Kimberly wears a navy blue dress that goes above the knee, and is attached with a black short sleeved crop jacket.
Spring 2008
- A Word From The Editor. Dawson Ko.
- Skip Into Spring. Gemma Campagna.
- Street Styles. Emma Fraser.
- Flower Power. Ly Huynh.
- Sunglasses Mean One Thing, Sunshine! Tracy Tam.
- Fashionable Eye Gallery.
- 10 Minutes With Michael Lo Sordo. Tina Nguyen.
- "Bring On Spring" Say The Experts. Joy Tsai.
- Leave The Lot - You'll Find A Shop. Nastasia Campenella.
- Fashion On Another Sensory Level. Dawson Ko.
- Smashing Ming Vases! (... And Other Wayward Hobbies Of Catfox! Designer, Julian Ngui.) Wenee Yap.
- STOP! This Is How Not To Dress Like A Man. Tomasz Forfa.
- End Credits.
A model at Michael Lo Sordo's runway parade. She's in a white patterned thigh length strappless dress, and white open toe heels.
10 Minutes with Michael Lo Sordo
Only being friends with fashion insiders like Tina Nguyen, could Fashionable Eye bring you a Q&A with designer Michael Lo Sordo!
It is a perfect spring day and I am sitting on the curb in the Surry Hills back streets with Michael Lo Sordo. Lo Sordo showcased his debut women's collection as part of the "Next Generation" at Rosemount Australia Fashion Week (RAFW) May 08. Where fashion bible Harper's Bazaar and street credible Yen have both tipped him as the 'one to watch'. I am indeed watching him as he speaks. As he waves his Italian arms around to emphasize his point, my eyes take in his relaxed fashionable self. He wears a pale blue button shirt with a black & white printed silk scarf tied around his neck that contrasts with his beige cargo shorts and black Havianas. Understated cool.
TN: How did you fall into fashion?
MLS: Watching Gianni Versace when I was little. I loved him. I told my mum I love him.
TN: So Harpers Bazaar's & Yen have both featured you, how does that make you feel?
MLS: It is like a dream come true. Something I've always wished for. You know I never thought anyone would buy my stuff. But by such feedback, it says maybe I am on the right track (smiling abashedly).
TN: Does this kind of press go to your head?
MLS: NO (he says quite adamantly while laughing) my friends keep me grounded. If I am ever like 'that' (gesturing with a facial), my friends would say "look at you". And he mouths a rude word.
TN: Do your friends ask you to make clothes for them?
MLS: All the time (his eyes rolling)! And if I don't, they steal it! (some hysterical laughter) I made this lovely red thing and a friend came over and said "I need it." (laughing still)
Michael Lo Sordo accepts the applause from the crowd, flanked by his two modelss adorning his creations.
TN: You're a part owner of the Graduate Store (in the Strand Arcade on George St - Sydney) how did that happen?
MLS: I was selected by a panel which included Tafe, Nicholas Huxley and The Strand. It was a fantastic opportunity where they just gave us the key and the empty shop and said here you go. We take care of everything from the range, administration to the financials.
TN: If you could dress anyone, who would it be?
MLS: Well I won't say Kate Moss, that would be too cliché. Umm Bjork!
TN: Who is the most famous person so far that you have dressed?
MLS: Paulini from Australian Idol ... Lizzie Gardiner
TN: Describe your perfect outfit.
MLS: A simple beautiful printed flow-y dress. (his hands waving everywhere)
TN: Favourite colour?
MLS: Don't have one. At the moment: black? I love all colours.
TN: Favourite fabric to work with?
MLS: Silk definitely. Silk Crepe.
TN: Where do you buy your fabrics?
MLS: Mostly wholesalers. But I love Greenfields.
TN: When is Menswear coming?
MLS: I say this every year. I get so sick and tired of shopping and not finding what I want, it's coming! (he says exasperatedly and then giggles)
Tina Nguyen.
"Bring On Spring" Say The Experts
To give you more ideas this season, Joy Tsai interviews four close friends and asks them what is coming out of their closets this Spring.
Cold, wintery nights are now a thing of the past as we embrace warmer, longer days with the sun. Feeling the seasonal change has never felt so good!
Spring is also the best time to experiment with different fashion trends as it is the start of something new, fresh, where life is most abundant.
Four experts, from all walks of life, who are near and dear to me, have agreed to share their insights on spring fashion coupled with their hot looks for spring. Allow their words and photos to challenge you to experiment with something out of your comfort zone this new season. Bring on Spring! Style yourself to its fullest extent - life and plenty of colour!
Chris, rolls up the sleeves on this black long sleeve tee with a shirt layered underneath, teamed with dark sand-blasted jeans and white leather dress shoes.
My first expert, Chris Gilbert, is a missionary and musician who by day can be found at the local Church but by night, he's your friendly bar man at a local Tav.
Chris looks forward to the warmer weather that spring brings and creates a desire in him to "wander outside" and says it makes "people want to go out and play".
When asked what his fashion predictions for spring are, Chris says bright colours are in and pastels are out. "Nothing too dull [colour-wise] will be seen on me. I also love more snug-fitting garments to show off my figure and lace less shoes for easy up-and-go!"
In talking to Chris, I find out that he is BIG on layering. "My ideal outfit is one where I can layer a long sleeve under a brightly-coloured tee teamed with jeans and lace less joggers for an effortless look. Since spring is so unpredictable, I can easily roll up my long sleeve when it gets a bit warmer or pull the sleeves down if the mercury drops. A trick to my look, fellas, is that if you roll up your sleeves, the ladies get to check out your hard-earned guns!"
Yes, looks like guns aren't the only thing on Chris's mind as I ask him about his signature piece for spring - a fitted V neck tee in a bright eye-catching spring colour such as blue or red. As illustrated above, Chris reinstates how versatile a fun-coloured tee can take you from the warmer months to injecting a bit of colour into your winter wardrobe.
When asked to sum up his look using the letters SPRING, Chris had to say, "Simple, Powerful, Relaxed, Inventive, No Fuss and Genuine."
Irene, using white as the foundation of this outfit, pairs it with a paisley printed denim skirt, a funky chocolate leather bag and dangly flats.
Irene Tjandra, one of my best friends whom I met in late high school through friends on a fun-filled New Years Eve, has always struck me as being someone who was a polar opposite to me when it came to dressing. She works as a digital media account agency co-ordinator but don't let that title fool you into thinking power dressing for the corporate ladder! Irene describes her style being city chic meets boho - aka Sportsgirl fashion, a long-running personal joke between the two of us!
Aside from that, Irene looks forward to walks on balmy nights, ditching winter gear for spring dressing and more sun.
Many spring predictions are on Irene's chart "florals, frills, lace, chiffon, ethnic fashion such as safari/African and ra-ra skirts will be huge in the women's department. I love wearing my summer dresses with scarves because the weather can be indecisive and flats in tan and black are going to be huge! I have way too many tan accessories such as bags, footwear, jewellery to count!"
On the guys' front, Irene sees casual collared shirts, good name brand tees, knee length shorts with Birkenstock sandals to be the new Havaianas for guys.
Irene is huge on the tan brown phenomenon as she tells me over lunch that her signature piece for this season will be a pair of Grecian-style flats in which she can dress up or down. "I love simple pieces that I can play dress-ups with," Irene states, "It allows me to get more wear out of the few but good quality name-brands that I buy."
When asked to sum up her look for SPRING, Irene had a lot to say:
Simple basic pieces form the backbone of my wardrobe.
Playful is how I like to dress. I love mixing different types of fashion genres to create my own look.
Rediscovering new ways to wear old pieces means I have more outfits without spending.
I love playing dress-ups. The key is ingenuity.
Necklaces and scarves are two of my biggest weaknesses and collections.
Garage sales and markets are some of the best locations for treasure hunts.
Sean, models his black and white checkered shirt with an inky singlet and dark jeans, complete with checkered Volleys and dressy belt for a party look.
Sean Lee, an old Uni friend and corporate man in the City talks to me about dressing up. Sean is a typical metro man who enjoys his shopping and looking good. Sean loves the new warmer weather because it allows him to strip off the old winter layers. He is looking forward to seeing singlets in bright colours, bold prints and even bolder patterns teamed with boardies and thongs. "Aviators are also making a big return" Sean observes.
Sean has already purchased his one signature piece for spring - a baseball style tee with funky buttons in a bright colour. Sean loves the playfulness of the baseball tee and how well it reflects the theme of spring.
Sean was rather lost for words when asked to describe his style using the word "SPRING" so I came up with the perfect description of him - Stand-out Person Really Into New Garments!
Vino, in her fave day time look that consists of a printed chalky blue top complimented by her white peasant skirt, weaved belt and silver heels.
Vino Haines, store manager, is someone I see regularly at work. When she is not dressing store mannequins and customers, Vino's a full-time Mum with two teenage kids and husband. For Vino, spring is all about "Long evening walks, dinner outdoors, flow-y casual wear and femininity. Spring is great because we can show off our feminine side - brights such as oranges, fuchsia, pinks, and yellows are all the hot colours. There is also a strong play with textures such as chiffon, frills and prints of all sorts. Maxi dresses have once again made a comeback as we are receiving a lot of different maxi dress styles to suit different shapes and sizes. These look amazing teamed with bling or earthy colours such as tan and chocolate for a more casual tribal look."
When asked what would be her signature piece for spring, Vino can't go past an orange chiffon top to dress up with pants, jeans or skirts. "Orange is such a great colour as it brings out the colour in your face and makes you look that little bit darker and chiffon's a great fabric for the hotter days for its flimsiness" Vino gushes.
SPRING means a lot of different things to Vino but here are the key ideas to getting this season right:
Sunny days, casual wear.
Pink colours.
Ruffles.
Ice-cream, Yay!
New outfits to buy and wear.
Glam - top it up with bright jewellery.
Joy Tsai.
