Thursday 27 October 2011

Runway..Knit that wool

Ever since I was a little girl I used to watch my mother knit for hours at a time to produce lovely pieces to fill my wardrobe. The feeling of wearing a piece that my mum had made from scratch felt as if I was draped with my mother's love. I used to watch her fascinated and sometimes she would give me knitting needles and some wool and teach me how to knit. I found it extremely difficult and years later when knitting was hip again, I decided to go with my mother, of course to shop for some grey wool and  needles to make my very own and very long grey scarf. My needles, grey wool and 3 cm bit of scarf I knitted in 6 months was instead used at decorations in my living room. A few months ago I received a parcel in the post from my mother and when I opened it up it was that scarf I began knitting months ago but now it was the long thick scarf I had dreamt about. The one thing that it had that I would have never been able to add was my mothers touch as she had taken my 3 cm scarf attempt before I had left Sydney and completed it. I feel so comfortable, safe and not to mention warm every time I wrap it around my neck.

So it was no surprise that when I saw Runway, I had a flood of emotions and it made me wonder what happened to all my knitted pieces I adored for years growing up. Runway was created  by the Australian based film maker Costa Vakas for Absorb. Costa Vakas runs Cosine, an Australian online based art, design, film, music and home to cosine web-zine.  For this film they took on a knitwear and shirting theme and used beautiful pieces from a range of labels and emerging designers including Sabatini, Ginger and Smart, Christopher Esber, Jessica O'Connor, Pol Design and Lulu Rouge.

Runaway from Costa Vakas on Vimeo.
Sonny Knitwear Ltd. is an independent family owned private manufacturing business headed by Managing Director, Tony Milich.  Sonny operates out of Auckland, New Zealand.  Tony has developed the SABATINI brand through a core focus in New Zealand & Australia.  With a base in Sydney, Australia the SABATINI & SABATINI WHITE brands are marketed & managed by his sister Margi Evans–Milich who is also creative director for the company. SABATINI's reputation centres around a Made in New Zealand philosophy with each garment hand cut, hand linked & hand finished for quality in leading edge knit design. I absolutely love this Shirt Panel Maxi dress  featured in Runway and in one of the scenes is  layered so beautifully with short stripy knitted jumper and paired with flat leather brown shoes by Lulu Rouge. I like a Maxi dress that drapes and not only takes the shape of the body but also gives the sense of effortless fashion. The dress is Cotton print shirt style maxi, button front with collar and godet side skirt which I would kill for as a piece in my winder or summer wardrobe.

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Metallic mix ribbon yarn, loose knit, scoop neck singlet, Aline swing style. Somehow this film is making me look forward to London winter!
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Lulu Rouge combines influences from all over the globe. This is both a reflection of head designer Yoshimi Nakamichi's Japanese background as well as her regular travels throughout places such as India, France and Indonesia. 

Yoshimi's design talent comes from over ten years experience designing footwear and accessories for some of the most respected European fashion houses. Following a sea change to Australia, Lulu Rouge is her personal venture, offering offbeat yet wearable footwear, bags and jewellery for women who are experimental with their style and are looking for something a little quirky, a little more curious. I like shoes that look and feel like they will last you a lifetime. The craftsmanship in each shoe made by Lulu Rouge has the feeling of elegance and style, graced with ultimate comfort. 

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Runway 
Stylist Chiara Bianchino
Makeup Chereine Waddell
Hair Stylist James Nash
Model Angelique @ EMG

Wednesday 26 October 2011

Destination... Morocco!

Not long now till I'll be heading to Morocco! In particular to a lovely fishing town called Essaouria known for it's beaches and relaxed atmosphere and then we'll be heading to Marrakech to experience the hustle and bustle of the Media, souks, hammas, fashion and much much more. One word AH-MAZINGGGGGG!
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Tuesday 4 October 2011

BIOLUMINESCENCE by Mila Nesterova

So here I am FINALLY blogging again with a brand new post. It has been a very slow few weeks for me despite London and Paris Fashion week and all the wonderful events that are attached to this time of year. I made a conscious decision not to attend Paris Fashion Week as I had to move out of my house and find a new place to call a home! I didn't and somehow felt that my little bubble that I am surrounded by to which I call life was tumbled upside down! Clothes in bags (and by bags I mean 5 massive bags), sewing machine packed and I looked at all my belongings wondering how the hell did I accumulate all of what I see in front of my eyes when 9 months ago I arrived to London with one suitcase! I must admit without my wonderful friends and people who I adore that have made my time in London one fantastic ride, I don't know where my clothes and myself would be right now. One week later and it wasn't until today that I received the wonderful news of one home coming through and now I have a room which I will be moving into in a few weeks.... Phhhheeeeeeeewwwwwww! 

Between me running around viewing places, getting screened and questioned by potential future flatmates and getting lost along the way, I managed to escape reality for a mere second and head to The Book Club to view BIOLUMINESCENCE an exhibition by the talented Mila Nesterova.  I have always had an extreme fascination with fluorescent and UV lights and recall a few years back a friend of mine and myself were part of an exhibition and created a fluorescent stole as a take on fur stoles. It was surrounded by UV lights and the effect the stole had, was incredible! (I am going to have to dig deep and try to find a photo to post) 

Mila explains 'On stage everything is exaggerated and lighting enhances the visual aspect of the performance, adding color and depth. I am fascinated by UV lights and how they transform everything into a dazzling explosion of colour. Everything looks more interesting, and fascinating shadows and flickers of light give objects and people more depth’ 

I quite understand exactly what Mila means as every time I snapped a photo, the explosions of colour was amazing and it made me want to look at her photographs even more and try find things that I might have missed. The exhibition is a powerful and exhilarating study of experimental ultraviolet lighting effects. It includes fashion and still life images, the latter being shown for the very first time. Taking from what the French call ecrire avec la lumiere translated as writing with the light, Mila Nesterova calls herself an ‘explorer of light’.
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The exhibition had two parts, BIOLUMINESCENCE Fashion and nature. I was quite fascinated when I stepped downstairs to view the rest of the pieces to find that Mila had also included light installations and  colour projectors that added a whole new dimension to the way I was viewing things. I was immersed in spots of colour, colourful shapes, projected images and it extenuated the whole experience to a completely new level. I love the way Mila is very passionate about light as we can all find new meaning is most of her work.

Originally conceived as a fashion story, BIOLUMINESCENCE has brought together a myriad of ideas. From a childhood spent on stage and backstage touring with her mother’s ballet school, Mila has been profoundly inspired by theatrical costumes, stage lighting and the extravagant enthusiasm of Russian ballet. Drawing on this, and her mother’s artistic spirit for inspiration, Mila set out to create a magical kaleidoscope of colours, textures and hidden meanings.

In nature bioluminescent organisms glow to attract others or to protect against predators. Mila’s surreal characters do just that – attract attention while at the same time hide their true identities under vibrant make up and clothing.  Showcasing avant-garde fashion designers such as Bernard Wilhelm, Pam Hogg, Andrew Logan, Craig Lawrence, Holly Fulton, Manish Arora, Kokon to Zai and Jeremy Scott, Mila’s world in BIOLUMINESCENCE has a surreal dreamlike quality with a slightly sinister edge. Not everything in the dark is what it seems...
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 As for BIOLUMINESCENCE Nature Mila Applied her lighting experiments and newfound photography technique, Mila takes the concept of nature mortes to the extreme in the second part of the exhibition. In her new work, market produce is magnified tenfold and highlighted with UV lighting until it looks zombie-like, surreal and almost radioactive - a far cry from what nature has created.

Presented as a critique of contemporary lifestyle, it shows creatures such as shellfish and vegetables outside their natural surroundings, dazed and confused in modern neon lit world. Here, ginger takes on strange, human like forms and shellfish look like high-fashion stars on the cover of the latest style bible. Mila makes a tongue-in-cheek statement about the zombie-like reality in which we rely heavily on modern technology and are often pre-occupied with the pursuit of fame, money, status and artificial beauty.
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The exhibition runs from the 22nd of Sep till the 23rd of October