Cannes the magnificent

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As the Cannes Film Festival comes to a close, and the best and worst dressed lists are being analysed, deals have been made, films have been watched and hair has been blowing in the breeze, so too dresses as photographers all hustle to grab a winning shot. The standard was high this year, with both men and women dressed impeccably, but for me, it was the women of a certain age who stole the show. Namely Joan Collins who at 80 years of age, showed that if you take care of yourself-age has nothing to do with it! She held those photographers attention as much as any young starlet walking the red carpet. So good to see amongst Sophia Loren and Jane Fonda! They truly are in inspiration on how to live your life! Bravo!

The Independent Man on show at LMFF

Ksubi

As one fashion festival ends, another begins, but before we get into that, lets take a look at the Independent Runway show which was the last show to cap off the week at LMFF. In my previous post, I showed you the womenswear on show, now it's time to focus on the menswear. From what went down the runway, it had a definite street edge appeal geared towards the younger consumer with denim, sweats and prints.

Fashion on show at Highpoint

Well there has certainly been no shortage of fashion of late. With LMFF wrapping up just last night with a fabulous runway show(post on that soon) and more and more shops opening up to satiate the retail appetite.

It's all about the Tailoring

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Continuing on with my love of retro cop shows, I am glad my viewers are enjoying my Miami Vice post, that pleases me so! I always think the shows that you grew up with stick with you longer and resonate with you more. Not sure if its nostalgia or simply re-visiting something as an adult and appreciating it with different eyes, but I don't seem to tire of retro TV, especially ones with impeccable wardrobes. Kojak fits the bill. They are playing re-runs of it now and again, here's another cop show like Miami Vice where the wardrobe is almost just as important a character to the story lines. For those that are not familiar with the show, Kojak is an American TV series staring Telly Savalas playing the title role Theo Kojak, a New York Police Department Detective Lieutenant who has a penchant for sucking on Lolly pops and delivery blunt, direct dialogue that has had some begging for mercy. He oozes cool, calm and collective. Helping him achieve such stature I believe is superb tailoring which helps the wearer carry themselves with a different posture of self-assurance and confidence. Telly's wardrobe was specifically made by American apparel brand Botany 500, who have a long list of TV characters as their clients such as Don Adams from Get Smart, Dick Sargent from Bewitched, Bob Newhart from the Bob Newhart Show, Jack Klugman from Quincy, M.E and popular TV talk show host Phil Donahue. The brand is over 100 years old, founded by the Daroff Family in the late 1800's and is still the most recognised men's apparel label in the United States with a stellar reputation. Kojak's outfits consisted of pin stripe suits with waist coats, natural toned suits in greys and browns, double breasted wool coats, his signature black fedora hat with striped ribbon band and gold rimmed glasses. The fashion, which is from the 70's is timeless and can easily be worn today and I think that is a very key point, that when you choose classic, timeless but well fitted clothes, you cannot put a date stamp on them necessarily as they can be worn again and again, as opposed to trend based clothes that can easily be pin-pointed to a time and place. Classic wins out again and again as value for money wardrobe investing. The show aired from October 24 1973-March 18th 1978 on CBS and if you haven't seen it yet, might I suggest you hunt it down on DVD, and watch yourself get hooked.

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Street Spotting

I love walking down the streets of Melbourne and coming across a gentleman who has not only put thought into his outfit, but incorporated lots of detail with impeccable grooming and styling. Keeping the colours neutral, but adding pops of brights with his shoes, socks and bag is a really easy way to veer off the 'all black' look that we seem to be well known for here in Melbourne. I think it works quite well, don't you?

Zsadar at The Wearers Right

Last week I had the pleasure of being invited to preview the new collection by Western Australian menswear label Zsadar. In collaboration with L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival, the collection was showcased by The Wearers Right, which featured 17 brands in a pop up space at the Thousand Pound Bend. Greeted by the amazing designer behind the label Shane Newton, I had the opportunity to hear his inspiration behind his new collection Spring/Summer 2012/2013 titled Mysteries of the Organism. 

Designed and produced in Western Australia, what I love about this menswear label is that it can translate to any gender, with the garments taking on draping, asymmetrical lines and attention to detail. Made from wearable fabrics such as bamboo, silk and linen, expect the unexpected with details such as exposed seams,reversed fabrics and pants with gathered legs and stretch fabric behind the knees for extra stretch and comfort. Shane has thought about how the fabric hangs on the body and played around with conventional design. I wish him every success with this collection and I'm sure we will be hearing a lot more from him in the future.

For further information, check out the website at www.zsadar.com

What's happening down south James?

Two weeks ago today I had the pleasure and delight to be invited to the LMFF Launch Campaign by my ever so stylish friend James. He of course didn't let me down arriving in beautiful shorts that attracted a lot of attention on the night- for all the right reasons of course and his spotty Odd Socks that went so well with his divine Burgundy shoes polished ever so nicely. The CEO of LMFF Graeme Lewsey was rather fixated with Jame's attire, and tried to get the press photographer to snap his shoes- but GT was on the case and snapped them up instead for you all to see. 

What's happening down south James?

I was so excited to look down and see the gold shoes were on his feet as they are one of my favorites! He has another gold pair which are out of this world and you would certainly see them coming! James has teamed these shoes with a great pair of Paul Smith Socks that have a wondrous array of colourful stripes,and I think it is a winning combination. Don't you agree?