MBFF Day 2, Saturday 24/8/13 - First Day of Fittings

No painting today, thank goodness!! I cannot fully express how grateful I was to be splatter free today.

Today was the first day of fittings for MBFF. On today's schedule, bridal which is my favorite fitting this week. The most unique, elegant, creative wedding dress designs all in one place. There were names like Paul Hunt, George Wu and Darb. I was assigned to Wendy Sullivan who designs for Brides Desire. We had 14 models to fit and 15 dresses. One extra dress in-case a model doesn't fit one, back up is always important. Managing a clipboard and kilos of tulle took a bit of skill and navigation but it went smoothly. Shoes proved a problem. The runway this year has stairs so Wendy and I decided to use each models own shoe's. This would provide the models with a better chance of making it through the whole runway without face planting in the middle. Not something you, Liz, the designer, model or anyone else wants.  Fittings for us, went well with all girls looking overwhelming beautiful in their dresses.  Only a few changes with dresses and models were required.

Next to us was Jack Sullivan, competitor to Wendy and also her son. It a fun fitting as both Wendy and Jake were bright and positive people and kept making jokes throughout the fittings keeping it light. It really made the day great.  It can get too intense if you have a designer who panics, gets upset or overwhelmed in the fittings.  As Kimberly Gardner says “If you (the designers) aren't happy in the fittings they won’t be happy with their show.”

Jack took a little more to organise as he had some newbie volunteers who didn't quite know the ropes.  But I helped at the end to make sure all his items were organised and tagged with order sheets.  Keeping it exactly like the Back Stage Manager wanted them.  If everything is standardised then it makes the show go smoother.

It was an intense but productive day. But soon things will heat up and be in full swing, so I'm enjoying the quieter days while I can.

Have a look at some of the designers websites:

http://www.darbbridalcouture.com.au/

http://www.bridesdesire.com.au/

http://www.jacksullivanbridal.com/home.html

http://www.paulhunt.com.au/

Mercedes Benz Fashion Festival – Preparation Day 1

The biggest fashion festival in Queensland, the Mercedes Benz Fashion Festival kicks off in Brisbane in just a few days.  Today was the first day assistants and volunteers got to help with the preparations.   The fittings start tomorrow, clothing from bridal, emerging designers, Brisbane arcade, etc. they all need to be assigned to models, combined with shoes and show order.  Very exciting!

Today I didn't know what to expect, perhaps tirelessly taping for hours, creating order out of chaotic racks, writing run orders, navigating deliveries? Endless possibilities, I was hoping to do something a bit different and I got my wish.

Arriving early at the newly renovated Brisbane City Hall, after some trouble getting through the almost impenetrable black curtains, I arrived in the room.  My new home away from home, for the next week or so.  I met the other people working on the show. Some seasoned assistants I’d worked with, others new faces I was eager to get to know.  We got right down to it, hearing what needed to be done, catching up with each other and figuring out where everyone should go. 

My task: Bring Maiocchi’s shoe vision for their show to life

A couple assistants (including myself) went with Liz Golding, Styling Director, to her house to reload her car with racks, shoes and mirrors.  There Liz assigned us a bag of shoes we could paint and showed us the inspiration photo for the shoes and set us to work while she and the rest of the assistants worked on other tasks. The inspiration was shoes painted in bright colours, contrasting with the outfits, and patterned with motifs like stripes and spots.  The shoes were a completely different colour to the dresses, for example is the dress was blue and pink the shoes would be green and orange.  They added a colourful dimension to the models outfits.  Hence why Maiocchi wanted something similar.  Liz gave us paint and creative licence for colour choices!

I along with another assistant, Raisah, had a mountain of high heels in various colours which were mainly wedges with suede straps to sort through.  The shoes were easy to paint over and due to the large wedge would give a big hit of pop colour to the outfit.  I was more than a little worried about getting paint splatters on my carefully selected outfit but like a trooper I got in there and did it.  And I’m happy to report that not even a fleck of paint remains on myself or my clothes after today's painting.

Raisah and I went through each models profile sheet, found their shoe size and wrote it next to their name and in the run order of the show.  14 models in total all female (thankfully because they were wearing heels!) There was a run order containing photos of each outfit the models would be wearing.  So we had our paint colours ready and assigned two colours per each shoe.  Making sure the size corresponded.  For example the top of the shoe would be say green with the bottom orange.  Or purple wedge with a fluoro pink top.  We worked hard to make sure each wedge was different.  Painting was relaxing and in the hot sun the paint dried fast meaning double or triple coats of paint were ready to be painted almost at the moment you finished the last one.

Of course one huge disaster must occur each day, for it to be fashion week.  Today’s major drama, occluded when black ink paint spilt on the sheets we were using.  Making the colours assigned to each heel almost illegible, and colouring part of the white table underneath black.  As this was halfway through our painting there was panic.  Luckily it the paint dried fast being in the hot Queensland sun and we were able to read it with only a no trouble.  All shoes are now ready to be painted again tomorrow with their motifs.

I feel that this year I’m defiantly rolling up my sleeves and diving straight into MBFF.  It’s a great feeling.

 Final results of today's labor

Holy Hollywood Costume

"Nothing that appears on screen is casual or accidental"

On a recent Melbourne trip I decided to take a break from shopping on all the fabulous alleyways and enjoy the latest fashion related exhibition in Melbourne, The Hollywood Costume exhibition at the Australian Center for the Moving Images (ACMI). A delightful and decadent collection of the most iconic and pivotal customers worn in Hollywood movies.

Descend the darkened stairs to encounter an enormous screen playing scenes from famous movies. Actors like Audrey Hepburn from Breakfast at Tiffany's fill the screen, Daniel Craig from Casino Royal and Charlie Chaplin entice you into the exhibition. 

There are three areas in the exhibition, each delicately leads onto the next with writing on the wall to describe what each section represents. 

The first is about breaking down what costume design really is. A witty video on loop illustrates a costume in the wrong setting. In this section you see Scarlet O'Hara in an exquisite green velvet gown, for a lover of green I could have stayed looking at it for hours. Kirsten Dunst's costume for Marie Antoinette is as amazing in real life as on screen. The ship which perches precariously on the mannequins head appears to be sailing in a sea of hair.

As you round the corner into the second area you discover a myriad of tables containing projections of costume sketches, notes, textile samples and photos relating to each costume. There are TV screens with interviews from actors, directors and costume designers. Costumes like Johnny Depp's Sweeney Todd and Melanie Griffith from The Bird (an Alfred Hitchcock movie) illustrate the aim of this section.  Which is to help the audience understand the creative context between movie and costume.  A nearby video on the making of avatars provides insight into how characters like Gollum from Lord of the Rings are made.  A  couch in front of the video provides a much needed stopping point.  In fact a fellow exhibition go-er told me this section could be only be made more perfect if there was a coffee machine nearby to get you ready for the rest of the exhibition.

The last section is a spectacular collection of the most celebrated characters throughout film. Arnold Schwarzenegger dominates as the Terminator with bullet holes riddling his jacket, The Matrix's Neo (played by Keanu Reeves) is positioned dodging bullets and Reese Witherspoon's black sequinned dress from Chicago flairs delicately around her calf.

The iconic red slippers worn in the Wizard of Oz and Marylyn Monroe's white halter neck dress are captivating in both their detailing and significance in movie history. Quotes from actors lay in front of many costumes, bringing a feeling of intimacy between the viewer and the costume. Like Keira Knightley’s comment about her green dress worn in Atonement, said that until she wore it she'd "always thought of green as temptation." 

Overall this was the most special, well informed and rich exhibit I have been to. It does needs several hours to look though as it's heavy reading. It is well work the entry fee.  This exhibition was a visual feast and opened my eyes to the work and planning that goes into everything portrayed in a Hollywood movie.

"We have the magic" - Edith Head, famous American Hollywood customer designer

Grab the book to the exhibition and you can see all those beautiful designs any time and learn more about what you saw in the exhibition. Or how about use it to draw inspiration from costumes over an era and reinvent them to your current style?!

(Review of the book coming soon)

Vera Wang Fall Campaign

Absolutely had to share my favorite shots from Vera Wang's new 2013 fall advertising campaign.
The stunning Chinese supermodel Shu Pei captivates in the enchanted forest setting.

These photos truly are the perfect blend of dark, moody and romantic!

This level of chic is perfection
(My next investment will be these glasses)

Loving the Asian influences in this design

Photography by Carter Smith

Lust Haves

These are the things I am absolutely lusting for and loving, the select items I want to incorporate into my wardrobe this season.

Today's Lust Have ...drum roll please... is a Ben Lichtenberg t-shirt.

This LA based designer does his versions of the big designer logos. These shirts comes in two colour pallets, white and black. Simple and chic.

At a spectacular price of $65 a pop they are a reasonable addition to your spring/summer wardrobe.

The ultimate casual cool. Ben Lichtenbergrand is worn by all the fashion forward people.

   Jourdan Dunn - Model                                                                         Ashley Madekwe - Actor

   Cara Delevingne - Model                                                                                         Miley Cyrus - Singer

Wear the shirt with a chunky necklace to give wow factor and cuff the sleeves for an edger look.

Style with:



Zara Skort

Photo Shoot Must Haves

I've worked on so many shoots during my time in the fashion industry to date, I can prepare my bag in my sleep. Here is a list of the things I generally bring to a photo shoot.

            1. The Kit

Although every stylist you work for will have one of their own it’s also good for you (her assistant/ intern) to have one also. It should contain the basics; scissors, pens, masking tape, duck-tape, bulk dog clips and a hair tie (in case it’s wind and you need to tie your hair up).
Other add ins are pins, tissues, extra pens and baby wipes.

            2. iPad

Much quicker to type on and if your handwriting is…let’s say a little unclear…it makes for a better way to record information. Plus if you’re writing the outfit details for the photo shoot it's much easier to email off when you are done. It also means you have two copies not just one (easily lost or destroyed) one. Back up is very important.

            3. Notepaper and Pens

Basic one, perfect if you need to write the breakdown of outfits used in each photo, keep track of the people you meet or take notes someone is dictating to you (this could be about themes, outfits, places to return the clothes once your done etc.)  Plus side; unlike the iPad, you can actually tear the note out once your done and give it to the stylist/photographer/anyone who needs it.  It's old fashioned compared to all the technology we have now but it's still in use for many reason; including practicality.

            4. Nail File

A chipped or ripped nail when you’re touching lace or delicate items can spell HUGE disaster. You don't want a pull in a dress; this will not please the stylist/client or the staff where that dress came from. Keep a file on hand and you won't have to worry.


            5. Sugar Hit

Almost everyone gets a little fatigued throughout the day. So whether it's a stick of gum or a bag of Starburst it's always a plus to have a little something's to pick you up and the people you’re working with.


            6. Mini Pliers

These are my secret weapon. Great for fixing necklaces, when the choice is between using your nails to put together a necklace or these babies, I'd choose pliers any day. I used a giant pair on a Chanel show I worked on last year. They worked, however a small pair designed specifically for jewelry is easier to work with.

            Side Note

The above items can translate over to working on a fashion show. Just leave out the iPad and you'll be all set.