A taste of what's to come .......

I always love to see what Australian fashion design talent is emerging from the fashion schools, so I was very excited to get a sneak peek at what the creative kids here in Sydney have been up to this year.


At the end of this month, the ground floor of the beautiful and historic Strand Arcade in Sydney will be converted into a little Italy for the night to host The Sydney Institute of Fashion Design Studio's annual competition.

Each year, the blossoming third year designers’ challenge is to design and construct one original, cutting-edge garment that adheres to a theme. This year the theme is ‘Night of the Witches’, a dark, moody aesthetic, with the objective being, above all, for the students to showcase an original garment which exhibits the best of their individual signature style.

In an interesting twist to the brief, each student has been instructed that their dress must not consist of any typical evening-wear fabrics, such as satin, silk or chiffon. instead students have come up with a series of original evening gowns made of industrial fabrications such as rubber, reflector and latex.

The competition will be judged by a panel of celebrity adjudicators, including designer Marnie Skillings and Tracey Porter, Editor of Ragtrader Magazine.

Below is an exclusive look at some of the innovative finished gowns before they hit the catwalk.

Of Cabbages and Kings

Named after a Kate Bush song, Under Ice is the latest offerings from this Perth originated, avant-garde fashion label.


1. Describe yourself in a sentence.

Two people who are completely different yet remarkably similar.

2. What is the first thing you ever designed?

We have known each other for ten years now, and we have worked on so much together since then, but I think the first thing we ever designed together were these awful clay mugs we had to make in our first year of high school, we helped each other out and designed them together. The funny thing was they both ended up exploding in the kilm and taking a few other students work out with them, needless to say we have never done pottery since.

3. How was your label conceived?

In a log cabin, in front of a blazing fire place, on a bear
skin rug, one cold winters night in 2005 when we both had too much
to drink.

4. Describe your labels aesthetic.

The OC&K man and woman are exaggerated projections of our own
sartorial interests which is something that obviously evolves and
changes over time, yet certain key elements seem to remain: extreme
silhouettes, an underlying darkness, and a constant preoccupation with
the natural, unnatural and the bizarre.

5. Tell us about your latest collection.

With this collection we started with a relatively dark subject
and then we worked out how we could explore elegance within the
materiality. We started by looking at the illustrations of German
naturalist Ernst Haeckel and the sirens paintings of Herbert Draper,
and then just continued to build from there.

6. Where do you draw your inspiration from?

We often find inspiration from the natural world, as well as things from the past.
But inspiration comes comes from every where and in so many different forms.

7. What is the best thing about what you do?

When we see someone walking down the street wearing one of our
designs that we have never met, it always gives you huge rush, it's
one of the best things.

8. What are you working on right now?

We have been working on creating costumes for a new band called
Fan Death and our next collection.
Also as we just moved to London we have been working on making new friends.

www.ofcabbagesandkings.com.au

The Grand Social

The Grand Social is an innovative new online marketplace for Australian and New Zealand designers. Working closely with each of the brands housed in their virtual shopping centre, The Grand Social delivers direct from the designer, so consumers and followers of fashion can enjoy them no matter where they are.

Acting as a platform to labels such as Ruby Smallbone, Nathan Smith, myPetsQuare, Daniel Avakian, GRAZ, Nookie, Anna & Boy, Deadly Ponies, A.T.G, bec & bridge, Oscar & Elvis, Sewn, Trimapee, The Academee, POL, Isson eyewear, AppleGator footwear and jewellery labels Zoemou, ZM 925 and Matt Weston, this webstore is unlike any typical online store as its point of difference is that instead of buying and holding designer stock to sell, it connects consumers from anywhere in Australia and the world directly to the designers giving them access for the first time to their complete range, as well as those limited edition pieces, one offs and samples that never make it to the stores.

The exciting news is that for five days only The Grand Social will be appearing in a pop-up store at 461 Oxford Street Paddington between Wed 22nd Oct to Sun 26th Oct from 10am - 6pm and to compliment this special event they will be showcasing a collaboration series of limited edition pieces from their featured designers titled “Black Summer” combining the classic elegance of black with a blue sky summer.

A selection of these pieces has been featured in the photo shoot below.

If you don't live in Sydney, fear not, they haven't forgotten about you - the collection will also be launched simultaneously at; www.thegrandsocial.com.au/blacksummer on Wednesday the 22nd of October.

To celebrate, A New Muse would like to offer you the chance to WIN A $500 GIFT VOUCHER to spend on The Grand Social!

Just follow this link;

http://thegrandsocial.com.au/blacksummer-comp/

All you need to do is click on the codeword ANEWMUSE and answer the question, What item would you love to own in black?

Good luck x

"Come Fly With Me" - Sara Phillips A/W 09 Launch

Set against the interesting backdrop of the Boutwell Draper Gallery here in Sydney was the launch of Sara Phillips A/W collection titled Come Fly With me, a beautiful follow up collection to her In Bloom S/S collection which was featured here on A New Muse a few months back.

Not unlike her previous collection, Phillips has executed her feminine with an edge aesthetic beautifully but has certainly evolved to a higher level. Each piece is very wearable whilst remaining notably unique.

Come Fly with Me is inspired by all things in flight. From birds of a feather to planes in motion, Phillips’ collection captures the essence of flying through garments that are willowy, earthy and natural. As Phillips states, “All the garments are light and floaty, representing flying and movement”.

The range features a rich colour palette of plum, grey and khaki, giving it a warm and luxurious feel and showcases prints that are original artworks, copyrighted to Sara Phillips.

What I love about this collection is the creative thought that has brought each garment to life and the quirky but sophisticated way in which it was styled.

Sara Phillips is such a wonderful fresh designer, definitely one to watch.

Come Fly With Me will be available from February 09.

Visit www.saraphillips.com.au for stockists.

The Collection

The Party

Photography by Olivia Lamotte
for A New Muse

Muse - Goldie Hawn

Style icon Goldie Hawn had a quirky sense of style that was best reflected during her 1960 - 1980's heyday.
With her big doe eyes, pixie like features and svelte frame, Goldie was the perfect palette for all things mini and cute such as short shorts, pussy bow blouses and flippy dresses.
This award winning actresse's style could perfectly be described as sassy, cheeky, sexy and doll like with a personality to emphasise it.
Even today Goldie's beauty still shines.

Ecoist

Founded in 2004, Ecoist develops fashion accessories for the eco-minded individual. The company’s objective is to merge design with social and environmental consciousness to provide stylish, functional, and durable products that people will love to own. All products are made from recycled, organic, or earth-friendly materials, and are manufactured through a network of fair trade partnerships around the world.

Ecoist is mostly known for its line of handbags made from recycled candy wrappers, food packages, and soda labels and its growing list of partners such as Coca-Cola, AVEDA, and Cliff Bar, among others. However, over the past few years, Ecoist has been partnering with eco-minded designers to market new products made from recycled movie billboards, recycled soda-can pull-tabs, as well as organic fabrics.

At the higher end level, Ecoist Luxe is the company’s fashion-forward line featuring a gorgeous colours palette of Sapphires, Rubies, Amethyst, and confetti in a range of interesting and practical shapes.

As part of its commitment to environmental restoration, Ecoist plants a tree for every handbag sold.

The exciting news is that Ecoist is offering YOU, A New Muse readers, an exclusive 10% off any purchase on www.ecoist.com.

All you need to do is type in the code ECOISTFALL10 when making your purchase.

This offer expires Oct 31, 2008.

Enjoy! x

Limedrop

Clea Garrick and Nathan Price are the creative brains behind Limedrop, a label known for its use of clear lines, bold colours, structured pieces and curious proportions.

Limedrop Spring Summer 08/09 collection titled ”Snakes and Ladders” is a bold, playful collection of men’s and women’s fashion and wooden jewellery accessories drawing its aesthetic from childhood games and family vacations.

The range features a colour palette of energetic blue, canary yellow & metallics offset by floral prints and stripes channeling a preppy yachting reference with edge.





Limedrop is stocked at Our MishMash, Via Alley & Pigion Ground in Sydney.

For more stockists check out www.limedrop.com.au