Fashion Event - Opening of Scene Boutique

On Monday I attended the launch of Scene, a new boutique in Preston. After years of working in the fashion industry, sisters Patricia and Libby Linardos decided to use their experience and love of fashion to open up their own store.


Stocking labels such as Rachel Gilbert, Alice McCall, Bec & Bridge, Indiana by Freda, Shakuhachi, Dalu Resort, Low Luv for the ladies, and for the men, Toby and Dexter Flynn, Scene aims to provide on-trend street style fashion for the Australian market.


The interior of the store perfectly complements the urban style of the clothes while still maintaining an inviting atmosphere. The exposed brick work and copper pipping clothes racks added a unique touch! 


Here are some of the pictures from the fashionable attendees on the night:

Stylish co-owners Pat and Libby

On the right is one of the talented designers
from Dexter Flynn, Nick Tolouglo who also happens to
be one half of fashion label Kings of Carnaby

Congratulations on your opening Pat and Libby! All the best for the future!


Scene is located at 107 High Street, Preston, Melbourne.


For more information you can email Pat and Libby at scenefashionandlifestyle@live.com.au or visit them on Facebook (Scene Melbourne).


If you're in the area, make sure you go visit the girls and check out their great store!

Pictures courtesy of Saul Klimas

Fashion Muse - Stevie Dance

Stevie Dance is the impossibly cool editor of Russh magazine. She also works as a stylist and creative consultant in Sydney and New York. One of the few Australian editors catching the eye of the international fashion scene, Dance tends to fly under the fashion radar, letting her images and articles speak for themselves. However, after catching the eye of street style photographer Garance Dore and Tommy Ton from Jak & Jil, Dance's unique style is becoming just as well known as her work. Favouring minimal make-up, Dance has the ability to mix and match different textures and colours in an effortless way. Tending to favour pants which she pairs with interesting shaped and textured jackets, Dance has a minimalistic approach to fashion. With Dance and Christine Centenera currently flying the flag for Australian Editors on the international fashion scene, let's hope more Editors follow their lead and help put the Australian Fashion industry on the map!

Get Stevie's look with natural make-up, cut-outs and details, and by mixing prints and textures.

A simple outfit with....

.....unexpected detailing on the back of the jacket

I love the mix of khaki and blue

Dance does her take on man style fashion

Dance somehow makes this interesting mix of textures
and colours work

Looking effortlessly cool in a Isabel Marant jacket

Dance in a simple trench coat with Harper's Bazzar Fashion Editor

Christine Centenera

Dance favours all white outfits

The interesting jeans make stops this outfit from
being too plain

I love the cutout back of the beautiful dress

Dance looking naturally beautiful 

A great top with interesting cutouts

Brightening up a classic white suit with a bright shirt

In amazing Alexander Wang corset shorts

Images sourced from http://garancedore.fr, http://www.hanneli.com/, http://fashionclocked.blogspot.com, http://vanessajackman.com, http://wantwhatsheswearing.blogspot.com, http://streetpeeper.com/fashion, http://philltaylorblog.blogspot.com, http://gra-ceblog.blogspot.com, http://harpersbazaar.com, http://style.com

Want to own a piece of Witchery and Mimco?

Now’s your chance to buy your share in two Australian fashion icons. Global financial services firm JP Morgan have confirmed that Australian fashion brands Witchery and Mimco are moving to public ownership by listing on the Australian Stock Exchange. JP Morgan will be working on the Initial Public Offering (IPO) process for the two companies.

An IPO is the first sale of a stock to the public, and is used as a way for companies to raise finances. It is predicted that the Witchery/Mimco IPO could raise around $300 million. With this extra money comes increased responsibility; not only do public companies have more stringent reporting requirements, crucially, they assume a responsibility to shareholders - who are now part-owners of the company - to perform and make money.

With this IPO, Witchery and Mimco will join the likes of Myer, Oroton, Just Group, Pacific Brands, David Jones and Country Road, all of whom are listed on the Australian stock exchange. In Australia, not many fashion companies are listed on the stock exchange so it is difficult to predict whether there will be much demand for the stock and what the resale value will be. With Myer's stock hitting a record low of $2.77 last Tuesday, significantly lower than it's float price of $41.10 18 months ago, and David Jones' stock not fairing much better, it doesn't look like it is a great time for retailers in the stock market. It is also not clear how the introduction of Zara - direct competitors to Witchery and Mimco - into the Australian market will influence potential investors.

It will be interesting to see how Witchery and Mimco use the money they raise from this IPO. They need to be smart about future campaigns, collections and advertising if they are to compete in an increasingly competitive retail market.

Information sourced from http://www.ragtrader.com.au/news/jpmorgan-confirms-witchery-and-mimco-ipo

Images from http://witchery.com.au and http://mimco.com.au

El ojo crítico...

Analizando mi guardaropa se puede decir que tengo un buen número de prendas pero no un buen número de looks... Creo que he ido comprando piezas sin pensar que tan versátiles y únicas pueden ser...

Yo no considero tener un estilo que pueda definir y creo que muchas veces no logro individualizarme, aunque tengo una fijación por la moda no logró enfocar bien mis ideas. Por medio del blog he ido haciendo un checklist de lo que yo considero han sido mis principales errores al momento de comprar prendas:

1. Comprar por impulso
• Termino comprando XXX y al final no me convencen tanto...
• Una prenda bonita pero no con una idea clara de con que me lo voy a combinar y luego pasa tiempo en el closet sin usar...
2. No tener una lista de las prendas en las que me quiero enfocar para mi shopping...
• Teniendo una lista no compraria por impulso y al momento de comprar seria una compra mucho más inteligente ... A veces miro mi guardaropa y se ve monótono, no hay variedad de colores o los estilos de blusa son muy parecidos... y esto es el resultado de comprar XXX
3. Mi peso
• Cuando uno deja de cuidar su alimentación de repente las prendas ya no quedan y hay q limitarse a lo que estira y disimula la celulitis y esa lonja que se sale... esto es uno de mis más grandes problemas ....
4. Falta de motivación
• Hay días donde no me molesto en ver que look quiero probar sino simplemente agarro algo cómodo y que medio combine... incluso puede ser que al final del día me de cuenta que me miro fatal y ni mucho combinaba...
5. Dinero 
• Bueno si tuviera infinita cantidad de él podria comprar un mall y no importaria tener o no tener una lista ... verdad ....
• PERO otra cosa que he aprendido es que la cantidad NO es lo importante sino tener prendas que sean únicas... que tengan algo diferente como:
• el color
• el corte
• diseño
• combinación

Bueno al final a lo que quiero llegar con todo esto es que voy a hacer una lista de mi Wish list o Must haves para mi Guardaropa... piezas que creo que lo complementarian y en las que creo q me debo enfocar e ir las eliminando conforme las vaya comprando... y no salirme de ella para no juntarme con más piezas  que sean: ¿Bueno y esto con que me lo pongo? ¿Qué aburrida? o el típico No me gusta como se me mira!

Y otro punto importante es regresar a mi peso.... para poder ponerme los pántalones, blusas, faldas, shorts ... bueno en fin, todo lo que no me he puesto porque creo que se me miran fatal o simplemente ya no me entran....

Este es mi objetivo hoy... Así que armare el wish list y se las compartire!

Mission 65 - Interview with Philip Boon

Philip with designer Kim Kneipp in a Vintage Workshop
run for the Whitehouse students

Last week I did a post on Mission 65, a fantastic charity event which aims to raise money for the tireless work of the Prahran Mission.

I was lucky enough to interview one of Australia's most successful stylists Philip Boon, who has played an integral role in the planning of this fundraising event. Philip will also be co-presenting on the night with Australian fashion legend Jenny Bannister.

1. Why did you decide to become involved with Mission 65?

My close friend Erica Myers Davis is the General Manager of Fundraising at Prahran Mission and ten years ago she asked me to style a fashion show for the Mission, she asked me again and it was great to be involved, this time with a different theme.

2. You came up with the great concept to involve students from the Whitehouse with the planning of Mission 65. How do you think this practical experience will benefit them in the future.

My 3rd year Styling students at Whitehouse had to create an event for this semester and I thought what better way to get experience with working with a major client than to work together on a fashion show that is actually for a charity and a great cause. The experience that they will have and the rewarding nature of the job I hope will give them an experience they would need to have worked in the industry for years to get.

3. What is your role in the organisation of Mission 65?

Project Manager/Style Director

4. Why do you think it is important for the community to support Mission 65 and the Prahran Mission?

Prahran Mission doesn't get any government funding like many other charities and they have worked with displaced people, some with mental health issues for 65 years, a subject that not many people want to talk about let alone care for. Considering that one in three people in Australia will have mental health issues at some time in their life I think they deserve more than our money, they need our support.

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Thanks Philip for taking the time out of your busy schedule to tell us more about this fantastic event!

If you haven't already bought tickets you can do so here. They are selling fast so make sure you get in quick!

To follow the event on Facebook click here.

Check out the Mission 65 blog here for behind the scenes action.

To learn more about the fantastic work of the Prahran Mission click here.

Here are some behind the scenes pictures, showing all the hard work that is being put in to make this event possible:

Images courtesy of http://mission65fashion.tumblr.com/

Interview - Bento Part 2

In Part 1 of my interview Samantha discussed her background and why she decided to manufacture her garments in Melbourne.


In Part 2, Samantha discusses business issues she has faced since starting Bento.

Samantha modeling one of her beautiful
dresses

7. Do you think there was enough guidance and support (from the industry and government) to help you when you decided to not only pursue a career in the fashion industry, but start your own small business? (e.g. you’ve spoken about the difficulties about initially finding stockists for your designs) From government, absolutely. The fashion industry on the other hand is incredibly skeptical of newcomers and really make them prove their value before they’ll work with them.

8. How are you using social media (e.g. your blog) to support and promote your business? Primarily, we use social media to stay in touch with our friends, fans and supporters. It’s a great way to hear from individual Bento devotees as well as share what’s happening behind the scenes.

9. What are some of the challenges of being an up-and-coming designer? What support would you like to see given to designers such as yourself? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I’m really not a designer! I’m a marketer who is lucky enough to be able to create the product as well.
But anyway – the challenges are huge… finding quality support from a supplier perspective is one of the biggest. Developing genuine, meaningful relationships with stockists is really tricky too.

10. You said the majority of boutiques are buying less, buying lower value and buying from “established” label. As a new label in the market, how do you market your designs to attract stockists? We’re much more hands-on than other labels in the market. We spend time in our stockist’s stores, getting to understand their customer. We also provide very detailed training and point of sale information to support retail staff. Unlike many labels, we can also warehouse stock for boutiques, do custom colours with low (or even no) minimums and have sold-out styles recut for special customers.
More than all that though – we have a product that is virtually unequalled in quality and is designed to complement the rest of the store.

11. With the GFC and rise in e-commerce, the Australian retail industry is struggling. How can designers and retailers collaborate to improve current marketing techniques? Due to my marketing background, we recently launched an e-mag called The Boutique Broadsheet specifically for buyers that looks at such things. I do however believe it is paramount for labels to work in conjunction with their stockists to ensure survival – not just in the current climate, but on an ongoing basis.

12. What do you love most about your job? 
That you never know what will happen in the next 24 hours. 

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Thanks to Samantha for taking the time to answer my questions! It's great as a consumer to gain a better understanding of the challenges faced by different labels.

All the best for the future Samantha!

Checkout Bento's website here.

Find Bento on Facebook here.

Follow Samantha's blog here.

Here's the stylish Samantha showing how you can mix versatile Bento pieces into your wardrobe:

Images courtesy of http://republicofstyle.blogspot.com, Six Wolves for Pedestrian TV, http://www.pagesdigital.com

Street Style - Melbourne

This Street Style special features the stylish staff from AGAIN Recycle, a fantastic vintage boutique in Camberwell, Melbourne that sells beautiful clothes and accessories for men and women carefully sourced from Los Angeles and New York, among other major US cities.

Check out my feature on AGAIN Recyle here!

JULIA

Dress: 80s Poly dress from AGAIN Recycle
Hat: 1940s American Rag from AGAIN Recycle
Coat: Faux fur coat from AGAIN Recycle

Bag: Lizard Skin from AGAIN Recycle
Jewellery: From Op shop

JAYNE

Dress: 60s lace dress from AGAIN Recycle
Boots: Jeffery Campbell-Joe boots
Hat: From Camberwell Market

Watch: Mimco
Ring: Indonesian coin

JOSH

Hat: Sent from LA by one of store owners
Jacket: Nike hoodie
T-shirt: Michael Jordan t-shirt from weekend market in Bangkok
Jeans: Dejour
Shoes: Chucks