Browsing Tag

#sydney

Australian Fashion Industry, Editorial, Fashion Designer, Interview, Swimwear

Aqua Blu … Chase The Sun

May 19

This week is Mercedes Benz Fashion Week … quite simply, one of the most highly anticipated and loved weeks of my year.  This year Carriageworks is the chosen venue for MBFWA once again, and it is literally filled to the brim with fashion talent.  Naturally, in a country like Australia where our summers are long, our days hot, and our landscape fringed with the gorgeous white sands of the most beautiful beaches in the world, swimwear and resort wear is a very important cornerstone of the Australian fashion industry.  Later today, I will be attending the show simply named “SWIM”. Here is the story of Aqua Blu … Love Us & follow us on social media to show your support of these wonderful emerging designers … See live streaming of the show here… Instagram  & FB

Enjoy xx

2016-Aqua-Blu-Floresta-BackLM

What is the philosophy behind your label?

AB

Our philosophy is confidence, we believe that people should look as good as they feel.

LM

What is the inspiration behind your label?

AB

We are inspired by effortless glamour; we believe that people should feel beautiful when they wear one of our pieces.

LM

What do you think of today’s street fashion?

AB

I believe today’s street fashion feels like a passing fad, I feel there is a lack of statement. Everyone wants to blend in rather than stand out.

LM

What advice would you give to aspiring fashion designers?

AB

It takes a lot of hard work, stick with it, don’t quit and always focus on your aesthetic vision.

2016-Aqua-Blu-Alphinia-Back1

Photography | Richard Freeman | Model | Michelle Alan

 

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Australian Fashion Industry, Editorial, Fashion Designer, Interview, Styling

Super Style Me – Bec Cole

May 15
Model standing on an airfield in a beautiful white flowing dress, completely lace up open boots and vintage beaded head gear with an old fashioned aircraft taking off the background behind her. Very hollywood setting and incredibly creative the a real feel of movement to the picture.

I first discovered the work of Bec Cole when I was at VAMFF earlier this year.  Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival is always a treat as it combines the week long excitement of the runway with a cultural taste of Melbourne itself, and it truly is a wonderful delicatessen of fashion experience.

On one of the last days, through the haze of my exhaustion I could feel my interest pique when I saw Bec’s work, and made a mental note to myself as I do to remember to contact her with a view to highlight the obvious dedication to her work when I returned home.

Bec is one of the highly talented, hard working stylists, and passionate devotees of the Australian fashion industry, who travels far and wide to bring us the wonderful smorgasbord of visual delight that only such a stylist can.

A kind of creative hero if you like. I feel we tend to forget the amazing creative minds and teams who sit behind the creation of the collections of fashion designers. Personally, I believe it is so important to remember to applaud the work of these dedicated professionals who work tirelessly behind the scenes.

Very loudly.

Enjoy xx

Girl sitting on a rock with the late grey and cloudy sky behind looking down dressed in a black dress and a very wide black leather belt.

Stylist |Bec Cole | Photographer | Benn Jay | Hair & Makeup | Blanka Dudas

LM

What do you believe is the role of “the stylist”?

BC

A stylist is a visual translator….helping a designer, art director or editor achieve a look, story and campaign brief. It’s helping create a visual reality….This can be anything from dressing talent, liaising with designers to designing sets and alternative worlds.

I have a background in set design, so I love seeing a whole vision come to life….this includes not only the wardrobe side of things, but the propping, set design….even the casting of the talent /  models. It’s helping everything come together visually to tell the whole story.

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Editorial, Eyeball Tattooing, Photography, Tattoos

Generation Inked

February 25
Girl lying on a bed wearing a bra but covered in tattoos.

 

But what has caused this great herd of humanity to suddenly veer off and have a red-hot branding iron seared onto their arses?

Greg Bearup

 

Girl smiling looking at the camera with her arm folded in front of her face with a tattoo on her arm of two hands holding a picture. So it looks like she is taking a picture of her arm.

 

Inked. Yep. It looks like tattoos are here to stay. Or so it seems.

When the day arrives and tattoos are no longer fashionable, I guess we might see a lot of people heading to the place that removes tattoos. Whatever that place is.

Cosmetic surgeons or beauty salons with laser machines? Or maybe people will go back to the tattoo parlour they went to in the first place. If I was enterprising in a different kind of way, I would be thinking about opening up a tattoo removal shop, because if my predictions are anything to go by, I reckon the tattoo removalists are going to get busy. Really busy.

How long can tattoos remain on trend? We’ve been looking at them for a long time now. The eastern influence of yin/yang and the Asian symbols became popular with people travelling through South East Asia. The colourful sleeves of full bodied, big bottomed, busty, scantily clad girls on Harley’s in full colour. Red and blue flames rising up the back of people’s calves, and birds on women’s feet carefully placed in such a way that suit their Haviannas are now common place all over Sydney and indeed all Australian cities. How about the long verses of text up the inside of arms, (Angelinga Jolie style), or across the back of the neck. When I see people with these kinds of tattoos I feel compelled to stop them and say “look, if you are going to sport that tattoo, as least pay me the courtesy of not racing past me. I would like to read what it says, and at the same time ask you what on earth possessed you to paint essentially, what I would have just written in my journal, all over your body? Of course I don’t do that. I hope I don’t sound patronising, because I am genuinely interested in people’s motivation for getting a tattoo. Whatever it is, and however many. I respect their decision to have one or ten, but I have to be honest and say the widespread prevalence of them is now causing me irritation.

It’s not because I don’t like tattoos. I actually find them quite artistic and interesting. I don’t happen to have one myself, although I have thought about getting one in the distant past. Had I decided to get one, it would have been very small and most definitely hidden away from the public eye. My lack of tolerance for them now is because they just seem to be everywhere. And I mean everywhere, and on nearly every body. At least that is how it appears. I don’t go anywhere anymore that I don’t see them on literally every second person and consequently they now seem so… overdone. Furthermore, it seems to me that the tattoo wearers choice of fashion has also been forever changed. When I find myself in shopping malls or city streets, I am reminded that a significant part of the population seems to have forsaken their choice of wearing a full coverage of clothing, in order to show off their body art. There is a sea of skin showing out there, open tanks on men and women, the shortest of short shorts, midriff and crop tops, low slung trousers, and super short minis.

It’s increasingly common to see multiple tattoos. Arms, legs, necks, stomachs, torso, shoulders and backs. The other day I even saw someone with tattoos on each eyelid and also each ear. I mean really. Doesn’t that constitute some sort of health risk? I guess there isn’t a law against stupidity. I wonder what these tattoos will look like when the person ages a little and their skin is no longer taut and youthful. What happens to the man with the tattoos on his eyelids when he gets a little older and his eyes follow suit. I sincerely wonder what we will see in the future when some of these tattoos are removed, and what then? Will people then be covering the previous areas of their tattooed skin because they are sporting a scar? Will they regret their decision of deciding upon tattoos all those years earlier? Very probably. I hear that the current cost for tattoo removal is around $350 per session and usually takes around 8-10 sessions. That’s a lot of money for something that may have only cost a couple of hundred dollars at the time, and you could hardly call it an investment. Well maybe an investment in looking like you used to.

 

 

And now we have the legalisation this week for the allowance of eye-ball tattooing. This really has raised the bar in terms of permanent body work, and seems to me to add a completely different dimension, which is humans looking more and more unhuman. According to the article published in The Sydney Morning Herald, eyeball tattooing can lead to infection and blindness.

Greg Bearup, is a writer for The Weekend Australian Magazine. In 2013, he interviewed veteran tattooist Tony Cohen from The Illustrated Man, the most iconic tattoo parlour in Sydney. He says that he “keeps waiting for the tattoo bubble to burst, but it just keeps getting bigger, more colourful, more lurid. Australians are getting inked at a phenomenal rate – skin specialists I contacted say that 10-20 per cent of their patients have one or more tattoos”.

Based on what I see most days, I would have thought that number to be somewhat higher. I have been wondering for some time when this trend might slow down but it stands strong. It occurs to me that this is in fact no longer a trend but something of a prolific societal statement. But why? Why do so many feel the need to get a tattoo, when really it is no longer a unique thing to do. It seems Greg Bearup was thinking along the same lines when he asked the following question. “But what has caused this great herd of humanity to suddenly veer off and have a red-hot branding iron seared onto their arses? It is a yearning for belonging, according to Adam Geczy, an artist and academic at Sydney College of the Arts, who has studied tattoo culture. Traditionally, tattoos were a marker of initiation into a tribal society or a sect, like the Yakuza, or the mark of a man of the sea. “We are now living in a culture where people don’t know where they belong,” he muses. “Generations X, Y and Z are constantly in contact on Facebook and Twitter, thinking it is a community, but it is a void. If you go out and choose a Maori tattoo you have the luxury, and the shallowness, of initiating yourself. You are not being initiated into a clan, you are initiating yourself into yourself. You are giving yourself a kind of fetishised sense of belonging.”

 

Woman sitting on a bed naked with her back covered in tattooes.

 

Geczy says the great growth in the number of people being tattooed, particularly women is also part of the pornification of society, which has come with the internet age. He argues there is a strong link between body modification and porn. “So you have a prim girl who has a small rose on her shoulder – it’s a wink to say, ‘I have desires’.” He continues: “Look, most people work in pretty boring jobs and have a problem with being interesting and having interesting identities.” They see a tattoo as a way of making them seem more interesting. But it is all built on a false premise, he argues, and in time many people who have tattoos will live to regret their decisions. “Besides, it all looks hot when you are young but when you’re an old man you look like an ageing stud.” And, he ventures boldly, “There has never been, on a woman who is middle-aged, a tattoo that looked any good.”

Read the article here.

Well go Adam. Can’t say I disagree with the man.

“The Pornification of Society”? Hmmm. He might just be on to something there.

Until next time.

Jade x

Label Ministry logo which is a picture of a stylised coathanger

 

 

Bloggers, Editorial, Global Fashion Industry, Instagram, Interview, Photography, Styling

To Love, Honour & Instagram

February 16
Anna from Mother Pukka, with her daughter Mae, in Shoreditch. Photographed outside the Splice TV building painted by Camille Walala.

 

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 …

 

Michelle Houghton and her Instagram friends sitting around talking in a large room with a big open window on a cloudy day.

 

“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.

 

Jenn Fortner and Zac Fortner standing on train tracks for an Instagram pic

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.

 

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“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.

 

Photo of a girls reflection in a mirror

 

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?

IH

Vacations!

 

Michelle Houghton sitting in a window box drinking coffee.

 

If you have enjoyed reading about Instagram Husband check out The Mystery Hour.

 

Feature Image:

 

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”.

 

Photography Accreditations | Instagram Content | Appreciation :

 

Michelle Houghton @michellehoughton Jeff Houghton @ig.husband @themysteryhour

Jen Fortner @jennfortner  Zac Fortner @zachfornter Anna Whitehouse @mother_pukka Johnny Fly @johnnyflyco

Love Instagram Husband

I do!!!

Until next time,

Jade xx

Label Ministry logo which is a picture of a stylised coathanger

 

 

 

 

 

Australian Fashion Industry, Interview, Jewellery

The Green Queen

October 1

 

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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!

 

nb01Richard Weinstein

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!

Continue Reading…

Australian Fashion Industry, Editorial, Interview, Photography

Kay Sukumar – A Most Beautiful Eye

September 1
Model being photographed under an open pergola wearing white pants and a cropped black top with long brown hair.

If you love photography then this is a story you will love, and a name you will wish to familiarise yourself with …

Kay Sukumar is one of Australia’s very talented fashion photographers.

His work is sharp and creative and is somehow executed differently, although I cannot even define myself in which way. I find his work engaging to the degree of studying the image long after I need to to understand the context.

The lighting and story telling in his images, is one of the components I feel he captures better than most and creates a significant point of difference.

He is heavily involved in fashion photography, although he dabbles in health and beauty also.

No matter what the brief, Kay delivers.

Magnificently. I asked him what he believes sets his work apart from his contemporaries …

Enjoy xx

 

I feel my work is “very moody”, oftentimes sensual, and full of story telling.

I crave to create the engaging. So many things go through my head when I am taking a picture. Is the image interesting enough for me to want to be in it?  Am I telling the right story? How can I do this differently?

 

Every image that I take is my vision. My photography is the way I see the world and over the years I have seen my taste and vision grow. It is much like self discovery and the more I shoot, the more I learn about myself and the world and it’s a very liberating feeling.

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Australian Fashion Industry, Commentary, Global Fashion Industry, Interview

An Hour with … Chisato Chris Arai

June 29

 

Model in a photo shoot dressed with native Indian hair and multi coloured patterned jacket

Photography & Styling: Karlstrom Creatives MUA/Hair: Chisato Chris Arai

 

I am really excited to bring you this interview with Chisato Chris Arai, a Japanese makeup artist who is based in Sydney.

Chisato travels far and wide with her work, namely New York, Paris and Milan fashion weeks every year in addition to her local work in and around Sydney.

With a background in fine arts and formal training for hair and makeup from Hollywood, her phenomenal talent is highly sort after and it is not hard to see why. She has loved makeup since she was young and her work was literally born of a childhood dream. Enormously passionate about her career, she says she will live and breathe it forever!

Her current work revolves around many diverse projects which include editorials, commercials, film and fashion runways.  

Enjoy xx

 

Your inner beauty shows on the outside, so be the most beautiful you! You must take care of both your inner and outer beauty.

 

LM

What inspired you to become makeup artist?

CA

I have always had a passion for visual art, particularly in make up artistry, even as a kid. I was inspired by and copied the make up of classic Hollywood actresses like Marlene Dietrich and Marilyn Monroe.

LM

Do you travel the world from one fashion week you to another?

CA

Yes! I’m very fortunate each year to be able to make attend fashion weeks in New York, Milan and Paris.

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Australian Fashion Industry, Interview, Models, Paris Fashion Week, Styling

An Hour with … Hanna Marie

June 12

We all need to realise that making it in the fashion industry isn’t easy for anyone, and we should support each other as we go on our own individual journeys. If everyone was super supportive of each other, imagine what we could all achieve!

 

Hanna Marie, Sydney model being photographed outside in desert style photograph with blue sky behind

Photographer: Tannar Eacott Hair: Peachies Hair MUA: Beth Murphy Stylist: Spinal Style

LM

Who are the people within your industry that inspire you and that you admire?

HM

People like Steph Claire Smith and Mimi Elashiry are my biggest role models because they are both highly successful in their own fields. Even though they may not have reached the ‘supermodel’ status, they are making a strong name for themselves within their circle.

LM

As a young woman, what do you think of today’s street fashion?

HM

Today’s street fashion is so different than previous years/trends. Because its winter, it seems like a lot of people are sticking with shades of cool and playing it safe. I would prefer to see a few more risks!

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Australian Fashion Industry, Bloggers, Global Fashion Industry, Interview

Lady like Leopard

May 26
Picture of The Lady like Leopard blogger

 

Less is more – always. But let’s make this clear: I don’t mean less clothing…

and, as Karl Lagerfeld said, “If you’re not willing to have an ongoing dialogue with fashion, get another job.”

 

 

Bloggers: The Prep Guy and The Lady Like Leopard sitting at the House of Mackage show in Canada

The Prep Guy and The Lady like Leopard at the House of Mackage show in Canada

LM

What is the philosophy behind your work?

LLL

Everything and anything fashion! With my blog The Lady-like Leopard I hope to bring people together through fashion and give people an inside perspective to what the fashion industry is all about.

LM

What is the inspiration behind your work?

LLL

I first studied fashion design in Canada and then journalism at Macley College in Sydney. I wanted to combine my two areas of study and so starting a fashion blog seemed like a natural thing to do. Well, that and I’ve been obsessed with working for a fashion magazine since I was a kid so this is like my own little magazine.

LM

Who are the people from whom you take inspiration and whom do you most admire within your industry?

LLL

I admire anyone who is willing to put in endless hours of hard work to achieve their goals and dreams. I’ve met people who start a fashion blog and then quit because it’s “too much work”. You have to be prepared for that. I love the photos that Sydney Fashion Blogger takes and JetSet Justine’s style.

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Australian Fashion Industry, Interview

Aurelio Costarella

May 16
Aurelio Costarella Rondine Dress

I don’t subscribe to ‘FAST’ fashion or what I like to refer to as “landfill” fashion … cheap, disposal and anything but sustainable.

LM

What is the philosophy and inspiration behind your label?

AC

I am inspired by vintage finds, listening to their stories, letting the memories unfold. Legendary Hollywood starlets and random songs on my iTunes. I am driven by the design process, each thematic collection is an exploration that moves seamlessly from one season to the next.  I  focus on textile development, detailed cutting and quality craftsmanship.

With a distinctive handwriting that ranges from trademark delicate silk chiffon gowns, intricate handcrafted beadwork, embroidery and sharp tailored suits, the Aurelio Costarella brand is a luxurious offering of classic pieces with a contemporary edge.

This same philosophy is employed across all marketing and branding ideas, imagery and events.

LM

Who are the people from whom you take inspiration and whom do you most admire within your industry?

AC

The 1920’s was a revolutionary era for fashion and signalled a far more modern way of dressing. Women were no longer restrained by corsetry. The silhouette changed to allow a softer approach. The introduction of bold colours and embellishments allowed women far more flexibility, creativity and freedom in the way they dressed.  Garments became far more opulent and experimental thanks to the likes of designers such as Coco Chanel and Paul Poiret.

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