Modette – Letter from Sydney

Pre-fashion week we were asked to do an article for Swedish fashion magazine Modette. The result, “Brev från Sydney” (translated “Letter from Sydney”) in issue number 3, is available now at news stands in Sweden. So what’s the angle of the article, you might ask? Well, as the article suggests, it primarily talks about general recent trends in Sydney and labels “in the now”. Zimmermann, LIFEwithBIRD and Bettina Liano are some of our favourites.

From a Swedish perspective it covers the difference of the (Australian) wardrobe compared to that in Sweden. Because of the short winters in the southern hemispheres, your average winter wardrobe has a different meaning. A trench (hi Burberry!) could be a perfect Sydney winter coat, whereas you couldn’t survive wearing the same coat in the Swedish winter. Essentially this means more money to spend on dresses and cool open-toed shoes – outfits that on average are worn only 2 months of the year in Sweden.

Having said all of this, we’re sat here frozen s***less cuddling up next to a mobile radiator. Thankfully Swedes know how to implement central heating and triple glazed windows!

Oyster Magazine

We’ve said before and we’ll say it again – the guys over at Oyster Magazine are continuously making the fashion-music-&-arts-genre a more and more innovative space to dwell in. If you can avoid a seizure at the home page, it's worth delving further into the site.

The Renaissance issue 69 covers the adventures of pop indie band New Young Pony Club, who’ve recently completed a tour in Australia. Their excellent tunes are on myspace too - very “Siouxsie and the Banshees meets Shampoo” if you'd ask us. There’s also an interview with the founder and curators from All Tomorrow’s Parties festival, and a couple of interesting designer features - Balmain’s Christophe Decarnin, and E’s lauded designer Sadaharu Hoshino, and a list of New York’s best vintage hotspots.

Check out the stunning shoots from Sam Borich, Renya Xydis, and Izabella Demavlys. To top things off, they’ve got a nice added feature on the website – a few guest blogs where you can read musings from Alice McCall and Romance was Born.

The Fader Magazine – Online

Awesome in-depth reportage and image provider The Fader Magazine delivers a dynamic range of articles, right up our street. But apart from an edgy appearance and excellent content, they’ve now expanded the magazine presence online. While making its entire music selection available to download on iTunes, you can also download the full magazine issue as a PDF file. What we love about The Fader is the focus on music and lifestyle, mixed with interesting articles on their blog (there’s even Fader Japan, shame our Japanese isn't quite up to speed). In issue 45 Aussie designer Perks And Mini get a good write up too - great for them, because looking at their fit-inducing web site, they need all the help they can get.

Though we do prefer printed magazines, there are loads of other benefits in a cybernet version. Online, the magazine makes zero dollars in magazine sales, and only gains revenue through paying advertisers. But they’re spared the headache and costs of printing, distribution etc., and gain more time to produce editorial. It’s greener – no use of resources in printing and no pollution afterwards. But the reader benefits from having cool, high-resolution images on file.

Fashiontrend - The Way We Like It

While we’re often surprised over the large number of bland-looking front covers, one fashion magazine that always deliver cool front covers is Fashiontrend. Issue 7 of the quarterly-issued fashion bible is just hot out from press and we absolutely love it.

Jil Sander Wears Heavy Metal Heels

If it weren't for the guys over at Hintmag we would never have found these metallic bronze patent leather stilettos. Trying to make some sense out of Jil Sander's teutonic website seems even harder than reading an old business spec from her countrymen at SAP. But back to the shoes now - we can’t get these stilettos out of our heads. By the looks of things you couldn’t possibly stand up in them either... but who cares, as we always say "Style is everything, comfort is nothing", right?


Thank you Jil Sander, oh and thank you Hintmag! And thanks for nothing SAP!

The Media Kit and The Demographics

“Vogue is a word that for over 100 years has never gone out of fashion.” So says Kirstie Clements of Australian Vogue. The famous words are published in the media kit, available online via Vogue’s website. Clearly Vogue is a middle-of-the-road fashion constitution, un-comparable with Dazed & Confused and Oyster for instance, but we can’t help but wonder what the Editor-in-chief had in mind when she allowed this full page ad in the magazine. While we realise that fashion editors are pressed to fill ad space, and a sizeable ad such as this would bring in a handy 10,680 bucks, the words 'desperate move' are brought to mind when looking at the Vogue March issue. This is mail-order junk at the best of times. Kirstie Clements should be asahmed.

Hintmag Interns Apply Within

To land a position at a fashion mag is known to be a pretty long-winded and tedious project... "Ugly Betty" and Andy (from "The Devil....") show exactly how fickle and frightening the fashion industry often is. But if you’re serious about making a career within a fashion magazine, an intern position is often the only way to get a foot in the door. Right now, Hintmag.com is looking for creative Photoshop interns to work on Fashion Week photos, (starting immediately so you better be quick). Apparently pointy-headed technical geeks are needed too, so get your most savvy HTML, PHP, and Java dudes to apply straight away.

The Cool Hunter Glossy

How cool is The Cool Hunter? Well cool enough to be expanding from the ever-evolving world of cyberspace onto news stands across the world. The much-anticipated launch of the Cool Hunter magazine is due to be launching March/April 2007. Exciting times for sure as the clued-in cyber-guys are taking the publication project to a completely different level along with some other exciting projects, such as Cool Hunter Tv show and a series of Cool Hunter books. The magazine, which will be distributed throughout the world’s top boutique hotels, promises to be “a fascinating read, brimming with feature length articles that showcase the best of cool from around the world”. Well done Guys!

Sesame - Issue 4

Australian independent magazine Sesame Media have brought together another issue full of quirky fashion shots, arty graphic designed illustrations, and interviews with local designers. Enjoy the works of Abbey McCullogh’s great watercolour pictures, find out what Jacinta Parsons has to say about overdressing, and don't miss the uber-cute t-shirts from Princess Tina.

Pushing That Extra Half an Inch

While adding an extra buzz to the magazine circulation, November’s front cover of Harper’s Bazaar has been as ornate as it has been a selling tool. A fresh faced Victoria Beckham, dressed in a slinky golden cami, is of course a reliable sale of a magazine that speaks the language of mainstream-to-upper fashion. And what a handy write-up for Mrs Beckham.

As Posh now releases her second book, the former Spice Girl’s appearance in Harper’s isn’t just a quick win for Alison Veness-McGourty alone. The book, That Extra Half an Inch, which we mentioned some time ago, covers Posh’s own advice on how to make the most of your wardrobe and look extra super-fabulous at all times. “Looking good isn't about money, it's about style”, says Victoria and adds that “style never goes out of fashion”. A statement like this may come across as the usual celeb-babble, but Posh proves she is well respected among both young fans as well as the fashion-circle.

As Posh now is making a serious career of her life-long passion, the first step in the style transformation has been to ditch the hair extensions that have become synonymous with WAG wannabes. Turning up in New York Fashion Week in a new sassy bob, she debuted no less than 10 high-fashion ensembles in the four days she spent there.