Wednesday, October 31, 2012

AVEDON FASHION: 1944 - 2000.


"Avedon Fashion: 1944 - 2000"

Carol Squiers and Vince Aletti
with an introduction by Philippe Garner.
Direction - Norma Stevens
Design - Yolanda Cuomo

Abrams, New York
In association with the International Center of Photography and The Richard Avedon Foundation.

TO LOOK INSIDE THE BOOK:


HANNELI MUSTAPARTA STYLE.



VIA vanessajackman.com.au

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Monday, October 22, 2012

FASHION BOOK REVIEW NO. 1


Over the past few years, I have developed a minor addiction to fashion books. I have a shelf filled with books on fashion photographers, fashion magazines, fashion stylists, and all the beautiful things that distract me from the somewhat ordinariness of everyday life. 

These books celebrate the industry, by showcasing the talented groups and individuals who make up this ever-changing world of high fashion. 

I am going to analyse and review my books in the hope that I will familiarise myself with the content of each book, and learn more about the fashion industry. 

REVIEW OF FASHION BOOK, 
“In Vogue: 50 Years of Australian Style”

Edited by Kirstie Clements and Lee Tulloch.
First published in Australia in 2009 by HarperCollinsPublishers Australia Pty Ltd.

“Vogue Australia celebrates its 50th birthday with a fascinating look back over five decades of people, fashions and style setters; the names, the faces and the places in vogue... In Vogue: 50 Years of Australian Style is a stunning visual journey of Vogue in Australia and a gorgeous document of a magazine’s confident coming of age.”

WORDS BY SIGRID (SIGGI) MCCARTHY.

Vogue Australia has been committed to educating and engaging its readers since it started as a supplement to British Vogue in 1956. This book, dedicated to 'every talented individual associated with Vogue Australia over the decades', looks back over the first fifty years of the magazine - highlighting the ways in which society has changed and how this well known publication has changed with it. 

Vogue Australia took a large step in 1959, when it broke away from its British sister and became an 'edition of Vogue in its own right.’ The first Editor of Vogue Australia, Rosemary Cooper, proudly announced in her debut issue that 'There are now four Vogues. American Vogue, English Vogue, French Vogue and Vogue Australia...We, ourselves, are thrilled that Vogue Australia has grown up so quickly. We hope that you are, too."

In the foreword written by Kirstie Clements and Lee Tulloch, we are told that more than 600 existing issues of the magazine were sifted through to create this book. 

"...Our ambition was to show the evolution of Vogue Australia over fifty years in a cultural as much as a fashion sense. It's striking just how much of the magazine, right from the beginning, was devoted to words as well as pictures, and in those words are encapsulated a vibrant record of Australian social history." 

Before the rise of the Internet and the obvious influences brought about by globalisation, magazines had a duty of connecting locals with the world. Vogue Australia opened our eyes to the European and American fashion worlds, and showed that fashion could transcend borders. This book documents the ebbs and flows of fashion trends throughout time, and highlights how various trends have been recycled, or 'referenced' over the years. It is pregnant with stylish women, vibrant colour and timeless glamour. 

What strikes me when reading this book is how strongly health and fitness were embraced and celebrated throughout these 50 years of Vogue Australia – particularly in the decades leading up to the millennium. The women featured exude health; they are often smiling in the photographs, and are captured outdoors taking part in some form of sport or leisurely activity – or at least pretending to in front of the camera. 

The book is filled with fashion spreads embodying everything quintessential of Australian lifestyle at the time. The images are drenched in sunshine, often set by the beach or in the Australian countryside. Freckles adorn the faces of sun kissed beauties, and one can easily be seduced by not just the clothing, but also the lifestyle that these 'characters' lead. 

When describing what made Australian Vogue unique to Australia, Fashion stylist and editor Nancy Pilcher said, "I suppose we worked outside a lot, we had the beautiful sun and the landscapes and the beaches to work with. June (McCallum, former Editor-in-Chief) and Patrick (Russell, former photographer and Creative Director) were on a mission to create something very Australian and different and fresh. Together, we created the spirit of Australian Vogue, getting great looking young Australians, men and women, and making them look energetic whatever they did."

Photographers, both local and international, that contributed over the years to the magazine include the notorious Helmut Newton, Norman Parkinson, Cecil Beaton, Richard Bailey, Patrick Russell, Deborah Turbeville, Karl Lagerfeld, Graham Shearer, and Monty Coles. They all have very different points of view and style - which helps the magazine develop over the years and offer something new/fresh to its readers. 

Something that I think is important to note is Vogue Australia's commitment (and that of many other fashion magazines during these decades) to featuring models on its covers instead of ‘celebrities’. Celebrity culture, whilst still prominent, was nowhere near as saturated as it is now, and famous actresses on the covers were not such a drawcard. Models, in many ways, were considered celebrities in their own right, and there was much greater value placed on professional ‘coat hangers’ showcasing the clothing of prominent designers. 

I wasn’t born until the later chapters of this book, but I am somewhat overwhelmed by nostalgia when turning its pages. This magazine reflects the changes in society and in cultural attitudes, as it is clearly influenced by the developments in politics, sex, money, art, music, film and an array of other significant factors. Not having lived through many of these years, I felt that I learned something about Australian history purely through flicking through these pages. 

This book is a wonderful look at how society has changed and how the 'ideal beauty' has gone through many transformations. It chronicles Australia's love of fashion over five decades, and showcases the evolution of Australian women. If nothing else, it highlights the fact that Vogue is more than just a beauty/fashion magazine - it is a celebration of women and a platform for women to embrace both substance and style.  


TO LOOK INSIDE THE BOOK:

Friday, October 19, 2012

AMY ADAMS FOR BAND OF OUTSIDERS






VIA fashiongonerogue.com

THE AUSTRALIAN WOMAN IN VOGUE.


Words found in Vogue Australia September 1968.

"What is her image in 1968? She is healthy, long-limbed, clear-eyed, gloriously suntanned. Open, friendly, unneurotic. Clever at making the most of her good looks (a large helping, by international standards). Sexy but not sirenish. Outdoorsy, sportif - with the will to excel in any sport she plays. Adventurous in her clothes, but able to discriminate between the fad-of-the-moment and the true fashion trend. 

Prefers an easy, casual look by day, but is romantic at heart and can do the full glamour bit when the occasion calls for it. Feminine - almost to a fault: she's still too willing to leave all the thinking and doing in politics - from parish-pump to parliamentary level - to her men. A conscientious but unfussy mother. An accomplished cook. An enthusiastic amateur in the arts, who works as hard at broadening her knowledge as at narrowing her waistline. 

A supporter of local charities, willing to devote long hours from her busy life to further good causes. A keen and constant traveller - happy to find that her Australian-made clothes measure up in chic to fashions she sees abroad, and often surpass them in quality of workmanship. Is she an impossible paragon? We think not...and have dedicated the fashion pages of this issue to her adornment, whether she's an elegant grandmother, a sophisticated wife or career woman, a young girl who wants to be a fashion leader in her own age group."

Thursday, October 18, 2012

GRACE CODDINGTON.

Story featured in November issue of Vogue US, 2012. 





TO READ THE FULL STORY, CLICK BELOW:

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

BACKSTAGE AT RODARTE F/W 2011.

VIA rodarte.net

PHOTO OF THE DAY.

VIA http://deathasitshookyou.tumblr.com/

ORLA KIELY FALL/WINTER 2012 CAMPAIGN.

Nimue Smit photographed by Venetia Scott for Orla Kiely Fall/Winter 2012 Campaign. Styled by Lula Magazine's Editor-in-Chief, Leith Clark.









VIA http://www.fashionising.com  

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

WHITE ANTING THE WEDGES.


** This article was written for and published in Catalyst Magazine. It isn't exactly fashion related, but it's close to my heart all the same **

WORDS BY SIGRID (SIGGI) MCCARTHY.

Melbourne is regarded as the world’s most liveable city, and this is due in part to its access to non-urban areas known as green wedges. Often referred to as the ‘lungs’ of Melbourne, Victoria’s green wedges have been protected for the most part by the planning scheme originally implemented by the Hamer Liberal Government in the 1970s.

These non-urban areas of Metropolitan Melbourne provide more than just breathing space for Victorians. They safeguard agricultural uses, preserve rural and scenic landscapes, and are home to some of our natural water catchments – providing us with some of the purest water in the world. Since they were identified, successive governments have worked hard to protect these safeguards, acknowledging that they are an extremely important part of Victoria.

The current government’s strategies to remove land from the green wedges and to reform Victoria's planning system highlights just how little Ted Baillieu regards previous efforts by bipartisan governments to protect our green wedges. Under his logical inclusions and anomalies scams, 6,000 hectares have been removed from green wedge zones, giving way for housing and commercial development. Now, under the guise of planning reforms, existing planning restrictions will be removed, allowing extensive tourism, commercial and non-agricultural projects within green wedges.
Kahn Franke, president of the Green Wedge Coalition and member of the Green Wedge Protection Group Inc. Nillumbik states that “The current zone reforms are a recipe for planning disaster; there is no vision, and no justification. They are poorly thought out and will benefit a few at the expense of all Melbournians.”
Other people share similar concerns to Franke. Chief Executive of Environment Victoria, Kelly O’Shanassy acknowledged, “The people that will benefit most from the Baillieu Government decisions are developers and land owners that will become very wealthy from selling their land. Many of those that will benefit financially have lobbied the government strongly to develop in the green wedges.”

Melbourne already has 30 years’ land supply available for use. This leads many people to speculate why the government doesn’t take advantage of opportunities for smart urban development within existing urban boundaries. By refusing to protect our green wedges, the Baillieu government is merely encouraging urban sprawl.

Unlike the proposed reforms, existing planning legislation puts sustainable development and community wellbeing at the forefront, ensuring Melbournians benefit from fresh air, clean water and locally produced fresh food. It is important we keep in mind that producing food locally reduces carbon emissions and transport costs, meaning that protecting non-urban areas of Melbourne helps lower the cost of food and ease the financial burdens of individuals and families.
In July 2012, Planning Minister Matthew Guy spoke out against critics of the planning reforms stating, “The only people who criticise these reforms are planning dinosaurs…Fitzroy-based academics.” This superficial retort ignores the many community members across the twelve designated green wedge areas that are deeply concerned by the government’s proposal, fearing the reforms lack long-term vision and community involvement.
Kelly O’Shanassy points out that these reforms raise more than just environmental concern. “…The people who move to these new suburbs will have severely limited access to public transport and will face ever increasing travel costs in line with petrol prices. Housing approvals are falling in existing outer suburban areas making it questionable as to why new suburbs are even needed.”
At the Green Wedge Coalition’s AGM held on 29th August 2012, community representatives, activists and past and current politicians gathered to discuss their concerns regarding the future of our green wedges. Those in attendance included former Labor premier Mr Steve Bracks and Lady Hamer, wife of former Liberal premier Sir Rupert Hamer. Both these public figures expressed their dismay over the proposed reforms.
Lady Hamer spoke passionately about upholding her husband’s legacy, reminding us “…any encroachment on our green wedges is irreversible.”
2012 is a year of great significance, as it marks ten years since the Bracks Labor Government adopted the Urban Growth Boundary and the current Green Wedges Protection Policy, and forty years since Sir Rupert Hamer’s legacy was introduced.

As a young student, this piece of writing is not fuelled by political or financial gain. It is written out of concern for our city’s future, as I worry that the government’s plans, if implemented, will reduce the quality of life for all Victorians. Victoria’s youth will be left to deal with the devastating social and planning consequences caused by this government’s greed and collective ignorance.  

Kahn Franke announced at the AGM that the government’s reforms will “white ant the wedges from the inside leaving them as green in name only”, and I can’t help but agree with him. These reforms will undoubtedly change the face of Melbourne forever.

Hollie-May Saker for Zoo #36 by Manuela Pavesi


VIA fashiongonerogue.com

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Monday, October 8, 2012

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