Covergirl Kara in a warm white jacket and fur hat.
Winter 2009
- A Word from the Editor. Dawson Ko.
- The 3 Budget Commandments for Winter 2009. Stephanie Lau.
- The 'R' Word. Erin Lam.
- Winter Wonderland? Kara.
- Wonderful Winter Wardrobe 2009. Tina Nguyen.
- Fashionable Winter Days Gallery.
- Homebrew: Local Fashion for the Guys. Melinda Seeto.
- Winter Headjob: A Real Man's Guide to Fronting the Freeze Head First. Mike Huynh.
- School Uniforms. An Exposé. (part 2). Dawson Ko.
- End Credits.
Homebrew: Local Fashion For The Guys
Male model in black round neck 'Sneaker Street' tee with a sneaker print in contrasting white ink.
Decking yourself out in a whole new winter wardrobe has just gotten easier! Without leaving the comfort of your own home this winter, you can shop online and pick up some unique Aussie designed pieces. Melinda Seeto has more...
Sydney lads are becoming more and more notoriously selective about what they are caught dead in. From sneaker pimps to high fashion connoisseurs, Australian tastes are evolving and fast climbing the ranks of the trend ladder. Up-and-coming local label CZAR has taken notice of this phenomenal change in the Aussie male psyche and are on their way to riding the international waves as most Australian labels have.
I turned up to the café where I had prearranged to meet with Ally (CZAR co-founder). Wearing a men's grey loose-fit "Skate Park Terror" tee from their current collection matched with black wet-effect tights and black ankle boots teamed with a sunset orange side strap buckle clutch. Hiding behind her brown bamboo framed sunglasses. Ally casually waltzed over and greeted me. As the waiter came by to take down our coffee orders, we buckled down and got into what CZAR was all about.
What is CZAR?
It's an online fashion brand. The market is mainly guy-oriented but girls can always use the excuse that they've stolen their boyfriend's shirt. We've tried to make the website as interactive and as accessible as it can be. The current collection and the online shop are all ready to go right now.
How did CZAR come about?
I've always wanted to dabble in men's fashion. In the last few years, Sydney didn't have much to offer our guys. Things have definitely improved, and hopefully CZAR can contribute to that as well. As I said, I've always wanted to work in men's fashion but I didn't officially kick things off until last year. It's a very involving process because you have to find efficient ways to find your resources and at the same time taking into consideration, your budget limits.
Describe your current collection:
The current collection is trendy and energetic. All our designs have a different theme so it can appeal to a variety of tastes. The styles are very unisex so I'd describe it as being versatile. The focus is on black and white bold prints. So it's very contrasting and popping. I think it is fun, casual and unpretentious.
Male model in a white v-neck 'Paint By Numbers' tee featuring an oversize headphone outline in black ink.
What makes CZAR stand out from the crowd?
Our intension was to create something comfortable yet stylish and affordable. Each shirt is hand-printed. So that offers some sort of uniqueness. The designs are bold and eye-catching. We're not trying to flog any ironic messages or over the top graphic school extravaganzas. The colours and designs are simple. For me, comfort overrides everything and I wanted to make sure that that was factored into our collection.
Who are you influences?
We don't really have any specific influences we can relate to but we are motivated by the success of other local brands. So many Australian brands have come from humble beginnings and that motivates us to work and strive to reach their level in the global market.
What are you working on at the moment?
At the moment, we've got a denim collection in the works but it's still in its early stages. Hopefully it will be launched by the end of year. Being the part of a small design crew of two people, we really have to put ourselves "in the zone" to get things moving in the creative department.
Where can we find you?
Yeah, come by, our online shop is open 24/7 and start filling those shopping carts. Also, if you're interested in a just having a perve on what's the latest news with CZAR, we can keep you updated on our Myspace page. All the details are on the website at www.czarthreads.com
And with that, we polished of the remainder of our coffees and called it a day. Go on, support local fashion!
Melinda Seeto
Finely replicated – Pitt ‘Blarfs’, so should you.
Winter Headjob: A real man's guide to fronting the freeze head first
Guys! Before you go forth this winter, spend a moment and read Mike Huynh's article. It contains all you need to know in regards to staying warm this winter, and getting one up on the girls! Got your attention? Please read on.
Schwarzenegger once captivated a many great audiences by telling his enemies to "chill…" before zapping them with his diamond powered ice gun in some shabby 90's Batman flick. These days it's a little less literal when your local weatherman tells you that a freeze is coming. All he really means is to wear more layers, carry an umbrella and perhaps cram a few more of those ultra soft Kleenexes down your crotch right...?
Wrong. So very wrong. In a seasonal environment where the onset of schmick apparel has never been more important, men are left hanging in the brisk when it comes to keeping your noggin looking cool whilst staying warm. Women, not surprisingly, have it easy all year around with their plethora of combo-headpieces, gushing long hair and what-not. Men on the other hand are dealt a cruel blow every winter of having to pair their generic grey suits with either a mullet or a balaclava. Or even worse, a mullet in a balaclava (this wouldn't be ideal for you bank workers). And all this trouble just to keep everything from the neck up warm? Bloody oath.
Thus this revelation brings us to the enigma that is scarves. More specifically pretty scarves for men who want to keep warm and look at least 80% heterosexual during winter. A scarf for blokes - The 'Blarf'.
Scarves for men have always been hard to juggle in terms of styling and its penchant to being too femininely overdone. For too long blokes have had to put up with scarves that have multiple colours, textures or zany stitching that seems to suggest that granny may have been consuming too many special cookies from Amsterdam whilst she was knitting.
This year's Australian winter however finally raises the 'Blarf' stakes to a higher class and brings forth a fresh frontier in styling for the male neck. Coal Considered is a relatively new label from the U.S who specialise in definitive headwear that manages to merge functionality and premium fashion with subtlety - exactly what a 'Blarf' should possess. First hand viewing of one of the label's clean cut 'Code Scarf' sample made it evident that a hell of a lot of effort was placed into setting these garments apart from the usual Woolies rag. And if the dual layer Merino Wool construct with finely scattered and embroidered letters over the whole piece that make up the word 'COAL' doesn't give it away, then perhaps an $85AU price tag will.
The true scarf for blokes - Man needs not bare another garment once he has embraced the ‘Blarf’
Of course being a true bloke in pursuit of great fair dinkum neck wear, no one in their right mind would pay such a preposterous amount for a piece of wool (let's hope). And this is where personal preference comes in.
Your options are to:
1. Buy the bloody $85 'Blarf'
2. Buy an inferior pansy scarf that looks like it was the lovechild of a tea towel that had sex with a flannelette shirt
3. Spray paint some toilet paper
4. Recycle that road kill on your street
5. Convince the girlfriend to buy it for you as a "sentimental gift that represents another season together"
Now it is blatantly obvious of which of these is easiest option. Sentimental gifts naturally incur a higher price tag whilst neglecting the whole factor of tangible worth itself. Hence it's perfect for those of you who know how to juice a relationship. For those of you stuck with a reason for purchasing, simply explain to the lovely lady that during the unforgiving months of cold snaps, things tend to randomly fall off for men like leaves do for trees. Hence in order to keep the male noggin working and screwed on securely, it must be kept warm throughout the season. And for those who are really on top of their game in this department, you could probably use this same excuse to get those flashy Hugo Boss underpants you always wanted.
So in true Braveheart-Gibson style, go forth in your manly threads this winter and proudly proclaim to the feminine world: "They may teek away our mullets, but thee will never teek….our Blarves!!!"
Mike Huynh