Jakarta Fashion Week

Can it really be more than a month ago that I was at Jakarta Fashion Week with the lovely Thom Whilton of Couturing.com? (No, I'm not a midget, he is just incredibly tall!)


To be honest, I was wondering if I should even bother doing this post because it was a while ago, and Thom has already done a great post using the professional pictures from the event (and I've done a personal one and a work one about the rest of our Jakarta trip), but as it's nearly Christmas, I thought a dose of bling was in order. And if there's one thing we got at JFW, it was bling.
At the Cleo Fashion Awards the bling was mainly on the big screens... I loved what they did with the backdrops (the models came out onto the catwalk through these screens).

There was a bit of a Russian theme for accessory label Ghost...


And then a road trip backdrop for a more street-style label (sorry, not sure who this is!)...


Imelda Kartini really upped the awe factor with these gravity-defying gowns...


I'm sure there's a DIY idea hiding under all these loops of wool? chiffon? I'm not sure what it actually was, but you would probably go loopy trying to recreate this look...


Danny Satriadi's designs incorporated layers and intricate lace-like patterns to lift a subtle colour palette.


Fake hair was one of the most interesting materials used, incorporated to great effect in the skirt of this dress.


I'm not normally a girly girl, but these clouds of pale pink chiffon could just about make me turn...


As you probably know, I'm a sucker for anything ethnic inspired, so Sebastian Gunawan's overblown ikat print collection had me at hello.


Ikat is a traditional craft in Indonesia, but the designers had modernised it by cleverly supersizing the patterns and keeping to a limited palette. Authentic ikat patterns can look quite undefined due to the inherently imprecise process of dyeing threads prior to weaving (it blows my mind at how involved the process actually is!), but the prints here were very clear cut and bold. Nothing to fault here!


Sapto Djojokartiko showed a collection that I thought of as a mix of heavy metal and iron lace...




It was a breathtaking collection in every sense of the word, thanks to the structures that the models were wearing on their feet (I don't think they can really be called shoes as they looked like the kind of thing that architecture students might have to create as their final assignments and were probably just as comfortable, judging by the models' expressions).


The models were all walking excruciatingly slowly and the audience held its collective breath the entire show. There was applause every time a model made it safely back to the top of the catwalk. Kind of crazy, but then they are called fashion shows for a reason, I suppose.



Of course, the blingiest bling of all was saved until last.


Tex Saverio's collection shone - literally. Every single piece was completely gold.


There seemed to be a bit of a flight theme, with winged figures and gowns seemingly created from zillions of gilded feathers. Black Swan has had a lot to answer for this year!


The frame around this model's face features mythical birds like phoenixes, or maybe they're cranes...

Either way, it's a miracle that she made it down the runway, it looked so heavy...


As I was a naughty blogger who hadn't done her homework, I knew nothing about Tex Saverio, but I sat watching the show thinking "I bet Lady Gaga would LOVE this stuff". Turns out my celeb/designer matchmaking radar is spot on, albeit a little late, as Tex has already created a costume for her!!


Now, if you're feeling creative and Christmassy at the same time, I have a DIY project for you. Simply print out the picture below (in colour, of course), cut out the model neatly, stick her to the top of your Christmas tree, and voila! It's the Christmas Fashion Fairy! You can cover her in glitter too, if you like. I'm sure Tex wouldn't mind - he seems to be a bit of a fan of bling!

Melbourne summer must-dos

Yay! Work is over, summer holidays are here and I've finally had a chance to get some blog posts going again!

So what's kept me so busy? All that end of year socialising! Actually getting outside and away from the computer and hanging out with friends! I even managed to find time to sit around on some lawn in the sun during a lunch break lately thanks to a campaign from OPSM ... if you're in Australia you've still got time to check it out and maybe become the face of OPSM! At the very least, you'll get free ice-cream and a photo of yourself in some cool new shades, so what is there to lose?

Speaking of losing things, loss of dignity comes to mind when I see this photo...

This was taken while socialising at my work break-up party, which had a masquerade theme. I was struggling for dress up ideas when my sister suggested going as Frida Kahlo (which, as you will know, is fairly much how I dress most of the time anyway) so that I could add a monobrow "mask" made out of two furry black pipecleaners wound together and hooked over my ears. Easy! Except that it kind of looks more like I'm trying to be a character from A Bug's Life...

Here's a shot of me looking a bit more normal.

The party was held in a marquee in the beautiful Carlton Gardens. I'm wearing a dress I've posted about before, probably from south-east Asia, but I obviously looked quite authentically Frida-ish because a guy from Central America came up to ask if the dress was from somewhere in South America! And on the way home, an old guy started smiling as I was walking in his direction and said "so colourful!" as I went past. Even if you're normally someone who only wears black, I recommend trying some colour out this summer. I can practically guarantee it will lift your mood, and those of everyone around you!

I can also recommend having a picnic in an unlikely place, such as a median strip. The ever enterprising Tullia Jack invited a big group of friends around to dinner at her house last week, but as it was such a lovely evening, we ate at tables made from planks and milk crates, garnished with orchids, all set up on the median strip. How much more Melbourne could you get?!
Despite the uniqueness of the evening, I stupidly didn't take photos, so this one (with Tullia, Berri and myself) is from one of Tullia's friends!


Continuing the "I didn't take photos" theme, I went to a lovely picnic at the Royal Botanical Gardens on the weekend and got NO photos of us all lazing around eating strawberries, cheese, olive bread and copious amounts of dip. But someone did take a picture of the bike (Papillionaire) which the lucky Fabia was given by her boyfriend!

Super stylish!
I did remember to get some shots as we were leaving the gardens, which are looking simply SPLENDID this year after all the rain we've had. I'm in my new Dolce & Gabbana catseye sunnies from OPSM, but everything else is stuff I've had for ages (top made from op shop batik material that cost about $1, shorts from Camberwell market for $5, headscarf $2 from Savers and jewellery from all over the place as usual).


Many, many picnics and much lazing around at the gardens this summer are something I would highly recommend. And of course there's Moonlight Cinema too, although I always find that a bit risky with Melbourne's changeable weather... it has been good lately though. After the picnic we headed straight to some community Christmas Carols where I got this shot which I think is bound for the "Melbourne Christmas hall of fame", if such a thing exists...


Glowstick? Check. Messy ice-cream? Check. Christmas T-shirt? Check. And T-shirt wound around head to keep out noise of carols? Yes, Eddie has that too. I enjoyed watching him attacking that ice-cream much more than I enjoyed the carols!!

And just to show you that anyone who's anyone hangs out in a park during the summer, here's something I found on Facebook (source unknown)...

How cool is that cat!?

If you want to be as chilled as he is, you might like to try the Smooth day spa at the Melbourne City Baths, which is what I did last week. Of course I'm not going to put up a photo of myself in a bath, so instead here's a shot of how the manicure that I had there turned out.


If you are at all interested in Melbourne's history, you will love visiting Smooth. The bathtubs are all in individual cubicles which have been there since the baths opened in the 1860s but until recently were being used as a storage area (!!sacrilege!!). Now they've been restored to their original condition, along with the mikveh which I think I was told is the only one in public baths in the world. The owner of Smooth knows a lot about the baths' history and even found the inventory of things that were ordered to keep the baths running - apparently they used to order fig leaves so that the more modest bathers could cover themselves!! Fascinating stuff. Where else could you lie back in a bath and hear trams clanging past on the street? (Perhaps not completely relaxing, but certainly different from the usual dolphin-themed soundtracks you get at a lot of spas!)

Speaking of doing things differently, how's this card from Lady Melbourne?

I've never associated can can girls with the festive season, but hey, why not?

There's still a few days until Christmas, and more to the point, I'm not the Christmassy type (as this article might indicate), but I'd still like to wish you a happy summer/winter/festive season, or whatever it is in your part of the world!

Fair@Square fashion show

Did you make it to the http://moralfairground.com.au/fairfashion.html last Friday night? If you did (and even if you didn't), maybe you'd like to find out a bit more about the featured labels. As you know, I organised the whole thing, so yes, I could have arranged for our amazing MC Em Rusciano to talk about each brand, but there are so many great stories behind them that she'd still be talking now if we'd gone with that plan.

The show featured fair trade, ethical and sustainable labels, all with different approaches to making the fashion industry fairer and greener. I'm not saying any of them are perfect, but the point is that they are all making an effort to offer consumers an alternative to mass-produced fashion which all too often is produced in questionable conditions which are too numerous and diverse to go into here. If you want to find out more, this book by Lucy Siegle is a good starting point. Anyway, enough doom and gloom - on with the show!

These looks are by Georgia McCorkill of The Red Carpet Project.

Georgia hand sews unique designs from remnants of bridal fabric and some of her dresses are made so that they can be reworked at a later stage, changing with the wearer's tastes (some of whom are celebs, hence the "red carpet" element).

I paired jewellery from my own label, Fourth Daughter, with Georgia's looks, but you can't see it here because I chose pieces that are a lot more subtle than what I usually wear. I'll post about it properly when my store over at Recycled Market is up and running (not long now!)

Bhalo is a fair trade label handmade in Bangladesh.

It's all beautiful (but simple) stuff so I jazzed it up with hairbands, bangles, hairclips (used as brooches), shoes and clutches made from vintage kimono by Dames & Divas.

Yes, there was a bit of a Frida Kahlo look going on! I couldn't resist! And I chose the song Streamers by Brous to go with it because it was so happy (yes, the soundtrack to the show was all my doing too, although we did have the very handsome DJ Asanka working his magic to make sure it all ran smoothly).

3rd Time by Glen Rollason offers meticulously-handmade jackets recrafted from old jumpers, suits and other garments, beautifully lined and finished.

Unsurprisingly, the male models were all coveting these!

The scarves I paired with the jackets are by Mulberries and are hand woven by fair trade groups in Laos from organic silk. (I bought some silk soap by Mulberries at the Fair@Square festival - I'll let you know what it's like when I start using it!)


Cylk uses seamless knitting for its stretch pieces and eco-friendly fabrics such as modal and linen for its wovens.

The neckpieces teamed with the clothes are by HandHookYarn - the one above is leather and the one below is fringing, but most of the neckpieces are actually crocheted. You might see HandHookYarn's creator, Berri, selling her wonderful wares at a market if you're lucky (I met her at Finders Keepers in Melbourne!)


Hobo Boho is a fair trade label offering unisex pieces that are probably best described as "urban luxe".

It is created by Roopa Pemmaraju who has an eponymous label which you will see further on.
The edgy accessories worn here are hand created from recycled laminate and other materials by Brahman Perera of Elgar and Lyle.


New label PaulineLoui upcycles secondhand clothes to create pretty pieces like these.

The handbags are by Ethical Clothing Australia credited label Lydra, which is run by Linda Vydra. Something of an entrepreneur, Linda has found some skilled senior ladies to create her pieces from material offcuts.


Urbandon upcycles clothing and other items to create aesthetically interesting menswear - the outfit below is a great illustration of this as the coat was originally an army tent, the scarf was a jumper and the pants were a painter's dropcloth (must have been a neat painter as there is not too much paint on the pants!). The T-shirt is made from organic cotton.

The outfit below is a bit simpler - a suit jacket has been refashioned into a vest and pants have been retailored for a new fit around the calves, although unfortunately this pic doesn't show that.


Bento offers a small but flexible, good quality range of clothing for women that is all made within 20km of the brand's Melbourne studio. Oh, and designer Samantha Hardman also writes an extremely thoughtful (and at times exceedingly helpful) blog.

The clothes are just about all office-appropriate, but I think this dress is probably more suitable for more special occasions.

I put hand-macramed jewellery by Sollis with the Bento pieces - definitely worth clicking over to the website as you can't see things so well here (sorry!).

Sosume is another label that is safe for work (and the environment, thanks to their use of the latest eco-friendly fabrics).

The accessories are by Mainichi and are made from beads, scraps of leather and those little fish-shaped soy sauce bottles you get with takeaway sushi.


Bachhara is another label that is created under fair trade conditions in Bangladesh.

It is definitely worth heading over to the site to find out more about this brand as the story is as inspiring as the dresses are beautiful!


Here's the Roopa Pemmaraju label I mentioned earlier.

Floaty fair trade kaftans and beachwear for our hot summers, jazzed up with jewellery by Ghost and Lola made from all kinds of vintage bits and bobs.



Phew! I hope all that reading hasn't made you tired, but inspired!
Here's one more shot to wrap things up...


"Yay, we did it!"
That's me on the very far left, where I was sitting backstage to call the models out in the right order and jiggle away to the soundtrack. Thanks to photographer Chealse Vo who captured this moment and is responsible for all the photos here (except for the two 3rd Time shots which are by Lisa Law) - click on the links to see more photos from the night!
And of course thanks to Em Rusciano, Greens councillor Cathy Oke and RMIT's Karen Webster who spoke before the show, all the fantastic volunteers including the set maker Sian Pascale whose work you can see here, DJ Asanka, RMIT students who presented their designs after the fashion show and the staff who helped them, Adorn for their great work with the makeup, the students and staff at Elite Hair & Make Up Academy for their heavenly hair creations - and all our sponsors too! I hope I haven't forgotten anyone... if I have, sorry, and thank you!