MBFWA wrap up

So I thought it would be better late than never to give my two cents worth about which designers showcased some of the greatest talent and created, in my opinion, some of the stand-out shows at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia (in no particular order, really).

1. Kirrily Johnston
This collection was held off-site at the bustling new Sydney restaurant Neild Ave, with its industrial yet theatrical interior made it the perfect backdrop to show off Kirrily Johnston's cool-girl collection. Traces of the designer's signature earthy tones were shown in neutral separates and bloom pants, while splashes of magenta and chartreuse were found in the form of sexy silhouettes, sheer fabrics, statement-making agate earrings and 2 strap heels with chain detailing. This collection has a lovely etherial undertone and is yet so wearable. Her pieces are sweet enough for the day but also sizzling enough for after dark.

2. Magdalena Velevska

Sharp, clean and minimal silhouettes with intricate detailing prevailed in this collection. The inspiration for this collection was under-the-sea, and upon being granted this knowledge, the subtle aquatic influences can be seen in the bubble-like circular sequin motifs, the scalloped edges on necklines, fluid knitwear, and dappled prints. The colour palette consisted of neutral white, charcoal, nude, mint green and musty pink with generous servings of neon yellow, which quite frankly, I have never seen look so good! 

3. Gary Bigeni

It's safe to say that Mr Bigeni is the reigning champion of the easy, breezy yet polished separates that everybody craves for their wardrobe. His collection boasted nearly every shade of blue imaginable from cobalt to aqua and sky-blue to teal, along with burnt orange, black and tan. His signature geometric prints and lashings of buttery leather were in full play. Perfect shift dresses and low-slung men's pants that hug the figure in all the right places are staples that can be mix-and-matched with perfection. My favourites are all the blue pieces, but mostly the black leather mini dress.

Instagram nation

I know all we hear these days are people harping on about how technology is changing the way we live our lives etc, but recently I've realised that a technological phenomenon in the form of an iPhone app is changing the way I consume fashion. Instagram (awarded by Apple Inc as 2011's App of the Year) now has over 10 million users and over 200 million photos have been uploaded. There is a veritable feast of Instagrammers to follow - some of mine include street artists, photographers, magazines, fashion PR agencies, designers and bloggers. The other day, I was thinking of some inspiration for a blog post when a photograph of Taylor Tomasi-Hill popped into my head. I realised that I'd found the photo on Instagram and it made me think... Aside from a handful of fashion blogs, my number one place to keep up-to-date with the fashion world would be Instagram. I even check it more than I check my Facebook (yes, and that's saying something). It works as a quick, easy and mobile way for designers, PR agents and bloggers to share ideas and inspiration. I've seen some clever people even using it as an opportunity to auction off their clothes. As the number of Instagram users continues to grow, it makes me wonder how the app itself will evolve to cater for the amount of users it has. Will Instagram be put on the map as a crucial form of social media for the fashion world? I guess we'll see!

red alert

Yesterday I finally got around to photographing my first shoot - that of which I intend to do a lot from now on! It was a lot of fun and Olivia is very comfortable in front of the camera which makes things a lot easier. She is wearing a dress that I made myself, a sort of DIY version of a Zara shift that I fell in love with a while ago. I was over the moon when I found the same fabric in Spotlight. She's also wearing Jennifer Hawkins for Siren shoes and Michael Kors watch.

the stiletto effect

I'm over the moon at the ressurection of the stiletto heel. After what has been a good few years of stomping around in our block, wedge, platform, humungous slabs of shoes, the time has come for a breath of fresh air, and femininity. I must admit I think I've taken for granted my nights out from dusk til dawn in my oh-so-comfortable wedges - where the ample amount of platform compensates for the fact that the heel gradient is actually not that steep - genius! Anyway, mothers everywhere can start worrying about the timber floors being marked all over again with the rebirth of the stiletto. My most recent take on the trend was a purchase of the much-blogged-about Tony Bianco Karissa shoes (sported by the likes of the lovely Jessica Stein at tuulavintage), a nice subtle re-take of the Alexander Wang Fabiana's, and earlier on, Celine's debut of the strappy sandal. So 90s, and it never looked so good! 

Mary-go-round

Readers will most likely think I'm freakishly obsessed with all things brightly coloured and printed. A while ago I posted about Mary Katrantzou, the London-based designer who is generating bucket-loads of excitement of late for her most recent project - a collaboration with Topshop. It's not the first time Mary has paired with the superstore, she designed two small lines a couple of years back, both incredibly successful. This nine-piece collection follows Katrantzou's trademark hyper-real garden-inspired patterns, vivid colours, and structured shapes. The collection is set to land in store and online on February 17 and I can't wait to try and get my hands on one of the dresses.

DIY neon yellow collar necklaces

I've been pretty obsessed with Sass & Bide's The Life Exotic necklace for the last couple of months. Also having been utterly inspired by the lovely Geneva's DIY version of the necklace over at A Pair & a Spare, I decided to finally jump on the bandwagon with my attempt. 


I bought the two necklaces from Diva accessories at 2 for $30 (bargain!) and bought some Dy-Mark spray paint in white and fluro yellow. The trick with this process is really to build up with lots of light layers slowly rather than one big thick layer, which I learnt the hard way after the paint started flaking off after one big coat. So I started again and followed Geneva's steps and voila! Here is the result and I can't wait to wear them both. 

Mardi 17

A young man who has caught the attention of many bloggers of late is young Australian Dion Lee. Only recently graduated, Lee has made a rep for himself for producing clear-cut, highly structured garments that are tailored to absolute perfection. His SS11/12 collection doesn't stray from it either, with lots of origami-like manipulation and precise tailoring. It has a sterile feel, with the models hair slicked down with black paint, peaked collars and razor-blade-like folds. My picks of the collection are the white pleated dresses at the end, as they are so wearable yet display so much skilled tailoring.