Palm Beach

The place where dreams are made. I obviously had to visit the place where Home and Away is filmed and oh wow it filled all expectations. I almost felt like I was at Leah and Dan's wedding when I saw someone else using the same spot - DEDICATED FANS. and we got an ice cream from the diner. No Irene though..maybe next time.

John Grainger Photography

John Grainger is the Australian photographer that I came accross this morning in the paper. Love his work and the way hes captured the city! Gorgeous x

The 10 most Powerful Tweets of 2010

http://yearinreview.twitter.com/powerful-tweets/

I was forwarded this link at work and it just goes to show the power of social media in society today.. worldwide. Fantastic selection.

Bondi Market

Bondi Market was lovely. I LOVE markets, the range of stalls, crafts, people and creativity that are there is amazing to me. Bondi Market on Sunday didnt disappoint. The clothes were gorgeous and obviously there were some bizare creations like these dolls in the image below. I would have loved one of the leather boung journals in the image above but at $45 a book this sort of purchase will have to wait until the end of the trip.

This market just went to show that Bondi isnt just a man-made beach. Being descibed by some as a 'concrete jungle' of a holiday spot, I have to disagree after seeing this. True the area revolves around tourism and I saw Bondi Rescue being filmed, but it is gorgeous and has everything youre looking for.

Camilla: Bondi Beach.

Camilla on Bondi Beach provides shoppers with a boutique experience thats really personal. Something that I've noticed about a lot of fashion and lifestyle brands out here is how much they value their ability to make the client or consumer feel special. Obviously you would expect that with PR and maybe thats where Im getting it from but Im pretty sure brands like Camilla are not as common in the UK as here in Sydney. For example, at Camilla's you will be welcomed with a choice of beverage (all rather upper class; Tempus Two wine, a refreshing nudie juice or a thirst-quenching bottle of FIJI water) and have the option of ordering a plate of sushi or light sandwich via one of the staff members who will fetch it for you from one of the nearby eateries. All in all this seems to be about creating a shopping experience. For the men there is unlimited beverages and beers, for the children a selection of toys in the 'lounge area' and pets are welcome.

Almost forgotten about the product? Camilla provides a selection of kaleidoscope fabrics, prints and an exciting array of kimonos, jumpsuits, peasant dresses, ponchos, drawstring pants, coats, kaftans and slip dresses.

The only way to decribe the impression that Ive got of this brand is 'clean-cut hippie'. Colours and prints are crazy but pieces are of high quality and have a very strong focus on a particular style and fashion tailored to hotter climes.

Cue

'When the first Cue store opened in Sydney's Strand Arcade, it brought fast, reactive fashion to Australia - and became an Australian fashion pioneer.' (cue website)
Exclusive new designs arrive in store every week and the brand is ever-evolving. At first Cue concentrated on the latest looks from London with exclusive prints in order to appeal to the truely fashion-forward. All designs originate in our head office in Sydney, and almost everything is made in Australia, meaning the brand is truely rooted in this country, a factor that I personally admire and value as its simply so rare these days.

This store on Oxford Street is definitly on my list of places to visit before I leave the city!

Alex Perry

Alex Perry is an Australian fashion designer that I had never heard of until today. But wow. His gowns are beautiful and the pieces are bespoke to suit the wearer.

He has shown collections at Australian Fashion Week each year since 1995 and built up a celebrity fanbase and high profile reputation within the industry. Perry’s runway shows have featured models such as Linda Evangelista, Megan Gale, Miranda Kerr, Kate Fischer, Alyssa Sutherland, Nicole Trunfio and Lily Cole. Bigtime. His website is definately worth a visit..

http://www.alexperry.com.au/

Recent Australian Brand Collaboration: Alex Perry for Diva

This is the sort of collaboration that Im looking into for this task. This Summer Australian designer Alex Perry, who usually designs dress gowns, branched out to create a collection of jewellery as a unique twist to his design creations, and to produce them for fashion brand Diva.

He planned to contribute four ranges to the brand, each decorated with a signature butterfly motif and this September the launch of a selection of cocktail rings, chandelier earrings, corsages, feathers and uber-glam bangles became available to shoppers.
The concept behind the idea was to create something 'feminine and pretty with an edge of contemporary glamour' and to keep the 'fresh, sexy design that Diva is followed for' (Perry: lifestyle.au)

Tigerlilly Swimwear

First things first - love the name, i have an obsession with the name tigerlilly for anything fashion-related as i think its quirky, feminine and memorable all at the same time. its been a fave ever since first watching Peter Pan save the red Indian princess Tigerlilly. So here I am thinking I shouldnt judge a book by its cover but the catalogue of swimwear on the Tigerlilly website is awesome.

I love the vintage look of the photography and the way that they havent used a cliche setting for their shoots. Australian swimwear editorials would be easy to communicate through imagery set on white sands, beach cafes, surfer settings etc etc. But Tigerlilly has overlooked this and used a rustic, more original artistic setting. Like the images, the brand is exotic and creative, and so are the products. Beaut.

Australian Fashion

So today at Polkadot I have been given a task that Im loving. One of the fashion brands is SanCerre, an Australian jewellery collection that consists of handmade beaded and pendant jewellery. The collection consists of nine distinct ranges of bracelets, earrings and necklaces, each customised with a medallion to give the piece a unique meaning.

The SanCerre range was inspired when the creator visited a small French village with the same name and an elderly local gave her a St Christopher pendent for safe travels.

So the brand is seemingly relevant to me as I too am currently on my travels. Its amazing what people learn and do whilst they are away!

My task today in relation to SanCerre is to create a list of Australian brands that would suit SanCerre in terms of a promotional collaboration.

Ultimately the idea is to create connections across the fashion network in Australia and tap into new markets by teaming with another brand. this has meant that im researching all sorts of aussie fashion brands, beauty ranges, footwear designers, fashion designers etc and learning loads about the way that the industry works over here. its so refreshing to learn about a new country's fashion and lifestyle industry and their media outlets. some similarities are really apparent but there just seems to be never ending amounts to find out about at the moment.

Hopefully ill find some perfect examples of complimentary collaborations that can be pitched to SanCerre!