Chanel 'Gabrielle' Launch × Thirty-Second David Jones Spring Flower Show

In welcoming spring, David Jones Sydney held their annual flower show on the last week of August. The exclusive card-member only preview of the gorgeous arrangement of fresh flowers doubled as the launch of a new Chanel fragrance for women, Gabrielle. The ground floor of Sydney's Elizabeth Street store was in bloom thanks to 10,000 hours of work and over 150,000 fresh flowers. 

Gabrielle by Chanel is about freedom and destiny. As Mademoiselle would say, "I decided who I wanted to be, and that is who I am". The House of Chanel has always been a symbol of freedom, desire and illusion. The fragrance captures the essence of an imagined flower of radiance. It is created with an extraction of the beautiful and signature flower of Jasmine by Chanel along with Ylang-Ylang, Orange Blossom and Grasse Tuberose. A fitting launch in spring, Gabrielle is a sparkling floral scent which exudes confidence, sophistication and desire.

The event was impeccably presented with the most vibrant and sophisticated floral installations in store and in David Jones' iconic interactive windows. I can't wait for next year!

Randwick Club - ZHU Canton and LVL4 Opening

Located on 135 Alison Rd, the Randwick Club had two openings last month in August, which I was lucky enough to attend with miss sennnaa. ZHU Canton is a modern Chinese restaurant with a bright set up and beautiful decor, serving all my favourites from Har Gau to Peking Duck. On the other hand, LVL4 is a hip and chilled out bar with more of an organic set-up for those who want some time off without all the extra stuff. All in all, the events were super lively and fun - and of course, accompanied by delicious food and amazing cocktails!

Ben Sherman Suiting Event

MBFWA14 | Weekend Edition Wrap-Up (Sunday 5pm Show)

Why did I disappear for two weeks? Well the first week I was swamped with 3 assessments (on top of that, April means that it was time for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia 2014) and then I got a week of break I decided to take a sabbatical. Dramatic. I know. Anyway I was super excited for this (of course I was, it was a peep-hole to Australia's fashion industry). But because I knew I was going to be so busy during this week, I decided to give this year a pass.

Then on Sunday morning I got a text and was invited to the Weekend Edition Shows. I was really grateful for my friends who could join me on a whim AND I feel in love with the Weekend Edition. You gotta love the location as well. Carriageworks just gets better and better - with a huge area to play with, beautiful stalls of Maybelline New York (giving away their latest lipstick), Swarovski (photobooth to be abused) and Mercedes-Benz went all out to give attendees the best fashion treatment in the country. And yeah, we could relax at the Mercedes-Benz Star Lounge too :D

The beautiful thing about the Weekend Edition is that it is the composite show of the best garments from the most influential designers of the week like Alex Perry and Alice McCall. Although the show does lack some wholesomeness than watching individual shows (with the set and everything), it was still such a heavy and perfect binge of fashion. Other favourites include Cameo and Jayson Brunsdon.

The Weekend Edition showcased Phoenix Keating, MacGraw, Leroy Nguyen, Hayley Saesser, DUVENAGE, ZHIVAGO, We Are Handsome, Talulah, Emma Mulholland, Desert Designs, SUBOO, Alice McCall, Gail Sorronda, Cameo, Michael Lo Sordo, by johnny, Bec and Bridge, Aje, Serpent and the Swan, IXIAH, Ae'lkemi, Betty Tran, Aurelio Costarella, Jayson Brunsdon, Alex Perry, Carla Zampatti, Bianca Spender, Haryono Setiadi, Ginger and Smart, Dion Lee, Romance Was Born and Ellery. Check out more photos at the event after the jump.

Top 5 Sunglasses for Guys and Girls 2014 - SAFILO GROUP

Sunglasses are always the most stylish form of luxurious accessory. They are the incorporation of style and creativity. I always love accessories more than any other item because they tell a story about someone's personality. Before the exams started I was invited to a showing of the eyewear of SAFILO GROUP. The biggest labels in sunglasses like Gucci, Carrera, Marc Jacobs, Dior and Saint Laurent launched their newest range. The best thing was to see the styles on the runway right in front of me. The main trend seems to be reflective lenses and Havana tones. It's really good to have a first hand look at sunglasses because you have to look at the details from all angles. Lots of touching occurred.

Some of the most stylish and outstanding sunglasses for ladies and men.

Top 5 for guys:
5. Gucci: GG 1051/S (Black) - smooth edges and stylish accents with the iconic t-bar hinges.
4. Marc by Marc Jacobs: MMJ 386/S - retro colour-blocking in D-shaped frames.
3. BOSS: BOSS 0556/S - retro design in a natural palette.
2. Pierre Cardin: P.C. 6790 - retro inspired pilot shaped sunglasses with amazing detail.
1. Dior Homme: Blacktie 177S - the translucent blue acetate and aluminium frame make a look effortlessly stylish.

Top 5 for ladies:
5. Carrera by Jimmy Choo: Glitter (Black) - bold luxury.
4. Max Mara: MM Diva - distinctive shape and colour.
3. Gucci: Web Ribbon - chic smooth rounded edges.
2. Bottega Veneta: B.V. 1000/S/S - unique with the signature Intrecciato.
1. Dior: Fashion Show Sunglasses - straight off the runway, oversized butterfly shades by Raf Simons.

There were so many great lines at the showing:
Alexander McQueen, BOSS, BOSS Orange, Bottega Veneta, Carrera, Dior, Dior Homme, Gucci, Jimmy Choo, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Marc Jacobs, Max&Co., Max Mara, Pierre Cardin, Kate Spade and Saint Laurent Paris.
Keep reading for more pictures. If you can see me in the reflection it's because I am very skilled in the art of composition in a photo. Yes.

Darkness is also your friend - Nokia Lumia 925 Launch Night

We all know that in photography, lighting is your best friend so it was always a problem taking pictures indoors or in low light situations. One thing I hated was going to restaurants and taking pictures of food in low light (cos we love taking pictures of food ok). Thanks heaps to Fuel Communications and Ms Sennnaa for having me at the launch night of the Lumia 925. It's such a sleek and stylish phone with a modern large screen and it's super slim and lightweight. I get to try the phone out for two weeks and I can't get enough of it! None of the photos were edited. Most of the photos that night were taken under extreme low light and no flash. It's an awesome phone for me to use when I go to events and parties!

One of the biggest selling points of this phone is its photo capabilities. It is by far the best camera in low light situations and to prove it, the whole event was hosted in the dark! The performers had glow in the dark paint and there was mostly only black light to show off the paint and one of the centrepieces of the night, a Kaleidoscopic dress by Tess Tavener Hanks who is submitting it for her HSC. Her piece was also showcased at Vivid Sydney. The dress and headpiece weighs over 16 kgs and the model stood there for most of the night showcasing its beauty.

Little Treasures Market Launch Night

Hi there SydneyCiders ;)

Little Treasures Market launched on 21 July and it's a great place to snap up some super cool fashion pieces. It's amazing to get to know local labels and be in an environment of creatives. Here are just some of the stuff on offer at District 01 (7 Randle Lane, Surry Hills). It's a Sunday market so if you're free you should definitely check it out. The market is run by Margaret from la petite mademoiselle selling very cool and stylish local labels. The market boasts many handmade vintage inspired pieces. And if guys think that it's all for girls, Dear Pluto does menswear!

Check out Little Treasures Market's Facebook page to stay updated on when the markets are on. Even if you can't visit, you should take a look at what the labels have on offer on their website.

#CROSSSECTION Boutique

SUCK IS FREE

Sneaky Peek

Collars From Neverland

MARIKIT

Renew

Age Of Intimacy (Cityblis)

Dear Pluto

Pigeon & Weasel

Laurel & Hector

I love getting to know designers because every label has a story. These opportunities are much bigger at markets because well, the designers usually man their own stalls. Kee Kee named her label after her grandparents Laurel & Hector and finds very interesting fabric for her label. Pigeon & Weasel are room-mates who make scented soy candles in recycled beer bottles!

SOLO showing off her handmade jewellery and Kee Kee who designs Laurel & Hector

See anything  you like?

A Party That Was NO GOOD - SUCK IS FREE Launch Night!

My attendance to my first ever launch event and it was crazy as hell. What a way to end a traumatising week of uni exams! SUCK IS FREE held their launch last night at a basement +ESTATEofMIND and it went off! A mix of crazy designs, crazy designers, crazy bloggers, crazy dogs and just general craziness made the night amazing. It was an awesome night for me and I thank A Series Of Fortunate Events and SUCK IS FREE for having me there. Everyone looked awesome in their gear, because not only do #UKNOWIAMNOGOOD, everyone was just badass.

How good is this?!

+ESTATEofMIND

+ESTATEofMIND was excellently set up. The decor was so awesome and showed of a lot of their super interesting pieces as well as the highlights of the night, SUCK IS FREE. It was great to see everyone dressed up ready to kill it and showcase some of the most creative and out-there pieces SUCK IS FREE had to offer. The bold prints and in your face attitude is what +ESTATEofMIND and SUCK IS FREE is all about.

Age of Intimacy Evening: Cotton Candy

The first of a series of performances and intimate evenings, 'Cotton Candy' by Australian cult lingerie label Age of Intimacy in collaboration with A Series of Fortunate Events was to raise awareness for beyondblue, an organisation targeting depression and anxiety. This intimate evening boasted theatrics and dancing, on top of a fashion show. Greeted at the door by fire-spinning and fire-eating performances, I made my way up to Studio501 where contortionists and acrobatic performances were already making a scene.

MBFWA13 | hello ELLE

The finale. The end of fashion week. One of the most hectic but rewarding weeks. The ELLE show was worth getting excited over. The ELLE launch was full of celebrities at the red carpet and tonnes of other important people in the fashion and entertainment industry. The ELLE launch was a spectacular show that showcased some of the best outfits throughout the week and it was great not because only the best pieces were selected but also because I got to see the best pieces of the designers I missed out on.

The show had acrobatics, live music, huge LED screens all around The Runway with the best covers of ELLE magazine internationally and they all gave such an exciting and well produced atmosphere to the event. It was also very exciting during the actual show with the huge screens showcasing the outfits. The show was split into parts and in the latter part, the top of the catwalk was ripped off to reveal a gold glitter runway and the show from then on had a DJ. It was an excellent show - what a way to end Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia and launch ELLE magazine.

MBFWA13 | Alex Perry

This entry on the Alex Perry show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia is written by guest writer Pachi Santiago. For more information about him, check out the end of the post.

♔

Alex Perry - Minimalistic Sirens

Alex Perry's proposal is modern and powerful. He turns women into cold, almost androgynous sirens. Romantic tailoring with 90's minimalism resemblance. Nude colours and amazing black, with surprising yellow touches, granted him a trendy palette.

MBFWA13 | Zambesi

Just an hour or two after Staple the Label at The Theatre, I was super excited to see Zambesi as it was one of the rare shows at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia to have menswear. I missed out on the Innovators show which had a menswear designer from Ultimo TAFE.

Zambesi by a pair of New Zealander designers was a good show and had a strong production team. I enjoyed the beginning when the a female model opened the show under a growing spotlight and every now and again, menswear comes along and got me more excited. The finale was really fun too, the walking route was very compact and square and 'snakey' (by that I mean the old Nokia Snake game) haha it was great.

I will talk about the womenswear and menswear separately. Overall, I enjoyed a lot of the pieces and they look even better in the photos.

MBFWA13 | Staple the Label

Staple the Label held their show at The Theatre on the last day of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia. When I first walked in and saw those glass panels down the middle of the runway I was ecstatic about the show. I could just imagine that it was going to be crazy (good). The production team at the show did an excellent job with the concept of this line called 'Crystalline' which boasts all things synthetic and fashion forward whilst maintaining the minimalism iconic to this brand. The show held together extremely well and had a theme - that's what I love about fashion shows.

MBFWA13 | New Generation: Desert Designs / FADDOUL / Natalie & Sarah / Tristan Mielle / Jamie Ashkar / The Letter Q / Betty Tran / Zhivago

The New Generation, a show of eight different labels came together at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia. The team at Desert designs, Jessica (FADDOUL), Natalie & Sarah, Tristan Mielle, Jamie Ashkar, Doris Qiu (The Letter Q), Betty Tran, and Lydia Tsvetnenko and Lara Kovacevich (Zhivago) had a great show and they presented some very strong pieces. Each label had their edge and something different about them and it was interesting for the audience to see what their spin on fashion this SS season was.

Overall, I enjoyed the shows of Desert Designs, The Letter Q and Zhivago the most.

MBFWA13 | Bronx and Banco

This entry on the Bronx and Banco show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia is written by guest writer Miss Sennnaa. For more information about her, check out the end of the post.

♔

Bronx and Banco has an elegant and sophisticated concept which bring out that mature yet glamorous feel from each of their pieces. Many of their clothing pieces tend to have more clean cuts which bring a slightly edginess to make it easier to wear casually. During the MBFWA, their Spring Summer 2013/2014 Collections concept mainly used the colour white and black with the occasional colours of gold, blue and pink to which is in trend this season. They use various materials to create a different texture and look for each outfit, such as the glitz and glamorous sequin dress.

MBFWA13 | Raffles: Gabriel Lee / NARA / Aurelia Santoso / Diyana Kosso / XU's / Aquintic

The afternoon show of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia on Wedndesday was Raffles, the College of Design and Commerce, at The Runway. This was the show of 6 students; Gabriel Lee, Nara Sangngern (NARA), Aurelia Santoso, Diyana Kosso, Virginia Killroy Liu (XU's) and Ayaka Ichikawa (Aquintic). Overall, the show was satisfactory and I generally enjoyed the pieces of Gabriel Lee and Aquintic. The rest were not as strong and I didn't feel that they were suitable for Spring/Summer. They were more or less like the students' artworks and pieces that they worked on.

One problem I had with the show was the boring finales which were just repetitions of each other. There was no variety (unlike the ending in The New Generation) and it felt a bit lazy I guess. Perhaps they were trying to make the show into a cohesive piece because none of the designers had similar pieces or themes. However, I don't think this is really necessary in a composite show. Sadly, there was also not much interest from the audience with the show not filling up and certain crowds leaving once their friend's pieces have been shown off.

MBFWA13 | We Are Handsome

Just a bit after Alice McCall at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia, another show started at another location, the Theatre. I was really excited to see We Are Handsome because swimsuit shows are always the best. I mean Australian swimsuit shows are always the best. Why? Because the models are always the hottest and a the show itself is super cool and summery. The very culture of Australia translates into commercial fashion very easily in this area.

The show was great and one of the best ones of the week (well of course, besides hello ELLE which was crazy and I cannot wait to blog about that). I mean this in the show itself, how it was presented, what ideas were behind it etc.

Ladies walking towards me ;D

MBFWA13 | Alice McCall

So on Wednesday morning of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia, everyone was quite excited for this show. This one had goodie bags! Alice McCall is a largely celebrated Australian designer. After the show finished, the crowd was extremely pleased with the result. But for me, initially, it wasn't as great as I had expected. It was a great show and it showed off a lot of talent but I felt like I expected and wanted to see more from Alice McCall. Looking back at the photos on the MBFWA website, the pieces in the show held together very well, the overall looks were very earthy and boho.

MBFWA13 | GINGER & SMART

I was excited for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia for a long time, but I had little knowledge of the Australian fashion industry and didn't really know what to expect. Kudos to all designers and staff at the Fashion Week events. Sadly I missed a lot of big shows from other renowned Australian labels like Alex Perry and Camilla but Ginger & Smart was the first show I attended and it was quite outstanding. The whole show held together really well with the appropriate music and overall theming of geometry. The opening of the show was strong and very sophisticated. It was a great opening, I don't know what more to say about that.

Ginger & Smart are two Australian ladies whose designs are modern and chic, perfect for ready-to-wear. The cuttings are strategic to create form which reinforces the whole shapes theme of this line. 'Shapeshifter', was an excellent show that I got to watch and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for this line being a hit in the public. A shame they didn't have goodie bags even for the front row :(

I love finales