Militant

I wore this outfit recently on a styling gig for Vice magazine. The dress arrived in the mail that day from eShakti care of the HopShopGo service and even though the fabric was not really suitable for the extreme hot weather I loved how it looked on and had been waiting for what seemed like forever for it to arrive. That's the thing with HopShopGo, you have to wait for two deliveries to take place. First for it to arrive at the USA address and then secondly for it to arrive at yours. It also doesn't come cheap, I spent nearly the same price of the dress on the service, but I think it was worth it because the dress was exactly what I've been looking for. I'm pretty much obsessed with khaki and brown mixed with black and gold. I'm also loving shirt dresses and collars with necklaces underneath. Every time I wear this dress I get so many compliments, more than any other item I own, so I'm pleased as punch with it.

Dress: eShakti $90 including postage service
Belt: Vintage $10
Wedges: Target on sale $25
Necklace: Estelle Deve
Sunburn on hands: Care of an epic shoot in sand dunes which is soon to be published at OnTheStreetsOfSydney.com (I had sunscreen on, never thought to put it on my hands though)

Here are some things that amuse me:

1. Why is it that bloggers boyfriends who take outfit photos seem to get better at blog outfit photography while mine just gets worse? This was the second shoot for this outfit, and it basically sucks and shouldn't be blogged. We tried shooting outside (super blurry photos) and then a few days later inside with flash which made the dress seem super shiny (which its not) but at least the shot isn't blurry so it was posted. I'm not complaining, I appreciate that he helps, but he does whinge and carry on a lot when he does, especially if I "over direct" him. Fun times at blogging HQ I can tell you.

2. Getting asked to style a shoot for Vice just after they posted this condescending article about me and the other YoungFat&Fabulous girls. The original article was from the Netherlands and when that was translated it came across more bitchy than the current English translation I can find. Look I don't mind, I got a whole bunch of traffic from the Vice post, its just funny for both things to happen in the same month. Work for Vice, get teased by Vice. Loves it!

Reader poll: Should I shave the side of my head? I have wanted to do it for years, almost did it one day but was stopped by Henry. So should I just take the plunge now as I do know the asymmetrical hair suits my face. Thoughts?

Gift idea: Magazine Subscription

I have always wanted a magazine subscription as a gift, always. Unfortunately no one has ever given me one...yet. Maybe after reading this someone will?

With only 10 days left till Christmas and the madness of the shops right now, I think the perfect gift for the fashion obsessed is a magazine subscription which you can buy online. Want to see a smile wider than the equator? Get someone a sub to their fave mag, seriously, who wouldn't love that? My dream subs to put in my fab new Love and Luck satchel are all Australian/NZ titles as I prefer to support Australian talent and designers when spending my $ on magazines. I also think we have some of the best titles out there as it is anyway! My top 5 are:



Firstly there is No magazine, the NZ based title that is setting the world on fire with their cool editorials, always with a cheeky edge. Next up is Fallen magazine, which, is one of the few titles based in Melbourne, and as such has a place in my heart. Thirdly is the ever popular Aussie mag Russh which I have been a fan of since issue 7 as you can see in the above photo. The only issues I've missed since then are from when I was living overseas and couldn't find it. Yen magazine has been a fave since the very 1st issue (which sits proudly on my shelf). I guess the styling is most similar to my aesthetic, a sorta colourful Japanesey vibe. Lastly we have Oyster, another long time fave, each issue is a visual feast of fashion and art, I never miss an issue.

Magnation have kindly given my readers a 10% off code for all subscriptions until the 25th of December. Just use FSHNHYLY at the checkout.

Good luck beating the crowds this year, I've done 90% of my Christmas shopping online and I can't recommend it enough. Just set and forget, haha. xxx

Which magazine are you? Tell me to win a subscription thanks to Mag Nation

Fred the Jackalope, Estelle Dévé Somni necklace, Daisy by Marc Jacobs perfume, Sportsgirl Nail It nail polish in Nude, deer figurine from Nara in Japan.

Are you the Frankie girl? You love baking cupcakes, vintage shopping and collecting cute figurines. You prefer supporting local handmade design over international brands and you dream of the day your illustrations are featured in the monthly poster.


Tokyo Tower, Elke Kramer resin stud bangle, red ring from the MOMA design shop in NYC, Drown Refraction necklace, Alexander McQueen Kingdom perfume, Sportsgirl Nail It nail polish in Purple Rain.

Or are you more of a Russh reader? You love everything Stevie Dance touches, in your eyes she can do no wrong from wetsuits teamed with Christopher Kane to splashing yellow paint all over a Lover dress. Your style is more cutting edge than cute, in fact if anyone were to call you cute you would show them the finger, you're just that type of girl.


Black Petal to the Metal necklace by Make Believe, Squirrel lamp from Corky Saint Clair, Blush Amour #46 nail polish, Aesop Geranium Leaf Body Balm, YSL Baby Doll perfume.

Lastly, are you a Lula lover from way back? You have collected every issue and have them proudly displayed on your bookshelf next to your squirrel lamp, which is oh so Lula. You would never dream of tearing out the pages of the magazine as its like a piece of art so you have photocopied all your favourite editorials and pasted them all over your walls along with your artistic polaroids and hand written poetry.



Mag Nation is not only my favourite store (hello I am a big magazine junkie) but they also offer Magazine Subscriptions and have kindly offered to give a subscription away to one of my lucky readers.

All you have to do is comment bellow and tell me which magazine you are and why from the above three, then I will use random.org to choose the winning comment. Easy.

Competition is open to Australian residents only and will close at 5pm on the 21st of June.

Good luck xxx

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

Cleo

Interview with yours truly in this months Cleo magazine. I've been so excited about this for a while. I love getting recognised for my work and not what I wear, as its what I'm most proud of. It is funny that my street fashion photography, that I started doing nearly 10 years ago now, is what gives me the most recognition rather than my styling? I guess it takes a while for anything to take off, and I've only really been styling for a little over a year now and it is slowly taking off which is exciting. I seriously have to pinch myself occasionally because I'm living my dream.

They also interviewed Emma from Dropstitch, Fernando from Fernandofrisoni and Paul-Simon from Kahlanswardrobe and I noticed something, all of us are stylists and/or designers as well. I guess it shows we have the eye for style and design, and for me it was never about the photgraphy, even though I studied photography at University, it has always been about the style. Sure my photography has improved but I'm not really interested in that side of things. I really like how Fernando said in his interview that it was almost offensive to be compared to Scott Schuman of The Satorialist as I completly agree, and I don't even think he is a talented photographer (shhhh, omg did she say it, omg yes she said it, ha). Fernando says

"Some call me the Scott Schuman of Australia, but I don't take that as a compliment. I started way before Schuman and I like to take pictures of real street wear. I like the challenge of finding an image with a raw or creative element to it. It's quite easy to be in Paris, outside a Galliano show, and take a picture of a fashion editor, but is it real street style? My inspiration is the real people who take a bus to work"

I agree 100% with this statement. It is just so b.o.r.i.n.g "oh wow look at Carrine Rotfield in a loaned outfit from the fashion cupboard at Vogue Paris wearing the shoes that just walked down the runway" its not REAL and I find it all so dull and have never really understood the appeal.

There are so many street photogrphers around the world now, but I feel that people keep forgetting the original (and the best), Shoichi Aoki the creator of Fruits magazine. We all owe so much to him and I feel he doesn't get enough praise. I'm sure that without Shoichi there would be no Scott, Yvan or heck even me, out there snapping away.

Thanks Cleo for being one of the 1st Australian media outlets to finally recognise home grown street fashion photographers and for basically making my day/week/year xxx

New Attitude magazine

The NEW issue of Attitude magazine is out. You can get it online OR in print in Australia at fashion boutiques or wherever you pick up your street press.


Isn't the cover AMAZING? I really love the styling of this issue, every page is an inspiration.

Another reason to check out the new issue is I have written an article for the mag about my fave fash photography blogs/sites.



I'm beyond happy with how it all turned out, the page looks amazing. Sourcing all images was a nightmare, but I did it even with my internet shaped! Its on the 2nd last page btw.

So now I am a published writer, which is 100% unexpected but at the same time such a dream come true. Still working out what exactly I want to do with my life, but I am a total mag addict (I brought home 10 magazines from Japan, and then when I landed I bought Shop till you Drop, Russh, Frankie and Yen...I actually cried when I saw them on the stands I was that excited by them...yes I am crazy) so a career in magazines is pretty much my dream. This blog was never meant to be well writen (and its not) its just a place for my ideas, projects and inspirations kinda like a visual diary. So hopefully with these other places to write my writing will improve on here too? Practice makes perfect yeah?

I actually took a copy of issue 61 of Attitude to Japan with me (sorta working on something over there) to show people/designers/boutique owners and everyone was beyond amazed at the quality for a FREE magazine. Apparently Japan has virtually no street press, and if they did it wouldn't be of the same standard. A Japan update will happen tomorrow after my first day of Uni (so nervous).

Oh GUESS WHAT? Russh Japan has folded. I saw it on the stands when I first arrived but didn't buy it because the fashion shoots were exactly the same as what was in the Aussie mag. However by the end of my trip I was like I need 1 for my records (yes....records) and went off looking for it. My Japanese friend Toshi came with me (he is also a mag addict) but every store didnt have it, so we finally asked and yeah they said it closed an all issues were gone now. Sad. It was the first Australian title to be exported O/S, but I guess it was a bad time for a launch, with Japan already a saturated magazine market, not to mention the current economic situation. I've heard rumours of Russh Australia maybe folding too, which I really hope doesn't happen as its one of my favourite magazines (Yen and Frankie are a bit too twee and girly for me) The current issue is dead set amazing, I am in love with the Jethro shoot (I will scan images later).

Anyway, I'm back in Australia as of a few hours ago and I need to sleep.

Japanese magazine shop in Melbourne

Hey there, sorry about not blogging for a few days. My internet is FINALLY back up to normal speed so I can finally blog and comment and watch youtube Yay!

Here is a post that I have been working on for a while.

Recently I noticed a few bloggers talking about how hard it is to get Japanese magazines in their country. Well in Melbourne, Australia we are really lucky, its not that hard because we have a dedicated Japanese magazine store called Kanga Kanga.

Kanga Kanga is an amazing shop that sells every single Japanese magazine you have ever heard of here in Melbourne. The shop is on level 5 in this scary old building on Russell Street, but don't let that turn you off from going, its worth it.

The prices are standard for Japanese magazines here, about $16-$21 each depending. You can also subscribe to the magazines and get a discount of 10%. I haven't been able to buy any due to my pitiful student budget and also the fact that I know in Japan the mags are only $3-$6 each and I already have sooooo many at home so I can't justify buying them. However it is worth it if you buy 1 a month or less because every page in a Japanese magazine can inspire you for years to come.

My fave Japanese magazines are:

Fruits

Bizarre and Yulia at their shop Candy in Shinjuku Ni-Chome.
They dj'd at my wedding :>

OMG I was looking through my Fruits mags just now and found Kati, the "Melbourne Spank Girl" who lived in Tokyo at the same time I did but we only met here in Melbourne on the train. Wowzers.

Everyone knows Fruits, the famous Harajuku street fashion magazine. I first discovered it at 16 and that is when I decided I wanted to move to Tokyo one day. When I did I ended up friends with the people who are in the magazine, my 16 year old self would be so amazed, lol.

Tune

Tune is the male Fruits magazine. Also features my friends, lol, and lots of "HOT J boys" as my Nova co-worker's would say.

Cutie

I love this models pointy eyebrows. I met her at a party one night and she has them in real life too.

Shop staff who are kinda fashion celebrities in Tokyo. The bottom row is Bizarre, Roxy, Emiko from Candy and Maya from Spank.

I love Cutie. I love the chaotic page layouts, the fashion shoots, the street style shoots, the maps to cool shops and I love it when they feature my friends. In Japan the fashion celebrities are not models, or actresses, they are REGULAR people. The most famous of which are shop staff. There is a special edition of Fruits magazine once a year which showcases all the Shop staff of the cool boutiques (in Japan they say "select shop" which means its the owner and shop staffs selections of goods, which is why certain styles are named after shops and also why every shops is sooooo different) I can't find my copy of the special Fruits shop staff issue (Shit where is it?) but when I find it I will scan some pages for you to see. Cutie mag also does real people's bedroom photos in every issue and a once a year bedroom only special mag.

Zipper


My friend is a stylist and model for this magazine. It has good ideas on how to wear something many different ways and really well styled shoots.


Kera

Showcases a lot of the goth lol and punky styles of Harajuku. Has 5 pages of street fashion too which my friends were often in.

So-En

Amazingly styled shoots. Unfortunately a very heavy magazine so I couldn't bring all my copies home with me from Japan. I have written on here before how I sent a suitcase full of magazines home to Australia for $200. I love them that much. I really miss my So-Ens. I had to give away 2 more LARGE suitcases FULL of magazines to my co-workers. I did 2 trips into work on the train with a heavy suitcase, so crazy, and sad. I hope when Nova closed they didn't just get thrown out.

Tokyo Graffiti

I am in the top right hand corner with BAD HAIR! Henry is in the bottom right. Look how chubby he was when he first came to Japan.

Henry is in the middle, look how skinny he got. He rode his bicycle to work every day. That doesn't seem that crazy but he actually did 2 shifts a day, a morning one then a night one. That means he rode his bike to work 30 mins, back home 30 mins, back to work 30 mins and then home again 30 mins. 2 hours every day. Crazy right? It's not like the trains were expensive, he just preferred to ride. Now that suit doesn't fit him anymore, but it used to hang off him.

A Tokyo mag that offers an insight into the life and minds of Tokyoites. Me and Henry were in the mag, me once Henry twice. It has street fashion, vox pop of foreigners and Japanese, photos of people who collect crazy things, photos re-created with the same people i.e a photo at a kindergarten of 3 friends is re-created with them as adults. Lots and lots of interesting stuff to look at.


ViVi

Not really my style but it can still be interesting. More similar to western style magazine and fashion.

Egg

Only for a few laughs. I love Ganguro girls though, they are really gutsy and anti-establishment. If you look into how they came about its very interesting. Apparently one of my Nova co-workers girlfriends was an Egg model, lol he went out with a Ganguro. (I didn't like this particular co-worker very much, he was one of those guys who go over to Japan so they can just get laid as much as possible because no one back home would dare look at him...all he talked about in the staff room was who and how he had fucked some chick, such a total wanker)

It's also important to note that in Japan you only buy the magazine that belongs to your "group" or fashion tribe. Its really important. I went to a magazine shop with an OL friend of mine (OL is short for office lady which is a major social group of women in Japan) and she screamed at me for wanting to buy Zipper, she was like that's only for Harajuku teenagers you CAN'T buy it. (She only saw me in my work clothes mind you). Then the Spank girls didn't like So-En that much because it wasn't about their style, and they hate Egg and ViVi.

On the days that the magazines come out you will find all the cool Tokyo kids at Laforet department store in Harajuku or Tower Records in Shibuya checking out which of their friends is in what magazine. That's really important too.

Why are Japanese magazines so expensive here? Why doesn't Magnation sell them? Why are Asian magazines so hard to find in general when Australia, particularly Melbourne, is full of Asian International students?

You can also find some Japanese magazines and other Asian magazines in Chinatown at HaHa and 2 other shops that I don't know the name of. The problem is they are wrapped in plastic and you can't request to open them to "try before you buy". At Kanga Kanga however they wrap the mags in plastic too but they will happily unwrap them so you can browse and decide which mag you want to buy.

I wish I could scan more for you but it takes forever.