JPGNGV - Jean Paul Gaultier at the National Gallery of Victoria

Ok ... Jean Paul I love you ... but you're getting me down!! In the throes of somewhat debilitating depression, I look at this very slim snapshot of fashion's enfant terrible's career and think about what I've never accomplished in comparison, and its a deep and very dark hole I peer into.

However, lets look away for an instant and momentarily beguile our senses with the high costumery drama that is the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria.

The ticket was a lovely and thoughtful present from good friends of mine so we scheduled a date for a recent Saturday afternoon. Arriving a little earlier (i.e. on time as its the done thing to be fashionably late!) than scheduled we plonked ourselves out front and watched the fashionistas go by. Some people made an effort, including a lucite-heeled rock chic glamourpuss in clear metallic sheen with her equally tousled and sequined boyfriend. And then there were a truckload of breton stripes ... please don't!

The exhibition is split into a number of sections and themes, but you are immediately confronted by the animated faces on some of the mannequins as you first walk in. I'm guessing these are projected and its a nice, unusual, and slightly creepy touch. It gives new meaning to the phrase "and the eyes follow you round the room".

The first section houses my favourite of all the tabelaus: the Virgins (or Madonnas) collection, full of intricate lacework, ribboning and bodice ripping gothic romance. The sort of haute coutre favoured by eccentrics like Helena Bonham Carter or perhaps even GaGa. And its in this room you meet the Breton stripe in all its glory. Backlit by a curious almost nightbus-UV blue.

Further rooms reveal a calvacade of garments full of intricate detail with a wealth of historical, cultural and global references stitched into fabric and non-fabric alike, reigns firmly wielded by our cheeky, irreverent but highly articulate gallic sailor boy host. 

You'll find corsetry galore in the Boudoir section ...

Anglophile obsession with an explosion of 70s and 80s era punk and new wave influences in the Punk Cancan section ...

The Paris-Glasgow-Dehli catwalk, a revolving belt of outfits paying homage to Paris and its multicultural arrondisements ... 

Bondage and body morphism in the Skin Deep section with some amazing ecorche fabrics, backlit like some seedy underground sex club ...

Take a trip around the world and immerse yourself in the colour and intricacies of traditional craft in the Urban Jungle section - take your time here and look carefully as the devil is in the details ...

And to finish off, Muses gives you antipodean celebrity overload - all the star-studded touchpoints are here, with the Souffle as worn by Nicole Kidman being my favourite.

The exhibition continues into February next year so you have plenty of time. But don't miss it!! Be prepared for the comedown though ... life seems rather colourless and unremarkable after spending time so very close to all this heightened glamour.

And here's my little slice of the JPG cake which sadly I don't fit into anymore ...

Christmas Comes Early at the Temasek Household ... and Paul Smith Concurs!!

Ok ... in a world of shrinking resources, you can sometimes find yourself inadvertently owning a piece of high fashion without the associated branding, nor the fiscal implications that accompany findings of exclusivity. Alright yes I'm trying to impress with my ten dollar words and my desolate turn of phrase, so lets just cut to the chase.

Over the last couple of years or so, me and M have gravitated towards the convenience and expediency of the group present. Birthdays are still sacrosanct, but Christmas and Anniversaries are exempt, and its always fun trying to think of things to shop for together, or discovering a "need" that could turn into a congratulatory present to ourselves.

This was definitely a "need" in inverted commas! I mentioned Quazi Designs in a previous post. Well we went back there on a recent weekend and cooed over the very same Dining Table set that they still hadn't been able to shift. To sweeten the deal, Shane knocked a reasonable amount off the going price and then left us alone to stew and simmer. I thought M was going to have a coronary so torn was he between excitement and trepidation.

But, it wasn't too long before shaky hands were pulling out the old plastic fantsastic, and one swipe and a few button pushes later, we were the proud owners of this (photo taken in final situ):

And so to lessen the impact, I suggested that we treat this as our Christmas present, so that's the festive season sorted for the year.

So what has this all got to do with the first paragraph of this post, well at lunch time I did the ho-stroll through DJs, and walked past this Paul Smith bag ... see anything familiar?

Yes they both use that high falluting Swedish fabric that is supposed to be tough and fade proof!! It certainly looks like it would last the distance, and its a pretty, and I think a rather timeless pattern.

Merry early Christmas!

Picking through the ashes of Trimapee - another Fashion post

Ok ... its been a long time coming, but here's another Fashion post for those sartorially minded amongst us.

I walk past the Trimapee store almost on a daily basis as its en route from the station to my work.

I've known this lable since it first open doors on Johnston Street, and have always been fascinated by (a) the monochromatic pallet, when everyone else was still into loud prints/slogans on T-shirts, and (b) the sheer Melbourn-ness of it all - black and drapey.

But this is fashion as high art, or art as high fashion ... totally a matter of opinion. All you need to know and/or fear is that the vast majority of their clothing is unisex, and consists of drapey hemlines that stretch beyond the waist and the knees on occasion. You need to be skinny and yes a bit of a peacock to be able to pull their looks off ... a pretty full wallet also helps ... as Trimapee outfits do not come cheap.

Sadly, as with most of the individualistic local fashion labels, Trimapee will soon be upstaking and moving to other opportunities in Paris and the retail arm of their business is set to close by the end of the year.

So its a good time at least to consider purchasing one or two items heavily reduced that perhaps you can work into your wardrobe as a bit of a special accent.

I found a crinkly crushed dyed T-shirt cut asymmetrically, and a bleach flecked scarf with a scrunch and tie in order for you to fix the drape around your neck. I was hoping for a jacket of sorts but could not find one that fitted, and I regret not purchasing the long shirt when I first saw it, as it had already been sold by the time of my second visit.

The T-shirt will have to wait for warmer weather for its debut, but the scarf has already had its first look-in.

Glitter Gel, Esprit Denim and those Topshop girls

Ok ... can I actually revisit my youth and pair denim on denim with the added chic of a tightfit tuxedo blazer? And will the scourge of sockless leather shoes continue unabated. What will we do when Winter comes?

Or perhaps its time to re-accessorize ... the important sartorial questions of life. Meanwhile the hair is getting there.

On Being Patient and discovering Kurt Geiger

Ok ... there are times when it pays to be overly cautious, and perhaps a little nervous precaution is sometimes warranted in a decision making process ... what exactly am I waffling on about? Well, bryanboy has been rocking the Kurt Geiger's something shocking in recent times, so I decided to do a little cyber sherlocking, thinking all the while that given bryanboy's proclivity (apart from the odd Uniqlo and H&M "misstep) for high end couture the pricetag would be something even Jessie J would baulk at, I was pleasantly surprised to find that prices were not entirely astronomical, and at an additional £12 or so, goods were actually shipped to this part of the world.

So before I knew it, I was registered and filling up the shopping cart with wild abandon (some styles do not ship out of the UK). As its my want, I add then cull ferociously, usually ending up with absolutely nothing in my cart! But I just couldn't empty this particular shoe out. Its called the Rio, and if it was pushing 6 feet with a hairy chest, I would marry it in a flash.

Needless to say, close sartorial advisers amongst my friends were suitably harrassed with my "do you like it as much as I do" emails/txts/FBmsgs. Bless them all, even if they didn't they lied convincingly.

My chest still heaving with the sighs of indecision, I got to work and found a stack of ELLE UK magazines each emblazoned with a shiny piece of red plastic the size of a credit card with the words Kurt Geiger in bold print in the foreground, with a slightly more subtle motif of £25 repeated underneath.

To cut a long story short, I had just scored myself a Gift Card worh £25. And that is straight up £25. No committing to a subscription or entering a draw! It was just a mater of registering the number and logging on to purchase.

Lights! Camera! Action! Sweetie!

Ok ... I'm probably going to get into trouble for this but I recently participated in a photo shoot for a friend's entry into a design competition ... well I say participated, I was more hanger-on sticky-beaker than anything else, although I did move some furniture and get coffees ... oh and I got my friend her photograper who was an absolute star. Perhaps my new career as Producer/Fashion Agent awaits somewhere in the never never!

Anyhoo, I was expecting something slightly on the amatuerish side of a backyard laboratory, but as people and equipment arrived, I had to revise my ill-conceived and uneducated opinion.

Even as K blossomed from cold ravaged sleep deprived fashion student into smoky-eyed high heeled and high haired diva under the filtered lights, I watched in wonder as my little presh transformed into a pocket rocket of lotharic charm behind the lens, teasing and cajoling sultry and playful looks in wild abandon. And through it all, my friend J, designer hands posed just so looked on with natural confidence as if to say "World! I have arrived!!" And I'm honoured to have been a part, however small, of that journey.

PS - Dench's really have nice bread.
PPS - oh and I can't really show you the final product ... IP peops IP!!

Yooxer!!

Ok ... SW at work waxes lyrical about coming home to a package on her doorstep after a bout of online ordering. These days I'm all about the online ordering. I've dipped my toes in gently and tested the waters and am now ready to brave the high end labels at the likes of Ssense and LuisaRoma ... Mr Porter even. Although in many ways PT has beat me to the chase ... bastard.

Anyhoo, I wasn't in the state to literally come home to a package on my doorstep, but M had it leaning against the sidetable as I walked into the house ... a pretty little box ...

Hiding pretty little bits of tissue ...

Covering 2 separate pairs of delights that I shouldn't really be attempting to pull off ... but whatevs!

Happy Socks!

Ok ... my Happy Socks have arrived ... and guess what ... they really are happy socks! (oh and this beautiful Autumn morning is helping!)

Can I still pull this off?

Ok ... you be the judge!!

ed - 29/4/2011 - these were included in a 15% off sale ... so I've bought them!

The Urban Outfitter

Ok ... an online success

Goodbye Savings ... Hello Mr Porter!!!!

Ok ... if you know me, then this is the biggest news out!!

http://mrporter.com/

Ken Done called and he wants his bedsheets back ... Questionable fashion at the Laneway Festival

Ok ... I kid you not!! This was the bedsheet we had when we first met ... now its arguably a scarf and shorts to be worn at outdoor festivals such as this ...

PS ... I really hated those sheets!
PPS ... here's another pic that K took ... we kinda stalked her!!