Jane Taylor Millinery

Millinery has been on my mind lately. I'm putting together images of inspiration so that I can create a capsule collection of fascinators, just in time for spring carnival. I know it's impossible to think of spring when we're braving the cold and rain nationwide at the moment, but to be honest, isn't it thoughts of blue skies and a little bit of sunshine that pull us through a dreary winter to begin with.
The range will consist of a small number of fascinators, and a small side collection specifically for bridal. Avoiding the glitz and spector of some of the other fascinators available on the market, these will have a very natural and organic feel about them. Due to availability, the range won't actually be made using organic materials though. Made using sinamay, linen, feathers and gros-grain ribbon, fascinators are the perfect accompaniment to any outfit.
London based milliner, Jane Taylor, recently met the Queen at Royal Ascot and demand for her pieces has been considerable over the European spring and summer season.
Please email me (teganbrideson@yahoo.com) should you require any further information. The range will be available from mid-August.
Fascinating.

Zumbo's doubled... Zumba might too

It's an intriguing thought. Adriano Zumbo is expanding, but that's only in the business sense. For the rest of us who adore his prized delicacies in the form of sweets and treats, we might not be talking about expansion of the fiscal kind.
His business has doubled, and with the new Zumba craze sweeping gyms across the nation, classes might just ripple over too. It's a win win situation really, wiggle it all away and divulge the senses.
Sharon Brideson of Create Cake is preparing for her challenge that is the V8 Layer Cake, where oh so many of the MasterChef competitors crumbled into a vanilla heap. The two page list of ingredients is enough to turn off even the most skilled apprentice chef, let alone the three page recipe that accompanies it.
It's reported that Zumbo will open a cafe near his Terry Street production facilities called The Lab, and cooking classes will start from September. Lucky residents on the norther beaches will also be smiling as Zumbo says Mona Vale is his next stop. The inner west where Zumbo has set up his business in Balmain is a hub of quality food and produce, the northern beaches will get their turn now too.

Vogue Cover Archive

Australian Vogue has an iconic status in Australia, and to match, there's now a cover archive to scour through. It's been done before on UK Vogue, and as we catch up, many of those fabulous covers from 2004 to 2006 can be shared with all.
The cover says so much. It speaks to potential readers from newsstands and whether it's screaming with cover lines or taking a more quiet approach, ranging the gamut from model to celebrity and seeing who or what sells more. Selecting the particular range of colours and tones to match the cover shoot sets the tone for the particular issue and it's always so interesting to see what a publisher thinks will work. There's pressure in the industry to always reinvent the covers and keep them fresh and relevant. The cover is like your clothes, it's your first impression of a particular publication and appeals to your tastes at an instant before you've even realised.
Magazine gloss.

A Stylish Turn

The stars in Hollywood stepped out over the weekend, one couple never more so at such a fever pitch of interest than the secret union of Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom. She's still hiding behind him, and the speculation is still mounting regarding whether she's pregnant or not. This isn't a blog about gossip though, and I can only comment on how happy they appear and relaxed they must feel after a honeymoon in the Caribbean. She's also picked up on the denim jacket trend that's returning to the scene.
Blake Lively has also shown how a little skin can go a long way, choosing to cover her famous pins and let bare arms and decolletage do the talking. It's young and fresh, and a little unexpected when she's normally sporting mini skirts on the red carpet.
Jessica Biel also shows her healthy approach to life, taking a spin with her boyfriend Justin Timberlake before letting drapes and folds provide a stunning illusion on her toned shape. It just goes to show that they really are human.
Then again, it is la la land after all.

Mocha Kisses

I'm never more aware of just how lucky I am to have a subscription to delicious. magazine, as when it arrives on my front veranda. I sit and devour every page, filled with awe, a grumbling tum and a growing appetite. So it's never more exciting, therefore, to spend an afternoon baking from the very pages themselves. These Mocha Kisses are a sweet winter treat, time for a cuppa.
1) Preheat the oven to 160C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
2) Using an electric mixer, beat 250g unsalted butter (I used Nuttelex), 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, and 1/2 cup sifted icing sugar until thick and pale.
3) In two batches, fold in 1 1/2 cups plain sifted flour and 1/2 cup sifted cornflour until just combined.
4) Roll heaped teaspoons of mixture into balls and place on lined baking tray. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
5) On another lined baking tray, lay out an even layer of almond slices or walnuts (I used the almonds for this batch). Roast in the oven, checking them regularly, while the biscuits are baking.
6) Meanwhile, to make the cream, use your clean electric mixer to beat 1 teaspoon of strong black coffee, with 80g unsalted butter and 2/3 cup icing sugar until thick and pale.
7) Using a small food processor, grind the roasted almonds or walnuts and mix into the butter cream filling.
8) Spread the butter cream on the base of a biscuit and find another biscuit similar in size, sandwiching them together. The original recipe calls for a dusting of cocoa powder, but I've left these as the butter is rich enough.
Delicious.

Claudia & Karl

They're a collaborative team from 20 years ago, and Claudia & Karl are refusing to slow down. There's a new book with 6 different covers to choose from, showcasing Karl Lagerfeld's photographic past with the original supermodel. From seductive to quirky, cute to high fashion, everyone will be pleased with the results.
Claudia Schiffer's career as a model is most likely enviable for some. She's kept her professional image intact and spanned decades like her other colleagues from the late eighties and nineties, just look at Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell, minus the anger management issues. They're all still working and they're all achieving the balance with work and family life to the best of their ability. As Carrie Bradshaw said, "I don't know what it is, there's just something about them." And so our appreciation continues.

Who Weekly Glamour

She's back for Channel 7's The X-Factor and she's realistic about her body shape and what glamour means to her. Natalie Imbruglia is honest when she says that she's concerned about her thigh's, "as long as they're covered, they're fine." With a refreshing take on the fact that clothes give her "skinny days and fat days", she'd rather walk around with only bags and shoes because they stay the same and make her feel better. "Whoever you are, if you can dress to your body, then you can look fabulous." Well said.

Prada

They always say it's not over until the fat lady sings. But this time, it's Angela Lindvall singing, and she's by no means saying anything's over. Far from it in fact. Prada's Autumn Winter campaign features Lindvall alongside Mathias Bergh, Sigrid, Valerija Kelava, Daria Strokous, Clément Chabernaud, Kim Dall’armi, Mark Cox and Miranda Kerr.
There's a major shift towards silhouettes that embrace feminine shapes with Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton taking inspiration from full skirts and corseted bodices in heavy fabrics and textures much like these on display at Prada. Whilst most of us wouldn't walk down the street in some of these ensembles, the images in the campaigns are meant to take us to another place, to shift our mood and set the scene. Worn back with existing clothes in our wardrobes, these pieces might prove to be staples for decades to come. Just a thought.

Lolavie by Jennifer Aniston

If there's anything this actress can't do, someone speak up now or forever hold your peace. These new images to coincide with the launch of her new fragrance called Lolavie show the incredibly fit and toned 41 year old, one that doesn't exactly make the rest of us feel all that wonderful about our winter bodies at the moment. I truly believe that the The National Advisory Group for Body Image in Australia is onto a good thing, and case in point follows on from these images, with the backlash on Aniston's public image and her lifestyle choices to pounce on the fact that she hasn't had children.
She's always been an inspiration to me when it comes to healthy lifestyle choices and her love of exercise and yoga. These images though, perhaps align with the opinions circling that she has "millions of dollars and no children", they are simply just opinions though. What do you think? How do these images make you feel?
The name of her fragrance references water and life, and she's made no secret of her love of the outdoors when it comes to keeping fit, that to me is a remarkably positive fact that shouldn't be ignored. But there's the attainability of body images such as these that show why the NAGBI could have a revolutionary impact on printed and visual media, they'll have to stipulate if the images have been digitally enhanced. Shaking things up for the better.

Lovebox Festival London

There's an art to festival dressing that's completely beyond me. I've never really been into the festival scene. The fashion is however a style that's inspiring and shows elements of dressing for other occasions. There's definitely a relaxed, weekend feel about the nonchalant approach that these spectators have taken for example. The first image is one that I'd wear any weekend, or even any weekday depending on the time and place, it's effortless and still feminine in an androgynous kind of way. For true femininity, the romper play suit takes the cake. For the other styles, with brogues a plenty and the sensible choice of pants or shorts, these festival fans are leading the way. Dirty fun.

Choc Chip Cookies

These have featured on my blog before but just in case you missed them, and I'm telling you, you really, really don't want to miss these, here's the recipe for delicious chocolate chip cookies. I make them with dairy free substitutes but by all means, make them with the real stuff and it will be impossible to stop at one.
1) In a large mixing bowl, mix 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1/2 cup of Nuttelex (dairy free margarine).
2) Then once combined, add 2/3 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1 egg, mix again.
3) Add 1 1/2 cups of plain flour, 2/3 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and mix.
4) Mix in 100g of Sweet William Dairy Free Chocolate Chips.
5) Place baking paper on a tray and spoon tablespoon size mixture onto the baking sheet.
6) Bake at 180C for 10 minutes.
The are a little crunchy on the outside and gooey and doughy on the inside, they're a treat and a half and perfect if you need a quick baking fix. I promise you, they'll solve any problem you have. Freshly baked goodies.

To Illustrate

The simplicity and elegance in Garance Dore's illustrations to me, spell what grace is. The clean lines and expressive use of a single black line to draw, initiate a feeling of classic calmness. They're quiet in their own right, yet with the flick of hair, or twinkle suggested through the eyes, these images manage to capture something so much more. Garance is coupled with The Sartorialist Scott Schuman and she takes photo's of fabulous street styles in her own right, littered amongst these illustrations to provide the witty fashion commentary she provides in her French/English unique way. That is elegance.

She's wearing the pants

There's something brewing on Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles at the Vanity Fair party in the Louis Vuitton store. There was an absence of little cocktail frocks and a noticeable bevy of female celebrities wearing trousers. And they couldn't have looked more chic. There's an elegance to the way that they're holding them selves, as though they're very confident in their choice. There isn't so much of that demure posing and it's refreshing to see. Navy is also the winning ticket so it seems. Bottoms up.

r e f l e c t i o n o n m y l a n g u a g e

Style goes to show we’re all designers in some form or another. We may not design the garments but the clothes we choose to form an outfit ultimately design how we wish to be perceived, how we wish to appear to those we encounter.
We’re designing our ‘uniforms’. They’re a uniform in that they’re distinct to our personal style and a reflection of us. Someone could say ‘that’s so you’, and the meaning in that case is that you have a particular taste, whether it be clothing, home wares, lifestyle choices and other material possessions. It’s like paining a portrait of yourself, without showing your face. How would they know it’s you?
Style is the image of your character. As Jean Cocteau said “style is a simple way to say complicated things”. After undertaking this exercise, my style is quite classic and somewhat homely I’d have to say. That fits with my character to some degree, but maybe you’d have to ask other people. I do enjoy wearing colour and I’m not afraid of a bright orange or pink, but there’s always a strong element of white, latte and black in my everyday choices. And it’s only human nature to repeat outfits over multiple days, I’m standing by that one.
After speaking with many various people about this experiment I’ve recently completed, it’s amazing how many people have a strong seasonal element to their wardrobe. I find after cataloging my daily outfits that I perhaps don’t have such strong inclinations, my clothes are fairly adaptable to the weather and over the period of three months, they’ve all been in good rotation. It helps that I was able to do a little shopping overseas as documented throughout the process of m i n d i n g m y l a n g u a g e and add some new pieces into my existing mix of well loved clothes, and I’ve become more aware of what shapes fit me too. There’s nothing like a twirl in front of a video camera to acutely increase your awareness of how things look from all angles. The biggest realisation was how I felt, rather than looked though, when it came to finding something to write about my outfit everyday. The word comfortable has perhaps never been used so much in this way, but if I was comfortable in my garments, I was ready to take on the day. It may be a small realisation to some, but crucial in self-perception as an exercise to me.
It’s been said many times before me, but it’s tried and tested. Wear what you feel comfortable in, and that will be true to your style.

m i n d i n g m y l a n g u a g e | day one hundred

Waking to the dark and pouring rain over Sydney this morning, I knew I wanted to wear something lighter, something that always makes me feel comfortable and skimming the borderline of fashion and clothing. I look at this Willow shirt dress as a fashion piece, because it's not just a standard white shirt even though I treat it as one, and I don't know how many people would feel comfortable wearing it. To me though, it's the one thing in my wardrobe that I know epitomizes my style, and I feel myself in it. I feel like my walking signature, and my fashion 'language' is reflected in that I can wear it over tights or jeans, with boots or ballet flats, to work or on the weekend, and under coats or on it's own.
Today's the last day of this experiment, evaluation still to come. That's not to say that there won't be days where I feel like sharing with you what I'm wearing, but P R O F I L E will be reverting back to it's original format, looking at new trends, collections and products as well as celebrities and their outfits for inspiration. Thank you for taking the journey with me, I know many of you took great interest in what I was going to wear each day. Your support means everything to me. Thank you.

London calling... Sass & Bide

Sass & Bide is a label synonymous with Australian fashion and how to build a brand from the ground up. Sarah-Jane Clarke and Heidi Middleton first started selling their designs at a market stall and now they have stores across Australia, America and soon to be developed in London. It's all still in the initial stages but this is great for the brand, it shows that they've read the market well over the last decade and still maintain relevance for the established and new clients.
"In London we can be ourselves and it just works," said Middleton. "In the US we have to tone it down and explain it more - here we can just be. We love coming here to do research; it's such an inspiring place. The old markets are incredible places. There is such a strong creative energy and sense of freedom in London that you don't find in Sydney or New York. We're very excited to be coming here."
Jolly good.