Street Fashion

We take a look at some of our favourite established and emerging Australian bloggers.

Oh how the world of fashion is changing. Just this year we’ve seen QR codes and Instagram invade the fashion industry, Kanye released his first collection, apparently bum-bags are in and sky-high pumps are out, and now they’re telling us that Bloggers are the most influential people in the fashion industry! Well I’m not so sure I agree with bum-bag fashion craze, but there’s no denying that Bloggers are quickly becoming the go-to people for fashion advice and inspiration.

Here at Streetfash, we love reading your blogs for the incredible outfit posts, style inspiration, and to swoon over your latest and greatest purchases. We know that you guys are in-the-know when it comes to fashion and we want to share the love. Since we are all about celebrating our finest homegrown fashion talents, we thought we would share some of our favourite local Bloggers (in no particular order). Some are professional bloggers, some are just starting out, but we think they are all amazingly talented and certainly worth a follow. Looks as though Sydney is giving Melbourne a run-for-their-money as the most fashionable city!

Through The Looking Glass 
Location: Melbourne 
Who: Giang Cao 
Why we love it: For the incredible photo documentation of people and places in Melbourne.

Il etait une fois 
Location: Melbourne
Who: Bianca Nardo 
Why we love it: For keeping us up to date on all of the latest happenings in the wonderful world of fashion. We especially love it when she throws in an outfit post.

All About Edie 
Location: Sydney 
Who: Mollie Stevens 
Why we love it: For her outstanding ability to mix high fashion staples with affordable trending items. Plus, she always looks oh-so-chic. This girl is one to watch!

Your Only Black Swan 
Location: Sydney 
Who: Lauren Hernandez
Why we love it: For her fun, vintage-inspired outfit posts, and photo diary type posts.

Modern Legacy 
Location: Someone let us know! 
Who: Kaitlyn 
Why we love it: A law student with impeccable street style, flawless grammar (how refreshing) and a heck-of-a-lot of amazing shirts! We love her effortless chic look and vintage ensembles.

Dear Mr. Cat 
Location: Sydney
Who: Brittany Ferns
Why we love it: For her adorable illustrations and artwork, her beautiful inspirational image posts, and previews of her new clothing label Otto Mode. Bookmark this site, she’s going to be huge.

Confident Liar 
Location: Sydney 
Who: Nicole Cooper 
Why we love it: Well her profile reads, “An extremely broke photography student, who can barely afford the bus home yet still manages to buy film.” We love it! Do yourself a favour and check out her beautiful photography. Enough said.

A huge thank you to Kaitlyn from Modern Legacy, Bianca from Il etait une fois , and Lauren from Your Only Black Swan for your gorgeous images.

Words: Christie Sinclair

Absorb’s latest short fashion film collaboration showcases the SS11 range by Aussie designer swimwear label We Are Handsome. Get ready for a vivid, polychromatic montage of 80’s film and television references, lots of glitter, and some seriously cool swimsuits. Can you believe it was shot in the middle of a Westfield shopping centre using mobile phones? Check out the film and these awesome images from the shoot by James Nash.

I’m sure you’re aware of the recent shifts in consumer buying behaviour; our smaller boutiques and labels are suffering at the hands of international online rag-trader giants as Aussies turn to overseas markets for a competitive deal. Now more than ever, our independent designers need support to keep them afloat in this current retail crisis.

So what's the appeal in purchasing independent fashion? We discussed the difference in quality and exclusivity in Series One of our Independent Designer articles. But what about good old-fashioned shopping? I’m not talking about trawling through website after website, online store after online store. I know it’s rather convenient to shop online at times, especially when it means you don’t have to immerse yourself in a car-park battle or even get out of your pjs, but lets not forget the physical experience of shopping. Online shopping is a great way to browse products and help us quickly find what we are looking for, but the disconnection and lack of physical interaction only increases the difficulty choosing your product and post purchase dissonance.

Phoebe Garland, co-owner of Garland & Garland Fashion, a leading Sydney-based fashion agency believes we need to recognise the contribution independent fashion has made by reinforcing the personal service and the wonderful relationships you can have with the smaller boutiques and buying from Australian retailers.

“These smaller retailers have contributed significantly to building these multinational apparel companies. And, these are the retailers that are really suffering. They simply do not have the luxury of operating on the higher margins the chains stores and vertical operators do and they have quite often been lining the pockets of the big apparel companies for years,” she said.

Customer service is a notion most of us have consigned to oblivion now that we have the option of online shopping, but it plays a very large role in customer satisfaction and positive brand image. The physical connection between the consumer and a product is imperative, and it is the customer service that can help facilitate a positive outcome in the end.

It seems department stores and large fashion retailers pay little attention to customer service, which is interesting considering the vast competition from online stores and overseas e-boutiques. So if you are after knowledgeable and friendly staff who virtually live and breathe fashion, head to smaller boutiques and independent retailers.

There is nothing quite like stepping into your favourite boutique and knowing you will be greeted, assisted and treated like a friend rather than a potential buyer. You won’t have to search five floors and numerous un-manned counters, or have to deal with stroppy sales assistants who are more interested in simply making sales than helping you find the perfect garment. Although boutiques generally employ less staff, this allows more time for training and ensuring they employ the ideal candidate for the job.

Skill shortages are also not a problem as many independents employ ‘stylists’ as opposed to sales assistants, whose role is to assist the customer in finding the perfect garment using their broad knowledge of fashion and the particular brand.

Celebrity Stylist, Amber Renee agrees that stylists can drastically enhance the shopping experience by providing independent, educated advice to assist the consumer in selecting the best possible garment in the least stressful manner. She also notes that stylists advice is generally not biased as they are not pressured by sales targets or under any conflict of interest.

“If the stylist is educated on body shapes and skin tones they can provide advice that relates directly to that customer – rather than show what’s been the ‘best seller’ or ‘what everyone loves’.”

Words: Christie Sinclair

Online fashion-media website, Absorb presents 'Runaway', the beautiful new fashion film about a runaway who discovers the wintry rural countryside in a selection of Autumn knitwear by the likes of Ginger and Smart, Jessica O’Conner, Pol Design, LuLu Rouge, Sabatini and Christopher Esber.

Starring model Angelique from EMG and filmed by Costa Vakas, the film was shot amongst cattle and llamas in fields surrounding the rural town of Berry, just a few hours south of Sydney.

To accompany the short, photographer Rodney Ye also captured a series of alluring images of the shirting and knitwear story titled, 'Journey the Fields' (pictured above).

Film: By Costa Vakas 
Stylist: Chiara Bianchino 
Makeup: Chereine Waddell
Hair Stylist: James Nash
Model: Angelique from EMG

Words: Christie Sinclair

We have seen an enormous shift in consumer buying behaviour since the concept of ‘Etail’ first rocked our shopping world, and the soaring Aussie Dollar has only added fuel to this very large fire. Australian retail sales are dwindling before our eyes as we charge towards offshore markets for a fashionable-bargain. While purchasing from an overseas online store all seems well and good in theory, have you ever really stopped to think about why that high-fashion retailer is offering you (and every-man-and-their-dog) such a seemingly great offer?

I have two words for you. Mass production. It’s all about churning out large volumes of product, at an absolute minimal cost, resulting in enormous revenue for manufacturers. So of course, something’s got to give. And it’s generally, (always) the quality. Not to mention the fact there are approximately five million other twenty-something women waltzing around in that very same, top. I don’t know about you, but that’s certainly not my cup of tea.

“What’s the alternative?” I hear you say. Get behind our homegrown Independent Designers. Sure, the attraction to shopping at retail giants lies in the premise of snagging a bargain or two, but if you consider yourself a bit of a fashionista, quality and exclusivity will most likely outweigh the cost. But don’t be disheartened; the word ‘designer’ is not always associated with ‘designer’ prices. You’ll find that many of our young up-and coming designers and even established independent designer’s collections are becoming rather affordable. After all, they are having to compete with chain stores and now overseas online retailers at a time when retail spending is at an all-time low. Thus, the proliferation of reasonably-priced designer fashion. This of course, is in relation to how the product is manufactured and the materials used.

Independent designers often manufacture in Australia as opposed to offshore. This ensures quality and also ethical workplace standards. The use of high quality fibers and materials is ensured when purchasing independent fashion- items are also likely to last longer and function as great wardrobe ‘staples’. Additionally, many garments by independent designers are handmade or have handmade elements, which ensures individuality and quality. As they say, “you get what you pay for” and if it is quality, uniqueness, comfort and beauty, then give those mediocre, rag-traders the flick in favour of our Independent Designers.

For an example of great independent fashion check out the amazing pics from Orri Henrisson's AW10 collection. Streetfash will be stocking Orri Henrisson SS11/12 when it drops in a few weeks.

Words: Christie Sinclair

New Zealand-based menswear label, I Love Ugly have kicked off their Spring 2011 collection with a bang, releasing an idiosyncratic collaborative short film titled ‘A Conventional Camouflage’.

The film embraces concepts of their latest range, also titled ‘A Conventional Camouflage’, inviting viewers into the quintessential I Love Ugly world of unique textures, patterns and unorthodox design

From its humble beginnings as a small T-shirt label, the label’s founder, illustrator and designer, Valentin Ozich has successfully transformed I Love Ugly into one of News Zealand’s leading menswear labels. The slightly eccentric take on classic pieces and designs has attracted a cult following; the label is now well known for obscuring the lines between fashion and art to create enduring collections, successfully bucking the transient nature of the fashion industry.

Designs by I Love Ugly are available now at the Streetfash online store here: I Love Ugly.

Words: Christie Sinclair

When winter slowly turns into spring, we all get a burst of enthusiasm to get some summer stock into our wardrobes. But here in chilly Melbourne summer warm spring weather takes a while to take hold.

Because of the funny not quite winter/not quite spring weather you need to be prepared for both warm and cold. One minute the sun comes out, the next your stuck in the rain.

Mixing natural fibres like sheer cotton and linen with heavy natural wools and leather is the perfect way to be prepared for all conditions. And with the surge of raw fabrics in European fashion for Spring/Summer 2011 you’ll be right on the mark.

This is a great time of year to layer up and make the most of all different fabrics in your collection.

Words & photos: Max Sanderson

Our special street style Couples Report looks to borrowed wardrobes, joint muses, accidental copycats and people who really do look beautiful together.

Last year I would often step out of my room only to see my flatmate dressed in the same generic mini skirt band tee and chunky knitted cardi. A “flat uniform” we would joke, yet it seems we are not the only “twin” or “friend” dressers out there.

Couples, siblings and friends we became intrigued by this shared sense of style and mutual inspirations that took the focus of the usual individual street style photograph. Instead our special Couples Report looks to borrowed wardrobes, joint muses, accidental copycats and people who really do look beautiful together.

Words and photos: Tilly Pearman

Not quite freezing definitely not warm, spring will soon be sprung and the perfect in-between footwear in the good 'ol boot.

City streets are a sea of worn leather and soft suede as styles vary from riders, wedge, desert, biker and combats. Throughout history the design of the boot has functionally not just style. The cowboy heel for riding, hiking for comfort and support and gumboots to splash about in.

Looking for a pair that will last a trip to the Sahara and back? Try shag for a vintage soles that will stand the test of time. Just got an inheritance? Acne's ‘Admire’ wedge-boot are the ultimate weapon of foot fashion. Whether your going horseback for a hike or out to coffee, lace em up be comfortable and have style- to boot.

Words and photos: Holly-Rose Butler

We like the street fashion details here, do you? Take a peek inside Crystal and Aden's wardrobe.

01: Crystal

Name: Crystal
Location: Smith Street
Outfit: Bag- vintage Skirt- the past (Op Shop) Top and Cardigan- Op Shop finds
Occupation: Fashion Design Assistant/ Retail Assistant at American Apparel
Style: “Comfortable and soft”

02: Aden

Name: Aden
Location: Sydney Road
Outfit: Purple Hair accessory- self-designed Pants-Cheap Monday Shoes- Op Shop Shirt- vintage Hugo Boss Belt- vintage Chanel
Occupation: Sculptor/ Jewellery Designer/ Model
Style: High fashion on a low budget

Words and photos: Tilly Pearman

Cold and windy winter days certainly call for some gear to keep warm. Cities like Melbourne really embrace the winter months showing off some great layering and heavy outfits. Every winter you need a staple piece to keep warm and go with everything. Whether it be your heavy felt coat the leather biker or a classic cotton trench.

This time of year the icy days really hit hard so you really cannot go past the quality of a well made woollen coat. Good layering can be hard to achieve the simple minimalist style of a woollen felt coat is a perfect way to not over-do-it. Strolling a vintage market or breakfast on a sunny crisp winter morning is just delightful as is the perfect apparel to do it in: the trench coat. Clean classic sophisticated yet cool it is really the staple piece that will never go out of style and last you years.

Cold, cold winter do it in style.