THE SS DIARY

RINSE, REPEAT

2013-01-22T22:59:00.003+10:00

"The weather is here, wish you were beautiful".

I had it easy over summer. Waking up at dawn each morning, going for a run and a swim before breakfast (no shoes allowed) and working on a research study through the heat of the day. "This is how I want to live," I thought to myself as I stared up at my favourite place in the world*.

January came and so did my first proper job, with early morning meetings, packed lunches and running for the bus (shoes necessary). But I don't mind now it's here, because the work is stimulating and sitting on public transport with the other drones is the best way to come up with new ideas. I've finally started on some personal writing I've been drafting for years, a short story that is already sounding crass and terrible. But that's just the point.

This post isn't an "I'm sorry" or an "I'll be back soon" either. I have 69 posts already waiting in draft so returning isn't a question. When I am writing on here, you can expect me to be focused, personal, passionate and present. Presence is key this year. I'm an adult now and I can't keep feigning consciousness while participating in the same old tired cycles - just because they're all that I know. The cycles I'm referring to are pervasive and ingrained, but the ones I can address immediately are hyper-consumerism, social exclusion and degraded news values. I'm aware of the hypocrisy in typing about social change on my mass produced laptop, in my urban home complete with a microwave and pot plants. I've never been excluded from participating in anything in my life, which is exactly why I need to keep reading, seeking alternative perspectives and acting on this gained knowledge.

Throughout my study this summer, I wrote a literature review on art and design history since modernity (a blanket term for the Industrial Revolution in Western Culture). I studied alternative movements that resisted larger societal structures: from Bauhaus and Russian Constructivism to Arts & Crafts Movement proponent William Morris and social design scholar Victor Papanek. Aside from this study, I also came across a great quotation from the musician Ben Lee, as follows, "What is your area of expertise and how can you use it to expand consciousness".

Writing, education and design are my focus areas this year and the only thing left for me to do is to work out how to use them. I look forward to learning and writing as I go - happy new year!

Further Reading

Puff & Flock - A sustainable textile laboratory based in London, formed in 2008 after the collective members met at Central St Martins fashion college.

Max Haiven - An NYU academic who wrote an excellent piece on creative capitalism for the blog Art Threat.

Kate Fletcher - UK based sustainability scholar with ties to London College of Fashion, advocating slow fashion via her research studies.

KimKierkegaardashian - A proxy twitter synthesising vapidity and existentialism for when it all gets too much..

*My favourite place in the world can only be seen from the ocean floor, when you're staring up at the foamy underside of a wave. It's best when it's an overcast day and the water goes black for a few seconds. If you're struggling to find peace in the present moment, it's definitely the best place to start.

THEA BASILIOU ON ART

2013-01-16T23:16:00.000+10:00

Schiaparelli and Dali: Quizzing Thea Basiliou on the art/fashion divide.

Late last month, the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) launched the 7th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APt7), a visual feast of landscapes, cities and culture. As international curators and critics flocked to Brisbane for the opening weekend, I spoke to a local industry mentor who continues to foster intelligent design outcomes in the work of emerging practitioners. Shop owner Thea Basiliou of Blonde Venus shares her art tips and stylistic inspirations, from Sonia Delaunay to Stephen Sprouse.

Do you think there is a link between art and fashion?

I think that there is a definite link and that over the years there have been many real and important fashion outcomes that have come from an artistic perspective.

I certainly don't mean the generic or mainstream fashion that we mostly see everyday but there are definitely designers that work this way and design work that is the outcome of a conceptual approach.

I'm thinking of revolutionaries like Madeleine Vionnet, Paul Poiret, Elsa Schiaparelli, Sonia Delaunay, Rei Kawakubo, Junya Watanabe, Issey Miyake, Hussein Chalayan and Martin Margiela. It is this approach that I always look for in new designers.

What are your favourite collaborations between fashion designers and artists?

A collaboration is an interesting way to combine two creative minds. In modern times most fashion and artist collaborations seem to be more of a commercial venture. I think the success of these depends on approaching the project with integrity and again the audience / consumers will be the final judges. It has become a great way to heighten both profiles to perhaps a wider audience.

I love the early Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dali pieces. More recently, I enjoyed the collaborations between Louis Vuitton with Stephen Sprouse and also with Yayoi Kusama. Locally, I love the fabric prints that painter Stephen Mok has done for Easton Pearson.

Moving on from fashion design, who are your favourite artists?

This could be a long list! It might be easier to say that I am drawn to Modernism, Surrealism, Abstract and Pop Art styles, so Dali, Picasso, Miro, Buffet, Manray, Delaunay, Warhol, Mondrian, Rothko, Pollock etc.

Contemporary artists that I love include Gemma Smith, Mikala Dwyer, Marco Fusinato, Gabriella and Silvana Mangano, Misha Hollenbach, Sandra Selig, Ross Manning, Yvonne Todd and I'm very excited about the work of young Brisbane artist Michael Candy.

Any favourite galleries you've visited around the world?

The big galleries are all very impressive but I love the Palais de Tokyo in Paris. In Brisbane it's the IMA, Ryan Renshaw, Milani and GoMA of course. In Melbourne my favourites are Anna Schwartz and Utopian Slumps is amazing. In Sydney it's Sarah Cottier and the MCA is always a must see.

Each year you organise annual art show I Used Skate Once. How did this come about?

It is a project that was conceived by my business partner Matt Brady, who runs The Outpost Store. The first one was in 2004 and it was about breaking down the boundaries between youth / art/ music culture and the art gallery stigma. It was really about encouraging young people to both make and consume art.

All of the artists are given a skateboard deck to work with but it's not all about street/graffiti art - it must be contemporary.

The free event also incorporates live music and we've had great bands like Royal Headache and Kirin J Callinan play. So what started out as a modest art show has grown into a huge annual event with around 1600 people coming through the doors on the opening night.

http://skateonce.blogspot.com.au/

What do you love about Brisbane's art scene?

It's progressive and it's busy! I thrive on constant creativity and there is always something cool happening here which is very inspiring.

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ART WORLD

2013-01-08T00:01:00.001+10:00

Art and the Asia Pacific: APT7 arrives at QAGOMA.

Just before Christmas I attended the opening weekend of APT7: The 7th Asia Pacific Triennal of Contemporary Art with my friends Brooke and Jonathan. We were introduced to Indonesian Art collective Tromarama, the intricate carvings of the Kwoma people from PNG and much later, danced to the sounds of Syrian DJ Omar Souleyman. After leaving the visually intoxicating surrounds of the exhibition, I contacted local cultural advocate Thea Basiliou of Blonde Venus acclaim to hear her thoughts on the art and fashion divide. The results have just been published via Vogue.com, however I will also share the full interview in the coming days. Enjoy!

Image: PARAMODEL, EST. 2001, JAPAN | PARAMODELIC – GRAFFITI (INSTALLATION VIEW) 2010 | INSTALLATION VIEW, OTANI MEMORIAL ART MUSEUM, NISHINOMIYA CITY, JAPAN, 2010 | PHOTOGRAPH: © PARAMODEL

CLIQUE CLIQUE

2012-12-31T15:30:00.001+10:00

An early rise on James Street with the HAN 2013 clique.

(Above): Sammi's verdict on the new collection.

HAN A/W '13 - Earlier this month Khim invited me to his crack-of-dawn photoshoot production on James Street. With a tidy call time of 5am, the crew were more than happy to take a short coffee break at Jamie's by the time I rolled in. Local talent Brock McFadzean headed up the photography for the day, after previously shooting this beautifully crafted HAN lookbook for the year to come. With the most intense year of work ahead of Khim, I can't wait to share more news on the label as it sheds 'emerging' status - but for the time being, read more on the designer here.

BENAH: A CITY GUIDE

2012-12-16T11:44:00.000+10:00

Airports & almond croissants: My city guide.

Last week I wrote a Brisbane city guide for Benah, detailing my favourite bars and eateries, water holes, boutiques and more. The luxe accessories brand has profiled a number of creatives on their secret spots around the world (I loved art deco Miami by Giselle and Rohan and Talisa's eating recommendations for Tokyo). Read my entry here.

FROCK 2012

2012-12-10T21:19:00.000+10:00

(Above): Photographs by Fabliha of Inside In, Inside Out, model wears Krystal Choi.

A re-genesis takes shape at the Frock launch party.

Remember when I wrote about our Frock Paper Scissors 2012 party descending into kava drinks and tiki bar madness? Instead, take a look at some respectable photographs from the launch event at the QUT Glasshouse, via my dear friend Fabliha. The twins also took some nice shots of the BFA graduate collections, many of which were used in the making of the magazine (like Krystal Choi on the cover). In other news, the talented QUT graduate Austin Moro has been announced as a finalist in the Australians in New York Fashion Foundation (AINYFF) 2013 prize. Final interviews take place on December 19 in Sydney for the prize - see the full list of ten Australian finalists via Vogue.com. Best of luck Austin!

EDWARDIAN SPACE COWGIRLS

2012-12-07T11:22:00.000+10:00

Models: Jenna and Brooke Makeup: Shari Hair: Valentin Styling: Bianca Photographer: Amelia

Dreaming of Steampunk with Valentin.

Last week I wrote about my styling work for RAW hair stylist of the year Valentin, working together on a concept that hit a halfway mark between Edwardian aristocrat and space cadet. The higher the hair, the closer to planet Kepler. Our sputnik sweethearts Jenna and Brooke were photographed above by the talented Amelia Satoor right before they walked for the judges. Speaking of retro-futurism, I'm currently writing an exhibition review on a Steampunk collection at Artisan, with more science fiction references than a The Fifth Element/Blade Runner movie marathon.

THE COCONUT LODGE

2012-12-03T11:46:00.002+10:00

Zoe @ Vivien's.

Details caught on film with Diaz delights.

Alike drawings in the margins of a history textbook, the summer Diaz collection explores the Edo period of Japanese history with a sense of sweet curiosity and playfulness. Tropical motifs balance style and subtext, best worn with juice running down your chin and sand in your hair. Click through for some more of my film shots and a cute gif with Ana & Zoe.

DIAZ DIAZ DIAZ

2012-11-30T20:01:00.000+10:00

Photography: Hannah McCawley Model: Zoe @ Viviens

A tropical dalliance with our muse Ana Diaz.

Christopher Columbus brought the pineapple back to Europe in 1493, after the second voyage of discovery to Caribbean shores. Once a symbol of wealth, travel and excess, the now-humble pineapple resurfaces as a fun tropical motif in the Diaz SS 12 collection. Take a look at Zoe dancing around in my favourite Diaz Piney Palms tee via our latest blog post for Vogue.

THE TRAVELLER

2012-11-29T17:42:00.000+10:00

Is this real life? Notes on travel and perception.

I just came home from a few days on an island: sliding down giant sand dunes, feeding dolphins, swimming through a shipwreck with a friendly turtle and learning how to sail. The reason I'm writing about these things and not sharing travel pictures is conscious, I didn't take any of my cameras after considering a disconnect between memory and experience.

Sometimes I think seeing through a camera lens lifts you above the present moment, like a hovering outsider - effacing yourself from the true memory. On the island I met a diver who had travelled the world for two years with only a backpack and after a long conversation one night, I realised our difference in perception. The traveller lives in a highly physical present, speaking in hours, degrees and kilometres by the thousands. He maps his life with the next meal, the next wave, the next full moon. For most of us on 'the mainland', we've been conditioned to exist by a different code. This consists of material richness, spiritual poverty (as outlined by Leonard Koren in his book Wabi-sabi - I highly recommend reading it).

Although I didn't take my camera, I took some oil pastels, pens and a sketchbook, taking my opportunity to sketch at various vantage points across the island. The illustrations above were drawn before I left, in honour of Molten Store maven Jessy Cameron (a traveller herself) and her pop-up store of trinkets and found objects. The temporary space was supposed to close today, but trade has been extended until tomorrow - enjoy the fruits of Jessy's latest adventure to Indonesia.

Visit Jessy's grotto here: 15 James Street | Fortitude Valley

BOTTICELLI EYES

2012-11-25T14:41:00.000+10:00

Millstone collars and regalia for the 1st Annual RAW Awards.

On Friday night I helped my friend Valentin produce his presentation for the judging panel at the first annual RAW Awards, held at The Arena near Brunswick station. I styled four models (including my favourite face-puller Brooke), taking inspiration from regal dress and Early Renaissance costumes, updating the Botticelli aesthetic with my handmade French lace chokers.

Handmaking my lace chokers with vintage brooches.

Valentin hails from Bulgaria, has a distaste for Australian bus drivers and his most commonly used adjective is fabulous, so naturally we've become great friends. After a long night, I ended up falling asleep on a couch in the green room but ran downstairs to the stage just as Valentin was announced as hairstylist of the year. His prize package includes a professionally printed portfolio, editorial coverage, mentor consultations and other industry treats - a well deserved win.

HOLDING ON

2012-11-23T13:44:00.001+10:00

An enigma is enveloped in playful prints.

Last night brought my undergraduate degree to a close with the launch party for our fashion journalism class project, the annual magazine Frock Paper Scissors. My role was online co-editor for the website, working alongside the print team in producing an industry standard publication with a zero dollar budget. After speeches and toasts to our incredible mentors Kay McMahon and Ashley Tucker, we draped ourselves in Hawaiian leis, sipped flaming drinks at the Tiki bar and danced to Flume tunes into the early hours of the morning. Take a look at the new website here.

CHAOS AND CONTROL WITH THE GRADUATES

2012-11-17T23:41:00.000+10:00

Austin Moro - The Calypso Collection.

Austin Moro is inspired by sweet things: idyllic seaside life in the 60's, French futurist designer André Courrèges and childhood favourite Bananas in Pyjamas. One of 20 graduates from Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Fine Arts in fashion, Moro will present his six-piece graduate collection this week. A cohort renowned for socially progressive and ethical collections, five QUT fashion students have collaborated with Indigenous artists to develop a capsule collection titled AKIN. Local labour and materials have also been explored in Isabelle McGreevy's footwear initiative The Sole Project, utilising crocodile and kangaroo leather, Queensland opals and recycled copper. To see the graduate collections firsthand, purchase your tickets to Chaos and Control here (the matinee show on Wednesday afternoon is now half price).

SEEING SIGNS

2012-11-12T15:59:00.000+10:00

Rosie @ Chic Model Management.

As laid-back as an open-collared shirt on a hot day, designer Ainsley Hansen talked us through her collection, a pop palette of watermelon, oranges and reds paired with black, white and mint.

We've published a selection of black and white images with Rosie via Vogue, wearing edits from the Hansen and Gretel SS range 'Best Before'. What isn't included on Vogue is our short story inspired by Italian professor Umberto Eco and his theories of semiotics (the study of cultural signs). Click through for the story and some new shots from the day, featuring both mens and womenswear pieces.

SIGNS

Street signs, zodiac signs, dollar signs. The digital age heralds a slow return to hieroglyphs. Clothes act as infographics, a part of the new visual lexicon. City backstreets are where it all began. The summer ’12 Hansen and Gretel collection exists within the space between the abstract and the wearable. It’s a strange symbiosis, but after all, art and high culture always bank on street trends. In this pictorial, Rosie (@ Chic) wears the ‘Best Before’ collection like a second skin, repositioning ideas of lax and luxe. She walks with a spring in her step, an old Umberto Eco novel in her backpack for train rides. The collection is mix of bleak and pop, an interpretation of mechanics and monochrome that ultimately portrays the underside of elegance. Signs are everywhere, but it’s all how you read them.

Written by Bianca Blades.

INTERWOVEN

2012-11-10T16:41:00.000+10:00

Works by designer/curator Lachlan Spencer.

November marks the start of graduate show season, as design students prepare to present their final works to industry members and more importantly, their loved ones. One event on my grad calendar is Interwoven: The Interactive & Visual Design Graduate exhibition launching on Wednesday night (7pm sharp). Visit the collection of work here: The Block, QUT Creative Industries Precinct Cnr Kelvin Grove Road and Musk Avenue, Kelvin Grove.

HAUNT MAGAZINE

2012-11-04T17:31:00.000+10:00

Spring came around this year and we wanted to address the change of season, in our own way. Floral motifs are synonymous with spring, but we were more interested in the cultivator of all life, the horticulturalist. Ideally our garden girl would have made Paronella Park her haunting ground, instead we made do with an eerie greenhouse sanctuary in West End. Our inspiration boards included The Hanging Gardens of Babylon and Virginia Woolf's lover Vita Sackville-West (a prolific gardener). Click through for our short story or visit 'The Horticulturalist' published via Haunt Magazine UK.

"Calculating, intuitive and slightly unhinged, she dresses in clinical white and her chunky heels are strictly for soil aeration purposes. Her neighbours often peer over the back fence, catching strange glimpses of shear wielding and poison brewing. The psychotropic weed assassin digs in the garden all day but somehow her fingernails are always clean.

Our greenhouse girl has more knowledge than a shelf full of botany books, a scientific approach to growth patterns and soil acidity and an unnatural attachment to the fruits of her labour. Her long locks turned green from chlorophyll exposure and she kills time pressing native flowers and herbs. If she planted her own hands, they’d probably sprout tulips."

Our model is Wendy Ma (who wrote a lovely account of the day here) and clothing was supplied by the fabulous Emily (visit her portfolio). Thanks must also go to the West End Community Garden for their hospitality and gardening tips.

EXPRESSIONS OF THE WARATAH

2012-10-31T20:19:00.000+10:00

Image supplied by Little Hero PR.

The waratah is a native Australian plant and floral emblem of New South Wales, but it's also a site of spiritual meaning for designer Jenny Kee.

My brief encounter with Jenny Kee this year left a lasting impression on me, after sitting in the audience at the Contemporary Australia: Women panel held at GoMA. It's not just her strong aesthetics that resonate with me, it's something more intangible - her warm spirit and design integrity. Currently, the iconic Australian designer has launched her painting exhibition 'Expressions of the Waratah' in the heart of the Blue Mountains. I hope that some of you might have the chance to visit the exhibit - you can find her works at Hat Hill Gallery, 3 Hat Hill Road, Blackheath NSW (open until November 18, 2012).

TRAVELS IN HYPERREALITY

2012-10-29T11:11:00.000+10:00

We shot Rosie (@ Chic) in backstreets and alleyways, emulating the abstract vs. wearable, high vs. low aesthetic of men and womenswear label Hansen and Gretel. She was tricked out in the Best Before SS collection, styled with a mix of lax and luxe pieces. Dressing for the appropriate gender, season and social setting wears a bit thin after a while, so why not have a bit of fun? The full series and story is on its way, with references to a pineapple under the sea, fake eyeballs and Umberto Eco.

EDO TROPICA

2012-10-27T18:52:00.002+10:00

Zoe @ Viviens

'Edo Tropica follows the journey of the Ikawana-Maru, tropical dreams and tropical nights washed up on the boat of the first Japanese-Hawaiian settlers' - Diaz SS 12/13.

DIAZ is a second skin for summer, the clothes to put on your back when you have more pressing matters at hand - like breaking open coconuts and dancing on the sand. We shot a little DIAZ series with pineapple lover Zoe before she flew off to Paris the next day, alongside photographer Hannah (flying to America on Monday). We might not be leaving the country over summer, but that's okay if we're by the beach, wearing DIAZ, slurping tropical fruit juice and bopping to this song.

NOTES ON WIM WENDERS

2012-10-25T07:30:00.000+10:00

Still from Notebook on Clothes and Cities (1989) via Keehnan Konyha.

'We have learned to trust the photographic image. Can we trust the electronic image? With painting everything was simple. The original was the original, and each copy was a copy - a forgery.'

When Centre Georges Pompidou commissioned Wim Wenders to make a film in the context of fashion, the German filmmaker sought out the Tokyo designer who defined the 80's era - Yohji Yamamoto. The postmodern essay documentary begins with thesis statements on identity and reproducibility, stating that 'the notion of the original is obsolete' with the rapid increase of the electronic image.

Still from Notebook on Clothes and Cities (1989) via Keehnan Konyha.

We watch Wenders and Yamamoto playing pool, as the director frames himself and his subject as creative equals and counterparts. At first, the only point of similarity is a Yamamoto coat that Wenders treasures as his own. Wenders then goes on to draw comparisons between film and fashion in many instances, such as the topic of authorship and expression of self. He even goes as far as naming Yamamoto's studio assistants as a certain kind of film crew, working to produce and sustain the designers' 'tender and delicate language'.

Over two decades later, the film still works to diagnose many of the social issues that are spawned from technology, predominately a loss of identity and meaning. Yamamoto's work remains to be a core component of contemporary fashion history studies and the designer continues to show collections in Paris. At present, Wenders is now promoting his film Pina, a biopic on late German choreographer Pina Bausch. Both have overcome the creative challenges outlined in the documentary, monetising their seperate passions in film and fashion, reclaiming their own identity and sense of style.

“Identity”

The word itself gives me shivers.

It rings of calm, comfort, contentedness.

What is it, identity?

To know where you belong?

To know your self worth?

To know who you are?

How do you recognise identity?

We are creating an image of ourselves,

We are attempting to resemble this image…

Is that what we call identity?

The accord

between the image we have created of ourselves

and … ourselves?

Just who is that, “ourselves”?

Wim Wenders, 1989.

A book that Yamamoto and Wenders both owned as children (via The Sartorialist).

HAPPY CHAPLIN

2012-10-22T12:33:00.000+10:00

Who could forget the Gail Sorronda presentation at Australian fashion week this year: comical, dark and romantic, all at the same time. Multiple lips upturned into a playful smirk, as if each model were savouring the thought of a Charlie Chaplin slapstick film.

At the launch of the Gail Sorronda flagship store in James Street the other week, we took along a film camera and snapped the party in all its polka-dot culotte glory. Take a look at our pictures via Vogue.com, or read on for some extra shots of our favourite clothes, humans and shoes. We'll be publishing our chat with goth girl Gail shortly, on film, Milan and life.

SHOE PORN: Emily's Jil Sander stompers.

SHOE PORN: J-Cam's Miu Miu sneaks.

SHOE PORN: Gail Sorronda flatforms.

GENDER THEORY WITH ALTUZARRA AND WOOLF

2012-10-19T17:35:00.002+10:00

1 & 2 - Film stills from Orlando (Sally Potter, 1992) 3 - Altuzarra Spring '13

'Orlando, to me you were and always will be, whether male or female, the pink, the pearl and the perfection of your sex' (from Orlando: A Biography by Virginia Woolf, 1928).

It's not often that a Spring RTW collection references a seminal text in gender theory, as Altuzarra did this year. Virginia Woolf published Orlando in 1928, an illusory and alchemical novel hallmarked by a radical chronology and new gender ideals ('the woman' became a subject rather than an object, while gender was noted as being fluid and changeable). The protagonist, Orlando, begins his aristocratic life under the reign of Elizabeth I in the 1600's, before changing sex during a diplomatic jaunt in the far east and returning to England a woman. Back in 2012, Joseph Altuzarra reworked masculine fabrics, embroidery, beaded patterns and fringing, playing with the ideals of eroticism to present a new fashion narrative. View a video review of the Altuzarra collection here, featuring Tim Blanks and other fashion week notables.

MYTHS AND BLOODY LEGENDS

2012-10-16T18:11:00.003+10:00

"Harry Joy was to die three times, but it was his first death which was to have the greatest effect on him, and it is this first death which we shall now witness." Peter Carey, Bliss (1981).

We shot our homeland inspired series with Beth and Rachel at Rose's house in West End, where I noticed a Peter Carey novel sitting on the bookshelf. It was Oscar & Lucinda, which I haven't read yet, but I do own a copy of Bliss.

There are many Australian legends, but most of them reside in the grey area between myth, fiction and reality. Peter Carey's first novel immortalised ad-man Harry Joy and his hippie commune lover Honey Barbara, a satire and black comedy targeting excess, materialism and silk shirts*. Harry has a heart attack while mowing the front lawn and and wakes up in a real-world hell, with his girl Honey and a native eucalyptus plant as his only hope of salvation.

*Harry can rest assured that no silk shirts were used in the making of our photo series (we opted for the clothes at the back of our cupboards, including Kellie's old favourite Romance Was Born 'Bloody Legends' t-shirt).

'Against these torments Carey provides a saviour: hippy Honey Barbara, pantheist, healer, whore. Honey is to Harry as Isis is to Osiris. Together they conquer Hell and retire to the forest where their children inherit the legend of paradise regained'.

FRESH FRUiTS

2012-10-14T16:25:00.002+10:00

Image: Aoki, Shoichi. 2005. Fresh fruits. New York: Phaidon.

'What they are parading as street style — once fashion’s last stronghold of true indie spirit — has lately been breached, infiltrated by tides of marketers, branding consultants and public relations gurus, all intent on persuading those women to step out in their wares'. NY Times, September 2012.

After reading the street style indictment in the Times during New York fashion week, I started to research the origins and intricacies of this 'now corporatised' fashion movement. One of the most well-documented fashion clusters is located in the Harajuku district of Japan. Shoichi Aoki, founder of FRUiTS magazine, began photographing Harajuku street fashion in the early nineties, long before money (and clothing contra) started changing hands out of frame.

All images credited to: Aoki, Shoichi. 2005. Fresh fruits. New York: Phaidon.

Perhaps the most interesting point is Aoki's preoccupation with the intangible rather than the clothing itself, and he states, 'they weren’t doing anything in particular, just hanging out….but they exuded an attitude and a presence that was hard to ignore’. For the Harajuku youth, their styling rituals were in opposition to constricting societal norms and conservative values, a new freedom of choice.

Often they elaborated on traditional Japanese clothing, customising geta sandals or the kimono, as well as incorporating elements of Californian dress and surf trends. Aoki's photographs depict young girls clutching plush toys and posing in an exaggerated childlike stance, an explicit objection to the ideals of adulthood. I also read that Japanese icons Rei Kawakubo (Comme des Garçons) and Yohji Yamamoto were actually considered too prescriptive for many of the fashion conscious teens who prefered to hand make their own garments. This seems paradoxical when you consider that the two designers began a progressive global fashion movement after presenting their prêt-à-porter collections in 1980's Paris. It might be that subcultural style is all a matter of perspective, while globalisation, advertising spends and rapid fashion cycles are obstructions to the view.

Street fashion has various cultural origins, one being the Harajuku style movement. As street style evolves, the recent cries of commercial enterprise, shady dealings and narcissism have left me with one question. Why do we dress? For a paycheck? For uniformity or creative expression, even arousal? Perhaps armour, says Yamamoto.

“My role in all of this is very simple. I make clothing like armour. My clothing protects you from unwelcome eyes” - Yohji Yamamoto.

STITCH UP

2012-10-12T11:38:00.002+10:00

Australian style is often defined as irreverent but we do, after all, serve our national animal with a side of mashed potato. There’s a certain glint in our eye, a charm that pertains to our colloquial wit.

Our latest series with photographer Beth Lane explores the laconic Australian nature, set against a backdrop of peeling wallpaper and sun-bleached shoulders. The world is changing outside, but there's a nice sameness in staring at the ceiling all day. Now that summer's here: just add a Peter Carey novel, Skyhooks record and an ice cold beverage.

Photographer: Beth Lane. Model: Rachael Thomas.View the complete photo series here.