Westfield spreads the LOVE

Now we know the name Katie Grand probably means diddly squat to the average Australian punter and, notably, the hordes of shoppers that Westfield is no doubt hoping will invade its gleaming new Pitt Street Mall development tonight for Vogue Australia's Fashion's Night Out festivities. But since frockwriter believes we left the punters behind when we were blogging for smh.com.au and news.com.au and we now have a hardcore fashion audience that knows its shit, we thought our readers would get a chuckle out of this first look at a new magazine that the world's largest listed shopping mall developer is handing out tonight in Sydney. Behold the cover of the first issue of the Westfield magazine, 100,000 copies of which have been published for Westfield by, amusingly, Vogue rival, ACP Custom Media.

According to a release, the 12-page issue is inspired by the concept of "love", with the heart graphic alluding to Westfield Sydney's marketing tagline, "the heart of the city". It was lensed by Australian fashion snapper Georges Antoni and showcases the work of 16 Australian designers and chefs. Here is another shot from the issue, below.

No mention of the recent cover of Condé Nast UK's new Katie Grand-edited fashion and style bible LOVE, shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott and which featured Kate Moss and transgender model Lea T locking lips (see bottom):

georges antoni for westfield/supplied

LOVE magazine via styleite

Wild orchid - Emma Balfour tones it up for David Lawrence Spring/Summer 2011/2012

David Lawrence evidently has a thing for women of a certain age. The 33 year-old Australian sportswear brand has chosen iconic fortysomething Australian model Emma Balfour as its campaign face for the second consecutive season. Herewith an exclusive preview of the Spring/Summer 2011/2012 advertising campaign shot by Australian fashion photographer Georges Antoni at one of the penthouses of Sydney bar/restaurant complex The Ivy. This is the second brand campaign orchestrated by new David Lawrence creative director Anthony Cuthbertson and his first full collection for the brand, which is owned by M Webster Holdings and has 101 stores across Australia and New Zealand. Cuthbertson brings considerable design experience to the job. The UK-born graduate of Leicester's De Montfort University and London’s Royal College of Art has spent a decade working as either creative director or designer at such well-known brands as Max Mara and Sportsmax, Moncler, Daks (creative director 2000-2006), Workers for Freedom, Burlington, Rene Lezard and Amanda Wakeley.

“The campaign itself and the collection both have a lot of jewel colours and I wanted to bring in a feeling of holiday in the evenings, taking these jewel colours but seeing them in the night” Cuthbertson told frockwriter. “Continuing where we were for Autumn/Winter, where there was still a lot of movement through the shots, we shot through orchid flowers and the mood was very much like she was in a hotel lobby and on her way out”.

As it emerges, it's not the first time that Cuthbertson and Balfour have worked together.

“When Emma launched her career, she modeled for me in London for my own label at London Fashion Week, about 15 years ago. From there I remembered her and when I started thinking about who should be the face of this great Australian brand, Emma Balfour was the person I decided on because I really wanted to use a real Australian women. So many people look at young girls but really, to be closer to our customer, we have to use a woman”.

all images: georges antoni. supplied exclusively to frockwriter by david lawrence

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.

both images: supplied by oyster

Lawrence of architectura: Emma Balfour tones it down for David Lawrence Autumn/Winter 2011

Adelaide-born Emma Balfour was a very big modelling name in the 1990s. Launching her career at approximately the same time as Kate Moss, Balfour helped co-pioneer modelling's 1990s "waif" trend - which helped shunt the more statuesque 1980s supermodels off their pedestal. Kate Moss went on to become a much bigger name and her career has continued unabated. After taking time off to have children and move back to Australia from London, Balfour pretty much disappeared from the fashion radar. That was until September 2008, when she attempted a career relaunch on the runways of New York Fashion Week, booked for two top ticket shows: Alexander Wang and Marc Jacobs. In the two year interim Balfour, now 41, has been clocking up a steady stream of work, including numerous advertising campaigns that girls half her age - and of course their agents - would love to be booking. In Australia, she has fronted campaigns for Willow and Mimco. Here is an exclusive preview of her latest gig: the Autumn/Winter 2011 campaign of Australian fashion chain David Lawrence. 

Shot by Georges Antoni at two spectacular buildings in Sydney - Harry Seidler & Associates and The Cove - the campaign hits stores next week and magazines in early February. 

It was styled by Claudia Navone with hair by Sophie Roberts and makeup by Linda Jeffreyes.

It is hard not to notice the Céline-like minimalism and colour palette of these clothes.

Given how influential the French luxury brand's new creative director Phoebe Philo has proven since her return to the fashion arena following her own maternity hiatus, two seasons ago, that's perhaps hardly surprising.

But the fact that Balfour in fact appeared in Céline's Fall/Winter 2010/2011 campaign, is somewhat amusing.

A strong branding campaign nonetheless from a mid market player. With Abbey Lee Kershaw coming up in the same season at Portmans, the bar for Australian high street fashion advertising imagery looks to have been set a little higher than usual.

all images: georges antoni for david lawrence. supplied exclusively to frockwriter by david lawrence

Cooper cocks his Revolver

Ah Wayne Cooper. Has there been another Australian designer with a more colourful resumé? Cooper's was the very first runway show of the first Australian Fashion Week back in 1996. In 2000, he was the first of the new Oz fashion guard to show at New York Fashion Week (never to return). One minute he's in voluntary administration, a matter of months later narrowly escaping being bombed in Bali. Next he's convicted of assaulting his wife. Now they're back together. It's a little hard keeping up. Nice to see him back on his feet with a veritable Wayne label stable, that's comprised of Wayne Cooper, Wayne by Wayne Cooper, Wayne mens, Wayne Youth, Wayne Jr and Wayne shoes, bags and sunglasses. Behold a sneak peek at what frockwriter is informed is Cooper's first ever brand campaign. It celebrates his Eighties-nosed Autumn/Winter 2010 collection, 'Revolver' and will feature as POS material in-store. Shot by Georges Antoni, it was styled by Kelvin Harries, with hair and makeup by Natasha Severino and stars Annabella and Broed (from respectively, Chadwicks and Priscillas, surnames TBC).