Zipporra + Love & Luck at The Club!

Two Hot hot, New new labels paraded their stuff together at 'The Club' in Sydney's Kings Cross last night. I know they are hot and I know they are new because-I have just finished shooting the Fashion Campaign for Love & Luck and our model Rochelle is part of the Zipporra team-as I understand it. Actually you can check out the BTS Video from the L&L shoot Here. This was a very pleasantly chilled out evening thanks in part to the Chambord & Champagne drinkie poos. You all know by now I love the Chambord since first trying it out at the Carl Kapp show last year, and there have been some big Chambord nights since...

And, the parade was spot on with models who can walk and a sizzling DJ set of heavy 70s classics, Hedrix, The Doors-like a scene, fuck no; like being-there, in the boat, "Appocalypse Now" style, very trippy...



















Love & Luck styled the Accessories and Bags from their new ranges while Zipporra sent out Swimwear and Summer 10. Enjoy the besy of the blurry shots as ony Street Fashion Sydney can do them!

I can't wait to see more for both of these lables they are both off to a superb start.

Zipporra

Love & Luck Blog

Esprit Icon Store - Sydney Opening

The terms Icon, Iconic, Classic, (and even ironic) seem to have sadly been rather beaten about about for some time now. One only need to think of the popular term 'instant classic' to know language has taken a real beating. Lets face it, 'instant classic' is an oxymoron! It takes time to become a classic and no matter how you may feeel about something new; only the passage of time and society's take on that thing; film, art, fashion, architecture, song, whatever-will reveal if something becomes a classic or not.

Now the word Icon also follows all the same rules as for the word Classic. It takes time to build an Icon just as it does to create a true Classic, it doesn't happen overnight. So as you can imagine it was with a little trepidation that I attended the launch of the brand new Esprit Icon store at Wesfield in the Sydney CBD last week. Whilst in my minds eye I knew the new Esprit store would be a fabulous shop front opening onto the mall, the still continuing construction work, lolly-pop-people-&-cement-trucks nature of the Pitt St Mall forced me off of Pitt St and directly into the bowels of the new New NEW Wesfield in the city. Not such a bad thing really as whilst wandering about looking for the Esprit store I did get to see just how BIG this new shopping development in Sydney really is. Its HUGE, but as I soon found a touch screen directory it was not long before I was standing before the lower ground entrance to Esprit and a solitary security person who, as a veteran of many many nights of Night Clubbing, I chose to completely ignore as I strode towards the small gap of an entrance before me. Well I am clearly losing my touch as I was stopped and asked if I had been in here before... "No, but I am on the list". I was required to make my way back up to the Pitt St entrance where surprise surprise a red carpet arrival awaited 'me'.

I won't say much about my arrival other than to say that to everyone I met who remembered me from the Ford Connect launch party; I apologised to and promised I would behave myself tonight!

The good news is that it seems the people at Esprit really do know what the word Icon means. They know that you cannot become an Icon overnight and that it takes time and effort-that to be an Icon means raising the bar to a particularly high place, a place well above and beyond what you would expect and more than that as well. This was immediately born out Vis-à-vis by experiencing just how nice everyone was at the store. If it was not that I know every stop on the train ride from Marrickville to St James station where I alighted my trip, I could have sworn I had slipped into some sort of space-time-continuum-vortex and emerged at a store opening in Melbourne! Yes, people were so nice I almost forgot I was in Sydney & thought, "my god, its just like I am in Melbourne"!

The press release said that the launch would have something for everyone-kids welcome! And I must say that I did think that was a pretty big call; and yet they delivered. Apart from topless male models strolling around the store, yes there is for-the-first-time-in-Australia an Esprit menswear section (on the third floor). The fashion show had both teen and kid dancers who also doubled as models, doing their thing kitted out head-to-toe in Esprit.  Between the dance routines came your more typical runway show; all in all it there was something for everyone and everyone in attendance seem to be like-me having a pretty good time.

The funny thing is, or was, although this was a great big opening of a great big store. Something has stuck with me over the past week. And it kind of goes without saying that if I had posted a story about this opening next-day, well... I have been mentioning to friends that this opening was a lot like dropping into your fav small boutique where they know you, they offer you a glass of champagne. I thought those days were gone but my friends assure me they are still alive and well.  The opening, no; the store felt personal. And that is something special; if you want to be an Icon store, that has to be a truly great start. Anyway, enough of my blather, if you have read this much of such a long post even if you are on a slow connection all the pictures must have loaded by now. Enjoy!

Out & About at Grantpirrie Gallery

Samuel Villalobos
PAN PAN / MAYDAY MAYDAY

Grantpirrie Gallery
86 George Street
Redfern NSW 2016 Australia.
GRANTPIRRIE

Crisp Clean Professional

Spotted this poster in Dulwich Hill a couple of nights ago & just love it!



We will return to normal programming shortly!

Class A, Class A, Australian Carcaine!

Oh NERVO, you naughty DJing Girls. Imagine starting your corporate Gig with "This is Class A, Class A, Class A, Class A, Columbian..." Well you know. It's a voice over Mash up thing from Scarface the Movie or whatever. Of course seeing just how addicted Australians are to their cars perhaps this Anthemic start to the Set was more apt than they could have possibly imagined.

It was a glamorous crowd of indeterminate age (though definitely) on the cool side of 30. The lovely Erin McNaught was busy greeting people as they arrived, the warm up DJ was doing his thing as we all stood around the guest of honor, the New Red Ford Fiesta, rotating like a DJs disk in the middle of the room. The stage was set for one big private party and, I have to say, because I noticed and could not get over it... That was the best sound system I have ever heard at a warehouse event. Whoever set that system up, congratulations you really know your stuff!

The theme was Red and Blue and when I finally developed the courage to unfreeze myself from my wallflower wall I did manage do some moody portraits and document the video crew playing a game of 'how many of us can we fit in a Ford Fiesta'. I did not count but someone may be able to work it out from the pictures, it looked like it could fit quite a few.



















I think the outstanding outfit of the night was Olivia Nervo's tight fitting animal print inspired attire teamed with a little leather blouson, Tres Chic. (Or was it Miriam, they are twins OMG!) Bag Raiders also played live running through a set that reminded me of days long past and The Mega Men doing Gigs at Marilyn's Nightclub up in Brisbane during those wonderful art school years.

And the art school memories came flooding back as with some new-best-friends I stashed my bag under the back of the fiesta and hit the dance floor; wondering just a little why the new Ford Fiesta was not perhaps spinning from the ceiling like a giant red mirror ball in the sky...

Much thanks to the lovely people at Ann Morrison PR for the invite and everyone who made the launch such a fabulous night.

Street Fashion Sydney's Ideal Spring Weekend

I have a guest blog up on Concrete Playground,

"I must say I was completely chuffed when Concrete Playground approached me and asked if I could write a guest blog about my Ideal Spring Weekend in Sydney. “Of course I would love to” I thought, but then I noticed there was one slightly disturbing problem..."

its right HERE, clickity click the link to read more!

We will return to normal programming here soon.

There were more than SIX, I am sure!

Rachael Cassar SIX, 2010 Ecouture Collection.

"Gothic Hijinx" photographed & transformed by Kent Johnson.

I have met Rachael a few times now and she is every bit as charming and lovely as her 'new' Couture Collection or Ecouture as she calls it. I think the E is for Eco as all the fabrics are from deconstructed garments which is also why I wrote new as 'new'. Although the garments have never been seen before the fabrics have had a past life and what beautiful rare and exquisite fabrics they are. I first came across Rachael's vintage inspired (and vintage fabric) creations shooting the Alices Dreamtime fashion story. Thanks to Estelle & Klaus from Design Fed for the heads up and collabo opportunity again. Love you guys. Oh and I am guessing here but I suspect the SIX is Rachael's sixth range. I am sure there will be many many more.

Behind the scenes shots,










Parade,










Design Federation on Flickr, the complete 20 shots from the show.
Rachael Cassar

Design Federation

And LASTLY! Hope that all caps word grabbed your attention... I am guest blogging for To-Be-Revealed 'A perfect spring weekend' October 23-24 1010. SOooo if you have an event of any kind you would like Street Fashion Sydney to support or attend over said weekend please email me kent@artcommunication.com.au, should be lots of fun and great exposure on a great Aussie Artz'n'Kulture blog.

Cheers from Street Fashion Sydney.

"get a dog up ya!"

I have no idea at all as to why I decided to title this blog "get a dog up ya" other than on occasion I do become a little sentimental about times past. Yes sadly the day when I was just about the only cyclist on the streets is long long gone. Such was the novelty in those by-gone-(non-PC)-days that when a motorist came across a cyclist winding their way passively along our great city's pot holed roads that they would routinely sing out a greeting like "get a dog up ya", or "get off the bloody road." Of course now everyone has a bike and an awful lot of those people have actually taken to riding them.

Along with the popularity of cycling has come the popularity of dedicated cycling clothing. Now while I did not see any Lycra clad art patrons at China Heights last Friday night I did spot a number of people sporting that classic piece of two wheeled accoutrement, the Cycling Cap.

It does seem mildly perverse that after my last blog on attending an opening at China Heights was about hats that this blog too is about fashion you can wear on your head. But there was not a single Fedora in sight & indeed my Stetson Open Road was resting on my bed post at home as I too had cycled to the event. Even one of Terence Chin's large format photographs had a cycling cap in it and although the show is titled "The Beauty Of The Banal" I am sure he is not making any statements at all regarding the nature of Cycling Caps. In fact I do believe Terence may very well be a cyclist himself which may go some way to explaining the caps other than inner city Hipsterism.

Well with the absence of Woolen Beanies, Fedoras or any hats at all I suppose it is safe to say 'Spring has Sprung', its time to get on your bike & get a dog up ya !~)

Launch My Label- *Flash* Kapow!

I was going to title this Blog, 'Why I am the worst best runway photographer in the Universe'  but then I decided that would be far to controversial a title and decided to go with the more pedestrian one above. Yes I have been coaxed yet again to attend a Fashion Show, this time Launch My Label by Chic Petite Events. "This is a quarterly event ,etc etc etc emerging artists, organisations and talented young people to effectively launch their label in the Australian market."

Well that is definitely a good thing & as my readers will know I am becoming quite familiar with the new phenomenon of Fashion as Entertainment! This time I found myself in the photographers 'pit' with a view to doing some real runway shots, well why not. The problem was that I was a bit lazy last night and while I did take my bigger camera I decided to leave my flash behind as I hate carrying too much stuff around. I thought well, I will just make-do.

Making-Do has its own special surprises though and last night it was that as the models made their way to the end of the (short) Runway the spotlights which were only on one side only really illuminated their bodies not their heads. Of course if you were just watching the show you probably would not even notice this but my camera certainly did and I very quickly had to decide if my next Blog would be about 'Headless models on the Catwalk, We only show the clothes'. Ah Catwalk, thats a phrase I far prefer to Runway!

No; headless models would never do, they would never forgive me. Everyone else with a camera was however using flash, they were firing off all around me from every conceivable direction. I thought "you know theres plenty of light going on here I just need to use it", and so I did setting my camera to long exposure and coming up with a kind of beautiful, 'Village of the Dammed' version of Launch My Label that I am sure will be far more entertaining to my readers than any normal runway pictures could ever be.

After the show we, (my photographer friend & I) headed backstage to meet the designers & models and congratulate everyone on a job well done. I was telling everyone "no I don't shoot runway I'm a photographer, but I do have a blog called Street Fashion Sydney". And we were all swapping cards and stories as you do! My cards which are quite big and look like this,

or this
or this

Seemed to go down quite well.

But its not about us, its about the designers who last night were, 
Carmen Steane
ZarBe
Clover Love
Laura Maidment
Samantha Chan
Rebekah Anne Fashion
Thulie

Accessories,
Coco Liberace
Featherhead
Danyelle

As these are emerging designers I think the best way to find them will be to cut and paste their names into that search bar thingie at the top of your Facebook page. Everyone has  a Facebook page & I suspect they do too. You can 'follow' Chic Petite Here.

And if you are at a loose end tonight, The Amnesty International Australia Artists Network has a photography exhibition at Carriageworks, Journey To Freedom. See you all there.