Unicorn Hair Braiding

I had the pleasure of attending another class hosted by the School of Fabulousness, an initiative sparked by Melbourne's own mermaid, Lady Petrova! I've visited Petrova's boutique a lot this year and am always welcomed by the most delicious assortment of tea and cupcakes. The classes are no different, but for two hours a group of women learn new skills such as how to start a fashion business, draping for design or how to make your own flower crown! This time I attended the Unicorn Hair Braiding class taught by the lovely Theresa Winters of Braidance where we learned to braid each others hair. I finally was able to master the fishtail braid but also learned how to rope braid (as seen on Lady Petrova) and create "the waterfall". It was so much fun- and at the end we used hair chalk and glitter as well as fake flowers to achieve the desired dreamy unicorn affect. If you live in Melbourne and are interested in attending the next School of Fabulousness class, I recommend you check them out on instagram. If you're really passionate about hair or are a mad Game of Thrones fan and want to recreate Daenerys Targaryen's hairdos visit the Braidiance website.  

Wearing: Vintage dress and coat, Disneyland sweater, Asos Heeled sandals (available here), Asos faux fur scarf.

Attending the School of Fabulousness I also got to debut my newest purchases from Asos! This outfit is my own homage to the wonderful women of Advanced Style who have shown the world that to age gracefully does not mean fading into obscurity. The scarf was on sale and has now sold out, but the shoes are new and all sizes are available now. This vintage dress and coat are my go to outfit but I cannot wait for the weather to get a little warmer and to be able to go outside without wearing multiple layers and thermal tops. 

hair-raising

I've taken fashion blogging to new highs in terms of beehive hair, but also lows with what might be the worst (i.e. unoriginal) title for a blog post- ever. That said the content is absolutely fine and in fact I greatly admire the work of Julien d’Ys, who you might recognise as the hair stylist for Rei Kawakubo's colourful collections. In particular, the flamboyant fluorescent yellow locks that graced the stage at the Comme des Garçons Homme Plus presentation. These sculptural hairstyles were just one component of a collection which redefined gender at Paris Fashion Week. I remember seeing the hairstyles for the very first time in a youtube video, featuring the best of mens' fashion week and watching cool and disaffected male models exit the rear of a building. While not hugely practical or something that I can imitate on this blog, I thought the looks were worth sharing as inspiration to other bloggers or simply those who are dissatisfied with their current hairstyle and craving something different.

*Images via Dazed Digital, Photography Ilker Akyol

Caitlin Price Fall 2014

London Fashion Week is nothing without a bit of controversy and it seems that Fall 2015 was unfortunately not an exception to the rule. The collection which had the most lasting affect for me was Caitlin Price. From the outset it looked wonderful and the clothes were this amazing blend of sportswear luxe and runway carpet dress but ugh, we just have to talk about the gelled baby hairs first. Now, Susie Bubble defended the creative choice and mentioned something along the lines of white people doing this long before it became the Internet sensation that it has now but when I tried to research about styled babyhairs in a historic context, I couldn't find anything. Which leads me to believe that it's all bullshit and in any case, its very clear what aesthetic Price used as her inspiration. In any case it does not seem correct for someone who is white to profit off a subculture or hairstyle which was created out of necessity by women of colour. It's also worth mentioning that the opinion of someone who is Chinese, regarding cultural appropriation or the social struggles of black women is inconsequential.

While I was impressed with the pleated silk ribbons and intricate spirals on tracksuits and dresses alike, I can't help but feel guilty about liking this collection. I am in love with the idea of Princess Leia out jogging in some of these crazy outfits with her signature buns. However, I'm disappointed that not more people were calling out cultural appropriation for what it was, and that people were willing to actively defend it. If you are confused about this, or do not see what the issue is I highly recommend watching this video by Amandla Stenberg. Also, just on a final note, I was also grossed out when scanning the comments section on instagram that two users were arguing over who could do the best babycurls? Like literally two girls were stroking each others egos, AS IF YOU SHOULD COMPETE OVER WHO CAN PERPETUATE CULTURAL APPROPRIATION, LIKE WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU???

*Images via Fashion Glossary UK

Adam Selman Fall 2015

At a time when I so badly needed some kind of guidance from a cool, older sister-type figure I rediscovered the Adam Selman Fall 2015 collection and everything was right with the world. Although I had not yet resolved my conflict, or faced my inner demons but in my mind I had conceptualized the kind of person I had to become in order to achieve these goals. Cool, disaffected and confident hiding behind a pair of razor sharp sunglasses and preferably sporting a killer hairstyle. For the last few years I have believed that what we wear is a reflection of what we feel like that day and I needed to adopt a kind of armor. If I needed to act like a bitch I wanted to surround myself with plenty of strong women, the kind who intimidate men. Adam Selman's collection, largely inspired by some of John Water's iconic characters retains some aspects of original thoughts. It is interesting as it is not the regurgitation of a preexisting troupe but blends certain elements, some heavily borrowed and expresses these ideas for a consumer market.  

Rather than opting for sharp winged eyeliner, red lipstick and leather motorcycle jackets which seemed the most intuitive marriage for this aesthetic Selman offered a myriad of different textures and patterns. Tiny bows decorated 1950s inspired cardigans which were countered by his stunning range of sunglasses and lace bustiers with capri pants. Different collars as well as neckerchiefs were also used as a vehicle for experimentation and deviation from an old troupe. From the outset I felt critical that this collection didn't live up to my expectations, but on closer inspection and having these standards challenged I realised that the collection had transcended these expectations. These pieces feel a little costume-y to begin with but they really are beautiful and wearable pieces. I can see myself lounging around in one of those ribbed, long sleeved dresses on the couch. From these backstage photos we can also see that these pieces can be dressed up or down, depending on whether you have mastered creating the perfect beehive. Messy goops of hair gel smeared across the forehead and creating a side-swept fringe are also deemed acceptable within this context. 

The girl gang aesthetic is as strong as ever- which I why I wanted to show these backstage photos first rather than the front on shots from the runway. These images are so much more powerful rather than seeing each outfit in isolation. On a personal level, I'm most comfortable when I get to take photos by myself in my frontward of my outfit but having the opportunity to hang out with a bunch of cool, like-minded girls is far better. I feel nervous to begin with but it's actually so good to talk with other women who are creatives and this collection reminds me so much of that. Rather than seeing other women as competitors this magical group of beings have banded together in order to support one another. These photos in particular focus on the emotion as well as relationships of each outfit with respect to one another and the kind of closeness the fashion industry can create (in an idealized way). However, parallels exist between the various fashion bloggers and editors who hang out at fashion week and accompany one another to the next show. 

Photography Evan Schreiber via Dazed Digital