Andrej 2010

Frockwriter first noticed Andrej Pejic at Sydney’s Rosemount Australian Fashion Week in May. Then 17 years old, Pejic was a little hard to miss at Ant!podium’s show: he opened it. And many may well have assumed he was a she. The incredibly androgynous Melbourne-ite has been modelling for 12 months, turned 18 on Friday and is about to complete his HSC (Australian highschool final year exams), with his agency, Chadwick, prepping to send him overseas. After Jethro Cave (who appears on the latest cover of New Zealand’s NO magazine), frockwriter predicts that Pejic will be Australia’s next edgy male modelling star. In its August edition, Australia's Pagesonline dedicated eight pages to Pejic. And he features on no less than 14 pages in the new issue 30 of RUSSH, in this intriguingly-titled, Will Davidson-lensed editorial ‘Creep’.

According to Chadwick Melbourne director Matthew Anderson, the interest in Pejic bucks a dramatic, and quite sudden, conservative shift back to beefier male models in the Australian market.

Notes Anderson, “Over the last 12 months skinny androgyny shifted when the economic crisis hit. Within a three month period we went from scrawn to brawn. Myer going from using Jethro Cave to (former Brit rugby league player) Kris Smith is a good example. In times of economic crisis, subconsciously advertisers seem to be responding to strong guys who look like they’re going to save us. That all-American, chiselled jaw, Abercrombie & Fitch guy seems to be the flavour of the month again”.









all images: courtesy russh

Fashion's Nordic horror fetish rocks on

supreme via models.com

Closely following the release of the spooky, Paul Rowland-lensed supplement to V Magazine's issue 61, which showcases models from the New York agencies Supreme and Women by way of "corpse paint" makeup and styling that appear to have been directly inspired by the Norwegian black metal scene, comes Supreme's model showcards for the New York Spring/Summer 2010 runway season. The makeup and styling are equally horrific and coincidentally, the photographer is Scandinavian: Swedish-born Hanna Linden. Horror is a dominant theme in Linden's work, which has depicted nightmarescapes haunted by masked, spectral figures, with titles in one 2006 New York exhibition including "Death Gate", "Death Upon a Black Horse", "Playing Dead" and "Skeleton Creek". Linden, a fan of the Davids Lynch and Cronenberg, described her work to PAPER magazine as "dystopia after a catastrophe".

For sure, the horror film genre has enjoyed a resurgence over the past decade and given its popularity, it is perhaps surprising that it has taken this long to hit fashion.

Could the current economic climate of doom and gloom have anything to do with things? September's W magazine for instance also delivers a Craig McDean spread of a down-on-her-luck Sasha Pivovarova, dressed as a stylish vagrant in shredded luxury shopping bags.

Scandinavia, as it emerges, has quite a vibrant horror film culture.

After the Japanese and South Korean horror waves that delivered film franchises such as The Ring and The Grudge, some horror aficionados are tipping Scandinavian horror as the next big wave. This follows a spate of recent Scandinavian horror releases, including Let The Right One In, Dark Floors and Tommy Wirkola's Dead Snow Nazi zombie spoof, which had its world premier at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

This is not the first time that horror has raised its hand in fashion this year.

Some might recall Steven Klein's "Lara fiction noire" editorial in the February edition of Paris Vogue, for which Klein shot Stone in a horror-inspired, and quite bloody, series of images depicting simulated violence. Although the original series ran on Klein's website, some images were reportedly censored from the magazine.

It's interesting that Supreme believes this is the best way to showcase its models to prospective clients. Of course, the series is bound to stand out amongst the myriad of agency showcards that do the rounds at this time of year, with agencies vigorously competing for a slice of the season's runway action.

But while most shots are clearly in the fantasy realm, a couple look like outtakes from a community service announcement about domestic violence.

Click here to see the full series.

Charlotte Dawson was a Marc Jacobs muse?

Well, for fifteen minutes at least. Here is a series of screen caps from an episode of Andy Warhol's 1980s MTV series Fifteen Minutes, filmed in January 1987 and which features the former Ford New York model, now Australia's Next Top Model judge, modelling one of Jacobs' earliest collections. The underwear-as-outwear-themed collection includes the Freudian Slip Dress, emblazoned with a Sigmund Freud caricature. Dawson was one of three models cast for the show. Twenty three year-old Jacobs conducts the interview astride a ladder. And if you find the photo shoot antics of the ANTM contestants amusing, Dawson and co are required to climb the ladder after him. It's one of three episodes of the MTV series that will be screened by the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) next week under the umbrella title Marc Jacobs' New York, as part of ACMI's week-long Marc Jacobs on Film festival during Melbourne Spring Fashion Week.

Yes, that's right, an entire week of films - six in total - dedicated to Jacobs' work.

Frockwriter buddy Bryanboy, in whose honour the ostrich skin 'BB' bag from Jacobs' FW0809 collection was named, has been flown down by ACMI to open the festival on Saturday night.

Click here for the full schedule and ticket details.
















all images: screen caps from 'marc jacobs' new york', courtesy ACMI

The downunder Allure of Jezebel?

racked

Could Gawker Media's high profile ladyblog Jezebel be heading to Australia for a slice of the A$1.8billion Oz online advertising pie? That's what some are wondering, after spotting this seek.com.au advertisement from Allure Media, which is looking for editorial staff for the imminent launch of "a well-known women's lifestyle network" in this market. The Sydney-based digital publisher already owns the Oz licenses to Gawker Media's Defamer, Gizmodo, Kotaku and Lifehacker - in addition to the local license to parenting blog Babble - a network it claims attracts over 1.65 million readers per month. UPDATE 14/09/09: IT'S NOT JEZEBEL - ALLURE MEDIA ANNOUNCES THE LAUNCH OF THE SUGAR NETWORK INTO AUSTRALIA.

Jezebel, whose promo line is “Celebrity, Sex, Fashion for women, Without Airbrushing”, attracts a monthly audience of 1.4million according to Quantcast, 1.1million of that hailing from the US, with 49percent female readership.

And while the site's edgy, neo-feminist slant has proven popular with readers, others have called out what they claim to be the double-standards of some Jezebel writers who lament the sexualisation of women, while posting degrading images of themselves.

Over the past 12 months the site garnered considerable interest over the mystery surrounding its anonymous model blogger "Tatiana", who unmasked herself last month as Jenna Sauers (although her ID came as no surprise to readers of this blog).

Allure Media's md Chris Janz did not return calls this afternoon and two media buyers told frockwriter that they had as yet heard nothing.

According to Fusion Strategy media analyst Steve Allen, a local Jezebel would be "an interesting move indeed. Allure has come onto our radar because they are building traffic and assets quite quickly".

Anna Wintour on The Late Show with David Letterman

Here is the full interview.

Risko business: Melbourne's mod bloggers face off against the h8ers

circa now

Did we say that a new genre of model blog is emerging... one in which models play dressups and pose for their own cameras? Yes, I believe we did - last night. Well already comes the news of two more model style blogs (tks Emma for the tip). Intriguingly, both are also Australian. And coincidentally, the model authors behind the blogs - SRC783 and Circa Now – are not only both 21, Melbourne-based and good mates, they share something else in common with outgoing Sydney mod Alexandra Spencer, whose 4th and Bleeker blog we profiled yesterday. At 5'7", both are very small in mainstream modelling terms. Kate Moss notwithstanding - and Moss is a rare exception to this rule - any 5'7" models would be shut out of runway contention and no doubt a lot of other work.

SRC783 is written by Christina Dietz (pictured left, above), aka "Risko", who is repped by Scene Models in Melbourne.

Circa Now is written by Tessa-Jay Slight (right) who is repped by, wait for it, Melbourne’s Giant Management.

Slight appears to be more of an introvert than Dietz, with her blog largely filled with fashion images depicting other models – or else cropped images of herself.

In addition to test shots, Dietz, on the other hand, has posted a plethora of what appear to be autoportraits in her own outfits, with some outfits/accessories apparently made by her.

And either her outfits, or her moxie, appear to have gotten up the noses of some of her readers, who left over 80 comments on one recent post called “night cats”, a large percentage of them unflattering.





src783

In the 'night cats' post, Dietz posed in a leopard-print top, skinny pants, laceup boots and a cowboy hat, with a cigarette in hand (above).

But it wasn’t the anti-smoking lobby that took issue with the image.

Here is a selection of hilariously snarky comments:

“your blog is so shit, it is just an excuse for you to take photos of yourself and could not be more unoriginal. so what you have an obsession with a top - great blogging. real inspirational”.

“poor girl she has a fat bum and is with the worst agency in melb, half of her modelling shots are by photographers who shes helped with theyre folios shes a gaybo she has a pretty face but risko disko will never be a real model”

“you try way too hard. stop trying to be alternative. You'll always be just an over-tanned, blonde private school girl with no substance”.

“i agree, i know this girl and she is a five foot tall wanna be model whose photos all consist of test shots”

“christina dietze is a loser ok she models for scene the gayest modelling agency in melbourne i know her and she is an absolute c*** and basically if you have a camera or know someone cool she will befriend you! her bottom is massive also”

The vitriol prompted buddy Slight to fire off a “Lay Off” post and warn the “cyber bullies” that Blogger has been alerted and that their “IP addresses will be traced”.

Unless there were some rather more serious threats etc that have yet to see the light of day, best of luck with that guys.

Props to Dietz for having the guts to clear the comments. Like so many other bloggers who face malicious personal attacks such as this, she could simply have buried them. The comments are ludicrously juvenile however, and hugely entertaining, and anyone reading them laughs not at Dietz, but the twits who made them.

Dietz would do well to take on board the fact that two very high profile international fashion bloggers, Rumi Neely from Fashion Toast (who is heading to next month's Air New Zealand Fashion Week) and Susie Lau aka Susie Bubble, continue to cop their share of similar comments - and run them. In interviews, Lau has even spoken about negative comments prompting her at one stage to consider giving up blogging.

It's hard to put one's finger on exactly what it is about these personal style blogs that prompts so much unprovoked vitriol from some readers.

It's almost as if ordinary women standing up and feeling confident about themselves and their own sense of style is just a little too much for some people.

Wintour on Letterman: "I reckon that makes me luke-warm royalty with a whip from outer space”

The much-anticipated Anna Wintour interview on The Late Show with David Letterman is due to air at 11.35pm Monday night in New York, which translates to 1.35pm today (Tuesday) here in Sydney. CBS has a teaser up on its website which includes Wintour’s rather amusing take on the newspaper coverage of last week’s premiere of The September Issue. In response to a question about her tough reputation, the US Vogue editrix notes, “I read in The New York Times this week that I’m an ice queen, I’m the Sun King, I’m an alien fleeing from District 9 and I’m a dominatrix. So I reckon that makes me a luke-warm royalty with a whip…from outer space”. There is no embed code but you can see the rest of the clip here.

V Magazine gets a little Norwegian wood

Overwhelmed by the staggeringly creative makeup in the 96-page Women/Supreme model supplement to V61? You are not alone. Various images of the covers have been floating around the fash blogosphere, but a behind-the-scenes video of the shoot reveals a striking series of ghoulish faces rendered in stark black and white by makeup artist Janeen Witherspoon, with styling by Nicholas Grasa and hair by Rita Marmor, Leonardo Manetti and Franco Gobbi. The series was shot by Paul Rowland, who tells V's blog that he was inspired by “Joel-Peter Witkin, paganism, mysticism, vampires, witches—all the things I love.” But did Rowland neglect to mention one key reference? Here is a series of screen grabs from the video.










And below is a series of images from True Norwegian Black Metal, a book by photographer Peter Beste that was released in May 2008 and is now on its third printing (and thanks to Kent for the tip).

Beste spent five years documenting the Norwegian black metal scene - which has been described, perhaps alarmingly, as Norway’s biggest cultural export.

Although apparently a little more civilised these days - Beste for one looks to have survived the experience - the roots of Norwegian black metal lie in Satanism and Norse pagan mythology and in the early 1990s, this underground metal genre became notorious in the wake of a string of violent crimes.

We’re talking murder, suicide, alleged cannibalism and as many as 50 cases of arson and attempted arson (churches, natch). GG Allin, eat your heart out.

Beyond the standard issue hardcore rocker accoutrements of black leather, spikes, studs and chains, Norwegian black metal-ites have a propensity for smearing their faces with ghoulish black and white “corpse paint” makeup, which would appear to have as much to do with 1970s rockers Alice Cooper and KISS as it does with early German expressionist cinema and the Oskerei, a legion of dead souls in Norse mythology.

Norwegian black metal is also the subject of the 2008 Audrey Ewell and Aaron Aites documentary Until the light takes us, which had its world premier at the AFI FEST in Los Angeles on October 31st 2008.

While Paul Rowland's Supreme/Women photo series appears in a limited edition supplement to V61, Lady Gaga is on the actual cover of the edition.

In an interesting coda, it emerges that the director of Gaga's new Paparazzi video is Jonas Åkerlund, a former member of pioneering Swedish black metal outfit Bathory.









1. peter beste via news.figment.cc
2. peter beste via gawker
3. peter beste via michaelcarter.ca
4. peter beste via nemotography

Auto (model) portraits

Interesting developments in model blogger land. Since frockwriter launched a year ago we have looked at quite a few model blogs, ranging from the fun, to the ballsy, to the erudite, and not forgetting the mysterious. But while many model bloggers tend to adopt a photo reportage style, using either professionally-taken shots of themselves, or snapping self portraits on the job or while clowning around, a new breed of model blogger is emerging, styling their own fashion shoots. This is an offshoot of course of the wider street style blog phenom in which the authors don’t capture random street looks, but shots of their own outfits. Fashion Toast's photogenic Rumi Neely (who is heading to next month's Air New Zealand Fashion Week) is probably the greatest exponent of the latter. Interestingly, Neely has now been signed to New York's Next Models. With their on-camera experience, professional models add an additional dimension to this. Priscillas’ Blake Lively-lookalike Zanita Whittington (see below), who has been blogging since November, introduced herself backstage at Jayson Brunsdon last week, camera in hand. Then there is Alexandra Spencer from Next's Australian affiliate Chic Management, who could wind up being the agency's next breakout star - without having ever set foot on an international runway.

The 20 year-old Sydneysider has been modelling for one year and has booked jobs including Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Oyster, Bec & Bridge, JAG, Jeans West, General Pants and Wrangler.

At 5'8" she is, frockwriter understands, considered a little too petite for the runway, which goes some way to explain why we have not seen her on the catwalks of David Jones, Myer or RAFW etc.

With self-timer in hand however and a great sense of style, involving some hand-made and/or customised garments - and a propensity to sex it up - Spencer has been creating quite the stir with her edgy rock/surf chick auto portraits on the four-month old blog 4th and Bleeker. (That's if the photos are in fact genuine self-portraits. The quality seems suspiciously professional - ditto the blog's use of typography).

The blog is rapidly garnering coverage, including mini profiles on Igor + Andre, Refinery 29 and style.com.

Spencer, who hails from the northern beaches suburb of Warriewood, mixes in interesting surf circles - she is currently dating former pro surfer Nathan ‘Noodles’ Webster, the Australian licensee of US skate/surf brand RVCA.













1-5 alexandra spencer via 4th and bleeker
6-9 zanita whittington via zanita

Cassi explores her window of modelling opportunity - at Chadstone

Long time, no Cassi van den Dungen update. Well while ANTM Cycle 5 winner Tahnee Atkinson has been busy shooting for Australian Harpers Bazaar and walking the runway for Myer, runnerup van den Dungen has been hard at work at high street chain Portmans (in addition to modelling for the Melbourne Wedding & Bride 'Dress of Your Dreams' show, part of the Melbourne Spring Fashion Week – a gig organised by her Melbourne-based mother agency, Tanya Powell). Frockwriter can reveal that van den Dungen has now shot two lookbooks for Portmans, as organised by her Sydney agency, Work Agency. The first is now online on the Portmans website and the second was shot last week. And while two lookbooks do not an advertising “face” make, van den Dungen is also helping Portmans celebrate the opening of its largest store - at the new A$270million Chadstone redevelopment in Melbourne.

Portmans' new 350sqm flagship was designed by Mark Simpson of the London-based Universal Design Studio, whose other retail clients include Stella McCartney, H&M, Paul Smith and Selfridges.

One of five models who took part in a live installation inside the Portmans Chadstone windows yesterday, van den Dungen has been accorded top billing by Chadstone as one of several celebrity guests who will be on tap over the weekend to help kick off festivities, along with MTV host Ruby Rose and musician Axle Whitehead.

Any Cassi fans who want to say hi can catch her in the Portmans Chadstone front windows again tomorrow from 11am-1pm and 2-4pm.

Talking dressing your age with ABC Adelaide

I am doing a fortnightly chat on fashion every second Tuesday at 1400 AEST with the ABC Adelaide Afternoons with Carole Whitelock program. This week we talked dressing your age (click the player ^ if you are interested in hearing the show). There have been a few news stories on this subject pinging across the net in recent months. Most, IMHO, pretty dumb. One thing these stories constantly seem to overlook is the fact that we are staring in the face of a generation of older, high-profile women who not only don’t feel the "older" fashion rules personally apply to them and apparently have no fear of ridicule, they are setting the style agenda for others.

Just take fiftysomething celebrities Madonna and Sharon Stone.

The first posed legs akimbo in Louis Vuitton knickers advertising LV handbags.

The second recently posed topless and looking smoking hot for the cover of Paris Match, together with the headline, “J’ai 50 ans….et alors!” (I’m 50, so what!).

American Vogue editor Anna Wintour, the star of one of the year's biggest buzz films, The September Issue, is 60.

Paris Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld is in her mid 50s.

And Anna Dello Russo, the flamboyant Vogue Nippon fashion director at large, is pushing 50.

And while you would most likely never see Wintour in a pair of short shorts, leggings or a micromini – unlike Roitfeld and Dello Russo – Wintour has nevertheless been known to make bold fashion choices.

Unlike many other ordinary female consumers their age, these women do not feel forgotten by fashion and "invisible". These women are fashion.

Why do so many of their contemporaries feel out of the loop?








images:

1. sharon stone: paris match via the huffington post
2. anna wintour: perez hilton
3. carine roitfeld: new york magazine
4. anna dello russo: style.com
5. anna dello russo: jak + jil

Myer backstage at RSFF

sonny vandevelde

Herewith an exclusive preview of Sonny Vandevelde's backstage portfolio from Myer's SS0910 show last night in Sydney, in which we saw a lot of colour, a lot of dresses, "statement shoulders", as Myer face Jennifer Hawkins referred to the silhouette in our video chat - even if 'the Balenciaga shoulder' is what we called it at RAFW four months ago - and rather a lot of eveningwear. The show commenced with an eveningwear medley from various designers and closed with Aurelio Costarella, the Perth eveningwear specialist who has spent the past few years showing at New York Fashion Week. And who told frockwriter last night that, GFC notwithstanding, there are still plenty of Australian women who think of nothing of spending $2500 on a special dress. Costarella also observed that showing in New York is "less stressful" than showing in Sydney.

Toni Maticevski's new Maticevski Sweethearts line also enjoyed an outing. That's Maticevksi's new bridesmaid-skewed line of dresses that is fully customizable up to a size 24. Did any plus size models get a guernsey in that section? Not a chance. After making such a song and dance about including plus size models in Myer's suburban shows, it seemed like a lost opportunity at last night's high-profile launch event.

The cast included Australian haute couture queen Alexandra Agoston, fresh from the Paris couture shows, ANTM Cycle 5 winner Tahnee Atkinson, Rachel Rutt, Simone Kerr, runway veteran Tanya G and Tallulah Morton.

For more pics from the show head to Sonny Photos.










all photos: sonny vandevelde

A chat with Tahnee Atkinson at Myer

Also on deck at Myer's SS0910 show last night was Tahnee Atkinson, the winner of Australia's Next Top Model Cycle 5. Here is the quick chat we had just prior to the show kickoff. On the agenda: her upcoming gigs and how she is finding the real world of modelling vis-à-vis the ANTM modelling hothouse. We also briefly touched on the recent Facebook imbroglio, which saw show co-hosts Charlotte Dawson and Alex Perry lambast Cycle 5 runnerup Cassi van den Dungen after the cameras had stopped rolling, over her decision to decline contract offers from Priscillas and Elite New York.

A chat with Jennifer Hawkins at Myer

A (very brief) chat I had last night with Myer face and former Miss Universe, Jennifer Hawkins. We did the interview in Hawkins' private green room area and look, I'm not quite sure what it is with model green rooms and lights, but after recording Miranda Kerr's interstate press conference in her backstage green room after the David Jones show on August 4 - in near darkness - at one point, one of Hawkins' minders helpfully stood right in front of the only light that we had at our disposal. Only to then have the light disconnected altogether.

Seafolly backstage at RSFF

sonny vandevelde

A mini backstage portfolio by Sonny Vandevelde from today's Seafolly show at the Rosemount Sydney Fashion Festival. Among models who joined RSFF face Elyse Taylor (right, above) on the runway was under-the-radar Shanay Hall from Sydney's Viviens/IMG New York + Milan (shots #1, #3 and #6), who bears more than a passing resemblance to models.com's world number three Lara Stone. For more Seafolly show images head to Sonny Photos.







all photos: sonny vandevelde

London Fashion Week snags sass & bide

getty by daylife

So it’s official. Confirming an August 7 report in frockwriter that sass & bide was close to securing a slot on the SS10 London Fashion Week schedule, the British Fashion Council has just confirmed the brand will show on day one of its 25th anniversary event: Friday 18th September at 7.15pm. Sass & bide also celebrates a milestone this year: 2009 marks 10 years since Heidi Middleton and Sarah-Jane Clarke first launched the brand, and coincidentally, in London. The duo then returned to Australia, debuting at Mercedes Australian Fashion Week in May 2000 in a group show, before making their solo runway debut the following year at the event. In 2002 they began showing at London Fashion Week and in February 2004, joined the New York Fashion Week schedule. London sales have been particularly good and the city is to be the location of the brand’s first offshore boutique, Middleton recently told frockwriter.

Jayson Brunsdon backstage at RSFF

They had ballerina hair and ballerina-inspired footwear. Herewith a backstage portfolio from Kent Vaughan of last night's Jayson Brunsdon Spring/Summer 0910 show, which opened the 2009 Rosemount Sydney Fashion Festival - a consumer event that presents in-season collections. A glamorous, softly-toned collection of silk shirtwaisters, cocktail shorts, embellished halter tops and draped goddess gowns, it was originally inspired by the "classic Australian woman", as epitomised by Brunsdon's mother Dorothy and unveiled at RAFW in May. Frockwriter was busy snapping backstage shots in real-time to upload to Twitter and shooting a live-stream video (below) - to the hilarious commands of "Rock and roll!" from one backstage snapper as the girls exited the runway to head backstage. The show was opened and closed by RSFF face Elyse Taylor, with plenty of other local highprofilers, including Rachel Rutt, Vanessa Milde, Simone Kerr and NZ's Georgia Fowler.
























all photos: kent vaughan

Kite Tails: First look at the second summer of Ginger & Smart

Frockwriter loved Ginger & Smart’s first spring/summer 0910 collection at RAFW, entitled Sky Dancer. In fact we thought the collection - highlights from which included rainbow maxi dresses and tough chic grommeted gilets - was probably the strongest that sisters Alexandra and Genevieve Smart have shown at the event. Well on the eve of the sophomore edition of IMG FASHION Asia Pacific's new consumer-focussed Rosemount Sydney Fashion Festival, at which Ginger & Smart will present a mélange of their first and second summer collections on Saturday night, here is an exclusive preview of that second summer collection. Called Kite Tails, it is similarly inspired by children’s kites. Here is also the brief (and sadly low audio quality) backstage interview we did with the Smarts after the RAFW show. Click here for the full RSFF schedule, which kicks off officially at 6.pm tonight with Jayson Brunsdon’s show. Frockwriter will be on the scene, reporting live via Twitter. Follow the Twitter widget on the right-hand side of the page.

Rachel Rutt, Sonny Vandevelde gear up for New York Fashion Week

rachel rutt by sonny vandevelde


So Rachel Rutt was back in town for last week’s David Jones show. While in town, she shot a lookbook for Wish. Click here to see more out-takes on photographer Sonny Vandevelde’s blog. Frockwriter mentioned that after her stellar Australian Fashion Week in May, Rutt headed to New York for the cruise season, during which she shot lookbooks for Phillip Lim and Doo.Ri and featured on big buzz model industry websites models.com and COACD. Add to this several as yet unseen new jobs: a lookbook for eveningwear brand Marchesa, a shoot with Scott ‘The Sartorialist’ Schuman for Vogue Italia, presentations for Mulberry and Giles Deacon in London and a 14-page editorial shot in London by Andrew Hobbs for NZ's PILOT magazine. Rutt is now gearing up for the SS10 shows, which kick off in New York on September 9. As is Vandevelde who, in addition to covering the season, will unveil the first of two upcoming retrospectives showcasing a decade of his backstage photography at New York's Tribeca Grand Hotel from September 10-30. The second is due to take place during the 2010 Melbourne Fashion Festival.

Lui Hon: Project Runway Australia’s Voice of Hope

Project Runway Australia series 2 is underway. For those, like frockwriter, who were unimpressed with the commercial RAFW offerings of PRA series 1 winner Juli Grbac, take heart. The edgy, unisex aesthetic of Malaysian Australian Lui Hon, who made it to the top four of last season's show, is quietly gathering speed. First up, Hon's womenswear and menswear is already stocked in Assin Sydney and Melbourne, which sells leading international labels such as Lanvin, Rick Owens, Dior Homme, Junya Watanabe and Haider Ackerman. Other stockists include Sydney’s Alistair Trung and Artwear and Perth’s Zekka. Hon's Autumn/Winter 2009 mini collection, previewed at the Melbourne Fashion Festival in March, can be seen on his website. But herewith an exclusive preview of Hon’s first complete production collection: SS0910's Voice of Hope.


















all photographs: christopher tovo

Leah Howard helps put the Boogie Nights into Bonds

Although launched last week at a Sydney party, no mention has been made to date of the creative component of Bonds’ new Rollergirl-themed ‘Racey’ campaign. Pop culture aficionados would associate the name Rollergirl with the porn star character played by Heather Graham in the 1997 film Boogie Nights, which satirised the 1970s-1980s US porn industry. Coincidentally, the 30-second tvc, which is set to The Phenomenal Handclap Band's catchy 15-20 and has just gone to air (see below), has a definite 1970s vibe and boasts a cast of Bonds underwear-clad Rollergirls - four pro skaters, the rest dancers - complete with old skool rollerskates, kneepads, elbowpads, afros, Brady Bunch stripe socks and leggings and even a pair of Lolita-esque heart-shaped sunglasses, as sported by Graham in Boogie Nights. Campaign Brief reports today that the spot was produced by Sydney’s Campaign Palace and directed by James Brown from Stink in London, with creative direction by Cameron Hoelter and Danny Ruhlmann as DoP. Most interesting of all however is Fijian Australian choreographer Leah Howard, who is briefly interviewed in this making-of video.

Although under-the-radar in the Australian media, Howard has a fascinating story.

Adopted as the fourth daughter of Jack and Margaret Howard, whose three older daughters founded what is today Australia’s best-known performing arts high school and talent incubator, Brent Street, Howard performed from an early age.

Her impressive list of professional credits as not only a choreographer, but also an actor/dancer and singer, includes the local productions of Hair, Fame, Steel City, So You Think You Can Dance and Hi-Five, as well as Tap Dogs, with which she toured in the UK and US.

Howard has worked on numerous clips for Bonds and her other advertising clients include Just Jeans.

Across a series of video clips, television awards shows, the Sydney Mardi Gras and the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2000 Olympics, moreover, Howard has also worked with everyone from The Rogue Traders to The Young Divas, The Vines, Sheena Easton, Olivia Newton John, Cyndi Lauper and Kylie Minogue.

She is currently performing in Avenue Q at Sydney’s Theatre Royal and recently married Human Nature drummer Joe Accaria.

Abbey Lee Kershaw disrobes again....for PURPLE

purple diary


Last week frockwriter presented a preview of Abbey Lee Kershaw, together with Catherine McNeil, in a 30-page Greg Kadel shoot for Vogue Australia’s September 2009 edition (and we've lost count of the number of blogs that picked up those shots). Much was made of the fact that Vogue Photoshopped out Kershaw’s and McNeil’s nipple rings from one of Kadel’s semi nude shots, while Kershaw’s body jewellery was left intact in at least one other shot in the spread. Well here is a preview, courtesy Olivier Zahm, of yet another upcoming editorial for which Kershaw (right, above) has disrobed, together with Euro supes Magdalena Frackowiak and Eniko Mihalik – shot by king sleaze Terry Richardson for Zahm’s PURPLE FASHION magazine. Just in case you missed the first teaser shot of the naked trio that editor Zahm provided about 10 days ago on his blog. Yes, he really wants us to know that there are naked women in the issue. This is at least the third recent gig that Kershaw has shot with Richardson, following the 2010 Pirelli calendar and an editorial for Vogue Nippon.

Four Australians to show in New York

anthony adamson

New York Fashion Week runs from September 9-17 and after several quiet seasons on the Oz front – with Toni Maticevski making the pilgrimage alone last season - things look to be picking up. Which is interesting, given the ongoing problems of the US retail sector. WWD reports that 4,600 retail outlets are tipped to close this year, on top of 6,913 closures last year, in what the paper has dubbed “the Great Retail Rationalization of the Great Recession”. Nevertheless, as frockwriter can reveal, four Australians will be showing in New York next month. Joining Kit Willow Podgornik, Toni Maticevski and New York-based Michael Angel is Sydney’s Anaessia, designed by Lisa Vanikiotis (pictured above) – first spotted at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week in May. Maticevski, Podgornik and Vanikiotis are in fact showing on the same day: Tuesday 15th September.

Anaessia’s romantic cocktail dresses and embellished skull print sheath – which we dared sheath otaku Michelle Obama to wear – were in fact this journalist’s pick of brands in RAFW’s group shows.



Sold in Australia exclusively through its own boutique at the Sofitel Wentworth hotel and, from October, a second boutique in The Strand, the five year-old highend label, whose Australian retail prices range from A$800-3500, has been wholesaling for just over a year.

Anaessia has 10 international stockists so far, from the US to Jakarta to Kuwait.

The brand’s first US client, interestingly, was the head of wardrobe for ABC TV, who has purchased outfits from three collections for All My Children’s Susan Lucci – and according to Vanikiotis, to wear on the show.

Anaessia will show in New York as part of an umbrella event called Nolcha Fashion Week.

London Fashion Week, which runs September 18-22, also looks to be shaping up as a major Australian fashion showcase.

Josh Goot will show at LFW for the third consecutive season, on September 21st at 3.30pm, venue TBC.

It also seems likely that sass & bide will return to the event after numerous seasons showing in New York

At the David Jones show on Tuesday morning, Sarah-Jane Clarke told frockwriter that she was awaiting confirmation on a time slot from LFW organisers, who have a bumper season on their hands due to the event’s 25th anniversary. Burberry and Clements Ribeiro, among others, are returning to the London runways to help celebrate the milestone.

A second show venue has just been announced for the event, 180 The Strand - which is located adjacent to LFW's brand new main venue this season, Somerset House.

The second venue will house, among other initiatives, On|Off, LFW's regular off-schedule showcase.

According to a series of reports about the new venue, Ksubi is planning to show at 180 The Strand.

At the same venue, the Robinson Pfeffer Showroom is also due to showcase a number of Australian brands, including Tina Kalivas, Alpha 60 and Arnsdorf.



For your reference, here are the Australasian shows at New York Fashion Week:

September 10 at 09.00 – Michael Angel, The Salon, Bryant Park
September 12 at 16.00 – Karen Walker, the Altman Building
September 15 at 12.00 – Toni Maticevski, the Altman Building
September 15 at 18.00 – Willow, The Salon, Bryant Park
September 15 at 19.30 – Anaessia, Bohemian National Hall

Also, a first draft of New York's Fashion Calendar:


fashion calendar via COACD

Here is the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week schedule (to be opened for the second time by Angel).

And here, the London Fashion Week provisional schedule.

Props to Myer for welcoming plus size models onto its SS0910 runways. But why exclude them from the big Sydney media launch?

beth ditto for evans/news.softpedia.com



In addition to semi-regular fashion chats with various radio stations, I am now doing a fortnightly chinwag with the Afternoons with Carole Whitelock show on ABC Adelaide, every second Tuesday at 2.00pm AEST. This week, we discussed the news of the move by Australian department store Myer to incorporate plus-size models in its upcoming Spring/Summer 2009/2010 season launch parades around Australia - and the general subject of fashion and the larger woman. Click the player above to hear the iv. I do hasten to add here, however, that the plus-size models will be appearing everywhere other than the Sydney launch on August 19. At the time of the interview, having read several interstate stories, I believed they may also have been due to appear in Sydney. My apologies for the confusion. Myer's plus-size brands – which include Basque Woman, Jane Lamerton, Taking Shape, Nouvelle Woman and Estelle – will only be shown in the consumer parades. Myer spokesman Mitch Catlin told frockwriter that plus-size models will appear in Myer's consumer parades, including the five Sydney downtown parades, but not at the most high profile event on August 19, “Because that [parade] is Australian designer and they don’t make plus size. Also, it’s a media event, not a public event. We decided that all of our public events would reflect what consumers are buying”.

Although the public might not be invited to the Sydney press launch, they will of course be viewing the reports.

As we already know moreover, one of Myer's best-known designer brands, Leona Edmiston, does in fact cater up to a size 24. Same goes for Toni Maticevski who, from this month in 20 Myer stores, will offer a custom-make bridesmaids range called Maticevski Sweethearts that also caters up to a size 24.

So that's two of Myer's headline designers who will be featured in the August 19 show, who already cater to the plus-size market. Why on earth not show some of their merchandise?

I wrote about Edmiston's decision to upsize to 24 on my Fully Chic blog at NEWS.com.au.

Fully Chic readers who migrated to frockwriter may recall that the Leona Edmiston post prompted quite some debate – not to mention vitriol. And from both sides; that is, from both fat and skinny bashers.

Many larger women applauded Edmiston's decision to finally cater to their needs, while some criticised her decision to sell the larger sizes in the online boutique only. Others claimed the move was "normalising" obesity.

One commenter attracted a lot of attention - from not just blog readers, but also from the hosts of 10 Australian radio shows that wound up talking about the post - when she noted that she would hate turning up to a party in exactly the same dress that a size 24 was wearing.

Edmiston's decision to make larger sizes available exclusively online was based on the company's market research that indicated many larger women feel uncomfortable in designer boutiques - something that was certainly borne out in comments on the Fully Chic post.

Several months later, I did an interview with Paris-based American plus-size model Velvet d’Amour, who says she has been criticised for "ruining" the plus-size modelling industry because she is so much bigger than the plus-size norm.

I had originally interviewed Velvet in October 2006, when she was modelling in Jean Paul Gaultier's Spring/Summer 2007 show in Paris. It was her first full-length interview and it attracted quite a lot of attention at the time, notably from the US.

Last year's Fully Chic interview also prompted heated debate amongst NEWS.com.au readers – and yet more vitriol. Although Velvet encouraged me to publish some of the harshest comments, to demonstrate the vilification that is often faced by larger people, there were many, many comments which just could not see the light of day because they were so disgusting.

Damn those larger ladies and their propensity to hog the fashion spotlight. Can’t they just stick to muumuus? Don't they know their place?

Apparently not. As Velvet noted in the latter interview, there is a “quiet, fat revolution” underway, spearheaded by larger-than-life high-profilers such as Beth Ditto.

Ditto, the frontwoman of American indie rock outfit Gossip, has no fear of fashion, pouring herself into Hervé Leger and Alexander McQueen – among other brands - all of it presumably custom-made by designers who don’t mind high-profile larger women wearing their clothes. Which is, one has to say, pretty unusual. Although truth be told, the designer brands worn by Ditto would be hard pressed to cater to even a size 16 in their regular offerings.

At the same time Ditto, alongside other larger celebrities, stands accused by medical authorities of helping normalise obesity, which of course many believe is rising at alarming levels around the world.

While others believe the obesity epidemic has been overstated.

Earlier this year Ditto made the inaugural cover - and naked - of Katie Grand’s new magazine LOVE.

Last month she unveiled a collab line with British plus-size highstreet chain Evans.

David Jones's rainbow children

kent vaughan


Frockwriter talked about the intense colour in David Jones's Spring/Summer 09/10 show - and mentioned there was a makeup brief to match. Here is a backstage close-up look: Chic's Annika Kaban in the 'Youthful Beauty' look designed by Shu Uemura makeup director Jody Oliver to accompany the eye-popping colour of several collections, notably Akira and Easton Pearson.

On the campaign trail with Miranda Kerr

After today's David Jones Spring/Summer 2009/2010 presentation, I made my way backstage to attempt to track down some models and notably, the star, Australian supermod Miranda Kerr. In attempting to secure a one-on-one - which I did eventually, albeit very brief - I wound up tailing Kerr as she attended to a series of press commitments, recording as I went with live streaming video. Here is the series of videos. And apologies for the poor quality. The light backstage in the green room was particularly bad.

First up: a big post-show photocall on the runway with all the photographers, during which Kerr was joined by the retailer's former face, now DJs ambassador, Megan Gale:



Then, a kind of mini press conference backstage in Kerr's private green room, during which Kerr answered questions from the interstate press. After taking notes initially, I thought I would just start recording in the hope that at least Kerr's answers would be audible:



Once the interstate press had cleared out of the green room, a camera crew from Nine's prime time tabloid tv show A Current Affair rocked up to discuss the best place to record Kerr's voiceover for a story that is apparently going to air tonight.

Kerr is the reporter on the story and I was told that in it, she interviews several David Jones parties and designers.

Evidently, there was no time for Kerr to return to the Nine studios to put the voice down, so she was obliged to do it in the field. As do in fact many bona fide reporters. I mentioned to Kerr that Elsa Klensch's producer at CNN once told me that Klensch - who pioneered fashion television news on CNN in the early 1980s - used to put down V/Os for her on-the-road stories in hotel rooms, with a wet towel over her head creating a mini studio.

After traipsing around backstage it was eventually decided that the green room was the best option. I was with the DJs posse so I went in as well. And, quality or no quality, figured it was too good an opportunity to pass up so I flicked the record sitch. At one point, I managed to signal to someone to please turn up the lights so fortunately the light does improve at one point.

On several occasions the producer tutors Kerr vis-à-vis emphasis and also pronunciation, with a debate erupting at one point over her use of the American "zee" instead of the Australian "zed".

Given that the producer spoke with a broad Scottish accent, it was somewhat amusing.

A chat with Kelvin Harries

Sydney stylist Kelvin Harries pulls together all the David Jones shows. Here is a quick chat we had backstage after this morning's show, during which we talked trends and models - notably, just how young Australian models are supposed to get any runway experience now that Rosemount Australian Fashion Week has banned under-16s from its event and David Jones will now not use anyone under the age of 18.

David Jones Spring/Summer 2009/2010

OK folks, I'm heading down to Fox Studios to cover David Jones Spring/Summer 2009/2010 season launch show. The plan is to cover live on the spot. Think back to Rosemount Australian Fashion Week and the temporary rolling news format that the blog took that week. For those of you who don't already use Twitter, I have opened up a Twitter widget to the right-hand side so that you can follow the tweets and TwitPics. Just click on the links to see the shots. Pending work commitments, I will try to come back to the blog a little later for a more considered wrap.

So far have been unable to secure backstage access, which is a shame but if David Jones doesn’t want one of the world’s best backstage photographers at its show – Sonny Vandevelde, who is welcomed backstage at the shows of most of the international luxury brands stocked by DJs – then what chance does little old frockwriter have? Sonny is invited but has to sit in the audience.

This time last year we did run some great backstage stuff of the girls taken by Kent Vaughan (Mr Frockwriter FYI), a makeup artist who was working at that show for Estee Lauder but who has since moved over to Shu Uemura. Conveniently perhaps Shu Uemura has since picked up the David Jones show reins from Lauder. At the February show however - to which frockwriter was not invited - backstage security searched bags of all personnel entering the premises looking for cameras, so security has evidently been stepped up.

Plenty of people who work on shows take photos for their own records, including the models themselves. Frockwriter wonders if DJs plans to also confiscate mobile phones.

Leaving to one side those photographers whose sole interest in taking shots of half-naked models getting dressed, backstage photography generates considerable positive coverage and buzz about fashion shows.

Frockwriter also asked for a list of the complete model cast. Apart from Miranda Kerr, Jennifer Hawkins and one or two others, most of the models at these store parades remain nameless.

Chic Management has 17 models in the show, from a cast of what DJs informs us is a cast of 37.

Beyond Kerr, here are the Chic Management names were were allowed to report:

Rachel Rutt
Annabel Maitland
Anna J
Camille Yi
Charlotte Lohmann

As for the SS0910 trends backed by DJs for this season, going from the DJs release, we can expect to see harem pants, safari jackets and lightweight trenches, boyfriend jackets, animal prints, stripes, embellishment and lots and lots of colour.

Colour was also the brief for the makeup team.

Out of Vogue: nipple jewellery

Oh no they didn’t? Oh yes, they did. In one of the more amusing anecdotes to emerge from Vogue Australia's 50th anniversary edition, the magazine Photoshopped out the nipple jewellery sported by both Catherine McNeil and Abbey Lee Kershaw in one shot of Greg Kadel’s edgy 28-page Come as you are spread. Apparently it was a little too edgy for Vogue, which supplied a Photoshopped image to frockwriter. Noone would have been any the wiser had the original not been one of the shots released by Kadel to models.com on Friday (top), with jewellery attached. In a second, less confronting, topless shot of Kershaw, this time sitting on rocks at a beach with McNeil, looking like a pair of mermaids, the magazine has left Kershaw's nipple, nose and belly button rings unretouched.

Forget store wars, now it's a social media skirmish

Sydney’s so-called “store wars” - a biannual fashion faceoff between Australia's two department store chains - kicks off tomorrow morning with the David Jones Spring/Summer 2009/2010 launch parade. David Jones has been feeding stories to the traditional press over the past few weeks, as the company has done for many years. Myer meanwhile, whose show is not until the 19th August, has decided to dive into the social media arena. Not only is Myer already on Twitter, unlike David Jones, Myer has also just revamped its website. There is as yet no direct two-way communication via blog or other on the site however three video profiles that were uploaded to YouTube over the past 24 hours (see below) do have a comment component, so you could say that Myer is edging towards giving its online audience a genuine Web 2.0 experience. David Jones does have a YouTube video channel however it does not appear to be integrated to the David Jones website, which is stuck in the Web 1.0 dark ages. In fact the most exciting brand message currently being communicated by DJs website is its offer of a 25percent discount.

Vogue Australia reaches modelling nirvana via Greg Kadel

Herewith a selection of images from Greg Kadel's 28-page Come as you are editorial starring Catherine McNeil and Abbey Lee Kershaw for Vogue Australia's 50th birthday edition, including five as yet unpublished images. High profile US modelling website models.com unveiled four of the images overnight Friday and they have been travelling across the net in the interim. The only place they don't seem to have had much play over the past three days is in News Ltd's Australian newspapers, which is curious given their unfettered access to the material - while every other outlet had to wait until today. You’ll have to beg, borrow or steal a copy from Vogue Australia subscribers, who receive their issues today, to see the remaining pages. The issue hits newsstands on Wednesday.










all images: supplied by vogue australia

Catherine McNeil and Abbey Lee Kershaw steam it up for Vogue's 50th

greg kadel via models.com

In one of those frustrating moments that one encounters whilst straddling old and new media, on Thursday I was given 13 out of 28 pages of Greg Kadel's edgy 'Come as you are' spread in the upcoming September edition of Vogue Australia, which is out August 5 and celebrates the title's 50th birthday. As I tweeted before the launch, the story stars model mates Catherine McNeil and Abbey Lee Kershaw, who appear semi-nude in several shots. But while both models have disrobed for international magazines, even recently posing topless together in Terry Richardson's 2010 Pirelli calendar, you could count the number of times Vogue Australia has published arty images of bare breasts on one hand. Most likely, on several fingers. It's a beautiful editorial and one that Vogue's critics, who accuse the magazine of being staid, boring and useless, might well hope signals a gutsy new direction. I was given permission to blog the shots after Monday. Overnight, Kadel released four shots to models.com so they are now in the public domain.

Click here to see the rest.

Interestingly, MDC gave its blog post on Kadel's images the headline "Rubyfruit jungle", an obvious reference to McNeil's dalliance with Australian television personality Ruby Rose Langenheim.

This episode has provided an interesting illustration of how old media struggles to grasp the way new media works.

At time of writing this post News Ltd had yet to publish a single image of the September covers on any of its websites, including vogue.com.au and The Australian, in spite of the fact that the latter paper had first dibs on images of the covers in today's edition. For domestic readers who had access to the print edition, that is.

International publishers were offered the images for use on Monday - three days after the covers were first unveiled, effectively creating a double embargo.

Fashion fans, meanwhile, have already scanned the covers from today's print edition of The Australian and the images are wending their way across the net.

So much for control.