Your Only Black Swan

Thursday, May 23, 2013

BRETON STRIPES, 4 WINTER LOOKS | THE ICONIC

Brrrr it's cold! This week the temperature has dropped a considerable low here in Sydney and I've decided to bring out the Uggs and layer like an onion. There's no denying the chill and what a perfect way to welcome the cold with this very post! The awesome team at leading fashion destination THE ICONIC have kindly asked me to collaborate with them for their Winter 2013 issue. I was invited to style a set of 4 looks, each incorporating their #iconicitem of the season, the timeless Breton sweater by 1&20 Blackbirds. After a decent amount of time browsing through their racks of winter gear, I came up with these 4 wearable and practical looks. Details below.

LOOK #1 – STRIPES AND SEQUINS

Rusty Cabin Fever jacket, Finders Keepers Same Direction dress, Graine Festival Hall Of Dreams Bag and 10 Bells Snake Flat Chain necklace and RMK Dustar boots.

I went for a day-to-night look, mixing textures and adding sequins for that night time glamour. The dropped hem of the dress worn underneath makes an interesting silhouette, whilst the knitted contrast sleeves and leather shopper plays the glamour down a notch. A cute pom-pom beanie and ankle boots will get you through AM to PM.

LOOK #2 – CITY GIRL

Rusty Cabin Fever jacket, Guess Pinwheel Houndstooth dress, 1&20 Blackbirds knitted beanie, Zatchels Leather Barrel bag and Urge Indigo boots.

This look is for the busy, working girl (someone like me!) who is always on the go and seeks comfort more than anything else. A knitted body-con dress is perfect for layering underneath sweaters and this graphic houndstooth print becomes a playful accent. Teamed up with stockings and flat studded boots, this ensemble will you help you get your errands done without a fuss!

LOOK #3 – CAMPUS COMFORT

1&20 Blackbirds Campus cardigan, Neuw Marilyn Skinny jeans and Rusty Snuggle beanie.

This preppy look is the epitome of casual comfort. Let the Breton stripes do all the talking with a simple colour-way. A lightweight cardi and cute beanie are the perfect add-ons for those catch-up brunches or visit to the shops.

LOOK #4 – COAT IT UP!

Guess Felicity coat, Neuw Marilyn Skinny Jeans, 10 Bells Thick Flat Chain necklace and RMK Dustar boots.

The wool coat is no doubt a valued, winter essential. Usually we opt for black or neutral colours for our wardrobe staples but a classic weave like this Houndstooth will endure the season year after year. Teamed up with another classic pattern like Breton stripes will have you looking effortlessly styled. The double breasted button-up front and cinched waist makes a rather flattering silhouette as well.

So there you have it! My 4 Breton stripes inspired looks for THE ICONIC - I hope you like them?!

The Winter 2013 issue will accompany any recent order from THE ICONIC so be sure to check it out. I would like to say a big thank you to THE ICONIC team for having me on board for this issue and a special thanks to Caitlin, Katerina and my dear sister Kassandra for her sharp eye behind the camera lens!

Hope you're all having a top week so far. Nearly the weekend!

x L

Sunday, May 19, 2013

MBFWA DAY 4 | Outfit Of The Day 'TWO-WAY FLORAL'

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Wearing: 3D rose cropped top by ASOS, bralette worn underneath by General Pants, statement necklace by Diva, vintage skirt, Le Specs Runways Sunnies and River Island boots. Photographed by Darren Luk. Post-edit, myself.

I have never been a fan of dainty floral, feminine prints... it just isn't me. However – I do like abstract and touch/feely 3D floral kinds ie. this colourful, watercolour skirt and cropped, sheer top. I wore this ensemble during Day 4 of MBFWA. The skirt is in fact part of a two-piece outfit I picked up at St Vinnies for $8. The punchy, bright print caught my eye - if you've been reading my blog for a while, you might remember the matching top worn here. I don't think I could ever pull off wearing both pieces together, that's definitely a challenge I'm willing to give any daring dresser! It peaked 28 degrees that day so the cropped top and sheer fabric gave me some relief whilst my friends and I visited showrooms/lunched in Surry Hills and fled back to Carriageworks for PM shows. T'was a busy day followed by the 'A year in the life of Facehunter' after party at The Backroom - Oh yea, did I tell you I got snapped by Yvan Rodic at 8:30am that morning?! Felt quite vulnerable since I didn't have my morning coffee yet and was in recovery mode from a previous night of after parties and dranks at The Passage. The result turned out okay I think haha. If there's one thing I've learnt from fashion week, it's taking another few days off to recover.

On a more recent note, I've been super busy with work and freelancing on the side which is merely why I haven't posted on here for a while. But that doesn't mean I don't have any new updates to share with you. Here are my top three!

1. I purchased tickets to HAIM and James Blake July sideshows. I love, love HAIM! These sisters have also been featured in the latest ASOS magazine. Can't wait to dance around with my hands in the air to Forever. (sick remix track below) If you want to hear some magic in the Sydney Opera House, there's still some tix left for James Blake here.

2. The awesome guys at private driver service UBER have told me that I'm a "perfect passenger" and have issued me a $10 off promo code to share with everybody! Enter the code 'mbbeo' during registration and you will be granted $10 credit to use for your very first UBER ride. UBER is pretty much a fancy, black car service powered by an app that will pick you up at any destination, allowing you to arrive or leave in style. They are pricier than a standard taxi, but if you want the convenience these guys will save the day/night! For those residing in Sydney and Melbourne, register here and get $10 off!

3. Some cool Japanese guy made a cat font. Enjoy nekofont !

Hope you all had a pleasant weekend! I spent my Saturday afternoon and evening watching the entire first season of Game Of Thrones and I am hooked! Slow to get onto the bandwagon I know, but that's a solid effort I say!

Peace out! x L

Thursday, May 02, 2013

MBFWA DAY 3 | Outfit Of The Day 'FELINE FINE'

Wearing: Cat tshirt (gifted from from Hong Kong), leather skirt by American Apparel, jacket by Boohoo.com, kitty choker by Shop With Romi, Le Specs sunnies and Windsor Smith sandals. Photos by Darren Luk.

Meow peeps! Hope you're all having a good week! So far it's been a big one for me! If you follow me on Instagram, you'd probably seen that I was behind the scenes on the set of Evil Twin's Spring/Summer 2013 collection shoot. Let me tell you, there are so many rad, punky pieces to come from designer Jodie Mckenzie, I'm really looking forward to sharing my bts pics in a later post and also some 'other' special news that I've been bursting to tell you! For now, here's a sneaky gram of model Gabby and photographer Byron Spencer on set - gotta love that yingyang!

In other news! I was lucky to catch Flume and bearded babe Chet Faker at the Hordern this week. If you haven't heard of Flume, well I think it's best you get out from under that rock and treat your ears to his uber cool, electronic beats. Can you believes he's only 21 years old! This kid has his shit sorted, I'll tell you that. Chet is widely recognised by his impressive beard but most of all, his goddam sexy voice. I assure you, this clip of him singing 'I'm into you' at SXSW will have you drooling at your keyboard. You're welcome!

Tonight I'll be hitting up Skyy Vodka's Live Full Volume party - should be awesome. If you know me well, you'll agree I'm no doubt a vodka girl. The Faders Djs are also handling the beats tonight, so psyched as they killed it last week at the MTV Iron Man 3 party. Keep up with the updates via hashtag #skyylivefullvolume

Hope you all have a great remainder of the week and weekend!

Sunday, April 28, 2013

MBFWA 2013 | KATE SYLVESTER HIGHLIGHTS

Photos and post-edit by me.

During Day 2 of MBFWA I attended Kate Sylvester's Spring Summer 2013/2014 show 'The Last Sitting', a collection exploring the bittersweet life of the most talked about, Hollywood icon and blonde bombshell, Marilyn Munroe. Drawing inspiration from her complex, conflicted and charismatic beauty, the collection combines both light and shade, where "The light is captured in lipstick pink silks, swirling organzas and white linens... the dark steals in with frayed fabric edges, scattered pearls and dusty roses". We also see a strong contrast in feminine vs masculine pieces that allude to Marilyn's relationships with American Major League Baseball player, Joe DiMaggio, playwright Arthur Miller and first husband James Doherty. Tan and white leather skirts and jackets with baseball stitching represent DiMaggio's baseball mitts and ball whilst button down shirts and tailored suiting hint at Miller's work attire. My favourite trends from the collection include the highly feminine combination of sheer silk with embroided detailing and sporty tan leather/denim baseball caps. Not to mention the hot pink lips that set off each look. Overall Kate Sylvester's latest collection is a modern and re-freshing take on the life of Marilyn Munroe.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

MBFWA 2013 | JAYSON BRUNSDON HIGHLIGHTS

Photos and post-edit by me.

So I'm back to my MBFWA posts and to hit things off, may I introduce to you the ever-elegant and feminine designs by Jayson Brunsdon. I was lucky to catch Brunsdon's Spring/Summer 2013 collection 'Obsession' which also marked his 10th anniversary showcasing at MBFWA. To set the tone, Brunsdon's models slow-walked down the runway to dramatic, orchestral music. His modern twist to classic elegance showed through his bold fabric combinations of latex, shiny metallics, silks, sequins as well as a beautiful brocade lace that trimmed bell sleeves and suit pants. Wet gel, sleek back hair and a mix of both classic stiletto heels and metallic sling-back flats completed each look. Whilst his designs maintained his signature of old Hollywood glamour, this collection also had some Oriental and mid-century couture influences. My favourite looks from the show include the stunning red v-neck, retro-style dress and the white silk pants and matching bat-wing lace trimmed top - both strong and timeless silhouettes iconic Hollywood sirens would have worn.

Friday, April 19, 2013

DAAN X General Pants Launch Party #BowlingForFAASHION

Okay. I'm going to do something a little cheeky here and fast-forward my MBFWA posts to 'the' party that ended fashion week with a bang! I'm talking about the latest craze by Ksubi co-founder Dan Single and his new 'FAASHION' label, DAAN - exclusive to General Pants. You may have noticed a few sequinned ANIMAALS jerseys and totes popping up on Instagram recently, well everyone can now get their mitts on these fun designs. To celebrate the launch, General Pants hosted a bash at Manhattan Superbowl that combined both bowling and fashion; bowling lanes were decked out in designer fashion labels and continuous runway footage screened all in the name of #bowlingforFAASHION

My friends Darren (Boy Moments), Georgia, Romi (Romiya), Kari, Yan (Parfasseux), Arianne (Lola Jagger), and I joined in the celebration and also a game of bowling (ahhh duuhh!!) where I surprisingly scored a few strikes on the scoreboard. Thanks to Ciroc Vodka and beats by Nina Las Vegas, all of us were eager to let our hair down after the massive week of shows and high heels. It was definitely the right time and place. I even had the lucky chance of meeting darling Aussie super babe and partner of Dan Single, Stef Bambi, actor Sam Worthington (yeaaa like the Avatar!!) and even the Bondi cooks Luke and Scott from My Kitchen Rules. All round, awesome vibes and a killer night!