Right now I'm of the feeling I need a new designer handbag. Working in fashion, sometimes you do lose a little bit (a lot) of a grip on reality when it comes to the cost of clothing and accessories... I feel pretty casual about spending loads on bags that are quite beyond my means! I think it's the plight of many a fashion lover... my problem lies in that, I wear a bag over and over, see it in pictures of myself over and over. I feel like I could be being judged for not having more new bags! Which of course, is totally absurd - because the kind of person who would judge me for that isn't someone who I typically give a flying f*ck over.

Anyway - I'm loving these 5 beauties at the moment. The fun thing about posting them up here - I look at them so much that it in some way, it satisfies my urge to own one. I think I'm better buying expensive items spontaneously - because the real thrill comes from purchasing something fabulous and new in all ways. If I've looked at it over and over, the novelty is slightly worn away.

Hooray for bags!

1. Sophia Webster

2. Finds

3. Loewe

4. Paula Cademartori

5. Chloe 

I'm thrilled to share these outtakes from my shoot with Elle Magazine - snapped by the incredibly talented Danielle Rech.

A dozen photographers could shoot a person under the same circumstances and produce totally unique results - it's really about having the eye and editing skills. Danielle has an amazing talent for seeing the beauty in simplicity, and getting the best out of her subject. I've worked with so many photographer's who I'm sure have made me look even worse than I look in person. There's quite a scale!

I'm honoured to have had the chance to work with Danielle - I love these images so much - especially the first one! :)

Photography by Danielle Rech

I'm pretty certain that there won't be many of who need their Sunday's to be 'saved' as such - but music is VERY important on a Sunday - for relaxing and bringing good vibes into a new week.  Today I'm working on a whole load of different projects - but enjoying it a whole load because I've got a delicious cappuccino AND Sara sitting by my side also tapping away at my computer. For the most part - working on a fashion blog is a solitary pursuit. It's great to have someone in the same game alongside you to bounce off throughout the day!

Photo by me :)

Next month I'm turning 29... which means I'm one short year off being 30. A great milestone! I'm so excited to become 30 because of the lessons I've taken from my 20's - I'm heading confidently into my future.  I've also had some very hard lessons to learn over the last 9 years - but it's those lessons that have shaped the person I've become. If only I could have gone back to my 20 year old self and handed some life advice over... but I can guarantee my 20 year old self wouldn't have listened to any of it, I had to figure it out for myself and make my own mistakes. Either way - here's a few important points I've picked up. No regrets!!

Love your friends.  As you get older, it's more and more difficult to hang out with a whole group of your friends at once. People move away, start families, get really involved careers - it's suddenly not so simple to gather a decent posse to go to a concert with - or even come for your birthday! It's also for this reason - you need to be able to let go of a few people who aren't willing to go the extra mile for you. Have a select number of friends you'd do anything for and not two dozen buddies you'd consider close acquaintances. When shit hits the fan - and trust me, no one is immune to this - then you want to have people  in your life who would fly across the country if you need them.

Take your time - but eventually make a decision about where you want to be. Not making a choice about your life trajectory is making a choice to do nothing. This doesn't have to be about your career either - it's simply about being dedicated to something that fulfils you. For example - getting a job at wherever is good for cash - but being totally dedicated to competitive triathlon. You can be happier when you're driven to improve about something, ambition is important. This was a tough lesson for me, I was left feeling lost and unhappy for some time because I couldn't find the passion to achieve anything in my future. Thankfully I turned that around!

Stop complaining. Especially about things or people you can't help or change. No one else is responsible for your happiness except yourself - so if a situation is bad, it's up to you to rectify it for yourself. Sometimes that can mean accepting responsibility for a conflict that isn't your fault - simply to resolve a problem and move forward. Stewing on an issue is only bad for your mental health - let it go! Consistently voicing your problems without ever taking action to turn them around is counter productive to your happiness.

Jump at new opportunities. The world belongs to those who take risks. It's a trap to subscribe to the belief your life has to fit into some kind of mould, that there's a some consecutive way your life should role out - or that you can't change your mind once you've set upon a particular path. Every person who has ever started their own business can tell you all about risk! Your risk could be the one that pays off - and if it doesn't, there's a valuable lesson learned somewhere in there. Just do it!

Love yourself exactly as your are. There's nothing more futile than wanting to look or be like someone else. You need to learn your own strengths and focus on how those are the things that make you beautiful and unique. Once you accept yourself for who you are, you can go forward a stronger and more confident person - now that's true beauty right there!

Get educated. This doesn't necessarily mean going to university - I'm personally a Uni dropout - but take the chance to challenge your mind and learn about the world. Knowledge is power - so read challenging books, go travelling, study, learn from older people. Join the fight against ignorance!

There's a whole load more I could include here  but I think it's best left for future posts. I'd love to also hear about some of the lessons you might up picked up going into or out of your 20's! It's a pretty intense time as an adult - when you're learning who you're coming to become and where you want to be.

Pics by Sara

Editing by me (using methods the I share in my Photoshop Basics Course!)

jean shorts, Nobody Denim

sweater, Sportmax

It's a very strange feeling to be in Australia right now - I've got a whole load of exciting work going on but my mind is so in part still in the Northern Hemisphere, I'm madly planning for NYFW and currently doing a whole load in planning my new blog/site. It's an exciting time! Partly because I'm steadily learning to be more and more organised and focused. By no means am I doing it perfectly, but it's amazing how taking steps to be more organised can help you enjoy your work even more - because the point of organisation? Stress reduction. You can get back to the basics of doing what you do because you love it.

I've been staying with Sara this past week and I love it so much 1. Because she's so much fun to be around, we bounce off one another and help each other solve problems AND 2. Because Bundy the dog is here and life is always better with a happy little friend around.

Something I'm looking forward to this week is shooting two models who are really well known in Australia - can you guess who they are? Hint: One has a pixie haircut and one is on the roster at Sports Illustrated. I've said too much! ;)

I've here in Sydney for another 3 days and then it's back to Stockholm - as much as it's such an amazing opportunity to travel around so much, somedays I just craved routine and to stay put, more recently I've wanted some of this more and more. As it happens - I won't really be getting the chance to stay in one place more than maybe 2 weeks until the end of April. I'm getting tired just thinking about it!

One consistent factor that helps me along is my blog and the comment and encouragement I receive here - writing a blog can be totally addictive, it's not the actual journalling (for me) that's so satisfying but the feedback I receive. I've been more and more inspired lately by the kind words you all give me and it's making me feel totally revived on my blogging career. It's tough to know where the future of fashion bloggers/influencers will lead - but this whole journey to where I am now has been a total adventure. Thanks so much for sharing it all with me!

Anyway - I snapped these pics of Bondi Beach on Saturday, when the place was rocking with people. It was so wild out in the water - and I'm not so sure these images truly represent just how monstrous the waves were on this day, I heard somewhere it was a 4 metre swell.  Most of the beach was closed to swimming and the noise of the waves was totally wild, the whole beach was a whitewash soup. It was so unique to see the awesome force of nature and by contrast, thousands of beach goer's chilling on the sand. Glad I got to see it! Very impressive.

Looking forward to sharing what I've been up to down under very soon!

It's so easy to buy gifts for women on Valentine's day, flowers and jewellery are such a safe bet - and jewellery is wonderful because it has that timeless quality. It's so lovely to hold - and infuse it with feeling. Very precious.

The male equivalent - beyond rings and pendants which aren't really for every guy - are cufflinks! A good set is perfect for a special occasion. I've teamed up with Alice Made This - a luxury accessories brand for men based in the UK, with a design focus on precise craftsmanship and manufacturing.  It's not only my chance to showcase these elegant designer pieces - but to coerce my boyfriend Gustav to be part of the editorial! I knew we could make it work because these cufflinks and pin are exactly the type of gift my love would appreciate for Valentine's Day.

We had a whole lot of fun producing this editorial, and it was so refreshing to work on something with a focus on men's style. We also had the chance to stay at Ett Hem, a Stockholm boutique hotel with only 12 individually designed rooms - and probably the most beautiful and personal places I've ever had the good fortune of staying in. Can't wait to go back!

Cuff Links and Pin, Alice Made This - 10% Discount with code ZANITA10

model, Gustav Carlson

location, Ett Hem Hotel, Stockholm. 

So here's me blabbing away about how I got to this point - some of you have probably heard this story a bunch of times before so apologies for that! I get a lot of questions about how I started and what brought me to this point - the real truth is that there's no overnight success in my Fashion Blogger story, I had to learn along the way and grow gradually - and worked hard to deserve my success.

One thing I should note - I mentioned in the video that magazines don't get to dictate their advertorials as much as bloggers which isn't entirely true at all, most magazines control the way advertorials are run in their pages, I've just worked (modelled) with some who haven't had those choices - you gotta make ends meet! Sometimes there's a fine line between advertorial and advertising and that's what I should have stated instead. Was kind of thinking one way and expressed it incorrectly! My bad.

You can see more of my silly videos HERE on my channel. 

If you saw my last illustration post  then you'll know I've decided to convert this segment of my blog to cover high profile fashionista's personal style. My reader Taylor suggested I do Emma Watson - so here she is! Isn't the likeness just SO striking?!? Haha

Emma has a pretty minimal kind of personal style, understand elegance - sometimes androgynous. Kind of tricky to nail for me because I'm certainly no minimalist! I had some consultation from Sara. I also thought Emma need to wear a green bag.

I'm going to do Caroline Issa next!

dress, Balenciaga 

shoes, Balenciaga

bag, Balenciaga

ear lobe cuffs, Coops London (these are so cool!)

Illustration by me

A quick recap of the month of January, I thought it might be fitting since it's been such a great one. I've a renewed vigour for what I'm doing and loving life. Thanks for coming along for the ride!

Sorry this post is short - I'm shooting today and my usual blog time was spent on prep.

Happy Hump Day!

I'm writing this post from snowy Sweden - my final days in Sydney were pretty intense with work and commitments, I didn't get a single opportunity to shoot any outfit posts or create new content. The plus is that I have some cool work to share in the coming weeks... the negative is that I've taken a moment's hiatus from the blog - disaster! As I've mentioned, switching hemisphere's always throws me for a loop and kills my productivity. There's no real solution other than being super organised prior to boarding, something I was unable to achieve. Good to be back on the north - preparing for NYFW next week. Bring it!

So I'm not really much of a flat-lay aficionado, i think you need to have some patience to do them well - I don't really have that! But I basically gathered a load of my things I would bring to the beach and threw them down. Beach life should be unfussy anyway. My cousin also gave me this gorgeous soft leather bag from her label Mary and Marie so I'm excited to share it - Thanks so much Sam!

Paired this with a couple shots from my recent test shoot - dying to share the images with you! It could be one of my new favourite shoots.

bikini, Prism

leather tote, Mary and Marie 

towel, borrowed from Sara

espadrilles, Prism

sunglasses, Derek Cardigan from Clearly

shorts, Vintage

Blame Nicolas Guesquiere for the 70's revival - and for my desire to wear hues that I thought banished from my fashion artillery for some time! Warm brown. It's a little bit trying to suddenly start infusing it into my current wardrobe - when everything works with 50 shades of grey.  Now I feel like my wardrobe is beginning to divide into two. Warm and cool shades. I do love a challenge though! I see personal styling as a great game of mix and match, more so in the winter because you need to wear so many layers. Very fun!

Anyway, as you can see - I'm back in Sweden and there's snow all over the place. It's so wonderful! Except when the wind comes out and then its plain terrifying... and by terrifying I mean, there's no room to be stylish ha! You just need to be practical. I don't have a car - which means to move around I need to be dressed in a lot of puffy layers and thick hard wearing boots.  I guess it's nice to have your choices limited in that respect, its uncomplicated and unpretentious.

On a side note - I rediscovered this vintage scarf first worn on my blog over SIX YEARS ago. I put it in this post - where I was modelling at London Fashion Week. Baby Z!

Hope you're all enjoying your weekend x

coat, By Malene Birger

scarf, Vintage

bag, Jerome Dreyfus

jeans, Citizens of Humanity

boots, Beau Coops

Thrilled to be sharing the results of my advertorial for Australia department store David Jones that I hinted about last week on my blog, a shoot with spokesmodels - Montana Cox and Jess Gomes. This time I've put my styling hat on, which was a bit of a new challenge. It's one thing to dress yourself up but something completely new to pull together looks for someone else. I guess it a way it's easier because I don't have the same rules for dressing someone else as I would myself - i.e. I don't wear singlets, but Montana can!

I had the opportunity to shoot each of the girls just prior to the David Jones runway show - so it was a busy day for them with various press engagements. Being that our time was very short - I had to keep my concept simple and use the urban environment as my location. I like to think I thrive under pressure when it comes to shooting... but nothing else. I guess that's a sign that photography is what I love to do the most huh? Lucky to have found it.

I hope you like my pictures!

Styling references

Shot 1 and 3, Montana - Ellery dress, Marc by Marc Bag and Someday Somewhere sunglasses.

Shot 2 and 7, Jess - Dion Lee backless knit and Josh Goot skirt.

Shot 4 and 6, Montana - Dion Lee tank knit and Ellery skirt.

Shot 5 and 10, Jess - Dion Lee pant and Dion Lee crop top

Shot 8, Jess - Ellery top , Manning Cartel skirt and Ginger and Smart trench

Shot 9 and 11, Montana -  Ellery skirt and top, Chloe Handbag

Photography, Styling and Editing by ME

Models, Jess Gomes and Montana Cox

Special thanks to David Jones :)

Extreme winter is a tale of layers.

I'm actually still trying to figure out how to best style myself  with layers for NYFW - I shot some outfit posts this past weekend,  really just me planning my looks for New York. It's important to trial them outside here in Stockholm for practical reasons... I just checked the forecast and it's going to be minus 23 on Sunday.  WHELP.

Frankly I don't know if I can survive with any of my pretty fashion pieces! The thought of it makes me cry a little bit inside. I totally down with dealing with the cold and dressing properly, but fashion is the whole point at Fashion Week! I think the solution will be a visit to Uniqlo to pick up loads of appropriate thermal undergarments... what do you guys think?  First world problems - but I at least wanna try and look stylish for NYFW! Haha!

Meanwhile - I had the esteemed pleasure of visiting the Ellery sample sale a few days early and picking up this uh-mazing green jacket. For those of you based in Sydney, you can check out the sale 13th, 14th, 15th of February at 7 Randle Lane Surry Hills. More details @ellerysale on insta :)

green jacket, Ellery

black coat, H&M

skirt, Balenciaga

boots, Senso

turtleneck sweater, Oasis

tights, ASOS

Ok well, no coat is going to save my life... or could it?! NYC is going to be colder than Stockholm! I can't afford to buy new coats right now anyway - I'm already investing so much into flights over March... April... May!! WAHH!

It would be truly lovely to own one of these puppies in time for NYFW, I was wasting time trawling the Matches Sale and trying to tell myself it would be ok to make a purchase... I especially want the green Preen by Thornton Bregazzi. Can you imagine it with maybe a total denim look and white sneakers? Or maybe with a red dress and thigh high flat boots and a grey scarf? Boundless options!! I will forever love Military green.

green coat, Preen By Thornton Bregazzi

grey coat, Toga

black coat, Kenzo

reversible tri-colour coat, Drome

So I've leaving for New York tomorrow - and it signifies a very intense month for me. I'm not going to Paris or Milan (I think) but I do have potential work in Eastern Europe and South America (fingers crossed!). I'm also moving apartment and launching a completely new site and new concept for this blog... it's alot of work. I'm already counting on summer coming again so I can take a break.

The past week has been filled with correspondence with brands - arranging samples to wear (current season on sale is summer, so it's essential to be loaning Winter pieces in NYC!) and then contacting PR's and brands to request tickets for shows. Some shows I'm fortunate to be invited to and some I'm requesting... the requesting is the hard part because you need to sell yourself just a lil to get a foot in the door. It's so awkward. My version of selling myself...

"Hey I'm Zanita, I'm a blogger and I'm 28 and I'm from Australia. I love your brand! Can I take pictures at your show??"

Hint: This doesn't work.

Some bloggers are clearly extremely good at selling themselves - and it's truly a great skill to have, fake it till your make it. A good rule of thumb for anyone in business - and definitely a subject of future posts! It can be as simple as the language your use - the art of sales. Maybe I should be calling myself  'Founder of Zanita'... though surely that title belongs to my parents? Haha!

Thankfully I now have someone to speak for me on the selling front - part of a new growth strategy! Something I've had to consider more as I approach 30, will you still be interested in my photoshoots and personal style blogging when I'm 35... 40? Will I still be interested in doing it then? My new dream is to work more with others who are inspired in the same way, fellow entrepreneurs.

Do you like this image attached? It's from a sneak peek from Test shoot I did last week - with gorgeous model Shannon @ Chic. The shoot is going to be part of a new course I'm launching soon, basically a step-by-step process of creating a Photoshoot, beginning to end. It'll detail how to source a model, what to look for a location, how to create a concept, styling and - of course - editing to completion. I had my friend Angela come along for the shoot and film the whole thing so I can create a whole load of videos discuss the process.  Can't wait to share more of this!

Anyway I really need to get back to my packing... It could seriously bring about 4 suitcases full of stuff - its amazing how much you need to pack when you're trying to wear something new everyday and it's below zero. I need ten coats!! :S

Photography and Styling, Me

Model,  Shannon @ Chic 

dress, Olga Skazkina

belt,  By Malene Birger

If you've followed my blog you'll know that there's more than a few circumstances where I've dressed like a boy  or some rebellious teenager - I feel like it's a symptom of growing up on a farm and having so many cousins to cause trouble with. You need to climb trees and ride motorbikes and chase sheep and built huts out of sticks and branches. One of my favourite things to do growing up to clear an area in the scrub and build a fire and then cook all the days food on it. We would make tea out of a 'billy' (just a little steel bucket really) and bake bread in foil (damper) and roast potatoes in the ground. In short - a good pair of loose fitting jeans or overalls and a sweater  or hoodie means you're ready for action... on the farm.

So this outfit represents my 'Happy Place' for personal dressing. It's fun, in a way that feels pretty kooky but also very me. I'm writing this post from Arlanda (Stockholm) airport and I've actually got a few outfits that could fit into the category prepared for NYFW.  I'm excited to go now - I organised my pieces yesterday and I feel more confident about the looks I'm wearing. I love getting really dressed up for shows but the risk is that you can look like a bit of a victim... the victim part comes from being insecure and over doing it just a little, or just being unprepared. I think I've done it a bit in the past - but I don't really regret anything I've worn - thankfully I don't take myself too seriously for that!

I planned about 4 outfits but I prefer to just freestyle the whole thing. I know my girl Andy has told me she plans every look - which seems really wise! I love it when you've really only got a few good things left and you need to challenge your ingenuity. I love unexpected combinations! Like throwing in a vibrant shade with a whack of neutral tones or maybe wearing combat boots with an elegant look.

Excited to share this coming week with you all! You can expect alot of videos from me this season - I have Gustav along and he's my filming expert. We're aiming to do about 3-4 video diaries to share the whole experience.  Can't wait!

overalls, Citizens of Humanity

knit, Reiss

jacket, Romance Was Born

bag, Jerome Dreyfus

shoes, Senso

Photo by Tommy Ton for Style.com

Freaking stupid right? Fashion victim walking!

In my defence: A) I had the chance to wear this Zimmermann dress to the Zimmermann show and I took it. The dress is amazing. I mean - it's one of the best things I've ever worn! And then B) The coat is INSANELY warm. It doesn't look like much but its really incredible. I'll forever tout the value of shearling in cold weather. I'm also wearing a cashmere sweater as a scarf. Ideas!

So Day 1 of my NYFW endeavours have been pretty fine - despite the beyond cold temp. It actually looks kinda nice in this picture right? WRONG. It was so cold it kinda burned my chest to breathe. Apparently sunday is going to be worse too. Bring out the Acne coats!

Highlights of yesterday include-

• Hanging out with Nicole most of the day, a rare treat!
• The Zimmermann show was errrrything. Can't wait to share my pics :)
• Caught my girl Sandra in NYC and we shared a 45 minute cabride/gossip/catch up. I've missed her.
• Rodebjer show - love the swedes!
• Fendi store opening, probably the most fabulous event I've ever been to. Loads of celebs and of course - King Karl!
• Martha Stewart checked out my outfit. #lifemade #omfg

Gustav arrives today and he's going to help me with the filming - so I can share this whole experience in more detail. Ok I gotta get ready!

coat, By Malene Birger

dress, Zimmerman (available soon!)

jeans, Citizens of Humanity

boots, Senso

scarf, Equipment sweater

This is probably one of my more electic music posts, meaning that each track is completely different from the next... from rap to house. I usually like to make a selection that kinda sticks with a theme - but I'm changing it up! These are just some of the tracks I'm listening to NYFW. The first track is by a Swedish rapper called Rosh - I couldn't find much about him except that he seems to be super young - maybe 17? This song is really well produced and I the 'svenska' sounds super cool. Make sure you at least listen until the chorus - though if you're not a fan of rap maybe it isn't for you :) Any swedes out there know a little more about this kid? I'm intrigued! He seems badass.

I love finding new songs when I visit a new place and listening to them over and over - then later when I listen to them they remind me of that location. I do the same thing with perfumes! It's always a great idea to buy a new perfume when you go on holiday!

Happy Sunday! :)

I know that Woodstock was technically in the 60's (1969) but I couldn't resist using some imagery for this - I'm fascinated by that festival. Have you guys seen the documentary 'Woodstock'?  It's such a wonderful portrait of the revolution of that time. The pieces in collection were certainly more refined than what people would have probably worn then too -  but I love the idea of shooting an editorial with these clothes in that setting. Ideas for Coachella or Burning Man!!

I say this every season for Zimmermann - but this is my favourite collection to date. Nicky and Simone are a wonder team and it makes me very proud to be  part of the Australian fashion industry when I see the quality and effort that goes into every piece.

I hope you like my imagery snapped from the show and backstage - check out the whole collection! It's incredible.

Fashion images photographed by me - Zimmermann Runway Show NYFW FW15

Woodstock credits - TIME, Galleryhip, jmeshel

Interrupting my fashion week coverage to share with you my latest advertorial collaboration - with UK retailer, River Island. Inspired by the effortlessness of Aussie style - and Bondi beach! What a location huh? I loved having the opportunity to shoot in Sydney - and in the sun. I'm finally starting to miss a good dose of sunshine after my extended stay in Europe.

I'll forever be a fan of denim - and these looks truly represent my 'day off' wear. When I'm chilling with friends, don't have any meetings - just being myself! The editorial represents my three favourite styles of jeans right now - Flared, boyfriend and Mum-style :)

Photos Ana Suntay-Tanedo - editing by me

Look 1.

Grey 'NY' Tee, Mom Jeans, Blue Bag, Sneakers

Look 2.

Striped Shirt, Flared Jeans, Red Heels, Blue Bag, Sunglasses

Look 3.

Cropped 'Paris' Tee, Ripped Jeans, Striped Shirt (worn around waist), Blue Bag, Nude Heels