Peter Morrissey Designs for Big W

Big W is the latest department store to jump on the designer bandwagon with the announcement of a range by internationally recognised Australian designer Peter Morrissey. Aiming to bring affordable designer wear to the masses Morrissey, along with design partner Bruno Schiavi, will produce a range attuned to today’s economic climate without compromising on style. Morrissey, who is best known for dressing the likes of Helena Christensen and Nicole Kidman, teamed up with Schiavi after selling off his stake in his brand in February 2009 to pursue new interests. Schiavi himself is responsible for the lingerie worn by Delta Goodrem and will be releasing underwear ranges for Brett Lee and Janet Jackson in late 2009. Both designers hope to refashion not only people’s wardrobes but also their lives through a range that is accessible to all.

Only in Japan

What purpose do these shoes serve exactly? We all prance around in unnatural footwear - shoes that make walking more uncomfortable and a slower task than it should. But where on gods green earth is there a need for horse shoes on the soles of womens stiletto boots...?
Not quite human, not quite horse the Stallion-etto is a take on Vivienne Westwood's signature Rocking Horseshoe (the ones which were responsible for Naomi Campbell falling flat on her face when she tried to her way down the catwalk in 1993) and are bought to you by the quirky Japanese bunch.

Artist of the Week: Andrew Babarczy

Andrew’s initial passion for photography was ignited when photographing what he calls ‘urban decay’. With a keen sense of design and colour Andrew’s early photographic images were of derelict
buildings in Melbourne’s inner suburbs, and abandoned cars in wrecking yards.

Following the completion of his studies, Andrew’s photographic focus
shifted towards the images captured whilst travelling abroad.
His exploration of street/travel photography during this time
illustrated the beginning of a desire to photograph people.

As the passion for a career in photography grew, Andrew assisted many
of Melbourne’s leading commercial photographers over a 3-year period.
During this time the desire to explore and push his creativity led
Andrew to fashion and portraiture.

The past year has seen Andrew focusing his energies on creating images
for his expanding list of editorial and advertising clients, whilst
continuing to explore his personal work.

Below are a sample of some of his most recent works. Stunning.

Whats on in Melbourne in the School Holidays.

Its day 3 of winter school holidays.
Its cold.
The shopping centres are full with emo kids and angry mums.
There's nothing to do. WRONG!

Unless you have a partner to curl up on the couch with and watch the same season of Scrubs for the 64th time, this time of year can be pretty bloody boring! So we've come up with a little list of things to do over the next few weeks to keep you stimulated.

Forever Barbie
This year is Barbie's 50th birthday and the world (lead by Mattel) has gone nuts about it! Shangai helped celebrate by building the first Mattel Barbie flagship store. $60 million later, this bright pink six storey building is critically acclaimed as sheer architectural brilliance. It offers shoppers a unique kind of retail experience of all things Barbie. If you haven't seen footage have a gawk at this http://www.archdaily.com/21065/barbie-shanghai-store-slade-architecture/

Melbourne comes to the party by showcasing a forever Barbie exhibition at Federation square. The exhibition takes visitors through every aspect of Barbie's life over the past 50 years through the fashions, dream houses, cars, pets and her men. Here you will also be able to view over 300 Barbie dolls - the largest collection ever assembled in the Southern Hemisphere

Our favourite part of the exhibition though... your get to make your own Barbie! Robert Best, Barbies personal stylist, is there running a series of workshops taking you through the full design process in the 'Style-me Suite'.

Tickets are cheapies- only $15, for an afternoon which will take you right back to when you were a little girl and remind you why you spent years playing with Barbies. Get down to Federation Square between 10am and 6pm daily until the 12th July

Gertrude st Projection Festival
This is the second year of this festival in Fitzroy running from July 3rd until the 10th. Last year the entire of Gertrude st in Fitzroy was transformed into an outdoor gallery. You can walk, ride or drive through the st at night and view more than 20 sites of moving, still and installation works. This years theme is dream and it runs all week from 6pm - midnight.

http://www.thegertrudeassociation.com/

Melbourne Magic Festival
Umm... How cool is this? 2 weeks. 70 performers. 20 shows for kids, families and adults only. Plus the Australian Junior Magic Championships! You can also make use of the magic classes and workshop.

http://melbournemagicfestival.com/

Persuasion: Fashion in the Age of Jane Austen

This exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria is beautiful! It features 29th century fashion in throughout the lifetime of Jane Austen, with pieces dating back to the 1820's! This is highly recommended, it'll make you want to wear bustiers, full skirts and sip on English breakfast tea all day.

http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/persuasion/

Melbourne Scarf Festival 2009

Ok, I don't really know about this one but it'd be a laugh.. if someone treks to Geelong to go to this festival at the National Wool museum pretty please leave a comment here and tell us about it!
The festival's theme this year is 'Transformations'. This is from the website:
This year's theme is 'transformations', which embodies the notion that all materials (plant, animal or synthetic), raw and/or existing, can be changed in form, appearance, nature or character to produce a new object - in this instance, a scarf.

Festival runs until 19th of July
http://www.geelongcity.vic.gov.au/Visiting_Geelong/Attractions/National_Wool_Museum/2009_Scarf_Festival/

Or perhaps you can see a stage show? There are plenty of blockbusters on at the moment ie Chicago, Avenue Q, Jersey Boys and Wicked.

If you have any more suggestions or have been to any of the above, tell us what you thought x

Brunswick Style 26/06/09

What exactly is it about Brunswick in Melbourne that makes everyone super-dooper trendy/alternative? We went there on Friday afternoon to scope out the fashion and needed no longer than 15 minutes to play paparazzi because every second person dressed so damn interesting! Just north of Melbourne CBD is where you will find Brunswick - the land of vintage shops, vegan restaurants and bars as far as the eye stretches! Where there is plenty of confusion as to what decade we are living and the population looks like they have just walked out of a Savers change-room.
These are the key trends bought to you by Brunswick:
- hats are worn by everyone
- ruby red lips are a daytime essential
- layer everything. Leotards + singlets + cami's + cardigans + gloves + scarves + coats = warmth
- kitsch is way cool
- furs are embraced (despite the emphasis on vegetarian lifestyles)
- skinny jeans and leather dress shoes, ie: oxfords, for the men
- bright coloured and patterned tights with over-sized tops and singlets
- people dare to wear colours (hallelujah!) but of course you'll find plenty of black and grey marle



top Hudsons on Carlisle st, shorts: Kate Hurst, carigan TV, necklace Karen Walker


Dress Scanlan and Theodore, fur This Law on Sydney rd, hat and crochet Savers and boots from ebay


Jacket and shoes Savers , Cheap Monday jeans, shirt and bag by bric a Brac

R.I.P Michael (1958-2009)

What a shock and tragedy to wake up to this morning, but lets not go jumping to conclusions just yet. There is still a good chance that MJ is sitting on a Caribbean beach kicking back with Tupac and Lennon, margarita in one hand and Bubbles in the other.

The Spirit of the Black Dress

A little media release came to our offices today that we thought we'd share with the talented designers of Melbourne.
It looks as if Melbourne Spring Fashion Week 2009 will be celebrating emerging talent through the classic black dress. As part of the official program this competition calls for new fashion and textile designers to submit their take on the contemporary black dress to be judged by a panel of industry experts. The panel will be choosing the ten best garments which will be professionally photographed and displayed in Georges on Collins for the duration of the festival!
For all the details head to http://thespiritoftheblackdress.com.au/

2009 Fashion Trends: a mid-year review

2009 and has been a great year for fashion, to honour designers everywhere for their hard work we have put together a post to highlight the best trends of the season.

Skinny jeans:
The unkempt rockstar look is by no means new and emerging in 2009. For a while now the guys have been embracing the snug fit of denim on their legs, and so the skinny jean is #1 choice for the uber trendy man.

Animal prints:
We haven’t seen animal prints since Scary Spice rocked out in 1996. 13 years on we see this look modernized in a not so scary way, expressing the trend in scarves, tights and cardigans.

Distressed denim:
There are no two ways about it - this denim trend is sexy. There is certain sex appeal of someone’s naked skin piercing through their favourite pair of denim jeans. What’s even better is that this trend can follow through the seasons, worn in winter with a pair of patterns stockings underneath to keep warm, or as a light pants option in spring/summer when the weather warms up.

Harem pants:
They were all over fashion weeks in Europe in 2008, and they have finally found their way off the catwalks, on to a plane and on the bottoms of fashionable (yet comfort conscious) Australians.











The Poncho:
From the ‘Alpine Drifter’ family, comes the poncho trend for winter. The heavy knit of a poncho is the perfect means to warming up this winter. In keeping with the popularity of androgynous dressing this season, the poncho can be worn on the backs or both males and females. But this trend is probably better suited to the men this year, worn with a pair of skinny blue jeans and leather Oxford’s for an effortlessly charming look.

Spring Feature Shoot

It was a chilly winters morning when our brave team huddled over a single heater in a run down old house in South Yarra to shoot our amazing feature spread. Models Rhia and Ryder looked incredible (albeit a bit cold) in vintage wears from around Melbourne, dotted with accessories from Mimco. Photographer Emily Abay has captured a magical mood that is sure to get us excited about spring!

Check out the final images when Fashion Journal #92 is released on July 10

What we should be wearing... apparently.

We found this video on youtube where American designers in the 1930’s were asked to predict what the well-dressed population of the new millennium would be wearing. They got the hair styles right (if your name were "Shaniqua") and they predicted mobiles - but we’re still waiting for the utility belt fitted with keys, radio, coins and “candy for cuties”!

Hello Sailor!

A few months ago we attended an amazing vintage flea market at the Carlton Hotel by the name of Hello Sailor! Imagine the very trendy Carlton Hotel transformed into a market over two levels with loads of rare and collectable vintage clothing, jewellery, boots, trinkets, vinyl and artwork. We loved it for the following reasons:
1. Most stuff was dirt-cheap!
2. It was over 2 days with different stallholders on each day, so Sunday didn’t just have all the leftovers
3. It began at 1pm, which meant we could sleep in rather than charge through markets at 7am to uncover the gems!
4. The bar was open (which may have accounted for some of the stuff that made it home), they provided a BBQ and DJ’s all day
Here are some photos from the last one:







The next market is on Saturday and Sunday 27th and 28th June.

South Yarra Style 12/06/09

It was a freezing cold day in Melbourne today – overcast, windy and approximately 13 degrees when we went to hunt typical style of South Yarra. For most of the excursion people were charging past us in hunt to escape indoors, but before they did we managed to catch a glimpse of the typical style:

1. Heavy wool coats in creams, dark shades of grey, purple or red, and check prints.
2. Dainty dresses recycled from summer, warmed up with opaque black stockings.
3. Scarves (the perfect winter accessory for adding colour to an otherwise black
outfit). Heavy cable knits, cream angora and furs the most popular choices.
4. Suede ankle boots, again in black and grey.
5. Glamorous head gear, beanies, berets and headbands making a comeback


Skirt and accessories: Alannah Hill


Coat: Zara, shoes: Sandbag, beanie and gloves from various markets.

Photographer of the week: Nirrimi Hakanson

We just have to share the work of Nirrimi Hakanson. She's just 16 years old and we think (I mean know) that she has an extremely bright future ahead of her.

The daughter of artists, creativity flows through her veins; self-taught at the age of thirteen, she wanted to capture all that was beautiful in the world. “So many things in life inspire me. Life is so beautiful, we're just all so accustomed to it that we no longer notice,” says Hakanson. Her photos mainly featuring ethereal looking young girls, mesh vibrant colours with soft, dream-like lighting; a look that this Townsville native hopes will take people back to their childhood. “I just want to show them the world and life how I see it. I hope they find it as beautiful as I do. As long as I invoke some sort of emotion, whether good or bad, I'm happy.” So keep an eye out for this name in the future pages of Vogue, this girl has aspirations that soar higher than the clouds.




http://www.nirrimi.com

iSpyLevi's

Ever wanted to take someone's pants right off them? Well Levi's is giving you the chance with their latest venture iSpyLevi's. Hundreds of pairs have been released onto the streets of Sydney (Melbourne and Wellington soon to follow), worn by Tweeting LEVI'S peeps...think you see someone in them? Just ask 'Are they LEVI’S®?’ and if you get the right person, they'll drop their pants and give them to you on the spot.

Follow them on twitter, with clues of their whereabouts released regularly and try to hunt them down for a free pair of 501s. Look out for high profile fashionistas and media types dropping their pants in the near future.

If there's no one in the f.j office in the coming weeks you'll know where we'll be!
www.twitter.com/iSpyLevis

Men's Photo Shoot for Spring Issue 2009

Rhys Ripper of Academy for Men (and guest men’s editor for Issue 92 – out July 10) shot a guy’s feature shoot for the upcoming issue. Here’s a sneak peek of the behind the scenes action. To see the final result (which might I say is amazing – a great combination of top notch photography and awesome post production techniques) you will have to wait until July 10. The shoot was shot by Matt Caplin, styling by Julian Sapinski, make-up by Jess Crema and hair by Daniel Jenkins. Models are Academy Men's new guys Jordy Catalano and Danny Nuttall.

Melbourne Style 5/06/09

On Friday afternoon we travelled to Federation Square for fashion inspiration in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD. The weather was quite lovely (an unusual occurrence in Melbourne’s winter) - chilly with the sun shining through.

We started with the goal of finding the fashion, but most of our time was consumed with filtering through the masses adorned in black apparel to uncover the real trends.

What we found was

1. A palate of black, navy, browns in every hue and olive greens.
   
2. Oversized blazers replacing leather bomber jackets.
3. Animal prints and furs everywhere. Some only adding touches to their outfits with scarves, and others daring to make a bolder statement in animal print pants and cardigans.
4. Many picking up the gothic romance feeling in velvets and laces.
5. And in light of our economic recession vintage everything!

Below are some trendy Melbourne folk sporting said trends…

Top: Alice and the Eve, pants: Self Titled, scarf: The Reject Shop, cardigan: Privilege, shoes: Fat

Skirt: Retro Star, top: Bardot, gloves: Lincraft, fur: Queen Victoria Market

Left to right

LEFT

Blazer: Jupiter, Jeans: Elwood, Scarf: Aussie bandana at the Chinese Souvenir shop, Belt and sunnies: from Korea, Shirt: vintage

MIDDLE

Blazer: borrowed from older brother, Jeans: Elwood,  Jumper: Ararat F.C. uniform. Shoes: Dunlop Volleys

RIGHT

Jeans: Elwood, Shoes: Doc Martens, Tee: Vanishing Elephant, Specs: Hosiris 

Artist of the Week

The work from Melbourne freelance artist Genna Campton found their way to us this week and we were blown away! We will be featuring some of her work in the next issue of Fashion Journal (out July 10th). We found these to be particularly amazing, but you can check out more of her illustrations at her own site:
www.gennacamptonillustration.blogspot.com