Cue photo shoot mood board
C'est La Vie Styling
'That's Life Styling' one aspiring stylists fashionable view on the world
.#oranacollegeexperience.
It’s the time in my life for change, one of the biggest being the upcoming end of my college experience. With graduation only a short two months away everyone around me seems to be asking how my college experience went, was it fun, did I enjoy it? I can safely say it has been enjoyable, informative, challenging and has taught me more than I could have possibly imagined, and not just to do with business and fashion. Like all good education institutions Orana has helped me to grow as a person and has give me a wide range of skills that are useful in everyday life not just within the fashion industry.
For me schooling was always a struggle, I can do the work fine but my mind works in a roundabout way and it generally takes a while to complete projects. This paired with the busy schedule that comes with having been out of school for a couple of years meant taking on college was always going to be a little bit of a challenge for me.
From the first moment I walked in the doors at Orana College I knew it was the place for me. Orana isn’t a big college and hasn’t been around for very long, but as soon as I was there I knew it would be an enjoyable place for learning, a place where I could excel in the only subject I’ve ever really taken interest in. The initial interview was scary at first but in the end Yvonne left me feeling relaxed and excited about attending college in the new year. I kept thinking finally I’ve found a place where I can excel and enjoy myself while I’m at it, and it certainly didn’t disappoint.
I’ve never been very good with new people and generally find it hard to relax enough to get a conversation out unshaken, the feeling being more intense in schooling situations so the orientation day was a daunting one for me. But in the end, just like with the initial interview I felt relaxed and excited about what was to come. Every day with Orana since then has been an enjoyable one.
I have had a few ups and downs, a few late projects and a fear of public speaking were hurdles I overcame with the help and support of my teachers at college. The understanding Orana has shown when problems arise is astounding to me, I have come from a high school where understanding wasn’t a part of the teachers vocabulary, and to end up in the nurturing college I have is more than I could have possibly hoped for.
Every class has been interesting, even the driest of business subjects turn out to be an enjoyable learning experience. I am so grateful for the teachers I have had at Orana, each a current star in their chosen field of the fashion industry making what they have to teach all the more interesting and relevant.
The last thing I will say is the most important part of the Orana curriculum for me, work place training. You can learn so much in classes from great teachers, and I certainly have learnt a lot, but I’ve found the best learning is done through work place training (WPT) and internships. Orana taught me getting your foot in the door through WPT is the best way to get a job in the industry and teaches you to use all the skills we have been taught in class and hopefully eventually be paid for it. This is something Orana focused heavily on, preparing us for the work force, even making it a mandatory part of the curriculum to complete a minimum of 100hours unpaid WPT, something Orana actually sourced for us. Designers, creatives or companies approach Orana looking for interns and WPT students, Orana then emails the details to all students and we usually apply to the job through emailing our college, they help us with it every step of the way. This also works the other way around, with Orana approaching designers, creatives or companies to see if their students would be useful to them, sometimes it’s a long term internship with one or two days a week for a minimum of three months and sometimes it’s events suck as Sydney Fashion Weekend.
This system is great it has given me the opportunity to work with so many different amazing people. They even got me an internship with Vogue Magazine Australia where thanks to all I have been taught at Orana I managed to further my position from intern to senior intern. Now I am working in visual merchandising and being paid for it by an amazing company called Lifestyle Looks, a company I first got connected to through the Orana WPT system. So thank you for everything Orana, the experience has been a hundred times more enjoyable and exciting than I could have ever hoped for.
.Mothers Day theme.
Mother’s Day has come again this year and with it the theme for Belrose Supacenter’s visual merchandising displays. The colours are deep purples, pinks and blues with a little bit of copper thrown in, something a little different to your typically chosen pastels and flowers. Something which I find most mothers are not a fan of. The choice of deeper colours means it relates more to the actual colours these women dress in and live in. Not only is the colouring set for mums, but so are the items I used. I stear more towards a feminine style bathroom pod from Domayne, a pod dedicated to kitchenwares including an amazing copper cocktail kit from Freedom, and lastly a more practical style pod from Howard’s Storage World with everything a mum needs to get those kids out the door and off to school. Being left with just the colouring and the store names I had to choose all items for the three pods by myself , a daunting task I must say. All in all it was nerve racking and I think I picked up half the homewares at Domayne and freedom before deciding exactly what I wanted and how to position it. I was lucky this time in the everything fit into each of the pods perfectly and nothing was too tall or wide, a very common occurrence with pods. The finishing touches included some fake flowers to tie them all together and little cardboard signs with the word LOVE. I really enjoyed making these pods, all of them being the sort of things I would consider owning myself.
.inspiration time two.
Another brand I have been looking into as a maybe for my college photo shoot is Wheels and Dollbaby. I don’t have anywhere near as many garments by Wheels as I do Cue but I do have a sister who is a huge fan. Combine her collection and my few items and I may just have something I can work with. For now though I have quickly collected a few images for inspiration in terms of the way poses would be done. All photos have been taken from the Wheels and Dollbaby website or Instagram account.
.spring want list.
It’s nearly that time of year again, Spring time! Which means time for another wardrobe re-vamp, well hopefully. Last seasons wants list didn’t get very far, my funds have more been dedicated to partying than clothing. Not necessarily a bad thing considering the lack of space I have in my wardrobe. But spring is probably my favourite fashion season, even though I won’t wear very many of the floral patterns that seem to dominate this season every year. Spring time may be the rise of floral patterns every year but it’s also the time of year I manage to wear the majority of my wardrobe. Spring weather generally allows me to wear everything from raincoats and gumboots, to shorts, culottes, pants and even sundresses at times. This season is all about Australian brands for me, this January saw my Australian brands expand in my wardrobe with my family getting me clothing from C/MEO Collective, Finders Keepers and N/Nicholas.
I have always been more of a vintage shopper, and in recent months Vinnies and Salvos stores have been the only clothing stores I walk out of purchasing things. But after my time at Vogue where I saw all the new collections room the most amazing Australian labels, I realize the something that is missing from my wardrobe is more Australian labels. So I hope you enjoy a little insight to my hopeful Spring wardrobe, I know I’m going to have my work cut out for me trying to get it all. Oh the breaking of my bank.
Enjoy!
GORMAN
– http://www.gormashop.com.au
C/MEO COLLECTIVE
– cmeocollective.com
FINDERS KEEPERS
– finderskeepersthelabel.com.au
BACKSTAGE LABEL
– backstage.clothing
THE FIFTH LABEL
– thefifthlabel.com
AANA JANAKIS
– aanajanakis.com
* All images taken from brands respective websites.
.inspiration time.
So it’s time to try my hand at a styling my own photo shoot, just something small and simple. But first step is to gather inspiration for a mood board.
Due to the shoot being for my college, I do have a few outlines I have to follow. The first outline is to have the shoot be for the one brand, I have chosen Cue Clothing. A brand which takes up about half of my wardrobe, now I just need to figure out who I can get to model it well. But for now here are some photos I have gotten from Cue’s Instagram account to inspire the poses I will do during my shoot. The shoot will be done in studio, most likely to a plain white back ground, so ignore any setting in the inspo photos and just focus on the poses used. I do really enjoy the photo with cords laying on the ground and dangling over the back drop and will consider incorporating something similar into my shoot.
Enjoy!
.summer swimwear selections.
The best part of summer? Swimming and the beach I say, which means it’s time to find the perfect swimwear for any occasion. To me this means finding three different cosies, and everyday bikini, a full suit and a cosie that is a little bit more statement worthy. Some years I will only buy one new set of swimmers, but this year my choices at home are far too limited, it’s time for a re-vamp.
Most years I will go to my local shopping centre and end up with something from Seafolly, Jets or Tigerlily. This year I decided to steer towards some new brands and actually go out of my way to search for the perfect pairs of swimmers. Luckily I got to handle a lot of different swimwear brands thanks to my time at Vogue, and by the time I needed to buy swimwear I had a whole list of new brands to look through that I had never heard of before. This opened up a whole new set of possibilities, did I want wetsuit style from Duskii, or maybe something dainty from Marysia, or even some crazy printed graphics from We Are Handsome. I do love the idea of something from Duskii like a leopard print bikini, or maybe a graphic printed full suit by We Are Handsome, or even their gorgeous flamingo printed bikini. Whether it’s graphic prints, wetsuit style, or even something a little bit more dainty, this list is bound to have something you are looking for.
Enjoy!
EPHEMERA
EPHEMERA is a swimwear brand focused on beautiful cut, superior fabrication and interesting colour combinations. – Visit their website at ephemeralive.com
MARYSIA
A luxury swimwear brand that epitomises poolside style. The line, launched in 2009, eschews trendy prints and typical cuts for perfectly executed silhouettes in premium fabrics. – Visit their website at marysiaswim.com
FELLA SWIMWEAR
FELLA swimwear is a fusion between luxury lingerie and activewear, made to order out of high quality Italian fabrics. Uniquely refined Australian design, with rebellious sensibility and unassuming sensuality. – Visit their website at fellaswim.com
WE ARE HANDSOME
We Are Handsome is defined by it’s impeccable quality, innovative prints, striking colour palettes and neoteric feminine shapes all lovingly crafted, wrapped in sophistication and transcendent of seasons. – Visit their website at wearehandsome.com
MADE BY DAWN
From the heart and mind of Hawaii-born designer Dawn Peterson, Made by Dawn embodies the essence of paired back coastal living through fresh silhouettes and exclusive fabrics. Cofounded by her and her husband Kirk, Made by Dawn flows intuitively, elaborating on elemental themes with each collection. – Visit their website at madebydawn.com
DUSKII
Crafted using the highest quality neoprene, Duskii offers the seasoned paddler, swimmer, surfer, diver, sailor or lounger mix-and-match suits and separates that are simulateously light, warm, thin, supple and stretchy. – Visit their website at duskii.com
* I ended up purchasing the bikini top in the above picture but with the bikini bottoms in the two below picture. And I must say I am absolutely amazed at my purchase and it’s great fit as well as practicality.
FOR LOVE & LEMONS SWIMWEAR
With a unique eye for design, For Love & Lemons has created swimwear styles that are recognised instantly. They are consistently raising the bar with custom made lace and engineered placement embroidery – For Love & Lemons designs stand out in the crowd. – Visit their website at shop.forloveandlemons.com
* All images and words taken from respective brands websites.
.christmas review.
Now we all know the traditional Christmas colours are red and green with white thrown in places, and every year I fall into that space with my choice in Christmas wardrobe. Usually I would opt for something almost comical, last year I managed to find a handmade long velvet dress that was decorated with sparkly Christmas holly. It was a little big, and to be honest a little different to my usual choices, but pair it with some red bowed wedges and my favourite addition, the leopard print Santa hat with holly on the end. I know my Santa hat doesn’t sound all too Christmassy but years ago I was obsessed with leopard and managed to find this Santa hat in the city. Since finding it over 7 years ago I have managed to wear it every year, which is surprising consider I thought I would have lost it by year 2. One thing I love to do during December, before Christmas rolls around, I love to wear Christmas accessories everyday in the lead up to the 25th. One thing you should know about my mother is she looooooves Christmas so naturally my house has a hell of a lot of Christmas themed earrings and broaches floating around. Some years I have chosen not to embrace the Christmas accessories, but this year I did, while interning for Vogue. And man did they all get a kick out of it, I got many complements on my novel Christmas accessories.
This is how Christmas has influenced my style every year, and every year I end up with something new. This year I bought a very cute pair of tiny Santa hat clips, clips that I would sit in my Leya style buns. More excitedly than that though is my Christmas edition Kate Spade Toadstool Handbag, a gift form my lovely sister. It is the most gorgeous bag I own, even beats the vintage Louis Vuitton bags. It’s the perfect party bag and with the red of the leather its a great accessory for the Christmas party season. Those of us who adore fashion can’t resist the thrill of December and with it the roll-call of epic parties, and it’s because every soirée begins with one thing: the joy of dressing up.
One of the other reasons I love Christmas time, though I am not that fond of the day it’s self, is the amazing window and visual merchandising displays. This year I sadly didn’t get much time to go shopping and check out all the amazing Christmas themed displays in the city. But I did manage to check out Bergdorfs via their Instagram, man are they gorgeous. And this year I actually got to assist with a few Christmas themed VM displays thanks to Lifestyle Looks and the lovely Tracy Moores.
.visual merchandising.
Lets have a little chat about visual merchandising. For me visual merchandising is not only fun and enjoyable its also a career path. So far I have tried my hand at a few different kinds of VM work, mostly with home wares but I have had a little experience with fashion visual merchandising. My first experience was during my classes at Orana where they taught us to dress mannequins for VM displays, as well as how to display products like a professional. With that knowledge I felt a lot more comfortable going into work place training for visual merchandising.
The first WPT opportunity I got was to dress mannequins for Westfield Miranda with the lovely Nicola Bates, one of Westfield’s amazing stylists. It was a lot harder positioning the clothing on the mannequins than I originally thought, the itty bitty of making sure the shoe laces match, or that the jewellery is all the same sort of style when you have to get it from a multitude of stores, these things seem easier on paper. It was a lot of fun though and I do hope to do more VM work like that in the near future.
The other experience I have had is with the company Lifestyle Looks, which entails VM displays with home wares mainly. The tiny details that go into VM displays, even if it revolves around big items such as beds and couches, it’s all a very intricate process, it has taught me a lot about noticing the little things, after all it is visual merchandising and if the zipper is showing on a cushion it could just be the end of the world. It has also taught me a boat load about communicating with people, a lot of the work involves speaking with store owners and managers, something which previously I have had issues with. Speaking with these people is something that could be considered a delicate process considering we are borrowing products they wish to later sell, products that we have the responsibility of caring for and arranging in a way that entices onlookers to enter the store and ask about the product. I will admit the hardest part for me was the time I accidentally broke two vases with the combined worth of $60 and freaked out because it was maybe the second time I had worked with this company and I wasn’t 100% sure about the policy for WPT students breaking products. Lucky for me my boss, Tracy Moores is a lovely and understanding person and helped me deal with the mess, even telling me stories of how al the girls she has working for her have done this many times before, accidents happen.
I have a long way to go until I will be doing displays by myself, but for now I will build my confidence while working with the amazing team at Lifestyle Looks. Here are a few photos of displays I have had the opportunity to assist with.
LIFESTYLE LOOKS
WESTFIELD MIRANDA
.VEGAS BABY.
So I think we have all had the wish to dress like a Vegas show girl right? Well I finally got the chance to when I convinced my best friend to throw a Vegas themed 21st earlier this year. At first I looked around and tried to find something I could purchase and put together and after nearly deciding on a Wheels and Dollbaby jewelled corset with the matching jewelled satin booty shorts, I ended up deciding on making the feather bustle myself and using a corset from home with my sequinned gold booty shorts from Woodford. So pretty much all of the outfit was able to be picked out of my wardrobe, aside from the copious amounts of diamonds and feather bustle, which is probably the most important part of the showgirl outfit. The diamonds were easy to acquire, lucky for me Colette was having a 40% off most of the jewellery, which coincidentally included all of the diamanté jewellery. So I may have spent around one hundred dollars on lovely jewellery, but I will wear it again and it included everything from hair pieces and chokers, to earrings and sparkly body jewels. With that covered the only part left was the feather bustle something that had to be perfect. The first logical step was Google images, the second was how to videos on YouTube. After ingesting all of that information I devised a plan of how to make the best feather bustle in the easiest way, all it involved was a whoooooole bunch of feather boas, a small bustle tutu (optional) and some fishing line. I only had the one feather boa at home so I ended up going out and buying one of all the colours I deemed necessary for a rainbow feather bustle skirt. This included one pink, red, orange, yellow, dark green, lime green, bright blue, pale blue and a two tone purple one. Basically I lined them all up in the order I stated, minus the two tone purple, and folded each one over the fishing line so that it had a short length on top and folded over to a longer length behind giving it a little extra oomph. One by one each was then simply tied to a length of fishing line with just one knot, some having to be cut to suit the length of the majority. After that was completed I then tied to fishing line with the feathers attached securely to the ribbon of my rainbow bustle skirt ( which is short and consists of tiered lengths of coloured tutu) and tied at around my hips. The final touches where to tuck in the two toned purple boa so it fell nicely over the back of my bustle, and add my already owned red boa to the front of my hips so as to cover where my bustle tied up at the front. Pair that with a sheer black corset from none other than the amazing Honey Birdette, a pair of fully sequin booty shorts, some sick ass fishnets and a boat load of diamon jewellery complete with a hair piece. I truly channelled my inner show girl with this one, and it wasn’t too hard of an outfit to make! I hope this helps anyone who wants to make their own Vegas show girl costume, or even a legendary Mardi Gras costume, I know that’s where I will be wearing it next year.
This first photo was taken just after finishing the feather bustle.
This last photo, kindly taken hostage by my mates dad Bogdan, is of when I was at the party.
C'est La Vie Styling 