Independence Day

Sunrise screen grab, 8.23am, July 4th, 2008.


So I celebrated [blogging] Independence Day by waking up at 6am and going over an old Fully Chic post. No, it wasn't a sad fit of nostalgia. On Thursday, 7's brekkie show Sunrise invited me to come and have a chat about Speedos on Friday morning's show, pegged on this week's comments by Justin Timberlake that, "You can't bring sexy back in a Speedo!". Earlier this year I had done a post on Speedos - which prompted some debate - and I wanted to refresh my memory.

Five male models had been booked to do a bit of a mini fashion-show in the studio. In the now US-owned Speedo brand? No, funnily enough, in Sean Ashby's evidently now iconic-and-interchangeable-with-Speedo men's swim/knickers brand aussieBum.

That's the brand Ashby originally tried to flog to Oz department stores, only to be totally stonewalled. Ashby went direct to the net and now has a multi-million dollar global business.

I will note (once again) that both Collette Dinnigan and Zimmermann were selling to international department stores before they could get anyone from the Australian department store sector to return calls.

It's abundantly clear that some, if not many, Australian middle managers wouldn't know a good idea if it sat on their face.


Steven Priebe (L) and a model mate head into hair & makeup.

While waiting for hair & makeup, had an interesting chat with Steven Priebe from Chadwicks about the male modelling scene.

Priebe has been semi-based in Miami for the past 15 years, tapping the hitherto-lucrative US catalogue market.

Catalogue work has virtually dried up overnight, reports Priebe, due to retailers drastically cutting back marketing budgets - a very similar story to that told by a number of Australian fashion businesses which have been selling into the US market.


In the chair of Seven makeup artist Sonia.

Seven's new hair & makeup department is located down a flight of marble stairs in the bowels of an old bank in Martin Place.

The H&M room is in fact immediately adjacent to the old bank vault, which I found fascinating. What's kept in there now? Not Seven secrets apparently - but clothes:




Shots from the green room plasma screen outside the studio:





Inside the studio:




Picked up Matt "Imelda" Jordan from his compound in what he reports is the gayest residential developent in Sydney, the sprawling Mary Tyler Moore Park Gardens. Had yum cha at Kam Fook BJ.

We chatted about blogging, his plans for the development of an Australian fashion blog directory - great idea - journos and PRs who get blogging and the many journos and PRs who still don't.

I was fascinated to learn the, according to Jordan, "upstairs-downstairs" view of some, if not many, grassroots bloggers vs anyone with even the vaguest "corporate" [read mainstream media] affiliation who dares ventures onto the net.

I guess this explains why Cathy Horyn is on all those blogrolls.

Finished the night with dinner at Sel & Poivre with my bf, Aunge Tinker (below) and her husband Tinks. They're close friends - and fashion agents in NZ (where the state of the fashion biz sounds marginally better than than that in the US - but not much).



Was sorry to learn that Sydney's favourite frog, S&P owner Daniel Perchey, has been unwell.

That just won't do - especially not with Bastille Day rapidly approaching.

I'm sure I speak on behalf of everyone who adores you, your resto and your myriad floral trousers Daniel.

Get well soon buddy.