Monday Runway: Dolce & Gabbana F/W 2014

The fall/winter ready-to-wear collection from Dolce & Gabbana, entitled "Enchanted Sicily", is one that brings to life a fairytale fantasy complete with knights in shinning armour, woodland animals, chain mail hoods, bejewelled gauntlets and kings in crowns. This is by far one of my favourite Dolce & Gabbana collection and not only because it brings my philosophy of fashion to life, but because it is a truly beautiful collection.

Dolce & Gabbana's Knights in Shinning Armour for the shows finale

This collection is another exploration by the pair into the Sicilian way of life, one of several the pair, Domenico Dolce (a Sicilian by birth) and Stefano Gabbana have created over the past few seasons.

Click below to see my favourites from the runway as well as the campaign for the collection shot by Domenico Dolce including supermodel Claudia Schiffer.

Haute-To-Trot: The Magic of Haute Couture

The magic that is Haute Couture Fashion Week wrapped up last week in the glistening city of Paris. It is an event which occurs twice a year, once for Spring/Summer collections in January and a Fall/Winter collection in July, and is the time when the dreams of fashion grace the runways, unbound by the needs and demands of ready-to-wear (prêt-à-porter) fashion.

These two weeks a year I always sit fascinated on my computer watching seemingly impossible works of art grace the runways. Being able to actually watch these shows live and have my own piece of Haute Couture both have proud places on my fashion bucket list. But what is Haute Couture really?

A backstage photo from Chanel Haute Couture S/S 2014

Monday Editorial: Hyoni Kang by Chris Nicholls for Flare

It's Monday and that means editorial time. This time it's from Flare Magazine December 2011 starring Hynoi Kang. This is a beautiful wintery editorial that I just adore.

Photographs: Chris Nicholls

Fashion Editor: Elizabeth Cabral 

Makeup: Simone Otis

EDITORIAL: The Red Lady

Because I'm still stuck in bed my posts are a little off-timing at the moment - no apologises for the extra pretties. This is one of my favourite editorials because I've been a dancer my entire life and I love the blurring of fashion and ballet. Enjoy.

The FIFA World Cup Trophy is cooler than me

At the last FIFA World Cup in 2010 I was bullied into watching the final rather than going to bed. Obviously, I'm not a particularly big sports fan (the only "betting" I do is on eBay  and I consider my exercise walking around in my new pumps). Regardless, I sat down to watch the football/soccer match (I’m an Australian so it’s soccer down here since we’ve got our own version of football and it’s too confusing to think about otherwise!). And the one thing I noticed about the match that night (I fell asleep about half way through - much to my friends chagrin - only to be awoken by the cheers of victory) was that the trophy was presented in a Louis Vuitton custom designed trunk.

It was official. The FIFA World Cup Trophy was cooler than I was.

2010 was the debut of the Louis Vuitton trunk as the custodian of the FIFA trophy, being presented to the Spanish victors on the final field. The trunk itself is handmade in Louis Vuitton’s historic and infamous Asnières workshop and designed specifically for the trophy’s requirements.

Unlike you or I, the FIFA World Cup doesn’t need to worry about clothes, toiletries or accessories – instead the trunk is built to protect the beautiful trophy which is made from solid 18-carat gold! The trophy stands at 36cm and weights around 6kg and has a green malachite base. The trunk is fitted with the traditional Louis Vuitton Monogram canvas and brass locks and opens at the front so that the trophy can be easily removed and presented to the World Cup Winners for 2014 on the 13^th of July. 

FIFA is by no means the first to order a custom built Louis Vuitton trunk. The infamous luxury brand was originally known for its trunks before later branching into bags, clothes, shoes and other of life’s essential non-essentials. The trunks crafted in the Asnières workshop are renown for their quality, skillful craftsmanship and the innovation in their design. Their other commissioned projects include the trunks and bags featured in Wes Anderson’s film The Darjeeling Limited, the fold-out bed trunk of the African explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza and the trunk Karl Lagerfeld uses to carry 40 of his iPods and his speakers in.

The trunks from The Darjeeling Limited and Karl Lagerfeld's iPod trunk.

I have to say I an endlessly jealous of whoever got to discuss with Louis Vuitton about the trunks creation – it is on my fashion bucket list to both (1) visit the Asnières workshop and (2) have my own custom built trunk. Both are pretty unlikely but a girl can dream. I’d love a trunk that would be big enough to hold a small selection of clothes, shoes and jewelry, but also have room for books and my laptop!  What would your dream trunk be?

The Louis Vuitton Mansion and Anières Workshop

Fashion is a weapon, use it dynamically

Model Citizen: Grace Simmons

Fresh face alert!! I love hearing about new Australian talents getting out there into the worldwide fashion scene and today the news is all about 17-year old Queenslander Grace Simmons.

The willowy 5ft11in teenager breezed across the runway at Dior Haute Couture like she’d done it a thousand times before (I didn’t actually see the show of course, I’m not cool enough for that yet! But imagine so), in front of Hollywood icons like Emma Watson, Jennifer Lawrence, Charlize Theron and Marion Cotillard.  Grace was first discovered through the Girlfriend magazine Model Search for 2012, giving her a start in the modeling career. She told the Daily Mail Australia: “Walking in Dior Haute Couture show was an absolute dream come true. I’d come to Paris with the intention of merely experiencing Haute Couture Week and learning all I could, so to be cast in one of the biggest and most prestigious shows of the week is something I’ll never forget”. Simmons has signed onto Next Model Management in New York, Paris, London, and Milan, Bravo Models in Japan and Chic Model Management here in Australia.

Like all of us she too had issues with the way she looked, admitting in the article that she used to hate her red hair the most but admits to loving it now. Let’s hope we see so much more of Grace in the upcoming fashion weeks and maybe even the face of a campaign!

Congrats Grace!

RUN(a)WAY WITH THESE!

The Chanel Super Marche 

When Karl Lagerfeld puts his mind to something, it appears anything is possible. Guests to the Chanel Autumn/Winter 2014 Ready-to-Wear show in Paris entered the city's Grande Palais with a sense of wondrous trepidation; what could Chanel possible have to do with the loud, brightly coloured supermarket scene laid out before them? With its shopping trolleys, cheese stall, hardware section, boxes of tea and bottles of wine (all with Chanel inspired names), how could it possibly be fashion or fashionable? How could a supermarket be as glamorous, luxurious and as classic as Chanel?

I don’t know how, but all I know is it can, thanks to Mr. Lagerfeld.

A Fashionable Guide to: Hospital Stays

For those regular readers you may have noticed I missed my usual Monday editorial/runway images and Thursday regular posts. I promise you I have a very good, albeit unfashionable, reason for this: I was in hospital. Why? For the very boring reason that I am one of the rare people in the world who have Behcet's syndrome (when you google it, the fourth search suggestion is how to pronounce it - I still have to say it five different ways for a doc to know what I'm talking about). It's a disease described as "insidious" and largely I agree as it lands me in the hospital for long stays and often very little clear answers. I got a clear answer this time though, happily, and now I am appendix-less! So, in celebration of that charming fact I thought I would share with you, my readers, the fashionable guide to: hospital stays!!

1. Beautiful blooms. To brighten up your mood, remove the hospital sterilisation smell and also because they're pretty! 

2. Trashy Mags. Gossip, celebrities and fashion - what more do you need?!

3. Lip balm. This is an essential. I don't think you can comprehend how drying the hospital environment is until you're forced to spend a week in it. Whilst you have have to forego your usual arm-pit, legs and eyebrow management, dry lips are something easily managed no matter how sick you are. My choice? Chanel's Hydramax + Active Nutrition Baume Lèvres, for a person with chronically dry lips it is simply the best. It is a little pricey at 50AUD for a tub of 0.35OZ, but for me one tub will last about six months - so in my books it's worth it. However it is being reproduced under another new name shortly....fingers crossed they don't change the serum!

The first three important things are shown in this picture! 

4. Guilty Pleasure TV Shows. Everyone has them. Admit it. Whether it's watching The Real Housewives Of... or The Voice or Sixty Minutes - everyone has a guilty pleasure TV show. For my 60yr old English Lit teacher in University it was The O.C.! But for me it's America's Next Top Model and the Rachel Zoe Project. 

5. Track Pants and Comfy (but fashionable) Tees: despite what Karl Lagerfeld said about sweat pants, even he's released a Chanel version of them this year, and for hospital they really are great. No one likes a hospital gown. I saw waaaaay too many butts when I was there and unfortunately I think I few people saw mine before I was able to rectify this necessity. 

6. A View: as Diana Vreeland once said, when she was asked how one became Diana Vreeland "one must arrange to be born in Paris, after that everything follows quite naturally." And whilst as charmingly impossible that arrangement may seem, getting a view in a hospital is too dissimilar. By 'a view' in this case I mean a glimpse at the outside world that is non-hospital. The sky or grass for example. Many hospitals are built with inner courtyard and have windows that look inwards into such enclosures - but these views are often highly depressing, especially if you can see the elderly who are obviously being "let out" for a walk in there. A window to the world outside hospital is essential if you can swing it, if only for it be like flowers and just cheer you up a bit. 

7. Fancy Footwear: after a week in hospital I've seen it all! From the multi-coloured and rhinestones UGGs to those fluffy boots they used to sell at Target to velvet loafers and slippers so ratty I think they were older than I am. My choice of footwear is Peter Alexander (aka the King of Pyjamas) slipper-socks. The ones pictured on my instagram were bought by my mum for my latest hospital stay and are too cute to not like however ridiculous they are. 

(A furry friend like a teddy bear for your weaker moments also doesn't go astray, but you didn't hear that from me!) 

Fashion is a weapon, use it charmingly