There's no other store for maternity wear like David Jones?

The KerrBloom camp can run, but it seems it can’t hide, from those pesky pregnancy rumours. This morning, Miranda Kerr’s publicist Carlii Lyon was still adopting a no comment position on the now deafening chorus of claims that the real reason behind Kerr’s and Bloom’s elopement – and her withdrawal from next Tuesday’s David Jones Spring/Summer 2010 runway show in Sydney – is because she is three months pregnant. The US press is now running hot with the story, after US Weekly yesterday quoted an unnamed friend  confirming the pregnancy, while OK! Magazine quoted a Victoria’s Secret colleague, Jessica White, proclaiming, so discreetly, “She’s preggos!”. With The Sun quoting hotel staff. Today’s mail delivery of the David Jones Summer 2010 “Brand Book” unfortunately did not really do much to help quell speculation. Not surprisingly, it features Kerr on the cover. But inside, Kerr shares quite a lot of space with Nicole Trunfio and Viviens’ Allegra Carpenter. And while Kerr often does share the catalogues with other faces, notably when it comes to showcasing the junior fashion lines, Trunfio seems to be unusually prominently placed here, which may suggest she is poised to assume a greater DJs role.

Is Nicole Trunfio Miranda Kerr's understudy?

getty via daylife

Speculation continues to mount regarding the August 3rd David Jones Spring/Summer 2010/2011 launch. With Miranda Kerr indisposed after tying the knot with Orlando Bloom, David Jones is attempting to fill the runway gap, as frockwriter reported on Friday, with some high profile alternatives: Abbey Lee Kershaw, Catherine McNeil, Nicole Trunfio and Alexandra Agoston - even if the latter were both in last season’s show. But the runway shows are one thing. If Kerr is three months pregnant, as many believe - with Victoria's Secret colleague Jessica White so discreetly telling OK! magazine overnight, "She's preggos!"- it's unlikely she would be available for the winter 2011 catalogue and early February runway show. Who would fill in for her? Frockwriter’s money is on Trunfio, who arrived in Sydney yesterday (above), a week ahead of the show. Our sources also report that she has been booked by DJs for a series of “in-store signings” - certainly something that would appear to go above and beyond the call of mere runway duties. Earlier today Trunfio Tweeted: “Finished my fitting for David Jones collection launch, I'm really excited, will be amazing! Ecstatic to be a part of the David Jones family!” Just walking in the show would not automatically make Trunfio, or any other model, ‘part of the David Jones family’. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

Front-of-house Myer

While David Jones looks to be hoping for a trapeze-led recovery for spring/summer 0809, Myer is banking on maxi dresses, marigolds and Maximus. As in Gladiator (sandals). Oh, and a bit of feng shui. Centre stage at last night's show was a giant, revolving "sun disc", as Myer dubbed it. It reminded frockwriter of a gargantuan gold coin - and the Chinese penchant for taping good luck coins to cash registers. With Australian consumer confidence recently dropping to a 16 year-low, hell, you can't blame Myer for trying every trick in the book, can you?

I liked Myer's last spring/summer show, with its state-of-the-art staircase backdrop. Of the two department store presentations that season, Myer's earned my vote for best show.



But in my personal opinion, for what it's worth, the staging of this Myer show was daft. And the lack of good quality photos of the show seems to be testament to that.

A giant, revolving disc covered in metallic strips which reflect spotlights back into camera lenses as the disc turns, obviously seemed like a brilliant idea to someone for a show backdrop [Alistair Thomson and Amanda Henderson, according to the show credits - from memory, the same team responsible for the SS0708 show].



The worst aspect was however the choreography.

Instead of walking down a traditional runway, or a version thereof [even Versace is using a circular runway these days], models were constantly battling Myer's spinning sun disc for runway visibility.

There was no clear "end" of runway in front of the photographer's pit - just a patch facing the pit, on which models seemed to be left to their own posing devices.

The pros - like Alexandra Agoston - knew exactly what they were doing. The others, did as best as they could.



Sometimes the models stopped, but more often than not they just kept on walking. Kate Sylvester and Yeojin Bae are two of the labels whose clothes were almost impossible to photograph for this reason.

And it wasn't just amateur photographers such as yours truly who were complaining.

"Don't get me started" fumed the photo editor of one of Australia's biggest media outlets immediately after the show.

"It was like trying to shoot an Olympic event" lamented another snapper.

As for the clothes, the dress still reigns supreme. Some of the prettiest were from Rosemary Masic's folkloric-nosed Nevenka label:



There were a lot of maxidresses, the best from Mad Cortes, Yeojin Bae, Charlie Brown and Leona Edmiston, the latter two labels bursting with vivid colour and florals, another big SS0809 trend.



Whether the maxi dress trend completely maxed out last summer remains to be seen. Maxi dresses were all over the streets of Australian cities over summer, offered at highend boutiques right down to Supre, which had scores of cheap floral jersey versions.





Myer also had some smock and trapeze dresses, although not nearly as many as David Jones (at least on the runway). Karen Walker is still apparently offering them, both in her signature line and the Hi There diffusion line she is doing with Myer. Wayne Cooper had some pretty versions.

Some of the eveningwear looked drab, which is bizarre given the calibre of the designers, three cases in point Nicola Finetti, Maticevski and Jayson Brunsdon. I can't help thinking that this had more to do with the Tony Bartuccio staging (and styling - sunglasses with eveningwear?), than the clothes themselves.

Brunsdon:



Hugo Boss did look good however. As did Carla Zampatti:



Notable first-timers to Myer's show included Armani Jeans ("As of today it's in Myer - tell me what you think after the show" noted Giorgio Armani Australia general manager Mary Chiew, en route into the venue).

Also, Little Joe by Gail Elliott - who has just migrated from what Elliott described to me last night as a nondescript "rack" of her clothes at David Jones, to a Little Joe by Gail Elliott concept boutique within Myer.

Not to mention Melbourne It girl Arabella Ramsay. It was great to see Ramsay's collection on Myer's runway last night:



Ramsay is one of my favourite new Australian labels and I was disappointed to see her miss Australian Fashion Week's SS0809 season earlier this year.

Ramsay's summer offerings include sweet floral shorts, blouses and dresses, worked back with sultry leather vests and gilets.



Kate Moss would probably love this label if she knew about it.

Backstage @ Myer

Long time no post.... Apologies, I've been tied up with deadlines. But I did pop into the second 'store wars' salvo of the Australian SS0809 season launch: last night's Myer show. No Miranda Kerr of course, but in her place Jennifer 'Hawko' Hawkins. Also, top Oz catwalkers Alexandra Agoston, who we saw at David Jones three weeks ago and Tallulah Morton (^) - who we saw at DJs' AW08 show in February, but not the spring/summer show because, in the interim, under-18s were given their marching orders by DJs.

As this blog has been pointing out for the past month, Morton has much bigger fashion fish to fry than David Jones.

Such as Jean Paul Gaultier, the Cobrasnake, the NY model hype machine, not to mention the spring/summer 2009 runway shows, which kick off Friday week in New York.

Indeed judging by her "PARI$" T-shirt last night, Morton seems to know only too well where the big fashion money lies.

Here are a few shots I managed to snap in between sneaking in backstage before the show started - and being ushered out the back door.

More to come.

Miranda Kerr: I was a teenage political pawn

1997 dolly scan via vogue.com.au


Had a (very) quick chat with new David Jones fashion ambassador Miranda Kerr after last night’s show. I was particularly interested in her take on the recent decision by DJs to ban under-18 models from its runway show. I thought Kerr would be well-placed to comment on the subject given that she made her modelling debut in Dolly at the age of 13 (see above scan^), in a blaze of controversy.

Sadly I am unable to quickly locate the original print stories from 1997. I was however working in current affairs television at the time and I recall the "child porn" outcry.

There is a quote that is widely attributed to Kerr on matter, on the net – the exact origin of which is unclear.

The quote appears on many modelling sites and on what appears to be a Victoria's Secret fan site, under Kerr's Victoria's Secret Angel profile.

Here is the quote:

“They were blowing out [sic] of proportion. In the media at the time they were trying to cling on to anything remotely to do with paedophilia. Dolly is a magazine for teenage girls, not for old men. And I was fully clothed! Doing a winter shoot! They just made something out of nothing.”

The Australia Institute appears to have a slightly different opinion on the subject of children in advertising - even when the children are advertising childrens' clothes.

In its 2006 discussion paper Corporate Paedophilia: Sexualisation of Children in Australia, the Institute pointed the finger at several retailers over marketing material which featured children.

David Jones dropped legal action against the Institute in May 2008.


kerr rocking alex perry last night



Here is the i/v with Kerr done backstage last night, before Kerr was whisked away to other duties.


David Jones recently introduced a ban for under-18 models. You yourself started modelling at 13.
Miranda Kerr: I wasn’t doing fashion parades at that age. I was modelling for magazines that were targetted for young girls.

There was a lot of controversy at the time.
There was. That was running in the media at the time. There were people running for Senate and they were using me as a platform to enhance their own careers basically.

Gemma Ward started her career at 15 – she was in at least one David Jones show.
The thing is that I was always at school and I never let modelling interfere with school and I just modelled for Dolly magazine, which was a young girls’ magazine at the time. I was two weeks off 14.

Do you think girls should be modelling at 14?
Well I don’t think that there’s anything wrong with it. But I think the reason why David Jones has said ‘We’re not having them for the runway show...’ is because, for the runway show, their target audience is women and adults. So that’s why they’ve chosen adults to model for them. So it makes sense to choose adults [who are] over 18.

Front-of-house David Jones

Times might be tough, retail sales might have fallen by their biggest margin in six years and almost half of David Jones market value might have been wiped in 2008, but you couldn't wipe the smiles off the DJs crew last night at the SS0809 season launch.

With the exception of Collette Dinnigan's bodycon glitter finale, DJs looks to be hoping for a trapeze-led recovery.

The trapeze-line shift, voluminous babydoll, sack or smock has been on the retail horizon for well over twelve months. Consumers couldn't buy enough of them - much to the chagrin of many men, who decried their tent-like appeal as sexless. Some hoped to see the back of this trend.

But I lost count of the trapeze shapes last night at DJs.



Even DJs group general manager for apparel, cosmetics, footwear and accessories Colette Garnsey was rocking a hot pink Akira trapeze dress. Here's Garnsey with general manager womenswear David Bush, incoming fashion ambassador Miranda Kerr and the incumbent Megan Gale at the post-show press call:



Searing colour was also big news, the maxidress trend is not going away (as we saw at the Australian Fashion Week SS0809 shows in April), ditto florals, embellishment (even for men), feminine ruffles, a touch of Techno Tribal, leggings and 50s-look full skirts.




With not only the world's tenth highest-earning model as the retailer's new fashion ambassador, but also top international catwalker Alexandra Agoston and hot newcomers Sarah Stephens, Louise van der Vorst and Rachel Rutt, DJs' runway lineup was impressive.

Sarah Stephens:



Rachel Rutt:



Some of the other models did not seem terribly confident at all however. Some also looked a lot older than those models which the fashion crowd is used to seeing in most runway presentations, both in Australia and overseas.

Given that DJs recently banned under-18s from the show - when in seasons past it has employed models at least as young as 15 - that's hardly surprising.










Dinnigan's finale was particularly strong. Of course, she showed embellished cocktail dresses - that's her signature.

But these versions seemed shorter, sharper and more bodycon than ever before. The dresses reminded me of the Flapper showgirl costumes in Chicago.