Witchery + Childrenswear = Trendy

So it's duly noted that childrenswear is becoming more and more trendy as the years pass. What happened to the hand-me-downs and beloved Target pieces that many of us 80's kids ran around in? Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. Price, quality and durability are all words that at a minimum must be synonymous with gear for children's busy and often messy-at-times lives.
Witchery is launching their new children's range and it can be viewed online at witcherykids.com.au for those lucky little tykes that will be able to dress in fabulous Australian fashion.
I was lucky enough to work for Collette Dinnigan when she launched her now extinct enfant range, and there is something to be said for having the option to dress children up for special occasions, and down for everyday life. Her colourful cotton pieces were the perfect accompaniment to any pair of playground ready shoes. If only they didn't grow out of them a couple of months later.
Puddles may be a no go zone in these new clothes for the kiddies, but slippery dips, swings and my personal favourite, see-saw's are waiting. Hopscotch to it.

Cool Casual

Spectacularly stepping out in casual summer styles, these look translate across the seasonal changes that, particularly in Australia, we're all hoping will start to move in soon. It's been a long cold winter, and as I've just returned from a particularly cold Adelaide, I'm on no more of a summer bid than the next person. Bring on the sunshine.
It appears that casual chic starts with a rolled up hem on a pair of khaki pants for some. Reese Witherspoon belies her age in this effortless ensemble, and Gwyneth Paltrow isn't far behind. Jessica Alba adds stripes to pull her whole look together with aplomb.
When it comes to denim done well, Rachel Bilson and January Jones look no further than pairing the industrially kind fabric with feminine ballet flats. After receiving the most stunning Chanel book whilst in South Australia, the spectator toe that January Jones sports couldn't epitomize a more sophisticated style.
Keep It Simple Stupid. Bisoux.

Good Hair Day

At LA's 'Girl's Day Out', where stars take a break from the summer heat and pamper them selves in a Beverly Hills mansion. What stood out though is the hairstyles on display. From Rose Byrne and Rachel Bilson's dip dyed shags, to Ginnifer Goodwin's perfect pixie crop, full waves for Heather Graham and Alexis Bledel's chic pony-tail. I'm hooked, there's no reason to have a bad hair day with inspiration such as this.
There's so much to be said for changing your hair and finding a style that suits. For many, it's easy to follow the trends, for others it's even easier to stick with the trends. Problem is, sometimes these styles can look outdated, and there's no better way to pull yourself into the look of the day with a quick update at the hairdressers. It needn't call for drastic measures, a simple colour or trim can do the trick. Snip snip.

Costumes of Eat, Pray, Love

To reiterate my point about the importance of costumes in films, there's no greater significance than Michael Dennison's selection for Julia Roberts in Eat, Pray, Love. For anyone who has read the book or like me is half way through, there are references to the protagonist, Liz Gilbert's wardrobe as she seasonally shifts from New York to Rome in Italy, and Ashram in India and Bali, in Indonesia (shhh, I get that this is where she falls in love thanks to the obvious title, but I'm not up to that part yet).
The associations between the seasons, her state of mind and the place in which she's visiting relate precisely to her wardrobe selections in the film, and Dennison justifies by saying “We meet Julia’s character when she’s in an emotional winter, then she begins a journey that takes her through fall, summer and finally to spring, the season of rebirth and renewal. What she wears helps us to see how she’s changing and growing.”
It's said that when she's in the "winter of her life" in New York, going through a divorce, this cocoon like wrap dress reflects her mood.
Rome is where we see her eat her way through her grief. She finds happiness speeding through carbohydrates at an exceptional rate and crave gelato every time she stops for her daily dose. "In Rome Liz becomes a little freer and less body conscious." said Dennison. "Pieces like this Michael Kors sweater communicate that her comfort level is rising. While her look changes in each location, there are some pieces like these Me and Ro earrings that she carries forward with her. This reminds us that she's on a journey to change her life, but she keeps the essence of who she is along the way."
She also travels through Rome in colours that are quite autumnal to complement the landscape.
India see's her in comfortable yoga pants and stretch tops, she's eating a vegetarian based diet and practicing meditation for hours on end daily. Her body changes, she focuses on her prayer and there's a sense of calm in her wardrobe decisions.
As I haven't read this part in the book yet, all I know is she falls in love when she gets to Bali. It's also spring while she's there, so colour and vibrant prints pop up in her costumes and there's a sense she's gone through her renewal phase, finding happiness within herself.
The movie comes out in October. Spring. Appropriate.

Uniformly, Look Lively

There's a reason costume designers are hired for films and television shows. There's a certain way that a character needs to dress to fully become 'that' character. It assists to personify and resonate the character to the audience, and a personality is enhanced by the actors ability to bring their character to life.
Who editor, Nicky Briger, has written in this month's 15th anniversary issue of marie claire about her time working with the magazine's editor, Jackie Frank. Briger writes about how she had expectations of what her editor to be was going to be wearing before she'd even met her, thinking of frighteningly sharp suits and stiletto's, to amusingly find her 'homeless' attire more approachable. Her time as sub-editor then deputy-editor next to Frank is expressed colourfully and paints a picture of the image that Jackie Frank creates every day when she dresses in the morning. When Briger says that Frank sometimes sits on the floor with her skirt hitched almost inappropriately high, there's an immediate visual to associate this person at the top as someone who's not afraid to get in with the rest of her staff and work hard. In a simple manner of speaking, Briger was expecting one 'uniform' and got to know a completely unexpected other form of 'uniform'.
Garance Dore also writes about finding someone who has faith in her ability to work from a young age when she started her first job. It all came down to the boots she was wearing, and it's amazing to read her story and think that someone believed in her enough to hire her, simply due to what she was wearing.
There's a way in which we wish to be perceived, and hopefully it takes us to where we want to be.

UK Vogue September Issue

The September Issue. It may forever reference the documentary from now on, but it is still a month in a publication's cycle that must go on. And to solidify it's importance as the month that holds the new Northern Hemisphere Autumn Winter campaigns and trends, what better choice for the cover than veteran Kate Moss. There's nothing more iconic for British Vogue than Moss, Agyness Deyn, Burberry and the Queen. Two of those aforementioned symbols appear on this September Issue, being Kate Moss wearing the covetable Burberry coat.
Coat's are taking center stage this season. They're streamlined with a hardware details, many opting for the camel coat that was so popular at shows like Celine and Chloe. Burberry's military reference conjures an incredibly sophisticated silhouette and the colours keep it versatile to wear over just about any texture, from lace to leather.
The coat. Iconic. Kate Moss. Iconic. British Vogue. Job well done.

Eva Mendes

She might be another athletic figure for admiration's sake, but she's also setting a steady pace for herself when it comes to feminine and flattering dressing. Eva Mendes has taken some risks with fashion and some have payed off, some other attempts haven't. With a lofty supply of Christian Dior, Donna Karan, Miu Miu, Oscar De La Renta and Versace to keep her covered, as well as many more, it's noticeable that lately, her attention has turned to her waist. Cinching it in and accentuating her curves ensures she successfully pulls of a feminine line without attracting further masculine remarks that have circulated in the past. I personally can't see it, to me she's still unconventionally attractive, but it's her confidence that pulls her through. Here's another prime example of dressing to alter or enhance how you wish to be perceived. Full stop.