Mercedes Benz Fashion Week 2016 was really no different to me than it was last year in a general sense. I always love every minute of it.
If there is one, I am “the” tragic fashion week attendee.
This week is one where I cover all fashion designers, established or emerging, international and local. For those of you who know me my greatest love and the fire that drives the passion in my fashion belly, is that of the emerging designer.
This year, my heart beat faster than usual in the frow. Why you ask? Because of the person who happens to be the subject of this editorial.
One Miss Jessica Van.
It took precisely five minutes of my life to view the very first Jessica Van collection. An even shorter moment to recognise that I had just witnessed the work of a young designer, and currently relatively unknown designer, who I believe, is headed for the greatest of success. Words cannot describe how much I loved this collection.
I can hear you asking why?
Because sometimes, you just know.
You see an extraordinary talent and the beginnings of something huge and untapped, wrapped up in fabrication of the designs which parade in front of you on the runway.
Jessica is young, inexperienced, and understandably in awe of a cut throat, competitive, and saturated industry.
She is also genius, dedicated, passionate, humble, and possibly one of the best young designers I have ever seen. She is full of hope and blessed with a dose of the smarts. She sees her designs as wearable art, and indeed they are. She understands the road she is about to travel and so do I.
She is, I believe a designer to watch, because if I am right, I think we will be seeing her name up in lights. And soon.
There are always people who are keen to see you fail, those who are indifferent and those few gorgeous souls who will support you unconditionally, push you to do better and ultimately drive you forward.
Janna Jones
LM
What is the philosophy behind your label?
JJ
The J A N N A J O N E S brand aims to bring the strength, styling and sophistication of European luxury leather goods to the international market (from an Australian base).
The Australian market is unique. Unlike Europe we are unwilling to pay thousands of dollars for a trend item that we will wear a handful of times and then archive. Nor do we pack away our S/S wardrobe and then pull out a completely different A/W one.
The fashion conscious Australian public want quality pieces that have the ability to stand alone, work with the latest trend and can also be styled with much of what they already possess in their wardrobe.
JANNA JONES strives to facilitate the luxury experience by ensuring the provision of high quality leather, silk satin lining and matching dust bag, pressed branding, customised hardware, authentication cards and eternal style at a more accessible price point.
Photographer | Tristan Jud | HMUA | Simone Lee | Model | Jaqueline Baker
LM
What is the inspiration behind your label?
JJ
Accessories are limitless; I pull inspiration from culture, architecture, art, various design mediums, music, engineering etc. Handbags in particular are the ultimate attainable luxury. They are resilient of seasonal trends, and irrepressible by variations in location, climate, culture, politics, religion, diet and age. That in itself deserves global adoration.
Last week I aged about five years. Just as well I was wearing my new Pradas. Like Anna Wintour. Except that I wasn’t wearing them to be cool. No. Just to cover up my very tired face.
This was our last day at Carriageworks, the sun was going down on the event for this year, quite literally.
I loved every single moment!
It is my most favourite week of the year. Strange you might say if it’s my favourite week. Why am I stating negatives? Yes. I can see what you mean. But as wonderful as it is, it is a crazy mix of the greatest excitement you could ever imagine, and the most exhausting of any weeks, all at the same time. It is hype on top of hype. The excitement of seeing the most beautiful people once again, and naturally to catch up in person with all my fashion friends who live all over Australia.
Mercedes Benz Fashion Week 2016 or MBFWA. A phenomenal week of the “work” kind of socialising, meeting industry friends, and of course, the reason we all go … to witness, enjoy and revel in the sheer talent of fashion design that Australia is known for.
An industry event full of buyers, bloggers, fashion journalists, editors, spotters, public relations teams, celebrities, and the Who’s Who of the Australian fashion world. I have lost track of how many shows I watched across the week, but what shows they were.
Opened by the incredible Toni Maticevski in the most inspiring of venues, Bangaroo.
Closed by the legendary, Oscar de la Renta, now passed, but Oh! how ‘The Legend’ lives on. It was full house indeed, and any wonder. Elegance personified is our Oscar, and what a treat is was to be able to be present.
Bangaroo is just an incredible place, period. But for a fashion show? Simply memorable. Most of the other shows were at Carriageworks in Sydney’s Everleigh, and of course, like always there were the “off site” shows, like the one at Bradfield Park in Sydney’s north. Literally under the Harbour Bridge at 9am on a beautiful clear morning, with blue sky and perfectly acquainted by crisp Autumnal air, the Manning Cartell girls did not disappoint. A stunning collection.
Mid week another highlight for me was the McGraw show. Speaking of sisters who never disappoint, I thought this show was beautifully balanced in every way. A great collection. A fun collection. Gorgeous models. Smiling models! Great choice of music and a beautiful happy, original, and unforgettable set!
I proudly tell everyone about MBFWA and my involvement there, because I am truly chuffed at the amazingness we get to call Australian fashion. We are expertly creative and distinctively original in the way we interpret and present fashion. We are a hub of far-away design genius as far as I am concerned and the rest of the world rightly watches in awe when we show our very best Fashionista selves. I will be posting many interviews in the coming weeks about MBFWA Resort 2017 but for now, as a teaser, I thought you might enjoy a taste of my fashion week video gallery.
Until next time,
Jade xx
We are still young but you will never find passion like ours.
Last week, I attended Mercedes Benz Fashion Week for the whole glorious week!
It is my most favourite week of the year.
Industry professionals line up eagerly each and every year to view the current landscape of Australian fashion and the ever increasing talent of the emerging designer market.
As always, I am there to champion, encourage, and cover editorially, the high stakes game of Australian fashion. The designers, established and emerging, and their often forgotten, phenomenal creative teams.
It was a great privilege to see these very talented individuals forging ahead in the Australian fashion scene and I can only hope that it continues with great vigour.
“Project NextGen is an initiative that is intended to provide a platform to discover and support emerging Australian fashion designers. By connecting these gifted individuals with an experienced panel of industry insiders, the program mentors Australian talent to help them hone a broad range of skills and elevate their profile through industry connections and ongoing business support”.
The winners this year were Anna Quan, Holystone (Renee Sealey), Jason Hewitt, Kaliver (Roni Cross), Monster Alphabets (Sarah Ryoko Watanbe), and Third Form (Merryn Kelly). Judged by the following panel, Edwina McCann (Editor-In-Chief Vogue Australia, Kellie Hush (Editor-In-Chief Harper’s Bazaar Australia), Justin O’Shea (Buying Director mytheresa.com), Emily Weight (Director Fashion IMG Australia), Eva Galambos (Director & Buyer Parlour X), Chris Buchanan (GM Ellery), Donna Player (Merchandise Director David Jones), and Kelly Francis (Fashion Director MADE), we now find ourselves watching the final product. Project NextGen 2016.
Jason Hewitt showed his Resort 17 Collection.
Get out of H&M and Topshop and Forever New, and all that crap. It’s bad for the environment and it’s bad for you. Ultimately it won’t satisfy. Start buying quality, and curate a wardrobe of things you cherish.
That. Is. Style.
Jason Hewitt
Jason Hewitt Resort 17 Collection | Photographer | Stefan Gosatti | Getty Images
LM
What is the philosophy behind your label?
JH
It’s two fold.
Firstly, Every aspect of your business should be as sustainable and ethical as possible and should not define one as a designer.
Secondly, I enjoy creating pieces that I am proud of and which resonate with people.
LM
What is the inspiration behind your label?
JH
Depends really, it’s so varied. I’m inspired by life, but that sounds a bit new-age-hippy for me. I like contemporary art, culture, reading. I was looking at an interview with JW Anderson recently where he said he wants Loewe to come from a place of culture – I think I agree with that. I’m so fascinated by different cultures, and how they’re presented and old traditions are updated. I think that’s what drives a lot of the things I’m interested in.
Jason Hewitt Resort 17 Collection | Photographer | Stefan Gosatti | Getty Images
LM
What do you think of today’s street fashion?
JH
There’s not really much to think. People should wear what they feel good in. It’s not really my place to have an opinion on it (I dress like an absolute slob most of the time) but I do sometimes take inspiration from the way people put things together.
The street fashion thing feels a bit like an Oroborous these days. Trends are taken from the street and then fed back, like a closed loop. I don’t know if that’s going to generate anything new in terms of design so I do wonder if street fashion isn’t just becoming rather watered down … Normcore, a trend so boring it didn’t need to be named.
LM
Lol! (Normcore is a unisex fashion trend characterized by unpretentious, average-looking clothing). LM
What advice would you give to aspiring fashion designers?
JH
Learn how to make clothes, properly, before you start designing them. Take your inspiration from anywhere, but avoid looking at other designers unless it’s for a historical point of reference or a preferred silhouette. Look at other designers work from a construction point of view not design. Go to museums, read books, get off your phone, close your computer and take it all in. The internet is a great resource but it’s not the same as the real thing.
If you put something together and it doesn’t look so good, the fashion police are not going to come take you away. And if they do, you might have some fun in jail.
Iris Apfel
The wonderful American Style Queen, Iris Apfel, commenting on how women combine the elements of good dressing …
well, after all, Iris should know …
Who better than Iris to show us all how to put the ultimate in fashion craziness together with some other garments which equals perfection?
Our current world is so homogenised in every way. And the way we dress has become a victim to it. Whatever happened to wearing crazy colours, either on their own, or together? I have styled many people over the years who have been afraid to wear colour. Want to add colour to your wardrobe? Here’s how.
Remember that colour does not have to be always worn near the face. It can be introduced into an outfit with colourful shoes or a handbag.
Wear colours that make you feel good and remember that as we age, hair colour and skin tone changes. Revise your colour choices often. Finding confidence in this ability is how we all secure a connection with our own confidence and creates our sense of wellbeing. Be prepared to take a “fresh look” at yourself and reassess how you can improve your image. If you’re not comfortable wearing colourful garments introduce colours through nail varnish, lipstick or your hair!
Photography & Styling | Karlstrom Creatives
Colour does not have to take the form of block colour. Sometimes we look better in plain colours or colours that are infused within a pattern.
If you prefer to wear plain, block colours because you feel they suit you better, try introducing patterns and interesting prints through cute shoes and handbags. Another idea is the simple layering of colour underneath another block colour, such as white or black. I like to call it ‘colour referencing’.
Remember, all you are trying to achieve is a “joining of the dots” effect – a visual reference of design and colour, continuity and harmony.
Colourful tops, and even tops with a blend of more muted colours, can look great underneath plain understated jackets.
An outfit of block colours works a treat with a gorgeous pair of leopard print ballet flats and a stylish Gucci handbag! Things do not necessarily have to match but there does need to be a marriage of harmonious elements and colour tone. Tonally they work together and there is enough visual space between the two items to make the combination work. The natural balance of the outfit then becomes effortless and an understated elegance of good quality and taste becomes the highlighted theme.
All beautifully constructed outfits and exceptional dressing comes down to the combination of colour and texture, and the ability to achieve the all-important balance of proportion.
It is always a good idea to be generally aware of what is trending, not because your individual style depends on this, but because it allows you to have a choice of product in every season to add different elements of value to your wardrobe.
Photography & Styling | Karlstrom Creatives
If you wear black or grey, wear colour that compliments your main palette. Try to move outside of the normal combination. For instance, lime green and acid yellow are exceptionally beautiful with black. Gerbra pink is divine with charcoal.
If you are teaming these items with jeans or casual trousers, bring the reference of colour from the top of your body (ie. lime green top), down to the feet with gorgeous flats in a tonally appropriate colour, or paint your toe nails in a tonally balanced shade in open-toed heels.
Introduce visual depth and weight and experiment with colour, tone and texture.
Adhering to these general rules will mean that you achieve a lovely balance in your wardrobe that you will be pleased to visit every day!
I’m sure some women DO shop because they actually need clothes, shoes and bags … I just don’t know any of them.
As a long time lover of designer fashion, and a stylist of many years, I have been thinking a great deal lately about being a woman.
As a woman I love being able to enjoy gorgeous designer labels, makeup, perfume and all the lovely things that are so readily available. I take enjoyment from such things every day.
This started me thinking a lot about the various roles that we have as women and I noted just a few.
We are mothers, friends, wives, girlfriends, mentors, colleagues, nurses, cooks, ironing ladies, confidantes, step parents, counsellors, sports coaches, taxi drivers, stylists, decorators, gardeners, CEOs, marketing directors, volunteers, and ambassadors.
Often we are all of these things in one day. I know I have been, sometimes 365 days in a row.
Women have so many varied roles to play in their lives. No wonder we often feel pulled in many directions and struggle to get it all done.
I thought I would share some information from a group of women I know about WHY women shop.
It will make you laugh.
I certainly found myself in this list. Maybe you will too …
Women Shop because
They are premenstrual.
They have their period.
They are turning 50.
They are turning 40.
Their husband is turning 50.
They found a grey hair.
Their husband is turning grey.
They dented the car.
They need glasses to read texts.
Their husband lot his job.
They found out their child is gay.
They found out their partner is gay.
It is the first day of the school holidays.
Their mother is here from London to stay for a month.
It is the last day of the school holidays.
They are having a fat day.
They are expecting a baby that wasn’t planned.
They just ate a cake in the middle of their diet.
Their mammogram appointment is tomorrow.
Their husband just bought a chainsaw when you are desperate for a holiday?
My husband recently showed me a video he thought would interest me. … what an understatement!!!
I loved it!
And I’m pretty sure you will too. With over five million views already, I guess I’m not the only one who thinks it hilarious. To all the wonderful Instagram Husbands out there, I’d like to thank you, for lots and lots of laughs.
I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say we appreciate you and love you … our Instagram lives would not be the same without you!
I was so intrigued and fascinated by the way the video was produced, I just had to find out who was behind it’s creation.
Michelle and Jeff Houghton, a married couple from Springfield, Missouri in America’s mid west, are the ingenious creative minds who birthed the concept. They are parents to their little boy, Elias and Michelle is also a counsellor and an artist.
Her Instagram husband, Jeff, is a comedian and talk show host. Jeff creates a syndicated show called The Mystery Hour, which is what Instagram Husband was written and produced for. Michelle also writes and performs for the show.
“we thrive on keeping things interesting and are driven by a desire to connect with others and chase after our dreams. I am an avid Instagrammer and I love tacos, philosophical conversations, indie music, podcasts, and creative expression”.
Their Instagram account is the “official account bringing support, comport, & praise to all you human selfie-sticks out there …”
It is truly brilliant and hilarious. Quite simply, I’m hooked!
I hope you love this piece as much as I’ve enjoyed creating it.
LM
I absolutely love what you are doing … how did you start Instagram Husband?
IH
Jeff, my husband, came up with the Instagram Husband concept and wanted to do it as a video for his show, The Mystery Hour. He thought of it last summer, after having a lot of experiences where taking a pretty photo got in the way of experiencing the moment in both our lives and the lives of our friends.
LM
Is Instagram Husband a collaboration, as often I see many things that are posted by different people?
IH
In some ways, yes, it was a collaboration, in other ways no. We have a group of writers who write for The Mystery Hour and we collaborated on the video for that entity. The idea of Instagram Husband was Jeff’s and everyone who was involved was doing it for the show.
LM
How has Instagram changed your life?
IH
I have a lot of good friends who I have met through Instagram, actually, which is the greatest impact it has had on my life.When I find a new Instagrammer from my area who has similar taste, I follow them and then start commenting on their posts out of mutual respect and admiration. Often that has lead to online friendships which have lead to hanging out in real life. Some of my closest friendships started that way over the last five years. Instagram has also enhanced my connections with my friends because we have access to knowing what is going on in each other’s lives. It starts conversations about things we otherwise wouldn’t know about, and I love that.
LM
Do you feel we have created a problem of “oversharing” on social media in general? Do you feel that Instagram specifically has created an aspect of “oversharing” in our life?
IH
I think we do have a bit of “oversharing” going on in our culture, but I don’t think it is unique to Instagram. I am a counsellor and work primarily with adolescents. To them it’s not Instagram, it’s Snap Chat. For others, it’s Facebook. Regardless the medium, we do go to ridiculous lengths to provide interesting and appealing content related to our lives. I think we are going to look back in 50 years at this time period and see a lot of good things that have come from social media, but we will also recognise a lot of mistakes we have made culturally with regards to our obsession with it. We cannot learn those lessons until we go through them, however. I do see a lot of individuals online who go to extremes to get “likes” and ultimately gain validation from that, which creates a culture of comparison, and as Theodore Roosevelt said …
“Comparison is the Thief of Joy”
– Theodore Roosevelt
LM
Are you addicted to social media?
IH
You know, it sort of depends on what lens I am looking through to say whether or not I am “addicted” to social media. There have definitely been times in my life where I have spent more time on it than others. Also, compared to some people who are rarely online, I am definitely addicted, and yet compared to those who very obviously check their phones every few minutes, I am definitely not. I probably check my Instagram and Facebook feed a few times a day, but I don’t let myself get sucked down the rabbit hole of spending a chunk of time there as much as I used to. I really enjoy photography and curating a space which exudes my asthetic, so Instagram tends to be my “addiction” more than other mediums of social media.
LM
Do you believe that people lead “fake” lives through Instagram, as is often suggested?
IH
I have a hard time saying what is “fake” and what is “real”– with social media, because I truly see a movement toward people sharing the rawness and realness of their lives online. This is probably in response to all the curated lives we are seeing others live through the social media lens. I think it takes a real balance to share authentically what is happening in your life online, because you don’t want to make things “too” pretty or you are not relatable, and yet you also don’t want to over-share your struggles or the not-so-pretty side of things, because if you’re doing that all the time it can come across as humble-bragging, which is equally off-putting. In the end, I think we all want people to see the best in us. It just happens to be on a different platform and a different level with social media.
LM
What was your motivation for starting “Instagram Husband”.
IH
We started Instagram Husband because we thought it was a funny concept. We really enjoy making people laugh, and Jeff has a knack for coming up with relatable concepts to do that. It just so happened that this video connected with a lot of people.
LM
What do you feel are the main differences between Facebook and Instagram and are you fan of both platforms?
IH
I like both Instagram and Facebook. I tend to lean towards using Instagram more because I am such a fan of art and photography, and I follow a lot of people who use Instagram to showcase their work in both genres. I like Facebook to hear about what is going on with family and friends.
LM
What do you see as the positives of Instagram. And, the negatives?
IH
Instagram positives: good photography, platform for people to connect, photos often convey concepts in an easily-deliverable way where people connect to an image, community, and inspiration. Instagram negatives: tends to lead us to compare ourselves with others (just as all social media platforms do), FOMO– personally I have a hard time seeing vacation pictures of other people or people around the world in beautiful places if I’m spending my hours at work feeling uninspired and unmotivated.
LM
What is your opinion of buying followers and likes?
IH
I don’t really know anyone, (well, at least to my knowledge) who “buys” followers and likes– to me it seems like another marketing ploy mostly for businesses or brands wanting to seem culturally relevant. I would be very suspicious of individual people who do that for personal accounts but I haven’t really dealt with it.
LM
What is your view of people who share a difficult personal moment on the Instagram platform?
IH
I sort of answered this in #7, but I’ll add to it by saying this– I heard a podcast where Elizabeth Gilbert interviewed Brene Brown, author of Daring Greatly and Rising Strong among other books about shame and vulnerability. She asked her about sharing personal stories in what she writes. What she had to say about it really resonated with me. She said that she never publicly shares a personal story that she has not already fully processed. Her rule of thumb being that if her healing is contingent upon what others say about that story, then she should not share it. She says she’s shared her story before she was ready, and learned a lot of lessons from that. When you share a difficult story before you have healed, it is not giving and generous to the people hearing it, and can actually be abusive to yourself. Attempting to gain deep healing from a wound in a public arena is just not the way to go about working out your issues– that is what close friends and therapy is for.
She missed another job interview today because the light was “just perfect”
“Creativity is the way I share my soul with the world”.
– Brene Brown, in her podcast, Big Magic
LM
Do you believe that social media is responsible for people having poor interpersonal and social skills in real life?
IH
People throughout the ages have had poor social and interpersonal skills in real life, so I don’t think social media is to blame. In my career as a counsellor I work with a lot of people who have poor social skills, and there isn’t one specific set of circumstances that lead them to be that way. Some have manipulative or abusive upbringings, some have disorders like Autism where social interaction doesn’t come as easily, and some are just downright introverted, which is fine, but is not always valued in our culture. I know some very inward people who are also successful bloggers or Instagrammers. Just because they are less likely to wow someone in person than online does not mean that blogging is what caused them to be introverts. Blogging, social media, and writing may just be the platform they feel the most comfortable socialising on.
LM
Do you believe that Instagram amounts to modern day narcissism?
IH
I think Instagram can portray a sense of narcissism, yes, but I also believe most people don’t go out and create Instagram accounts because they want validation and “likes”, and thus are essentially narcissistic. I think to some extent we all want positive social interactions, and naturally that is a healthy thing. When someone spends an inordinate amount of time curating a space online that looks nothing like their real life in the hopes of gaining followers and likes, however, that crosses the bounds of healthy living.
LM
What is your view of Instagram advertising. Do you feel that it is effective?
IH
Every form of advertising is effective if it gets people to buy things.
LM
What has been your personal response to Instagram Husband?
IH
My personal response to Instagram Husband? Wow, there’s a lot in this one question. I’ll start by saying that I have been a supporter of my husbands show since he started it in a crappy basement of an improv theatre 10 years ago. It has been his dream to consistently showcase his talents of writing, acting, hosting, and performing on a large scale, and Instagram Husband got him, as the creator, a lot of the attention he deserved because the video was such a big hit. My biggest response to it therefore is just sheer happiness. Mostly because of the story of our struggle. For him to be doing what he loves in a very obscure way.
Personally, I’ve had a lot of fun posting the Instagram photos on our @ig.husband account, and have had a great time connecting with people all across the world who relate to the video through that, through interviews, and with people reaching out after they saw it. It’s weird that so many of us have had this phenomenon in our lives– asking our husbands (or wives or girlfriends or friends or sisters or whatever) to take our photos so we can later post them– and we didn’t have a term for it up until this point.
LM
Do you enjoy your food less when you are always wanting to photograph it in it’s untouched state first?
IH
Heck no! I enjoy it MORE! I love anything that is well presented, and especially food! It’s fun to snap a picture of it before it’s all gobbled up. Obviously the line of “we used to eat our food, now we just take pictures of it…” is a comedian’s take on prolonging eating things when we are taking pictures of it– but I promise I would never sacrifice tasting food for a photo!
LM
Do you feel a certain pressure to constantly find new and interesting material to post?
IH
Yeah, to be honest, sometimes I do. If it’s been a few days since I last posted a picture, I start to think about what I should post, or why I didn’t post. To me, snapping an iPhone picture of a scene or a person or a thing that happened during the day is a way to look at it with a focused lens– to not miss the beauty of that moment. If I am just going through the motions of my days and I don’t stop to REALLY look at my surroundings, I notice because I generally don’t have any pictures from that time. Now, of course, it CAN go the other way, where you take so many dang pictures that you miss the moment entirely, but I do think there is some balance. There is always something beautiful right in front of you, you just have to take a moment to really see it. I just happen to do that sometimes with snapping a photo of it.
LM
Is your husband generally interested in Instagram?
IH
He’s so-so about it. He definitely doesn’t spend much time on it– a lot of his pictures are of our son or of something funny he sees and wants to share.
“Vacations make the best Instagram posts…”
– Michelle Houghton
LM
What do you think of the selfie?
IH
I have so many mixed feelings about the selfie!! I have only recently upped my selfie game, realizing that people who follow you like to see YOU, but before that I mostly felt self-gratuitous and weird about taking them. It was when I read an article somewhere about how selfies actually promote people LIKING themselves (gasp!) when I started to see the logic in how it could be a good thing. We’re often so down on how we look or who we are. I don’t think its a bad thing if you like the way your face looks in a particular light to take your own darn photo.
LM
Do you believe we are over the selfie and the duck face?
IH
I am so over duck face. I’ve always been over it. That and women standing with their hand on their hip and their butt curved out. WHO STANDS LIKE THAT IN REAL LIFE!?!?!
LM
For people who are looking for followers, what is your advice of increasing one’s following on Instagram?
IH
Offer something unique, special, genuine, and worth following.
LM
How often do you personally post to Instagram?
IH
I post to Instagram about once a day or every other day. It depends on what is going on in my life at the moment and how busy I am.
LM
Do you believe that posting to Instagram at a certain time is important? Why?
IH
I never really took the time to think about what time of day to post to Instagram for maximum exposure until I started curating the @ig.husband account — then I asked my friend who curates a famous blog about timing, and she gave me some tips. If you want to reach your audience, you need to think about when they are going to be online. So yes, I think it is important. Is it the be-all-and-end-all? No.
LM
What is next for Instagram Husband?
IH
There are some things in the works for what is coming next, but at this point we can’t share what that is. For now, we’re just trying to focus on putting out quality work with The Mystery Hour, and are having a ton of fun doing it!
LM
Where do you see yourselves in five years from now.
IH
I HAVE NO IDEA! As an artist, I just started selling my artwork online and in local venues, so I am hoping to get more exposure with it and incorporate it more into my life. I also LOVE counselling, I am planning on starting a private practice and other ventures where I share my expertise on a community platform. While all that is going on, The Mystery Hour is also a huge part of my life, and I hope that my husband and I continue to work together on the show or in some capacity to put out comedy to the world. Jeff is so incredibly talented and I LOVE working with him in that arena.
LM
What is your greatest dream?
IH
My greatest dream would be for Jeff and I to both be simultaneously employed doing what we love. “Chase your dreams” has practically been the motto in my house for a long time, but it has not come without sacrifices. More than anything I want us both to be happy creating unique things to contribute to the world, and to do it while providing for our family.
LM
What is your favourite food, country, and fashion designer?
IH
Food- tacos. Hands down.
Country- Croatia. I visited there last summer and FELL IN LOVE.
Fashion designer?? Hmmmm… to be honest I’ve never been able to afford designer labels, but if I would name a few that speak to me I would say Marc Jacobs, Proenza Schouler, and Rachel Comey. I tend to shop H&M, Free People, Urban Outfitters, Need Supply, and Madewell the most.
LM
Have you ever visited Australia? Do you intend to?
IH
I haven’t, but its definitely on the bucket list. I’ve heard that it’s breathtakingly gorgeous, and I’ve never met an Aussie I didn’t like.
LM
Lastly, what subject do you believe makes the best Instagram post?
Anna Whitehouse “This photo took 15 minutes of her standing in front of that wall with the kiddo writhing like Gollum to get out of her grasp. It took 45 more minutes just for the little one to stop snot-crying”.
Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter to the other. Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other. Now there is no more loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other. Now you are two bodies, but there is one life before you. Go now to your dwelling place, to enter into the days of your togetherness. And may your days be good and long upon the earth.
– Anon.
Well. For those of you who know me well, you will be aware that I recently got married to my darling sweetheart heart-throb. Miss Label Ministry is now Mrs! Not being of the fashion blogging world, he wishes to remain somewhat anonymous … here is the long awaited Label Ministry wedding post, Love & Nuptials …
It was the most beautiful day, almost surreal because it is blurred by happiness, adrenalin and disbelief at the sheer abundance of beautiful moments experienced. The heavens shed tears for our happiness, and the beautiful blanket of grey misty sky blessed us with a veil of quietness and serenity and saw that the trees were the most beautiful green hues ever seen.
It is the time in one’s life when you truly stop for a moment and give gratitude for one’s blessings. All beautifully gift wrapped in the form of wonderful family, exceptional friends, unspoken alliances, and forever lasting bonds which seem to know no time or space.
Ours was a morning wedding. An 11 am church ceremony meant that we had an early start and a lunch time reception. My journey to the church was spectacular in a beautiful vintage Daimler, loaned to us for the special day, courtesy of Richard Rolfe. My two beautiful bridesmaids dressed in white lace Lover dresses slipped into a shiny new Mercedes. We were all adorned in Natalie Barney fine jewels.
We arrived at the church to the sound of bells tolling. My heart rippled with love and excitement as I walked towards the church draped in the magnificent silk lustre of the eponymous Australian designer, Johanna Johnson.
The Canberra Chamber of Music string trio started to play …………… our moment had arrived. The church ceremony was full of tears and happy people and the ceremony, magnificent and serene.
The rest my dears is pure joy!
Until next time,
Jade xx
I love you, not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
I awoke at 4am. Excitement had overtaken sleep. In the preceding, chaotic weeks, everything else that needed my attention meant that I had still not finished my speech. The beautiful quiet, reflective moments of the early morning was the perfect time to finish the articulated sentiments that needed to be shared in the coming day.
My dear friends and bridesmaids talked about the coming day as we lay about waiting for the morning to dawn, and before we knew it, it was 7am, and our hairdresser had arrived!
We were greeted with champagne, fruit and yoghurt to start the day and much chit chat in the midst of a flurry of white dressing gowns and excited girls. Our expert styling hairdressers, Aqua Hair of Canberra, were patient, and professional. The platinum tones of my own hair were accomplished by the gorgeous Susie, from Sydney hairdressing salon in North Sydney, Platinum Blonde Hair. Most importantly, our hair was amazing!
To me, good jewellery is like a suit of armour and can boost one’s confidence, allowing us to conquer our fears.
Natalie Barney is The Green Queen. Diamond Queen. And Gemstone Queen.
Why?
I’ll tell you why. She is the queen of diamonds, pearls and gemstones, especially anything green.
Natalie Barney is one of Sydney’s fine jewellers. A lover of jewellery. A connoisseur of fine diamonds, excellence in workmanship, brightly coloured gemstones and the most beautiful of the beautiful. Her love of coloured gemstones is perhaps the greatest thing that most sets her apart from her contemporaries.
Her love of anything green, has earned her the name of The Green Queen. If you are asking yourself what gemstones are green? Let me help you out. Emerald, Peridot, Sapphire, Beryl, Green Quartz, Jade, Demantoid Garmet, Tsavorite Garnet, Chrysoprase, and her favourite of favourites the beautiful Tourmaline.
Natalie is a gemmologist, a jewellery designer, a retailer, and has had a lifelong love affair of jewels, since her childhood in France.
I recently met Natalie at her Sydney retail boudoir and was taken by her warmth, sincerity and her gentle loveliness, topped off by her charming French accent and European nuances. Here is her story … oh, and if you are in the market for some amazing jewellery, trust me.
The Green Queen is your girl.
Until next time,
Jade xx
Finding coloured gemstones is like falling in love … when you find the one, you just have to buy it as one can’t be sure that you will find exactly the same one again!
LM
I believe you were born in France? How did you come to move to Australia?
NB
I moved from France to England at 21. I moved there straight after attending university. I had always loved the English, their eccentricity and sharp sense of humour. I met and married my husband there, and we moved to the Netherlands and lived there for almost five years. We then made the decision to experience living outside of Europe and my husband found a job in Australia … interesting as he is half Australian … we fell in love with Sydney and a few children later we call Australia home!
