When Andrej Pejic met David Bowie

via david bowie's facebook

And now to the big Andrej Pejic news to which we alluded on Friday. No, not his fake wedding at a Las Vegas Pop Up Chapel, a new music video in which Pejic has a rather significant cameo role. Three years after Pejic channelled David Bowie for his first major international fashion editorial in Vogue Paris, fashion's androgynous superstar has teamed up with the original gender bender himself for Bowie's new single The Stars (Are Out Tonight). 

Andrej Pejic channels Marilyn Monroe

screen cap 'norman jean'

It was only a matter of time. After making fashion history in January in Paris by closing Jean Paul Gaultier's haute couture presentation as the traditional bride and thence gussied up for a gazillion photoshoots and indie videos, someone finally got fashion's favourite cross-dresser, Andrej Pejic, to do a Marilyn - Monroe that is. Called, hilariously, Norman Jean, this video was commissioned by Milk Made, the online editorial arm of New York's Milk Studios, from Love Cat magazine's Prince Chenoa and Jacob Dekat, working in tandem with filmmaker Jenna Elizabeth. Styling is courtesy Sex and The City costumier Patricia Field. It depicts bare-chested Pejic in a blonde wig and corset, chanelling Monroe during one of her most iconic moments: singing 'Happy Birthday, Mr President' to John F Kennedy at Madison Square Garden in May 1962, three months before her death.

Flynn Bloom likes the limelight, Miranda Kerr thinks her drug-free labour was "a bit crazy"

celebkids.whyfame.com

Miranda Kerr is in town, as you know, spruiking David Jones. Below is a quick video chat backstage after last Wednesday’s runway show starring Kerr, in which she concedes that she found the prospect of doing the DJs' show in a swimsuit just seven months after giving birth “a little nerve-wracking” and confirms that she will be back on Victoria’s Secret runway later in the year. When asked what is the best thing about motherhood, Kerr notes “Everything, I just love it. There’s no word that could describe the joy and loveliness that it is to be a mother”. Undergoing a 27 hour labour without drugs may have given the supermod pause for some reflection however. She told frockwriter, “I was kind of a bit crazy not to but you know, I’d made my mind up and I’ll probably just see how I go next time”. As for Flynn, arguably the most overexposed baby on the planet right now, Kerr reveals that it’s a tough job trying not to give paps their money shots whenever she’s been out and about with Flynn in recent months. “You try your best to avoid it but it’s inevitable. And he was really into it. I tried to like, protect him but he comes around [flicks her head around, mimicking Flynn] because he likes the light”.

Julia Nobis and Broed Dillewaard hit high summer for Marcs

In July, frockwriter unveiled the Spring/Summer 2010/2011 ad campaign for Australian sportswear label Marcs, starring two of the hottest new local modelling stars, Julia Nobis and Broed Dillewaard. Well here is the second instalment of the campaign, for high summer, shot once again by Beau Grealy, in addition to a brand new video. Beyond the Vogue Fashion’s Night Out show on Tuesday night in New York, Nobis has yet to hit the Spring/Summer 2011 runways. But we are sure it won’t be long before she pops up.

Adidas, Beckham, Daft Punk and co do the Star Wars cantina scene

Two weeks ago, Nike broke its own viral record for the most views of an online video in a single week (7.8million) with its Write The Future video, produced in the leadup to the World Cup. Adidas has just returned fire with this epic homage to the famous Star Wars cantina scene starring a raft of music and sports stars, including David Beckham, Snoop Dog, Daft Punk and Noel Gallagher. At a mere 100K views at time of writing, watch this go viral...

Lisa Ho SS1011 finale at RAFW

The Burberry revolution: streaming live, in 3D AND via the blogosphere's long tail

Well unless you’ve been living under a rock in a galaxy far from Planet Fashion – perhaps Pandora – then you might not be aware that iconic British luxury label Burberry is about to make fashion history in just over six hours' time. In a season in which seemingly very second runway show has been live streamed to the net, Burberry is taking this new fashion concept one step further by not only streaming live for the third consecutive season, but additionally, broadcasting in 3D. Teaming up with SKY Television, Burberry will broadcast a 3D version of the show to guests in five global locations: Skylight Studios in New York, the Beaux-Arts in Paris, The Address in Dubai, La Fabrique in Tokyo and Milk Studios in Los Angeles. In another first, Burberry has moved beyond its own website and provided various websites and blogs with its embeddable video player. So, beyond Burberry's own site, there will be a plethora of net destinations via which you will be able to watch the show live at 16.00pm GMT (3.00am AEST) - with, by all accounts, 15 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage prior to that. These sites include frockwriter. Many thanks to Burberry for including us.

But frockwriter does have to chuckle at the naiveté of some of the other Burberry code recipients.

Underneath its player, Grazia Australia for example has advised readers they can check out “exclusive interviews and red-carpet coverage via Grazia.com.au”.

Click on the email icon to the side of the player and anyone can copy and paste the embed code onto their own blog - a function that has been disabled on the player on Burberry's own site.

According to Burberry, to add to the festivities, the Twitterific ELLE US creative director Joe Zee, along with our buddy Bryanboy, will be “taking over” Burberry’s Twitter feed for the show duration.

Meanwhile, Burberry creative director Christopher Bailey has been busy recording these video meet-and-greets on YouTube and The Daily Beast (which is affiliated with the New York live stream).




Things are moving so quickly in Fashion 2.0, you have to wonder what the Spring/Summer 2011 season holds in store.

Eighteen of the coats and 33 of the bags are available for pre order from Burberry's website for three days following the show.

Burberry was not the only brand to offer its collection to consumers straight off the runway this season, nor was it the first to do so.

In September, Burberry sold two trench coats from its Spring/Summer 2010 show straight from the live stream and website, with consumers receiving their orders in three to four weeks, approximately three months ahead of their arrival in store.

Needless to say, the retail revolution has only just begun

A chat with Miranda Kerr at David Jones

Anyone who was following me on Twitter this morning would have seen a series of Twitpics taken backstage before the David Jones show (you can find on the Twitpic link to the right). I had just over one hour to get in and out and then head to Today Tonight to start work, so unfortunately time was extremely limited and I didn't get to see the show. Managed to squeeze in another video chat with Miranda Kerr (which was supposed to stream live, however the connection failed), in which she talks bankers, business, organic skincare, nudity - and pretty much confirms the whisper that she's about to make a sophomore appearance on Balenciaga's runway come March 3. Nice to see David Jones so graciously welcome a blogger backstage today (inviting a few more to the show itself would be a great idea). DJs will also make footage of its show available to the public from tomorrow. Just register for e news at www.davidjones.com.au. And, frockwriter hears, we may see the show streamed live next season.

Hedi Christmas

A short film by Hedi Slimane, created for V Man and starring - who else but - a beautiful, half-naked, excruciatingly skinny 16 year-old boy. In this case, Oscar Nilsson from the Royal Danish Ballet Company. Apparently still an 'apprentice' with the company, perhaps Nilsson was scouted during one of Slimane's infamous "boy safaris".

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.

Beau geste: Did the dog eat Versace's social media homework?

doug ordway for versace

Overnight Versace showed its SS10 menswear show in Milan. Inspired by the French Foreign Legion, the hallmark looks of the largely desert-toned collection were the safari suit, a series of loose djellabah shirts, many of them dip-dyed, and the now de rigueur manbag. In Versace’s case, this included both the megatote and the duffle bag, right down to small, square leather purses, worn belted at the hip. Below is a video of the collection from, once again, the good folk over at LA Times blogs. And just as well that someone had their eye on the social media ball at Versace, because in spite of the suggestion that Versace was “fully embracing the digital era”, including the promise of "doggie cam" - that's right, a camera-enabled pooch - Versace’s so-called exclusive live-streamed backstage access turned out to be rather confusing.

Is there anything at all on the Versace website? No.

Instead, there is a series of uncaptioned photos on the Twitter feed of Doug Ordway.

Who is that exactly? Ordway is a photographer who says he does a lot of work for Versace.

A few images of the hair & makeup stage were posted on Twitter prior to the show. The bulk of the images were however posted long after the show had wrapped - with no captions whatsoever.

Ordway also shot three maximum 30 second backstage videos backstage which also went up after the event (see below).

Another site called Ftape, which calls itself the "Ultimate Online Fashion Resource" - and whose connection to Versace is unclear – appeared charged with the role of promoting Ordway's coverage via its website and Twitter.

And at least Ftape has done a good job of aggregating all of Ordway's photos and video together in the one spot. But you had to really know what you were looking for to find it.

Perhaps the doggie-cam - and also touted model-cam - footage is to be used at some later date.

Memo to Versace: YouTube is not live-streaming video. Nor is uploading a gazillion photographs hours after the event.

It’s great that more and more fashion companies are interested in getting into social media and providing their audiences with content.

But try taking a leaf out of Dolce e Gabbana’s book.

Dolce e Gabbana manages to aggregate all its content under the Dolce e Gabbana umbrella.

The company does have a spinoff, magazine-style website - Swide - which pumps out a lot of exclusive content. Granted, the site has a rather baffling name - which, judging by its low Twitter follow count may confuse people. But at least Dolce e Gabbana is serious about social media and has dedicated resources to it.

And furthermore, of course, Dolce e Gabbana actually live-streams its runway shows to the net as they happen.

Bottega Veneta rocks the cropped pant

Here is a just-posted video from the LA Times blogs of the Bottega Veneta SS10 menswear show in Milan, which took place four hours ago. It features one of the biggest early trends of the season, that has been seen in a number of collections, including Dolce e Gabbana, Missoni and the just-wrapped Gucci: the cropped trouser. See the complete Missoni and Gucci collections on wwd.com.

Fernando Frisoni closes RAFW

On the record: Fashion Wire Daily's Godfrey Deeny

On the record: online buyer Sarah Pavillard

Michael Lo Sordo finale

Backstage with Magdalena Velevska

Magdalena Velevska finale

Karla Spetic finale

Julie Grbac finale