Tomboyish Take over

"Tomboyish" is a style web series for tomboys or girls who have an interest in androgynous clothing. This web series is created by the very stylish and beautiful Ari Fitz. The videos are posted directly onto her YouTube channel very Tuesday. 

I am absolutely obsessed with this series as it is not only extremely chic and fashionable, but it challenges the gender stereotypes that dictate what a typical woman should wear. Ari does her own tomboyish look books as well as episodes which feature women of all walks of like who embrace their style and personality by wearing menswear or androgynous clothing. 

When watching this series i came across one episode that i really admired and appreciated. The episode was called Meet Eyewear designers, Coco and Beezy. These two New York designers expressed that they don't focus on whether an item of clothing is for a woman or a man, they buy clothes that appeal to them and highlight their style. Coco and Breezy shared the main influences behind their own eyewear designs and business:

"We don't design for a gender, we design for a personality. A person who has the confidence to wear our product. It's not about being a man or woman."

I love the idea of creating unisex products that don't have a gender. The person wearing the product has the power to give it a purpose, style and perhaps gender. I admire their confidence to do something so different and often frowned upon in society. However, does fashion need a gender? 

Today fashion is so alternative, flexible and versatile.People are constantly developing their own styles and fashion preferences. 

Although these women all considered themselves tomboys, they still embrace their femininity! None of these women were prepared to let that aspect of themselves go. Therefore, these women still enjoyed wearing make up, some wore dresses others wore heels. They used these feminine qualities to enhance their styles, while keeping to a tomboy look overall. 

"I love to express my femininity, while i embrace my masculine energy." -Blimey 

Some of Ari's looks:

"English Gentleman"

"The Ftiz"

"Keep it classy"

Some of Blimey's looks:

"Day look"

"Night look"

"Work"

Finally, my favourite YouTuber, Sarah Croce's looks: 

"Working in a professional environment, women are expected to dress in very specific ways....that's not my comfort zone, so i'm not going to conform to that" -Sarah Croce 

Who said tomboys didn't have style? Because they are taking over! 

If you like these looks, check these fabulous women out!  
Ari Fitz
Sarah Croce
Oh blimey     

Body and Soul, Witchery photoshot

On Monday the 15th of December, my family and I made our way down to Daylight photography studios to do a photo shoot for the Body and Soul section of the Herald Sun Newspaper; to be published in April next year. The photo shoot we did was a campaign to promote "white shirt day," a day of awareness for women who are suffering from Ovarian Cancer. White shirt day is sponsored and promoted by Witchery, therefore, we were styled in witchery white shirts for the shoot. 

Hair and make-up styling

Witchery white shirt 

My mum and her best friend Irene 

Behind the scenes!

The photo shoot definitely took longer then i had expected. I didn't realise how many photos they'd need to take in order to get one good one! Posing for so long makes your cheeks hurt from smiling so much, as well as feeling blinded from the continuous flashing from the camera. I have to say, being a fashion student, it was interesting to observe what happens behind the scenes when it comes to modelling, styling, hair and make-up as well as photography. It was a really fun and memorable day. It made me appreciate my role as an ambassador for the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation, as this campaign can reach out to so many women who may feel alone.

Getting Creative

The summer holidays have begun, which means uni is over and there are less things for me to stress about and run around like a headless chuk. I'm enjoying the freedom of having no commitments, no assignments or garments to sew, all i have planned is work for the next week. Therefore, i have decided to use my spare time productively. Rather than sitting in bed all day watching TV series after TV series (which i still do), i have begun to make jewellery. 

It's really fun to do something that's a quick and easy craft task that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. It's nice not to worry about patterns and sewing errors, jewellery is a simple task that can easily be self taught. I was introduced to the idea of making jewellery by one of my good friends Stacey. She has been making jewellery for fun and earning some pocket money out of it for the last few years. The other week, Stacey took me along to a factory outlet, Wholesale Beads, in Chesterville Rd. I swear, i had never seen so many beads and decorative pieces in my life. They were presented in an array of colours. Stacey and i each grabbed a bucket and worked our way through the beads. Honestly, i didn't know where to begin as there were so many things on display and i didn't want to miss any of them!

After an hour of looking through the parts that make up jewellery, i had a full bucket. I sat down to sort through the pieces in order to spend an amount within my budget. I kept pieces that i knew i'd definitely use; like jump rings, clasps, suede tie, earring posts and a pack of beads, along with some essential tools. Stacey and i purchased our supplies and headed back home to start getting creative! I was super excited to start making jewellery, especially a pair of fluffy stuffed love heart earrings i had seen on this hip, alternative blog: http://panache-halloweentown.blogspot.com.au/ and was so eager to recreate them! 

The following images are of the jewellery that i have made. I am yet to finish a mini collection, however will keep this blog updated of more items of jewellery that i create. 
I am also thinking of possibly selling the jewellery i have made, so if any one is interested, please e-mail me at:
geena_h123@hotmail.com

Body Harness made of brass coloured
chain and jump rings
$40

Fluffy and stuffed love heart earrings;
Hearts were sewn and stuffed before attaching them to a
chain of brass jump rings
$20

Suede black neck tie with clear crystal charm,
which changes colour in the light
$10

Please have a look at my good friend Stacey's Jewellery too!
https://www.facebook.com/stacelettes

Heaven Tanudiredja

The bali-born designer of Heaven Tanudiredja jewellery has released a hyper-structured fall/winter 2013-14 collection of statement pieces which were influenced by mental illnesses, in particular autism. Tanudiredja claims he doesn't "like classical, normal or practical" jewellery and attempts to tell a story through the stunning construction of his jewellry. Additionally, the designer views jewellery as a form of armour with hidden details each relating to the overall story. In this case, he uses wheels to represent the constant shifting of mental gears, empty chairs and hands that never seem to reach each other. Tanudiredja believes suffers of a mental illness are trapped in a mental cage which he has captured through brass gold, vintage crystals as well as spikes and claws. 

However, the jewellery designs are not only dark, but also a "beautiful chaos"as Tanudiredja describes. The chunky jewellery is definitely a masterfully sculptured artwork, beautiful in its authenticity and originality. I have never come across jewellery like this before and have been inspired by such alternative uses for industrial materials on fashionable jewellery. 


http://www.heaventanudiredja.be/

Edward Steichen & Art Deco Fashion Exhibition

Yesterday was Australia day, a day which everyone celebrates what it means to be Australian. My dad and i decided to venture out into the city and observe the large crowds of people who participated in activities, markets and events. It was nice to see so many people out and about, enjoying the sunshine. We, like everyone else in the city also participated by visiting the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) to see the Art Deco exhibition. With the recent return of the flapper dress style after the popular block buster, "The Great Gatsby" was released, i was excited to explore the origins of this fashion trend and most of all to view traditional garments and photographs from the era. 


The exhibition was remarkable! It showcased the famous photographer Edward Steichen's works which captured the sophistication and elegance of the golden age of fashion as he masterfully incorporated backdrops and models to compliment and enhance the fashions being displayed through imaginative documents of glamour, talent and style. I looked at each photograph with awe as the women dressed in midi-length, loose fitting garments embellished with sequins, clashing textiles and patterns illustrated their elegance and femininity. The photographs are timeless pieces of beauty highlighting Edward's skills and creativity as a photographer. 

Photograph by Edward Steichen
(my favourite photo!)

Interestingly, the styles of the 1920's and 30's set a template for modern dressing as the traditional style of dress including corsets and floor-length curvaceous gowns were push to aside allowing new styles of clothing to emerge based on functionality, comfort and lesuire. This type of dress was labelled as "sportswear." Sportswear was designed for lean, boyish and athletic figures as the garments were loose fitting and slipped easily over the head. Additionally, inspiration was drawn from exotic cultures such as China, Japan and Egypt. The Japanese Kimono was a basis for the Art Deco coat design. Western designers adapted a flat form kimono for the basis of the coat designs, which were stylised and dressed with oriental motifs and sequins. On the other hand, the Art Deco style was made up of the fit and cut of sportswear garments, geometric lines and stylised motifs.

Edward Steichen
 Photograph 

As skirts and dresses shortened in the 1920's, a greater emphasis was placed on footwear, which was once hidden by floor length hem lines. Shoes were fashioned from luxurious textiles and designed to capture light with movement. Their textiles often included metallic thread or colours such as gold and silver which were highly reflective. Shoes were also, much like the dresses, designed for functionality and comfort by incorporating the cross bar. Along with an increased interest in shoes, hats became another popular accessory. Hats gripped the head in a relaxed comfort and turban styled hats framed dark, heavy make up to enhance glamour and seductiveness. 

These shoes are so beautiful!
Slippers by Perugia

Finally, I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibition and left feeling very inspired as well as having a better understanding of this beautifully elegant period of fashion history. Unfortunately i was unable to take photos while walking through the display, however, like all galleries, i had to exit out of the book shop and bought myself an Art Deco book featuring the garments showcased in the exhibition. This is where i have sourced a lot of my in depth information and my images of the collection. 

I hope you all enjoy learning and reading about this exhibition as much as i enjoyed viewing it. If you live in Melbourne, Australia, i encourage you to see this exhibition before it closes! 

http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/

Beyonce's visual album

Recently i bought Beyonce's visual album. The album was released on the 13th of December unannounced, taking her fans by complete surprise! I can't say i have ever been a Beyonce fan. Sure, i've always loved listening to her hits on the radio, but never really looked further into her music to explore her albums. I didn't expect to purchase this album either, however i watched her videos about the production of the current album and was taken away by the creativity, nostalgic and personal visuals and empowering lyrics which were displayed in every song and video. I bought her album intrigued to watch these beautiful videos without having even listened to the album. I was immediately pleased with my purchase and inspired by Beyonce's lyrics and the effortless and artistic videos. 
What i love most about this album is that Beyonce tries to rebel against the idea of "perfectionism" through her lyrics and visuals creating a very authentic and original body of work. 

Aperlai

Aperlai's recent Fall/Winter 2013 collection skilfully incorporates thick, sharp lines that cross over to create frames for areas of bold, poppy colours. The collection cleverly uses the curves of the feet and varying line weights to compliment the famous art works of Piet Mondrain, which this beautiful geometric family of shoes is inspired by. 

The elegant use of textures, materials and cool winter colours such as green forest, deep violet and mustard create vibrancy reflecting pop art and masterful art pieces. Additionally, the "Geisha" heel introduced in this collection (shown in the image to the left) is an ode to cubism, which further compliments this seasons inspiration as well as Aperlai's signature style; characterised for it's graphic, asymmetrical and sophisticated designs using contrasts and pure lines to create elegance and a balance by balancing the relationship between lines and colours. 

When i came across this collection i instantly fell in love with the A-line chunky heel on the collection of suede ankle boots and platforms that came in an array of bold winter colours and each feature an intricate cut or shape around the foot. The designs are flawless, elegant, sophisticated and simply beautiful! I am excited to follow this designer and can't wait to see what she will produce in her future collections and designs. 

"The leg is beautiful, the walk becomes a signature" 

-Aperlai 

http://aperlaiparis.com/