MUSE '09

I suppose I naively consider myself a well rounded individual, especially when it comes to fashion and the fashion world but in reality I really am just another slightly off-trend teenager with an opinion and a blog. On Friday night I attended a fashion event (one of my first I'm ashamed to admit) called MUSE 09; a concept fashion event showcasing the fantastical talents of Miss Mikaela Hiews, who floored the standing-room-only turnout with her unique designs and made me realize that I do, in fact, have a lot to learn about fashion. 

MUSE '09 was a concept fashion show created in memory of Hiew's grandmother, Marie, and showcased refreshingly well researched designs from every decade of Marie's life from the 30s to the 2000s. Following those outfits there were some highly imaginative pieces from Hiew's 'Couture' collection that made me ache with jealousy. Mainly, since I am (attempting) to head towards Public Relations and Event Management at Uni, I was wowed at the effort taken to put together the evening. 

When one thinks amateur fashion show, the things that come to mind are nervous, giggly teens as models, school hall for venue and Home Ec. quality clothes but the attention to detail put into MUSE '09 totally banished any preconceptions I had. First of all the logistics were seamless. Lights, music, ushers, technicians, models and the venue itself ran so smoothly it reminded me that when nothing goes wrong, behind the scene cooperation is taken completely for granted. The clothes (oh the clothes!) were functional, inspired and enviable, my favourites being the deep blue pinstripe suit and pencil skirt combination and the magenta and gold Couture creation and the warm and enthusiastic vibe of the show hit home the reality that Mikaela's adoration of her late Grandmother was the driving force behind everything in the show and how amazing that was.

All in all, MUSE '09 was a fascinating and touching look at a girl's relationship with her grandmother and their shared connection with fashion and design. Mikaela Hiews will be one designer to watch in the future, mark my words.

Beatrice

Just a Quick Note...

Hey guys!

Just wanted to let it be known that even though I haven't written anything in AAAGES the TUTblog is still alive and well and living in Canberra! The only reason I have been inactive for so long is that this blog was actually born as an assignment set by our radically thinking English teacher who set no limits for what our blog should be about and after I handed the blog in for assessment (I got 95% for it so thanks for all your support guys!) I got kind of lazy.

BUT, I will be back! Especially since I am on term holidays now.

Hope you all have a lovely sparkly Canberra winter and I'll see you all when I return sometime in the near future :) 

Beatrice

Street Fashion 26/5/09

Location: Dickson College

Lauren

This kid had no idea what was going on. But what a sweet jumper.

Bear Bag

Ancel

Prada Wears The Devil

Dear Amateur Fashion Fans:

I have been waiting for the perfect moment to rant about an atrocity so Ultra Naff, so indescribably stupid, without reason and incredibly self serving that it makes me type like Mike Tyson (I don't know exactly how he types but I can imagine it). 

Many of you, if not all, will be familiar with the super-brand, high end, mostly couture, Italian fashion label Prada. What you probably wont be familiar with (unless you have no life like me)is Prada's signature styles, colours, cuts etc that are 'Pradesque' (my word, not theirs) and therefore immediately trendy. You may also remember this quote from the movie-The Devil Wears Prada.

Andy, the inexperienced assistant annoys Miranda Priestly, the editor of Runway, by calling some haute couture accessories "stuff". Miranda then flawlessly delivers a reply. 

"This... 'stuff'? Oh... ok. I see, you think this has nothing to do with you. You go to your closet and you select out, oh I don't know, that lumpy blue sweater, for instance, because you're trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back. But what you don't know is that that sweater is not just blue, it's not turquoise, it's not lapis, it's actually cerulean. You're also blithely unaware of the fact that in 2002, Oscar De La Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns. And then I think it was Yves St Laurent, wasn't it, who showed cerulean military jackets? I think we need a jacket here. And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of 8 different designers. Then it filtered down through the department stores and then trickled on down into some tragic casual corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin. However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs and so it's sort of comical how you think that you've made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you're wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room. From a pile of stuff."

You just feel like saying ZING! after reading that.

If you haven't seen the movie I highly recommend it even to people who couldn't care less about fashion journalism simply because Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep are amazing, the script is witty and sharp and it even has cool music and a smokin' Adam Grenier from Entourage. 

Anyway, this quote from TDWP sprung to my mind immediately after my eyes were violated by the picture below in the fashion section of the Good Weekend Magazine a few weeks back. 

This is from Prada's 2009 Spring collection Im pretty sure.

I know, right? I just sat there thinking: "Wow, Prada, you can come up with the 2008 Prada Resort collection and then create this monstrosity?

I think I know how it happened:

Some low level shoe designer had a big weekend, then came into work on Monday and got sprung with the memo of a Design Meeting in 5 minutes. So he/she hastily scribbles down the first thing that comes into his/her Sangria-addled brain: Thigh.High.Gumboots.

The designer goes into the meeting and after the boss designer retracts his jaw from the floor he screams at the designer for getting all Sangria-ed the night before the design meeting. Because he/she's scared of loosing their sweet job, the designer meekly lies to the boss that 'its all the rage in Paris'. The Boss freezes for a second and then tells the designer that of course he knew that, he was just testing him/her before snatching away the drawing and making sure that Prada have that thigh high gumboot out ASAP to beat France to the punch (which they rarely do in terms of trends). And the boss adds suspenders, cause France aint gonna think of THAT!

There you have it, the conception of the world's most hideous designer shoe. In reference to the quote from TDWP, I think that Prada is setting an irresponsible example for the fashion industry. It's more than likely that this Ultra Naff design will filter down through the layers of cool and someday descend into our realm of fashion and then who will we have to blame when the 14 years old that shop those kind of trends are walking around in rubber hooker boots? 

What's that you tell me? They already are? No silly, thats just the Supre sales staff.

ZING!

-Beatrice

2009 Australian Beauty Awards

Dear Amatuer Fashion Fans,

You may have glimpsed a post I wrote last night called "2009 T.U.T.A.N.K.H.A.M.U.N Beauty Awards" but on reviewing said post, I realised it was a little self serving and decided to re-edit.

I was flipping through the lastest Cosmopolitan last night when I stumbled upon the glossy spread heralding the start of the 2009 Australian Beauty Awards. This is an annual occurance where experts on beauty from prominent magazines plus industry experts get together and test, evaluate and judge the best beauty products in every possible category from Nail Polish to Anti-Aging cream. It takes two months to do this and if you visit the website (link's in the name) you can have your say about what your favourite beauty products are and you could win a host of cool (beauty) prizes.
Heres a sample of my answers to the 'vote' questionnaire:

Favourite make up colour blush/eye: Blush- Dior Desert Rose, Eye: Any MAC eyeshadow

Favourite Fragrance: Happy Heart by Clinique or Songes by Annick Goutal

Favourite hair styling product/treatment: Tigi Split End Leave-In Conditioner

I reckon you should all check out the website as its fun and easy to vote and the site itself is good for a procrastinating browse

What's your favourite, couldn't-live-without-it beauty product? Comment and let me know!

-Beatrice

Wedding Belles

Anyone who knows me well knows that I have a sometimes unhealthy obsession with weddings. 

But let's stop there and clear up what my obsession concerns before I die of judgement from you all. 

Im am in no rush to get married. Entering into the act of marriage for me seems an eternity away (if it even happens) and I'm not going to be one of those women who buys the dress before I meet the man. 

The preparation, the ceremony, reception, clothes, accessories, food, invitations, drinks, party favours, and location are what interests me. I really believe that there are very few more complete ways to piece together the identity of a woman than to look at her wedding. (Having said that I do know that many vibrant couples choose to have low key weddings that do not necessarily reflect their personality as a couple or as a bride).

No two weddings are alike and the whole concept of personal identity shown through every single detail of a person's wedding is what fascinates me, not the idea of marriage itself. 

I have truck-loads of ideas concerning my favourite locations, menus, bridal party attire etc that I could waffle on about for a hundred posts but instead I'm going to focus on one of the key pieces in a wedding, The Bride's Dress (or attire). 

The categories are GOOD, BAD & PLAIN WIERD. Most of them are celebrities in all categories.  I've selected 4 or so dresses in each category. This post is devoted to the 'GOOD' dresses and I hope to address them in a way that even the most cynical, wedding hating person will enjoy (with a bit of pop culture, history and salacious gossip thrown in). 

#1. Perfect for the Occasion

1956   Grace Kelly & Prince Rainier of Monaco 

Prince Rainier of Monaco (a tiny country in Southern France) met Hitchcock  film star Grace Kelly in 1955 he was reportedly hunting for a wife in America as Monaco would revert ownership to France if an heir was not produced during the Prince's reign. Kelly and Rainier married the next year in a lavish, religious ceremony in Monaco, Monaco. In the case of Kelly's marriage into royalty the dress is modest, virginal and innocent while managing to be sickeningly elegant, which is really nothing less than you'd expect from the glamorous film star that Kelly was at the time. The dress was designed and made by the head costume designer for MGM and close friend of Kelly's Helen Rose. 

#2. Perfect for the couple

1971   Mick and Bianca Jagger

 

Even though Bianca Jagger has been quoted as saying "My marriage [to Mick] ended on my wedding day" you can't deny how happy she looks in this photo. I've always loved this photo cause it looks so damn rock'n'roll. Everything from Mick's slightly disheveled suit to Bianca's massive hat and sexy low cut suit kneeling at the altar in their traditional Roman Catholic ceremony scream 'untouchable' and thats what they were at the time. 

Mick met Bianca (maiden name De Macais) a year before this wedding at a Rolling Stones after party and Bianca was 4 months pregnant at the time of the wedding which is probably the reason they got married in the first place). The ceremony took place in St.Tropez in the South of France.

#3. Perfect for the Ceremony

2007  Erica Baxter & James Packer

This photo was taken after the first of the couple's civil ceremonies. This one took place in the Hotel De Ville (or Town Hall) in Antibes (South of France...again). As much as I perceive this marriage to be a bit shifty *cough gold digger cough* I can't deny that Erica's plain white suit is perfect for the occasion of just-slipping-into-the-Town-Hall-to-get-married-with-one-or-two-witnesses (lets not go into the Vera Wang copycat monstrosity she wore for their second celebrity studded civic ceremony). 

I think the sunglasses with the wedding attire might just be a little self indulgent but I do love her choice of flowers, (I just wish I could see her shoes).

So there you have it, next installment: BAD, when wedding attire goes really wrong. 

Which of these weddings has got the best frock? Comment and let me know!

-Beatrice

Thunder Perfect Mind

Im not a massive fan of TV clothes advertisements. Either they come across as too artsy, full of wangst and anorexic models or try to be the opposite and inadvertently have a repellant effect on their viewers, i.e Rivers Ads. 

The same goes for perfume ads (especially print ones). 

Whether they are single page Dolce & Gabbana sex scenes in magazines or Coke addled Burberry waifs on billboards, practically no perfume ads tend to make you actually want to run out and buy the perfume. 

This Prada advertisement, however, is different. 

I still can't remember how I stumbled across 'Thunder Perfect Mind' a 2005 TV ad for Prada's first perfume (probably mindless Youtube surfing) but I can't help loving every single thing about it. Firstly, it stars one of my favourite supermodels, Daria Werbowy and the film/ad has a great, romantic, dreamy 'feel' about it that makes you want to move to France and wear only high heels and lovely, feminine Prada clothes for the rest of your life (highly responsive to advertising, moi?).

'Thunder Perfect Mind' follows Werbowy as she "portray(s) the many intricacies of women" (Boards Magazine, 2005) through various female archetypes-The Virgin, The Mother, The Wife, The Mistress and The Daughter - their paths crossing throughout the film and as Werbowy acts out these roles she reads an ancient Gnostic poem as narration. Sound pretentious already? Wait for this: The ad is actually an excerpt of a short film made by Ridley Scott's daughter and each costume in the film (in addition to the perfect pieces that Werbowy wears) were designed by Muiccia Prada herself (people who don't know who she is need to go out and buy themselves a Vogue). 

I suppose the idea is actually fairly pretentious (archetypes, Ridley Scott etc) and I really should hate it for that, seeing as the whole thing is supposed to be an ad for perfume after all, but one has to be honest; everything from the cinematography to Werbowy's acting skills is Top Class and really makes for a dreamy, romantic 6:01 minutes of escapism into the glamorous world of haute couture. It doesn't make me want to buy the fragrance right now, but it does make me want to watch it again and again and again. Some of my favourite outfits are the yellow chiffon dress, red-lipstick kisses dress and every single one of the trench-coats. Check it out below and let me know what you think in the comments: