Burberry Prorsum
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
TROIS: The Poetics Of Space
Here's a snippet of the new TROIS SS10/11 look book; The Poetics Of Space. You can check out the rest of the look book on my Portfolio.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Styling - Part 3: My First Job
My first job came into fruition with a stylist named Lara Lupish - of whom I still work with to this day. I still vividly remember the phone call; I was walking around Bondi Junction in Target or Kmart of all places, with my mum, heart pounding, getting a run down of the brief, including dates and times. I would be working on WHO Magazine's annual Most Beautiful People issue with Dannii Minogue featuring on the cover - nothing like a little bit of pressure for my first job.
This would later be followed by another phone call of confirmation, and some slightly trepidatious questions from Lara - the conversation went something like this:
Now, clearly I wasn't totally sure that I'd be fine, as I'd never done anything like it before and had no idea what to expect or what would be expected of me. But that's pretty much how you make it any new situation - fake it till you make it.
So I was given a list of places to go to pick up garments that Lara had previously selected - this is ironically called 'pick-ups' - and to also select (or what is called to 'pull') new garments - this process of pulling new garments is called sourcing. Also, depending on the kind of shoot you are doing, you will do pick-ups/sourcing from either PR agencies or retailers - in this instance it was both. And this process was where I began to learn another utterly momentous lesson about styling and life - to make decisions quickly (for as long as you continue making decisions, you are always moving forward) and; to trust my instincts. To this day, even if all else fails, I will always trust my own instincts and follow them.
After driving around all day from PR agency to retailer, picking up and pulling various garments, it was finally the day of the shoot. We were shooting in a studio down at Walsh Bay, and I met Lara for the first time. She seemed friendly, but there wasn't time for chit-chat or social niceties - it was go time!
After we unpacked the garment rack from Lara's car, we loaded about 50+ garments onto it - all grouped and wrapped up in differently branded plastic garment bags and bound together by rubber bands. This process of unpacking the car had begun, and can often be very time consuming and physically demanding. It was then back and forth from the car to the studio, handling the various and multiple bags of shoes, jewellery, belts, the steamer, and Lara's styling kit.
After this was complete and everything had safely made it up to the studio, the process of unpacking everything from it's bag, box etc. began. Every stylist has a particular way of doing this, and Lara informed me of how she likes this to happen. First, all the garments bags were unwrapped, folded up, and placed to the side. Lara then began to place all the garments into some sort of order that was unbeknownst to me. I continued with the shoes, making sure to line them up in a neat and organised manner, having the most expensive shoes sitting at the front, with one shoe taken out and sitting atop its' box. This was mimicked with the jewellery - everything is kept with its' packaging.
After the Editor, Lara and Dannii went through the substantial rack of clothes and tried a few things on, they edited the selection of garments down to a handful. And to my delight, one of the dresses I had pulled made it through to the final cut! Not bad for my first job ever! It was then my job to steam the garments, tape the bottom of the shoes with masking tape as to not damage them in any way, and stand close to Lara when on set with her kit handy.
After the fun of the shoot was over, began the massive undertaking of packing everything up again exactly as it was unpacked, as Lara wanted me to return some of the garments that day. I sorted, checked everything off its' invoice, re-bagged, re-boxed and loaded my car up once again to take everything back.
It was then over. My first official styling job was done. One of the garments I had pulled was chosen and Lara was happy with my performance. It was a good day.
This would later be followed by another phone call of confirmation, and some slightly trepidatious questions from Lara - the conversation went something like this:
Lara: "Have you done anything like this before?"
Me: "No, no really, but I'm sure I'll be fine."
Lara: "Are you OK with celebrities? I've worked with some people who get starstruck and it's very off-putting for the celebrity. Will you be OK with this?"
Me: "Yeah I'm not overly into celebrities anyway."
Lara: "Ok, well I'm trusting you with this."
Me: "I'm sure I'll be fine."
Now, clearly I wasn't totally sure that I'd be fine, as I'd never done anything like it before and had no idea what to expect or what would be expected of me. But that's pretty much how you make it any new situation - fake it till you make it.
So I was given a list of places to go to pick up garments that Lara had previously selected - this is ironically called 'pick-ups' - and to also select (or what is called to 'pull') new garments - this process of pulling new garments is called sourcing. Also, depending on the kind of shoot you are doing, you will do pick-ups/sourcing from either PR agencies or retailers - in this instance it was both. And this process was where I began to learn another utterly momentous lesson about styling and life - to make decisions quickly (for as long as you continue making decisions, you are always moving forward) and; to trust my instincts. To this day, even if all else fails, I will always trust my own instincts and follow them.
After driving around all day from PR agency to retailer, picking up and pulling various garments, it was finally the day of the shoot. We were shooting in a studio down at Walsh Bay, and I met Lara for the first time. She seemed friendly, but there wasn't time for chit-chat or social niceties - it was go time!
After we unpacked the garment rack from Lara's car, we loaded about 50+ garments onto it - all grouped and wrapped up in differently branded plastic garment bags and bound together by rubber bands. This process of unpacking the car had begun, and can often be very time consuming and physically demanding. It was then back and forth from the car to the studio, handling the various and multiple bags of shoes, jewellery, belts, the steamer, and Lara's styling kit.
After this was complete and everything had safely made it up to the studio, the process of unpacking everything from it's bag, box etc. began. Every stylist has a particular way of doing this, and Lara informed me of how she likes this to happen. First, all the garments bags were unwrapped, folded up, and placed to the side. Lara then began to place all the garments into some sort of order that was unbeknownst to me. I continued with the shoes, making sure to line them up in a neat and organised manner, having the most expensive shoes sitting at the front, with one shoe taken out and sitting atop its' box. This was mimicked with the jewellery - everything is kept with its' packaging.
After the Editor, Lara and Dannii went through the substantial rack of clothes and tried a few things on, they edited the selection of garments down to a handful. And to my delight, one of the dresses I had pulled made it through to the final cut! Not bad for my first job ever! It was then my job to steam the garments, tape the bottom of the shoes with masking tape as to not damage them in any way, and stand close to Lara when on set with her kit handy.
After the fun of the shoot was over, began the massive undertaking of packing everything up again exactly as it was unpacked, as Lara wanted me to return some of the garments that day. I sorted, checked everything off its' invoice, re-bagged, re-boxed and loaded my car up once again to take everything back.
It was then over. My first official styling job was done. One of the garments I had pulled was chosen and Lara was happy with my performance. It was a good day.
This was the dress I pulled.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Wednesday's shoot at Clovelly Beach
I did another shoot this week with photographer Zenaida Kwong, hair & make-up artist Byron Turnbull and model Tara C from from Chadwicks down on the rocks at Clovelly Beach. And even though I got completely raped by the sun, I had such a blast with the team, talking shit and making things look fierce! Sometimes life is so hard...
Thursday, March 17, 2011
My First Commissioned Shoot: IKI Online Magazine
I did my very first commissioned shoot on Tuesday for online magazine IKI, along with photographer Zenaida Kwong, hair & make-up artist Chisato Arai and Harriette from Pure Models.
It's for their spring issue, as this mag is based in Milan, and the focus for the issue is colour. So we decided to have a muted colour palette, with bright pops of colour here and there.
With L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival on, it's been a total shit trying to get my hands on clothes, so I need to send out a huge thanks to Problem Child, Wonder Cease and Estate of Mind who totally saved my ass on this one!!!
It's for their spring issue, as this mag is based in Milan, and the focus for the issue is colour. So we decided to have a muted colour palette, with bright pops of colour here and there.
With L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival on, it's been a total shit trying to get my hands on clothes, so I need to send out a huge thanks to Problem Child, Wonder Cease and Estate of Mind who totally saved my ass on this one!!!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Test Shoot...
I did a test shoot with photographer Jason Ierace this past Monday. My gal Carli Johnston jumped from behind the camera to in front of the camera for the first time and totally killed it - so much for the shy country girl...hello sexy model chick!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Tricks Of The Trade
I came across this awesome website showcasing the work of retouching studio Faux Pink. So if you're ever having one of those days where you just don't feel like you're looking your best, check out this website - it definitely brightened up my day!
Spot the difference:
Monday, March 14, 2011
Styling - Part 2: Getting Started
For a split second, I thought about going to TAFE to get some more qualifications, but soon after, realised that I'd done enough study in my life and wanted to start gaining experience - I could just learn on the job. But in the fashion industry, it's not as easy as going on SEEK and finding a job. A lot of this industry is based on your network of contacts - which means getting your foot in the door can be a very long and difficult process.
So you have to learn very quickly to change the way you think about job hunting - and while I didn't realise the gravity of it at the time, this shift in thinking would become the foundation for how I approached styling, and a lot a of other things in life.
I then proceeded to try a whole bunch of different things to figure out where in the fashion industry I fit. So I volunteered for fashion shows and fashion events; I interned at the buying department of a retailer, a fashion agency, magazine and pr agency - all of which was unpaid. But how did I discover styling?
It was actually pretty simple and makes a lot of sense: the way I came across all of these opportunities was to do a shit-load of research, gather as many names and email addresses as I could find, and send out an email. That's not to say that I didn't put a lot of thought into that email. I used my graphics skills to put together an eye-catching resume, which was always accompanied by a personalized cover letter explaining who I was and why I was email that particular person.
From here, I would meet the stylist who gave me my first job, and the styilst who became my first mentor.
So you have to learn very quickly to change the way you think about job hunting - and while I didn't realise the gravity of it at the time, this shift in thinking would become the foundation for how I approached styling, and a lot a of other things in life.
I then proceeded to try a whole bunch of different things to figure out where in the fashion industry I fit. So I volunteered for fashion shows and fashion events; I interned at the buying department of a retailer, a fashion agency, magazine and pr agency - all of which was unpaid. But how did I discover styling?
It was actually pretty simple and makes a lot of sense: the way I came across all of these opportunities was to do a shit-load of research, gather as many names and email addresses as I could find, and send out an email. That's not to say that I didn't put a lot of thought into that email. I used my graphics skills to put together an eye-catching resume, which was always accompanied by a personalized cover letter explaining who I was and why I was email that particular person.
From here, I would meet the stylist who gave me my first job, and the styilst who became my first mentor.
Friday, March 11, 2011
1000 HITS!!!
!!!I REACHED 1000 HITS!!!
Thanks to everyone who has been checking out my blog - couldn't have reached 1000 hits without your supportive clicks. Keep up the good work!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Random Sketches
"Psycho Bunny"
"Dripping Head Girl"
"Horse On Crack"
"Melty Girl"
"Foot & Knife"
"Toe Jar"
Monday, March 7, 2011
Styling - Part 1: Just An Idea
So it's occurred to me that even though I've been posting about the various shoots I go on, I haven't told you very much about the actual styling part of it, or my personal experiences with getting into this crazy fashion world.
So I'm going to create a series of posts dedicated to sharing with you exactly what it takes to become a fashion stylist, what I've learnt so far, and basically everything to do with my journey thus far. So here goes...
Styling - Part 1: Just An Idea
I did not come from a fashion background. I didn't know anything about the technical aspect of putting together a garment (and still don't), I didn't know anything about the fashion industry and how it works, and most disturbingly, I had no understanding at all of what a stylist did.
I was a disillusioned junior graphic designer, who'd just come off about a year in the industry and a 5 year double degree in Design and Art Education. And this was about the exact time that I realized I didn't want to follow either of those career paths (sweet). It was also just around the time that the GFC hit, making jobs even more scarce than they normally were.
This led me inextricably to one completely life-changing thought...
FUCK...what do I do now?
I always knew my whole life up until that point what I was going to do; Study hard at school, get a good UAI, go to Uni and get a job - that's how it worked...right?
So when that all fell to shit, I took some time (and I mean a lot of time) to think about what I was interested in, and after much turmoil and depression, I realized that I read an awful lot of fashion magazines, and maybe this was something I should pursue.
But how to get started?
And from this one little question spawned a fuck-load of more equally bewildering questions: Should I study? Should I try to get a job? What kind of job would I want? What part of the fashion industry do I even want to work in? WHAT DO I DO NEXT...?
So I'm going to create a series of posts dedicated to sharing with you exactly what it takes to become a fashion stylist, what I've learnt so far, and basically everything to do with my journey thus far. So here goes...
Styling - Part 1: Just An Idea
I did not come from a fashion background. I didn't know anything about the technical aspect of putting together a garment (and still don't), I didn't know anything about the fashion industry and how it works, and most disturbingly, I had no understanding at all of what a stylist did.
I was a disillusioned junior graphic designer, who'd just come off about a year in the industry and a 5 year double degree in Design and Art Education. And this was about the exact time that I realized I didn't want to follow either of those career paths (sweet). It was also just around the time that the GFC hit, making jobs even more scarce than they normally were.
This led me inextricably to one completely life-changing thought...
FUCK...what do I do now?
I always knew my whole life up until that point what I was going to do; Study hard at school, get a good UAI, go to Uni and get a job - that's how it worked...right?
So when that all fell to shit, I took some time (and I mean a lot of time) to think about what I was interested in, and after much turmoil and depression, I realized that I read an awful lot of fashion magazines, and maybe this was something I should pursue.
But how to get started?
And from this one little question spawned a fuck-load of more equally bewildering questions: Should I study? Should I try to get a job? What kind of job would I want? What part of the fashion industry do I even want to work in? WHAT DO I DO NEXT...?
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
WHO Biggest Loser Shoot
I assisted Lara Lupish on this week's WHO Magazine Biggest Loser issue, photographed by Peter Brew Bevan. My girl Carli Johnston was also there to assist - it's our job to do everything from setting up the fashion and accessories, steaming the garments, taping the shoes, dressing the talent, being on set and watching how the clothes move during the shoot and then packing everything up again. Basically whatever the stylist wants us to do.
So here's the shoot...
Here are some behind the scenes shots...
So here's the shoot...
Check out the credits in my Portfolio
Elise, Daina and Teneale looking gorgeous in their swimsuits.
Beautiful Sun Studios
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Oscars 2011
Here are my favourite looks from the red carpet...
Cate Blanchett in Givenchy Couture - LUF!
Michelle Williams in Chanel
Mandy Moore in Monique Lhuillier
Mila Kunis in Elie Saab
Helen Mirren in Vivienne Westwood
Jennifer Lawrence in Calvin Klein
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