Piress Finesse

Ok guys, I just got home from presenting my studio garment to the judges at tafe, so I'm pretty exhausted but I wanted to post up the pic of my garment that I have (yes I know my camera is shit, I'll post more after the parade in October). A big thanks to my lovely model Laura from Mirror Mirror Agencies :)

I was inspired by an old legend of pirate's treasure still told today in the City of Essaouira in Morocco (the city was used as a pirate stronghold in the 16th Century). I looked at the texture of the fort which still stands today (hence the crinkle fabric), as well as gold and pearls and the billowing sails of ships (see the bottom half of the jumpsuit). The edges are all frayed to add that raw and rough pirate feel. I called the outfit "Piress Finesse". Piress is Pirate and Essaouira put together, and Finesse rhymes with Piress :p (it also refers to the slight air of elegance that the gold and pearl beads add lol).

xoxo

A Procrastination Post

Hey guys!

Sorry I've been a crappy blogger again, I've been swamped in tafe work. Next Wednesday afternoon I have to present my studio garment to a panel of judges from industry (Elio from Elio Moda, Pina from Fiorenza Bridal , and Zina from Red Cordial), and I've been madly fraying garment edges and sewing beads trying to get it all complete. The winner gets $5000 so that would be super nice (but I'm not really expecting to win lol). This is a post done in procrastination because I'm avoiding doing all the spec sheets that go with the garment (kill me...)

So I wasn't going to show you my recent buys until they actually arrived, because I've been doing all my shopping online, but now seems like the perfect time to show you :) HELL YES PROCRASTINATION!

It seems I've gone a little leotard crazy in the past week...I BOUGHT 3! What the hell is wrong with me? lol. Here goes:
This one is actually for a costume, but I strategically bought it in a colour that's coming into fashion this summer in a big way, so I can wear it with shorts and what not after I use it as a costume :)I'm really looking forward to getting this one in the mail...it's BLACK VELVET! To be honest I've never really been in to velvet ever since my mum made me a dalmatian print velvet vest back in my childhood (it was cool back then I swear), but ever since then it's been all I ever think of when I see velvet. Terrible.

I'm hoping like hell that this one fits (or that I can successfully take it in). It's a size 12 and I'm a 10, but I desperately wanted a lace leotard. I know its super hard to see it in this photo (which is part of the reason I was gonna wait til I got the item before doing this post), but it has a triangle of lace through the centre front (it's bigger at the top and tapers down to the crotch). Other than this one, the only lace leotards I came across were 100% lace...meaning 100% see through. I dunno about you but I think leaving your bra and stomach on display for all to see is just a liiiiiitle bit skanky (not to mention I have no desire to show everyone my non-supermodel stomach). I did consider buying one and layering it over my lilac leotard, but in summer you don't really want a million layers. So I'm quite happy I found this one...fingers crossed it fits!


One last buy...it's not a leotard but it's super cute :) I bought this one from a shop on Facebook called "Lou Lou" (as you can see from the photo I stole from their website). They're based in Perth I believe and they only make limited quantities of their garments, so you gotta get in quick if you want anything. They currently have their second collection available, as well as some garments from their first collection. If you search "LouLou Onlineshop" on Facebook you should be able to find them.

Well that's all for now my pretties :) I'll post up a photo of my garment next week after it's complete and on a model.

xoxo

Alice In Wonderband

I'm back again! Seems I've been blogging a bit lately, but I keep finding amazing things I want to share with you!

This time I've come across a store on ebay that has the most adorable alice bands (probably better known in Australia as head bands, but alice bands sounds so much cuter). You can check out the store here. The store is unfortunately based in South Korea, so anything you buy will most likely take about a fortnight to arrive, but if u don't mind the wait then go nuts! I've yet to buy anything from them so I can't be sure of the quality, but I checked the feedback and there's only a minimal number of people whinging about a bit of glue showing here and there. It probably depends a bit on the style. Most of them range from about $7 to $15 including postage.

Here's some pics of some of my favourites (click to enlarge):


xoxo

Bordello

As some of you know, I do pole dancing as a form of exercise. Despite what a lot of people think, it's not stripping, and unlike the skanks of the world I don't go flaunting my talents on street posts. It really is a lot of fun, and it really helps build muscle tone. As an added bonus I could tell I was losing weight after just a couple of weeks of attending classes. So to anyone who has ever considered giving it a go, I say just go for it, it's so addictive! Wear the inevitable bruises as a badge of honour and pride!

Anyway to the point of this blog post. You all saw the lacey shoe in my last blog right? Pretty isn't it? Well the brand of that shoe is Bordello, which just so happens to be a brand of POLE DANCING SHOE. So to anyone who has ever referred to the shoes that the strippers in the clubs wear as 'stripper shoes', you should know that they're actually specifically designed for pole dancing, and strippers just happen to wear them. My guess is that this is part of the reason why people have negative ideas about pole dancing.

So as a treat I have some pics of some AWESOME pole dancing shoes that would be perfectly acceptable to wear just about anywhere. I'm sure most girls at some point in their life have worn something VERY similar...
Love these...very Dorothy from the Wizard Of OzFAVOURITES!

So there you have it. Most places that stock Bordello shoes will charge approx $175 for a pair, or up to $230 for the rhinestone encrusted ones. However, the shop I get my 'stripper shoes' from stocks them for about $110 up to $170. They're called 'Shoes In Hollywood' and are situated at Bald Hills. You can check the website out here. If they don't have the item you want in stock they can usually order it from their distributor in America and it will only take them about a week to get it in. You can visit the shop, or shop online if you don't mind paying the postage costs.

Til next time...keep an open mind :)
xoxo

Love of Lace

I'm loving lace right now. I remember the days when I would have refused to wear anything flowery or lacey, saying it was too pretty. Ahhh how things have changed. Here's some of the lacey things i'm loving at the moment:
I would like to take this opportunity to say that i still don't like crochet.

xoxo

To Felix & Slink...

Thankyou to Felix & Slink for their apology regarding my experience at YEDP. I admit that telling others to avoid their events altogether was probably a tough call, however, the point of my blog wasn’t to put shit on Felix & Slink, but rather emote how disappointed I was with the event as a whole. Myself and many others were under the impression that the event was a show and not just a party and yes I understand that there would have been a lot more space had it not rained. I appreciate the efforts of Felix & Slink in regards to the event, and also in regards to their efforts in contacting me and apologising for my experience; it means a lot and shows that the agency cares. However, my blog is a reflection on what I experienced on the night and I do not think that any of the statements were uncalled for.

YEDP and Valentino

Hey guys...

Guess what? I now have 10 followers! We're in double digits baby!

Anyway I know I've been really slack reporting back to you about YEDP, I was waiting for a half decent photo from the event to surface, but since one has yet to come up I'll show you this one instead:Kudos to Edith for managing to look cute as usual while I look like a spaz who doesn't want to smile anymore.

Anyway, despite the celebrity attention the show got (Erin McNaught, Leigh Buchanan, Julie Grbac and Petrova Hammond), to be honest the show was really shit and not worth the $85 entry (plus the $200+ I spent on my outfit). I've read a review on the show that stated that 'not many shows are a sellout and a washout', and I thought woah someone is finally telling the truth. Well I was wrong. Turns out the 'washout' they were referring to was the torrential downpour we experienced that night.

The Laruche Bar is really nice, however definitely not suitable for a fashion show. The 'runway' consisted of people being moved to the side to create a gap in the crowd, the room was overcrowded, and very dark. There were about 8 garments shown (you can hardly call that a show), and unfortunately I couldn't see any of them because of the poor set up. Each model was also holding up a big sign with the designer's name on it. Great for exposure, not so great if you're trying to see the actual garment.

So the moral of the story is, don't go to any events hosted by Felix and Slink, and definitely don't go to any show's held at The Laruche Bar. I think we owe more to Brisbane's up and coming designers. Let's get these shows out of the bars where everyone is too drunk to appreciate whats going on, or at least hold them earlier in the night before everyone has a chance to get to that point. The venue opened at 9:30 and the show wasn't until 2 hours later (free drinks on offer). Oh and did I mention I ate a piece of raw chicken and spent the rest of the night feeling ill? I was out of there by midnight...

In happier news, I went and saw the Valentino exhibit at GOMA yesterday. Unfortunately you're not allowed to take any photos in there (some of the garments are about 50 years old and the extra light can be damaging to the fabrics), but I have some pictures courtesy of Oliver Black. You can see all his pics on his facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=195987&id=709224693 or if you follow this link to the GOMA website there are images of some of the garments on display: http://qag.qld.gov.au/exhibitions/current/valentino_retrospective/Valentino_gallery


Once you look at the first couple of garments you turn the corner into one of the main galleries...and WOW that is a sight to be seen! Platform upon platform of Valentino dresses, and the room would span a couple of hundred metres. It is just amazing to see these garments up close and take in just how much work has actually gone into them. I believe I once heard that other than major seams, all Valentino's garments are sewn and embellished by hand... if that's true then I can't even begin to imagine how long it must have taken to sew some of those garments! While I have to admit that not all of Valentino's work is really my thing, this is one exhibit you can't miss. Tickets are $16 for students and $20 for adults and it runs until the 14th of November. GO CHECK IT OUT! They have some pretty cheap merchandise too if ur a gift shop person, I got a magnetic bookmark for $2.50 :)

Til next time...
xoxo