Fashionable Eye for the blind guy... & gal

Cover girl Meiko wears her mum's vintage necklaces and belt, black 'Xception' cardigan, electric blue 'Endless Spirit' top, white, high-waisted 'Message' skirt and caramel cowboy boots

Autmn 2008

Dawson wears a white shirt with an untied Pierre Cardin yellow patterned tie slung over the neck, under a fitted light grey suit.

A word from the editor

How are we doing? I'm so pleased to welcome you back to Fashionable Eye for our Autumn edition. It has been way too long between drinks and I'm just so glad that we are back. Autumn!? Isn't it a strange time of the year? Not quite summer; not quite winter. But hopefully the following articles could assist you through this identity crisis afflicted season with good buys.

Good buys I hear you ask? Autumn is one of those seasons which you stock up on fashion essentials which are not restricted by season like jeans, hats and shoes! My biggest head spin has been coloured jeans! Yeah, previously my association between the appropriate colour for jeans was blue, dark blue, faded blue and blue. And the only option I was willing to accept was the change in cut. But Hello! The concept of having jeans in colours other than blue really had me going. My best by this season has been a pair of Lee straight leg light grey jeans…. Wow! It has given new life to some aging outfits. Colours you could expect your jeans to come in are black, charcoal, grey and white. Even purple! So if you believe its time for a change, maybe try a new colour for your next pair of jeans.

The huge highlight for this season is our introduction of Fashionable Eye models! Yes, for your added viewing pleasure, we have introduced 12 models into the mix, to add more life and colour to our web-site. But don't worry if your unable to see them, each image has been captioned. And you could read about each of the models at our new "Models" link. This season we are glad to introduce a first time writer, that being Melinda, she has really added to this publication and has made it a stand out. But to our core business of inclusive fashion articles...... the must reads this season are: "Minimal Spend for Maximum WOW"......"Booby Trap"....... a fantastic interview with Supermodel Georgette Brown and many, many more articles.

Weeks and weeks of work has gone into this seasons production, and I hope you enjoy it. Please, if you have any comments or questions don't hesitate, but contact us at dawson_ko@hotmail.com we love to hear from our readers. We hope you'll now take some time out from your busy lives and take a read and admire the images. I really do hope you will enjoy our creation; this edition is a true gem!

Dawson Ko.
Fashionable Eye for the Blind Guy..... & Gal, Editor

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Alejandra wears black singlet by chance, 'Roc' black lace-up boots, black and red punk-rock mini-skirt,a fake-fur-lined coat,and red sterlingsilver flame-shaped earings.

Minimal Spend for Maximum WOW

Kick starting autumn 2008, Joy Tsai promotes mixing and matching, for a low budget high impact autumn.

With the new season of Autumn gently breezing down the corner, adapting to this unpredictable season is as awkward as squeezing into a size too small pair of skinnies.

Whilst our unpredictable climate has some advantages, it also plays a big guessing game for fashionistas. Our unpredictable Sydney weather can mean that a sunny day is likened to a perfect day at the beach…that is until a monsoon rain hits late in the afternoon and suddenly the temperature drops several mercuries.

What is a girl to do?

My suggestion? Adapt to this new Autumn season by being a tight-ass. Now, whilst I know that I work in fashion and see it as a hobby, I propose a rather paradoxical phenomenon. This is the season of awkwardness. One minute it's hot, the next it's cold. So instead of splashing out on all the new Autumn/Winter stock that's available in stores, why not be a tight-ass and recycle your previous summer and winter wear by a simple act of layering and mix and matching?

I know that it's hard to resist the new season merchandise but here are a few ideas to try:

Summer dress over pants, jeans, or tights - this look simply means that you layer your favourite summer dress over a pair of bottoms in the event that it is too cold to wear a dress on its own or better yet if the sun makes an appearance, you can always strip off the bottoms in favour of a more summer look. Mix this with a light cardigan or heavier jacket as cover-ups for your top half.
T-shirt or long sleeve knitwear top over or under certain dresses - How this works requires a bit of 'what goes well with what'. For instance, pinafore dresses are meant to be worn with a t-shirt or long sleeve top underneath, NOT on top of it, due to its straps. Likewise, a boobtube dress works well with something underneath it as putting a top over it will only create that awful line that cuts across the top of your bust where the boobtube begins. A strappy singlet-style dress works well with something layered on top, so all you can see is just the skirt bit. This works especially well if the skirt on the dress has frills, layers or other details. The same principle can be applied to playsuits and overalls.
T-shirt or long-sleeve teamed with a Summer or Winter skirt over tights - this principle works the same way as the first but can still work well without the tights being removed if the day becomes too warm. These items give you a lot of versatility as the tights can later on be worn tucked into boots if they're long enough or the boots high enough!
A long, flowy top that can be worn as a dress on its own or as a top with bottoms - This option means that you can work out endless ways to wear your favourite summer flowy top without eradicating it in favour of the more cooler months. Team this with a warm woolly scarf, a nice jacket or cute trench coat and you're all set!
Evening or cocktail dresses teamed with a cardigan, heavy fur coat or a trench coat - The first look gives you a 'lighter' look whereas the last two options are more of a glamourous Winter look. Think Jennifer Aniston or Sarah Jessica Parker down the red carpet when it's at the coldest!

Angela wears woolen cream tunic with black leggings and black knee high boots

If at any point you still can't resist buying a piece of the new action, I highly recommend one of the following no-fail purchases:

A light cardigan that can be worn with ANYTHING and once you've found a cut or style you love, get it in every colour you'll wear. Since Autumn fashion has arrived, the hunt for the perfect cardi will be easier than you think! Ice, Valleygirl, SES, Supre and Sportsgirl all do some nice cardies!
A pair of black tights. This will be in for a long time and since it's black, it's a forgiving color and can be worn with just about ANYTHING! The other colour to consider is grey as grey is black's cousin and so easy to match! The choice of length? ¾ or just below the knee as you can easily wear these two with boots or with other shoes.
A long top that can be worn as a dress on its own in a fabric that is versatile throughout the seasons such as cotton, polyester or viscose. This will be the basis of one of your never-fail fool-proof, fat-proof outfits if chosen and fitted correctly!
A trench coat that's suitable for your figure and is dressy, not daggy! There's many trenches out there that do you NO favour and makes you look 10kgs heavier! Shock horror! Not the kind of thing you want, especially when vegging out is so easy to do when it's cold.

I was extremely thankful when I spent almost a month overseas in Taiwan and Japan and a trench came really handy in Tokyo City where it could get as cold as 5 Degrees Celsius or up on the mountains in Taipei where it's almost freezing point! The coat was a great cut for my petite figure and I looked great in my photos! Not only that but when you've got a trench that suits your body shape and type, you can look and feel really confident, feminine and sexy in it.

Make this autumn season a time when you experiment with layering, mixing and matching without spending a fortune on an entire wardrobe makeover. The basic essentials will do and will take you further than you think!

Joy Tsai

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