As I am sure my followers are aware, I am a prolific winner of things. Door prizes, tickets, radio competitions and 25 words or less skill testers, I seem to have a knack of being the lucky one.

Last weeks LMFF was no exception and also had no shortage of competitions to enter. I was shined on by the competition gods twice – the first being tickets to the Metamorphis Student Showcase presented by Sportsgirl on Wednesday night. After a small ticketing mix up, Sportsgirl also invited us along to the pre show VIP drinks and I received a package in the mail a few days later with apology gifts – eyeliner, bronzer, a blush brush and undereye illuminator. All was forgiven for the ticket mix up and wonderful night was had, meeting some wonderful people.

But the second competition, run by the LMFF team, was for a Mimco limited edition bag. Valued at $699, the Vampirella satchel was designed as celebration item in conjunction with LMFF. With leather, chains and dark suede, the bag is all about midnight dreams and twilight fantasies. Only 50 of this baby were made – and I won number 11. It arrived halfway through LMFF and I hesitated to use it – I’ve never had a bag that valuable!

Looks like I will have to head out in my new make up in an outfit inspired by the clever kids at the student showcase and take my bag out on the town. Any ideas where I might like to be seen out and about??

Image One: Current campaign shot, Mimco A/W10. Model on right wears the Vampirella Satchel
Image Two: The Vampirella Satchel

Images thanks to Mimco

www.mimco.com.au

When I walked into the LMFF shows at Central Pier last week, announced to the front desk who I was and what magazine I was from, I was shown to my seat feeling quite the celebrity. In reality no one knew my name was any different from the others on the list of media attendees, but I knew. I knew I had spent hours getting ready each day and that my outfit was carefully selected and put together. But the clincher of feeling like a celebrity? Having jewellery lent to you to wear just for the festival. I could have been attending the Oscars.

The fabulous Airdrie, from Joolz jewellery, emailed me prior to the festival – would I like to borrow some pieces for LMFF? Would I?! Without any hesitation I said yes – as if I would turn down the opportunity to wear such gorgeous and unique pieces.

The first day I ventured out (which was actually to breakfast in South Melbourne and a spot of pre festival shopping), I donned a black Supre dress (worn as top) with a pleated silver Review skirt, black strappy sandals and the Joolz butterfly bracelet. Of course my breakfast companions commented on it, it’s such a talking point, and I marked it down as one of my favourites for the week.

Monday nights’ LMFF LPR1 sent me to Docklands ticketless, but no matter as I was quite prepared to loiter outside and watch on the big screen. Donning a Temt floral dress with my Ansdorf leather jacket and Target kitten heeled brown peeptoes, I added the Joolz bangle that features images from a recent photo shoot. The pale colours worked well with my jacket!

Wednesday morning was the Marie Claire Beauty Workshop and I had decided Wednesday would be nautically influenced. Starting with a vintage cream top and a United Colours of Benetton wrap skirt in navy, I wore Sachi cream and tan heels with my own red bracelet and the Joolz bangle. A quick trip home to change before a coffee date, lunch and the Unzipped parade, I threw on a navy/purple Witchery dress with cream belt but kept the Sachi shoes. Adding the Joolz pearl bracelets (another favourite!) instead of bangles and a rose ring in the same pink as the bracelet, I headed out the door again.

Wednesday evening and it was back to the runway at Central Pier and I felt it best to frock up for the evening. Review kimono mini dress in gold with black polka dots and sash, Mimco footless tights and Wayne Cooper shoes. My own black starburst Joolz ring made an appearance with this outfit.

Thursday morning was another early start, the Herald Sun Marketing Breakfast. Channelling professional and sophisticated I wore a Cue dress, SM New York heels and waist belt. A Joolz cameo ring completed my look. Seriously considered wearing my glasses for added intelligence. Decided against it.

Friday night and it was back to the parades at Central Pier before a dash across town to the Malvern Town Hall. I wore a Pilgrim antique gold lace minidress, black and gold lace bolero from Temt and the Wayne Cooper heels.  

Saturday night – the last show of the week and I was feeling sad that this was my last opportunity to frock up!! Bardot purple, orange, black and white maxi dress, the Temt black and gold bolero, Barkins purple heels and the Joolz purple rose ring. Finished the look with big hair (yep, I don’t have much of my own but I have clip in extensions and I was rocking it!) and smoky eyes, as learnt at the Marie Claire beauty workshop!

After a week of outfits and quick changes, I’m back at work and back in my office gear. A week of fashion is definitely the best fun you can have – possibly the celebrity I most feel like is Barbie given the number of costume changes she has!

A big thank you to Airdrie from Joolz for letting me be a Joolz girl for the week, I loved every minute parading your wonderful pieces! 

Visit www.joolz.com.au to acquire some of these beautiful pieces for yourselves.

Image One: Black Butterfly Bracelet
Image Two: Bangle
Image Three: Pearl Bracelets
Image Four: Cameo Rings
Image Five: Rose Ring

While my depression that LMFF is over starts to set in, I thought I better post something foodie to keep my mind fresh for fashion and so that my readers don’t think I plan to live on cheese and vegemite sandwiches forever. You may not have realised, but while LMFF clogged up your Twitter, Google Reader and email, the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival was also running – all part of marvellous March in Melbourne. I took a time out on Friday to visit one of the restaurants participating in MFWF and enjoyed a wonderful lunch with friends.

We ate at Café Vue, part of the Vue de Monde establishment on Little Collins Street. For the bargain price of $35, you could choose between entrée and main, or main and dessert and a glass of wine. The menu is set but the choices are no less than what you would find on the original menu and the service is the same standard that you would usually find at a restaurant of this calibre.

Short of stealing their menu, I can’t tell you exactly what it was that we ate – my mind was on fashion and it’s now a few days later – but I can give you the general idea. Starting with sparking water, our waitress was super helpful given that we had one celiac and one vegetarian. The staff were more than accommodating to our needs and happily made minor adjustments to the set menu to suit our requirements. We chose entrée and main with a sauvignon blanc and bread was quickly bought to the table. Special mention of the fact that they had gluten free bread, which was lightly toasted and just perfect!!

Our entrée was a duck salad (mine without croutons) and we each cleaned our plates. Our vegetarian had a capsicum or cucumber salad of some sort and all three of us said our dish was perfect. The waitress filled our glasses the moment they appeared less than full and cleared the plates quickly and efficiently. The ‘express’ component of the lunch was clearly something they valued.

Main was fish (I don’t remember what kind but perhaps you know from the pic?) and fennel on a bed of spinach. Also wonderful and with flavours that worked very well together. Amazing how two perfectly proportioned meals can leave you feeling content rather than overfull as most over proportioned meals do.

The wine was spectacular (wish I could remember where it was from) and the overall impression of the restaurant was one of class and sophistication. We ordered coffee as we neared the 50 minute mark of our visit and this was the one and only place in which I could find fault. Café Vue does not stock skinny milk. I never drink full cream milk which often means that when I do, I find it makes me ill simply because my stomach isn’t used to it. I ordered coffee but found after two or three sips the taste wasn’t that great either and left it.

Still, Café Vue was a brilliant place to visit and a great opportunity to experience Melbourne’s top restaurants and chefs at a bargain price.

http://www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au/
http://www.vuedemonde.com.au/

My final shift for LMFF was for the Target Rocks Red Market, to be held on Saturday at Federation Square. A free community event running from 1pm til 4pm, the afternoon would feature a parade on the main stage at 1.30pm. While 1.30pm is a lovely time for a fashion parade, it means a very early start for the people working the parade – 7am in fact. After many late nights and long days this week, the 7am start was just another fashion week ‘perk’ so I got out of bed at 5.30am with gusto, ready for another long day of fashion fun.

It was still dark when I arrived at Federation Square but it wasn’t long before there were boxes to be moved, racks to be shifted and things to be set up. The sun soon came up. Volunteers arrived at 7.30am, models by 8.30am and as Assistant to the Head Dresser, there was never any shortage of things to be done.

As the models went through their rehearsal, it was evident they were just as tired and worn out as the volunteers. The only benefit of finishing the week with this particular event was the ease of working with Target clothes, rather than designer ones – no shoe taping, no complicated accessories or buttons, no need to worry about which way a garment goes on. E.A.S.Y.

While the garments and styling were going to be a breeze, the shortage of dressing volunteers was not – I would be dressing two models at the same time come 1.30pm. There was no dress rehearsal for the Target show, so I crossed my fingers and hoped the fashion would be with me.

LMFF provided catering for the volunteers and models mid morning (excellent catering this year, kudos to the LMFF team!) so we took a break and prepared for the mayhem to come. The only show all week to start on time, the team was ready to go on the knock of half past one. My models, Meg and Sonya, were both to be dressed in the Sailor theme. Other themes Target showcased were Hobo, Equestrian and Night. While the clothing was styled up a lot to create a show with lots of colour and energy, the models seemed to think they looked silly in sailor hats and pom-poms.

The music during the show made it impossible to hear names being called and I simply aimed to get both my girls changed and ready to go as quickly as could. The show went off without a hitch and after the finale the front of the stage was removed and cameras were bought in so the public watching could see the backstage area. My models then had to run off to the evening show, Independent Runway, at Central Pier, the last show for the week.

Packing up was a quick process, garments were simply boxed up instead of having to be sorted and rehung. We ate again and I finished my shift at 4pm. Another long day but another not over – I returned home to prepare for the evening parade, Independent Runway, getting glam for the final night of LMFF. Miss K picked me up and we ventured to the Westfield Festival Bar for a quiet drink before the show. The show started late, I didn’t expect anything less, and by 9.15pm it was all over for another year. (Read my review at www.onyamagazine.com)

48 hours of volunteering, 6 runway parades, 2 breakfast events, 2 outdoor shows, many articles and blog posts, dozen’s of coffee’s and muesli bars on the run, hundreds of emails and tweets, air kisses, thank you’s and more shoes taped than you could possibly imagine. It’s been an amazing week full of fun, fashion and fabulousness where Melbourne turned on brilliant weather and some of the best fashion in the world. Sad to see it all end, but looking forward to getting a good nights sleep and eating a meal with at least some nutritional content. It’s back to the real world for me on Monday, back to 9 to 5, office attire and business proposals but at least I will have something to do in my lunchbreak – there is lots of shopping to be done in Melbourne! Happy festival everyone!      

Image One: Pre dawn at Federation Square
Image Two: Models Meg and Chelsea in Sailor gear about to walk
Image Three: Head Dresser Virginia Morley and I in sailor hats after the show

When our story left off, I had worked the Renegades show at Malvern Town Hall and was gearing up for Fashion Friday. My day was officially labelled ‘fun’ rather than ‘work’ so the morning consisted of running errands, getting groceries and various other domestic chores I had neglected over the week. Then I headed to Little Collins Street for lunch at Café Vue – a story I will write more about next week with the fashion chapter is finished!!

Lunch was lovely then it was home to prepare for Friday nights fashion activity, L’Oreal Paris Runway 7 presented by Harpers Bazaar and featuring Akira; Easton Pearson; Fernando Frisoni; Martin Grant; Michael Angel; Scanlon and Theodore; Timothy Godbold and Tina Kalivas. My review of this show can be found at www.onyamagazine.com.

The runway show was due to commence at 6.30pm but as per usual ran fashionably late and started closer to 7pm. Of an ordinary evening this wouldn’t have bothered me but I had tickets for the 8.30pm Fashion Collections show at the Malvern Town Hall and my concerns about travel time and parking were beginning to show – I chew the inside of my lip when anxiety creeps in! The show finished surprisingly quickly, by about 7.20pm (those models walked so quickly it was hard to take notes!) and I hightailed it out of Central Pier to collect fellow volunteer Miss F from the L’Oreal Paris Powder Room and make a dash for the Malvern Town Hall.

We made excellent time despite no right hand turn signs and city traffic on a Friday night and as my luck would have it (which as you all know, it usually does!) I nabbed a car park in the allocations adjoining the town hall – a massive coup!! We arrived before 8pm and looked forward to getting a drink and settling my slightly perturbed nerves from the stress of the tight timings.

A chardonnay was collected (no champagne, FAIL) and a deep breath was taken. We munched on Raeffallos and people watched – the near capacity crowd to watch the Fashion Collections – Jeanswest – parade was mostly teens and young adults dressed in what they thought was cool but actually just came off as slightly tarty (I’m talking to you girl in the bathroom not old enough to drive but wearing a white see through mini dress cut to the navel).

We took our seats and awaited the beginning of the anticipated high energy show. Broken into three categories, the show began with a highway theme and clothes featured were edgy and street cool. Second was a country vibe with shirts and jeans while third was disco and a selection of outfits set for a night out on the town. While the styling was safe and nothing groundbreaking, the fashion was affordable and hopefully taught the girl in the white dress a thing or too about fashion.

Miss F and I snapped up an extra gift bag on the way out from the empty seats around us and headed to the door where we were tempted by the Raffaelo team giving away three packs of these yummy chocolates. In order to obtain said three pack, you had to tell them a ‘little white truth’ – it only took me about 3 seconds to confess that our extra gift bags were not for our friends in the bathroom but extras we took from empty seats around us. The team loved it, took a mobile pic and we went away with our three packs. Before you say, don’t you think you have enough gift bags this week?, know that I re-gifted the next day to the Head Dresser I have been working with this week who was unable to make it to any actual shows. Pause for collective ‘awwww, that’s sweet’.

We made it home and enjoyed microwave dinners before Miss F took up residence on the couch and I fell into bed – we both had early volunteer shifts the next morning (a 6.30am start for Miss F and 7am for me) but there was only 24 hours left of the fashion festival and we fell asleep quickly, dreaming of all things fabulous and fashionable.    

Image One: L’Oreal Paris Runway 7 finale
Image Two: Jeanswest Parade at Malvern Town Hall

‘She’s in the wrong outfit!!’

5 words you never want to hear working backstage at a fashion show.
But we’ll come back to that.

Thursday at LMFF saw me attend the Marketing Breakfast before heading to the Malvern Town Hall just after midday to work on the Fashion Collections Show, Renegades. Scheduled for 10pm, the Renegades show is the latest event on the LMFF schedule and features From Britten; Vanguard; Luela; Stevie; Twichett & Tonge; Chocolate City and Rufus Green. The Malvern Town Hall had played host to the Mini Me parade just hours earlier so once the kids cleared out, we moved in, ready for a full on afternoon of fashion.

I was again working with Head Dresser Virginia who had poached me from the Vogue girls earlier in the week. As an assistant to the Head Dresser no uniform was required (yay!) and I was looking forward to this shift now that my official role was cemented. As is the way of a fashion show, no shoes had been taped, spec sheets that should have been completed at fittings were not filled in and shoes and accessories had not yet been allocated by the Stylist. The hours lay before us and much work had to be done.

I taped shoes for hours before writing spec sheets out. I helped rearrange the room into model order rather than designer order. We checked outfits had shoes, jewellery, purses and listened to the designers specify exactly how they wanted the outfits to go out. The hours flew by and before we even had time to panic it was 7.30pm and time for a dress rehearsal. As an assistant it was my job to float between volunteer dresses, assisting with difficult shoes and buttons where required. Lot’s of the volunteers at the Renegades show were new to dressing (Fashion Collections is where volunteers are broken in (so to speak) while more experienced volunteers work on the L’Oreal Paris Runway shoes at Central Pier) and needed lot’s of assistance, one in particular was so nervous I decided it would be more beneficial to work with him alone than to be all over the place assisting here and there.

Our dress rehearsal went surprisingly well, there were some very tight changes in this particular show (basically, anything less that 12 is a quick change and we had some that were 8 in this show, about 30 or 40 seconds to get your model into the next outfit and have them back on the catwalk looking fab!). By 8pm we were finalising shoes and accessories, steaming clothes and taping last minute shoes. Dinner arrived (pasta – I had rice crackers!) and we had time for a quick break before stress levels started to rise (as well as voices) and the anticipation set in.

At 10pm, we were still at least 30 minutes from show time. It’s not unusual to run late (hence, fashionably late) but 30 minutes is a bit much, especially for a show that was starting to late to begin with. We steamed the last minute outfits, took a deep breath and waited. And waited. Apparently some VIPs had gotten caught up coming out to Malvern from the Runway shows at Central Pier and the show couldn’t begin without them. The starting gun fired close to 10.45pm and we were away. Names were called across the room, shoes flew, clothes’ sat in discarded piles on the floor. Then, the unthinkable: ‘She’s in the wrong outfit!!’

In the mayhem leading up to the parade, spec sheets had not been numbered in model order, simply placed on racks in designer order. During the steaming process, two outfits had been placed back on our rack back to front, meaning we had put our model in her 4th outfit when she should have been in the third. Fuck. They threw the jacket for outfit 4 over outfit 3 and ran for the door. As it turned out, the model got changed into the correct outfit at the door (she had about 1 minute 30 secs for this particular change) and was only missing earrings – which I am sure no one in the audience would have known anyway.

The rest of the show ran smoothly and overall was a success besides the backstage dramas. My nervous volunteer was panicking, but as I assured him, the model ended up walking in the right outfit anyway, tomorrow she wouldn’t care (or probably even remember) and everything, really, was fine. If anything, it was a great lesson to learn on your first time dressing because it was an error that would never happen again on his watch (or mine for that matter!)

Within half an hour of the show finishing the room was upended, repacking shoes (and untaping them!), bagging up clothes and packing all the accessories away. By 12.30am the backstage team were sitting outside enjoying a glass of wine and a cigarette (don’t worry Mum, I still breathe the clean air) and hailing another successful day at LMFF. I got home around 1.30am and fell into bed, getting some beauty sleep before another day of fun, fashion and frivolity – festival Friday.

Image One: Shoes ready to be unboxed and taped
Image Two: Model and Designer Running Sheets for the show
Image Three: Model Luke takes a rest before the show

I remember three years ago buying tickets for my first LMFF Herald Sun Marketing Breakfast. I was so excited – I think it actually might have been one of the first LMFF events I ever went to, right at the beginning of my fashion journey. At the time I lived out in the suburbs and the thought of having an hour to travel and an hour (at least!) to get ready for the 7.30am start was painful. I booked a hotel room (Pensione Boutique on Spencer Street, less than $100 for the night!) and went down to Docklands the night before, to watch the parade on the big screen and visit the L’Oreal Paris Powder Room.

On the morning of the breakfast, I spent ages getting ready. I had bought multiple outfits in and went with a black button up long sleeve collared shirt, a high waisted skirt in shades of brown and black and simple black pumps. A black clutch completed my look and I went the breakfast confident I would meet important and exciting people, learn fascinating fashion and marketing tricks and come away more knowledgeable.

Of course I got there and realised I had left my ticket at home; all the people on my table were in a group and chatted amongst themselves and I can’t remember now what the topic was, but I do remember that outfit, the thought I put into it and how I felt, exactly the way I felt yesterday morning getting dressed for the 2010 breakfast.

As much as I love the fashion of the festival, the glamour and drama of the parades, the Marketing Breakfast is a highlight for me personally as I actually work in a marketing role and that is what I studied at University. While fashion is my first love, marketing is my mistress and when I have the opportunity to have both together – well, it’s an opportunity to shine!

This year I wore the Cue dress I bought after the Spencer and Rutherford launch a few weeks back, with a black patent waist belt, black patent pumps and a black tote. I mingled with people I knew in the foyer before heading to my table where two women were already seated. In the past, I would have sat alone and waited for them to talk to me but in 2010 I am much more confident and I immediately asked if the empty seat was taken and sat with them.

Jennifer and Francis were both lovely and easy to talk to. Jennifer is about to launch a new business in Sydney while Francis worked for a company in the same industry as where I work (what are the chances!!). We chatted over a bento box breakfast (kudos to the Sofitel Melbourne for paying attention when I called to advise I was Gluten Free and they remembered my table number!) and coffee before the lights dimmed and the important part of the morning began.

Kim Wilson, Sunday Herald Sun Fashion Editor made the introductions and Charlie Pickering from Channel 10s 7pm Project and Talkin’ about Your Generation acted as MC. The main speaker for the session was Paul Bennett, Managing Partner, Europe and Chief Creative Officer, IDEO London, UK, speaking on the topic, ‘In the post-marketing world, how are you going to tell your stories?’

Paul opened with a screenshot of his facebook page and I could tell we would be in for an entertaining and enlightening experience. I was right. The session was fantastic, one of the most engaging and vibrant speakers I have ever had the privilege of hearing. Paul questioned, In today’s marketing environment, who is an insider and who is an outsider? There is no control anymore and this is something modern marketing must address. Using example from around the globe, Paul stepped through the process, first asking, what happened? Then moving through to what we can do about it.

In essence, marketing must go from ‘thoughtlessness’ to ‘thoughtless communication’ – what is the stuff we do daily that we don’t even think twice about? We used to be involved in a read-write culture, with a shift to a read-only culture in recent decades. It seems with the introduction of social media that we are moving into a write culture again, opening up the conversation and allowing creativity, imagination and discovery.

The four main points Paul finished on to summarise were:

1. Contribution is the new consumption
2. Dialogue is the new monologue
3. Unclenched is the new control
4. Morality is the new luxury

As I said, Paul was engaging and entertaining – a thoroughly enjoyable and education experience and one of my highlights for the festival.

After the beauty workshops early start, I headed to Federation Square for the Unzipped Sidewalk show. Brands such as Jockey, Bonds, Antz Pantz, Rio, Holeproof and Berlei were set to present a free pop up sidewalk show in the centre of the open space at Fed Square, so I headed over. Since when do I pass up an opportunity to see male models in their underwear?? Melbourne again turned on the weather and the sun shone brightly on the crowds gathered to take a peek at the gorgeous ones in their underwear.

The show pumped the tunes and had the models dancing down the catwalk. It was high energy and lots of fun – the models drew on the crowds for encouragement and paraded those knickers like they were wearing couture. It was nice to see models ranging in size from a 10 to a 14 and while the crowds simmered in the sun, the models all were fresh faced and full of life.

Former Miss Universe Australia Erin McNaught got her gear off for the sake of fashion and while Ruby Rose was in attendance, she kept her clothes on. Nick Bracks, son of ex Premier Steve Bracks, also strutted his stuff on the catwalk in American style football shoulderpads and fitted trunks and didn’t the crowd love it!

A few hours later I was fitted out and frocked up for the evening parades at Central Pier. In a Review dress, Mimco tights and Wayne Cooper shoes, I watched Runway 4 with Bronny from Ask Bronny and the Metamorphis student showcase an hour later with Leah White, editor of Fashion Journal. There were drinks with the Sportsgirl team, sponsors of the Metamorphis show, at Alumbra Central Pier and drinks at the Woolshed, the official festival bar. At $10 for a glass of champagne at Central Pier and $12 at the festival bar, being a fashionista doesn’t come cheap but you will savour every drop.

My reviews of Runway 4 and the Metamorphis student showcase can be found at www.onyamagazine.com. I have another volunteer shift coming up Thursday afternoon for the Fashion Collections Renegades show after attending the Marketing Breakfast bright and early again at 7.30am. 3 days to go fashionistas! Hope you are getting more sleep than I am and your feet are holding up ok!

Image One: Crowds in the sun at Federation Square for the Sidewalk show, Unzipped
Image Two: Male models doing thier thing on the catwalk

While I don’t think anyone except models look good at 7.30am (and even then chances are they had help), Marie Claire thought we all might like to come out that early to learn a few tips, tricks and all the latest trends in make up this season. Designed so that the working ladies of Melbourne can attend before work, this year saw the introduction of an additional afternoon session, also a sell out, giving 1000 women a guide as to what they can do to impress with mascara and a lipstick. Renowned for the gift bag (over $85 of product for the price of the $35 ticket), the Marie Claire Beauty Workshop is hosted by Emily Taylor, Beauty Director at Marie Claire and Rae Morris, L’Oreal Paris Make-Up Director for Australia.

Rather than run through the ins and outs of the workshop, I thought I would just give you the good bits – the stuff you really want to know! So here they are in dot point format. Go forth and be beautiful. Because you’re worth it.

BASE
– Only use one moisturising product under foundation, otherwise it will slide.
– Don’t moisturise eyelids.
– Use a SPF 30+ EVERYDAY.
– You should own 2 to 3 shades of foundation to suit different seasons and colouring.
– Use brushes and fingers – not sponges (also a money saving tip, a lot of product gets left behind in sponges).
– Conceal after applying foundation.
– Remember that choosing a foundation is like choosing stockings – do you want opaque, matte, shiny or sheer? Foundations come in matte, mineral or dewy etc.
– Don’t forget to blend behind the ears if you are wearing a ponytail.

EYES
– Put make up on for smoky eyes before foundation
– Metallics are big this season. If you wear gold jewellery, embrace gold, if silver jewellery, silver make up. Only ever wear bronze if you are tanned.
– If you have blue eyes, use blue shadows to highlight and peaches/apricots to really make them pop.
– If you have green eyes, try shades of green and violets to really stand out.
– If you have brown eyes, anything goes (lucky bitches!!).
– Eyebrows are better if lower and longer. Do not do McDonalds arches, they will age you.
– Make your eyes stand out and look wider and brighter by lining the inside of your bottom lid with white eyeliner.
– Avoid liquid eyeliner at all costs, unless you have an expert on hand to show you how to do it right!!

LIPS and COLOUR
– Lipstick is back, with a vengeance.
– Don’t bleach upper lip hair, wax it (but not 4 hours before you are due to be at a wedding).
– Don’t match lips and nails, let them clash and embrace colour.

They say ‘No (Fashion) Pain, No (Fashion) Gain’ and I think I gained by putting in the hard yards today. Working again with the Vogue girls, I headed to Central Pier Docklands for the 9am start, arriving just as the sun was beginning to get warm.

A tour of backstage quickly followed and we started unloading the clothes and shoes. Time flies when you are having fun and before we knew it mid morning was upon us, sound checks and rehearsals underway. I was assigned to assist on L’Oreal Paris Runway Two, featuring ANT!POD!UM; Ansdorf; Dion Lee; ELLERY; Friedrich Gray; Gary Bigeni; Romance was Born and Therese Rawsthorne. Runway Three bumped in first and rehearsed, followed by a full dress rehearsal, which I was lucky enough to see half of. We continued to tape shoes, retape shoes and check accessories. We removed tags, planned finales and ran around like crazy people. Backstage heated up.

When I say heated up, I don’t mean because of the stress, tension and anxiety levels that were running high – the actual temperature in the backstage area soared far beyond the 31 degrees outside. An enclosed space, created out of mostly black vinyl, becomes warm very quickly and all the volunteers and staff were feeling it. You may remember I am one who doesn’t do so well in the heat, I am prone to fainting and I certainly don’t look very appealing. Seriously, I get really red and retain fluid like nothing else. Fat fingers, ankles and calves, red face – must be the ‘hottest’ thing at the festival!

I attempted to power through, it was our turn for dress rehearsal and we bumped in quickly – time was already running behind. Within 10 minutes, the running around got to me and three people commented in quick succession that I wasn’t looking so crash hot (I think the white ring around my mouth is always a dead giveaway) and I was sent to sit in the hall where the air con was in good supply. I was regretting my decision to wear jeans and as I sat and watched our guys run through the dress rehearsal and guzzled close to three litres of water. The dress rehearsal went, well, as well as can be expected, but the show must go on and it always seems that everything turns out all right on the night.

I was told to eat, I ate; I was told to go outside and get some air, I went. The models headed to hair and make up, the volunteers had a breather and we were all systems go for 6.30pm. An hour out we were in lockdown, 30 minutes out and the models are getting dressed. 15 minutes and the room outside is buzzing, 10 minutes and so are we. 5 minutes and the punters take their seats, 2 minutes and the music starts, 30 seconds and we are good to go.

What follows is 10 minutes of mayhem. 18 models, 8 designers, 9 outfits per label and 21 volunteers. Every model has about 45 seconds (if that) to get changed, keeping in mind you have to watch hair and make up mishaps, some outfits are seriously complicated and don’t forget the accessories! Shoes are fitted seconds before a girl walks out in a cloud of last minute hairspray.

Then just like that, it’s over. A smattering of applause backstage hails the success of the show and it’s a rush to bump out so that the Runway Three team can move their stuff in for the 8.30pm show. We pack up the gear to be sent back to the designers and shoe stores, removing all the tape we spent so many hours putting on along the way. I leave Central Pier just after 9pm, 12 hours since I arrived fresh this morning. I have a headache and my feet hurt, I’m starving and I’m tired but it’s all so worth the exhilaration and thrill of being a part of something that truly is, pretty amazing.

My shift today might have been to assist the Vogue girls but I ended up working with Head Dresser Virginia who has requested I assist her on Thursday at the Renegades show (another 12 hour stint at the Malvern Town Hall – the show is at 10pm!). She also asked for me to help out on Saturday at the Target Rocks Red Market. This in addition to media passes and tickets I acquired today for Runway 4 tomorrow night and the Fashion Collections on Friday night! Phew! Well, I’m exhausted, how about you? Catch you tomorrow fashionistas!!

Image One: Backstage at Central Pier, Runway Two
Image Two: Nevenka Rehearsal, Runway Three
Image Three: The vinyl wall – just in case!
Image Four: Models about to take the runway in ELLERY and Tony Bianco boots