growth is up 0.5 percent

believe it or not, this is a column graph.

benchmark

a wordmark i made last night for an object design exhibition poster submission. how have i only just discovered map to surface?

lightness

"Though the sun is gone, I have a light."

 - Kurt Cobain

I bought flowers this morning, the first for a long time! These beautiful violet sweet peas were photographed for a project and are now in my bedroom adding some much needed brightness to a cold and rainy day. 

I love these all white Ellery looks photographed by Russh magazine, so simple and sophisticated. The poster on my wall is one of Ellery's fashion show invites from a few years ago. Although I didn't attend the show this year I have been lucky enough to flick through the limited edition gazette that was produced for the collection, you can have a little peek on their blog.

Ro and I have spent our Sunday working on various projects and listening to Nirvana. There is nothing like being indoors painting and drinking tea with the heater on while it's pouring outside. 

1 & 3. Photos by me, 2 & 4. Russh magazine June/July 12 scanned by Alice Euphemia

pale ryder

Two of my favourites, the Nico drawstring bag and Lola clutch from Benah's SS12 Pale Ryder collection. I love the names given to the various accessories and the natural, tan and pistachio palette (including the addition of a cute stripe!) that graces some of my favourite Benah classics and a few new additions like the ipad case. 

1 & 3. Type by me, 2. Illustrations by me, 4. Photo from Benah facebook 

mood

At the moment I'm inspired by the English countryside, Black Beauty, Lauren Hutton's interview in Influence by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Celine double cuffs, Lara Stone in all white for Calvin Klein SS11 and Byredo's description of their fragrance Blanche.

Above is an excerpt from Phoebe Philo's inspiration book for the Fall 11 Celine show, below is Francisco Costa's mood board featuring Lauren Hutton and Michael Eastman's horses. I think this is all the inspiration I need to start collaging again...

1. Image from Philophiles, 2. Image from TFS

golden hands

A few photos of the lookbook I designed for Amy Kaehne's Spring Summer 11 collection. Amy's inspiration for summer were the Golden Hands 70's craft books. The thick, red volumes have the name down the spine in gold foil and resulted in a colour palette of soft yellow, beige, orange, burgundy and sage green. 

I have also been living in my Amy Kaehne winter knitwear since the weather turned about two weeks ago. Two things I love about colder weather: knitted layers and hazelnut hot chocolate, too good! 

obstacle 1

Inspiration for a current project: landscapes and shapes. 

Illustrations by me, photos by Rohan and I. 

109C/286C

More Celine! I am especially fond of the box bag in yellow, I don't think I even have anything yellow in my wardrobe but it might be time to invest - I love it paired with white navy. 

On another note last week Rohan and I attended the Semi-Permanent creative conference held in Darling  Harbour. It was my first time attending the event (Rohan went to the first one 9 years ago - jealous) and it was amazing to see some local and international creatives speak such as Corey Arnold (a fisherman/photographer) and Reg Mombassa (iconic Mambo artist). I already can't wait for next years. 

Vivid Sydney is the next event I'm looking forward too, it's so beautiful to see the Sydney Opera House lit up with amazing light projections. Lights are on from May 27th, I'm thinking a hot chocolate at Guylian cafe, rugging up with a beanie/scarf combo and enjoying the show.    

1. Celine box bag illustration by me, 2. Unknown, 3. Vogue Nippon March 2011, 4. Photo from Dalla, 5. U.S. Elle

premiere

Another amazing experience from the past few weeks was attending Yeojin Bae's first ever Sydney Fashion Week show aptly titled Premiere. The collection was inspired by vintage lingerie in a colour palette of salmon pink, red, apricot, navy, black and mauve. My favourite look was the loose, unbuttoned silk shirts with contrasting bras underneath, especially when worn with the blazer and black sequinned shorts. 

Illustration by me, showcoverage from Vogue

yb

The Yeojin Bae RAFW programme I just did. I like things clean and simple!

inspiration

I've had an incredibly fashion-filled week, my Rag and Bone boots made their debut and it's been amazing to attend a few shows at Sydney Fashion Week. Hannah and I had lunch on Thursday after attending the Yeojin Bae show (more on this later) and an amazing Sonoma (great chai and muesli) date discussing our favourite shows and all the assignments we have due next week.

I saw lots of beautiful bags this week but I still find myself drawn to the simplicity of Sofia's designs for Louis Vuitton. One of my friends owns the delightful black duffle-style handbag and it's just perfect. I can't remember where I found the above photo but I love Sofia's creative space complete with concept sketches and fabric swatches. 

Also I have been reading the Self Service blog and falling in love with their daily obsessions. And in case you hadn't guessed I'm planning on re-decorating my bedroom. Photos to come soon!

1. Sofia Coppola for Louis Vuitton clutch illustrated by me, 2. Stella McCartney cuffs from the Self Service blog, 3-6. Source unknown, 7. Watercolour by me, 8. Photo from Emma's design blog

abbey lee #123

Numéro #123 May 2011 : Abbey Lee Kershaw by Tom Munro

stem the flow

Last night Rohan and I along with our friends Debbie, Sandra and Jane attended Gail Sorronda's SS12 show 'stem the flow'. We started the night off with dinner at my favourite little Italian place in the rocks (gingham tablecloths and all!) and then wandered down to the OPT for the much anticipated show. 

The opening featured cute pleated white shirts and smocked blouses with puff sleeves which then transitioned through to fitted body-con dresses in a lightweight jersey and a stunning long, black pleated skirt. I loved the flat shoes, especially with some of the dressier pieces and Debbie is excited to try out a DIY ribbon choker inspired by the show. The accessories were kept to a minimal this season, though I loved the wide-brimmed hats with cut-out tops and long, refined necklaces. Debbie and Jane represented in the audience with with the beaded cap, sequinned mask and pom pom headband. 

Gail has been one of my favourite Australian designers for the past few years now. I think one of things I love most about the label is that it has a timeless aesthetic, the palette is always black and white and the collections never influenced by trends. This season the inspiration was "fluidity suspended in time" which came across in the accordion pleats and loose, flowing garments. In the background a video of ice dripping as it melts set the mood for the show. Perfection.

1. Debbie, Sandy, Jane and I before the show, 2. Debbie and Jane in their favourite Gail pieces, 3. The video playing at the start of the runway, 4. Backstage photo from The Vine, 5 -10. Runway images from Vogue.