Aussie supermodel Elyse Taylor is our hottest export since the girl from Gunnedah put the world under her spell. Joining Miranda Kerr as a Victoria’s Secret model at a recent fashion show in New York, the blonde beauty is winning hearts the world over with her fresh, beachy look easily transforms Taylor into a glamorous pixie.
Elyse’s latest campaign sees her appearing alongside Sarah Murdoch as the face of BOND’s 10th anniversary hipster campaign.
The blonde beauty has graced the covers of ELLE, CLEO, madison and most recently, Australian Vogue.
As always, the ARIA Awards were a show down of Australia’s hottest music acts strutting their stuff not only on the stage, but also down the red carpet. While some outfits were questionable (Molly Meldrum, I’m talking about accessorising with your white fluffy dog), here’s our pick of beautiful Australian young women.
MTV’s Ruby Rose rocked the red carpet with a gorgeous red strapless number with ruffles. Throw in her punky blonde hair and tatts, and you have one spunky young lady.
Nat Bassingthwaite went for a grecian style creme dress with gold detail. Check out the platforms on those shoes!
Vanessa Amorosi is back with a new attitude and style to match. This daring dress is seemingly held together with large saftey pins. We are loving her chunky rings!
In what appears to be her signature layered style, Orianthi chose bright blue nail polish to finsh off her look. Michael Jackson’s guitarist is making waves with her track ‘According To You’.
Lisa Mitchell’s pixie boots drew attention on the red carpet. Pairing her dress with matching chunky bangles, Lisa’s look is simple yet stylish.
Quirky Kate Miller-Heidke was stunning in a floor length black silk gown with feather detail. Offset by her statement orange hair, Kate was a stand out on the red carpet.
Girl of the moment Jessica Mauboy opted for a clean white dress with gathered features and chunky chain detail.
The zip details on her shoes added a splice of rock to the R’nB diva’s look.
Party season is upon us, and thus beckons the question….what to wear!
The classic little black dress has taken on many forms this season, with military and studs still featuring strongly, and many options for the simply stylish.
Rock chicks eat your heart out. This strapless party number from Piper Lane features silver studs and a visible zip for street cred.
This simple yet stylish Matilda LBD from Motel will have heads turning. Pair with red heels and big earrings for a night out to get the party started.
Embrace your inner pirate with this Olga dress from Motel. The gold embossed buttons and capped sleeves make this military style LBD easy to take from day to night.
For those loving the girly vintage look, French Kitty has it covered with this flowing LBD featuring wide dotted sleeves and ruffled hem. Keep in your wardrobe till winter and pair with bright tights.
Fairground takes child’s play to a new level with this Scents of an Icon dress. Featuring checks and pleats, this cotton LBD is perfect for lazing at a family BBQ.
Whether you plan to hit the beach or the music festival scene this summer, the hottest accessory on everyone’s radar is transparent sunnies.
Loved by celebs and making appearances on catwalks the world over, sunnies with translucent lens are the hottest thing to hit the sunglass world since Nicole Richie rocked the Willy Wonka look.
Think pink, yellow and blue lenses, or for the more conservative fashionista, neutral!
Pair your transparent shades with a leather plaited headband and loose waves for a hippie look, or be bold and rock out with block colours or graphic prints to stand out from the crowd.
Now fashionistas can take a piece of Lily Allen with them wherever they go, with the British popette launching her own jewellery line.
Comprising of nine ranges, Lily’s jewellery line features cute and whimsical motifs such as enamel flowers, fruits, traffic signs, pandas, flamingos and pumpkins, in silver, gold or covered in crystals and is available in Australia exclusively through Trilby Phoenix.
“All of the designs stem from anything, whether it’s the surroundings of places I’ve been to around the world, objects I’ve seen. The list could go on forever.” Her favorite piece? “I do love the animals …The pandas are fantastic.”
You can check out the range at Trilby Phoenix, the exclusive Australian stockist.
Catherine McNeil is one of Australia’s hottest up and coming models this summer. The New York Times has called her ‘Fashion’s Latest Crush.’ She was spotted at only 14 years of age and now only twenty, she is featured in Vogue and has graced the world famous catwalks of Milan, London and New York.
You know you’ve made it in the modelling world when you’re in advertising campaigns for the likes of D&G, Versace and Jean Paul Gaultier. Catherine also has been the muse of Greg Kadel and signed a six month contract with photographer Mario Testino.
Catherine is obviously a bit of a rebel, calling herself a ‘metalhead’. She loves the bands Metallica, System of a Down and Korn with has her tongue and belly button pierced as well as numerous tattoos showing that you can be a model and still be yourself!. In her spare time she likes to fix cars. She was also caught kissing Ruby Rose another Australian model at a party. She also terms herself a ‘bogan from Logan.’ However the typical bogan has a bad dress sense, bad hygiene and a mullet – which is definitely not Catherine. But as the rise of UGG boots flourishes so does she. When asked what she would do with a week off she answered ‘Sleep, go to the beach in Australia and see my family.’ A true Aussie girl through and through. To see some of her latest shoots on style.com click here.
This little star is one who everybody watches for some great style ideas. Who would have thought the Harry Potter geek girl would turn into this fashion queen? Not many students’ favourite stores are Harvey Nichols. Her favourite designer is Chanel which shows just how glamorous this little starlet is. Not only is she signed up to London’s Storm modelling agency but she also has been the face of Burberry in a campaign shot by fashion-photography-giant Mario Testino.
Emma’s style is very classic and natural. In the evenings she is often seen in a totally demure designer dress grasping an oversized clutch bag. While her daytime style is still classical, she whips out chic blazers and skinny jeans.
Vanessa Hudgens
Could this girl be any hotter? Not only is she screaming sex appeal and a Hollywood star at 18 but she is also dating Zac Efron. In the fashion-world she is most famous for the couture gowns she floats down the red carpet in. And she really loves her floor length dresses as her daytime attire is usually a maxi dress.
Her favourite shops are Urban Outfitters, Levi’s and Planet Blue. If she is your no. 1 in the fashion world you can follow her style on www.dresslikevanessa.org. However to really get this look down to a T the accessories are what needs to be focused on. The scarves, shoes and oversized bags are what makes her skinny jeans and cardigans up to the minute every time. Her hair is another huge factor. Although difficult to achieve for some her long wavy hair makes all her outfits more boho.
Miley Cyrus
Although she’s not my favourite teen fashion queen you can’t deny she has risen to be one of the biggest icons around in this last year at only 16 years of age. After proving she can act, present and sing she is now bringing out her on range of clothing for Walmart. Cyrus and designer Max Azria are going to put their fashionable heads together to come up with some Miley-style affordable clothing. Not big enough? There are more rumours that she is going to star in Sex and the City 2 after being seen on set with Samantha.
Usually flashing shade of green eye shadow and a fan of neon colours, Miley is a great fashion icon for summer. Going for rock chick, to look like Miley you’ll need a leather jacket, leather boots and some ripped jeans. She loves American clothing store Forever 21 and believes anyone can make Mark Jacobs look stunning.
Unfortunately for those with real budgets, brand names may not be affordable but there are always op shops and sales!
Collette Dinnigan is one of Australia – and the World’s most famous fashion designers. Collette was born in South Africa and later moved to New Zealand where she attended Wellington Polytechnic and later graduated at Tauranga Girls College. After her studies she moved to Sydney and started working for the costume department at the ABC. In 1990 she created the Collette Dinnigan label and in 1992 she opened her own range. In 1995 she was the first Australian to launch a ready-to-wear collection in Paris.
The brand Collette Dinnigan is now known worldwide and Collette has designed clothes worn by celebrities such as Nicole Kidman, Pink, Kate Hudson, Halle Berry and Angelina Jolie. She has a distinctive, glamorous style and is inspired by colours, prints, emotions, travelling and the weather. Dinnigan’s work is incredibly fresh and versatile, generally appearing as a sveltely confident look, underscored by an inventive mix of layers, colours and textures. However, she stresses the importance of her clients: “every woman who wears my clothes gives them a personality… no two women can wear the same dress and look exactly the same.” Over the years she received several awards such as the Designer of the Year Award in 1996, the Award for Excellence in 1998 and she was awarded for Australia’s 50 Most Beautiful Exports in 2001, 2002 and 2004.
Ms. Dinnigan attributes her dizzying success to an unwavering commitment to quality and detail. She explains “people want the essence of the designer. They want something different. That’s something I try to do—create something that will last.” A close examination of Dinnigan’s creations proves this point. Her stunning silk dresses, antique lace skirts, tweed jackets, cashmere suits and wool trousers are all made with a delicate couture sensibility.
Watch the video of Collette Dinnigan at Paris Fashion Week 2009 below.
When designing your own clothing, sketching is the first step to take. Sketching expresses your design ideas onto paper and lets you visually represent what you’re trying to achieve before you move onto manipulating the fabric. Your sketches will help you and other people visualise how your garments will look like when worn, and may help you choose material. If you’re new to fashion, or just need to brush up on your fashion sketches, read on for a quick lesson and some useful tips to help get you started professionally.
1. Get some Fashion Figure Croquis
The first thing that needs to be drawn on paper to be able to visualise your clothing ideas is a croqui (sketch of the human form). But sketching a human form for every new design is very time-consuming. That’s why most fashion designers work with a library of fashion figure croquis. They use croquis as templates to trace over when drawing fashion sketches and illustrations for their design portfolios. This website allows you to download free printable fashion templates in a variety of genders, body types, styles, and poses, which you can edit to meet your personal design taste.
2. How to get your Croqui onto your sketchbook
Choose a croqui with a pose that matches the design in your head. To be able to trace over your templates you need to have translucent paper like tracing or lay-out paper. Trace the outline and major lines of the figure (you can use a pen or pencil) onto a sheet of tracing paper and add in facial features and hair styles if you like. Then put a sheet of carbon paper between your sketchbook and your tracing paper to draw the croqui onto your sketchbook.
3. Start sketching your design
Now the human form is on your sketchbook paper, the real fashion sketching can begin. This is the hardest part and it definitely needs some practise. You will need a B or 2B pencil for general sketching and a 4B pencil for putting in highlights and emphasis. Keep the 2B quite sharp and use the 4B to make the emphasis mark you like best. When you sketch your design it is very important to draw the folds of clothing and to illustrate the fabric in the best way possible. Different materials and techniques can be used to do this. Use different pencils to create different effects like Charcoal Pencils, Carbon Pencils or Watercolour Pencils. Also try to draw in lighting effect and shading depth as it will enhance the quality of the sketch and gives 3 dimensional illustrations. Use colours and the different techniques in reflecting the movements and the poses of the model.
Try out different croquis and experiment with different materials to work out your designs. With a little technique most people who insist they cannot draw can achieve a satisfactory fashion drawing. Good luck!
Watch the following videos for a step-by-step walk through for drawing a professional Fashion Sketch!
Project Runway season one contestants Lui Hon and Leigh Buchanan, took time out of their busy schedule in Melbourne last month to speak to the design students about life after Project Runway and breaking into the industry.
What was it like during filming on the show?
“It was so tough; you don’t realise before you go on the show that you’re going to give up music, television, and just the space to be by yourself – and you’re expected to be creative every day!” Leigh tells, “Lui was the Zen master. He was meticulous with his patternmaking while I just threw fabric on the floor and started cutting!”
What advice would you give design students?
Lui advised the students to work in retail for a few days; by keeping close to the customer, whether it is a mass or niche market, you are able to understand first hand what to design. Watch carefully how the boss does the buying and the display, and always ask yourself, does your design fit with your aesthetic?
When asked what their plans are for the future, Leigh spoke highly of his experience at Easton Pearson but would like to move into made to measure bridal.
Leigh closed by telling the students, “You’re in the beautiful world of Whitehouse now; the real world is tough, enjoy school while you can.”
of BOND’s 10th anniversary hipster campaign.
Project Runway season one contestants Lui Hon and Leigh Buchanan, took time out of their busy schedule in Melbourne last month to speak to the design students about life after Project Runway and breaking into the industry.
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