Fashion week count: NINETEEN!

Well I am close to the magic twenty, which was my aim for the amount of shows I got to work at and two great additions to my schedule to New York Fashion week.

On Thursday 10th September in the evening I will be helping backstage for

* Christian Siriano; Any of you that watched Project Runway last season will know that he won it. His collection will be a lot of fun for sure, and it great to see that he made it to Fashion Week under his own label just after winning PR. Especially when most of those designers bomb out straight after.
http://www.christianvsiriano.com/

* Ray Costarella; Head designer for Aurelio Costarella, is a Western Australian based company fast becoming the hottest new international luxury brand. His evening dresses are exquisite and has followers like Rihanna, Sharon Stone and Tina Arena. My mum told me all about this guy about a week or so ago, so when I got invited to work his show I HAD TO DO IT FOR MY MUM!
http://www.aureliocostarella.com/

The Blonds

I am up to seventeen shows now! WOOT!
Newest additions:
Joanna Mastroianni
http://www.joannamastroianni.com/
Brian Reyes
http://www.brianreyes.com/html/main.html
Pamella Roland
http://www.pamellaroland.com/collection.php
The Blonds
http://us.geocities.com/theblitzkids/theblonds.html

I was secretly aiming to reach twenty shows at Fashion Week, but didn't think I would actually be this close to it already!

Australia REPRESENT

Well I feel bad because I almost forgot to include another addition to my fashion week schedule on my blog, and it is one I am very much looking forward to.
Michael Angel is a Melbourne native and former creative director of Oakley! AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE! He will show his third collection at Bryant Park in the TENTS and will be the first show kicking off New York Fashion Week.
His last collection was amazing, so you must check it out http://michaelangel.net/

Malandrino!!!

Malandrino is one of the newest additions to my schedule for New York Fashion week, and one I am really looking forward to! It will be a fantastic show for sure, and a great end to a busy Monday.....those fashionista friends of mine will definitely know Catherine Malandrino from her appearance in Project Runway Season 3.
http://www.catherinemalandrino.com/

Other new additions include;

Sunday 7th
Staerk by Camilla Staerk
http://www.camillastaerk.co.uk/Danish designer Camilla Staerk is a three-time Topshop winner. She recently relocated to NY to promote her designs which are an eclectic combo of Danish modern and dark romanticism. She already has a celebrity following and the support of supermodel Helena Christensen.

Monday 8th
Twinkle by Wenlan Chia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wenlan_Chia
Christian Cota
http://christiancota.com/

12 weeks....

Not in my wildest dreams would I have guessed that I would still be in New York city in August 2008! WOW! I am so blessed and lucky to be still here in the most amazing city I have seen so far in my life. Things go from strength to strength here.

This past week I had my second experience as a stylist on a photoshoot. Being on location, and having animals in the shoot posed some challenges, but it was a fantastic day with the best weather over Central Park.

I have added more shows to my schedule for New York Fashion Week thanks again to Barbara B my fairy godmother here.

And then to mark my twelth week anniversary here in New York, Teen Vogue decided to FINALLY return some Umbro by Kim Jones shoes......and seeing as the collaboration is over.....more free shoes for LYLLE!

Perfect Day

A song from the 90's which I think is very appropriate in summing up days in New York city!

WICKED!

Thanks to Ruthie's luck in the lottery ticket draw, tonight we sat front row centre at the Americana theatre production of WICKED!
WOW if you see one show when visiting New York, I can understand why people are recommending you see Wicked! It was a fantastic show with amazing costumes, set design and a full orchestra.
The actors performances were top notch and the story, which is like the prequel to when Dorothy and Toto arrive, is so cleverly thought out and adds a major twist to the whole Wizard of Oz story.

Ishii

Yesterday I was a stylist on location in Central Park!!! OMG I know!
I helped style the photoshoot for Tamae Ishii, a new york fashion designer who needed to shoot her Spring/Summer 2009 collection for a new lookbook, and editorial shots for the PR firm that represents her brand Ishii.
It was a brilliant day, the weather was on our side, and the collection was beautiful. The photographer Katrina was very talented and our model Carlotta was super cute.
The shoot went for most of the day, but it was a wonderful day and it was such fun being part of the whole experience. I'll be getting a reference from Tamae, a credit in the lookbook and will be able to use the photos in my folio!

www.ishiinyc.com

http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=47359&l=928d8&id=607920924

Brad's 30th

Tuesday, Brad had a BIG birthday and he was lucky enough to be celebrating it in old New York. And I was lucky enough to celebrate with him and his friends!
We went to Holy Basil for dinner, a great Thai place Danielle and Brad had been to a few days previous after they had got lost while going to meet friends for dinner. GREAT FIND. The chicken Pad Thai was delicious, the restaurant had great ambiance and I think the birthday boy had a magnificent time there!
Afterwards we went to a bar we had seen (and stopped in at) on the way to Holy Basil....the best part about the bar was ANY 5 shots for $10!!!! FANTASTIC
Surprisingly there were no sore heads in the morning.....go figure. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRAD!!!

APW

Danielle and Brad convinced me to hang out with them at All Points West on Sunday.
It was the last day of a three day festival in Liberty park in New Jersey. The views of Manhattan and Liberty Island were breaktaking and the venue was so huge you didn't feel packed in ever. They had loads of amazing art installations all through the place, along with amazingly high quality food vendors. Makes a change to most festivals!

The music, ah the music. We were treated to CAT POWER, Ben Harper, a little bit of the Screaming Machines, and Jack Johnson. It was brilliant to FINALLY see Cat Power live and doing their thing! The voice of Chan Marshall entranced us all, if for only a moment.
The vibe was chilled and bright eyed; they had imposed a drink limit of only five beers, so unlike other festivals I have been to no one was off their face drunk. It made for a very different but far better atmosphere in my opinion.

BEST French Toast EVER

On Sunday it was BRUNCH time and I took Danielle, Brad and Ruthie to The Neptune Room on the Upper West side.
There I had what I consider the best french toast I have ever had in my life! The thick slices of fresh baked bread were battered in a vanilla bean creme brulee batter. Yes that's right, creme brulee batter! They must have baked the french toast as it was wonderfully crunchy on the outside yet moist and soft on the inside. And the flavour, WOW what a discovery! Throw in some maple syrup and fresh strawberries for good measure and there you have another delicious Sunday brunch in New York city!

Saturday FUN

Another fun filled Saturday here in New York city!
Jacinta, Casey and I went to Eatery (my fave!) Friday night and we got seated straight away.
Fantastic meal, I finally tried the Mac and Jack and it was divine.
On Saturday Ruthie, Jacinta's friend from BrisVegas arrived. We all hung out in the west village and went to The Spotted Pig for lunch. A great little gastropub that makes the best hamburgers, and we discovered also the best devilled eggs!

Sushi with the Aussies

Wednesday night I hung out with Drew and the Aussies again! YAY! Loads of fun, and when we FINALLY got to dinner it was well worth the wait!
Mmmmmmmmm fresh sushi at Sakura in Soho!

Only in AMERICA

Canine Companion

A new intern joins us for a few days......AC the puppy!
What a cutie! He is a border collie and is almost three months old. Cathy is looking after him while his parents holiday in Mexico.
x

Sunday Shows...

More shows coming my way! HURRAH!

SUNDAY 7th

Costello Tagliapietra 10:30-1pm
Costello Tagliapietra, the boys from Brooklyn who specialize in jersey, are a Vogue favorite and previously have been nominated for the prestigious CFDA/Vogue Award.
http://www.costellotagliapietra.com/

Preen 1 - 3pm
Preen, the 10-year old, hip British label has shown for the past two seasons in NY. A stylish mix of classic silhouettes with an interesting flair is what Preen does best. The husband-wife design duo are expecting a baby during Fashion Week, so Thea is staying home while Justin oversees the show.

Sari Gueron 3:30 - 6pm
Sari Gueron, a 1997 graduate of Rhode Island School of Design, has always favored designing simple dresses. Young Hollywood has taken an interest in her eveningwear which is “unfussy.” Sari has been both a UPS and Genart winner.
http://www.sarigueron.com/

And so it begins...

Thanks to Barbara B, The offers to help out backstage at New York Fashion Week are starting to trickle in......So far;

Friday 5th
Vincente Villarin
http://www.vicentevillarin.com/
Jason Wu
http://www.jasonwustudio.com/

Saturday 6th
Karen Walker
http://www.karenwalker.com/
Alexandre Herchcovitch
http://herchcovitch.uol.com.br/index_en.html
Rock & Republic
http://www.rockandrepublic.com/

And we're only into day two of the week long event!!! Will keep you all updated about who I'll be working with next

x

Ishii

Thanks to Barbara B, next week I will be a styling assistant on a photoshoot in Central Park! The shoot is for the Spring/Summer 09 lookbook for designer Tamae Ishii. Her designs are comfortable, refined and still very feminine. Check out her collections at her website.

http://www.ishiinyc.com/site/home.html

Sunday = BRUNCH

Another great Sunday brunch with new friends Drew, Danielle and Brad. Drew took us to 7A in Alphabet city. Great vibe to the place and area surrounding it. There was a local market in Tompkins Square along with a hardcore PUNK band playing. 7A was fantastic and the food was scrumptious!
Spent the afternoon hanging out with the Sydneysiders, and then we all went to HOOTERS for dinner hahaha!

Flea Market Fun

Early hours of Saturday morning I hung out with a new NYC friend Drew, and his friends who are all the way from......SYDNEY......hahahaha. Although to be fair they are living in Canada at the moment :-)
We went to this flea market, called THE GARAGE that I was first told about at my FIT courses. Its a hidden gem where stylists/wardrobers/designers and enthusiasts go to find amazing pieces.
Danielle picked up some vintage MANOLOs for $45! OMG! And Brad got a great book of old school photography. My second time here, I was still on the hunt for a fantastic compass but alas no luck this time.Still we had lots of fun and then it was time for breakfast!