There's no other store like... Balenciaga - Spring/Summer 2011

Much will be made over the coming days of the inclusion of a five months pregnant supermodel in the Balenciaga Spring/Summer 2011 show in Paris. It's not the first time a pregnant model has walked a runway. But this is Balenciaga. And given how much hoo-haa is normally made about model weight at the elite end of the fashion business, it does seem like some kind of watershed moment. The model in question, Miranda Kerr, is of course now not just a model, but a celebrity. And she has already walked in Balenciaga's shows on two previous occasions. Kerr's appearance at Balenciaga comes almost two months after she pulled out of the Spring/Summer 2010/2011 runway showcase of Australian department store David Jones, to which she is currently contracted, after marrying fiance Orlando Bloom. Since confirming her pregnancy, Kerr has spoken of her morning sickness in the first trimester, which presumably would have made the David Jones show difficult for her. That's assuming that David Jones would have been perfectly happy to put a pregnant model on its runway. In an odd coincidence, Balenciaga creative director Nicolas Ghesquière chose a large abstract houndstooth motif for this collection. The houndstooth motif being an integral part of DJs' brand identity (as is the advertising slogan, "There's no other store like David Jones").

One of the stronger collections of the season, it saw a tribe of warrior women in sequinned, armour-like cocoon coats, wrap skirts and embellished, one-shouldered toga dresses worn over illusion netting - the latter normally seen in ice skating costumes.

In a season of great trousers, Ghesquière also sent out some undoubtedly soon-to-be coveted cropped, loose drill pants, reminiscent of Japanese fishermens' trousers, whose waistbands were softly wrapped over grometted belts that had been laser-cut into geometric shapes. Over these were layered leather motocross jackets and loose mens shirts in devoré silks.

Joining Kerr were two other Australian models, Bambi Northwood-Blyth and Julia Nobis, in addition to several street cast girls and runway veterans Stella Tennant, Amber Valletta, Carolyn Murphy and new mother Gisele Bundchen, who closed the show.

See the complete collection on nowfashion.com.

all images: nowfashion.com

Related:

IN FULL BLOOM: AFTER DITCHING DJs, FIVE MONTHS PREGNANT MIRANDA KERR WALKS FOR BALENCIAGA

BAMBI BAGS BALENCIAGA

Bambi bags Balenciaga - Spring/Summer 2011

balenciaga SS11/nowfashion.com

Did we say there was buzz about Bambi Northwood-Blyth going into Spring/Summer 2011? We did. Far more importantly, of course, so did Ashley Brokaw, one of the world’s top casting directors who started beating the Bambi drum in an interview with The New York Times’ Cathy Horyn on the eve of New York Fashion Week three weeks ago. And then cast her in her first international show, Rag & Bone, alongside Julia Nobis. Brokaw had told Horyn that both Northwood-Blyth and Nobis were at the top of her casting list this season. Well Brokaw has just cast the duo again - along with five months pregnant Miranda Kerr - this time, in the Balenciaga show in Paris. Given that Nobis already has one international show season under her belt and is regulation runway height, however, it’s nothing less than an extraordinary coup for Northwood-Blyth, who started modelling six months ago and also happens to be 5’7” tall – that’s the official version, with some suggesting she may in fact be 5’6”. How many girls have been turned down by model agents because they’re too small? Legions of them. Kate Moss is one of the rare exceptions and you have to say, Northwood-Blyth could be shaping up to be Australia’s version. 
 

She walked four shows in New York, two in London – second girl out at Giles Deacon and closing the Topshop Unique show. Balenciaga is of course far bigger news than any of the other shows. According to her mother agency, Priscillas, the Balenciaga option was in the pipeline for some time. Northwood-Blyth nearly blew it by blabbing to UK Vogue's blog - a post that was later removed.

Priscillas also reports that she is currently on hold for a major photographic name for a major international fashion title.  

Related:

THERE'S NO OTHER STORE LIKE....BALENCIAGA (more images)
IN FULL BLOOM: AFTER DITCHING DJs, FIVE MONTHS PREGNANT MIRANDA KERR WALKS FOR BALENCIAGA


 

In full Bloom: After ditching DJs, five months pregnant Miranda Kerr walks for Balenciaga

balenciaga SS11/in my shoes

Last month, much was made of Miranda Kerr's mysterious pullout of the David Jones Spring/Summer 2010/2011 runway showcase in Sydney. Kerr, who is under contract as the new face of the upmarket Australian department store chain, released a statement at the time saying she had just eloped with her fiancee Orlando Bloom and the couple wanted to spend some quality time together. Abbey Lee Kershaw, Catherine McNeil, Nicole Trunfio and Alexandra Agoston filled in as high profile replacements. A deafening chorus of gossip pegged her as being three months pregnant at the time - later confirmed by Kerr. Well, while a pregnant model may have been far too awkward for DJs, this just in: Kerr, now five months pregnant, is about to walk in the Balenciaga show in Paris. According to WWD's Twitter, husband Orlando Bloom is front row waiting to see Kerr on the runway. Interesting times indeed. You have to wonder exactly what David Jones thinks about this. And hilariously, the collection - including the outfit worn by Kerr - features a giant abstract houndstooth check. David Jones uses a black and white houndstooth check for its corporate identity. 



Related:

THERE'S NO OTHER STORE LIKE........BALENCIAGA (more images)

BAMBI BAGS BALENCIAGA

"We had this great idea that we wouldn’t use a card" - Sarah Murdoch on the ANTM fiasco

screen cap/ACA

Belated congratulations to Amanda Ware, the – eventual - winner of Australia’s Next Top Model Cycle 6. On July 16, after the series launch, frockwriter did say that our money was on Ware. Of this year’s field, she looked to have the most international potential - one of the reasons, presumably, that the show’s producers reportedly wanted her to win the series so badly. Or at least that’s what Edwina McCann, the editor of ANTM partner Harpers Bazaar Australia claimed on Nine Network's Today show this morning. McCann - who, once upon a time, was Murdoch's personal stylist - said the show's producers left the voting lines open in the hope that Ware might “get over the line”. Of course the main ANTM topic of conversation today was not Ware’s win per se – but rather the debacle of last night’s finale, at the climax of which anchor Sarah Murdoch declared Kelsey Martinovich the winner. Only to announce moments later, ashen-faced, that a terrible mistake had been made and that Ware was in fact the winner. But not before the pyrotechnics had fired and Martinovich had delivered her victory speech. Total ballsup in other words. What really went down is anybody’s guess, with numerous theories and explanations offered. Murdoch finally broke her silence on Nine's prime time current affairs show A Current Affair earlier this evening, interviewed - very sympathetically - by her former Today show colleague, Karl Stefanovic.

screen cap/ACA

In the interview Murdoch, who is also one of the ANTM producers, revealed that a new system had been implemented for this year's finale. She told Stefanovic:

"The last thing that had been communicated to me through my earpiece was Kelsey 1, Amanda 2... And we had this great idea that we wouldn’t use a card, that we would have it all communicated to me through an earpiece, so that I too in that moment would find out who the winner was. And I thought it will be great. So having heard the last thing was Kelsey 1, Amanda 2, I went into the read... the winner of Australia’s Next Top Model is....nothing. Nothing. So all I knew was the last thing was Kelsey 1, Amanda 2....The point was, it was going to be communicated through my ear and it didn’t come at that moment. So I went with what I had been told... just before that segment. It is a genuine miscommunication. As far as I knew it was the right call". 

Murdoch's revelation raises a number of questions. 

First and foremost, why rely solely on audio communications for the most crucial piece of information for the broadcast? Outside broadcast setup, fluid situation, large studio audience, noise, potential tech problems... Why not have a backup plan in place in case the sound went down? In the end, Murdoch told ACA, a card was held up by a production assistant with Ware's name on it - although this version of events does appear to conflict with the actual footage, which shows Murdoch clearly holding the earpiece and concentrating, as if she is listening to audio instructions.

When she heard "nothing" down the bird, why simply wing it with an assumption based on old information? 

Why not double check on air to be on the safe side? Awkward, granted, but surely better than the alternative: getting it wrong and looking like a twat.  

And finally, why was there not a clear winner after the voting had closed? Either Ware or Martinovich was in front, even if it was down to one vote - or else it was a draw. And this also begs the question: did the producers deliberately leave the lines open after the original planned cutoff time - as McCann imputed  - in the hope that the result they didn't want, ie Martinovich winning, might change? In a live tv situation, in which you are racing the clock in real time, an announcement based on split-second decision-making seems a very risky idea. (Be.Interactive, which managed the voting, insists voting closed at the correct time and the correct information was supplied).  

screen cap/ACA

The ACA story also conflicts with the version Murdoch delivered on air last night in the heat of the moment: that the information “was read to me wrong”. Murdoch is now claiming that the information wasn't read to her at all. 

Also confusing are Foxtel’s multiple statements today. 

Communications director Jamie Campbell initially tried to blame Murdoch [“in the heat of the moment in live TV... Kelsey’s name was read out and it was just the wrong name”]. Later this afternoon the company issued a statement exonerating Murdoch and backing up her claim that it was a miscommunication. 

UPDATE: 1/10/10 Foxtel and Granada now claim that upon a thorough investigation of the incident, it was "human error" on the part of an unnamed show producer - and nothing to do with Murdoch - that caused the problem.

Some have of course asked if the entire fiasco wasn’t a publicity stunt – denied of course by those on the payroll. And Murdoch herself in the ACA interview. 

"You wouldn't wish this on your worst enemy" she told Stefanovic.  

It’s hard to imagine Foxtel, which is 25percent owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, being seen to slam his daughter-in-law - if indeed Murdoch had a "blonde moment" as one wag noted today.

The story has now generated global exposure for both Ware and Martinovich. Foxtel has generously offered to give the latter $25,000 and an all expenses paid trip to New York as compensation for the humiliation of being crowned the ANTM 2010 winner on national television, only to have that crown snatched away from her moments later. Harpers Bazaar has also opted to print both Ware's and Martinovich's covers of its upcoming ANTM issue. Some are seeing this as a win-win situation for both.

"What do you want to be?" Stefanovic asked Martinovich on ACA.

"Australia's Next Top Model" she replied. "But that didn't happen, did it?" 

amanda ware in brisbane, 10th august 2010

Australia's Next Top Model might want to rethink the live finale concept, given that it does not have the best track record in this arena. 

Murdoch replaced model-turned-swimwear designer Jodhi Meares (who was also once married to an Australian media mogul - James Packer). Meares left the show in disgrace in 2009 after pulling out of the live broadcast of the Cycle 4 finale less than 48 hours before the show, citing stage fright.

Murdoch has also had to do quite a lot of explaining in her two years on the show. 

According to Edwina McCann three votes separated Ware from Martinovich last night.

Last year's favourite, Cassi van den Dungen, was also ahead of winner Tahnee Atkinson by a mere one industry/show judge vote (four votes to three) before the final ad break. After finally declaring her the winner Murdoch told Atkinson, “The public got you over the line Tahnee”.

Van den Dungen, like Ware, was the model with the greater international potential. As clearly illustrated by the fact that immediately upon finishing the series - and in spite of her tantrums during the filming of the show - she was offered a contract with the Elite agency in New York. After turning that down, van den Dungen suddenly morphed into the Antichrist in the eyes of ANTM judges Charlotte Dawson and Alex Perry, who royally slagged her off on Facebook.

Murdoch and others had made a point of commenting on the body image issue throughout Cycle 5, with judge Charlotte Dawson telling The Daily Telegraph, that it would be “sending a nice message” if a “size 10 with ample bosom and a sexy bottom” won the competition.

According to Murdoch's Twitter feed after the show, the smaller, curvier Atkinson received 82.5percent of the public vote. However in an opinion piece in The Daily Telegraph, she claimed Atkinson received 87percent of the vote and added, "in the end I just couldn't trust that Cassi would best represent the show and what I stand for".

   

Kiwiana

Just back from New Zealand Fashion Week. Apologies for the lack of posts. Frockwriter spent the weekend about an hour and a half outside of Auckland at the beach - a divine spot called Pauanui - and there was no internet access. There is a lot of backlogged NZFW material coming up soon. Meanwhile, snapped a few iconic Kiwi bits and bobs in the local supermarché. Yes I know that Marmite originated in the UK, but New Zealand apparently put its own stamp on the product and claims this version as NZ's own. The last two items are not so well-known. But the beer should definitely be - the most delicious beer frockwriter has ever tasted. And who knew Kiwi blogger Isaac Hindin Miller was expanding his line of merch?

 

Fight Club - Stolen Girlfriends Club Autumn/Winter 2011

backstage at stolen girlfriends club AW11

Stolen Girlfriends Club is New Zealand’s Ksubi. Founded by surfers (Dan Gosling, Marc Moore and Luke Harwood), it’s a streetwear specialist and has a cult following back home, evidenced by the massive turnouts to its hipster magnet shows. Last night’s presentation at the Mercury Theatre, Auckland’s oldest surviving theatre built in 1910, was a case in point. Frockwriter had to negotiate a queue half way around the block to get in. Inside, platters of of jam jars awaited the post-show revellers, while in the claustrophobic backstage area, models were already drinking out of them. As they milled around, the hair & makeup team applied fresh sweet peas and cigarettes to the girls’ messed-up hair and bruisers and hickies to the guys’ eyes and necks. The theme of the show was ‘Last Night’s Party’ and the mood the SGC trio was trying to conjure was the walk of shame of a bunch of kids after a big night out. It starred a stellar Australasian cast that included top Kiwi names Dempsey Stewart, Ella Verberne and Michael Whittaker (above). 

The lilac flowers and cigarettes made their way into the collection proper in a signature print used on skinny jeans, shirts and one very smart mens’ car coat, with other cool jacket options including a colour-blocked velvet bomber jacket and vintage-look patchwork faux fur chubbies. Cute patchwork bellbottoms and skinny jeans were teamed with sheer ruffled white blouses with piecrust collars, studded dog collars and belts. The show closed with a pretty series of sheer white ruffled maxidresses.

It will be interesting to see how the “I belong to the Stolen generation” T-shirt fares, notably if worn in Australia - where the term Stolen Generation refers to the generations of Aboriginal children removed from their parents by the Australian government. After frockwriter used “Stolen generation” as the headline of last year’s SGC show review, there was some criticism of insensitivity. Update 22/10: SGC has pulled the T-shirt.

But SGC would probably love the controversy. They wound up with some unscripted drama last night, when backstage sources report a real punchup occurred between a photographer and a male model – necessitating a visit by the police.  

Update 10/10/10: And as it now emerges, several hours later, New Zealand's top male model Michael Whittaker  (who is pictured at the top of this post, backstage before the show), had his nose broken during an altercation at the SGC afterparty, necessitating surgery. Talk about life imitating art.  

There is a gargantuan streetwear market out there and with reportedly a 100K order from Urban Outfitters in the US, SGC obviously has the point of difference to tap into it. Check frockwriter's Posterous for a full picture gallery shot backstage and from two different angles on the Mercury Theatre stage during the show.

If genetic engineers like AgResearch had their way, the world could be populated by models

AgResearch is a taxpayer-funded R&D facility whose mission statement is to develop business opportunities for New Zealand's agricultural and biotech sectors. Yesterday it sponsored a group show which showcased the work of ten local designers using four new woollen fabrics: Stitch Ministry, Annah Stretton, Blak, Salasai, Sable & Minx, NYNE, Emma Ford, Michelle Yvette, Trix & Dandy and Alexandra Owen. Owen created a white fencing suit, using a new synthetic wool blend that’s been developed for martial arts wear. Joined the backstage lineup: a burly security guard, who kept constantly checking the monitor for signs of any anti-GM protestors. The latter formed a picket line outside the venue two years ago, when AgResearch last showed at the event. Considering that the organisation’s proposed “Frankenstein” genetic modification of six animal species using human genes has been met with criticism, this is hardly surprising. But there were no protestor dramas - or clones. The doppelgangers in the cute knits and suspenders were Australian identical twins Aimee and Morgan Hurst, joint winners of the 2008 Girlfriend Model Search. Check frockwriter's Posterous for a full picture gallery.

Miller's crossing - Nicole Miller presents a capsule collection at New Zealand Fashion Week

She came, she saw, she conquered jet lag. Two weeks after unveiling her Spring/Summer 2011 collection at New York Fashion Week, Nicole Miller bundled up approximately two thirds of the range to show again at New Zealand Fashion Week, styling it back with wintery accoutrements in the form of black ponte and leather leggings and cashmere hoodies. In fact she did such a terrific job with the transeasonal touchups, the collection appeared to bear little resemblance to the range just shown in New York. But Miller also gave the New Zealand audience a world exclusive preview of ten pieces from her pre Fall 2011 collection, including a charming black wool knit poncho dress with hood and some very pretty ruched metallic taffeta cocktail dresses. The bodycon silk jersey dresses with bondage backs were killer, ditto the crystal skull-embellished T-s and skinny jeans. Bumping in and out of the venue with grace and minimum fuss, with no backstage hysterics or makeup trailer – unlike the scenario with last year’s VIP guest Pamela Anderson – it was a slick show that added some professional polish to an event that really just keeps getting better every year. Frockwriter shot backstage before and during the show. Check our Posterous for a full gallery of images of the collection (pretty much every look) and below for the finale video. 

 

In the name of the father - Trelise Cooper's Autumn/Winter 2011 tribute show

Trelise Cooper dedicated her Autumn/Winter 2011 show to her late father Joe Neill. “Dedicated to my beloved father who passed away in July. I will miss seeing his face and love in the front row. He loved Fashion Week” noted Cooper in the show program. Indeed, frockwriter was sitting right next to Neill at last year’s show – where we snapped and posted the shot, below. A pretty enough collection that hit all the commercial notes – military jackets, animal prints, leggings, harem pants – at times it felt like we were watching a Spring show. Case in point, the sheer georgette series and the supersized reproduction of Botticelli’s Three Graces of Spring erected at the end of the runway. The latter was an extension of the main set design: a church-like stained glass triptych, elements of which were repeated in graphics and embellishments in the collection itself. But fashion is of course increasingly transeasonal these days and the closing series of ruffled and embellished teadresses in a barely-there palette of shell pink and nude was beautiful, notably when teamed with some spectacular black evening shrugs fashioned from layered shards of chiffon. Don’t have that many shots. Cooper kicked out most photographers from backstage before the show. But check frockwriter’s Posterous for a small selection. And here is a video of the finale, below. 

Night of the living dread - Nom*d Autumn/Winter 2011

In these cost-conscious times, more than one brand at any given fashion week will choose to do a static presentation over a full-fledged runway show. Margie Robertson, the mastermind behind cult Dunedin brand Nom*d, certainly put her imprimatur on the static show concept last night with her ‘Danse Macabre’ surrealist theatre presentation in-the-round. Staged inside an inner-city warehouse, it starred a mashup of models and professional performers in a series of horror tableaux that included an exorcism, with the performers playing with spooky props that ranged from a rope noose to a whip and an axe. Being horror aficionados, frockwriter loved it. Not that we stuck around for much of the performance. With tricky lighting and so many crowded around to take in the spectacle, you would really have needed to document a rehearsal to get optimum shots. But check frockwriter’s Posterous for a gallery of 30 shots we took backstage beforehand. And below, for a quick walk-and-talk video shot just before the models walked out into the auditorium. 


 

It's complicated - Alexandra Owen Autumn/Winter 2011

Due to a transport hiccup at the World venue uptown, nearly missed Alexandra Owen’s show. Piled in backstage to catch it in mid flight and what a beautiful collection it looked to be. In a rich colour palette of burgundy, sapphire blue and gunmetal, the closing pieces included ruched digital print dresses, longline tailleurs with silk maxiskirts and a series of intriguing jackets with heavily sculpted bodices and sleeves, some featuring intricate origami folding - with the fabric tufted together like furniture upholstery. Owen’s star is fast rising. Noted for her innovative tailoring, her first two shows were major drawcards of New Zealand Fashion Week and this season, joining her far better-established compatriot Karen Walker, Owen commenced showing at New York Fashion Week – albeit so far via a static showroom presentation.  See frockwriter's Posterous for more images.

World class - Autumn/Winter 2011

World promised a decadent spectacle and the Auckland-based "factory of ideas and experiments" more than delivered yesterday with a hugely upbeat, extremely well-edited show that left its audience gagging for more. On the menu over high tea at The Langham hotel: a high camp hotpotch of Forties-look womens suiting in leopard print and tweed, madras mens suiting, disco diva silk patio dresses in eye popping kingfisher blue, canary yellow and bubble gum pink – the latter colour picked up in a brilliant mens anorak - and adorable accessories and styling. The latter included wool-wrapped eyewear, woollen bow ties, polka dot umbrellas, patent pumps with ponyskin mohawks on the heels, detachable silk fringing and Bride of Frankenstein coiffures. It’s been two years since World last showed at New Zealand Fashion Week – with the previous show another four years before that - and the event has definitely been the poorer for it. The collection was called ‘Wasted Days, Wasted Nights’, but it was no wasted afternoon for World. The show earned a standing ovation from the table of American VIP delegates, that included Coco Perez blogger Clif Loftin and Real Housewives of New York City stylist Derek Warburton, with Warbuton later Tweeting, “Okokok HAUTEST show of week!!!!!! @world own it B&TCHES!!!!!”. See frockwriter's Posterous for a full picture gallery. And below, for a video of the final walkthrough. 

Catching up with Alice Burdeu backstage at Zambesi

Here is a quick backstage interview (below) I managed to grab with Alice Burdeu after last night’s Zambesi show, which she opened – one of 19 shows that Burdeu told me she is doing this week. It was noisy, so it’s a little hard to hear (and better with headphones). Great to see Burdeu back in action. She is looking really good. As she mentions, she has been taking a break to study psychology at Melbourne’s RMIT. Looking forward to seeing more of her later in the week.

A tribe called vest - Zambesi Autumn/Winter 2011

 

Zambesi has a kind of wild, vagabond aesthetic that perfectly sums up the dark intellectualism of New Zealand fashion. Yet while the brand has a very loyal fan base, often the runway collections, which rarely appear to be edited, tend to drift off into a blur of deconstructed layering. Hands down, however, this was their best runway show to date. The impressive, ascetic set design, which saw models emerge from an inverted ‘V’ fashioned from white cotton-swathed scaffolding, set the stage for a sophisticated collection that not only hit commercial high notes, but also had light and shade. The trademark layered dresses and tunics in variations of black segued into a series of fluid trousers and techno taffeta parkas in crisp arctic whites, while brocades and lace were deployed in more opulent eveningwear pieces, from chemises to quilted knickerbockers and cigarette pants. Anchored by a series of fabulous, glam rock faux shag furs in gunmetal grey and off-white, the coats were particularly strong. Here is the show finale, below. See frockwriter’s Posterous for more images.

Models in a hurry - backstage at the Newgen show

 
Meant to get out to my seat for this show, but wound up getting caught backstage. Kent Vaughan and I shot from two different angles backstage, capturing a little of the split-second timing and drama that goes into getting the models out onto the runway in their next looks. This group show featured four new New Zealand names: Kathryn Leah Payne, Maaike, Céline Rita and Riddle Me This. The standouts were definitely Maaike, Emilie Pullar’s brilliant new knitwear label and  Kathryn Leah Payne, who designed all the acrylic jewellery that accompanied her collection. See frockwriter’s Posterous for more images.  

Going Platinum at Hailwood - Autumn/Winter 2011

No, Adrian Hailwood's 'Going Platinum' show did not feature either Abbey Lee Kershaw, or any styling odes to her new hair. But it did star an exciting new Kiwi model, 16 year-old Becky Lawrence (above), who is definitely one to watch. Didn’t manage to get very many shots of this collection, with shooting runway from the audience touch-and-go at times and unfortunately, Hailwood kicking out most photographers from backstage just before the show. A mixed collection, with less of Hailwood’s trademark sculptural eveningwear and more of a sportswear focus, notably denim. The forest green patent parka was a standout. See frockwriter’s Posterous for more images.

Yes Wiccan - Cybele Autumn/Winter 2011

Loved this collection by Cybèle Wiren. Supposedly Pagan-inspired, the monochromatic opening series of hooded tops and dresses, cinched by wasp-waisted patent corsets – which will quickly make their way to stylists’ shopping lists – had a Medieval elegance, with the models seemingly channeling Joan of Arc. There were also some pretty chemises and kaftans in, stop the press, digital prints, as well as some charming velvet dresses, jodhpurs and voluminous cocoon coats. Here is an interview, below, with Wiren just after the show. See frockwriter’s Posterous for more images.  

Sera Lilly's sister act

Sera Lilly called her collection ‘The Sisters of San Salvador’ and appropriately, her sister walked in the show (the Diane Pernet-lookalike with the mantilla) - alongside a street cast of non professional models. Although frockwriter is convinced there were a few pros thrown in there. Some pretty floral daywear and evening dresses and a few cool knits, but the collection seemed to lack focus. It’s a great statement to get “real women” modelling in your show – and they certainly looked like they had a lot of fun - but just a reminder that professional models do this for a living, not for fun and they know they are there to showcase the clothes. See frockwriter’s Posterous for more images.

Juliette Hogan's morning attire

Beehives, cats' eyes, pussy bow blouses, floral shirtwaisters and tweed Princess coats...there was a definite Sixties vibe to Juliette Hogan's 'The Morning After The Night Before' show at New Zealand Fashion Week. See frockwriter's Posterous for more photos. 

Starfish opens New Zealand Fashion Week

See the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from [frockwriter]


Sustainability is an imperative global issue and the fashion industry is making some attempts to address it - although "could do better" would be the likely wording on the green report card of most fashion businesses. Good to see New Zealand Fashion Week choose an eco-focussed label - Starfish - to launch its Autumn/Winter 2011 season here in Auckland earlier this morning (which frockwriter is attending for the second season as the guest of the organisers). A pretty collection of wrap and T-shirt dresses, softly-printed maxidresses and maxi skirts in organic cottons and denims, linen, merino and hemp, models included Australia's Next Top Model Cycle 4 winner Alice Burdeu, one of numerous Australians who are in town for the shows. Below is a short backstage interview I recorded with Starfish designer Laurie Foon and the show finale. Head to frockwriter's Posterous for the full pic gallery. 

Ellie Ross and Ryan Cooper cover the 5th anniversary edition of WISH

 
WISH, the monthly, glossy luxury mag published by The Australian newspaper, turns five next month. To celebrate, David Meagher - the magazine's editor for three of those five years - has picked up the hot multiple cover trend seen in several international titles (including V), and commissioned five elegant covers for the edition, to be printed randomly. The issue launches on October 1st and here is an exclusive preview of all five covers. Shot by Australia’s Next Top Model judge Jez Smith and styled by Ken Thompson, they star New York-based Australian Ellie Ross and Kiwi Ryan Cooper, who flew to Sydney specifically for the job. In each image, they are wearing an exclusive look created by one of five luxury brands especially for the issue: Burberry, Giorgio Armani, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co and Ralph Lauren. 

all images: supplied exclusively to frockwriter by WISH

The Kob crosses the Pond - Charles Anastase Spring/Summer 2011

charles anastase SS11/style.com

No sign yet of Australian supermodel Abbey Lee Kershaw at London Fashion Week. But frockwriter did do a double take while watching this video, below, of yesterday’s Charles Anastase show. Not only were the models showcasing the collection's fluid chemises, floral teadresses and silver foil clamdiggers and shifts, every last one was sporting what looks very much like Kershaw’s new haircut (which has now of course been dyed peroxide blonde). Described by various Australian beauty aficionados as a long choppy bob, aka "the Kob" or "Chanel Bob", as we previously reported, it’s caused a bit of a run on local salons from consumers wanting Kershaw’s look. Supposedly inspired by 60s/70s icons Jane Birkin, Francoise Hardy and Jane Fonda, Anastase’s hair stylist Lyndell describes the look as being “like virgin hair...a backlash against try-hard, dip-dye, pastel and over bleached hair, this girl is cool without trying”. To achieve it, the wigs were dyed four times and then razor cut. Frockwriter suspects that we might not see Kershaw in London until Tuesday morning at 9.00am. That’s the show time of iconic British brand Jaeger London and Kershaw is of course its Fall 2010 face. In the meantime, a new video of the Jaeger campaign has surfaced starring Kershaw and male model Ollie Edwards, below. And for those who can’t get enough ALK, here’s another new video - taken backstage taken at last week’s Anna Sui show in New York, which shows Kershaw, together with model mates Freja Beha Erichsen and Behati Prinsloo.

Caribbean queens: sass & bide Spring/Summer 2011

Sass & bide’s roots lie in London’s Portobello Road, the world’s largest antiques market, where designers Heidi Middleton and Sarah-Jane Clarke sold their edgy customised jeans to the city’s early fashion adopters back in 1999. Yesterday, for their third season back at London Fashion Week after a few years in the sportswear-nosed wilderness of New York Fashion Week, they returned to slightly more auspicious digs: the Royal Opera House. Entitled Papa Sucre  - French for 'sugar daddy' and possibly named after the 1995 instrumental track by Brit alt rock outfit Supergrass (but with a definite Creole undercurrent) - the collection saw a slight detour from the brand’s trademark heavy embellishment to explore the moment’s digital print trend in a monochrome palette of black, sepia and white, popped with watermelon and a hint of utilitarian khaki. 

Opened by rising star Julia Nobis, joined by two other Australians, Lauren Brown and Jessica Hart and hot American newcomer Kirby Kenny, the show featured sweet silk jumpsuits; fluid harem pants and city shorts; stripey knit sweaters and sexy bodycon microdresses, either sleeveless with embellished shoulders and cutout bustier details or else full-sleeved – the latter a kind of modern variation of the DVF wrap dress. The draped copper silk trousers could have been Balenciaga's take on the duo's best-selling Black Rats. 

The embellishment largely came in the form of addon killer accessories that were based on the central raffia motif (which even wound up on the show invitation). 

From glam rock raffia chubbies to Elizabethan raffia ruffs and even one entire raffia froufrou skirt, they also included slouchy pirate boots, loopy harness belts, silver breastplates and one spectacular copper choker whose behemoth raffia fringe looked like it had been dip-dyed in blood. It's unlikely that Middleton and Clarke will need to be working any voodoo here to charm die-hard sass & bide girls.

 

 all images: supplied by sass & bide