exactly right

The costumes from The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude include what I think must be the perfect modern tutu:

Wonderful.

You and me and the devil makes three

This is a bit old hat (not unlike the term 'old hat') but how amazing is Anna Wintour's necklace collection?

The various blingalings pictured are antique Georgian collet necklaces (i.e. not for the likes of us plebs). Nerida Aylott over at Art For Interiors seems to be doing a roaring trade in replicas:

But there's something about the quality of the stones, the intense shine perhaps, that misses the mark a little.

I've had a little look on Etsy with some success:

But it's just not the same, really.

Edit: Here's a genuine one being sold at Lang Antiques, and let me be the first to say, Holy Fuckballs

Yes, it is $7,950.00

fucking scary

Twitter indicates that local shoe label Tony Bianco has made the wise decision to stick with queen babe of everything, Bambi Northwood-Blyth for their latest campaign. Here's a photo from the shoot that was recently posted on twitter:

Do the shoes look familiar? Well they're very similar in style to a pair of Giuseppe Zanotti suede wedge-platforms which were released late last year:

Now maybe I'm losing my cojones but I think the ratio of heel-incline to sole-area in these shoes is totally terrifying. I would be afraid to wear them.

Project Runway Australia 3.2: Put the Needle on It

This post is unforgivably tardy but in my defence, the episode in question was unforgivably snoozy. The designers were charged with the task of creating a dress for this woman's fashion line.

Ok, why not.

What we saw of Project D, the label run by Dannii Minogue and Tabitha Somerset Webb, was a collection of aggressively inoffensive evening gowns, which would no doubt appeal to a lot of women everywhere. The designers kinda had their work cut out for them but happily (for asshole viewers like myself) there were a few crash and burns.

Case in point:

Timothy's ensemble was a strange and heinous mix of bad late 80s/ early 90s glamour (the hair and the gold cuffs and the ruff? Pull back dude, pull back). And that red belongs in hell.

Nerrida's dress on the other hand was safe, sweet and a little dull:

But I can't get over the awesomeness of the hairstyling. It's a look that I associate with the 1940s for no particular reason - though maybe it's a bit Edwardian too? Luscious.

[Edit] Validation?:

Anna, my favourite contestant so far, didn't disappoint. Or at least she didn't disappoint me - no one else, including Anna herself, seems to rate the designer's work too highly.

There's something a little off (perhaps the tight skirt should have been connected to to the overlay), but I adore the sheer volume created by the tulle.

It was Craig who won the week's challenge with his stunning jersey (!) gown with lace back-insert:

The 1930s are my one of my favourite eras fashion-wise, so I have a soft spot for designs that focus on the back as an erogenous zone. Craig's dress is designed so beautifully and sits so well that it seems unbelievable that it was made in 8 hours.

I was quite worried that Dylan's very beige (in essence, not colour) grecian dress would be the judges' pick:

But the judges chose well.

Rest easy Dannii and friends, your decision is approved by me, a random blogger.

trompe l'oeil, trompe le monde

Murder, Kali Arulpragasam's latest collection for her label Superfertile, is not the UK jewelery designer's best work. The concept is pretty neat, however, spiky gem-covered discs intended to resemble gunshot wounds and gouged skin:

The idea works best in the images above, with the pieces heavily layered. When styled more sparingly, however, the jewelery does not recognisably connect with the mutilation concept:

Personally I think she should have stuck with shades of dark red, as the pinks and oranges look a little fruity.

Arulpragasam is not the first designer to inject a little gore into her wares - check out Elsa Schiaparelli's 1938 Tears Dress:

The print was designed by Salvador Dali. Yum.

through the hourglass

No way. No flipping way. Guess what this stuff is -

Sand, magnified sand! Magnified 250 times, to be exact, courtesy of, 'artist, inventor, and scientist' Dr Gary Greenberg . Now someone put this shit on a T-shirt.

of nostalgia and peak

Do companies ever do reissues of specific styles? Here is Nine West's Tenant bootie:

I bought a pair of these babies about three years ago, and I've pretty much loved them to death. They're among the most comfortable and well-proportioned heels I've ever owned, and if I could go back in time I would have bought three pairs. Woe is me.

Project Runway Australia 3.1: Hue are you?

First, a note to Arena. As someone who watched the first episode of this series illegally online (and has no inclination to do any differently for the remainder of the season), I am not really in a position to be making demands. Nevertheless it would be very nice if you could include pictures of all the final garments on your website - perhaps instead of the many, many photos you've chosen to display of this season's token kooky contestant, Rachael. [EDIT: Got em off facey. I'm practically Sanda Bullock in The Net]

Anyway, how about dem designers?

The first challenge involved each contestant being allocated a different coloured fabric with which to work. I like the conceit but some designers lucked out so badly it seemed silly. I mean, there are at least twelve nice colours in the world, right?

It seemed for a while as if Timothy 'I haven't sewn in 25 years' Godbold was going to be the guy to beat, but his dress turned out... kinda tacky?

One particularly misguided feature of the dress really threw me off:

Why is there a bow on her butthole?

And while I can see why Johnny won with his heliotrope creation, the dress did bring to mind the deliciously awful phrase popularised by Nina Garcia (of US Project Runway), 'questionable taste levels'.

I felt that an uncharacteristically not-annoying Alex Perry was right in suggesting that Johnny hold back on the arm detail, though it seems the young designer chose to ignore this sage advice.

My favourite design came from the rather unassuming Anna.

It is very reminiscent of two dresses by Abigail Lorick (Eleanor Waldorf's ghost designer) worn in the first season of Gossip Girl:

And while the tailoring of Lorrick's creations is very appealing, I like that Anna's belt is wider and attached to the garment itself. Further, while partially-concealed belts have been doing the rounds for a while now, I don't recall having seen one placed on the back before. Very chic.

Charlotte Blau

In February of 2010 I came across this photo in the State Library of Victoria picture archives:

Little information was supplied save for the subject's name and occupation - she is Charlotte Blau, an Australian fashion designer. There was much about the image I found interesting (not least the gown Blau is shown working on) and my inability to find further information on Blau was a puzzling disappointment.

Imagine my delight then, when yesterday I received an email from Blau's grandson, who has been kind enough to share some additional information about his grandmother.

Before World War Two Blau studied architecture at the famed Bauhaus school in Germany. From the 1950s to the end of the 60s Blau created garments for her label, Charlotte Fifth Avenue Gowns. Apparently she was the first Australian designer to display in all windows at Saks in New York (neat!). Winning the Wool industry gown of the year award five times, Blau's work was photographed by Helmut Newton, Athol Smith, Bruno Bernini.

Blau's life seems so fascinating, I can't wait to learn more!

edit: It seems like some of the photos in the Powerhouse Museum collection might feature Blau's work, but I'll be darned if I can figure out their captioning system:

the blue hour

I am quite fascinated by the outfit Kate Moss wore on the day before her wedding:

I have had no great love for the work Moss has produced during her stints as a designer, but I must admit she remains one of the most brilliantly intuitive dressers around. I'd love to know the make of the boots - the flat bow first made me think Louis Vuitton, but since having a second look at Stella McCartney's (splendid) Resort 2012, I wonder if they are her creations:

In a strong Resort season, McCartney's collection was one of the best and the squat, lucite-heeled shoes are out of this world. Let's go mid-heels, it's time for a come back.

Now

Horrible confession: I watch Mel Gibson's Apocalypto at least twice a year . Strangest guilty pleasure ever. I know it's an abominably silly movie, but there's something about the faces that I find very appealing. The urban Mayan civilisation scenes also include some crazy good colours and costumes: