So I was getting my frequent dose of runwayreporter when I came across this article...
"...For New York I take an assistant from here and have three or four assistants who are based in New York along with our stylist Heathermary Jackson, our casting director and her assistants and the rest of the crew. We have 5 days pre-production which covers putting the looks together and casting..."
OMG that is a vague mention of yours truly. Hehehe.
x
Thursday, July 31, 2008
KW vaguely mentions LB!
10 weeks! WOW
Can you BELIEVE it, I have been here ten weeks as of tomorrow.
What amazing experiences I have had here. What wonderful people I have met and come to call friends!
I was actually meant to fly back to Brisbane three days ago, before the first great opportunity arose to stay and help at Fashion Week.
And it keeps getting better.....
A week or so ago, Cathy the director of Press Office asked me if I would like to act as personal assistant to KAREN WALKER for her entire stay in New York for fashion week. OMG! I said YES of course after getting a little weak at the knees. Karen and I have since exchanged emails (OMG) and I cannot wait to meet her when she arrives at the beginning of September! Ah!
x
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Musical Mondays
True New Yorkers know that there is only one place to go Monday in Manhattan and that is Broadway's longest running video showcase at Splash Bar. So I up with some friends here and checked it out! A marathon of Broadway show tunes, movie musicals, and hilarious comedy. Most there knew ALL the words to EVERY song.The night was capped off with a performance by the cast of the latest Broadway hit [title of show] which was hilariously refreshing!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Jarvis
"The man is bonkers. He's a showman, shaman, great orator, snappy dresser and a gentleman.When the man came out, he gave out candy -- dark chocolate Mounds -- which I got. He proceeded to hand out drinks during the whole show." - [Music Snobbery]
What a truly talented, gracious and humble musician! I had an amazing night seeing Jarvis Cocker in New York, and a fantastic day backstage at runways shows. The 40-something muso still pumped out the moves with all his best bits from his solo album.....plus for all those who adore him.....new tunes from a forthcoming album!!!Jarvis you lovely man, I hope I see you again one day!
Photos courtesy of Ryan Muir, check him out he is a great photographer.....
Monday, July 21, 2008
Blue
Monday & Tuesday this week I got the opportunity, thanks to Barbara B, to assist at a fashion trade show here in New York.Just up the street at Pier 59, exhibitors such as Helmut Lang, Nicholas K, Fred Perry and People's Revolution showed their product at this all menswear trade show.
As well as businesses being there to add clients to their lists, there were runway shows of many of the fashion designers, as during New York Fashion Week menswear has a very small showing and is overlooked!These shows were produced by the world famous People's 
Revolution PR/Events powerhouse firm started from nothing by one Kelly Cutrone. I actually got to meet Kelly, and briefly chat to her. She is the loveliest lady, and is nothing like her personality on The Hills. They were filming episodes of The Hills backstage (so look out for me on there those that watch) and as soon as those cameras went on she was totally different. I guess broadcasting yourself on television as this scary strong intimidating woman is better for business.
I helped backstage as a dresser, making sure the models (yes ladies male models don't get all flustered they're just regular guys!) looks were excuted to how the designers/stylists wanted. I assisted for five runway shows;
Charles G Bailey was very preppy. Conference of Birds was fantastic and they had a great story line to the runway show and how the looks came out, it was a businessman lost in a desert and slowly the clothes came out less tweaked and more dishevelled. Nicholas K was slick and street smart with some great detailing. Orthodox was pretty good but nothing really stood out apart from some of the jackets. Buckler, the most established had the full works with more make-up (making the models look dirty) and more looks and more models (about 40 something looks went out on the runway) and more grandiose to the whole show. 
It was a fantastic insight to the behind the scenes of all the drama and work that is required to put on a runway show.....and womenswear is a lot harder....but I shall tell you all about that when New York fashion week hits ;-)
Sunday with Santogold
A fantastic afternoon spent in central park yesterday, on one of the hottest days of the summer sitting back and enjoying some excellent musicians like Diplo and SANTOGOLD at Summer Stage! They put FREE concerts on ALL summer! SCORE!
Second course is served
Last week I attended my second FIT summer in the city intensive course. The course covered Fashion Events Planning & PR.Again with the wonderful instructor Barbara, she gave us a crash course in this side of the industry and what is required to be successful.
We had field trips to AmericanGirl Place, a fantastic concept that through sales & events planning secures clients for up to 12 years! We wondered through two 
levels of props, used in everything from events at the Hamptons or downtown Manhattan, to fashion photoshoots or televison programmes such as Law & Order. Another great look at a niche business model tacking onto the events planning side of the industry.
levels of props, used in everything from events at the Hamptons or downtown Manhattan, to fashion photoshoots or televison programmes such as Law & Order. Another great look at a niche business model tacking onto the events planning side of the industry.Guest speakers included a PR manager Abby from a super parent company that own many mid range clothing brands such as rockawear, candies and badgley mischka, who through many events planning and PR measures are not suffering in the american economy that is currently slowing.
Paula was an assistant/friend to Barbara who was interesting to have as a guest as she had had a very diverse work/career history that had recently headed down the path of events planning. Plus she recommended some great irish pubs in North Bronx!Another guest was a business partner who recently started a Events Planning/PR company, which was of particular interest to me! It was a young company and so it was great to hear first hand of the struggles and challenges with moving from working for one company to becoming a consultant/freelancer.
Another great experience, it gives me knowledge to go forward in the direction I want to, and gives me many ideas for my future!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Sex & the City Tour
Shelley's last day, and we boarded a packed bus on a hot hot day for a special trip. A trip into the TV series that everyone should know, Sex & the City. We checked out many locations, had some stops all over town, enjoyed cupcakes, and lets not forget a cosmo before the end of it all. GREAT fun, you must do it, it takes you past all the best bits of this city
FIT is FAB
TIME to tell you all about my first FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) experience. Well I rocked up on Wednesday last week to start my Fashion Styling confidential. The two instructors were lovely ladies with fantastic backgrounds in the fashion industries. Basically they are at a stage in careers where they get to pick and what they do work wise! WICKED!Both Barbara and Adrienne took turns talking about what a stylist is and what they do, in detail with tips of the trade, and brutal honesty about the industry in New York / USA.
It was really interesting as Adrienne is like this creative genius that comes up with the look/vision for a photoshoot, but gets others to figure out all the details. She works as a stylist and journo now, and does a lot of those really artsy editorial shoots you see sometimes. She is a little out there, crazy, and likes to push boundaries but I really really liked her!
It was really interesting as Adrienne is like this creative genius that comes up with the look/vision for a photoshoot, but gets others to figure out all the details. She works as a stylist and journo now, and does a lot of those really artsy editorial shoots you see sometimes. She is a little out there, crazy, and likes to push boundaries but I really really liked her!
Whereas Barbara on the other hand has built a solid stunning career based on the details. She is a wardrober if you will, and her business booms executing what a stylist/photographers vision is. She frequently works for Calvin Klein, Vera Wang and Valentino! OMG! Barbara was very nurturing and her attention to detail really encourage you to step up your game!
So that was great to hear two differing sides of the same industry.
As mentioned in the outline of the course, the final day we would do a mock photoshoot. Well I thought it would just be models fresh off the boat, student photographers and us zipping into cheap stores for the clothing and accessories. BOY HOW WRONG I WAS!
Day One: We were whisked off to 5th Ave where some groups (mine included) 'pulled' shoes and handbags from the showroom (which had a view of central park to die for ) of American designer Donald J Pliner. Wicked shoes and handbags, and the PR coordinator of the head office told us all about the brand and funky down to earth philosophy of the company. We got to see the beginnings of the fall/winter '09 collection which had some great striking pieces let me tell you!
Day One: We were whisked off to 5th Ave where some groups (mine included) 'pulled' shoes and handbags from the showroom (which had a view of central park to die for ) of American designer Donald J Pliner. Wicked shoes and handbags, and the PR coordinator of the head office told us all about the brand and funky down to earth philosophy of the company. We got to see the beginnings of the fall/winter '09 collection which had some great striking pieces let me tell you!Next we went to meet with a stylist that had started a rental business as a resource to other stylists. We started thinking about the look of our shoot. Discovered the best place for stylist supplies a few floors down in the same building where I brought a stylists kit :-)
Day Two: We visited the 5th Ave store of Blanc de Chine. Think Comme des Garcons but incorporating Chinese culture instead of Japanese. The pieces were very elegant and beautiful and it interesting how their designers incorporated the old chinese cultures in with forward thinking fashion techniques. We got to preview the new luxury sportswear line, bleu de chine, that they are releasing only in August. I would love to see my parents decked head to toe it in this! It looks so comfortable and smart and trendy at the same time! Then we went to the fourth floor where we got to choose any pieces we wanted to our photoshoot! WOW! Now most of these garments cost thousands of dollars! I was blown away at the generosity and networking abilities of it all! We spent the afternoon getting accessories from Renata's rental store and developing our vision for our photoshoot the next day. We decided which model we would like to work with (yes we got to choose!) and how we wanted make-up and hair.
Day Three: The day of the shoot and oh my lord what fun it was! We got to experience first hand at a professional level what occurs on a photoshoot. Professionals left right and centre. Michael the photographer was great he made sure to talk to us loads and teach us as much as we could. This is not what a photographer on a shoot would usually do, they are usually the director and you leave them to it. Martha did an amazing job on make-up and A.J complimented that brilliantly with hair. My team's model, Ashley Cortes 
was cute and lovely. This was only her sixth shoot so she is still new and fresh and she was just what we wanted. Adrienne and Barbara helped us with direction where needed, as did Michael.
was cute and lovely. This was only her sixth shoot so she is still new and fresh and she was just what we wanted. Adrienne and Barbara helped us with direction where needed, as did Michael. I was the 'watch the set' person in my group which basically means I ensure the model looks fantastic and as per the brief throughout the shoot and fix or correct anything that needs to be. I actually got photographed in one shot that Michael kept (above) white socks and all.
Truly this course exceeded ALL my expectations and took it to a whole new level! Check out the photos, these are just internet sized one. We all get a CD with the full size edited ones so that we can use them for portfolios (which I fully intend to do)!
Now aside from the learning and experience this short course provided, it has also opened doors. I was one of the students that Adrienne 'saw something in'. Adrienne is doing an article and editorial photoshoot for a high end couture jewellery magazine shortly, and throughout the class mentioned she may ask some of us to be assistants for it. Well I was one of them!!!! I am attending the editorial meeting next week! Hopefully I am still here for the actual shoot. It will be amazing to work for someone so creative!
Barbara also mentioned that she always needs assistants when she is seeing various clients. I missed out on helping at a Valentino shoot (darn!), but I am going to be assisting at Blue, a tradeshow for men’s premium denim and sportswear in two weeks!
WOW! Make sure to check out Michael's amazing photographs and all the other websites of these mega talented people also!
Dusk way up high
Another place you have to visit regardless of the queues is the Empire State Building.
Whisked up to the 86th floor you have a 360 degree view of Manhattan that is jaw droppingly beautiful.
Shelley and I did as suggested by friends, and went up to time it with the sun setting in the evening. We were witness to the city changing from day and gearing up for the endlessly exciting experiences that occur when the sun goes down here in New York city!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Statue of Liberty
On a stinking hot day Shelley and I decided to be tourists and see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
After a two hour wait in line, yes two hours (thankfully we got quite a decent tan out of it!) we head across the harbour to the two islands. It was great to visit, especially to read about the history about the first ships of immigrants to America and all the things they had to endure, but it was completely overrun with hundreds of tourists which did get to me at some points.
A quick look out a window to the spectacular view of Manhattan gets rid of any frustration though.
All in all though its one of those sites you MUST visit when coming here, even more so if you have members in your family tree that immigrated to America at any point in history.
Salem
On our last day up north, escaping bussling New York, we decided to take a day trip to Salem, place of the witch trials of 1692.
It was a fantastic day, sun out and shining, breeze blowing past pleasantly. Unfortunately that didn't halt the fact that Salem was a 'walking' town and we had to lug our bags around all day long!
Nevertheless the town was full to the brim of historical places to see and read about, in addition to the over commericialised witch oriented places.
Great place to visit, very interesting, and we finally had our pulled pork sandwich which we'd heard so much about! Bewitching!
Bbbbboston
Independence day weekend Shelley and I hopped on a VERY early bus up north to Boston, the home where America's independence was born.
One four hour bus ride later, with not the best selection of movies to watch, we arrived!
Boston is a world away from New York, its quieter and more peaceful in every way. We explored Harvard once we finally arrived at our hotel, passing MIT on the way :-)
Harvard Square and the harvard campus were breathtaking. All that history and pomp to take in. We had a lobster roll for lunch, which Boston is famous for! Mmmmmmmm.
Later we explored downtown Boston, walking the freedom trail which takes you by all the historical landmarks in the city. After a quick coffee in Little Italy, we had LOBSTER for dinner!!!! It was not only VERY cheap but VERY tasty!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Essex way
On Sunday Shelley took me south to where she grew up. We stopped in Leigh-On-Sea where there was a local folk festival on which was full of colour and traditional english music.
There were morris dancers to the left and cockles to the right (which don't taste that flash!) but it was loads of fun to soak in some history.
Next was Southend with the worlds longest pier!!! WOW! What a walk that one was! Enjoyed a Rossi ice cream which is famous around these parts, and classic english fish & chips. YUM
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=41857&l=37425&id=607920924
Hampton Court Palace
We headed out of the big smoke on Saturday, for a change of scenery with a dash of history thrown in for good measure.
We got on a train to Hampton Court Palace, the royal palace home of Henry VIII! Built in the 16th century, it was a great opportunity for me to see some REAL history. A wonderous place to explore, with enormous ornate rooms for the king, queen and nobles, and unpleasant and dirty kitchens and serving areas for the servants.
We got lost in the world-famous Hampton Court Palace Hedge Maze, planted in 1689, made our aquaintance with the ghost of Jane Seymour, and wandered the amazing grounds of the palace (although locked out of one area!!!)
The day ended relaxing in the rose garden, taking in a lovely sunny english afternoon.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=41640&l=b10b5&id=607920924
Sniff the Glove!
Friday was Shelley's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YA!
So to celebrate we met up dressed in our best glam 80's rock gear, to attend a special night at a local club called Sniff the Glove.
A few drinks at the Old Queens Head pub, followed by some warm up dance moves and we were on our way.
It was fantastic 80's music all night long, complete with Bon Jovi look-a-like competitions and Air Guitar champion battles.
What a night in ole London town!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=41639&l=0aa20&id=607920924
London days one and two...
After a splendid flight on Air India, featuring better food, leg room and entertainment than my Qantas flight, I touched down at Heathrow Airport in London.
A quick tube ride later and I arrived at Shelley's place, ready to hit the town and check it all out....then all of a sudden jetlag hit and I was out for the count. HAHAHA.
Had a rest, not long enough, and proceded to wander around Oxford Street checking out all the shops. This was followed by drinks on the lawns of the BBC with Shelley and all your work friends!
Second day was a bit more touristy as I blitzed the sights. Buckingham Palace and the changing of the guards, Big Ben and Parliament, The London Eye, South bank with the TATE Modern, the Globe theatre and across the millenium bridge St. Paul's Cathedral.
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