Kazuki Takamatsu

Fashion Forward Friday - "EMERGE" V's "TRUE EMERGE"

follow the fashion campaign logo.

This week to my fashion lover followers, I begin sewing my fashion threads on a certain 'Big' fashion campaign staged by the very own Brisbane Queen Street Mall ( Brisbane Marketing).

This so called fashion marketing success subsided a few weeks ago, but alas, I absolutely love airing my fashion thoughts after the hype and busy bodyness has died down. I believe the 'fashion truths' only begin to unveil and rear its bad fashion taste after we sip over champers with our fellow fashion buds and discuss our real fashion thoughts.

And so, here I go........... 'Follow the Fashion' is what they have hailed as a fashionable campaign aimed at 'emerging' designer/ 'aspiring' designers to be given a career break of a life time: 'to own a boutique with six months rent free!!! in one of Brisbane's well to do and well known fashion precincts.... ( sorry no free blitz advertising sing outs here). Yippee! ( I presume all budding designers would have thought).

Initially underneath my oh so Christian Dior shades I thought..... 'fantastic!, wow, muaw muaw darlings to finally helping our poor little 'emerging' designers. This was definately a fashionable foot stepping forward on behalf of Queensland. But alas, like all good things, there is always a catch of some sort, or should I dare snare.... a fashion flaw!

Whilst it was all in good fashion taste to market the campaign as benefitting emerging designers and to "launch your own fashion design career" ( as flash played on the home page of follow the fashion webby)...I found out, upon careful observation or should I say 'fashion investigation snooping' that this was not necessarily stylishly correct.

The term "emerging" was used fashionably loose ( hence possibly their marketing slogan 'let loose', because I think they did very much so 'let loose' the term 'emerging') by the marketers of this campaign. For those who are 'fashion forward in the fashion tongue language' the word emerging could, would and should mean - "coming into existence" / "become known" / "come out into view".

image source: www.blanc+delta.com.au

After culling through the final five shortlisted fashion label contestants ( Akko, Ma'at, Berserk Clothing, White Sands and Blanc + Delta), to my stylish dismay, I discovered that most if not all of the above in my eyes were quite fashionably already established or already 'emerged' as designers. Swearing on my 'french tips' I think they were or had already "become known, come out into view and definatley come into existence'! Except of course for the fashion fact that they all didn't have a 'free standing' boutique/ shop for patrons to virtually enter.. except for an online existence. P.S. ( the winning entry I must admit did display winning designs... but that is entirely beside the point of this review)

Pardon me if I'm too un-stylish in this matter, but as one opens up the wonderful Follow the Fashion virtual site the term "launch your own fashion design career' flashes up..... correct me if I am wrong, but.... is it not true to say or at least assume that the five above fashion finalists have already launched their fashion design careers?............., in my eyes when you market the term "launch you own fashion design career' I immediately think of fashion entrants who are fresh from the cusps of fashion..... who are about to burst their fashion creativity for all to see... they have been hidden in our nook and cranny's of underground society, having no online existence or such of the sort.

In my fashion opinion, many of the five finalists have very established websites, more so than that of 'well to do' existing designers of our society. Adjusting my Jimmy straps, I soon discovered that many of the final entrants had already become a name in their own right... having stockists brimming from everywhere, and with one entrant stocking in our very own 'mother' department store David Jones, Australia wide!!!!!!!!!.

Cough cough and wagging my fashion gossip tongue! putting all politeness aside.... I declare, that stocking in David Jones Australia wide is not what you call EMERGING!!!!! Emerging does not mean you have stockists and have already appeared press wise in 'oh' so scaled up fashion publications such as Grazia and the likes to name a few!

I was under the impression that the entrants would have literally been 'raw' fresh up and coming, genuine 'emerging designers', who are slightly 'Poor'( little or no money in ones purse) with no high tech savvy websites and certainly no established stockists deals.

To my amusement we were all so quick and proud to announce that the winner of this campaign had already received a large order from the lovely Miss Jennifer Hawkins, and that she had worn one of the existing garments already on that 'model' t.v show thing. This lead me to believe in suspicion... how can you call this emerging????.

In my debatable fashion tongue, I shout aloud that this label has already emerged for heavens sake! I believe that once you have dressed a celebrity favourite such as that of Miss Jennifer ( favourite fashion face) then you have literally climbed many mountains already and will pretty much skip yourself back home. If anything you have emerged past emerging darling. You are probably quite successful ( this a compliment dear from me to you xoxo).

Of course I am not slamming the entrants or the winner in terms of their talents or designs... I am merely addressing the 'fashion truth' that the campaign was titled or defined incorrectly... the term 'emerge' and the statement "launch your fashion design career" should have been left in the wardrobe. But I guess the entrants themselves wouldn't be complaining, if anything they have all been given a free ride on a free fashion marketing campaign ( k'ching, k'ching $$).

My fashion sense tells me, it would have been more fashion worthy, to launch a campaign which identified a 'true' emerging designer. A 'true' emerging designer who is struggling from financial support, web support, marketing support, manufacturing support and stockists support etc... to name just a few fashion symptoms suffered by a 'true' emerging designer. Provide this 'true emerging' designer with all of the above fashion industry support and then we truly have a successful fashion campaign set out to 'really' help out our poor and struggling 'fashion ducklings'.

Can you imagine the complete standing ovation and fashion elation that a 'true' emerging fashionista would be feeling if the Queen Street Mall gave them a store?.... I can just picture it already... a real 'rags to fashion trade' dream come true campaign.

I am always nodding my fashion agreeance towards those who genuinely support the existence and survival of fashion young things who just simply want to be given the opportunity to 'slip their foot into the right shoe'.

But alas, like all fashion queen's I will give my 'fashion approval' to the creative side of this campaign... the idea of voting on virtual shopfronts... was true fashion forward genius, the site itself was clever and of course easy to navigate my fashion lippy around. So kiss kiss darling to a great creative effect. P.S maybe in the next campaign focus on the student designers?... the ones who have come out bursting full of creative and talent hunger???( wink wink).

A complimentary chink of my wine glass goes towards the organiser's for at least helping the 'already emerged' and 'pre - established' designer entrants to at least have their extra 'five minutes' of fashion fame. Although a big fashion no no must be extended to the organiser's for leaving out the 'true' not yet 'emerged' designers.

Back to my yoga session darling xoxo.


Style rating : Follow the Fashion campaign - Applaud

Love me or hate me,


Madam Alexandra E.
fashion critic.fashion expert.fashion queen

The faces of tomorrow's fashion.

Camille brought in this amazing new magazine called HERO the other day which I(Johanna, one of her silent yet hard working interns) snatched straight away - crazy about male editorials as I am wasting my days on Contributing Editor and Fashionisto.

This new thing is especially about the new faces in the male model world, young and fresh and full of attitude. Besides editorials with each boy the guys get to express their opinion on their favorite fictional characters, girls(of course), modelling and anything else as random yet typical of teenage boys in interviews with the editor James West.

Hearting LBD

Hearting LBD by pratishtha featuring Jil Sander

Talking about the Hepburns of the world... I now have a sudden craving for over-sized accessories and LBDs.

Style Icons - Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

In her book “How to be a Hepburn in a Hilton World,” author Jordan Christy laments the modern day loss of polite, well-spoken, gracious, charming and thoughtful women, like the yesteryear icons, Kate and Audery Hepburn. In a celebrity obsessed world, where Paris and Lindsay are emulated everywhere, she talks about the grace and charm that women from a bygone era exuded. As she goes on to talk about "real women with brains, beauty and self-respect", I start thinking about India’s own style queens of yesterday – Leela Naidu, and Gayatri Devi. Vogue chose them as being among the most beautiful women in the world. Ironically, and tragically, Gayatri Devi passed away just a day after actress Leela Naidu died in Mumbai.

Gayatri Devi was celebrated for her classical beauty and was a prominent fashion icon in her adulthood, Born a Rajput princess, she regaled the world with her intellect, beauty and regal charm. As Maharani Gayatri Devi she was an icon for her generation. A head-turner with her bobbed brown hair, chiffon saree, and understated, elegant jewellery, she was the quintessential fairy tale princess. Despite her life’s ups and downs, the doe eyed Maharani’s fabled beauty and grace stayed with her, till the very end. It comes as no surprise that she was often compared to former US first lady and style icon Jacqueline Kennedy.



Gayatri Devi


Leela Naidu, on the other hand, was an Indian actress. Her ethereal, mesmerizing looks and subtle, effortless style, tinged with the glamour of her profession made her a timeless beauty. As the world moves on to size zero, chic glamour, one can’t help but hang on to the fleeting memory of the women who truly embodied style and elegance.



Leela Naidu

Ryan McGinley

Biker Chic - To Be Or Not To Be

To think of Biker Chic in Mumbai weather is akin to committing fashion suicide. Imagine. Me. On a local train in Mumbai. Twelve women rubbing against me (Don’t ask how that happens. You don’t want to know). And my leather jacket making me sweat gallons of liquid out of my system. I arrive in office drenched in sweat, smelling, cranky. Not sexy!

So biker Chic is, let’s just face it and throw in the towel, not for Mumbai women. We live out our life in airy cotton tunics, and tees. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t drool over the chains and zippers galore that the fall fashion is bringing back into our life.

I saw these lovelies on Glamour Magazine’s website and shed tears. My favourite is the Alex McQueen Biker Rings Clutch Bag. Super! The Satin and Chain High Sandals by Camilla Skovgaard bring sexy back, and the Miss Selfridge Leather Biker Jacket, along with the Studded Bangles will do any fashion goddess proud.Desires, I say. Maybe some other city, some other life. Meanwhile Angelina Jolie can slip into her leather shifts and look gorgeous. I’ll have a cotton tunic, on the rocks, please.