MSFW: FINAL OUTFIT, DAY 5

Dress: Cocolatte

Skirt: Bardot, from Myer

Necklace: Emerging Designer Market, Melbourne Central

Shoes: Wittner

The story...

Apologies for the delay in this post - university and work has been rather full on! This was what I wore for my final show of MSFW - the resort show. Given that summer is just around the corner (and bikini hunting must soon commence), I was pretty excited to see what the seasons styles would be. I can report that we'll be seeing lots of cut outs, graphic prints, bright colours and my favourite - monochrome!

It was rather rainy and cold unfortunately so I was forced to wear a jacket and coat over the outfit, so didn't get to show it out as much as I would have liked. I love this black and white striped dress - it's a basic shift shape and I think looks much more expensive than it was (under $20!)

The only downside is how short it is, possibly verging on indecent when worn without tights. Enter this gorgeous leather solution: my new Bardot skirt! I had a H&M black leather skirt that I bought a few years ago and have worn to death. My mum was so sick of seeing me wear it even though it was ripped and tattered, so she bought me this one to replace it! It's slightly longer and more of an a-line shape that I love. I was torn between sizes though - the 8 fit like a glove which is great for going out in, but I really wanted something I could wear in the day too. I ended up buying the 10, which I have to wear on my hips rather than waist, but its a much classier length. It's a new season skirt, but thanks to a Myer promotion was about $20 cheaper than normal. Yey!

I wanted to keep the looks sleek and simple, so went for my Wittner transparent heels and a silver/black feathered necklace. It's actually more of a choker, which I don't really like, so I simply added a piece of elastic on each end so I could tie it as I liked! My I Scream Nails monochrome mani was still perfect from a few days before - possibly my favourite accessory!

Make-up

To keep with the sleek look, I decided to straighten my hair, tucking one side behind my ear. I was also pretty keen to rock some lippy, but thought red would be too predictable. Cue hot pink! I thought it was a refreshing change from red, and matched the brights we'd been seeing all fashion week. The rest of my face was kept simple, except for a flick of liquid eyeliner.

And so fashion week is well and truly over! The spotlight has moved from New York, to London, Milan and Paris. It was a busy but amazing week, and most importantly an excuse to dress up!

Which outfit did you like best? What other street style did you spot? I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions, so leave me a comment!

Brittany x

H&M TO LAND IN MELBOURNE GPO EARLY 2014!!!

My over-punctuation of this post's title probably gives away the fact that i'm EXTREMELY excited by the news that my favourite high street store in the whole entire world, Swedish chain H&M, will finally arrive on Melbourne shores next year.

They've chosen Melbourne's beautiful GPO on Bourke St as their first store location. They were rumoured to be looking at Chadstone as well as Myer's new emporium.

H&M is the shop i've missed the most since moving to Australia. It's very affordable and is great for basics as well as statement and stylish pieces. Their accessories are gorgeous, and so cheap for what they are too! The chain is also renowned for its designer collaborations - they've done collections with Maison Martin Margiela, Isabel Marant, Lanvin, Karl Largerfeld and Matthew Williamson.

There's no specific date set yet, but keep your eyes peeled early next year! I've no doubt we'll experience the same mania that occurred when Topshop first opened it's doors on Chapel Street.

With that, i'll leave you with this beautiful picture...
Brittany x

Melbourne Spring Fashion Week 2013 (MSFW)

Spring has finally sprung and in Melbourne that means only one thing - Melbourne Spring Fashion Week. Fashion fever takes over City Square and Swanston Street is filled with well-dressed people in towering heels tottering down the street.

                 

As you know, I'm a contributor to a fantastic online magazine called Onya Magazine. This year, I'm lucky enough to be attending five shows for them - Designer Runway 1, RMIT Student Runway, Wittner Shoes Runway, Designer Runway 2 and the Resort Show.

My reviews and pieces on these shows will all be on Onya, so I thought I'd use my blog to share my outfits (so much pressure on deciding what to wear to these events!) and the behind the scenes snaps. Before I had the opportunity to attend any fashion shows, I was always highly curious about what they were like. Hopefully if any of you feel the same, I can satisfy that curiosity! One tip - they rarely ever start on time. Still, I suppose that's why they call it fashionably late!

I hope you enjoy these posts. I'll be posting links to my Onya reviews as they go up. If you've got anything specific you want to know/ask, just leave me a comment!

Brittany x

Venture Down The Garden Path...

Two weekends ago, I was lucky enough to embark on a 'discover your own backyard' tour of the city of Stonnington. It's a council initiative to encourage people to opt to shop in their local area, by unmasking all the hidden gems that can often be overlooked.

After the tour I can say without any doubt that Stonnington definitely has some unmissable places on offer - not only for fashion but also for food and general experiences. (and is it really any surprise with chapel street, prahan and Armadale all within its boundaries!)

My write up of the day is now up on Onya Magazine, but thought I'd also share with you some pictures of the day.

Me in the sunshine of Prahran. Wearing FCUK dress, Sportsgirl sunglasses. Photo kindly taken by thejulietreport

My first taste of coffee! From the coffee connoisseurs at Market Lane

Cool plant hangings at CYLK

Behind the scenes at Lisa Barron

Best burger I have ever eaten - Parlour Diner on Chapel St

Gorgeous illustrations at Lisa Barron

Homemade candy from The Red Ballon, Prahan

March On

Fashion fever has finally faded in Melbourne as the L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival drew to a close last week.

If you've read my last few posts, you'll know that I was lucky enough to attend a few of the events. Obviously I haven't had the luxury of attending multiple fashion weeks around the world, but I love LMFF largely for its accessibility and proximity. So often fashion can be so involved with itself that it forgets that the public and the consumers are actually some of the most important people in the industry. LMFF celebrates that - with runways and seminars that anyone can buy tickets to, as well as a huge range of free pop-up and cultural events all over the city.

My mum and I have been going every year since we moved to Melbourne from London (coming up to five years now!) and it's something that I really look forward to doing. We've been to a range of runways, presented by Vogue, Instyle, Grazia and this year Madison. There's always a fantastic atmosphere and a luxurious feel to the evening and this year was no different. We went to the later show, which meant we missed the opportunity for beautiful sunset photos over the docklands but did enjoy some champagne in the Woolshed Pub. I'm yet to see a runway show in which all the clothes bowl me over, but i love the atmosphere and excitement associated with seeing a catwalk show live, as it's something you normally associate with VIP and exclusivity.

The Madison show had an impressive line-up of models including Alice Burdeu, Cassie van den Dungen and Rachel Rutt modelling the collections of designers Megan Park, Flannel, Alannah Hill, Hardwick, Jayson Brunsdon, Aurelio Costarella and Kirrily Johnston.

My favourite would probably have to be Hardwick, who I hadn't heard of before but I thought their collection to be extremely wearable - with lots of sheer, black and lace. Alannah Hill too had some gorgeous coats in bright colours, but looked similar to ones I've already soon before. I'm a massive fan of playsuits (current count is at least 6 in my wardrobe) so I enjoyed the silk brocade jumpsuits from Jayson Brunsdon as well.

Alice Burdeu in Hardwick

Jayson Brunsdon

Cassi van den Dungen in Jayson Brunsdon

All photography from LMFF official photographer Lucas Dawson

Not the best photo (mum photography!) but what I wore to the Madison show. I went for a blue silk floral patterned shorts and peplum top, white Zara jacket, black tights and heels, salmon clutch, bright accessories and a cheeky Topshop lipstick in 'Brighton Rock'.

My write up of the High Fashion High Tea is also now up online on Onya Magazine, which I hope you'll have a read of...the food was absolutely to die for and has affirmed that afternoon tea is most certainly back on the menu!

High Fashion High Tea - LMFF event

I also covered the 2013 LMFF National Designers Award for a university assignment and was lucky enough to interview two finalists (and hugely talented designers!) Livia Arena and Michael Lo Sordo. I was only able to use a few quotes in my assignment but found them both so interesting to talk to that I will hopefully write up a profile of them here for you to enjoy... stay tuned!

Brittany x

My Week Living The Dream

This week has been an amazing one - full of interviews, events and writing that have totally reassured and convinced me that a career in (fashion/arts&culture/music) journalism is exactly what I want to do.

To read more about it, scroll down or click the links below.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

These are my three very different looks I wore for my three fashion related assignments for Onya Magazine.

1. The opening of The Woodsfolk in Hawthorn on Wednesday evening.
I'm wearing a white long top from a boutique in Phillip Island, leather skater skirt from H&M, My favourite Wittner shoes and a studded leather clutch, also Wittner.
 - See Part 2 or the full review on Onya Magazine.

2. VIP Launch of the Wardrobe Weekender, Captains of Industry on Thursday evening.
I'm wearing my mum's black silk draped top, skinny herringbone trousers, the same Wittner shoes and an electric pink, black and white clutch from Dangerfield.
- See Part 3 or the full review on Onya Magazine.

3. High Fashion High Tea, L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival at the Park Hyatt on Sunday afternoon.
I'm wearing a monochrome silk shirt from H&M, leather skater skirt also from H&M, black/silver chanel-style jacket from Sportsgirl, red suede heels from Novo and a red leather/leopard print bag - a christmas gift from mum!
- See Part 4 or look out on Onya Magazine for a full review very soon...


Which one is your favourite? Would love to hear your feedback!

Brittany x

My Week Living The Dream - Part 4

This is a fashion-related part of a larger series of four blog posts about 'My Week Living the Dream' - don't forget to check out Part 1 , Part 2 and Part 3

Just as I thought the fashion assignments for Onya magazine couldn't get any better, I found myself waiting in the lobby of the Park Hyatt for the High Fashion High Tea event presented by Fashionista's Australia (Emily Power) as part of the L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival. It was absolutely surreal. I was sat on Table 1 - the official media table - surrounded by extremely stylish women (and a few men!) about to have afternoon tea at one of Melbourne's most luxurious hotels. Pinch me!

Although I was doing it stag this time, it was a glorious afternoon. I was sat alongside many fashion bloggers who I admire, including Phoebe Montague of Lady Melbourne, Sarah Willcocks of Style Melbourne and met some new ones that I quickly became fans of, including Cecylia. There were finger sandwiches, tarts, cakes and scones galore - as well as a catwalk show, shopping avenue and amazing goodie bags. Watch out for my full review, to appear on Onya Magazine very soon....

That concludes my week living the dream! It's been absolutely amazing and has made me even more determined than ever to work hard and be successful in I believe is the most interesting and exciting career paths I could possibly have chosen.

Brittany x

My Week Living The Dream - Part 3

This is a fashion-related part of a larger series of four blog posts about 'My Week Living the Dream' - don't forget to check out Part 1 and Part 2

The fashion fun for Onya Magazine continued on Thursday night, this time at the VIP launch of The Wardrobe Weekender, a highlight of the L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival's cultural program.

This time I had my mum by my side as my +1 and we had a lovely evening. The basic philosophy of the event, organised by Lala productions and The Clothing Exchange, is a simple 'swap-shop' format. Everyone brings clothes they no longer wear to swap with others. I was a bit confused and ever so slight weirded out by the idea at first, not being a particular lover of second hand clothes, but after attending I can honestly say I'm a changed woman (limitations and exclusions apply!). I got myself two new (to me) items of clothing that i can't wait to wear and cleared out things in my wardrobe that were taking up unnecessary space. Not only that, there were also stalls of local boutiques and designers offering fantastic one-night only discounts, a complimentary glass of bubbly and vintage frocks for hire! Check out my review and please keep an eye out for any similar events coming to a town near you - can't recommend them highly enough!

1. My outfit for the evening. Recognise those trousers!? 2. Vintage clothes for hire 3. Mum and I went for dinner afterwards and had what I reckon is the best pizza outside Italy. Maybe even in Italy as well. The place is called +39 on Little Bourke Street. Thin bases, delicious tomato base and the speediest service i've had in a long time!

Firstly, I'm so grateful that i'm able to be getting experience in the industry by writing things for Onya as a contributor. I'm also hearing about and attending events that i would never have heard of otherwise - and hopefully by writing about it, am doing the same for you! I would really love a career in fashion journalism, so to be attending the events i'm attending and getting the opportunities i currently am is absolutely a dream come true.