Celebrity Birthdays: Kate Moss

Showing posts with label Kate Moss. Show all posts

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Wheels & Dollbaby

Wheels & Dollbaby is one of my favorite brands, having discovered it age 15 by reading Australian teen mag, Dolly. The brand was unlike anything I'd ever seen, clothes drenched in rock & roll fused with feminine style and a touch of sleek 50's tailoring. I grew up with Wheels & Dollbaby, who just celebrated their 25th anniversary. Melanie Greensmith (below) was born in London, and her Mum was a Bluebell showgirl at the Lido in Paris. "I grew up with that naughty but feminine thing". Melanie spent her childhood playing dress ups in her Mum's wardrobe and making dresses out of nighties. In her teens in London, she was taken by punk edged, subversive designers like by Vivienne Westwood, Boy of London and rising star John Galliano. She hung out with musos, making them clothes.

"I love glamour, but I also love hanging out with sexy guys in bands. Dressing them seemed like a really clever way to get to know them." Melanie took off overseas at 19 ending up in Australia where she launched the first Wheels & Dollbaby store in Sydney in 1997, basing the name of her & boyfriend's nick names. The day before she opened it's doors, Michael Jackson popped by and ordered a customized leather jacket for his Bad tour. Inspired by vintage, art deco and rock & roll and rock chicks such as Debbie Harry (who is a friend), Anita Pallenberg & Marianne Faithfull.

''I've spent years making the hot girls look the hottest they can be. I only want to do what I like.'' Sydney Morning Herald.

Nicole Trunfio in W&D

Pics from campaigns and Perth Fashion Festival

"While other people disappeared along the way from heroin or spent it all on cocaine, I just kept making clothes and saving." Over the years the rock & roll glam style of W&D has become a firm fave with cool girls - check out the roll-call below.

Nicole

Dita

Katy

Courtney

Debbie

Kate

Britney

Lily

Daisy

Amy

Ruby

Pammy

Courtney opens New York Fashion Week 2011 in Wheels & Dollbaby

Living in Sydney in the noughties I was always in their Darlinghurst store just off Oxford St, with the black & white striped canopy. It was my one-stop shop for fitted Tees & Tanks with original prints, cool party dresses and coquettish tops. I'd marvel at the gorgeous punk Dollbaby shopgirls, leopard print carpet and French Louis XV style furniture. Melanie's house is decked out similarly in crystal luster lamps, chandeliers, chaise lounges, gilt mirrors, vintage trinkets & velvet, accumulated from various trips to Europe. "It's a bit '70s rock'n'roll, a bit mock-tudor mansion."

Melanie is now with long-term partner Mark McEntee from The Divinyls, and he played at their 25th Anniversary show yesterday at Perth fashion week, with long term buddy Katy Steele from Perth band Little Birdy (below, in punk W&D shirt) stepping in for lead singer Chrissie Amphlett. Here are some pics from the 25th Anniversary show @ Perth Fashion Festival 2011.

Perth stunner Nicole Trunfio

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Kate for ELLE France -September 2011

Kate looking cute for ELLE France September 2011, shot by Sonia Sieff.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Hot in Yellow

Yesterday I decided to do a post about YELLOW! I have been craving colour for the past 18 months and noticed an injection of yellow in the fashion mags & red carpet pics lately. Funnily enough, I haven't worn yellow since I was 12. I wore a yellow Esprit short-sleeved shirt to a birthday party with cobalt blue plastic beads , & my friends started singing "dear little maid in yellow" to me, some song in a play we were doing at school. That was the finish of me and yellow. I felt like a corn cob. Shortly after that I embarked on my 20 year love affair with black, with nary a colour to be seen on my person (apart from vermillion talons, and the odd pair of purple fishnets). Upon moving from chilly London to sunny Sydney in 2000, I rejoiced in the beachy, sexy saturated colour-popping fashion that Sydneysiders do so well. As a good friend says "Sydney is more LA than LA!" It's fun, bright, a bit trashy & a bit flashy. The home of the annual Gay & Lesbian Mardis Gras has to be, really.

Fashion Editor for Australian Harper's Bazaar Christine Centenera in Aussie designer Josh Goot dress

Heidi Harrington-Johnson in yellow jeans for Ksubi Kolours

Check out my darling friend Ally Grrrl's brand spankers new blog for more SYDNEY COOL! Some fab splashes of yellow here in Sydney's Inner West. One yellow dress that always catches my eye is Michelle Williams' stunning Vera Wang at the Oscars in 2006 was pretty fabulous.

Now back in NZ, I MISS COLOUR! Very few designers here do it right. Often it is more frilly layery frou frou than the tailored colour blocking that I love. So imagine my delight this morning upon waking up to find this little gem (above, Canvas Magazine) in the Sunday paper! Lo and behold - a yellow Tibi dress takes prime position. On telling my friend in London across Viber this morning about this post, she warned me "Ooh, but not everyone can wear yellow can they?"Good point. The general rules are if you are pale skinned, go for darker ochre yellows & mustards. Olive-skinned brunettes suit canary and buttercup brights.I'm still not sure if I'm brave enough to wear yellow, but I am inspired by some of these 2011 Spring & Summer editorial looks!