The Warm-weather Hat

My weekend was perfect. The weather was balmy, the celebrations were joyous and the best part was that I spent it with the most amazing person ever. Yesterday after a lazy Sunday afternoon nap we decided to go on a trip to the deli and stock up our picnic basket with deliciously rich foods and red wine. Watching the sun set over the river and then watching the stars cross over the sky was too pretty to be true. It was so warm laying in the park at night until the wine got to us and we retired home back to bed.

Surprisingly this morning was freezing and the day has been quite cold. After wearing florals and whites all weekend, the weather called for change and so I donned my winter blacks to uni. Kind of contradictory given the fact that boater hats were informally known as the Warm-Weather Hat in the days when it was customary for all men to wear hats outdoors. Anywho this was the result.

Vintage boater hat, Etsy. Dress, Emma Rea. Blazer, thrifted. Ballet flats, Bloch. Stockings, Leona Edmiston.

I've found myself to be quite obsessed with boater hats recently and after waiting months to find the perfect one online, I finally purchased this one for around $AU14 including postage off Etsy. My best friend found a great hat in an op-shop when we were on a road trip down in Byron Bay recently but it has a pink ribbon and needs a bit of re-shaping. I can't wait to add more to my collection.

The Humble Art of Procrastination

It's time consuming, circumventive and in many ways it's productive. Productive because you spend all your time avoiding the task at hand by being industrious in other areas. The only thing is these areas are the one's that don't require productivity in the grand scheme of duties that need attending to. Have I lost you, or have I made you think back to a time when blogging has saved your mental state but concequentially left your To Do list even longer?

The very reason I'm writing this post is to avoid doing other things like semiotically analyse a Vogue Italia editorial for my contemproary fashion class. My eyes can't help but wonder from the fuzz of my analysis up to my inviting Blogger quick-link. The thirst for me to post needed to be quenched so I figured what better way to satisfy my needs than to show you all how much of an unkempt slob I look like when I blog (read: okay, okay that's an exaggeration - but it can get pretty weird over here at Fashion Falsehood HQ).

I always have these conjured up images of the girls behind blogs like Fashiontoast and LeFashion looking positively preen and glamorous doing up their posts while the rest of us hide behind our desks looking less than aesthetically pleasing.

What are you usually wearing when blogging? Usually for me it's a tattered tee shirt and underwear but given the fact that I actually had to leave the house today compelled me to cover up appropriately.

Vintage Wrangler DIY highwasted shorts, thrifted cropped floral tee, Thomas Sabo bracelet with thrifted Catholic charm, gifted ring from Florence and gifted mother of pearl bracelet.

Continued Russh Preview

Continuing on from my last post, Russh Australia has just launched their new website with even more sneak previews of the up and coming September/October issue due in stores next Wednesday.

The best thing about the website is its new features. They include back issues in an enlarged online format (and I thought the vidflip was a major technological advance!) and the long awaited feature for my beloved international readers who complain about trying to get their hands on a copy - there is a section specified for international subscriptions and the purchase of back issues at The Russh Store! All for you! Also on the website will be video content including behind-the-scenes previews of The Russhies doing their thing.

I won't bore you with my thoughts as you already know my position on the magazine - so check out their new digs for yourself. But the new cover featuring Ali Stephens shot by Benny Horne (who has been a favourite of Russh lately shooting countless editorials and covers)? Let's just say Russh never fail to hold up their end of the bargain.
photo: Imaxtree

Russh Previews Issue #30

From what we can see, the preview of issue #30 posted on the Russh Blog a few hours ago is a sigh of relief. Expect the exhale of fulfillment we avid Russh readers expel in harmony when we sit down and take a moment to reflect on the awe-inspiring content of the previous issue before opening the glossy issue sitting in our laps.

First you see the familiar type face, the vintage and enchanting photography and then taking it all in at once like stepping back from a impressionist piece of art - the killer layout.

It's comforting knowing issue #30 will be just like the rest. I can't imagine what I'd do if anything about Russh changed. It would be like Vivienne Westwood deciding to channel mid-90s Helmut Lang. I mean what the fuck, right?

Stella Tennant for Chanel 2002

This issue we're going to be getting a short profile on Stella Tennant, a thirty-something Scottish supermodel who had a stint designing a knit wear line for Burberry. She's still a smoking hot hell raiser who is equal part nurturing mother, androgynous crop and all.

So cannot wait for this issue!

US Vogue June 2003

A Heavenly Hole Punch

This is the first glimpse we get at the upcoming collaboration between Dr. Martens and Jean Paul Gaultier. Talk about a wet dream.

Punching holes into old-school work boots has never been so fucking fabulous! On his blog, Andrew Bunny revealed nothing more than a close up shot of some punky lattice work on black and white standard 8 hold Doc's with the enviable JPG trade mark under the standard Dr. Martens embossed stamp. The only qualm I have about these is the smell of bare feet that will no doubtedly be left lingering in them by crazed fashionistas stomping up and down the streets of a fashion capital near you. Who would want to hinder the facade with silly old socks underneath?

I cannot wait to see what the rest of the collaboration will bring, let alone get my greedy little hands on a pair. Pity they'll only (maybe, word has it) be available at the Gaultier store in Paris. It's also a shame that in reality, I probably won't be able to afford these puppies even when it's 20 years from now and I'm battling it out in an overpriced eBay auction.


Via: Andrew Bunney

The Daily Round-up

If you're currently reading this post: I can safely assume that you have enough internet savoir-faire to manage checking your emails and stalking your frienemies on your favourite social networking website on a day-to-day basis.

If you're reading this post and have a fashion blog of your own, then you're more than likely to be: Doing the above while simultaneously reading your top ten favourite blogs for inspiration, posting on your own and keeping up to date with daily fashion website posts all the while sipping on your skinny latte and tapping away at your Blackberry. Am I right? Or wait; was that a bi-daily ritual?

For those of us caught up in this fast-paced virtual practise, we can never be at the height of our game. We think we've got every inch of the internet covered until we realise there is still a glistening, bejewelled stone we haven't yet up-turned.

Personally this has happened over and over as I've grown up exploring different facets of the fashion industry and as my taste has matured along side with me. First, it was Vogue.com.au back in my fourteen-year-old hey-day when accessories were oversized and over-coloured (See: Nicole Richie when she started shedding the pounds). Celebrities were dominantly my main source of inspiration and when that failed, it was the Vogue Forums that over-rode MySpace in terms of teenage internet addiction. After being kicked off the forums three times (they found out I was under sixteen) I gave up and abused the majority of my newfound income on buying Vogue, Bazaar and Vanity Fair.

Today I have a bunch of dailies for which I receive the daily emails, check the news and view blogs for inspiration. A short while ago I posed my Blogtastic list of my favourite blogs which for the sake of boring my readers I won't post again for you now.

It's the amount of fashion websites I subscribe to that interests me - and the one's I don't know about that fascinate me even more.

The Daily Email
The Business of Fashion is my most recent discovery. It's the actual guts of the fashion industry spelt out in Layman's terms for those of us who think that ringing the NYSE opening bell is reserved for Manolo Blahnik clad fashionistas a la Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and the City. BoF explores all issues at the intersection of fashion and business and if you subscribe to the daily mail out you don't have to do the hard yards sifting through every financial advisory online to find all the news relating to the fashion industry.
Pedestrian.TV claims to be the house of popular culture - and they're right. Ash, the head writer for the daily mailout is witty, well informed and has the hots for Miranda Kerr. I've already been accused of copying his content which I wholeheartedly take as a compliment given that he's up to speed and has great taste in which collections he chooses to update us all on. The daily mail out comes at around 4pm AEST Monday to Friday.

StyleCaster always greets me with "Hello Miann, here is your daily Style Cast". Cute huh? They let me know the weather here in Brisbane (which I find to be very Michi Girl-esque but handy nonetheless); I get my Forecast which tells me which sales are on and where, and then I'm invited to the news room to read up on all the latest industry news. The news on StyleCaster is a little lighter than the BoF content which is good because I don't know if I could handle reading numbers and stocks all afternoon.
Fashionista Events sends me my bi-weekly Sequins of Events consisting of all local insider sales, launches and fashion lunches and gets me VIP access by RSVPing through the site. The best thing about this site is it's localised to your capital city which you select upon signing up.

The Daily Digest

Fashionista is a great little website to make me feel like a bitchin' fashionista. The authors of the posts sometimes bitch (but never as much as the commenters) and they cover great content such as editorials, insider scoops and they drink a ton of coffee. Just don't ever cover their content without crediting them for the scoop - the girls over at Fashionista are fucking ruthless.
Fashion Gone Rogue is a great little website that posts all the latest fashion editorials from all over the globe. If you're right into editorial content as insipration then head to FGR every day as they don't ever miss the beat when it comes to exclusively posting hints of forthcoming editorial campaigns.
Vogue Australia Fashion News is a little slow but it doesn't hurt checking here for quirkly little stories and interviews regarding Australian fashion. If you're looking for news content without being bombarded with self proclamation than this might not be for you. But for me on the petty income of a uni-student that doesn't actually allow room for buying Vogue - then this is enough for now.



There are a few more websites that I regularly cross in the blogosphere but don't really get into such as WWD, TFS and FWD and for the love of me I have no idea why. But I'm very keen to know what fashion websites you visit for your daily fix.

Another One Bites the Dust

German fashion house Escada has today filed for insolvency after failing to win enough support from company shareholders to exchange a bond. For nearly a month now, chairman Bruno Saelzer has been in talks with insolvency experts in hopes to combat liquidation and review steps to further restructure the women's leading luxury brand. Escada is said to have EU 70.3 million in debt and falling sales - even with the backing of LVMH the end of Escada is looming inevitable.

Source

Fashion's Latest Fortune Teller

"Fortune" is Tina Kalivas' latest SS09/10 collection. To put it simply: It's as if Xena joined a circus of travelling gypsies who taught her the in's and out's of astrology and Greek mythology. Through injections of armour-like jewelry and feminine hints of military prowess, Kalivas embraces colour with an ethereal, celestial colour palette. The original spin Kalivas has put on digital print and new age patterns is refreshing when we've been seeing so much of it in the past seasons. Her penchant for highly structured yet breezy, feminine looks is accoladed with knotting, roping, tassels, fringing and a few carefully placed slashes. The stand out emerald green panelled jacket is a gentle reminder of her stint at Alexander McQueen where she was seamstres and Creative Pattern Cutter of showpieces and private orders. She gained skills of the highest calibre such as draping, tailoring, and endless couture techniques; all evident in this collection which is sure to pave way to the future.

Mock Up

Yesterday saw me styling my best friend's mock up of a proposed cover shoot for our university fashion publication Frock Paper Scissors.

She went into the shoot with three key aesthetics for me to conjure up around the theme of vintage and second hand clothing. Firstly avant-garde, second bohemian and thirdly artistic (which we didn't get around to shooting because we ran out of light). Originally I envisioned avant-garde with lots of black, layers and a mix of textures including crepe silks, tassles and knotted roping. I saw the model domineering atop a podium in a floor length flowing skirt structured by headpieces and bustiers. Given the short timeframe I was given to prepare wardrobe (30 mins!) and set design - things came flying out of my closet and piled into boxes.

We picked up one of our models on the way to location (a cute house in the sticks) and I was pleasantly greeted with both long limbs and long locks of hair.

So without too much mucking around we started with avant-garde. I grabbed my Babysitters Club Hat (for my followers, you know which one I'm talking about), a tu-tu my mother made back in fashion school which is intended to be worn under a garment, but for the sake of underwear as outerwear I figured it would be okay. I teamed these with a Therese Rawstone black bustier and black 8 hole Dr Martens and held it all together with bullclips and pegs. Worked like a charm. With Rachel's piercing blue eyes and dark hair the milieu couldn't have been any more perfect. For the second model Erin, I paired my crisp white antique Victorian blouse with opaque stockings I had a wonderful time ripping to shreds. Very therapeutic.

After many different compositions we were running out of light so we hastily navigated to the next look. Bohemian. I threw my rabbit fur shawl and white denim shorts at Rachel and she ran! After some precise tweaking (adding a studded cuff that subsititued for my lack of a studded belt and some rolling of the shorts) she looked positively intouch with nature. Erin wore my Emma Rea dress which I had prior tied in a knot to give it texture. We had lots of fun throwing the dress around to catch the light and contrast the shadows.

We finished shooting the girls with little light left but I insisted on throwing my oversized nude blazer on Rachel to catch the last of the sun. I also put Erin in a vintage midriff blouse with intricate beading detailed on the back so I had her standing with her back to the camera (not very standardised for a cover but the detailing is just too amazing). The last few shots turned out brilliantly, along with the rest. I only have a few shots from the afternoon but I'll add more when I have time to go through and edit them all.

photography: me and georgia colclough

models: Rachel and Erin
styling: me