My new BFF Miss Holly-Rose, Miss Ghost, the ever-glam Lady Melbourne and the Fallen Max

Black Dreadlock Jacket: Lilya
Black Dress (worn as top): Forever New
Black Maxi Skirt: Supre
Black Boots (not pictured): Wittner
Jewellery: Drown

Arnsdorf
I wasn’t able to get a pass into Arnsdorf for RAFW so this was my first time seeing the collection in person. What a visual feast of unusual textile, print and proportion! The palette of lilac, burnt pink and tan explode in the form of a  digital crystalline print, while other pieces with a stiffer composition have been structured in geometric shapes also mimicking that of crystals and minerals. Beautifully cohesive, well-cut and femme without being flitty.

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Dhini
Another runway I missed at RAFW; I had open expectations and found the collection to be charming. Although not my own aesthetic, Dhini’s pieces are highly wearable as well as being thoughtfully constructed with sweet detailing that gives them propulsion. Versatile in design, the collection illustrates a modern femme fatale who could exist in any walk of life.

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Lui Hon
I find Lui Hon’s collections consistently exciting — understated, spoken like a whisper; a little sweet nothing murmured coyly in your ear. Breathless, effortless — who is this woman? A creature who moves without being seen… an angel. A succubus. She’ll steal your soul and have you thanking her for the opportunity. Sheer whites, exotic bronze and the black glittering legs that had me on my knees. J’adore.

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Gary Bigeni
Another beautifully executed range of his signature swathing minimalist silk jersey pieces were on offer for Gary Bigeni’s new collection. Pieces were complimented with lightly tailored jackets and shorts. Although emulated significantly by several other designers who shared this runway – none come close to matching Bigeni’s expert drapery that gently envelopes the female form, asserting it’s sensuality whilst never being gratuitously sexual.

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As for the lowlights — I was seriously disappointed in how many “unfinished” garments were in designer’s collections. There is no excuse for unfinished hems. Even raw hems that are designed to shred or fray should be stitched to avoid curling and unraveling. It looks cheap and lazy. You will never get my money when you can’t run a quick stitch on your hem!

I was also concerned over the general unflattering cuts on a lot of dresses. Very few women are blessed to have hips significantly narrower than their shoulders. Rectangular dresses need to be banned. Either dart that sucker or cut it with a very subtle a-line, because if this dress makes the model look bad how will it look on me? When your dress gapes across the back like a pelican’s neck it makes me wonder who you think you are to be designing clothes in the first place.

Down with unfinished hems and unflattering cuts! Let’s wear clothes that are made properly and look good!

image source: fashionising.com

Absolutely ball-breaking weather for the first night of Designer Series runways at Melbourne Spring Fashion Week.

Not interested in getting blown over outside in order to score higher quality outfit shots; it’s bad enough I have to venture out into the elements at all. Hopefully this enormous chunky knit will keep me warm while everyone else is busy being too cool for school.

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Black Cardigan: Savers
White Tank: Country Road
Black Jeans: Cheap Monday
Black Wedges (not pictured): Jeffrey Campbell
Jewellery: Drown for Subfusco

Nail Polish: O.P.I Bogota Blackberry
Lipstick: M.A.C Black Knight

Futuristic head gear and psycho-embellished spats, yes please.

Tangent Magazine // Issue 4

Don’t tell me you didn’t know this was coming.

The burning undercurrent of pure mischief that runs throughout Portraits Of An American Family is what drew me to Marilyn Manson in the first place, and is subsequently desperately lacking in the rest of Manson’s discography. Although I count Antichrist Superstar amongst my favourite albums, there’s nothing quite like the fun and vibrant youthfulness heard in Portraits.

I had a really difficult time choosing between posting Dope Hat and Lunchbox, but ultimately the film clip for Dope Hat really sums up what I love about Portraits-era Manson.

Chicanery will always make you happy…
But we all know the hat is wearing me!

I think this sums up my personality pretty well.

Footage courtesy of Hair TV Australia.

Official runway images are coming soon.

Rediscovering the quirky and experimental Icelandic beauty, Björk.

Hyperballad is one of my all-time favourite Björk tracks from her 1995 album, Post. A mix of a sweet (yet highly structured) melody and insidiously haunting lyrics, the accompanying film-clip was again directed by music video powerhouse Michel Gondry.

Never one to produce things ordinarily, the entire Hyperballad video and all the effects were shot on a single 400 ft roll of film, by multiple exposure and frame-accurate backwinding of the film strip. The graphics were shot as a series of secondary exposures using a TV monitor, and the flashing lights were created with an LED strip board, also exposed on the same piece of film. Extraordinarily, there was no post production or editing at all on this video, except the colour correction transfer to video. This was at the insistence, and under the technical direction of Gondry.

Described in 2007 by The New York Observer as “Still weird after all these years”, it’s a beautiful marriage for such a genre-transcendent musician who’s famously eccentric style and commitment to her artistry is reflected in that of Gondry.

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I’m back at my cliff
Still throwing things off
I listen to the sounds they make
On their way down
I follow with my eyes ’til they crash
Imagine what my body would sound like
Slamming against those rocks
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When it lands
Will my eyes
Be closed or open?

Self taught in pattern cutting and tailoring, London-based designer Rachel Freire has never studied fashion. Her influences stem from her love of historical costume combined with futuristic imagery. Behind the dramatic silhouettes and decadent embellishments, the pieces are designed to be wearable, durable, feminine and flattering. Freire and her team also undertake specialist commissioned projects ranging from bespoke couture pieces to entire show creation.

Obsessed.
Selena and I are going to win a three legged race in them at RAFW next year.

It’ll happen.

Hybria Leather Wedges from Acne.