CHRISTOPHER AND COSMONAUT

After witnessing Christopher Esber present his line at LMFF earlier this year (and go on to take out the National Designer Award), it was plainly obvious that 2012 would be all about Esber. Evidently, his S/S 2012 presentation at MBFWA exceeded the expectations of critics, with Tim Blanks even drawing comparisons to the conceptual precision of newly appointed Dior designer Raf Simons.

AUGUST STREET INTERVIEW

Last month I caught up with designer Ainsley Hansen at the August Street Surry Hills studio to chat about her design sensibility, direction for A/W and all things Navajo. The Autumn campaign encapsulates 70's vibes and Sioux tribes, all of which is detailed in my write up in Issue 8 of PITCH zine. 

THE SECRET PARTY

Hannah, Christie and Sean (DJ, Magazine director, Model)

Fabliha, Sammi and Tasfia (Local bloggers)

Burritos and a band. Did I just locate the meaning of true happiness? Last week, local creative agency/total babe family Felix & Slink threw a secret party at Lightspace, spawned a hashtag frenzy and introduced us to indie pop band Sheppard.

KUWAII

Designer Kristy Barber interned in Australia and New York under the tutelage of Lover, Arnsdorf and Phillip Lim 3.1, before returning home to launch clothing and footwear label Kuwaii. For the AW 2012 range, the label released a fashion film with Tim White, encapsulating elements of harshness and femininity in a surrealist environment.

CHASE DAKOTA: RUNNING THROUGH THORNS

I've previously shared some behind the scenes shots from the Chase Dakota shoot I styled, so here's a selection of my favourite look book finals, a series entitled Running through Thorns. 

A WINTER SOIREE

Warm cider punch, cheese fondue and hundreds of vintage fabrics made for a happy visit to the Ra Ra Superstar Winter Soiree last night. The Paddington-based vintage boutique toasted to the new season alongside exhibiting artist Marielle Davis and jazz pop musician Erin Harrington aka Miss Elm.

BLOGSTERS

The SS has been selected as a finalist in the Pedestrian.tv Ultrabook Blogster awards in the fashion category (cue schoolgirl grins and breathy sighs of Ohmigod). Since you're reading our blog now, you'll understand that we aren't the average fashion bloggers.

CHASE DAKOTA: PART ONE

Last week I helped to style the new Chase Dakota look book 'Running through Thorns' on location at Bellingham Maze, Sunshine Coast. Our team (Sammi, Mo and Jess) quite literally failed the maze after a fruitless search for the centre, however I think the final shots made up for it. I'll be posting the final images soon, as well as a discount code for our readers to purchase Sammi's incredible jewels.

AKIRA: THE TRADITIONALIST

Is sustainable clothing oxymoronic? I reviewed Akira's MBFWA presentation over at PITCH Magazine, exploring topics ranging from hand crafted traditionalism to microscopic phytoplankton.

MBFWA Backstage Diary: Suboo

Impossibly dewy skin, fluorescent-hued eyelids and styling by Michelle Jank. Here's some visual documentation proving that my backstage jaunt at Suboo's MBFWA presentation was a dalliance into a high-rise dreamscape.

Chanel in Versailles

Images by Benoit Peverelli via Vogue UK.

As the French presidency saw a changing of the guard this week (with the inauguration of 24th French president Francois Hollande), Chanels head of state paid tribute to Baroque history with the Chanel Croisiere 2013 presentation at the Chateau de Versailles.

CUBIC COLLECTIVE

Sunday saw Gold Coast boutique Cubic Collective launch their VIP Black Card with a sweet afternoon of cider, banoffee pies and discounts all round. The store stocks an interesting mix of basic, grungy labels (Cheap Monday, Ksubi) and intricate, feminine designers (Alice McCall, Shakuhachi). With both a bricks and mortar and online store, active facebook page and instagram feed, the online presence of the boutique matches the laidback, stop-for-a-chat attitude of the staff. They're rad.

MISS UNKON

Miss Unkon at MBFWA: femininity reigned supreme in the form of ruffle sleeves, sheer fabrics and pleat skirts - hardened by metal arm cuffs and spiky top knots. Creative director Courtney Meyer delivered a strong and wearable SS12/13 collection anchored by citrine brights, baby blues and mountain range prints.

CANDID

Hanging out in floral wonderland 47 stories high - before and after the Suboo MBFWA presentation at the Summit.

THE GOLDEN RULE

PHOTOGRAPHY: Hannah McCawley. MODEL: Jessie Newman. HAIR: Christine Escosa.

Here's my take on the newly-released look book for BELÁ TESORO, equal parts wild and whimsy. Also, my friends should stop being so talented, it's making me look bad.

Featured on WGSN

Any self-respecting fashion student will be familiar with online oracle WGSN - the trend-forecasting resource that makes Allison DuBois look like a hack. The WGSN tumblr is a nice little companion to the main program, so you can imagine my suprise when I spotted my mug on the front page along with Susie Bubble. I also spied Bridie (in the orange sweater), who I met briefly at the Georg Jensen x Vogue party in Sydney. She's a stylist, Whitehouse student and the creator of an incredible blog that I predict you will be adding to your bookmarks: Wolf Cub Chronicles.

8 Hour Abs

Doing squats on location. Photo by Jess.

Location shoots always remind me of boot camp: spending the day running around in a muddy field or mountain path, ending up with bruises, grass stains and mild heat exhaustion. Evidently, I fell into a deep sleep as soon as we drove onto the highway after our shoot on Friday afternoon (perhaps lulled into a trance by Sammi's Lana Del Rey car soundtrack). I'll share my behind the scenes shots as soon as the new Chase Dakota look book is released, but FYI: the styling took direction from crisp white on white, with a rather spectacular pair of Christopher Kane kicks to trudge through the labyrinth.

Chase Dakota

This morning I'm road tripping with jewellery designer Sammi of Chase Dakota, to shoot her new collection at the Sunshine Coast. Her sense of style is always impeccable, so I'm looking forward to seeing the new pieces and helping to capture her vision. I'll also be taking some behind the scenes shots, of course.

FORTY SEVEN

A few B/W shots from one of the most colourful shows of MBFWA. The presentation was a firm favourite of mine, on the basis of production, styling and a beautiful setting: 47 stories high at The Summit. 

KAHLO

Kahlo can do no wrong, it's a fact. For SS12/13, the design duo forayed into a new set of silhouettes, while still in keeping with signature buttery leather pieces. Mid-show, I found myself inflicted with excitement-induced shaky hands, hence my runway shots failed to capture the brilliant fine details: perforated leather, clean cuts and capes. Photography whiz/blogger Jamie took some beautifully detailed pictures as usual, take a look at the Kahlo summer here.

ALICE MCCALL

If you're a fan of digital futurism, art nouveau and/or Matryoshka dolls, read my review of the Alice McCall SS12/13 MBFWA show over at PITCH Magazine. A word of warning to the fashion disciples of hyper-minimalism is included.

GEORG JENSEN x VOGUE

A newly released line of high-end metals, a patchwork Freja Beha Erichsen and a real-life Kirstie Clements. What more could I ask of a luxe product launch in the heart of Sydney CBD.

OLLIE

Ollie Henderson was one of the cheeriest models of MBFWA, despite walking in an insanely packed show schedule. Additionally, the 21 year old fronted Emma Mulholland's SS 13 look book, 'As Bad As I Guana Be' (she's wearing the Emma Mulholland gecko baller shirt in the polaroid I took backstage). I also noted that Ollie was shot in the Shakuhachi summer campaign 'The Young Ones', a monochromatic look book released a few days ago. Ollie keeps looking cool and brands keep booking her, it's only logical.

BUKOWSKI

Is it inadvisable to quote Bukowksi in a show review? I hope not, because I'm writing up a review for PITCH  magazine that does just that. 'Boring damned people. All over the earth. Propagating more boring damned people. What a horror show. The earth swarmed with them'.

CAMILLA: BEHIND THE SCENES

CHLOE

I've got a pile of MBFWA polaroids to scan in, but I wanted to start with Chloe Sargeant (and direct you to the extensive fashion week coverage over on her blog Swim with the Current). Currently residing in the sweet city of Adelaide, Chloe is a stylist/writer/model/individualist with a distinct personal style that's gothic and playful all at the same time. Aside from her FW reports, my favourite SWTC post is a shoot produced with photographer Ryan Kenny, proving that low-key spontaneity is always best. Take a look here. 

Flowers for a Vagabond

MBFWA 1/2

Rachel Rutt walking for Camilla