Click, wind, repeat X 24

I'm not used to being on the other side of the interview equation. But my excellent friend Nadia interviewed me, and the baben' Nicole took a photo of me, and before I knew it I was profiled in Attitude magazine. Fun was had all round. And yes, my face *is* actually a camera.

Russh X Pedestrian

Start Up Creative Talks - Claire Alstin - Russh Magazine from PEDESTRIAN.TV on Vimeo.

Are you a fan of radness? Well - if I may be so bold - sit the eff down and hold on to your socks, because those rad people over at Pedestrian have teamed up with those rad people at Russh to produce DOUBLE RADNESS.

My good friends over at Pedestrian recently held Start Up, a conference at Macleay College in Sydney, featuring the kinds of speakers whose jobs/ lives (circle as applicable) you would love to have.

Example: fellow Adelaide girl Clare Alstin, the Deputy Ed of Russh Magazine. Yes, Clare has one seriously dreamy job, and in this vid from Start Up, Clare talks about Russh’s editorial model and vision, her own career path, and in-between gives down-to-earth advice and insights into the Russh world.

The always-insightful Lorena and I were just discussing via Twitter the bravery of the latest issue of Russh, which features 3 full blank glossy pages in its ‘Breath of Spring’ editorial. What other mag - Australian or otherwise – can you imagine prioritizing aesthetic value (Lorena calculated that the three pages are worth $19,767 in ad revenue based on their rates) over commercial $$$? Yet it’s a move that is so typically Russh, and I think in the long term actually means more in terms of readership value, and likeliness of readers to engage in a more meaningful way with the magazine.

Which – for me anyway, and I think others are the same – makes me want to pick up and buy a magazine, again and again. I don’t engage with a glossy designer ad I’ve seen 234 times before. I do engage with narrative-driven and brave content.

And isn’t the future of magazines about engagement?

As Clare points out – print magazines are in a stage of “re-evaluation”. As someone who works for, loves, buys and reads mags, I’ve noticed certain qualities that belong to those I personally buy on a regular basis, and those seem to be doing well in what is an increasingly challenging industry:
- Sense of narrative
- Aesthetic integrity
- Distinctiveness
- A true multi-channel approach (rather than online/ apps as an afterthought)
- Niche perspective
- Prioritizing aesthetic over $
- A bit of rebellion.

What would you add to the list?

Check out all the Start Up vids here.
'Breath of Spring' pic from Fashion Gone Rogue.

Now reading...

Major perks of two consecutive summers? SUMMER READING! Being in semi-permanent summer mode has meant one massive indulgence when it comes to my reading list. As well as the many, many novels I’ve been catching up on, I’ve also amassed a sweet little collection of magazines, perfect for lazy beach afternoons, train rides, flights, Sunday picnics…

I was even forced to abandon 5kg of my reading materials when I left the UK: “light” reading, they are not. Le sigh.

Among them I’ve been really digging Monocle. I’ve found myself increasingly aligned with more meaningful, informed, slower and thoughtful aspects of my own life, and it’s probably a reflection of this that Monocle has become a frequent read. I’d been aware of it for a while, but it wasn’t until I was in London – where the global publication is based – that I found myself really starting to get it. In all senses of the phrase.

Don’t be put off by the label “current affairs”: it sounds dad-ish and dull, but Monocle really isn’t. It’s smart, witty, engaged and slick as hell. With Madmen-era graphics and a pool of creative talent around the globe, there’s something reassuringly weighty and switched on and old-school about the publication, without being fussy or stuck in the past. I LOVE that they have global, on-the-ground correspondents. JUST GLANCE AT THE CONTRIBUTOR’S LIST. GLANCE!

I picture the massive Monocle team with analogue cameras, Moleskine reporter’s notebooks, leather briefcases and macbooks and iPhones, jaunting around the world in search of the newsworthy and the awesome.

Monocle also have one thing lacking in many publications: imagination. As well as exploring the issues/ problems/ challenges facing the world, they actively offer creative solutions, ideas and expertise in response. If you haven’t already, definitely worth adding to your summer reading list.

http://www.monocle.com/

Behind The Scenes: FALLEN magazine shoot

A little sneak peek at the cover shoot for the next issue of FALLEN magazine - keep your peepers peeping for a little piece on WA label Flannel I whipped up.

Jalouse ♥ Barbara Palvin

No, I can't read French mag Jalouse - but it doesn't stop me loving editorials like this one, "Best Of", starring the seriously gorgeous Barbara Palvin, styled by Jennifer Eymere.

Moon Child: Style Tips from Melissa Loughnan
 

I love being a writer. No, really. It's why I still do freelance articles for mags I have an affinity for - mags like Fallen - in place of doing sensible things like, I don't know, sleeping.  It's not only that I nerd out making words fit together in delightful ways, strung up like fairy lights; I also get to interview people living the creative life *cough* Gareth Moody *cough* and discover something about the process, the techniques or the inspirations that lead to their creations.

I recently had the pleasure to interview Melbournite Melissa Loughnan, curator of gallery Utopian Slumps and designer of label Moon Child - a boutique range of swoony leather basics (seriously, like Johnny Depp-level swoon). Sometimes interviews run long, or pages run short. Either way, not every gem in the interview fits into the final article.

To bring a stupidly long intro to a point (see what I do when I don’t have word limits? See?), the lovely Melissa dished out some styling tips on how to wear her gorgeous range, which we had to edit from the piece.  So, here you have it straight from the designer herself: what to wear with each piece in Moon Child's first range. Enjoy.

FA: All six pieces are the kinds of basics that you can easily incorporate into your current wardrobe – how do you imagine girls wearing your pieces?

ML: "As I made these pieces according to my own wants and needs I've developed quite a bit of experience in integrating each piece into my wardrobe:

"The hooded capelet looks great over jeans and a fitted knit, or a knitted dress; this is strictly a winter piece."

"The full circle skirt I have been wearing with t-shirts and singlets in the warmer months, and with stockings and a fine knit or camisole and blazer in the cooler months."

"I like dressing the shorts up with heels and a ruffled blouse, or going preppy/boyfriend style with a tailored shirt."

"The vest adds another dimension to a dress in the warm weather, and when it's cooler it's a good piece for layering over a light knit."

"I have a full Zambesi skirt that I like tucking the tunic top into, under a cardigan or blazer, but if you want to be a bit more daring it is equally cute as an 80's style mini-dress over bike shorts."

"The cropped motorcycle jacket is a good all-rounder for wearing over dresses, tights and boots, or with jeans and a t-shirt, in fact it suits most outfit combinations."

Check out http://moonchildfashion.blogspot.com/ for the whole collection and a SS 2011 preview (bone leather! amazeballs!)

Or pull out the plastic and click click shop http://thethousandsshop.com.au/#brand/moon-child

Hey, Net-a-Porter!

You have nice goodies –the kind I mostly can’t afford, it’s true. But then there’s the free, inspirational variety of goodie, such as this lovely editorial from your And God Created Woman issue. Loving the movie reference (mainly for a 22-year-old, super smoking Bardot and great style than the movie actually being, you know, good), the leopard print jacket (Sonia by Sonia Rykiel, I salute you, or throw rose petals at your feet or something) and the fact that the Art Director is Emily Wassall, the talented London lovely who I was lucky enough to work with on the last few Sportsgirl mags.

[click image to view full size]

If you ever wanted a sneak peek behind the NAP scenes, here’s a sweet video where Natalie Massenet gives you a tour of the west-London offices in all of their white, fancy, superslick glory. Sigh.

Pics from Net-a-Porter

I'm a Lula Girl

Lula and I have been acquainted for some time now – can it really be five years? A chance encounter – I don’t remember quite where and when we met – and I stumbled onto a magazine that would become a long-term relationship. And yes, I’m as head over heels as ever. Why? Lula does what I think the medium of magazines can do best – and also what is also most neglected. Storytelling.

There’s something about excitedly unwrapping the latest edition from its crisp paper bag and plunging into its pages that’s like a dip into nineteenth century France via Proust, a day trip to the deep South through Welty, a sunny siesta in the Mexican heat with Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It pulls you into its unique fictional world, seduces you with its vivid sense of place, beguiles you with its wistful dreamy editorial sequences, its quirky earnestness, its girlish charm.

Lula has one of the strongest editorial visions I’ve ever encountered in a magazine, from its distinctive visuals to its simple Q&A interview format, to its childlike, niche choice of subject matter. Which I guess we can mostly put down to the vision of Canadian Editor Leith Clark. That’s why, I think, it inspires such a cult like following: “I’m a Lula girl”. There are book clubs devoted to Lula – which I think tells a lot about its strength of vision and creative draw.

It’s a strength of vision that’s often watered down by commercial demands – rightly or wrongly – in magazine land. Lula proves that editorial conviction and, let’s face it, serious quirk, can be not only marketable but inspire personal loyalty.

To be free to explore largely underground designers, to create fairytales for girly girls who love fashion, to see a singular vision made tangible through words and pictures and print - and to invite your friends along – is an editor’s dream.

Leith Clark recently turned that distinct vision to the world of retail, creating an exclusive and super charming pop-up shop at UK’s Harvey Nicks (shout out to Patsy Stone to introducing me to the UK department store). With a hand-picked selection including glitter Miu Miu heels, a Lover playsuit that it physically pains me not to own, as well as Rodarte bow-fronted dresses and A Bout de Souffle-inspired tees, it’s as lovely as you’d expect, and a fitting way to celebrate Lula’s fifth birthday.



Check out the Lula Loves Harvey Nicks pop up store online
Some amazing pics for those of us who can't visit in person over at Style Bubble
Check out Harvey Nicks FB photos of the launch dinner thing. Suitably awesome [top pic edited from this bunch].
Some other great pics here.

Lula, and some other adventures

Hello there, it's been a while. I know, I know - I don't call, I don't write. You were beginning to worry about me. Wow, where do I start? Perhaps, like a fairytale, it can be with once upon a time. I'm feeling in a storytelling kind of mood after watching the full blown whimsy that is the latest eyeball offering from my favourite magazine lovelies over at Lula... whom I wish to marry.

Once upon a time a girl got a freaking sweet gig writing about fashion all day*, and it was an adventure that saw her travel to distant lands** and then steal some toffee apples, the travel over stormy seas to an exotic and wonderful place**** (okay, so there weren't actual seas involved) where everyone had cool hair and the boys dressed really well and she fell in love with the streets and art and coffee and nighttimes and many other things and decided to stay.

So yes, in short, I have a new job and a new home in a new city. As I discover what this all means and explore the world around me, I'd like to share some of my Melbourne life and capers and inspirations and loves...

* for this and this
**Sydney
***Melbourne

Fallen in Love

It's always exciting to discover a new magazine that you like, more exciting to discover it from issue 1, and even more exciting to discover it's Australian. So imagine the excitement levels X 3 (yes, squeals were involved) at coming across this little gem in my local newsagent. Fallen magazine is brand new, dedicated to creativity, and is full of beautiful artists, beautiful fonts, lots of white space and - amazingly - a grand total of two ads. I don't know how they're doing it. All I know is, I'm in love.

prettiness by FA fave rebecca wetzler

art from fellow a-towner fontaine anderson

wandering sons fashion shoot

fallen magazine, click click!