The Fall of Rome & Fashion Follows - It didn't happen overnight...

Or is that the fall of fashion photography, it didn't happen overnight but it did happen! While SFS does not normally critique the bad in the world, after all, mother always said "if you haven't something nice to say dear then its best to say nothing at all". But enough I say; when that bellwether of Fashion Photography, superstar shooter Steve Meisel starts to bend to the pressures of what looks to me like; lets shoot the stills and the video together AKA, the top end of fashion is trying to save money-while hoping you will keep spending yours...

Yes I know this sort of campaign shooting business of stills with video-on-set has been going on for quite a while (& yes this seems to be video with stills (OK?)), but it has created all sorts of worrying trends. What worries me most about this campaign and you can view it yourself below, is that we have an indisputable Master of Fashion Photography; Meisel sacrificing first rate stills for second rate video. Turn down the sound and watch its not pretty. Sure its a bit of fun, nothing wrong with that. And if this is a campaign designed around the idea of; "if you can't dance at least you can wear Lanvin", then that would be great but I would be surprised if that were the case.

Lanvin Fall 2011 Campaign | Raquel Zimmermann & Karen Elson by Steven Meisel


You can view the not-what-you-would-expect stills from Steven Meisel over here at Fashion Gone Rouge, and rouge indeed it is this time!

Come on Steve; fashion needs you; lets not all have our heads turned by moving pictures, Stills still have their place and retain their power; you-can't-tell the-girls-can't-dance in a great still shot like we have come to expect from you.

So Is Fashion Photography Dead?

We will leave that for you to decide, but remember dear readers; you heard it here first at Street Fashion Sydney. Sometimes it helps to be a long way from Paris and New York!

Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Oh, and remember, its Fashion, its all been done before!

Cigdem Aydemir - Burqa Clad Rickshaw...

I first met 'Ciggie' back in 2007 when I shot her COFA graduate pieces, Dressing the Void which was also one of my earliest blog posts. loved this performance piece, thanks for more great thought provoking art Ciggie!


Contested Territory 11 - 28 August 2011 Curated by Luisa Velasco, At The Vanishing Point Newtown Sydney.

Five Days in Pommery - Champagne Cube Westfield Sydney..

Well I do wish I was spending the next five, Four days at the Westfield, Pommery 'Pop-Up' Champagne Cube! It's here for less than a week so you will need to be quick! And as readers will know from when I attended the Esprit ICON store launch here last December, I remarked how much it was like dropping into that friendly boutique, where-they-know-you and you know them; having a glass of wine or champagne and its all very much a real, and yes I will repeat those words; a friendly and real relationship. Its great to see this collaboration between Westfield and Pommery who for a short time are recreating this fabulous laid-back shopping experience. Actually the very first thing my friend Kat said after arriving was "they should keep this here", and I think I tend to agree. But then it would-not be a Pop-Up would it.






All this kind of wonderful is taking place on level 3, the Luxury level of Westfield Sydney; I am not even going to begin to start mentioning the Labels and Brands, its enough to say that as an art student and aspiring fashion photographer 'back in the day' these were the Brands you could only experience overseas! But as an older and hopefully wiser man (and a photographer who just is and no longer aspiring); I also tend to think of wider concerns than that of fashion alone.

So one of the things I really loved about this launch was discovering that Pommery is supporting and collaborating with artists thorough label design for the 'POP' range of champagne, and the next limited edition range has been designed by Australian Aboriginal artist Sarrita King. Street Fashion Sydney is proud to have exclusive shots of the designs shown below.

Artist Sarrita King, Pommery POP Label, picture EXCLUSIVE!

Well I had a great time (so did Kat), the Champers was, yes Divine! And all the while; I was also thinking about Valda's and Andrew's Opera Recital from the night before.. How great it is that we have the Arts, we have Fashion, we have Music, we have Voices, and we have voices like Andrew's and Valda's (who by next week will be two Aussies back singing in Germany) and whom in Pommery we have a commercial voice supporting the Arts. Now thats something I really Love, Love, Love!

Much thanks to,

Baker
Westfield Sydney
Pommery

West Newtown AKA Enmore + Paddington Too..

For our International readers I think its important to point out that in good Ol' Sydney town the term 'West' is often used in a pejorative sense. Western Sydney is not just a place west of the CBD it is a whole other world &, thank-whomever that Sydney University is only just west of the CBD because this writer at least has heard of people who have NEVER been further west than than those hallowed halls of education... Yes there is right here in Sydney something of a classic East West divide and while once it was more to do with wealth and possibly education it now plays out, so-I-believe along more international lines as well. And why am I telling you all this (quite dubious) information? Possibly its because while I have heard of North Newtown and South Newtown; I have never heard of East or West Newtown, and in a free association kind of way as-you-do or as I do anyway I started thinking about 'this' and 'that' and if you never went west of Sydney Uni you would probably never have the opportunity to try the amazingly lovely and tastey Gelato at the Moon & Cow Gelato bar on Enmore Road-now officially unofficially christened by me as West Newtown Road!!!

Anyway as you can see in the picture(s) above taken one recent evening at the 'Cow Bar' or 'Moon' if you more hipply prefer, ppl do wear a range of shoes, pants and leggings (yet to see Meggings) to the 'Cow' and as this is Street Fashion Sydney I thought it best I show you some of those shoes! And speaking of Street Fashion I managed to get-off a shot of Paul Adair at the launch of his show at Stills gallery in Paddington; I quite liked his Fred Perry polo shirt and dapper beret. His show as best I could tell was traditional film based photographs of fountains even more traditionally printed in a yellow colour. Possibly not a show you want to free associate the colour scheme and subject matter; at least if you are on the sensitive side when thinking of bodily function.

Paul Adir @ Stills

Continuing on with the footwear and Newtown theme; a friend recently returned from Argentina dropped by to visit wearing her new Argentine boots which (said with a lovely South American accent),
"have been getting a lot of attention from the other women when I go walking along King Street". Well no surprise there!



And a few weeks ago (sorry I really should have posted this one much earlier) I got to meet Del Kathryn Barton at her floor talk about her show at Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery. What a sweetie, not only did she allow me to snap a portrait of her with one of her works; I asked her if they were all self portraits of a sort & imagined I heard her reply "yes" though I think she really said nothing on the matter at all... And perhaps being a former resident of North-West Newtown (with a left hand turn) AKA Stanmore; she politely listend to my little theory about how she was totally on top of the game by bringing together busy (think what ppl do on facebook) and Classic art not to mention that Klimt Vienna Secession thing too..



And if you managed to read through all that and understood any of it at all, perhaps you would be kind enough to leave a brief synopsis of this post in the comments section below. I really don't know why we don't get more...

Cow and the Moon

Stills Gallery

Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery

sixtoeight review Del & Marley Dawson at, Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery

Till next time. Or maybe see you at the Cow!

huit8 Lingerie Launch at ...

Mrs Wang, China Girl; Opium & Love in Shanghai!!! All served with songs from Chanteuse Caroline Nin, glasses of Moet, Quiche Loraine & Rocket Salad... And some simply stunning Women walking by us with nothing on-only their underwear. Well Surry Hills does have something of a reputation for these kind of goings-on but this was something new for me!

Paris lingerie label huit8 have officially launched in Australia. One of the first things to really strike me about this range from huit8 was its femininity without going all girly ribbons and bows bringing a French sensuality and sophistication. Emerging designers please take note; "Less is More", it's all about the quality and design, the fabrics and the Vision. Tradition blended with inspiration.

And of course I think, there is something for the man in a woman's life here too if you follow my thinking; as well as the kind of 'day wear' lingerie that is feminine and comfortable. Or so my female companion informed me..

Now on with the show!

www.huit.com
www.symbolpr.com.au
www.carolinenin.com

www.kentjohnsonphotography.com.au/

Yes sometimes it seems I need to pinch myself and remind myself I am not dreaming; this really is real! Thanks to Symbol PR for having me along.

Enmore Sunday Night, Long Coat & Bowler Hat

Yes its been getting pretty cold out on the street at night. Much thanks to this fabulously attired person unknown who allowed me to photograph them at around 11.30 PM last night! Long black coat, black knit scarf & finger-less gloves, black shoes and bowler hat with a 'Mad Hatter' tag in the hat band. And some nice piercings too! Well were in the hip Enmore/Newtown hood say no more. The tree shots from another cold night a few weeks ago in Enmore Park; could not resist putting it up as well.

Style, You Got it or you Ain't!

Style, yes you've got it or you haven't; and this is cool & laid back style personified. Of course great style is always personal and there are quite a few style quotes about, Fashion being for those without a sense of style... Fashionistas beware!



And so it was while I was playing pool last Saturday at the Carlisle Hotel in Newtown when I spotted this guy with his fabulous man bag phone holster. No problem checking his style he was playing pool on the other table. The whole ensemble is great, just check that vest out too. Speaking of fashion; it seems shooting pool is way way out-of-fashion these days as its now super easy to get a table even on open-table free-pool nights. Which suits me fine; my game needs all the practice I can get, seems my youth was not quite as miss-spent as it should have been.