Sustainable Exchange: NYC Design Workshops

Posted in Fashion, Miscellaneous Moss - Written by siobhan on April 12, 2011 - 0 Comments

Toda Design Studio are responsible for a string of workshops titled “Sustainable Exchange: Methods and Practices for Collaborative Partnerships.” These eco-savvy events feature artists and fashion designers who share how they utilise sustainable design in their work; while they illuminate the potential of sustainable consumption, production and business methods.

The workshops sound like fun: finger crocheted with Eko-Lab, an NY based design collective who specialise in eco-friendly, hand-detailed womenswear and accessories; create jewellery using old-world techniques and ethically sourced materials; and fashion drawing/painting with a designer who makes custom-made clothing from recycled, repurposed or organic fabric.

The Style Rookie Rocks

Posted in Fashion, Miscellaneous Moss - Written by siobhan on April 11, 2011 - 0 Comments

The Style Rookie is a mostly wordless blog that is seriously image rich. The Style Rookie’s “blogger du jour” claims images such as these (sourced earlier today) are posted for visual inspiration. And what inspiration! Mais Oui! C’est le cool rock n’ roll, no?

 

Waiting for a sign? This is it!

Posted in Miscellaneous Moss - Written by siobhan on April 11, 2011 - 0 Comments

Found this sensational image on The Cool Hunter. Not sure who took it or who created it, so if you find out can you please let me know?

Holy Ostrich Egg Batman!

Posted in Fashion, Miscellaneous Moss - Written by siobhan on April 11, 2011 - 0 Comments

This window display is a real eye-popper on Bond Street, London. It’s by the ever-innovative Louis Vuitton. It shows – among other things – a series of accessories which appear to hatch from oversized eggs.  Every few days or so a new accessory – show, watch, necklace – hatches from one of the eggs. More like theatre than fashion if you ask me…

Winter 2011 Fashion Update

Posted in Fashion, Miscellaneous Moss - Written by siobhan on March 29, 2011 - 0 Comments

There’s always something in your inbox. I’ve just spent the morning working on my latest MARCH 2011 newsletter which provides an update on products, retailers + where-to-buy info. It’s always a relief to get this kinda admin housework out of the way. Now to smell the roses…

Body Painting! What An Art!

Posted in Art, Miscellaneous Moss - Written by siobhan on March 14, 2011 - 0 Comments

I am just loving body art at the moment. What an amazing expression + art form. What an extraordinary piece of work this is. For more click here.

 

A strange affliction…

Posted in Miscellaneous Moss - Written by siobhan on March 7, 2011 - 0 Comments

I have a strange affliction of “glamorising” everything. Whether it’s a simple, fanciful daydream of something I am going to wear, the room I am going to redecorate or the lunch I am going to enjoy with friends – it’s always bigger, better + infinitely more glamorous in my mind than what it is in reality. Take my new office for example. I can see it already. Green walls to evoke a subdued, coastal feel; white joinery, for a contemporary layout; ample natural light (but not too much – I need to watch for wrinkle over-exposure); and plants/artwork/sculptures to add a certain boho appeal. But as you can see from these recent snap shots, there’s more dagginess (is that a word) in my life than I am prepared to admit to. As you can clearly see from these shots, my poor hubbie was the hired help for the day; the place is strewn with rubbish, along with yet to be unpacked boxes; while my three kids (still in school uniforms + pre-school attire) hardly create a sense of glamour. Perhaps I need to keep taking shots such as these to remind myself of the harsh, sometimes cruel realities of life. Like dirt, snot + peeling paint. Ahhh, well. At least, I allow myself to dream.

Cover Image Conundrum…

Posted in Fashion, Miscellaneous Moss - Written by siobhan on February 12, 2011 - 6 Comments

Personal taste is an interesting thing to contemplate. What one person likes, another does not + vice versa. Which is why creating a brand image, a commercial catalogue – or LOOK BOOK – as they’re now called in the fashion game, is an interesting conundrum. As a creative director, does one go with one’s gut feeling? In my case, a propensity to be instantly enamored with the more outlandish + colourful? Or does one bow to the populace + acquiesce? My feeling is the answer’s somewhere in between.

As a brand, you don’t want to clout customers over the head with a particular “look” nor do you wish to thrust any visual prejudices you have down their throats. Really, it’s up to the customers to respond to a brand, the mood that it evokes + what it is trying to sell. The customers are the vehicle which shape a brand. It’s their response that matters. Now, let’s consider two images. While looking at the images that I had at my disposal today, I was torn between choosing picture “A”{above} or picture “B” {below} as the cover shot for my 2011 catalogue.

Picture “A” does it for me as it is so visually arresting. Not only does the lime of the necklace jump out at me – and grab me by the throat – but the model looks so incredibly beautiful, like a statue or a sculpture. Picture “A” makes me stop + look + ask questions: what is this? who is this? how can I get some? However, on the flip side Picture “A”  has the potential to divide people: what happens if they don’t like lime; find this image slightly emotionless? Which brings me to picture ”B”  - the one with the circle vest in orange + red. This image works on a number of levels. It is friendly, easy on the eye and non-confrontational. All of these things mean that it might not divide consumers to the degree that the other picture does + therefore has a more immediately accessible appeal. So, the question remains, which image shall it be?

Rail, Hail, Shine: The Shoot Must Go On (Part 2)

Posted in Fashion, Miscellaneous Moss - Written by siobhan on February 8, 2011 - 2 Comments

As promised some pics from last weeks fashion shoot that show some of the items in the MISS MOSS Winter 2011 collection which will be unveiled in a weeks time at a trade event in Sydney. The model, Rebecca, did a fabulous job. I think she looks great. What do you think?

Rain, hail or shine: the shoot must goes on…

Posted in Fashion, Miscellaneous Moss - Written by siobhan on February 5, 2011 - 0 Comments

Weather-wise, last week was a bit of a blurr: Brisbane and surrounding townships were catastrophically flooded; Cyclone Yasi devastated parts of far North Queensland; a fire prompted the closure of the Princes Highway in Victoria; while snow is predicated in the Tasmanian alps tomorrow. Crikey!

Last week, on the south coast of New South Wales (where I live), the week started with a peek of 42 degrees Celsius – by the weeks end, torrential rain flooded the streets. Ahhh! The joys of climate change. But, life must go on…

On Friday, I traipsed through bucketing rain, with garments from my new 2011 collection in hand, into the ever-dry and rainless studio of the Milton based Insight Fotographics. Photographer, Bob, is in charge of all the shots for my new catalogue and other print/web promotional activities.

For this shoot, I was lucky enough to recently cross paths with local model Rebecca Gustafsson who also battled wild weather to reach Bob’s studio. When she arrived, she looked much like a drowned rat (if such a thing were possible for one endowned with such looks). But, wild weather (and nearby lightening strikes) or no, the shoot had to go on. After a quick hair fluff and make-up session Rebecca looked like a million bucks. Today, I have high hopes for the results (which I will post on this blog in the next few days). Tomorrow, I’m off for an ice skating session in Hobart….