Thursday, August 21, 2008

Tragic hall of fame: Mulberry.


Burberry plaid might claim UK ‘It’ statues, but Tragic wants to direct your swoon to another accessories powerhouse…a little recognised hero of timeless design…the marvel that is Mulberry 

Established in Somerset circa 1974, Mulberry has always managed to marry tailored form with sleek function in the name of leather. For women and men, the label’s totes, luggage, purses, wallets and scarves have established luxury prestige without pretension. Classics like the Mulberry ‘Bayswater’ and ‘Mabel’ became iconic when on the arms of Kate Moss and Kate Bosworth. And historic collaborations with Bartley Luella in 2001 (before colabs were the new black) instilled the brand with progressive status. 

Mulberry’s latest partnership with English artist Julie Verhoeven sees delicate watercolours splashed across melt-in-your-mouth totes and clutches. If only Mulberry would open next to Zara then we’d be in fashion heaven. 

Do you lust after any unsung heroes of the fashion world?

Celebrity Fashion: Fashion Flash (Maxi Dress)

Somagirls.tv takes a look at some celebrity fashion trends - Maxi Dress. 

Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. By Melanie Moss.


Since when did swimwear get so flimsy? 

Remember the days when a bikini was for flaunting and a one piece was for eating lunch. 

It seems the impossible has happened and all of a sudden the bikini is for good and bad days and the one piece well that’s fallen into the realms of a lucky few. 

I’m not talking about your safe black halterneck low cut togs from Target, I’m talking about the Cutout. A pair of swimmers so daring that you have to be a cardboard cutout just to wear them! Slit to the belly button and sucked in at the sides, the new swimwear is looking more and more like Borat everyday - just add requisite chest hair. 

With no where to run to baby, no where to hide, it made me realise just how forgiving the humble bikini could be. Worn correctly they are designed to accentuate curvy hips and as long as you are flat out like a lizard sunbaking are quite flattering to a tummy even with a little excess baggage. 

Now its all about excess all areas with your attention drawn directly where you least need it. While the bikini draws our eye up towards the décolletage - helped along with a little Model Co shimmer spray and or tanning glove, the new cutout drags us due south to hips, thighs and buttocks and not in a Cindy Crawford workout way. 

Don’t be fooled by the fashion packs conviction that not only is the cutout this seasons answer to looking fabulous by the pool or that apparently body suits are back and why not save on buying both by wearing your cutout with or without a pair of pants. Would that be high waisted skinny leg jeans perhaps? Come on be serious people! Would any of you really be caught dead wearing a body suit and jeans Christmas Day? Matching bonbon hat anybody? Remember if you wore it the first time and I did with bells on, it’s a definite no the second. 

So where does one go if they don’t want to shop in the maternity section at Target or pour themselves and a years worth of Cadbury’s fudge brownie chocolate into a cutout one piece? I always take my clients to David Jones for swimwear. The change rooms are roomy and private! Nothing worse than a store that forces you to slink out to check yourself in the communal mirror is there! They carry a fabulous selection, we love Jets by Jessika Allen and yes she does do a fancy white cutout for those of you brave enough to try it. Lisa Ho is the pick of the season with divine navy halterneck togs with plenty of detail to draw the eye up. Fantastic price too! Why pay double for half the fabric I say! Match back with a crisp white pair of shorts and jeweled thongs for a permissible look at the Christmas table. 

For those of us looking down the baby belly gauntlet (or simply intend to eat enough turkey to inspire one) can try Baybeecino for their fabulous maternity suit by Madison Rose. A great piece in basic black, perfect for chasing the kids around a family friendly resort in Fiji. 

It is easy to be sucked in by fashion especially when it looks so tempting aka model lying beside Bondi Icebergs, cocktail in hand, poured rake thin into drainpipe jeans and a swimsuit I wouldn’t be surprised to see Kath or Kim giving a good hard go in a few months time but its always good to take a step back and remember what the first day of swimsuit season is really like. Doubtless you are a pale (literally) imitation of said model………………………..

Ebony and Ivory. By Alicia Pyke.



Hello toes! Yes, it’s officially sandal season and with it comes a whole new range of vivid nail polishes to test-drive. Bright sports-car red one day, a delicious pinky coral that reeks of decadent holidays in the sun the next. Ah, how I love seeing those gleaming discs of pristine colour whenever I glance down. 

No, this is not a column about overhauling your feet for spring since I believe in perennial pedicures and truly practise what I preach on that score. Rather, it’s about that stage most of us go through in which the weather forces us to get reacquainted with particular parts of the body that seem to go MIA during winter. 

As one of the palest women on the planet – is it any wonder I adore Dita Von Teese? – warm spring days mean adjusting to the sight of my ultra milky flesh peeking out from my mostly black clothing. Cardigan, schmardigan. When the sun shines and the wind drops I want to shrug of those outer layers and feel the balmy air on my skin just like the olive-skinned among us. Hence the ebony (my frock du jour) and ivory (my skin) look I’m currently rocking. 

Sure, I could hit the Holiday Skin, Dove Summer Glow or one of the other “gradual tanners” cluttering my bathroom shelves. Or even renew the standing weekly appointment with a spray tanning guru like I had a few summers ago while living in Brisbane. But there’s something about the early days of spring that makes it acceptable to venture forth with a moontan. Something that doesn’t happen in the middle of a blazing summer. 

My milky natural hue is not something I’m especially proud of, but hey, you’ve got to work with what you’ve got. And what I’ve got is a complexion that screams pure Melbourne in a crowd of Sydney perma-tans. By my estimation I’ve also got a window of about two weeks before this look gets real old, real fast. 

Not that I’ll be ready to show off my pale pins then. I still haven’t given up my tights but on the days I go for footless versions, those happy colours on my toes remind me long, luscious summer days are nearly here. 

And that’s when I’ll hit the tanning bottle. One step at a time please.
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