My favourite Australian fashion mags

I am not one to buy magazines often, however on my trip back to Aus I realised that I missed some of our mags. So I thought that I would share my thoughts regarding some of my favourite Aus mags.

FRANKIE

Frankie has been one of my favourite mags for a while now. Music, art, craft, fashion, interviews, recipes, local random ramblings, what more could you want? I even like the small advertisements in it, where you can read about some local and international products/designs.  It is definitely one of those magazines that you read from  cover to cover. There is one section which reviews products/books/anything really (the May/June 2011 reviews winter beer). I often test out these reviews and try out things that I would not have ordinarily tried.   

PLUS! Lucky me, thanks to my family my Christmas present was a years subscription to Frankie which is sent all the way to Berlin. My bi-monthly Aussie treat.

YEN

To be honest, I looked at Yen a few years back and didn't think much of it. However this last Christmas I had a flick through and liked what I saw. I suppose that it has a similar format to Frankie in the sense that it focuses on a number of different areas e.g. fashion, art, music, interviews, local produce etc. I like how the mag flows in a logical sequence (it must be the science side of my brain kicking in, the need for a little structure)

PEPPERMINT

Peppermint is an eco fashion mag. It is released quarterly and has a focus on green fashion and ethical production/purchasing. I love to read the stories about the people who are taking that step forward in fashion and I am always inspired by the fashions. I just found that they have some free downloadable patterns here on their website(I might make that dress). Kaye and I have actually filled a page in this mag too! (I promise to share soon!)

So that is my brief Aussie mag review. I will share my thoughts on some German mags soon too! (though with a language barrier edge)

Can anyone recommend a magazine that they treasure???

armed and ready

Jumpsuit: Vera Moda. Necklace: Gift from mum. Hat: Freez. Shoes: Topshop. Cuff: Asos. Rings: Elizabeth and James, Fashionology, eBay). 

THE OUTFIT:

This jumpsuit feels like I'm wearing pajamas. If you want a versatile piece of clothing, buy a black jumpsuit. This one has been on my body every time I have stepped out of the house over Easter. Clubbing, coffee, Jesters pies, dinner and posing on rocks.

ON A SIDE NOTE:

Sometimes I like reading personal stories about the girls behind my favourite blogs. So here's my attempt to share a recent personal experience of mine. 

Over the Easter break, I forced myself to come to terms with the fact that a chapter of my life is over. This was a long and grinding process, but had to be done. 

For the last few months, my life has been about working hard and playing hard. After months of partying and having fun, it all ended because of one person. Through a very confusing series of events, I discovered that one of my 'friends' (with whom to date, my relationship has been solely platonic) had fabricated a girlfriend/boyfriend relationship between him and I. I won't get into details, but for the purpose of this blog post, all you need to know is that I had been involved in a romantic relationship with someone for months without knowing. Definitely the most creepy situation I have ever found myself in. 

As a result, my world came crashing down around me... The situation made me realise that I have been on another planet. A planet that only allows partying and self-indulgence. I have been building my life around a world that isn't real. Naturally, this has meant that I have made some huge mistakes along the way. It's ok, I just have to correct them. At least I can learn from the experience. 

In the end, I had a great time, but it's over. 

I am now back down to Earth.

And its good to be back. 

Kaye xx

curly, straight. curly, straight.

Straight edge and bolted with a sneaky cut-out

 or

curvy and glittery with a completely ridiculous platform

Decisionssssssss

here and here

forks and spoons

It's no secret that I am obsessed with rings. I love finding new and interesting pieces to add to my collection. On one of her recent craft show visits, my mum found two rings for me... they are both made from cutlery! Naturally I turned to my trusty ring bible... Etsy!!! Just like my crystal bullet necklace, there are heaps of different sellers, each with a different price range.

Fork Rings

Spoon Rings

Get these ones here and here

I told all of my friends about my new and intriguing discovery. My bubble was burst when somebody told me that these were around in the 1960's and is certainly nothing new. Having said that, I love how fashions never disappear. Younger generations can wear and love the same trends that women had decades ago.

Can you guess which of my rings are made of cutlery?

Kaye xx

it's spring! with a cut out back

As usual, the other weekend we set out to explore a part of Berlin which we had not yet visited. This time we caught the train up to the Observatory. There was one particular aspect of the day that we were very excited about. Michael had a different camera to try out. He hired a Mamiya RB67. This camera does produce some nice images, but as expected it was very heavy. So it is not ideal for travelling. 

Another factor to be excited about is the Spring weather! I know that I keep referring to the weather here in Europe, but it effects everyone's happiness levels. The city is transformed. There are flowers popping up in unexpected places. People are laughing and smiling on the streets. The parks are populated with people jogging, playing table tennis, soccer and of course drinking beers with the hazy smoke from a grill. Everything just seems more alive.      

     

THE DRESS:

Three design features that I have been thinking about lately include; a cut out back; block colours; and fabric manipulation through tucking. I tried to incorporate these three elements into this dress. I was quite happy with how simple the cut out back was to achieve. I am a fan of garments which feature the back so I will be making more of these! The tucking (you can just see it on the black waist band) is time consuming but worth it. All in all I am not too happy with how it turned out, but I learnt a bit from the design and construction processes. 

Photos: Michael Dooney (except for the last one, taken by me!)
 

walking on bricks

Not the best photos. I definitely have to learn how to use my camera at night. Before I headed out last night, I handed the camera to mum, stood under the street light, and hoped for the best. Lately I've been trying to keep a better record of my outfits and this is the teething stages.

As for my outfit, I bought this Shakuhachi dress a while ago (remember this post?). I never realised that an off-the-shoulder dress drastically restricts shoulder extension. I had to complete some rather robotic movements every time I reached for my champagne. Coupled with the overall clunky-ness of these shoes, simple locomotion proved a challenge.

Some food for thought..................
The height of these shoes came up in conversation with my girlfriends. They passed my shoes around, felt the weight of them and asked why I would voluntarily strap bricks to my feet. I explained to them that I like walking around feeling as though I have bricks strapped to my feet. I think its fun. I think its a novelty. Maybe its my high sensory threshold and low registration (sensory integration anyone?), but I love teetering around, practising my balance and making a lot of noise in the process. Am I the only one that feels this way, or do you enjoy walking in impractical shoes just for the sheer novelty of it?

savouring the end

A couple of weekends ago I had a Saturday night in. This is an unusual occurrence, so I decided to take advantage of the situation  by waking up early Sunday morning with mum and going for a morning beach walk.  Mum hates being around swarms of people, so she took me to her favourite secluded beach to savour what is meant to be the end of the Aussie heat.... at least according to the calendar. I don't think Perth got the memo that Summer is over.

Kaye xx

Mochimochi exhibition ... plus some of my little knitted toys

MOCHIMOCI LAND

Last week the Pictoplasma festival welcomed many crazy little critters from across the world. I was excited to see one particular artist, Anna Hrachovec, from Mochimochi land. I really love her crazy knitting ideas and creations AND she knitted these in a period of 2 months. She really is a pro! I was definitely star struck speaking to her and I hope that she continues to produce more and more wonderful creatures. She has a book which features a number of her patterns and you can also buy them individually from her website shop. There are also some free knitting patterns on her blog. I have made the hearts and plan on making some little hanging bats too! What an inspirational knitter she is!

SOME OF MAHAILA'S KNITTING PROJECTS

Last year I jumped on the toy knitting bandwagon to knit some little creatures myself (this was a warm up before my impossible shorts project). I love that I learn something new about knitting every time I knit a new little toy.  Most of the projects that I have knitted are from Knitted Toy box she definitely has some very nice little creatures. 

My next project (which will take a while) is a 1930's swim suite. I hope I can pull this one off! fingers crossed!

1. The Travelling gnome

2. Little mushroom by Abby Kroken at beewee.net

3. Milk and biscuit by Knitted toy box

4. Michael's Milk carton camera case 

5. Little turtle 

6. Hearts

purple agate

Needing some Agate stone accessories. This one by Talullah is perfect.

Here

a little treat on a Saturday

(Skirt: Asos. Top: eBay. Shoes: Asos. Necklaces: The Chains of Love and Etsy. Belt: Asos. Rings: Fashionology and eBay. Sunglasses: Forever New.)

Last Saturday I went shopping for the first time in aaaaaages! Life has been crazy lately and I just haven't had time to browse shops and enjoy myself. Case in point, I got an email from Mahaila a couple of days ago:

hello?

whats happening kaye??? 

Even my own sister was confused. I've been so distant from reality that I recently had a friend book an appointment with me at work so that we could catch up. So please excuse the lack of outfit posts from me lately... normal schedule should resume soon!

Anyway, last weekend Robert and I went to the KickstART Youth Markets and I paid Jessie a visit at her stall, The Cuckoo Clock Vintage. There were so many gorgeous vintage clothes and accessories, and the stall was decorated with cute little vintage pieces... and lollies! Nothing better than browsing through vintage clothes with a lollipop in your mouth! 

Robert and I quickly dropped into a cafe before we left, ready to tackle the rest of the weekend.

Kaye xx