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.