Oyster sells out with Lara Bingle

Australia's longest-surviving indie fashion mag a sellout? Well, newsstand-wise, that could be the end result vis-à-vis Oyster's hot 91st edition which is out on Friday. Here is a first look at its double trouble cover of Shire babe and scandal magnet Lara Bingle, shot by Georges Antoni (above) and Stephen Ward (below). Also up in issue #91: profiles and photoshoots on/featuring Fashion East's Lulu Kennedy, Ryan McGinley, Andrej Pejic, Emma Balfour, Myf Shepherd, Blonde Redhead's Kazu Makino, Ohne Titel and Max Blagg. Looking good.

The dark side: Meghan Collison covers Oyster 90

 

Well it’s not quite Samara Morgan in The Ring. And of course, anything is better than Abbey Lee Kershaw’s October 2008 cover of Dazed & Confused (below), in which Kershaw's face was totally eclipsed by shadow. But interesting choice of image, nonetheless, of Canadian Meghan Collison for the cover of Oyster 90. Shot by Pierre Toussaint, Collison is glancing downwards, her eyes obscured by her bangs and her deathly pallor only accentuated by the use of foundation in the place of lipstick. Given that she looks like a Burberry-clad vampire extra from True Blood, perhaps Oyster is being a little ironic with the coverline "LOVE LIFE". But the sombre cover may well complement the mood of the editorial contents, which include interviews with LA Zombie director Bruce LaBruce and actor Paz de la Huerta, a star of the dark, graphic Prohibition era US drama Boardwalk Empire. Not to mention a "fashion week adventures" diary from Catherine McNeil, whose Spring/Summer 2011 runway season ended in mysterious circumstances midway through the season at London Fashion Week. On sale Friday 10th December.

Rio tinto: Martha Streck covers Oyster 89

Oyster’s 89th issue is out tomorrow and here is an exclusive preview. Moving on from their last cover girl Julia Nobis (who just walked 43 shows in her second international show season) is Brazilian native Martha Streck, who stars in the Windy Apple cover story, below, shot by Jolijn Snijders and styled by Imogene Barron. Also in the issue: Zippora Seven in Sam Crawford's NZ, NY story, Tiah Eckhardt in Rene Vaile’s Concrete Jungle, LA porn star and American Apparel model (there's a difference?) Faye Raegan shot by Darren Ankenman and the additional styling talents of Zara Mirkin and TJ Gustave. Interviews include Nick Cave, Vincent Kartheiser, illustrator Hajime Sorayama and Anna Trevelyan, first assistant to Nicola Formichetti  - who was presumably too busy sourcing steak for Lady Gaga and plotting his new creative direction of Thierry Mugler to chat. But Trevelyan no doubt has some interesting beans to spill about the styling supremo.  
 

Too cool for school: Julia Nobis covers Oyster au naturel

Since she first rocketed into fashion orbit back in February, booked as a Calvin Klein New York Fashion Week exclusive, there has been no stopping Julia Nobis. Burberry is the latest major fashion name to be seduced by her edgy, tomboy vibe, for its Fall Burberry Black collection lookbook. Tomorrow, the 18 year-old  lands on her second magazine cover (after last month's cover of another, much smaller, Australian magazine Love/Want): Oyster issue #88. Here is a first look, together with a sample of the 12-page “J for Julia” editorial inside. Shot in lowres and without makeup by Rene Vaile, Nobis posed in and around her childhood Sydney home – that's her poster-plastered bedroom - with her little brother making a cameo. Nobis wears some of her own clothes in the shots including, hilariously, this Rose Bay Secondary College polo shirt, above, complete with Year 12 farewell tributes – signed less than 12 months ago. One tribute reads “You are cooler than cool”, demonstrating that well before she was discovered by RUSSH, Dazed & Confused, i-D, Prada and Australian, British and Italian Vogue, even her schoolmates thought she rocked. 

Print is dead according to Oyster Magazine - which insists it is very much alive

Frockwriter recently gave you a sneak peek at a Cassi van den Dungen editorial in the new issue of Oyster Magazine, Australia's longest-surviving indie glossy, which continues to hang in there in spite of a spate of recent problems. The new issue (#85) hits today and here is the pretty awesome cover starring Annabella from Priscillas. The issue features fashion editorials from Elvis Di Fazio, Liz Ham and Bec Parsons, styling by Rinney Lennox, Jolyon Mason and Imogene Barron and the first full-length shoot from the recent SOYA award (photography) winner, Nirrimi Hakanson. Jamie Huckbody has an interview with Pierre Cardin and a tribute to Irving Penn and Indigo Clarke has penned a profile on New York DJs. The book is 210 pages (up from 156 last issue, although they did skip one issue) and the new retail price is A$9.95.

Oyster redux

Well that was quick. Back in September frockwriter mentioned that Australia’s longest-surviving indie fashion mag Oyster was having a few problems. An exodus of staff had seen the departure of no less than the magazine’s editor in chief, editor, art director, sales director and several other staff members. This was accompanied by the news that the magazine would be going on hiatus for December/January – prompting publisher Monika Nakata to instruct this blog that a Feb/March edition would definitely be going ahead. Well here is some evidence that that may indeed be the case: an early leaked shot of one of this blog’s faves, Cassi van den Dungen. In fact her first fashion editorial according to her Sydney agency Work. It's an excerpt from a 16-page (multigirl) editorial called 'Teddy Girls' by Liz Ham and Jolyon Mason, with makeup by Sasha Nilsson and hair by Sophie Roberts - the latter apparently a fan of Guido Paulo's Coke can hair for Alexander McQueen's FW0910 show. Who pulled the issue together? A fascinating little creative collective that includes the recently-shafted Harpers Bazaaar Australia editor Jamie Huckbody.

Here's the new masthead:

Editor - Monika Nakata
Creative director - Shane Sakkeus
Editor at large – Jamie Huckbody
Associate editor - Alyx Gorman
New York editor – Indigo Clarke
Sub Editor – Seema Duggal

The magazine has apparently been totally redesigned, including the Oyster logo.

Frockwriter wishes the new Oyster team all the best and we look forward to seeing the fruits of their endeavours, which will be out in the second week of February.

Oyster shelved

oyster via obsessee

A few weeks ago frockwriter received a tip that Australia’s longest-surviving indie fashion/lifestyle magazine Oyster had closed. It was dismissed as nonsense at the time by editor Paul Bui, who said he was about to put out his next issue. Very similar rumours began circulating late last year, following the news that Oyster’s then parent of 12 months, Destra Corporation, had gone into receivership. On November 20, 3D World Publishing co-founders Jonathon Morris and Monika Nakata reacquired the company and its various publishing interests, including Oyster (only to sell 3D World to Street Press Australia in July). Well as it now emerges Bui has since left the magazine, along with editor in chief Rachael Squires and art director Eliza Iredale, citing creative differences with the publishers - part of what frockwriter has learned has been an exodus of staff since the Destra buyback, that includes beauty editor Leticia Dare, sub editor Hilary Board, sales director Zoe Sainsbury and Oyster Vision producer Alex Goddard. This leaves Morris, Nakata, ad manager Prav de Silva and former intern-turned-web editor Alyx Gorman, who is acting editor – while attending to fulltime university studies. Gorman confirmed that there will be no December/January issue and that the magazine is going on hiatus online until further funding is sourced. No monies are owed to staff. Update 5.52pm: According to publisher Monika Nakata, a Feb/March issue will go ahead.

The (3D) World is their Oyster

Behold the 79th cover of Oyster – Australia’s longest-surviving indie fashion/lifestyle magazine. The issue is out next week, but here’s a sneak peek at the contents: profiles on Alber Elbaz, Gaspard Yurkievich, Peaches, Gang Gang Dance, Diane Pernet and the founders of Sixties counterculture bible OZ, Richard Neville, Albie Thoms and Louise Ferrier. Also, diary entries by Catherine Holstein, Michael Angel, Jason Wu and Ohne Titel and images/shoots by Karen Inderbitzen-Waller, Petrovsky & Ramone, Ben Sullivan, Frederic Bastin, Sonny Vandevelde and Jonas Bresnan. The latter’s images include this cover shot of Czech model Jana Knauerova.

And just in case there is any confusion here – because, by all accounts, it has been a stressful coupla weeks for all concerned - Oyster is most definitely still standing.

On November 20, Oyster’s parent company, 3D World Publishing, was reacquired by founder Jonathon Morris and Monika Nakata – seven days after the digital media and entertainment company to which it was sold 12 months ago, Destra Corporation, went into receivership.

All 15 3D World Publishing staff have been retained.

Not a bad outcome, at a time when even mainstream publishers are handing out redundancy letters with alarming frequency.

After hooking up with deputy ed Paul Bui at New Zealand Fashion Week in September, and after a very long hiatus from Oyster’s pages, I have a feature in the new issue – the Alber Elbaz profile.

The last time I wrote for Oyster was at least a decade ago.

That last Oyster profile, as it happens, was on Martin Margiela and it did include a one-on-one - contrary to what you may have read elsewhere about Margiela having never done any interviews.