My naked pants!

I’m not scared of a bit of aaahctivewear and have found Lululemon gear suits me best. Recently when I travelled over to Lord Howe Island for a few travel assignments I had the opportunity to road test some new ‘naked sensation’ pants from Lulu.

All my other tights are shiny lycra, but these were a matt, cotton finish. Their naked name comes from the feeling – they do feel like you’ve got nothing on, so for the exhibitionist in you, they’re perfect, but if you have those kind of nightmares where you forget to put your pants on they might not be a great idea. Kidding. They’re great.

The style I have is Align, and they retail for $119AUD. Certainly not cheap but with all my Lulu gear, they’ve lasted so much longer than any other brands I’m happy to fork out the extra. They’re comfy on the plane (especially with a toddler crawling all over) and I really enjoyed using them on our hikes on the island. Check them out.

Thanks to Lululemon Australia  for the pants.

It’s me on the cover…

Well not actually me, but my story…

This week I am pretty chuffed to have scored the cover page of The Weekly Review with my piece about jeweller Jan Logan. Her work is modern and stylish, classic with a bit of edge. I think I got lucky when the promo shots were of stunning Australian actress and face of Jan Logan, Caitlin Stasey, who wouldn’t want to have her on the cover! Take a look over here.

Facets of a Brilliant Career….Michael Wilson

The Weekly Review are really supporting local Melbourne jewellery right now and, lucky me, I get to interview them all! Local stalwart, Michael Wilson, was on my list this week. Michael has been making since the 70s and has seen many changes in the local scene over the years. You can read my interview with Michael here.

View Michael’s latest collection here.

Image from http://www.theweeklyreview.com.au

The Weekly Review Engagement ring special

Even though I think Valentines is all a little bit silly, some people don’t. It was my duty to all the lovestruck believers out there to put together a beautiful little selection of engagement rings for my column in The Weekly Review…just in case. If I can help just one clueless man present just one amazing ring, then I have done my duty as a jewellery writer!

Check it out here. Rings below by Katherine Bowman, Jan Logan and Emma Goodsir.

Tis the Season to Adorn Her

There are so many beautiful jewellery collections around this Christmas. It seems the makers have really outdone themselves to push that envelope just a little bit further. My page in The Weekly Review is out today, highlights for me were the two Jan Logan ring, including the 8.07 carat whopper valued at $230,000!!

Super Sydney Saturday

This weekend I was treated to a wonderful day of food, design and fashion with B in Sydney. She put together a fabulous day for me and I enjoyed every moment.

We started early with a trip to the Eveleigh Market at the heritage listed Eveleigh Railyards, an inner-city area including the emerging Carriageworks arts and cultural precinct. I was particularly excited to see the Anna Schwartz Gallery there too. The markets have been operating since February 2009, and by all accounts are garnering more and more support each week. It was really lovely to experience a staple ‘Melbourne’ activity for me, in Sydney. Billy Kwong is represented there by his sister Kylie serving moorish dumplings, organic vegetables, beautiful dips and cheese, Pukara Estate olive oils (my family’s favourite!) and colourful fresh flowers.

B was there to pick up provisions for her dinner party that night, so first stop was Mirrool Creek Lamb for some…surprise, surprise…lamb! Raised in the Riverina, the lamb is free range and dry aged for 6 days. Supplying to restuarants like Longrain, Table for 20 and Becasse, the premium lamb is, according to B, to die for. We stopped off for colourful organic vegetables, homemade hommous and bagel crisps, truffle oil and some stunning purple sweet pea flowers.

Next stop was the sister store of my all time favourite boutique, Lotus Pod. Called Eden on Crown, it stocks a well edited collection of your cheaper dresses, tops and costume jewellery. LOVE IT!

Just around the corner was the Bourke Street Bakery. My Sydney siblings have sung the praises of this little bakery and cafe in the past, even going so far as to transport lemon and chocolate tarts five hours into the country when visiting the family home. B and I lined up with about 20 other people and had a lovely piece of pizza and a chicken, celery and walnut sandwich, both washed down with housemade traditional lemonade. Yum! They were seriously pumping through the people, which I’m not sure the photos really illustrate.

Next stop was the Brett Whiteley Studio in a back street around the corner. Even though I know about Whitely’s work, I haven’t really seen that much in person, particulalry his more 3D pieces. The Brett Whiteley Studio was the workplace and home of Australian artist, Brett Whiteley (1939‑92). Whiteley bought the former warehouse in 1985 and converted it into a studio and exhibition space. He lived there from 1988 to 1992, the year he died in Thirroul. I found the gallery particularly moving and honest as I wandered through his art then upstairs to his studio where his personal effects still lie, including his graffiti speckled walls. When we went to leave, the gallery assistant said “Have you been upstairs yet?” to which we answered “yes”. He was genuinely disappointed to see that we had had such a brief visit.

Finally a trip to Tessuti to look at fabrics followed by a lovely glass of Rose at The Commons (who have a very cute website!) watching the heavens open with a massive storm topped off a wonderful day. I’m falling in love with Sydney!

Eveleigh Markets
243 Wilson St, Darlington, (Adjacent to Carriageworks)
Ph: 02 9209 4220

Eden on Crown
531 Crown St, Surry Hills
Ph: 02 96998260

Bourke Street Bakery
633 Bourke St Surry Hills

Brett Whiteley Studio
2 Raper Street Surry Hills

Tessuti Surry Hills
110 Commonwealth St Surry Hills

The Commons
32 Burton St Darlinghurst

 

5 Minutes with…Teresa Liano

I had a chat today with the lovely Teresa Liano, the beauty and the brains behind TL Wood. Her gorgeous SS10 collection of feminine luxury is bound to be a part of my summer wardrobe!

What was the inspiration behind your SS10 collection? I hear it is very feminine and featuring luxurious prints and beading. How would you describe the look of the collection this season? I really wanted the Collection to be wearable.  To design useful pieces in stunning and luxurious fabrics, for example a cute t-shirt in a gorgeous silk and cotton.  I want that feeling of quality and amazing cut. I think you will always feel beautiful and if the fabrics feel great.  The look of the season is soft and muted tones layers and textures and beautifully tailored jackets.

The SS10 collection is heavy on the finer details. Was this collection a particularly challenging one to produce because of the attention to detail required? It comes easily to add the detail.  We agonise over the cuts so that seams and drape create the detail.  We love buttons and trims and always think about the clothes in a textural way.Your store Chapel St store in Melbourne is always on my hit list.

Do you have any plans to expand to other cities or areas? We would love to expand.  This will happen over time. At the moment we are expanding our wholesale clients just so different states can discover us in their favourite boutique.

Fashion is in your family. Was becoming a fashion designer a considered thing or did it evolve over time? I do come from a family that is obsessed with fashion.  My Mum had shops in Brighton when I was growing up.

Did your career in fashion evolve or something more considered? It definitely evolved, there was a time when I was deciding what I would do when I grew up, I was around 25.  I thought I wanted to do something different and I realised it was very natural for me to do fashion because I thought about it all the time and was obsessed with silhouettes. It always came back to fashion – I am inspired by it on all levels art, music etc.

Outside fashion and design, what do you enjoy doing? I love art.  I get so much out of looking at art.  I love it.  I love to see different artists art evolve and love to discover new talent.

What is your favourite local haunt? Cafe? Restaurant? Stores? I don’t really have a regular haunt.  I feel like Melbourne is constantly changing and there is so much new to discover.  I move around a lot.  Favourite shops; Christine and Shag. I  like Angelucci’s too.

What was your last exciting purchase? I don’t buy a lot but Wolford tights and my Anya Hindmarch clutch bag.

For a fashion fix or a spot of inspiration, where do you turn? I walk the streets, sit outside cafes and people watch, which is always inspiring. I look at a variety of things online where one site leads to another.

Visit TL Wood at 216 Chapel St, Melbourne or at http://www.tlwoodaustralia.com

Bejewelled in The Weekly Review

Just a little ‘shameless self promotion’ post this morning. My new page in The Weekly Review is live online this morning and appears this week. If you are in Melbourne, it’s coming to a letterbox near you on Wednesday. Each month I will be sharing my jewellery finds with you. If you have a hot jewellery tip, email me at theairloom@hotmail.com.

5 minutes with…Arabella Ramsay

As part of my new little project called Style Me Stonnington for the upcoming Stonnington Spring Fashion Runway, I have been interviewing a few great Melbourne designers. The first in the series is Arabella Ramsay and you can have a read over here.

It is really interesting for me to go behind the scenes with the designers and I am really looking forward to the actual SSFR event next week when I get to see them all in action. I believe sometimes people think that anyone could be a fashion designer (I’m talking to you Lindsay Lohan) but in essence it takes a whole lot of creativity, external inspiration, business nouse and drive to produce a collection let alone 4 a year like some of the big guns.

And the stylish winner is….

…Chelsea Doncon from Melbourne!

The Airloom was inundated with entries for the Australian College of Professional Styling competition and it was so hard to choose that I actually had to get some friends to help me decide. There are so many talented creative people out there, all just waiting for their opportunity to take a chance on a new career. All I can say is that, even though you may not have been successful in this competition, you should do whatever it takes to follow your creative dream. Don’t let a course hold you back!

Chelsea’s entry pulled at my heartstrings. Like me, she has worked the corporate life and decided that there must be something more out there. She told me she has been doing small courses in millinery to build her skills but wants to use this styling course to gain extra business and presentation skills to start making money from her skill.

Chelsea says, I am currently in the fledgling stages of starting to design my own headpieces (fascinators, hats etc). I know one day soon I will need to display and photograph these in a manner that attracts people to purchase my designs and also reflects my style. Obviously it would be about the entire outfit not just the headpiece. Any extra knowledge or skills that I can gain to assist me with this would be a great help.

I have since seen pictures of her headpieces and they are stunning. Stay tuned for more information about Chelsea’s journey through the course. And I am sure she will take orders for Spring Racing if you would like to get something a little bit different than the pack!

For more information about the course visit http://www.austcollegeprofessionalstyling.com