Neon Dreams

With the decline of dip dye hair in popular culture I had all been ready to accept a bleak and boring outlook on hair and make up in fashion runway presentation. However, it seems that greater forces are at work and neon colours of the 1980s and 1990s have again inspired designers and been readily incorporated into collections- much to my amusement. Within the next week I hope to buy my first pair of creepers or some more 'jelly shoe' in clear and pink. Purple lipstick may not be on my agenda but black has certainly been playing on my mind and I also spotted a wonderful German camouflage jacket online the other night. It's not going to be an overnight transformation but I can predict punk elements squeezing themselves into the everyday fashion realms as well.

Model Charlotte Free still manages to shoot a smouldering stare down the catwalk dresses as a 1950s pin-up girl for the Jeremy Scott 2012  collection. Some people may argue that with pink hair costs a model their versatility across different looks but I quite like the contrast of black and white shoes and dress and the curling plumes of pink piggy tails. The daring display of skin across the stomach would only be shown on a stick-thin model but it's daring and imaginative- a trademark of Jeremy Scott's design. It's not a look I'm eager to adopt myself (...as much as I do love pink hair) but it feeds the soul with creativity.

Once again, images have been sourced from Oyster Magazine, repackaged by me, and sent out to you my lovely community of readers. While the sullen expression of the models in contrast to the sticky and graffiti like purple hair would mainly be viewed as disconcerting I think there's a cute, painterly appeal about it. It's surreal but it doesn't aim to imitate real life and also breathes new life into the old classic: a denim shirt. While I know my own mother would be appalled by such a notion I must express kudos to the styling team for this collection and avoiding any signs of hair dye on the foreheads of a model. Believe me, it's no mean feat to spread out hair dye from a spray can is such an even and measured way.

The following backstage photographs were taken at the Meadham Kirchoff runway show in London and I have to say, I do admire the fast and modern new direction of the brand. I had been trying to score some second hand jeans and blouses from the collection when they went through a long fad of lace inserts and patterns but the neon hair in chameleon tones and fluorescent tones really is visually powerful. There was a great variety of coloured hair combinations including splits down the middle of the hairline and shaft to bring out the best and boldest styles of the clothes. This Egyptian motif jacket with split-holographic attempted triangles is something that could be easily DIYed, providing you have a neon yellow jacket hanging about. I love the intensity and the hype about the presentation of this collection and I don't think it's the last we'll see of 1990s grunge aesthetic as far as high brand fashion labels are concerned.

No detail was spared in the presentations backstage and I love the jeweled crowns as well as floral crowns adorned by the stick-thin models. Even the unseen forces working behind the scenes have glorious tattoos of filled in stars and wild and wonderful piercings- it all seems to fitting and atmospherically correct in a punk sense. The models themselves though are quite sweet and dainty so the combination of these two binary elements is somewhat satisfying- it makes you wonder why no one had ever thought to put on such a bombastic runway show before.

One of the more wild trends of the late 1980s and 1990s involved chunky heeled shoes and platform boots in all manner of sparkly jeweled combinations. While Etsy does deliver on some great styles and designs within this specific genre of footwear, for truly outrageous neon colours and shamelessly clashing patterns I think Meadham Kirchoff easily takes the cake. Now if only I could find their wares cheap and online, then I would be well and truly set.

Just as a wacky side project, I can't help but think that recreating the neon looks and colours of this collection would look good on a generic and plain Barbie doll. It must be the cocked head of the girl on the left in the picture above as well as their dainty frames- were it not for the fact I am eagerly saving for fluorescent accessories sized for actual people I might be keen to try it all for myself.

I love the different tones and colour displayed in this photograph, but I'm not sure how highly I commend the use of collar. I myself like to have my long hair out and over my shoulders a little and was a little affronted by the bob like silhouettes of the model's hair from the back. The shot shown below works well with the estranged doll motif and it doesn't interrupt the flow and design of the clothes- perhaps I want to see the hair have it's own editorial shoot in a hairdresser's magazine. It was certainly a highlight from this collection for me and made me recognise the wonderful brand once again. I have a good feeling about the standard of 2012 fashion seasons.

Neon Street Style

Amongst all the doom and gloom of seasonal sickness and colds as well as grey weather and economic future clouded with doubt, the real heroes that I am looking towards are the fashion bloggers spotted on the streets amongst the frenzy of fashion weeks around many nations and the injection of bright palets and neon into their wardrobes. However I mus warn you that I have been deathly sick for the last two weeks or so, and I've also been cramming this entire afternoon in some feeble attempt to enjoy myself tomorrow and maybe hit the town and get a life for myself. Any life be it on the Internet or in a book is better than having my head in the books and trying to annottate several online video tutorials of Chemistry, Biology and Geosciences.

An admirable quality of neon is that you can match the same tones of colours easily, blend it in with neutral colours of be balls out bombastic and have tribal matterns mixed in a whirlwind of colour. There are many wonderful outfits of effortless street style that are making my mouth water and dream of wonderful possibilities- unfortunately there arent any neon pieces within my wardrobe to imitate suich emaculte styles and colours! For all the sheen materials of the trousers and pants, as well as the bright vinyl yellow belt with pink I think the solid gold watch slung loosely around the wrist is what really opened to the grace of neon- it's not something cheap and nasty only reserved for the lowliest of chain stores in an attempt to revive an 1980s favourite. It can also be integrated into an outfit in varying levels of intensioty provided you have the ability to envision an outfit in its entirety before pulling on your best stitches.

New Zealand clothing label Stolen Girlfriends Club has had me longing over a denim/ leather combination jacket for a while now and to see something of that ilk married with a pleated skirt in the perfect length and in amazing shade of coral really does have me salivating! I am a firm believer in mixing what's borderline punk and tough with feminine things such as the notorious use of creepers shoes from brands such as TUK and Underground in pretty pastel colours with girly frilly socks. This is like that analogical comparison but since the toughness and colourful, playful element is there but in the form of an entire outfit- it's even better.

Fisheye distortion lenses have been creeping back into the photography world as a new way to create surreal images and for that reason I was always puzzled why you would couple a high resolution camera with a lens that is usually better associated with dreamy, multiple exposure shots. The moment I laid eyes on this photograph my harsh attitude of high meapixel cameras and fisheye effects change- I love the way everyone else dressed in neutral and dark melts away from this single, isolated figure sporting a gorgeous three layer dip-dyed fur vest as well as a lace dress and colourful clutch. I really do want a fantastic fur jacket in some wild bombastic colour to show how fake it is but there is a reasonable chance that with a full schedule of university I will not have the opportunity to wear it and it may lie forgotten at the back of my wardrobe for a few years.

Crisp black and white is given a modern update with a swish blazer lapel lined in neon yellow as well as the use of a fascinator hat and flowing cape-like scarf. The hat reminds me a lot of newspaper boys of England especially with the clasping of what looks to be paper to the individuals bosom and the strong architectural motifs and stone pathed path lying ahead. I wish I could go to fashion weeks held during the day rather than the night time events in my own city- it makes going home to the Eastern Suburbs just that extra bit nerve-wracking I must say and the colours of an outfit won't look nearly as impressive in the dark. The atmosphere isn't quite the same to create wonderful and crisp street style photographs in a comparatively small region of the world for fashion at night.

As of late I've been scouring online sites such as Urban Outfitters and Asos which now carry some of the more expensive and wonderful brands for some of this trendy fluorescent/ neon clothing- there's a treasure trove which I didn't even know existed out there. I've been lusting after a select few pieces from House of Holland as well as the Australian brand Senso for some fantastic shoes- there's even a pair of similar pink neon pants I located from Camilla and Marc but with wider legs and in 3/4 length. I think I rather like the pairing of a dull snakeskin shirt in grey with the long pink pants with hems that skirt across the ground. A wonderful abundance of material is there to look at and admire but from a practical approach they could do with a good tailor.

I adore the neon lace dress and matching cardigan covered in small fine pinpoints of fuzz- it reminds me so much of animation suits used in Hollywood productions but with much more refinement and class. I have to say that although the kitschy plastic apple earrings may contain a stronger colour of yellow at their centre it really doesn't do much for the outfit and I think it would have looked better without them. I think a classic fashion blogger outfit typically is devoid of jewellery that isn't used as statement piece and isn't an intrinsic part of their life- this is something that I am slowly coming to turns with as I change my old habits in order to fit into this niche and firmly establish myself as a true fashion blogger.

The Prada Summer/Spring 2011 held many wondrous treasures and there was nothing more impractical but coveted to me then their range of real fur striped stoles made of fox furs and then dyed a verity of imaginative colours. Similarly, I've also been lusting after a good pair of leather or pleather pants or shorts in order top layer and unleash a combination of good outfits on the world but haven't been able to find my size in the world of online vintage reselling. That doesn't mean that I can't admire someone else's success and the wonderful outfit of bright pink blazer and matching nails with this gorgeous striped fox fur stole. If there is one piece from the fashion world that I wish more cheap nasty labels would imitate, it would be Prada / Miu Miu and although they are different brands they are essentially a part of the same family and both create equally amazing and extravagant clothes. More of that energy in terms of design and colour really would make the world a brighter and better place.

Although I have become whole-heartedly accustomed to having dark brown hair and matching eyes with a tint of tan in my skin tone, I can't help but think how lucky some people are to be able to wear yellow and especially the fluorescent shades. As if it wasn't hard enough to properly pull off garden variety yellow but to have such a cool and laid-back approach to the vibrant shade is enough to turn me metaphorically green with envy. Yellow is a colour commonly associated with cheer and happiness- seeing exuberant fashion bloggers dressed in Winter with such style and trend really does make me glad that I developed a sense of style and fashion (sharing bus rides with unfortunately dressed university students makes me feel sad).

It may sound very ironic to any well-to-do photographer but since the release of the new iPad with greater capability for capturing images and a developed lens, I'm keen to sell more of my valuable treasures around the home in order to finally catch up with the technological age. Apps such as instagram and hipstamatic have intrigued me before and while using the tablet as a camera may be clumsy at first particularly when trying to set up self-portrait shots, with the use of a secondary camera I may be able to finally create the dreamy outfit style posts of my dreams with sepia tone seeping in at the edges. Fluorescent satchels in wonderful colours such as green, orange and yellow would be perfect to house such precious pieces of technological advancement.

Amongst stone patched paths in fashion-forward cities, fashion bloggers and personalities have been crowding around and posing in front of high powered cameras for outfit posts around the globe. I desperately wanted to become a part of that culture but trying to get an uninterested boyfriend to take outfit photographs is like trying to get blood out of stone. It seems that I'll need to network more intensely with other fashion bloggers in order to cluster together in town squares wearing gorgeous clothes and injecting small bursts of colour into my outfit. While the pink jumper dressed up with white shirt and a tie should be my main focus, the burgundy satchel with silver coloured hardware is to die for.

Fluorescent shades that immediately spring to my mind at first thought are green, yellow and orange; I had not previously considered red and blue to have their own place in the neon spectrum but this outfit has really opened my eyes to the scrumptious shades that lay ahead in the fashion world. The matching of the two-tone clutch and the floaty material of the dress is absolutely stunning, almost makes me wish I had time to lolly gag about the shops and work a proper part-time job in order to be exposed to all this glorious fashion.

 

I'm torn at the moment from deciding between wonderfully eclectic pieces such as Aztec print shirts and bags and classic basic fisherman jumpers in preparation for the cruel and gruelling Winter- I wish I just had more money to buy many things and rotate my wardrobe frequently. The only logical assumptions that I can jump to at this stage are that doing a science degree is costing me a lot of time I could otherwise spend working a part-time job although I am a full-time student and also while I may be making a lot of money in the future, the only source of income I can think of at the moment is the wealth of junk lying about in my room. I hope everyone else is able to afford lovely neon coloured accessories and garments in a more economically sound way then I can at the moment!

Neon

After posting something about pink cigarettes, I think I'll stick to something I actually know about such as photographing ones face close-up on the macro setting as well as light pink and wildly bright yellow fluroescent colours. I'd love to find a lipstick that looked as good on me as this bright pink and pastel coloured shade- but I've got a different complexion and if anyone saw me wearing such a shade I think I'd be laugh out of whatever building I was in.

Coming soon to Alice Euphemia, one of my favourite boutiques within the CBD of Melbourne is a neon yellow dress with pleats at the back as well as a neat and prim collar at the top. I have no idea when I would ever wear such an eye-catching dress and maybe it's more suited for blonds and red-heads but the shoes have nailed me and I'd love a dress like this to layer up in Winter and really show off my legs. It's by a brand by the name of Ellison and is available now to pre-order when it launches in preparation for Autumn/ Winter 2012 collections in Australia. I can't wait to see it in store.

I don't know the identity of the model shown here but I dig her style- matching pink hair with matching pink lipstick, as well as rocking bare legs (possibly hidden under a pait or tiny shorts or dress), Dr Marten boots and a Beavis and Butthead sweatshirt. I don't even mind the dark regrowth at the top of her head, it adds character as well as the thinned out and uneven shades of pink in her hair created by the gentle curls.

I got inspired by this photograph of thick chained jewellery in hot pink and yellow and it all sort of got-out-of-hand from there. I don't regret anything though because although the jewellery shown here may be cheap and plastic looking but at least I have something to amuse myself, write about as well as a theme to collect photographs of. I'm quite envious of the pink chain wrapped continously around her neckline in a gorgeous nu wave draping style. It really brightens up her dark her and black jumper- I could do with such a necklace when I want to wear all black as well. I love the model's long hair tied down in two plaits and while the syle to me seems too much like a school girl I think the look can be then dressed down with a beanie or a cap over the top.

I've been lusting after various Polaroid 600 cameras and I think if I managed to get my hands on one of these bad boys I would blow a gasket. I can only think of some vague and dark looking film photographs of this camera behind glass cases. I'm glad I've finally seen a closer photograph of this rare Polaroid camera- but I really want to know where I can buy it as well! The Impossible Project which heave breathed new life into Polaroid cameras and film may sell a boxed set but at a hefty price as well.

Despite the sheer kooky nature of this photograph and everything in it- I love it. There's pink hair in a soft, candy cotton hue as well as a pink faux fur fox tail used as her bag charm. I wish Australia celebrated Halloween more so I could wear some costumes and take interesting photographs! This is the best photograph I could find that used neon green as well as fluorescent pink, as tastefully as possible. That is actually a lot harder than you first might think.