Westfield Sydney in 3D

The Ivy bar and restaurant complex isn't the only initiative that's helping put a pulse into Sydney's CBD. The A$1.2billion Sydney Westfield development already has the city buzzing and it's not due for completion until 2012. Both anchor tenants, Australia's biggest David Jones and Myer flagships, have increased their trading hours by an hour each day. And as anyone wandering through the 130 specialty boutiques and restaurants that opened in Stage One in October can attest, it's pretty busy in there. There is a lot yet to open in the first half of 2011, including Australia's first Zara and new luxury players, including Bottega Veneta, Christian Louboutin and Miu Miu. Adding to the existing level five "food precinct" that has already opened - aka The Sydney Room - will be a by all accounts spectacular open air rooftop terrace on level seven called the Sky Bar. This is not a traditional box mall, but an amalgam of three existing retail arcades. It's a little complicated to navigate at first and some are complaining it is also a little dark, but the striking architecture marks this development apart from other Westfields. It was outsourced to Melbourne's John Wardle Architects for the exteriors and for the interiors, to Tokyo's Wonderwall, whose clients include Colette, A Bathing Ape and Uniqlo. Curious to see what the whole development will look like in 2012? Check this cool 3D animation below, for a virtual tour.   

Toon raiders

darkhorse via the cut/new york magazine

Was it something we said? Well, vis-à-vis McBeha, perhaps so (and tks to the SMH). Way back in July, when frockwriter was but a wee pup of a blog, we created a bit of digital mischief with a Karl Lagerfeld cartoon that had just appeared on an Urban Outfitters T. The latter's KL homage reminded frockwriter of one of the characters in the Powerpuff Girls all-gal cartoon trio. So we couldn’t resist creating our own homage: Blossom, Bubbles and Mittens (pictured below). Overnight comes word of a new KL T on which, as it happens, Lagerfeld is depicted as one third of a toon troika.

Due for release in March 2009 for US$45 via Andrew Randle’s Darkhorse label, the singlet/tank/muscle shirt features cartoon likenesses of Galliano, KL and Lee McQueen (^).

The three designers look to be involved in a heated exchange (debating whose SS09 shoes were the silliest?), with Galliano pointing the finger at a fan-dangling KL, while a kilt-clad McQueen looks on with his arms crossed.



Cartoon chic looks to be a hot trend.

Style.com pioneered the animated fashion character concept via CandyCast: a series of animated, and quite hilarious, accessories reports from the site’s executive fashion director Candy Pratts Price, who provides a voice-over to cover her lip-synching, power besuited, comic counterpart.

Oddcast powered the animation and audio, with illustrations courtesy Roger Vivier creative director Bruno Frisoni.

Style.com extended the concept for the SS09 season via its clever Virtual Front Row: a series of phoned-in dispatches from the SS09 trenches via the cartoon incarnations of some real life fashion front-rowers.

The latter included Dazed & Confused editor Jefferson Hack, Style.com VJ Tim Blanks, net-a-porter.com founder Natalie Massenet, The Guardian's Hadley Freeman and model Chanel Iman.


rockstar games via wwd

The Darkhorse T is the latest toy town incarnation for Lagerfeld - even if he presumably won't be getting any royalties out of it, à la two other recent initiatives.

A limited edition, US$1500 a pop, teddy bear version of Lagerfeld was due to be unveiled last month at Neiman Marcus, via German teddy manufacturer Stieff.

On April 29 2009, Lagerfeld is also due to make his debut as an animated DJ in the fourth installment of the Grand Theft Auto video game (pictured above).

Lagerfeld recently revealed that wouldn’t even mind upgrading to a real virtual streetfighter at some stage, telling WWD:

"I prefer to be in a video than to play with it.... I would love to be a very nasty, politically incorrect character."