The biggest event on the Australian calendar has been in full swing in Sydney (rather than my beloved Melbourne), and a myriad of dazzling sirens dressed in colourful clothes and ostentatious black. My favourites as hosted from the Vogue Australia website collection are the clashes between assorted patterns and prints as well as gorgeous colours. Melbourne has been suffocating me with its dreary weather, grey skies and freezing cold nights, but it looks like other fortunate ladies get to sport sunglasses and culottes for the cameras. I am blatantly envious of the lucky few that fluttered about and gathered for such a prestigious event and by invitation as well, and try to learn from their experiences and spur on any career I may have in working as a fashion blogger. The girls mixed vintage pieces with some of the featured labels showing at the runway shows for the week emphasising the key importance of letting Australian fashion really take bloom and become something important on the global stage.
A well versed lesson I've attained in 2012 and in particular fashion weeks across Australia, is that hair parted down the middle and in two separates shades laterally worn with a colourful outfit and gorgeous clutch is always a winner. I don't necessarily have the guts to take on such drastic locks and match jacket and accessory with chameleon finesse but one can always try out pastel hair colours with the add of digital enhancing and a little program called PhotoShop. I'd love to have such versatile laneways and buildings behind me to truly make me shine in a colourful and eye-popping outfit; but I struggle now to make my room barley liveable, let alone venture out into the world in extremely noticeable outfits. There's a definite time and place for high-end fashion and dress so daring and exciting- fashion week is like the Batman signal to all aspiring super-heroic fashionistas who aim to capture the imaginations of wonderful and also impressionable young bloggers.
There was no real common thread amongst all the outfits of fashion bloggers snapped on the streets of Sydney, but I think prefer that everyone does as they like and instead wear something that really represents themself as a creative mind. Gorgeous shoes with some sort of heel or wedged platform to them seemed popular, even when worn with a sportswear top from Adidas as above. It's a bit hard to make out underneath all that fluffy fur and golden hair and the sheer pants with a tribal print about them really bring it all together. Those who get sent to fashion week events are all so well kept- hair without regrowth and hands delicately manicured giving the finishing touch of domestication about them. It would be almost daunting to have so many eyes and camera lenses on you without the proper preening precautions taken. Many years ago, Vogue Australia gave some wonderful advice about wearing colourful tones and patterns; if you're beauty routine isn't up to the attention then avoid dressing up as it were, in colourful costume. Just another reason to admire all the inspiring women and their amazing outfits; they don't shy away from the spotlight like tame wallflowers, they embrace the attention with good grace and humility.
From the outfits featured on the Vogue Australia website, there were either clashing colours and patterns of all combinations, more than you could possibly hope to imagine and their polar opposite- all black. I know it's a model dress code to wear all black when about the town and there was only one outfit that I identified as having a wonderful flair of elegance in the style of Morticia Addams. Those sharply outlined and puckering lips as well as gorgeous, healthy hair are heavenly already, but the addition of headband with black rosettes (the kind for present decoration) and a cape wrapped around the shoulders had me won over. The small injection of colour into the outfit and almost theatrical pose on the railing by the sea seems to outdo Rose of the Titanic but also present a sultry black widow. Out of interest, above is designer Gail Sorronda who made her own clothes and accessories in the outfit above- what a clever clogs! The interplay of different materials and textures within this outfit all in the same shade gave an effective air of mystery without sacrificing anything in terms of interest to the beholder.
Fashion blogger Nicole Warne from Gary Pepper Vintage also opened for the runway show of Talulah at Mercedes Benz fashion week, but could also be spotted being her usual lovely and celestial self in soft pastel tones and equally passive make up. I dare not turn up to my lectures in heels or wedges and am reluctant as well when a long day of walking in the city is ahead of me, but I can't help but wish I were that extra bit tolerate to sore legs and feet as the result of extreme footwear. No offence meant to the designer of Talulah but I prefer Ms. Warne as she is pictured here- the definition of grace and elegance and naturally beautiful. While I do prefer the look of wildly coloured hair and cut tresses, it takes a special type of person to shine while looking naturally beautiful as Nicole does.
Jessica Stein of the fashion website and blog Tuula wore a smart matching suit in tropical tones and cadences with shoe from Zara and a bag I have been dying to get my hands on. Proenza Shouler have released the most sumptuous array of bags you could possibly dream of in colours named Orchid and prints named Python in the rectangular style of school satchels, but with metallic hardware do finish off the premium leather pieces. Matching suits in colourful designs have been circulating around on Asos for a while but I have not yet summoned the courage (or funds) to buy something that is both wild but chic such as a matching blazer and pants combination. I'm much more keen to feed like a vulture on other people's rejects and cast-offs from eBay.
In her second appearance and outfit amongst the collage of Street Style photographs at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week 2012 is the captivating and mysterious woman in pink hair. She is ironically named Meg Gray and is quite the opposite of gray, neutral or dull. I can't help but feel my mouth water at the delicious shade of her pink/purple hair, the Miu Miu clutch in a saucy wine colour and the chandelier Prada earrings which continue the stunning floral theme of her outfit. One could only hope but to find such a wonderful and exuberant shirt in the back of a second hand shop that is such a striking reminder of the loose and casual shirts from the Prada S/S11 runway shows. Despite nothing matching with anything else and what may seem at first to be an overbearing clash of colours, the cheeky smile and real sense of laughter and enjoyment pulls it all together. Fashion isn't just for the sallow faced models and stick thin who eat nothing but celery; and something as simple as a pearly white smile should be coupled more often with such an eye-popping outfit. It's not often you see such a healthy but fashionable woman look so thoroughly delighted by the state she finds herself in; the fairy wonderland I commonly think of as fashion week in any country or city.
Just as I thought my interest in owning an oversize clutch was over and I could breath a sigh of relief, a fashionista dressed more like a goddess of the sun strikes a pose so lovely it almost makes you want to cry. They aren't exactly practical in nature and something useful for long days spent on campus for university, but some of the extravagant outfits from fashion bloggers are the opposite of that. They are showy and flashy as well as that little bit uncomfortable, but made worth it when photographed for the world to see. On that note, it is often things become to specific and meticulous and specific in their execution they become an artform, but I like to think that some of these wonderful women have the idea of outfit making and clothes matching down to a science. It's the small things such as sunglasses held to bag, graduated and tiered necklace in gold and sun lighting up the back of the head that make this outfit as alluring as it is. Unfortunately such tiny details as gold rings and finely chained necklaces with amazing pendants are often overshadowed by the greater appeal and look of an outfit; something I personally have yet to come to gripes with.
My favourite outfit of all those shared on the Vogue fashion gallery from their website (as if it were even possible) is Emma Mullholland for the most zany, weird and wonderful outfit! I immediately recognised the caped crusader on her vintage t-shirt (something my brother would surely approve of), and sunglasses by Karen Walker which brought out the colour of lilac hair and that amazing jacket. Emma is the head designer of Emma Mullholland and produced that amazing jacket which fits so seamlessly with vintage backpack and shirt. It almost makes me want to abandon my science degree and defer to TAFE to pursue in fashion dreams all over again, but we can't all be brightly coloured eccentrics and brighten the dull lives of the masses. That rite is reserved for a special and select few that truly have a certain spark to them and I'll have to remember to watch out for Emma Mullholland in the future as well. If her own creations are as creative as her wardrobe and outfits, you better watch out!
Susana Lau of Style Bubble has teamed up subtle shades of black from her long dark hair with navy and blue; and I love it. There's always been a great layered affect and flow to any of her outfits and it seems she's been getting bigger and bolder with more appearances at fashion week events. I'm especially envious of her circular sunglasses and cute blue sandals; but my favourite feature of her outfit is that cheeky smile emphasised by pearly white teeth and glossy red lipstick. Describing her outfit in a single phrase? Biker chic with the elegance and tranquil blues of a mermaid. I myself sometimes wear a black bandana as a headscarf to keep my ears warm curing the cooler months and I think it's about time I re-awaken the beast and unleash it on the world.
Model Chloe Sargeant displays the typical model uniform of all black with a futuristic and tufty platinum blond fringe as well as a distant and moody gaze towards the future. I've fallen head over heels for her gorgeous jacket from Wish- there's something so comforting about an oversized coat to shy away into of soft texture and all the better when it's versatile and black. Cheap Monday jeans are no longer a well kept secret to the fashion forward and I'm so pleased to see them circulated around the glamorously gifted working class of the fashion world. A small injection of colour is included in those thickened wood heels of iconic Jeffrey Campbell Lita boots- perfect to finish off any outfit that has such sass about it and poise.
As a habit from school uniforms for thirteen years of my life, I do not freely associate with hats or smother my skull with them for fear of dreaded hat-hair and losing lovely volume to my locks after sleeping lightly. If someone had pitched to me the idea of tweed decorated with a pom pom as a stylish accessory, I would swear that they were joking but it seems there's no limit to creativity in the world of design. It's not often that someone can wear a hat with such a striking energy about them, but Candice Lake is disproving many of my theories, as are the other lovely ladies to grace the streets of Sydney for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. Tan and red has been a colour combination to die for and the leather skirt with swish pleats really shows off those killer legs as well! It seems that I'll be heading over to Rubi Shoes for more cheap shoes in a range of different colours and suede block heels to curb my enthusiasm for expensive brands such as Jeffrey Campbell and Opening Ceremony (for now).
My love of things coloured pink and textured with feathery fronds or fur was reignited after witnessing the Prada runway show from their resort collection of 2011. As you mature you are meant to move on from those childhood toys of fluffy bears in shocking shades, but my childhood innocence was again rekindled with the generous addition of a pink feather vest that more closely resembles some sort of cotton candy than clothing. It's simply not enough for fashion to experiment dangerously with colours that challenge one's perception, ideas and values as far as dressing ones self is concerned, but texture can also have a discerning factor between a stunning outfit and a flop. The clash between those sharp black high heels and the billowing shawl in soft pink is simply magnificent- if only I could tame my hair and prevent it from behaving as such a beast some days. Until I crack the code to joining the fashion elite I am more than happy to continue collecting photographs of a stunning legacy of socialites before me.
