Photo from Melbourne Leader - Photographer
Steampunk in Melbourne!!!

Eurchonia will be Melbourne's first Steampunk gig. Lots of fashion, music and performance, with a historical bent.

Very visual, fashion focused new years... I will be there, taking pics of the fashionable punters!

"Euchronia is a steampunk / neo-Victorian Year's End Ball taking place in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on the last day of the calendar year of 2008. The event officially opens for general admission at 9pm and proceedings will continue 'til the early hours of the following morning."

Put on by Cass from Lockworks, promises to be a very interesting event (also the setting), Melbourne Trades Hall, is a nice historical venue.

http://www.euchronia.com/

Alternative handbags

Last night was the big handbag research surf. I want to look at Assassinus making handbags, so thought I would spend most of the night doing research and seeing what was out there. I noticed three main types of alternative handbags that grabbed my attention.

These were the ones that really stood out as being different and creative.

Gothy Handbags

I spent last night trying to hunt down alernative handbags. A lot of what are called alterntive handbags are pretty ordinary. Really actually mainstream. Most of the tripped out alternative stuff is gothy, or possibly fetish.

So handbags shaped like batwings, handbags shaped like corsets, and of course, the old faithful coffin shaped handbag. I saw a cute one that was a handbag shaped like a straitjacked.

These were pretty cute when they came out, but a bit old hat now.

Cyber/Tech handbags

There were a few handbags that had in built technological features. One had a TV screen... another had speakers for your MP3 player.

Recycled Rubber Handbags

I quite liked the look of these. GeomMythik has worked with making bags out of Recycled material, as has a couple of other outfits in Australia. A couple of designers are using recylced material to make quite nice looking handbags.
Some go out of their way to indicate their origins....(truck tires!) others look just like your typical handbag. Recyled rubber bags are actually in demand, with some of the better ones being quite pricey, and month long waiting periods.

Roboglove!

Beyonce has started wearing a robot like metal glove as part of her performance. it is made by her jeweller who otherwise makes rings and more standard stuff, and apparently is made of titanium, so quite light (and no doubt, quite expensive). As a jeweller, I wouldn't mind having her as a client!

Glove was made by Lorraine Schwarze.
http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/fashion/2008/11/06/2008-11-06_robobeyonce_knowles_models_metal_glove_a-2.html
Schwartz seems to normally make more standard jewellery, from what I can tell.
Including Beyonce's Beyonce’s $5-million, 18-carat diamond wedding ring.

Funny enough, the metal glove thing has already been done by another black singer, though someone in a very different area of music (and someone I personally am more likely to see), Maxim from The Prodigy.

Daphne Guiness (model, designer and likely inheritor of awful beer factories) also has an obssession with armour.
http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/fashion/article2300331.ece

Alternative Modelling Agency Launch

Went to the Alternative Modelling Agency's launch last night, which featured a few of the Circa designers, who the AMA had very kindly included to help them with a bit of promotion. The AMA are a great sponsor for Circa, and even before that, Peter has always supported the show and helped out with photography.

Models were great.....there was only one or two outfits from each designer, so there was a lot of variety and it was quick. They are amazing looking things, AMA have the most interesting models in Australia, so visually superb.

Lots of photographers with some good gear shooting there, and Peter's Hasselblad was in action, so there should be some good shots.
I took mine along, but the re charge time on the flash took too long for me to get many good pics, and I wasn't in a good position. Even though I've tried it a couple of times now, catwalk photography is hard! Next time I do it I will make sure I have a bigger flash with a better re-charge rate.

I had the new Assassinus (www.assassinus.com) corset in it - though being made of perspex I think some people didn't notice it! However the model came out later and wore it around, which gave people more of a chance to check it out. Anyways, a few comments on it and my finisheing is getting better now. I'm doing the course, which is great for teaching you to do things properly.

...and great cocktails!

Congrats to Samantha and Peter on a job well done.

If you hadn't seen it, they got an amazing article in the age yesterday as well

http://www.theage.com.au/news/lifeandstyle/fashion/le-freak-cest-chic-for-models/2008/11/27/1227491783217.html

Website - http://alternativemodellingagency.com/

Alternative Modelling Agency!!

The Alternative Modelling Agency are a relativelynew modelling agency, doing some kickarse work with alternative types for promotions. They have some *Amazing* people on their books, a few friends of mine. In the past some agencies have been a bit dodge with how they treat their models, so its good to know that there is a good agency out there who has the complete interest of the models at heart. One of the two co-directers is gothy, so she can talk the talk and knows the alternative community as well.

They recently had an article written on them in the Age, so some nice publicity.
Well done guys!




Website - http://alternativemodellingagency.com/

Plastik Wrap Video Interview

New video interivew the designers from Plastik Wrap, great industrial label.
Was shot at the Kinetic Festival.




I love Plastik Wraps stuff, probably one of the most famous industrial/cyber designers and have been going for 7 years.
http://www.plastikwrap.com/

Halloween and the "Gothic: Dark Glamour" exhibit in New York

Bill Cunningham's Halloween fashion piece. New York gets out to celebrate Halloween, and included is pics of some great goth fashion at the opening to the FIT goth exhibition, called "Gothic: Dark Glamour" at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

The Exhibit is curated by Valerie Steele who has written a number of articles on Goth Subcultural and dark influences on fashion

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/11/01/fashion/2008112-street-feature/index.html