Fame Agenda: Launch

Melbourne's Fame Agenda recently launched their whimsical collection “Donkey Skin” in-store, wooing patrons with the intoxicatingly sweet and delectable collection, paired with champagne and cupcakes.

What Would Karl Do blogger Jess Dempsey was on hand to offer styling advice, rocking two pieces from the collection with an unruffled degree of chic, clashing her bejewelled Neptune blouse with her goldfish pants as though there were really no tomorrow, only a far off mystical yesterday.

"It's a very strong collection," she noted.

"On one hand, it's very feminine, but there's a part of [the collection] that is a bit edgier, a bit sexier, which all ties in to this very eclectic fairy tale." 

The collection, based around two old-fashioned fairytales set in France and Russia, features more wings, fins and "candy-appled everythings" than you could shake a magic wand at. 

I dropped into the launch night to see this collection in the flesh (or skin, as it happens). 

For more details on the collection, read my review here.
More photos from the instore launch night on the Fashion Camille Leon Facebook page

Streetstyle: Whaling on Frocks

Spotted these lovelies carousing in the CBD a while ago, wearing matching red shoes and the sweetest frocks. Yes, that one on the left has whales printed on it...!

Jemima and Bhavani from Little Deer in handmade designs

Tettmann.Doust: Nova Sequence

Tettmann.Doust have dreamed up another fractally galactic collection for the coming season, in a continuation of this season’s Infinitum, which uses prints drawn from mathematically equated fractals. 

A preview of Spring/Summer's Nova Sequence showcases swirling prints based around recurring fractal patterns created through collaboration with fractal-expert Dan Wills. He uses a program named Ultra Fractal to generate the designs based on mathematical equations drawn from nature.

“They can take almost 100 hours to generate,” one half of the designer team, Elke Doust says.

“Dan’s computer actually broke down at one point because it overheated!”

AW13's Infinitum is based around a negative Mandelbrot fractal, a geometric design that played through both the pattern-making and prints for the line.

By contrast, the fractals used within SS13's Nova Sequence are variations on a true Mandelbrot, as well as on the Nova Julia fractal, which contribute a more organic, swirling aesthetic to the range.

Aspects of the swirling fractal patterns are crafted into the design, with the curves of the Mandelbrot fractal a recurring theme, in the criss-crossed backs of blouses and assymetric slope of crop tops.

“Naomi [Tettmann] likes to work with simple shapes that look great on,” Elke explains.

“Some of them that look simple are not actually that simple. Some of these designs will be in her head for two weeks.”

Nova Sequence features an array of lingerie-like pieces alongside beaded gowns, linen pants, assymetric crops, onesies and beautifully beaded satchels, in a dark colour palette with splashes of lilac, lemon, coral and emerald.

The boldness of these pieces, and the vibrancy of leggings and full body onesies splashed with fractal prints are complemented by a more classically feminine element, with sheer blouses and linen pants in neutral hues.

The collection sees the Tettmann.Doust duo take an edgier turn, mixing in leather mini-skirts and -dresses with printed panels and decadent beading.

We’ve always wanted to have that heavily embellished element,” Elke says.

“I’m glad we were able to do a little bit more of it this time.”

Nova Sequence will hit stores in October, in the meantime shop Tettmann.Doust's Infinitum online or instore at Fallow, Bessie Head, S2, The Signet Bureau, Milly Sleeping and Keeper's Edit.

Tsensory

Designer Adam Tsen dished up “fashion five ways” at Melbourne restaurant Shu, with the Tsensory exhibition in March – part of this year’s L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival cultural program.

Tsensory showcased six Tsen-original designs, designed in collaboration with key members of the fashion industry – from fashion bloggers, to boutique owners, to fashion photographers – taking inspiration from their own look, and fusing this with Tsen’s unique aesthetic.

“I wanted to include a bit of the subject’s ideas, as well as my own influence, and design an outfit that represents both my brand and themselves,” Tsen explained.  

Adam Tsen with his models and designs

Dealing with black as a design base, the Melbourne-based designer plays with shocks of colour, as well as occasional and heavy detailing including studs and zips. Previous collections showcase a penchant for heavy-duty elements with an avant-garde outlook and slight gothic-influence.

The Tsensory garments, once designed, were shot and filmed in the streets of Melbourne and the resulting black and white photographs, as well as a short fashion film, were displayed as part of the sensory experience at the Shu exhibition launch.

Canapés by Shu attended to the olfactory and taste senses, while Dynasty DJ’d sounds sweet to the ears. Glowing lights, film projections, a wall of test tubes, and a roomful of fashionable people made for a brilliant aesthetic experience, with the six models swanning about in their Tsensory designs.

“It’s this whole sensory experience,” Tsen explained.

“You get the garments of the actual people, shot in them, wearing them, combined with the music and the food – it has an impact that’s almost overwhelming, but all in a good way.“

The pieces designed for the Tsensory exhibit will form an inspirational basis for Tsen’s next collection, taking aspects of each design into a ready-to-wear line which is sure to make an impact.

With designer Adam Tsen

Adam Tsen and fashion blogger Marcus Tan of Martan

Fashion blogger Khoa Nguyen of Oh! That Boy and fashion photographer Wanda Chin aka Autopsy Jude

Editor of Faint magazine Alex Dubois (r) 

For more images from the event, head to the Fashion Camille Leon Facebook album

Kawsa Hair: Dirty Elegance

Put one blonde fairy with pink streaks in her hair into a snowy wall with Cher Horowitz cuffs and painted white antlers, and what do you have?

The surreal setting for the latest Kawsa Hair Studio campaign, a decadent yet pure-white concept based around the theme of "Dirty Elegance"; the set design incorporating countless painted white cauliflowers, pearls, dog-statues and ping pong bats.

The shoot was a surreal step into a whitewashed fantasy land, with Hannah - our fairy-like model - the splash of colour and life. On this sunny Sunday, I followed her about from make-up to modelling and caught the long moments in between the click of the set photographer's shutter.

Below is a glance behind the scenes at this visually intriguing photoshoot, produced by Toni Newman and creatively directed by Robyn Maguire, with the hairstyling and direction by Paul Galileos of Kawsa Hair Studio.
 

Make up by Christine Gaunt

Photographer Wren Steiner on the edge of his seat

Paul working his hairstyling magic

Celebratory after-modelling biscuit

Full credits for the Dirty Elegance campaign shoot:

- Client: Kawsa Hair

- Hair Stylists: Paul, Kate and Bec from Kawsa Hair 

- Agency:   Bubble Advertising

- Creative Director: Robyn Maguire

- Creative Team: Toni Newman, Katrina Humphrey, Paul Galileos

- Producer:  Toni Newman : Toni Newman Productions (www.toninewman.com.au)

- Photographer:  Wren Steiner (www.wrenphoto.com.au)

- Prop & Wardrobe Stylist: Katrina Humphrey 

- Makeup: Christine Gaunt : Hart & Co

(The behind the scenes images contained herein photographed by myself for Fashion Camille Leon, for more images see the Facebook album)