and are inspired by their idols. Fans of grunge
band Nirvana created a new fashion trend – the revival of
the flannel shirt culture.
There is no doubt music influences fashion, but as Mengel
says, “I don’t think Elvis Presley had any idea how influential
his music could be when he first recorded in Memphis, and
yet its impact was incalculable”.
General Pants Co. sales assistant Shallene Rigby, says music
and fashion look better together.
44
“Fashion and music are
predestined to motivate people
and haute couture garments
inspire people to adapt tricky
trends”
“I think a lot of people are inspired by the music they listen
to and portray that in their own individual fashion,” she says.
Rigby creates her own style of fashion by wearing an
alternative rock chic, as it is the music she is inspired by.
She says bold sartorial statements can be made through
music.
“You’ve got [artists] like M.I.A, who totally dress out of this
world. She wears lycra…and it suits her music.”
The creative duo unites with a crescendo when festival
season arrives.
Rigby says around this time customers come in to General
Pants Co. looking for a real fashion statement, as blooming
beats meet funky fashion, to create new sartorial codes.
“We have styles that are rock ‘n’ roll and have [some]
that are pop-orientated. General Pants Co. holds fashion
parades every season and we also bring in local DJs, which
incorporates music,” she says.
General Pants Co. also holds a revolutionary event called The
Bubble Project.
“We’re converging creative outlets like music, art, [and]
fashion all together,” she says.
The project asks people to send in their original works;
uniting talents from music, film, graphic design, fashion,
photography, art and literature. The Bubble’s motivation is
to share young Australian talent across the world stage.
A winning talent picked every two months, will become a
General Pants consultant and produce materials to display
in-store.
Fashion designer Larinda Irwin, says music and the media
affect everyone’s lifestyles and the way they live and dress.
“We are affected by what we see in the media and music
is a huge part of everyone’s life these days. Musicians are
seen in the media continuously…and we see what they are
wearing and try to emulate that,” Irwin says.
Fashion and music are predestined to motivate people
and haute couture garments inspire people to adapt tricky
trends.
As a fashion student, Irwin has the opportunity to share her
passion for music and style with other fashion lovers.
She says tunes on a catwalk can generally personify the
theme of a particular range.
“When I had my fashion parade, the theme was all gothic,
vampire-inspired – so I used a dark Smashing Pumpkin’s
song.
“Music will add to a fashion parade, to get people feeling
along with the clothes and feel the theme of the range…and
seeing it visually,” she says.
Author of Rock Style Tommy Hilfiger, writes fashion
designers became bolder and more tentative when rock ‘n’
roll exploded in the 1960s and 1970s.
“It was the cultural bang, which detonated the fashion
rules,” Hilfiger writes. Rock artists became arbiters of attire.
“The music came first, but of course at a fashion show,
the music provides the soundtrack to a seemingly endless
succession of mind-blowing styles.”
Contributor in Rock Style and Vice President of Exhibitions
and Curatorial Affairs James Henke, writes that from the
1960s psychedelic era to the 1970s punk stampede and
the 1980s New Romantics, musicians have persisted in
redefining the sartorial sensibilities and lyrical lifestyles of
our society.
Since the mid-1980s, fashion and music have gradually, yet
effortlessly, united.
Hilfiger writes two significant advancements made the
union arise. “MTV was launched and CDs came along…MTV
dramatically upped the fashion ante. David Bowie, Michael
Jackson, Madonna, Prince…they understood that they could
become fashion icons as well as music stars.”
Technological advancements such as the Internet have
progressively changed the way fashion and music are
consumed. In spite of these alterations, frocks and melodies
will always remain united.
%
45
Let them
eat cake
From high tea hotspots, to decadent
dessert joints and buzzing breakfast cafes,
Brisbane is overflowing with indulgent
food spots.
WORDS Remy Duscher
PHOTOGRAPHY Alana Rostron
Just as wardrobes go in and out of style with a change of
season, a change of mind, or a change of boyfriend, so too
do the meals people choose to pleasure their palette .
These days, it’s simply a matter of either meeting for eggs
benedict at your local cafe, afternoon scones at a high tea
parlour or a decedent dessert after hours.
Freestyle Tout owner Martin Duncan, says his friends
thought he was crazy when he told them of his latest
venture to open a cafe in Emporium.
But it’s Duncan who has had the last laugh as his
dessert-dedicated restaurant is packed to the rafters with
sweet-toothed patrons craving that mouthful of bliss.
“There’s definitely more of a food culture in Brisbane now,”
Duncan says.
“And there are a whole lot of dessert junkies out there.”
It seems these dessert junkies also have a penchant for
their sweets, sandwiches and scones stacked tall, thanks to
the phenomenon of high tea making its mark on Brisbane.
46
“With massive muffins and
triple shot coffees nowadays,
it’s so refreshing to bring back
a sense of class”
in Fortitude Valley and Anouk in Paddington, now focus
solely on the morning meal.
According to Anouk owner Justine Whelan, it’s really taken
off as a popular meal with more diners choosing to step out
for breakfast over lunch or dinner.
As the former owner of renowned breakfast hotspot The
Gun Shop Café in West End, Whelan knows a thing or two
about the subject. “Socially, people’s attitude to breakfast
has changed,” she says.
Food critic, Jan Power, also puts this trend down to money.
“Lunch and dinner take up time and cost more money,” she
says. “Other dining options are in fashion because they cost
less and don’t take as long.”
Owner of Clayfield’s High Societea Kathy Heath, takes full
responsibility for bringing high tea to a new generation of
people seeking the finer things in life.
“With massive muffins and triple shot coffees nowadays, it’s
so refreshing to bring back a sense of class,” she says.
Duncan recognises another benefit of the cheap and quick
meals. “We get so many daters come into Freestyle because
it’s quick. If it’s a bad date, you’re out of there before you
know it!” he says.
Brisbanites are embracing the trend for eating out and it’s
become fashionable to review the latest offerings. From
early morning wakeup eggs to inexpensive designer snacks
to quick coffee and cake, indulgent food spots are coming to
a cafe near you!

Classy it is.
Within 10 minutes of setting foot inside High Societea, it’s
as if someone flicked the behaviour switch and everyone is
watching their ‘P’s and Q’s’.
“It is a return to a time when things were done with style
because to do otherwise was unthinkable,” Heath says.
Everyone is cashing in on the trend with the Stamford Plaza,
The Marriot Hotel and Joseph Alexanders all offering a high
tea service.
But if savoury over sweet and big over-bite sized is
preferable, then perhaps breakfast is more your thing.
Snapshot
Frock gives you the places to go,
you bring the people to see
Eat @ Montrachet, Paddington.
Indulge @ Freestyle Tout, Fortitude Valley.
Drink @ The Lark, Paddington.
Relax @ The Groove Train, The City.
Dine @ Isis Brasserie, Fortitude Valley.
Be Seen @ Bar Alto, New Farm.
Many restaurants and cafes such as Salt in Rosalie, Campos
47
Elizabeth
CLARKE
Challenging the style.
WORDS Annika Hein
A
gainst the wall, lined up like white soldiers, are endless
rows of international and national fashion bibles. Imagine a
glossy barrier compiled of Vogue Italia, Harper’s Bazaar and
Vanity Fair, easily reaching over two hundred publications.
Among these beacons of style, sits the ever so chic,
Elizabeth Clarke.
Elizabeth Clarke’s business Stylesolutions provides
one-on-one style consultations, seminars and workshops.
Clarke also holds the title of Q-Weekend’s fashion stylist and
columnist as well as the Courier Mail’s online Style Mistress,
writing a daily fashion blog.
Her path hasn’t always been so smooth or had such clear
direction. Since the age of six her only dream was to
become a fashion designer. “I had always wanted to be a
designer, but unfortunately I wasn’t up to it technically,”
she laughs about her minimal skills as a pattern maker. After
having to walk away from her life-long dream, the ambitious
stylist’s hopes were not deterred. Clarke then embarked on
work experience, working in all aspects of the industry over
a three-year period in the early 1990s. Although ridiculously
broke, she was continuously learning from the diverse
positions she found herself in. “I worked in production,
agency work, marketing and buying, and got a real feel for
the industry.”
Clarke considers fashion to be influenced by so many
different sectors including film, music, art and literature.
As a result she believes, “you really can’t be in the industry
and not travel. Here in Australia we are so far away from
everything. I think we have to get on a plane and experience
everything that’s out there, really open our eyes up.”
And in 1994 she did exactly that. With two copies of her
resumé and a ticket straight to London, Clarke began yet
another learning curve. While in London, the eager-to-learn
novice landed a position as the assistant of renowned
designer, Catherine Walker of The Chelsea Design Company.
Here she had the opportunity to build relationships with
magazine people, while also absorbing everything she could
48
from Catherine. “We had women coming in like the Princess
of Wales and Jemima Khan, that not only had dresses made
to measure but also had their entire outfits styled by us. So I
was able to develop my skills in that area,” Clarke says.
Upon returning to Australia, Clarke worked briefly with Elle
magazine in Sydney before venturing back to Brisbane to
discover there wasn’t much on offer. “The Brisbane fashion
scene was so small when I was beginning my career, it was
a pin prick,” Clarke says with a roll of her eyes, before going
on to explain how the local industry has had a massive surge
recently, catapulting Brisbane onto the fashion map. “Stores
like Belinda and Jean Brown have opened up and made
high-end fashion much more accessible.” However, some
ten years earlier, Clarke realised she needed to really carve a
niche for herself. So she began styling for everyday people,
model cards, and slowly broke into editorial.
After being involved in so many varied areas of the fashion
industry, it was clear to Clarke that styling was her love
and talent. “It’s an accumulation of everything I love; it’s
clothes, it’s a beautiful body, working with a team to create
a gorgeous image. I really love putting clothes together and
making something aesthetically beautiful,” Clarke says.
Despite her success, Clarke still regards the most
rewarding part of her job to be at the end of the day, when
everything’s turned out successfully. The stylist smiles
humbly as she says, “my job is so hectic and stressful, but I
adore it, I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Director of KDPR
Kristin Devitt, has worked with Clarke and describes her
as “very driven and motivated. She always wants the best
result, but still manages to always have a smile on her face”.
The future for Elizabeth Clarke and her business sees the
determined stylist aspiring to expand further interstate and
work with people who are more influential in the industry.
“My biggest goal is to keep learning, you can never know
it all, that’s how you become better and that to me is
challenging,” she says.

The unique shapes and contoured
silhouettes of designer and
QUT Master of Fashion graduate,
Mark Neighbour,
are taking menswear to new
heights.
PHOTOGRAPHER Stephanie Graham STYLISTS Tenille Alexander, Lauren Clarke and Thomas Williams MODELS Jayke Maddison, Thomas Williams MAKEUP Hong Le
Garments Mark Neighbour
SHOES Stylists’ own
53
Women in the men’s room
WORDS Lauren Burvill
PHOTOGRAPHY Penylane.com
W
here are all the women? Lagerfeld, De la Renta, Ford, Galliano, Gaultier. It is no
secret that when it comes to women’s wear, men seem to know what women want.
But if men can grant the fashion fairytale wishes of women, why is the reverse not so?
In an industry that prides itself on pushing the gender boundaries, when it comes to
menswear there are very few women to be found.
It’s a growing market which has recently begun to overtake the strong female
consumer. Even within the current recession, the retail market has seen an increase in
menswear sales, as men are said to be investing more in their appearance in the hope
of impressing their employers.
While the Prada’s, Westwood’s and Versace’s are doing it for themselves, the men’s
fashion world remains a relatively boys only club. The Council of Fashion Designers
of America’s Annual Menswear Swarovski Award (previously known as the Perry Ellis
award) has never been won by a female designer; and the equivalent women’s wear
award has been won by only 4 female design labels, compared to 17 male winners.
On a local level Australia is lucky enough to house a multitude of powerhouse female
designers such as Collette Dinnigan, Easton Pearson and Sass & Bide, who are thriving
in feeding the crowds of fashion hungry females, both locally and internationally.
Yet despite such successes, very few have dared to venture into the land of man –
neglecting the rising Australian population of fashion forward males. For those women
brave enough to venture into menswear, it could indeed be worth the voyage across
the department store aisles.
54
“I think men as designers are more
technical than conceptual, I feel that
women as designers for men are
more conceptual – it’s not a positive
or negative – but they are different
positions to approach it from”
Tom Kalenderian, the Executive Vice President of menswear for Barneys New
York says that women as menswear designers do stand out amongst the
testosterone filled crowd.
“I wouldn’t like to say that women who design for men know better how a man
should look, I would say there probably is more awareness of a man’s aura,” he
told the Associated Press earlier this year. “I think men as designers are more
technical than conceptual, I feel that women as designers for men are more
conceptual – it’s not a positive or negative – but they are different positions to
approach it from.”
Conceptual or practical? One of the gender myths surrounding fashion is the
theory that men tend to design for fantasy, while women design for practicality.
However true to home the theory may be, this feminine touch that combines
the conceptual with the practical in design could prove the secret ingredient to
add sparkle to menswear sales’ figures and success.
One believer of the fantasy versus practicality gender theory is fashion Hall of
Fame-r Tom Ford, who has admitted to being unsurprised by the lack of female
designers. In 2005, after Imitation of Christ designer Tara Subkoff publicly
accused the media of favoring gay male designers, Ford retaliated, telling New
York Magazine “of course there are many more gay male designers. I think we
are more objective. We don’t come with the baggage of hating certain parts of
our bodies”.
Brisbane based designer Camille McDermott agrees with Ford, as she admits
to finding it hard to disassociate herself and her own hang-ups from her
womenswear designs. “When I design womenswear it’s still a constant back
thought in my head. And this is one of the reasons why I prefer to design for
men.”
A finalist in the 2008 Westfield Chermside Australian Fashion Graduate of the
Year Award, for her ‘Industrial Revolution’ collection, McDermott attributes the
lure of ‘safe money’ within women’s fashion to the lack of female interest in
menswear.
“Women tend to design what they know and feel safe in. I feel this is why there
is a lack of female menswear designers. It just seems the natural progression for
them to design garments which they themselves would wear.”
Yet if women get caught up in their own personal concerns during the design
process, do men face the same problem when designing for their fellow male
consumer? Josh Scacheri of Brisbane menswear label Subfusco says that while
he aims to design for a particular market, he used to get emotionally involved.
“When you start off designing in your earlier years, you design what you like
and what you would wear. After you start to realize that there are so many
different markets, some greater and some smaller, you start to drive your
direction to a particular one [market], ” Scacheri says.
As men reap the successes of designing for women, it is only a matter of time
before women use their feminine qualities to tap into the growing male market.
And thus as the saying goes, ‘behind every good man there is a great woman’,
perhaps in the future, behind every well dressed man will be a talented female
designer. Where are all the women? Coming to a menswear store near you. %
55
SCRAP THE BARBER
While we’re not suggesting you give
your local guy the flick for good (it’s the
best $15 you’ll ever spend) we do think
it’s time you swap the barbershop for
the hair salon once in a while. Here are
some trends to try at home:
1. Let it wave: Who could resist using a
hair straightener when GHD now has
its own mini styler just for men’s short
crops? But give it a rest. Let it grow a
little wild this summer (note: if you’ve
reached Brad Pitt circa Legends of the
Fall then you’ve gone too far) and tousle
the ends with some mousse.
2. Choppy Mess: Opt for a choppy cut
and start playing with your natural
cowlick and part.
man up
3. Sideburn Old School: Shape your
sideburns and make like Travolta.
4. Fringe Frenzy: Grow it out. Gel it up.
Slick it back. Sweep it. Enough said.
Harden the frock up – just because you want an
eyebrow wax, doesn’t mean you’re whacked.
FPS has put together a male beauty guide even
Chopper would approve of.
WORDS Luke Graham PHOTOGRAPHY Penylane.com
SURFACE AREA
Brosnan, Ford, Gere…true, some of the world’s hottest
men still know how to rock it with wrinkles. But unless
you start taking care now, you’ll end up more Jagger
than Clooney. Start slathering.
1. Clean. A good wash is vital for healthy skin. But be
gentle – invigorate, don’t irritate.
2. Tone. Gets your skin firm, ready and easy for
application. Opt for alcohol-free.
3. Moisturise. Especially post-shave. Don’t forget
around the eyes.
4. Protect. The most important part of skincare. Slap
on some SPF.
5. Everything in moderation. Skip the HJ’s quad stacker
– eat right, stay in shape and your body will thank you
for it later on.
TOP FOUR FRAGRANCES FOR SUMMER?
1. Versace Pour Homme, by Versace 2. Diamonds for Men, by Emporio Armani 3. The One (Men), by Dolce &
Gabbana 4. Terre d’Hermes, by Hermes.
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE? Because if you smell great, you’ll look even better.
56
Sole searching
There is an extreme contrast between the traditional, functional shoe and
the insanely high, architectural footwear emerging in the Paris Spring 2009
shows.
WORDS Keryn Wilson
PHOTOGRAPHY Robert Hayselden
T
he choice between fashion and comfort is not an option
for some fashionistas; like Carrie Bradshaw and Victoria
Beckham, who opt for towering, sky-high stilettos for the
sake of looking good.
However, the heels stomping down the runway in the Paris
Spring 2009 shows will leave the most die-hard shoe lovers
quaking in their comparably demure stilettos.
The world’s most revered designers are literally bringing
heels to new heights, from John Galliano’s extreme metallic
platforms to Yves Saint Laurent’s wireframe creation;
footwear is losing its functionality to fashionable art-inspired
creations.
Similar to Carrie’s love affair with Manolo Blahniks, Australian
girls appear to have attachment issues with Havaianas, pairing
them with almost every item of clothing.
So how well will the artistic visions of Paris couturiers, who
design for glamorous Parisian women who wear stilettos on
a daily basis, transfer across the seas to our thong-obsessed
Australian market?
Colorado Group product developer administrator, Rachel
Steer says the outrageously high and potentially anklesnapping platform shoes will be available in Australian stores
throughout 2009.
“Platform heels will be huge in 2009 and the gladiator sandals
will be still hanging around,” she says.
So if Aminaka Wilmont’s sole-less heels are not to your taste,
there are a few essential shoe styles every woman should
own.
Steer says the essentials include a classic black pump, sexy
strappy evening shoes, sweet little ballet flats, a cute summer
sandal and a pair of simple leather boots.
Szuting McCallum, co-designer of the Brisbane-based label
Kitty Croquet, does not share the traditional Australian
worship of thongs.
“Sometimes we are lucky and catch a trend. But our priority
when designing and manufacturing our shoes is using a high
quality material and a great fitting,” McCallum says.
Infamous shoe-blogger ‘The Manolo’, in his blog section
Gallery of the Horrors, forbids the wearing of the following
shoes in public: Crocs, the Earth shoe, Birkenstocks and Ugg
boots.
Steer agrees with ‘The Manolo’; her top two items to ditch
from every girl’s shoe wardrobe are “jelly sandals and
Crocs”.
Annually, 11 billion pairs of shoes are produced worldwide.
Couple that with hundreds of varying styles, colours, textures
and materials, and it is no wonder why it sometimes feels like
mission impossible when hunting for the perfect heel.
When shoe shopping, Steer says she doesn’t necessarily hunt
down the latest ‘it’ style.
“One of the most important qualities that I look for in a shoe
is good value for money,” she says.
Depending on the brand, store and material, the cost of a
good quality leather shoe can range anywhere between 50
dollars to many thousands of dollars.
When rationalising the purchase of a pair of Miu Miu’s;
remember that it is better to buy good quality, expensive
shoes, versus buying several cheap pairs every season, that
fall apart after a few wears.
Follow this old fashion advice: try on both shoes together
and walk around the store to ensure the shoes don’t rub and
that it is possible to walk in a straight line.
Even if it is the latest ‘must-have’ Jimmy Choo, judge the
shoe by the fit, not the brand, and make sure it is reasonably
comfortable.
“No one should be wearing those cheap thongs,” she says.
The Paris Spring 2009 shoe collections are beautiful, creative
and epitomise the weird and wonderful spirit of fashion.
When designing the new season product, McCallum and her
team disagree with Carrie’s ‘fashion over comfort’ attitude,
rather focusing on having a high overall quality and good fit.
But really, they belong in an art gallery sanctioned off behind
red satin ropes – far, far away from the little ankles of
%
Australian fashionistas.
57
blanc + delta
Free-flowing silks, floral prints and metallic
embellishments are the feminine signature of
this Gold Coast label.
WORDS Ella Cole
W
hen thinking of fashion inspired by Queensland’s Gold
Coast, Metre Maids flaunting metallic bikinis and cowboy
hats are undoubtedly the first things that spring to mind.
But for Gold Coast-based label, blanc + delta, the practicality
of dress that comes with the sun and sand lifestyle need not
be lost when it comes to high fashion.
The creative mind behind the emerging label, Bianca Daly,
24, says “the first thing I ever made was my formal dress in
year 12”.
“I can remember going into the fabric shop and the lady told
me not to bother trying.
“She said I’d never be able to make a dress if I’d never sewn
before,” she says.
Ignoring the woman’s advice, Daly made a pale pink gown
of taffeta and organza, with a voluminous back and beading
down the front.
“It’s kind of embarrassing now, but it was a nice
achievement at the time,” she says.
Fast forward a few years and Daly has established her own
fashion label, selling garments that see little time on shop
floors.
58
Daly launched blanc + delta during her final year of design
school for entry into the exclusive couture category at the
Australian Fashion Design Awards in 2004.
She was chosen as a nationally telecast finalist among more
than 100 entrants, paving the way for achievements to
come.
Daly went on to become a catwalk finalist in the prestigious
Mercedes-Benz Start-up Competition in 2005 for her Winter
2006 collection.
To date, blanc + delta has seen two successful Rosemount
Australian Fashion Week runway shows, including the
Summer 07/08 Tears of an Arctic Princess collection, which
featured in the New Generation parade in May 2007, and
the Winter 08 Espionage collection, which was shown in the
ready-to-wear category in October of the same year.
Despite her apparent success, Daly says she started the
business without a single connection in manufacturing,
retail, or design.
“I’ve really learnt everything the hard way.
“I was battling to find better suppliers for fabrics and
accessories and battling to find manufacturers that were
willing to sew something harder than a T-shirt,” she says.
Aside from having to triumph over the challenges that
come with running a business, Daly finds satisfaction in
what she does, and maintains there are plenty of great
things that come with directing the label.
“Getting to do something every day that I’m passionate
about, challenging myself with each new collection to
produce one better than the last, and creating clothing,
which hopefully, people can feel good wearing... I love it,”
she says.
For Daly, each season brings a new clash of different
elements, like her Summer 08/09 collection, which she says
was inspired by her Viennese travels.
The collection incorporates muses of ancient Greek and
Egyptian mythology, Gustav Klimt’s artworks, and 70s rock
music, all tied together to create a very wearable collection.
Daly is currently working on her Winter 2009 collection,
which incorporates romanticism, Arcimboldo (an Italian
painter), Napoleon, sportswear, and technology.
%
59
Accessories Report
Entrapment
WORDS/PHOTOGRAPHER Robyn Taggart
Black is always and forever in fashion. Kick
down doors and embrace the inner prima-donna
that resides in every wall-flower. For maximum
impact, wear with slick masculine layers or
entrap with deceiving florals.
1. Bette Belle ‘Bianca’ at Jules and Roc $220 2. Velvet Pins ‘Detachable Bowtie’ at Mood Paddington $40 3. Chelsea de Luca ‘Triumphs and Tragedy’ Brooch at Chelsea de Luca
$189 4. Sachi ‘Noir’ Heels at Jules and Roc $219.95 5. Velvet Pins ‘Silk Collar Cape’ at Mood Paddington $77 6. Kolchack Leather Belt at Mood Paddington $125 7. Chelsea de Luca
‘Moment in Time’ Cocktail Ring at Chelsea de Luca $149 8. Velvet Pins ‘Grey Silk Flare Cuff’ at Mood Paddington $44
60
Playtime
Soften the edge on noir with contrasting stripes
of angelic white. Best worn with pastels or super
bright frocks and a flirty attitude. Put away
the sugar and spice, these delicacies are sweet
enough. Cork the champagne instead.
1. Chelsea de Luca ‘Regality’ Earrings at Chelsea de Luca $279 2. Chelsea de Luca ‘After Dark’ Brooch at Chelsea de Luca $189 3. Olga Berg ‘Striped Lucite’ Clutch at Jules and Roc
$99.95 4. Dorotea Petiba Trimmed Bag At Mood Paddington $467 5. Nude ‘Stripe Panel Peeptoe’ at Jules and Roc $149.95 6. Chelsea de Luca ‘Drama Queen’ Extra Large Cuff at
Chelsea de Luca $550 7. Velvet Pins Bowtie necklace at Mood Paddington $66
61
The fashion industry joins the fight against illness with collections to inspire and educate consumers.
WORDS Krystal Ockerby
O
ften there are no tangible rewards for a donation to charity,
but fashion retailers are putting an end to that by producing
ranges of limited edition clothing and accessories, where a
percentage of the profits is donated to the store’s charity
partner.
Whether designers are brought on board for a campaign or
stores are simply stocking merchandise to help raise awareness,
charity partnerships are valuable within the fashion community.
Cancer can target anyone and is an unfortunate reality for many
families. The fashion industry has recognised this in recent
years, by partnering with charities to increase education of the
disease.
Since 1991, with Ralph Lauren producing the Pink Polo Pony
shirt, the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer campaign has been
hard at work to raise money for cancer research with the
support of a multitude of fashion heavyweights including
designers, photographers, models, fashion retailers and media.
This campaign has raised more than $2 million in Australia and
$40 million globally.
National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) spokeswoman
Leonie Walton, says “more than 13,000 women are diagnosed
annually with breast cancer in Australia”.
Primarily a female disease, she says those who work in the
fashion industry are particularly touched by this illness.
“In Australia, the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer T-shirts and
event have invested more than $2 million towards research
specifically for young women who are on the breast cancer
journey.”
The NBCF in Australia began campaigning in 1994 with a variety
of sponsors and since that time has raised over $20 million,
which has significantly contributed to finding a cure.
Pink ribbons are on sale in a number of retail outlets and the
foundation has corporate sponsorship with Bonds, which
produces singlets and lingerie sporting the pink ribbon logo.
Bonds’ model and ambassador for the cause Sarah Murdoch,
has been a keen supporter of breast cancer research since her
grandmother was diagnosed with the disease.
“It’s my job to increase people’s awareness of the disease by
speaking publicly,” Murdoch says.
Pink Ribbon Day is held annually in October as part of Breast
Cancer Awareness Month, and for the past several years the
NBCF has partnered with Jeanswest on the Designer Charity
Tee Project.
In a bid to encourage the young market to support cancer
62
research, labels such as Kirrily Johnston, Ksubi’s Alba Fan
Club, Alannah Hill, Life with Bird and Camilla & Marc have all
donated their designs to the cause, with the NBCF receiving a
percentage of profits from the charity T-shirts sold.
Since then, popular Australian label Sass & Bide has also
designed a shirt for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is
available on the Pink Ribbon Day website.
“Who would have thought that ten years ago a T-shirt
campaign would have had the impact that it has had in Australia
and around the world?” NBCF’s Walton says.
Stores like Witchery also assist charity by stocking silver ribbons
to promote awareness of ovarian cancer. Since 2001 they have
raised more than $2 million for cancer research.
Less high-profile charities have followed suit with major
corporate sponsorship. Sportsgirl, for example, has partnered
with The Butterfly Foundation, an organisation that informs the
public about eating disorders in young women.
The line features clothing and accessories created by designers
such as Arabella Ramsay, Kate Hurst, Belinda Fairbanks and Jo
Nation.
While the benefits of the partnership have been visible, “the
campaign has definitely been successful both financially and
from an awareness perspective,”Julie Thompson of The
Butterfly Foundation says.
“Promoting awareness of the issues associated with eating
disorders is as equally important as the donations received
from the campaign.
“Many people have contacted us after finding out about us in a
Sportsgirl store.”
Thompson says many of the partnerships such as Sportsgirl’s
campaign, have gained national attention thanks to the support
of television, radio and print media around the country.
She believes the clothing has the potential to create a lasting
bond between the individual and the organisation, which could
mean more support for many causes in the future.
By purchasing fashion items associated with charities, people
can expect to make a difference with a portion of every sale
going toward research.
This aids many of the families who are already suffering from
cancer and helps prevent illness in other families.
Take a walk in some charitable shoes.
%
E
ETERNAL SUMMER
WORDS Katia Ramos
Colin Baker & Erin Milburn
Owners of Retro Metro and Ruby Red Dress
What are the key pieces for an endless summer
wardrobe?
C: Cotton maxi dress, floppy cloth hat, John Lennon
sunnies, cotton singlet, sarong, lycra one-piece swimmers (great for festivals).
E: 50s inspired dresses, kaftans, 20s lace, chiffon, 80s
lycra and pantsuits.
Your styling tip for this summer?
C: Keep it easy and breezy.
E: Less is more.
What has been your best find yet?
C: A very large collection from the 1940s to the 1970s,
many b.n.w.t (brand new with tags).
E: My partner Colin in the Valley Markets in 2004.
What are the perfect threads for a summer’s night out?
C: Disco pants and a tight tee.
E: Silk and cotton (threads get it? ha ha).
What should come back in vogue?
C: Codpieces.
E: Women’s hats and not the J Lo look.
Havaianas vs thongs?
C: Neither, leather slides.
E: Neither, quality leather sandals.
When my baby, when my baby smiles at me I go to...
C: St Vinnies De Janeiro.
E: Bed.
On a hot day, I can’t live without...
C: A good beer. E: Ice cold coke.
The best take away coffee is from...
C&E: Coffee Shop on Enoggera Terrace, Paddington.
Scott Best
Visual Merchandising, General Pants Co. and Stylist for
LIBERTINE Magazine
What are the key pieces for an endless summer
wardrobe?
Baggy shorts and vintage sunglasses.
Your styling tip for summer?
Lots of colour and patterns, one piece swimmers,
anything oversized, slouchy hats, and of course lots of
sunscreen!
What are the perfect threads for a summer’s night out?
Shorts, heels and kaftans for the girls. Turn-up jeans,
brogues, singlets and fedoras for the boys, and Pimms
with lots of lemonade and fresh fruit.
What should come back in vogue?
Hypercolour and Roller Skating.
Havaianas vs thongs?
Havaianas, I get them really cheap.
When my baby, when my baby smiles at me I go to... we
go to... bed.
On a hot day, I can’t live without... Starbucks Caramel
Java Chip Frappucino, and running under the sprinkler.
The best take away coffee is from... Cirque.
Bec Burnett
Marketing Manager for Nat Denning Boutiques
What are the key piece/s for an endless summer
wardrobe?
Short floaty dresses hardened up with gladiator flats during the day and chunky dominator heels at night.
Your styling tip for summer?
Invest in well-cut basics and have fun with layering
feature accessories, embellished sandals and vintage
inspired vests and bags.
What are the perfect threads for a summer’s night out?
Anything light, chilled and fun… extra points for fringing.
Your favourite pre-loved/vintage shop?
Cream on Crown, Sydney.
What should come back in vogue?
Peace.
Coffee or tea? Green tea.
When my baby, when my baby smiles at me I go to...
Byron.
On a hot day, I can’t live without...
Cold watermelon.
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Reached the end?
No need to worry, our 12 month guide will keep you busy
WORDS Tenille Alexander & Monty Pie
December: Brush up on your art
There’s more to art than just Warhol and Picasso – check out
the great collections of indigenous, Modern Art and AsiaPacific art at the Queensland Art Gallery and GoMA. Keep
an eye out for large touring exhibitions from international
artists. Diary note: the December 5 launch of Kenneth
Macqueen’s watercolour exhibition.
January: Update those skinny jeans
From the antlers on the door to the one-off jewellery finds,
uber-retailer Natalie Denning’s latest fashion installment,
Fallow, is in a league of its own. A treasure trove of eclectic
design and high-end monochromatic fashion, it should also
be your first destination on the denim trail. With its slinky
mini-skirts, hot jeans from Superfine and Earnest Sewn, and
homage to the LBV (little black vest) it’s enough to make Ms
Moss green with envy.
February: Eat out on a budget
This quirky little corner spot on Brunswick Street in New
Farm houses the Alibi Room, a little room of fun and shiny
stuff known for none other than… Taco Tuesday. If you’re
game to brave the waves of taco-goers, you can pick up
ceaseless amounts of $2 tacos, $3 burritos, $4 Coronas and
$4 frozen margaritas. Could it get any better, Amigo?
March: Listen to some indie
The Tivoli, on Costin Street on the outskirts of Fortitude
Valley, has been nurturing Brisbane’s indie music scene
for decades, hosting brilliant live acts such as Kate MillerHeidke, The Vines, Blue King Brown, Bernard Fanning,
Mickey Avalon, The Dandy Warhols, Xavier Rudd, Augie
March and MGMT to name but a few. But be warned:
with a surprisingly opulent setting (think ornate cast-iron
balconies, Venetian mirrors and plush red velvet curtains)
you’ll be fighting to overcome the sudden urge to recreate
scenes from Romeo and Juliet. Stick to the (classy) mosh pit
instead.
April: Find a new beverage
Tucked away on Ann Street in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley,
The Bowery is definitely worth waiting in line for – and not
just to check out the cute bartenders in their white shirts
and black ties and braces inside. The jazz music prompts a
look at the cocktail list which makes for a mighty fine idea
– a cocktail shaker in the hands of one of these boys has
the same effect as James Bond in an Aston Martin. Smooth
and effortless and downright sexy. The Bowery is soon to
open two new locations opposite McWhirters on Brunswick
Street.
May: Make the most of your Sunday afternoons
Constance Street in Fortitude Valley is home to Limes
Hotel, the boutique hotel known and relished for its luxury
accommodation and rooftop bar. Every Sunday from 3pm is
the time to sip some bubbly and watch the sun set over the
Brisbane skyline with friends, while the rooftop cinema with
its classic films provides the perfect setting for a night out
with the girls.
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June: Catch a foreign flick
Food, drink, film…what better way to embrace foreign
cultures? Portside Wharf is definitely the place to indulge
foreign palates, sip on a fine wine or catch an international
flick. Located at Hamilton, head to Portside for the second
destination from Japanese favourite Sono, the ultimate in
Lebanese fare at Byblos or some Italian tapas from Gusto
(part of the Gianni’s family of restaurants). Don’t miss the
variety of international film festivals throughout the year at
the Dendy cinemas upstairs.
July: Shop with your man
For more than a decade now, Blonde Venus has been
famous around the country for its directional offering of
fashion and accessories for fashionistas and fashionmistas.
Situated in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, this iconic store,
along with its “kid sister” The Outpost around the corner,
stocks some of the world’s hottest brands (like Karen
Walker, Cheap Monday, Ann Sofie Back, 18th Amendment
and Antipodium) and hosts the coolest events.
August: Putt some fun into your weekends
Lawn bowls has seen a fierce revival in recent years, so it
was only a matter of time before all the other lost activities
of our time jumped on the bandwagon. $16 is all it takes
to bring you endless amounts of putt putt fun in the sun
at Victoria Park Golf Complex in Herston, which hosts a
challenging 18-hole course, perfect for getting friends
together and determining social ranking order.
September: Have high tea with your mum
Doggett Street in Fortitude Valley is home to Tisane, a
mecca of tiny scones, petit fours and ribbon sandwiches.
The concept of high tea has Tisane to thank for its recent
revamping, with Pol Roger champagne, Napoleon’s
Chocolate Tea, the Duchess of Bedford’s Sparkling Tea and
the Earl of Sandwich Tea all on the delightful menu.
October: Go on a blind date
Take a punt – what’s the worst than can happen? We
guarantee those first few moments spent waiting at the
bar for Mr X to turn up are as adrenalin-inducing as any
other extreme sport. Besides, blind or not, there’s a very
good chance you’ll end up here at Watt – undoubtedly this
city’s favourite first date venue. And why wouldn’t it be?
Hugging the Brisbane River and backing the Powerhouse
arts complex in Teneriffe, no other venue can get you closer
to the water’s edge and nearer to the sunset. You’ll wish you
were single, just to keep coming back for those entrées.
November: Blow some cash (you’ve made it
through another year, after all)
Just off the maniacal but lovable bustle of Fortitude Valley
is the James Street precinct, where fashion-hungry women
have their (manicured) claws out for the likes of Bettina
Liano, Scanlan and Theodore, Belinda, Kisses, Sass & Bide,
Little Joe, Mimco and Gary Castles Sydney. When all the
shopping makes you weary, there is Campos and Merlo
for some of Brisbane’s best coffee, as well as countless
restaurants and cafes catering to every taste bud.
THE StAIN BIBLE
Follow these simple stain commandments and you’ll be in heaven.
WORDS Hannah Lipman
ILLUSTRATION Rebecca Delaurence
RED WINE
Soak the stain in hot milk for 5 minutes then wash as per usual.
INK
Soak in hot milk for 5 minutes. If this does not work smear hair
spray onto the stain and then soak in hot milk for a further 5
minutes and wash as per usual.
CHEWING GUM
Place an ice cube on top of the gum until it hardens then peel the
gum off. If little bits of gum are left behind use a pastry brush to
place one egg white onto the stain. Leave for 20 minutes then
wash as normal.
GREASE AND OIL
Three Methods:
1. Let talcum powder sit on the stain for a few minutes then brush
the powder off.
2. Put dishwashing detergent on the stain for a couple of minutes
then wash under hot water.
3. Rub alcohol on the stain, then use a paper towel to blot it off.
SPAGHETTI
Dampen the fabric with warm water and sprinkle powdered dish
detergent over the stain and gently scrub with a toothbrush. Wash
as per usual.
COFFEE
For recent stains soak 300ml of water and 15ml of borax then
wash as normal. For old coffee stains dampen with water and rub
glycerin into the stain, leave for 45 minutes then rinse and wash as
normal.
FRUIT STAINS
Pour boiling water over the garment from 1 meter up in the air. This
approach works better then dipping the garment or soaking it in
boiling water.
LIPSTICK
Rub Vaseline onto the stain and wash as per usual.
DEODORANT
Sponge white vinegar onto the stain and let it soak for 25 minutes.
Wash the garment as per usual with a bleach additive.
SWEAT
Use a paint or pastry brush to place shampoo over the stain. Let it
sit until the shampoo has dissolved then wash as per usual.
CHOCOLATE
Scrape as much of the chocolate as you can off the item then
create a mixture of white alcohol and egg yolk, then soak item for
3-5 minutes, then wash in warm soapy water.
GRASS
Rub white vinegar into the stain then wash as per usual. If this
does not work try scrubbing the stain away with toothpaste and a
toothbrush.
RUST
A mixture of lemon juice and grinded sea-salt will help in removing
iron rust stains.
YELLOWING CLOTHING
Soak garment in a bucket of water and Epsom salts for 15 minutes
then wash as per usual.
FADING CLOTHES
Add 5 drops of vinegar to the wash. Two drops of vinegar can also
be used to stop woolen clothes from itching.
WAX
Place a brown paper bag over the stain and iron the stain out.
You may have to do it a couple of times before the stains have
completely disappeared.
FAKE TAN
For some brands Windex will get rid of it, for others, Sugar Soap
works. Try them both using an exfoliating scrub.
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QUT Fashion and Style Journalism 2008