Leather and Lace

A new city, a new wardrobe. Oh my Melbs is a dangerously good place. I've bunked in with my amazing sister in a unit in Richmond....a cheeky 2 minute walk and you hit Bridge road. A mecca of bargains and sale stores. It may not have the hype, frills or rep as Chapel and Bourke St mall, but if you let that narrow minded way of thinking stop you, you're going to miss out. I've had my eye out for a leather skirt/shorts for awhile now. But struggled to find one within my budget. Real leather ones were never going to happen but even the pleathers seemed to be over the $60 mark. Not on Bridge rd! This pleated skirt was only $19. The lace top was from American Apparel at a reasonable $50. Like a bikey wearing a tutu, leather with lace may sound like a bit of a juxtaposition. But it works. Teaming leather with girly fabrics seems to soften the possible harshness of the fabric. So snap up this leather look before the winter season ends....best thing is, it will most likely be on sale!

Photographer: Erin Reinboth

Cameo Lover

This brand is worth saving up your pennies for! Last week I was lucky enough to do work experience for Cameo the label at their head office in Adelaide. What an amazing experience it was. I walked into the 2-story white stone suburban home to be catapulted into a fashion hub. Down stairs the spacious family living room was transformed into a warm earthy workplace radiating with creativity and passion. Dream boards and desks were decorated with magazine cut outs, model shots, hand drawn sketches and swatches of vibrant fabric. Eight young stunning girls were spread across the rooms in edgy outfits and 8 inch heels. For the week I watched these girls walk, talk and breathe a love for fashion and what they do. In this home, soley by these inventive girls, the amazingness that is Cameo, Finders Keepers, Keepsake and Grace and Favour is created.

While I was there, I was taken behind the scenes for the December Cameo range named Kaleidoscope. I was able to appreciate the intense journey of design. Starting from the initial inspiration, they were then developed and translated into pattern designs, next the meticulous fine-tuning and adjusting and then finishing with the visual wonderworld of international models wearing the glamorous garments for the look book photo shoot.

It was a week of excitement, hustle and deadlines. Heavy lifting and running around in inappropriate shoes, dressing and undressing models while ignoring the boobs in your face, just to name a few events. And all the time, vital styling, design, marketing and business decisions were being consciously made by the team, concreting to me why this company is so successful.

It was an absolute honour to be able to work for the label and be around such inspirational people. The designer for Cameo, the beautiful Kathryn Forth, was humble and trusting enough to give me the opportunity to share my thoughts and opinion in a range of areas throughout my time there. It was such a privilege to feel like I contributed to the range, regardless of how small it might be.

The experience has given me a greater appreciation of why some labels are more expensive. The labour, detail, time and talent put into these clothes could not be justified (or profitable) by a smaller price tag. Learning the secrets of fashion design has further exposed to me that direct copying is not a secret, it’s more of a cop out. Sharing ideas, trends and knowledge is key. This can be used as inspiration to find your own unique garment within your budget. But if your wallet allows, invest in these labels girls especially Cameo. They will be worth every penny.

The pics are of a few behind the scenes shots by me and then a few that were posted on the Cameo blog as teasers for the Kaleidoscope range. Teased they have...Can not wait till it hits the stores!

 

 

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