WATCH: RENOIR

one, two, three, four, five, six

Last week I finished uni a few days before my friends, so I put to use a few movie pass I received a couple of months ago for the fancy Palace Cinemas. 

Renoir tells the story of the triangular relationship between Pierre-Auguste Renoir, his last model, Andree Heuschling, and his son, film maker Jean Renoir, over the final years of the artist's life. I have a definite affinity for French films, biopics and Impressionist art, so there was never really much chance of my finding fault in Renoir. As it so happened, the film was also visually stunning, engaging and funny. This is one I can see myself watching again.

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GIRL CRUSH: SKY FERREIRA

all images from here

Can we just take a few moments to appreciate how amazing Sky Ferreira is?

Her style is grunge-meets-high-fashion perfection and there is absolutely no denying that my recent foray into all manner of bright red and dark wine lipsticks was directly brought about by Miss Ferreira. 

Beyond aesthetics, however, lies a wealth of talent and intelligence. Please read one of these amazing articles. Following last year's Ghost EP, Ferreira's debut album Night Time, My Time will be released on October 29. The release of of a full-length album has been several years in the making, and Ferreira has spoken candidly about her experiences in the industry, and the sexism and ageism she's had to deal with. 

Speaking to Stereogum, Ferreira notes that:

"Whenever I do something good, it’s because some guy did it for me supposedly. Or that’s what a lot of it usually says. It’s always someone else. It’s very clear that I couldn’t do it by myself. But everyone has producers, males too. It’s not just a girl who has that."

This Rookie article goes further into the challenges facing women in the music industry, and the very prescriptive type of sexuality female pop musicians are expected to adhere to:

"There’s an unspoken rule. You’re supposed to be sexy, but not in a very forward way. It has to be in a cutesy way."

Whilst there's nothing wrong with 'sexiness' - I have no issue with the overt sexuality of Miley's recent forays as, so far as I'm able to tell, it's been very much her decision (though the racism is another issue for another time) - it's the double standards that exist in the expectations and treatment of males and females in the industry that is frustrating and, well, downright wrong. Tavi adds that:

"You’re supposed to look sexy, so other people can benefit, but you’re not supposed to actually be sexual so that you benefit." 

A couple of weeks ago, The Guardian published this piece by Lauren Mayberry, of CHVRCHES, calling out on the online misogyny she and other female musicians are subjected to, and earlier this year Solange and Grimes posted their frustrations online. Although it's totally gross that these are even issues to begin with, and it seems overly optimistic to expect drastic and/or rapid changes, hopefully the discussion of these problems might lead to something down the track - or just make some of those people in positions of power to think twice.

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OUTFIT: FIRESIDE

sweater - madewell

easy jeans - american apparel

scarf - made by my mother

bag - cotton on

Hello!

I'm never really sure how to start the first post after a bit of a blogging hiatus except to say I'm back! This semester I've had two ongoing blogs as part of my uni assessment, so instead of being the creative escape it usually is, blogging became a bit of a chore and I decided to give this one a bit of a break until I'd finished the other two. They're finally done though, and it's nice to be able to babble on about whatever I want again.

These photos are actually from a few months ago but I never got around to posting them. Sadly, no one could get away with a sweater and jeans in Brisbane at the moment. It's hot and humid and gross and I hate it. However, I don't think the sweater or jeans have been posted before and they're worth sharing so here they are.

I was kind of in the midst of my ten-thousand-prints-and-colours-in-every-outfit phase when I bought the sweater in New York last year, and whilst most of my other purchases from that period have retired to the back of my closet, this sweater is just too good to give up. The cropped length is perfect with these jeans, my babies from Melbourne. I've been hankering after a decent pair of high-waisted black jeans for ages but I waited it out until we went somewhere with an American Apparel so I could try the Easy Jean. I'm glad I did because they're really comfortable, and they look good on. How often do you get that in the one pair of pants? They're also really cheap (although I keep seeing things on the internet complaining how expensive they are... um, just over 100 bucks for jeans is really, really cheap, kids). 

Despite the prolonged break, there isn't really a lot to share about my life since my last post. Uni has been fairly crazy and taken up a lot of time, but I've managed to squeeze in a bit of a social life and a few gigs. If you're interested, I've reviewed BIGSOUND (night one and night two), The Trouble With Templeton and Pluto Jonze. 

I'll leave it at that for now, but there's book and music posts in the works so STAY TUNED, YO.

xx

Song of the Day: Fireside by Arctic Monkeys

INSPIRE: ZEITSPRUNG

images found here

'Zeitsprung' by Sebastian Kim, styled by Katie Mossman, in Vogue Germany March 2013

The May 2013 issue of Vogue Australia is a good 'un. These amazing portraits of The Great Gatsby cast and Karlie Kloss working these incredible Miuccia Prada-designed flapper dresses pretty fab, but this 60's inspired shoot (it's called 'Air Time' in the Aus edition), originally published in Vogue Germany a few months ago, was my favourite.

Edie Campbell is a dead ringer for Pattie Boyd, no? And the clothes - a perfect balance of retro and modern.

Did anyone get Splendour tickets yesterday? I was lucky enough to get through the 'Green Room' and snag mine. I'm so excited!

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STYLE CRUSH: LEA SEYDOUX

(sources: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight)

I saw Farewell, My Queen, starring Lea Seydoux and Diane Kruger, on the weekend at the French Film Festival in Brisbane. The story follows the last few days of Marie Antoinette's (Kruger) life, told through the eyes of her reader (Seydoux). I really enjoyed it, it was a very different take on what can tend to be an overplayed story. Not to mention the incredible costumes and the beauty and decadence of Versailles.

I've seen Seydoux in a few other movies, Midnight in Paris (one of my favourites), and Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (I fell asleep during the movie but Lea was good!). You might have recently caught her as the face of Prada Candy L'Eau, in the series of short films by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola.

Like every French woman ever, she also has impeccable style and I've been going nutty over her ability to throw together quirky looks on- and off-duty (brb going to find my old denim vest and pair it with a white shirt and jeans).

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OUTFIT: TWISTED

dress - princess polly

shoes - windsor smith

bag  - old

I have been living in a uniform of shift dresses and sandals for the past month or so. Given my lifelong aversion to anything that isn't high waisted and tight around my middle, it seems quite odd that I've become so attached to this style of dress, but I must say, when I put one of these on, I do not miss the constrictive nature of, well, pretty much everything else I own. So easy to throw on, and  it's an outfit that works for anywhere. I've taken this baby to uni, brunch, out at night (this is as 'sexy' as my clubbing outfits get), out for dinner and to the petrol station. Although I do feel a little like a walking teenage cliche because at the moment every girl and her dog is wearing a shift dress in Brisbane. But live and let live. 

I hope you all had a great long weekend. 

x

Song of the Day: Twisted by Fractures

INSPIRE: VOGUE: THE MODEL SERIES

(one, two)

If you're Australian, you probably already know about this, but I thought I'd pop up a blog post for those overseas because I think what I'm showing you is pretty groovy (or maybe it was just an excuse to post photos of Lara 'I'm-the-most-perfect-human-being-in-existence' Stone).

Vogue Australia is currently in the midst of it's 'Model Series'; five collectable issues of the magazine, running from March - July 2013. The series will feature five of the world's current top supermodels, and the cover-ladies are revealed as each issue is released.

Vogue is making a pretty big deal of this series, with a special 'Model Series' box available with the April issue of the magazine (on sale now), and rightly so. It's been a while since Vogue has done anything that gives me that wonderful bubbly feeling of excitement, but after last month's issue, I've fallen back in love with the magazine, and I'm sincerely looking forward to the rest of these collectable issues.

As you may have already guessed, the star of the first in the series was the inimitable and irreplaceble Lara Stone. A fitting choice, in my opinion, especially for the launch issue. Lara has certainly been one of the defining faces of the past four or five years and the editorial inside is stunning.

The April issue went on sale earlier this week, and though I haven't picked up a copy yet (uni student probz - waitin' til I get paid), I really love the look of the cover, starring Australian miss, Miranda Kerr. I'm not the hugest Kerr fan myself, and I don't love her shoot as much as Lara's, but there is no denying that as far as 'successful Australian models' go, she has one of the biggest international profiles at the moment.

(one, two)

I'm looking forward to seeing which models are featured in the rest of the series, and I'd love to hear your opinion. Personally, I'd love to see someone a little vintage, but still kicking around, featured, like Stella Tennant or Emma Balfour. As far as other successful Australians, I think Julia Nobis or Abbey Lee Kershaw could certainly fit right in, and Natalia Vodianova would be my dream  international pick, but who really knows, eh? What do you guys think?

x 

INSPIRE: A NEW SEASON ON THE SKINT

I'm currently sitting at university, in the library. I should be starting my essay on Scott Schuman, but upon realising how long it has been since I last flipped through The Sartorialist, I've wound up getting very lost in the archives. The abundance of wintery outfits has me all psyched up for the cooler weather that is ever-so-slightly coming our way in Australia.

I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned it on the blog, but I worked at Cold Rock up until a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately the store I worked at closed down, so I'm now unemployed, and relying on 'pocket money' (at the age of nineteen...) and my dwindling savings account.

This has left me in a real pickle when it comes to my constant cravings for new things to wear and definitely forced me to evaluate what I've got in my closet and find new ways of wearing the things I already own.

I've also started to get back into sewing, and I've got a few DIY ideas up my sleeve. Essentially, I don't necessarily need anything, as I have plenty of clothes, but what I'm trying to do is decide what I really want for winter, so I don't end up overspending or buying things that won't be used.

So, lo-and-behold, my word and photo dribble on how I'm planning to get through the season with food on the table (lol jks my parents still provide that for me):

source

Schuman posted a photo of this amazing Julien David net top with the caption: "It could layer over almost anything ... and help take that item/look to another level ... for the home sewers this seems like an easy add." Many, many of the dresses I've tried to sew myself have looked very promising at the bodice-and-sleeves-completed stage, but wound up ill-fitting by the time they're finished. I'd really like to try using the top part of a shift dress pattern, perhaps slightly oversized, to construct a similar top using some cheap netting. I can see this working really well over basic jumpers, t-shirts, Breton tops, singlets, dresses... anything really. This piece really simplifies layering, because it's see-through, you're not adding any bulk at all, but it's definitely interesting and eye-catching.

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My mother will probably scream at me for this given my whinging and complaining about growing out my fringe, but I'm seriously considering getting bangs cut back in. My hair has finally gotten to the stage where I can reasonably call it 'long', and I've found products that have helped with my truly irritating frizziness problem, so I feel like my hair is 'ready', if you will, to have an actual style, rather than just being something I stick back in a ponytail every day.

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This isn't really very specific, but this image really speaks to me about how I'd like to dress in winter this year. Last year I was all about a Blair-Waldorf-esque kind of vibe; quite fitted, high and tight waists, lots of blouses and skirts and a vast array of patterns. I've already spoken about wanting to simplify my look this year, but I'm still figuring out how to do that without feeling boring. Seriously, going from three prints in one outfit to none is harder than it sounds. I love the above looking because despite the simplicity of the pieces, it's infinitely chic. I've got a whole bunch of similar images saved, so I'd really like to buy myself a couple of select pieces, say a pair of pants and a couple of jumpers, in really basic, but high quality, fabrics and neutral colours.


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This one is more about the girl's outfit on the bottom left than any of the others, but they're all superb inspiration, nevertheless. I've been having a pants moment lately but the only pants I own are tight skinny jeans and printed cotton trousers. What I'd really like are some long, drapey, silky, wide-legged pants. Something low-ish waisted and supremely comfortable. I can see these kind of pants working really well in the Brisbane winter, with a slim fitting sweater and over-sized coat for the chilly mornings, and a basic t-shirt, and maybe that netted top from above, for the warmer afternoons.

Anyway, there's my brain explosion for today - I hope you're having a good one!

x

STYLE CRUSH: MISTY MILLER

one, two, three, four, five, six, seven

I first heard the then-sixteen-year-old Misty Miller in a Burberry Acoustic video a few years ago, and fell for her sweet lyrics and understated ukulele playing. Since then, her musical style has matured as she has, and taken quite a dramatic turn. Taking on a louder, grittier sound and meshing a little rock 'n' roll, a little punk and a little blues, Misty's current sound makes for compelling listening. 

You can listen to 'Girlfriend' on Misty's SoundCloud HERE (or watch the clip HERE, but I'm not really a fan of the video), or one of my favourites, 'Mexico' HERE. 

As for the clothes, I'm still on my minimalist kick and lately I've become a little obsessed with the effortless simplicity of Misty's outfits. Classic shapes, lots of neutrals and selective prints are all calling my name right now.

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