Throwing up these edited images in-between packing for a three sojourn to Brussels - headed there for an exciting job where I have the chance to design, model and photograph! Wish I could tell you all about it but I feel like thats really bad luck (and a little unprofessional) so I'm going to have to hold it in. I'll ask the client when I get there maybe I can spill some details on Instagram!
Hope you like these shots. Paris really brings out the big guns.
I've been really inspired by my friend Angelica Blick lately… is it right to say you look up to someone even if they are younger than you? Angelica somehow finds the time to post 2-3 times a day. Thats not to say every post is a full on fashion editorial - but it's all interesting - and then when she does do an editorial the quality is absolutely beautiful. I have a load of bloggers sitting on my bookmark bar and I find myself clicking her blog most frequently for the obvious reason, she's always updating. I always get to check in on a part of her life. Like a proper stalker haha! I really admire her tenacity and dedication to quality. She's well researched and relentless!
So for myself, I've been trying to sit back a little and find ways to make new and interesting content, something creative, something personal - and some more fashion content. I don't like to include details of my personal life on my blog but that doesn't mean I can't give as much of my personality as possible. So I gotta ask what kind of content you all like the best - and what you would like to me to include in the future? Personally, my favourite content is the stuff where I've really put in alot of creative work - but it seems that outfit posting is always the kind of post that gets the most engagement… does that mean you all prefer to see less of my photoshoots and more of yours truly (surely not!?!). How about more behind the scenes sort of stuff? I usually dislike that kinda thing but that's probably because I've been working in the industry for 10 years and it tends to feel a bit samey. If you all find it interesting then I can throw some in the mix no worries!
So this is a weird picture huh? I just got creative the other day during a spate of procrastination, I wanted to practise some techniques I thought I could employ for editorial work. But don't you feel ready for summer!!! I know I do. I've spent a good chunk of time in Northern Europe over the winter and its dark and cold. I don't mind it - and the truth is - I'm not a fan of really hot summers. Being in Europe is magical in the summer, when its forever sunlight and the temperature is so perfect for human conditions. Feels so right! So I'm counting down. I've noticed the trees gaining new leaves here in Stockholm so thats a buzz. Kinda disappointed to be in Sydney for most of April because thats when the most dramatic change will occur. Loving spring!
Anyway, that second pic is a little detail from where I'm currently sitting - here in Arlanda airport headed to Belgium via Amsterdam. It's all about the journey hey? I just wish the damn journey could bypass the all damn hours stuck in airports….
shoes, Nike Air Max (from JD Sports)
bag, Emm Kuo
pics, Sophie Braland
Found these images on a long forgotten memory card that displayed an error and need to be saved from a recovery program. Snapped way back in August last year while staying Croatia to work on my Marcs Campaign, a pretty simple summery outfit making me pine for warmer climes. So excited for the long European summer days ahead! As a photographer its such boon to be in Europe for the summer because you have so much more time to get things done in the natural light. Think of the content!!
Now I'm trying to think of more stuff to write here but I'm sitting on my bed in my hotel room and all I can think of is how damn starving I am and how much I really just want to go to sleep. It's 8.20pm but I still have some jet lag, combatting it is really a progressive task and I'm in the final stages… pity I'm leaving again in 3 nights, back to Oz. Reset that clock again!
Patiently awaiting the arrival of Rebecca who's due to knock on my hotel room door any minute - gotta get out for some dinner! I want a steak.
shirt, By Malene Birger
shorts, borrowed from my friend Sophie
shoes, Beau Coops
sunglasses, Nick Campbell
handbag, After the Apple
Some little behind the scenes from yesterday's shoot - and the reason for my trip to Belgium, working with french brand Pimkie on some special projects - both in front and behind the lens! Thanks so much to Dominique on the creative team for these iPad snaps of me in action. Look forward to sharing the results of our work in due time.
Having mixed feelings about flying back to Australia tomorrow - mostly because yesterday in Belgium was unseasonably warm, coupled with daylight savings kicking in gives the feeling that the warmer weather has arrived in Europe and really, nothing compares to the summer here. We have great summers in Australia but I guess we are kinda spoilt for the sunshine so it's not so special for people - whereas here in Europe, people are so damn happy for the sun! Making the most of every patch of grass and every outside seating - thats not to mention the daylight seems to go on forever. I just find it so lovely.
On the flip side, I'm headed back in time for MBFWA - time to get jet lagged and fancy! I really love Aussie Fashion Week, it's like 'fashion week with friends' because I know everyone and Sydney is my town so I know exactly how to get around and what to do. Plus I do get to go to every show I want unlike the major seasons (still waiting for that elusive Chanel invite hey Karl?) and it feels like such a luxury. I'm proud of the Aussie designers and what they do, the market here in Australia is pretty small and being that we're rocking the opposing season it means they have to design two collections if they want to branch into the Northern Hemisphere. It also means that designers have always needed commercial elements in their collections so to make profit and its interesting to see what each one does to current trends to make them really their own (the last seasons we've seen peplum in 20 different ways! haha). Interesting enough LA is one place we are able to send designs straight from Summer collections into their winter so its proven a unique market to tap. That's why we see alot of LA based bloggers wearing Aussie brands! Represent.
It's 6.30 am and I've been up for a couple hours on email, I had meant to try and get over the jet lag here but its seems pointless to fight it when I'm headed straight back tomorrow. Going to jump on a train at 8am back to Amsterdam and then a flight to Stockholm. The train is my favourite part - I know I mention it alot but I love travelling by train so much, I just find it so enjoyable. If only Stockholm wasn't so far I'd catch the train the whole way - would gladly spend 10 hours rolling over the surface of the earth in a lovely train carriage. So soothing!
Time for breakfast :) x
shirt, Equipment
jeans, Nobody Denim
shoes, Nike Air Max 90's
Another post up whilst in transit - this time using wifi aboard an Emirates flight, that classic 24 hour journey (sometimes more) back to the land of Oz. Pretty sad to leave Europe because the weather has been so gloriously sunny and the days are getting longer quick fast and in a hurry. No doubt I'll be back before I know it!
Snapped these pics with the help of Rebecca during my trip to Belgium. Wish I had the chance to explore Brussels a little more because it really seems like a vibrant city - and I like Belgians. One surprising thing about Brussels though, most people are speaking french - whereas Antwerp, just an hour or so drive away, everyone speaks Dutch. It's also unusual to hear Belgians speaking Dutch vs people from the Netherlands (like Rebecca) because it sounds so different. I'll get in trouble for saying this but its much smoother to hear - they don't have that guttural G sound. Love that diversity over such short distances in Europe.
I've applied for a working holiday visa and I'm currently awaiting approval, dying to settle somewhere for a while and excited for it to be somewhere in the Northern Hemisphere! Most looking forward to exploring Scotland and France this summer, with Edinburgh and Mont Saint Michel on my hit list. Now all I need is a blogger to come with me to help with projects! It's so hard to pin my friends down these days - almost two years ago I was able to travel around Europe with Jess for three months, almost uninterrupted by work… couldn't dream of that now! She's one of the busiest girls I know. Crazy how so much can change with the fashion blogging industry over such a short space of time, things have really blown up, especially with the rise of social media which has totally change the way we all do business.
On a side-note, shortly after these pics were snapped I went to dinner with Rebecca and Tiany at Gazetta and the food was awesome - if you're ever in Brussels, it's a safe bet.
watch, Swarovski
bag, Emm Kuo
shoes, Nike Air Max 90's
jeans, Nobody
shirt, Equipment
trench, Joseph
ring and bracelet, Efva Attling
Crazy week ahead, I'm currently in Sydney for MBFWA and there's loads of to do - which is awesome! Love the Aussie fashion scene, its really fun and has a great energy. Was a real buzz to see all my friends and fellow bloggers, most of whom I haven't seen since last year.
Started the day really on the wrong foot, oversleeping my alarm and having just 15 minutes to get ready before leaving, accidentally left the house with black underwear in a sheer skirt and had to return to change them - then I also confused three separate people I should know well because they changed their damn hair colour/cut/beard. Made me look like a moron/snob. Things started looking up later in the afternoon when I ordered an Uber Black to run an errand and a black vintage Cadillac Limousine arrived. I couldn't believe my luck!! It was so incredible - at first I thought it was because I'm working with Uber this week but I realise it was total coincidence because the odds of the car being available whilst I was requesting a black were pretty slim. I felt like such a baller! I'll instagram a picture of the car when I catch my breath. So fun! The driver was even playing Edith Piaf. Made my day.
Anyway this outfit is an ensemble I wore to the Porter Party back in Paris - which was the most fabulous party I've ever had the fortunate pleasure of attending - Rihanna was there, along with every major international designer I can think of. Being there was like an out of body experience. These images are part of a photo diary I created in Paris for H&M Life, H&M's online magazine. You can check out the rest of my shots HERE.
skirt and top, Stella McCartney
handbag, Stella McCartney
shoes, And Other Stories
Presenting an image an a couple outtakes from my Vogue (US) Fashion Week Diary, which is now live! This pic of Mandy (OracleFox), Carmen (Chronicles of Her), me, Sara (Harper and Harley) and Jess (Tuula) is a new favourite of mine and I'm thinking I need it framed for my imaginary mantlepiece. Glad this week is over though - I feel like I have about 40 hours of sleep to catch up on!
jewellery, Amber Sceats
sunglasses (in order), vintage, Spektre, Barton Perreira, Prism
See more of my Fashion Week experience in pictures HERE
I love shooting Rebecca. In fact, I really love shooting all my blogger buddies. I always get helplessly excited when I feel like we have a good shot and jump around on the spot like a bit of a moron. It really just takes me! It's that feeling when you're doing the thing you you love most and I know how lucky I am to find that. As for this location - sometimes the most unexpected places and spaces can be great for photos. Here, I got the feeling for a tram stop. It was a combination of the way the evening light was falling between the buildings and providing a great filter, making Rebecca's skin glow - and the way her casual outfit suited the surroundings. Sometimes you can pick a spot between the streets where a building either side means that light falls both on the face softly and behind, creating a soft halo of light. For me, the soft light is what makes the mood and creates the moment - part of a story about a girl on a journey. What inspires me about shooting is creating your own context where the whole effect of the images is a tale about a character your representing.
See credits on Rebecca's blog
Excited to post his kind of forgotten video, produced by my talented makeup artist and blogger friend Sina Velke. Sina writes the story of her career and shares her work on her blog and she's crazy talented at both hair and make-up, it's well worth a visit.
So this video is the story of how I go from a blank canvas to Marilyn with Sina's help - whilst we drove around LA spotting locations to shoot. You've got me doing some live action poses in there - and you can see I was wearing my sneakers with all the outfits - luckily with the original shoot we could crop those out! Wish I didn't pull such silly faces while being filmed getting my make-up done... Hope you like.
pics, Jessica Stein - editing, me
Such a fun outfit to wear- and of course, an ensemble I wore to MBFWA, day 1. I was discussing with someone from out of town (overseas) about how they were finding the people dressed at fashion week and he expressed his disappointment at how their weren't enough 'casual cool' attendees. I figure its because we only have one fashion week a year in Australia - and for most of us, its our only chance to to really wear our most fun and daring outfits! For me, it really is so entertaining - it's like playing dress up when you're a kid. Sure, plenty of us get it wrong from time to time but being creative and taking risks can so often pay off. It's so gorgeous to see people enjoying and expressing themselves with style - because that's how we all arrive at fashion week in the first place, we just love it.
skirt and heels, Sportmax
sweater, Nanushka
sunglasses, Barton Perreira
bag, Emm Kuo
ring and bracelet, Efva Attling
Sorry to say I'm just throwing up a few unposted shots from PFW (or are they? I can't even remember) and heading in for an early night. Got a huge day of activities tomorrow which includes gathering paperwork from the depths of my storage unit so I can do my tax. So hellish. Tax is one of those things I find so stressful and tiring, even just the thought of it. So I don't think of it… and I just put it off! Which isn't a bright move. Someone recently told me - those tasks that stress you out most each day? Prioritise them. Get through it and then its gone, out of mind. Seems wise to make your life easier right? Then again. Fuck tax.
P.S. How cute is the pic of all the street style photographer gals in a line? Someone out there has a shot with me in the line-up too. The male street style photographers out number the girls about 4 to 1 so I love this little show of solidarity. Girls sticking together! haha!
Those silhouettes and textures! I can dream up so many ideas for editorials - and in fact - I'm shooting one tomorrow with some of these gorgeous garments! I'll be documenting the whole day on my instagram account so stay check out @zanitazanita for all the action, maybe even some fun videos. It's going to be a thrill to share with you the work my team and I are going to be doing. May or may not include bouncy trampolines.
photography and editing, me
all clothing, Toni Maticevski
You can see the rest of our images HERE on Harper & Harley, we snapped these in Sara's home over a rainy weekend. The more personal photoshoots I do are always the most special.
It's 9.30pm but I think I might go to sleep now, had a long day shooting (see some behind the scenes and outtakes on my instagram) and now I'm exhausted in the most satisfying kind of way.
I can't express to you how much I love shooting, I would do it if I wasn't paid, if no one saw my images - even if the results were just terrible - it's just the thing that makes me happiest. Maybe one day I'll get tired of it, but I'm grateful to have it for now… and if that day ever comes where it doesn't inspire me anymore, I'm gonna be on a quest for the next thing. It'll probably be cooking. I think I'm a dormant feeder.
So here's an outfit I wore to Aussie fashion week. Who doesn't love a good trench coat huh? This one just falls in all the right ways.
pics, Jessica Stein - editing, me
dress, Lisa Marie Fernandez
trench, Ginger and Smart
bag, Emm Kuo
bracelets, ring and necklace, Amber Sceats
sunglasses, Spektre
shoes, Mode Collective
It all started where I travelled home to my folks, had a lovely easter break, did my tax - and then got struck down with a fine virus, aches and pukes all round. Now I'm on the mend - and while I had promised myself I would get back on the content train days ago, here I am - having posted nothing for perhaps YEARS (in blogspeakterms). Not really much to report - although I did get a phresh blonde colour on my hair for about the first time in 6 months and my brows dyed dark so I'm realising a full 90's commitment.
So my outfit is from all the way back to Fashion Week - Snapped with the help of my very talented from Adam Katz Sinding, one of the best streetstyle photographers in the business and the creator of Le 21ème. Was great to see Adam here in town for MBFWA, surely he's one of the most travelled guys I know… last I heard he was headed to Kazakstan for fashion week… #cantstopwontstop
Ok, back to my crazy workload. I'm shooting in studio these next couple days and there's much to prep!
skirt, ASOS
sweatshirt, ASOS
heels, Sportmax
clutch, A-Esque
sunglasses, Prism
trench, Joseph
photos, Adam Katz Sinding
Definitely owing a little more than that though - posting days and days ago, declaring I'm back and then promptly disappearing again. Turns out that virus or whatever I had wasn't totally behind me and kept falling asleep super early each night - cutting into my blogging time in the evenings. Hate that feeling when you wake in the morning not achieving all you hoped of the day previous. I'm still needing loads of sleep in my recovery but somehow I think that's actually been a benefit in recovering from jetlag, now that I'm back in Stockholm.
So these images were snapped with the help of my darling little sister while in Esperance seeing my family, just walking distance from my family home. What a great place to get some R&R huh? Loved my week of zen with my Mum and Dad. Nothing like a home cooked meal.
So there's so much ahead for me this week and also this month. Posting a video tomorrow, a little teaser of the collection I designed in collaborating with french brand Pimkie - and also an editorial I shot in collaboration with hair and make-up artist/genius Max May of MaxMade fame. Also to come - more content from MBFWA and later in the week I'm hoping to shoot my favourite swedish blogger Angelica (If i can pin her down!). I'm officially living between Stockholm and Australia now so expect more Swedish related content.... and then next week I'm going to London and the week after that to Amsterdam. Phew! Excited/exhausted just pondering it all.
Thanks again for your patience with me! Hoping to do an open Q & A video soon - you asked so it's coming!
dress, Self Portrait
Cringing a little to hear my voice on video. Hope its not too bad!
And don't let those impressive graphics from my feature image fool you - this video is really just me speaking into my Macbook. It's such an awkward thing to do!
Props to all those Youtubers and the time, talent and effort they put into editing videos. I'm hoping to use this newfound ambition to open up the comments section for questions to be answered in my next video. Anything you might wanna know about blogging, photography, modelling, fashion, travel, business - ask away!!
earrings, Haute Inhabit for Eluxe
Snapped with help of photographic talent and fellow Mondo Photographers alumni, Michael French and with hair and make-up from Chris Coonrod - I really get the chance to play the part of a rock'n'roll rebellious babe. Thanks so much Levis for having me onboard - look forward to sharing the next instalment - which era will it be!?
photography, Michael French
concept, model and styling, Me
hair and makeup, Chris Coorod
I actually love tram stations in Europe, they seem so quaint to me. These were taken in Milan while I was there for MFW. Perfect sunset huh? Excited to snap some of those endless sunsets they have here in Sweden during Summer - june, july - the land of eternal sunshine. Such a dream.
Meanwhile it's raining and cloudy here in Stockholm and I've got quite a busy day ahead of me, in the process of constructing a media kit which I've long been putting off simply because I hate forced self promotion (how ironic of a style blogger!) and thats kind of the whole point of a media kit. Thank goodness I've had the help of other people to write about myself before this… Wahhh so much tedious work.
Meanwhile thanks so much to everyone who asked me questions from my video! There's so many now! I will have to do two video answers to get through them all. I'm grateful you're interested :)
photos by Rebecca, editing - me
Pants and top, Philosophy
bag, Choies
sunglasses, Tom Ford
