I didn’t have tickets for tonight’s L’Oreal Paris Runway One, supported by Grazia, but that wasn’t going to stop me from heading down to the Docklands to people watch and celeb spot at Central Pier. Tonight’s featured labels included Alice McCall; camilla and marc; Colette Dinnigan; Fleur Wood; LIFEwithBIRD; Nicola Finetti; sass & bide and Toni Maticevski.

Central Pier was buzzing with hundreds of fashionistas in attendance for the first official parade of the week. I spotted Karen Webster, Festival Director, chatting to the masses, Kiri Delly, General Manager of the Festival and Dr Andrew Rochford from Channel 10’s 7pm Project. Also seen out and about were fashion bloggers, Fashion Hayley and Kim Smith from Dream Delight Inspire vox popping for Melbourne’s GPO website.

For my fifth or so festival I rocked up with plenty of time til the official ticket time and was surprised to find only a very small queue for the L’Oreal Paris Powder Room. Known for their fabulous gift bags and pampering, the Powder Room offers manicured, skin consultations and lip touch ups. I choose the skin consultation for a number of reasons – one being I had no make up on today. My beautician analysed my skin and recommended the Triple Active SPF 30+ Multi-Protection Moisturiser and a Derma Genesis Night Cream. The moisturiser is actually the first L’Oreal product to be manufactured in Australia.

On to the gift bag and although I have found previous years to better, this one is by no means shabby! The cute metallic purse can be used as a clutch or make up bag and inside you will find L’Oreal Dermo-Expertise Collagen Filler, L’Oreal Glam Shine Volumizer Lip Gloss and a L’Oreal Extra-Volume Collagene Mascara. The mandatory promotional information is also there and bonus discount vouchers for L’Oreal products, plus 15% off new season clothes at Myer Melbourne. I have found in past years that product can vary from bag to bag so I’ll let you know Wednesday if I get something different!

Back out into the sunshine and I enjoyed a Skinny Cow ice cream tub – Chocolate Sundae – 97% fat free, no added sugar and 100% YUM. I people watched and style spotted. Lot’s of black, splashes of colours and amazing shoes. I had wanted to watch the show on the big screen but for whatever reason, the parade never came on (though I did see the LMFF advert ‘Happy’ about 6 million times).

Tomorrow is my next LMFF volunteer shift, 9am til 11pm, working again as an Assistant Stylist with the Vogue team. Stay tuned for the next LMFF instalment at Sarah’s Style Emporium!

Visit www.lmff.com.au for reviews and pictures.

Image One: LMFF hoarding at Central Pier
Image Two: Karen Webster, Festival Director, chats to guests
Image Three: Kim Smith interviews Fashion Hayley for Melbournes GPO

I know we are barely a day into LMFF but I feel like my credit card is bruised already. By the time the week is out my wallet will be on life support and my cupboards bursting at the seams. Here are a few pairs of shoes to get you started. I’ve already ordered Scuba online! May the fashion be with you.

Tony Bianco Fanatic Thigh High Boot in Black (as seen at L’Oreal Paris Runway Two) http://www.tonybianco.com.au/product.asp?page=11&categoryID=25&productID=1359

Betts Anaconda Pump in Black (as seen at L’Oreal Paris Runway Two)
http://www.betts.com.au/catalogue/Pump_shoes_heels/ANACONDA.aspx

Betts Scuba Peep Toe Shoe in Black (as seen at Designer Award and L’Oreal Paris Runway Two)
http://www.betts.com.au/catalogue/Peep_Toe_Shoes/SCUBA.aspx

Betts Bree Pump in Black Suede (as seen as L’Oreal Paris Runway Two)
http://www.betts.com.au/catalogue/Pump_shoes_heels/BREE.aspx

Wittner Kendra Shoe in Tan (worn with contrasting socks and seen at L’Oreal Paris Runway Two)
http://www.wittner.com.au/shop/shop.aspx?catid=112

Wittner Vantrice Shoe in White (as seen at Designer Award and L’Oreal Paris Runway Two)
http://www.wittner.com.au/shop/shop.aspx?catid=112

Wittner Panama Boot in Tan (as seen at L’Oreal Paris Runway Two)
http://www.wittner.com.au/shop/shop.aspx?catid=110

Don’t miss my other blog posts about being a Stylists Assistant to the Vogue Fashion Editor at the LMFF Fittings!!! http://sarahsstyleemporium.onsugar.com/Vogue-Stylist-Assistant-LMFF—Day-One-7730278 and http://sarahsstyleemporium.onsugar.com/Vogue-Stylist-Assistant-LMFF—Day-Two-7730617.

After my interesting start to LMFF 2010, I can’t say I was truly looking forward to Day 2. Would I get cool, superior jobs to undertake, or be relegated to the concrete floor taping shoes again? Only time would tell. I rolled up for the starting gun fitted out in a black highwaisted skirt and the volunteer tee with a long sleeve black tee underneath and black earrings. I technically hadn’t been told about the no uniform for assistants rule so I wasn’t keen to break it. Taking a deep breath, I entered day 2 as a Vogue Assistant Stylist.

Day 2 was all about Loreal Paris Runway 2, supported by Vogue and featuring designs by Gary Bigeni; Romance Was Born; Therese Rawsthorne; Friedrich Gray; Dion Lee; ELLERY; Ansdorf and ANT!PODiUM. Models were booked from 9am til 2pm, with 2 allocated every half hour. It was going to be a wild day. With less volunteers in our area than Day 1, it seemed we all had something to do. It might have started with taping shoes (Tony Bianco thigh highs!!) but it ended with the exchange of business cards and phone numbers. Let the mayhem ensue.

I rehung outfits, labelled shoes, dressed and undressed models, stood ready with safety pins, sockettes and the shoe horn. I taped shoes when they were needed, I removed tags from outfits, I filled in shoe sizes on spec sheets. I packed shoes, I repacked shoes and I checked lists against other lists. The Vogue girls remembered my name and that was enough for me.

Much more styling was involved in Day 2, there were accessories, belts and bags. Watching the Vogue girls work was amazing – Ilona might be only 24 but after 3 years at Vogue she clearly has an eye for what works and what doesn’t. With more experience, Meg and Grace ummed and ahhed over different outfits – things I thought looked amazing until I saw changes they made to make them just phenomenal. I could feel myself going broke before their very eyes. The designers have done a fantastic job and the shoes (by Tony Biance, Wittner and Betts among others) make me want to run out tomorrow and buy their entire collections. Highlight moment? Balenciaga shoes for the Dion Lee collection. Gorgeous in both black and tan (and apparently on sale for $700 at Miss Louise – why not get them in both colours?). You can’t tape Balenciaga. The models walked on a garbage bag catwalk (instead of bare concrete). Day 2’s glamour moment.

Head Dresser on Day 2 was Virgina, assisted by volunteer Claire, and again both girls were super friendly and encouraging. Virginia was generous with her advice and teachings while Claire, also a veteran volunteer, was a pleasure to work with. I should be working with the entire team again on Tuesday and I’m even looking forward to it!
There is a lot to take in when partaking in a fashion festival – those of you reading this with no fashion knowledge probably have no idea what or why we were taping shoes or that some designers make clothes that don’t even fit the models. You might assume that models don’t eat, that fashion is all glamour and fabulousness and those of us who work in it live charmed lives. I have news for you. Its long hours, hard work and far from glam. Models are as hungry as the rest of us and often spend hours sitting around waiting for a fitting call. Sometimes they are a bit of stereotype but for the most part the models are friendly and helpful. The might be gorgeous and spend most of the day walking around in their g string but they also have unusually large feet (or, usual, if you consider their height).

At the close of Day 2, I handed business cards to Meg, Ilona and Virgina, assuring them they could call me anytime in the next week if they should need my assistance. I’m disappointed my new business cards haven’t arrived from the UK yet (my title is ‘Fashionista’!) but hopefully I can have the opportunity to pass one over in the future. Next up is Tuesdays back of house shift for the Designer Award and Runway 2, followed by back of house on Thursday for Runway 5 and 6. Stay Tuned!!  

Image one: The garbage bag catwalk
Image two: Model callsheets
Image three: Balenciaga!!

I pretty much gave up around 3pm on Thursday. Who wants to do their real job when in less that 16 hours I would be working with the Fashion Editor of Vogue? Thursday night prep included nail polish touch ups and a face mask treatment. I wanted to be more than ready to impress the masses. Friday dawned bright and early and I bounced out of bed – the first in the long time. Hair, make up, accessories all carefully planned with first impressions in mind. Given I was constrained in my outfit choice to the LMFF volunteer uniform of a Romance Was Born designed Bonds tee and jeans, I wore a hot pink three quarter sleeve top underneath and hot pink heart earrings. I listened to Madonna’s Vogue for inspiration while walking to work and arrived at the fitting venue with plenty of time to spare, ready for the day ahead.

The only knowledge I really had about Meg Gray, Fashion Editor for Vogue, was from an article in the January edition where she and her fashion assistant switched wardrobes for a week. Meg favours bright colours, funky prints and anything left of centre while her assistant Ilona sticks to shades of black and grey. The swap gave them both food for thought and opened their eyes to a new way of thinking, but the information I took from this article was that Meg’s hair was pink – I spotted her as soon as I walked in. There were designers clothes everywhere, a little mecca for the fashionista in all of us. Beautiful garments hung by show, shoes lined up as if for one hundered centipedes and an accessories’ table centring the room. It was heaven.

I introduced myself to Meg and Ilona (Ilona was styling the Designer Award show we worked on Friday) and prepared myself to take on important roles like offering opinions on outfits and choosing accessories. Then I taped shoes. For hours. On the concrete floor. Whoever said fashion was glamorous? In all honestly I didn’t expect to be choosing clothes – I anticipated coffee runs, minor errands and perhaps ever so often, the Vogue girls would throw a tidbit of information my way. But it seemed that as Meg had bought Ilona and Grace (a freelance stylist) with her from Sydney, my role as Assistant Stylist was more that of a veteran volunteer. I educated the new girls in how to tape shoes, provided direction when they looked a bit lost and sent a girl to Officeworks for pens when we seemed to have none. At 26 years old, I was under the direction of a 24 year old and I found it to be the most unnerving situation. I felt like a has been.

As the day progressed and more shoes arrived, I found myself wondering how long one must be at the bottom of the ladder paying dues before elevation takes place. The concrete floor of a warehouse is about as low as it gets and I had stopped feeling my butt muscles hours ago. I finally got slightly elevated to the position of rehanging clothes after the models dropped them on the floor or thrust them at me inside out, I labelled shoes with tape (instead of taping the soles) and generally hoped that my air of importance was enough to see me through. It wasn’t until early afternoon when asking a question of someone I thought was superior that I discovered what gross injustice I was labouring under. Supposed superior person (not dressed in a volunteer uniform) was also in a special assistant position, assistant to the Head Dresser. Dressed in a divine floral frock, brown boots and cream cape, she looked as though she had been working there her whole life (all 20 years). Also named Sarah, she told me that as Assistant to the Head Dresser, she had been contacted earlier in the week, taken for coffee to explain her role and told uniforms were not required for assistant jobs. She had responsibilities and respect from the other volunteers – I had no skin left on my fingertips from using gaffer tape all day. I felt robbed.

So I stuck with Sarah and Head Dresser Chloe for the afternoon. We went out to get coffee together at the break, they were chatty and happy to talk about their background and experiences and most of all they now knew I was also meant to be an assistant – no more pleb jobs for moi!!

Eleven hours after I walked in, it was time to go home. The Designer Award show, featuring Konstantina Mittas; Therese Rawsthorne; Lui Hon; Gary Bigeni; Dion Lee; Dhini and Gail Sorronda, was fitted, photographed and finalised. The models had come and gone, I had learnt some valuable lessons about status and I was sure my fingerprints would come back eventually. I walked home though my feet and back hurt day dreaming of fabulous shoes and frocks to a much needed shower (the warehouse is possibly the dustiest place on earth) and a well earned vodka. Day two would be here soon enough.  

Image one: Racks of clothing ready to be fitted to models
Image two: Meg Gray and Ilona Hamer from Vogue discuss the clothes

So it seems February/March is really the best time of year for all the most awesome sales!
Get in early for this one – it’s a treasure trove of fun!

http://www.retrostar.com.au/news.html

Can you feel the anticipation? Hear the cash registers ringing? Foresee the sore heads and feet? LMFF is so close now you can almost feel the fabric and if you are not already stockpiling sleep, breaking in shoes and detoxing in preparation for the week of fabulousness around the corner, it’s not too late to start.

I recommend you stop drinking now, get at least 3 days of cleansing in and pop your vitamins every day. Long hours, lack of sleep and a bad diet during festival week is enough to have any fashionista dragging her feet into the Easter break. Preparation is the key to a healthy and happy festival! Enjoy the champagne and canapés in moderation, eat a decent breakfast every day and hydrate with lots of water throughout the week. Nothing worse than a worse for wear body after the festival – you’ll want to show off all your new threads in the best way you can coming into Autumn Winter 2010.

With hundreds of events to choose from in festival week, just how many can you make it to? As a volunteer, my choices are limited but at this stage I will definitely be at the Marketing Breakfast (Thursday), the Metamorphosis Student Showcase (Wednesday) and the Target Rocks Red Market (Saturday). Everything else is entirely dependent on what the volunteer schedule throws at me – thus far I am working Runway 2 (Tuesday) and Runways 5 and 6 (Thursday). There are many cultural events that extend beyond the week of the festival. Save these ones for later and get to the ticketed events during festival week, or risk missing out! Lot’s of shows are already sold out or close to so don’t wait til the night of; tardy fashionistas will end up wearing last seasons bargain bin finds.

It is essential you plan your show outfits in advance, last minute weather disasters, wardrobe malfunctions or dry cleaning store closures can wreak havoc on the ill prepared fashionista. Ensure you have at least one outfit planned for each event (not per day, per EVENT) and a minimum of 4 back up outfits. In real estate, location is the key. In fashion, it’s all about the outfit!! You can never be too prepared – choose shoes, bags and accessories, make sure everything works the way it’s meant to. Check that party feet, Panadol, Berrocca and bandaids are stocked up on. Flat shoes are not an option during fashion week.

Finally, the easiest way to tell a fashion virgin from the fashion elite? The ones who dive into the goody bag the moment they set their fake Prada on the floor in their Row D seat. Show some class and sophistication – don’t take fake and wait until you get home to ooh and ahh over the freebies. Have a great festival and keep checking Sarahs Style Emporium for updates, volunteer insider news and Vogue Fashion Editor Assistant highlights!

www.lmff.com.au

The current issue of Fashion Journal – The Denim Issue (96) is available now at all good boutiques and online at www.fashionjournal.com.au.

My first print feature is on page 74! Let me know if you like it and what you would like to see me write more of.

Today I spent $230 on shoes. I don’t have a party to go to, or a job interview. I don’t even have a date. For the first time in 6 years, I bought runners.

I have always felt, for me, that runners were a waste of money. I’m not a runner. I’m barely a walker. I don’t have a gym membership anymore; I quit so I would have more money to spend on ‘real’ shoes. I gave up netball because it was interfering with my social life and I can’t stand the thought of anyone walking down Collins Street wearing runners with their suit. I hurt my ankle wearing heels about 18 months ago and felt that this was a rather brilliant excuse to avoid any kind of exercise ever invented for the rest of my life. I think myself quite lucky that while I am by no means skinny, I do alright in the metabolism stakes (seriously, you should see what I eat!) and on the odd occasion I have decided to exercise it only seems to elevate my hunger and the cycle starts again.

But with my move to city over 6 months ago, the beautiful Albert Park Lake on my doorstep and all my flitting about the city in ballet flats, I find myself walking lot’s of places and my feet feeling worse for it. My current runners, Kmart specials from days gone by, cost about $30. Considering I don’t use them much (especially outdoors, they were mostly indoor netball and gym shoes) I certainly got my monies worth. The time had come to bite the bullet and invest in something worthy of my tootsies, I figured if I spent so much on heels that (essentially) damage my feet, why not spend on something that might help prolong their life?

A friend recommended Active Feet in Prahran, a shoe store that doesn’t just flog you the most expensive running shoe they can but actually listens to what kind of activity you undertake and what problems you might currently have with your feet. Located next door to Blondes to Brunettes (you remember the RMIT fashion windows hairdresser?) this particular Saturday morning the store was packed and I was momentarily deterred – I never had to wait to buy heels. I ventured inside and joined the throng.

After a few minutes I was told the wait wouldn’t be long so I took a seat to take my turn. I watched the others being fitted out, the attendants, who are actually trained podiatrists telling customers about gait and width. Um, gait and width? Where was I!? It took about 20 minutes but finally (before I froze to death – major air con going on, but I figured it was probably to hide the feet smell) it was my turn. Sam was looking after me, I let him know about the ancient Kmart shoes, the ankle injury and my recent taking to walks around the lake at 5am.

I walked barefoot on a treadmill with a camera, Sam analysed my walk and advised I had pretty perfect feet. (I always knew there was SOMETHING perfect about me!) We tried various shoes – not Blahnik, Alaia and Novo but Brooks, Asics and Nike. There was pink – highlighter and baby; purple – royal and lavender; and blue – baby and electric. Who designs these things?!

I learned about the soles on expensive runners and the lack of soles on cheap runners. I learned about how when we walk we angle our ankles slightly and that the runners are supposed to correct that. I learned that runners are so much more than just some rubber, fabric and laces. When it came to the decision, it was Brooks vs Asics, Blue vs Purple and a $10 difference. I even went for a quick sprint down the street in one of each to compare. As it was I walked away with the Asics – the more expensive but ultimately more comfortable (and we all know I am accustomed to pricey things).

It may be another six years before I venture to purchase another pair of runners but I think these ones with go the distance. As Melburnians will know, Saturday’s weather turned rather nasty on what was a fine March day, otherwise I’d be out at the lake at this moment testing them out. If you are in need of some runners, I do think getting an expert to pick them out for you is probably a good idea. After all, if you are prepared to spend hundreds of dollars on the shoes that ruin your feet, why not invest in the ones that will not only look after your feet, but also your waistline.

http://www.activefeet.com.au
http://www.asics.com.au
    

When I was a teenager, my girlfriends and I would sit and talk about the future, where we would end up and what we would be doing. Of course we all dreamed we would meet Mr Right, have the standard 2.3 children and live happily ever after, but I don’t recall anyone ever thinking that about me. My standout memory of these conversations is my friends believing that one day I would be the CEO of some international company, living in a penthouse apartment with a white couch. The white couch was important because no one with children would ever own a white couch but that was ok, because I was going to be rich and fabulous and successful.

These were the musings of 16 year old girls. Ten years later, I am finally having that moment where I wonder if maybe, just maybe, dreams can come true. Secretly I did wish for the white couch (although I would still love to have children one day – though maybe not 2.3!). Secretly I hoped for the kind of prestige and recognition and responsibility being as high up as a CEO would bring. Secretly, I knew the penthouse apartment would make me, and others, realise I had made it. I wanted it all – and Mr Right (and my cake if its not too much trouble) too.

This week – this past year – has been pretty phenomenal in my life. I often have moments where I think how my mother had me when she was my age and had already been married for 7 years and what do I have to show? But then I stop and reflect and realise, I have it all. I really do. I started this blog and Onya Magazine came along. I started writing for Onya and a regular column fell into my lap. I wrote for 15secs.com and Sassi Sam. I’ve been on the Grazia fashion jury twice and this week issue 96 of Fashion Journal has my first print feature. I house-sat for a friend in the city and within weeks of heading home, found my very own city apartment. I took three weeks of annual leave from my day job to volunteer at fashion festivals and accessory internships where I carted magazines, counted buttons and picked up rubbish. This week the long hours and hard work paid off when I was offered an appointment as a volunteer stylist assistant to Vogue Fashion Editor Meg Gray at this month’s L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival.

You may have read on Twitter my apparent innate ability to win competitions of all shapes and sizes, the way contacts seem to meet me inadvertently and through people I wouldn’t have even expected to have known them and get invitations to events through the strangest of channels. I haven’t seen the Lindsay Lohan film Just My Luck, but I imagine I could somehow relate to it.

I truly am the luckiest person I know, not just because of how the world seems to be at my feet, but because of the opportunities that have been offered to me. I might be doing 99% of it for free, but I do it because of how much I love it and my passion for all things fashion. To everyone who has helped along the way – Thank you for everything. To the fashion gods (and goddesses) who are clearly helping me along the way, thank you. I may not be the CEO of anything yet, or have the penthouse apartment (I’m on the ground floor but you gotta start somewhere!) but I do have the white couch (thanks to Miss W and Mr G) and I finally realise that just maybe I am on my way.

White couches and penthouse views – this one is in Rome.

I’m going to be working with Vogue’s Fashion Ed! Yes, I can finally reveal that as part of LMFF and my volunteer responsibilities I will be assisting Vogue Fashion Editor, Meg Gray, preparing for the runway shows Vogue is supporting. Meg styled the Ruby Rose shoot in April Vogue, the ‘More Dash for your Cash’ shoot and is also responsible for the current ‘Review’ lookbook.The LMFF Designer Award and L’Oreal Paris Runway 2 are the two main events I will be working on and I can’t tell you how thrilled and excited I am (let alone terrified and anxious!)You can be sure I’ll be writing about all the ups and downs (and sideways!) of the week, so make sure you check in at the Style Emporium regularly to get all the news.Just 8 sleeps to go fashionistas!