Kangan Millinery Soiree 2013

Anyone who has studied Cert 3 millinery at Kangan will be all too familiar with the toil, stress and drama that goes into creating the annual millinery soiree. As was said on the night, it's almost a rite of passage for students, and it's a rite that despite the stress, usually has an extremely rewarding outcome.

Coming back this year as a past student it was amazing to see how effortless and professional the whole event was, and of course how fabulous the hats looked!

This year's theme was "The Goddess Within" and racing fashion goddess, Anna Mott, kicked-off the show with a Q & A session on her experiences running Racing Fashion Australia. This was followed by the highlight of the evening, the catwalk show where the models certainly looked goddess-like as they sashayed down the catwalk in their silk togas and gorgeous hats, with hair and make-up expertly done by the Hair & Beauty students at Kangan. It was a most excellent show.

Afterwards many canapes were eaten, drinks consumed and the wonderful displays of students work taken in by the guests, in the newly built Centre of Fashion at Kangan. I've picked out some photos of my favourite millinery moments below so you can relive the magic :)

It was an inspiring evening and I just want to say well done to the Cert 3 students for putting on such a fabulous event, and of course the tutors Paris Kyne, Serena Lindeman and Melissa Jackson for their expert guidance.


AA x

(Apologies - I didn't quite get the names of all the creators of the pieces in the pictures below,  so just get in touch if you want to be credited for your fantastic work.)

Alison Handley - What a great statement piece

Julie Craggill's stunning creation - just look at the detail in the shadows

A colourful piece from Sam Vause 

Another one from Sam Vause

Love this one from Leteisha Knecht

Lauren Ritchie - Lauren is such a superb craftswoman

Bree Comber - Going excellently down the steampunk path

Being a big fan of shoes and hats and studs, this collection was always going to be a winner with me!  

Such a great display - J'adore!

Paulina Primos - What a beautiful rose 

Olivia Schwartz - I loved the gothic fairytale feel of this collection

Olivia Schwartz - Is it a book? Is it a bird? I think it's both, I think it's amazing! 

Amanda Dudley - Amanda had some stunning pieces, all just oozed quality 

Another Amanda Dudley creation - I wish I'd taken a full shot of this incredible headpiece

Malissa Puyol - An explosion of colour! 

I'm a big fan of Julie Craggill's work, it's always so stylish and well made

Julie Craggill - A spectacular piece

Julie Craggill

Alex Sorensen - Alex always adds amazing and delicate detail to her pieces 

Alex Sorensen - Look at that handiwork! 

Emma Brennan - prize winner on the night, with her gorgeous pink collection 

Emma Brennan - Look at those flowers!! 

Emma Brennan 

Sheila Paul - Sheila has such an amazing way with bold colours 

Alison Handley - This looked spectacular on the catwalk

Hats of the The Great Gatsby (Hereafter "The Great Hatsby")!

At the moment there are seemingly two things the whole world is going super-over-the-top-hyper-crazy for; the new Daft Punk album and The Great Gatsby.
Different eras, different media, but the same impossible dreams, hopes and expectations of people who have shaped our collective cultural pasts with their opulent and often genius showmanship. Will these people; Bangalter & De Homen-Christo, and Luhrmann, all prone to brilliance, prone to shallow self-indulgence, capable of magic yet equally capable of dropping turds, deliver what we want them to?
Their PR machines have certainly done a fabulous job of getting us drunk in hope and anticipation, but (and let it not be true) will in all likelihood, eventually leave us with the mother of disappointed hangovers when that dream was less wet than we had hoped, and the contempt bred from an omnipresence too much for even the die-est of die-hard fans to bear, has set in. Really? Horse & Hound are doing a Daft Punk special? Really? No. before you ask, they aren't, but they could be!

     BUT AT LEAST WITH THE GREAT GATSBY WE CAN STILL ADMIRE THE HATS**

And that is what we will do; just add to the omnipresence and admire some splendid millinery creations of the Great Gatsby era. The era of Art Deco, flappers, beaded headbands and a cloche for every occasion.

So lets talk a little about the cloche; french for bell, which explains the shape. Invented by Parisienne milliner to the stars (Dietrich no less) and icon of the trade, Caroline Reboux in 1908. The style was invented to replace the rather tired bonnet, and was created by placing the unstructured felt on client's head and styling it, by cutting and folding to achieve madame's desired shape. The curves of a cloche are very reflective of the geometric Deco styling and together with the beading and applique trimmings make it so fitting of the era, that said it enjoyed fashionability for some time after Deco had died out with the depression.

Caroline herself seems quite a character and surely deserving of her own post someday, the first person apparently to add veiling to a hat, which is a millinery revolution in itself, but today is all about the cloche and the glamour of the era. Enjoy!

Caroline Reboux herself, inventresse of the cloche 

http://pzrservices.typepad.com/vintageadvertising/advertising_from_the_1920s/ 

http://dressupandteaparties.blogspot.com.au/2011/06/1920s_17.html

Mr Granville, inventor of the Charleston, having an airborne twirl (source: Cult of Aphrodite Vintage)

Rudolph Valentino & wife Natacha Rambova in 1925 (source Cult of Aphrodite Vintage)

Jean Harlow

From the current Great Gatsby windows in Harrods, London 

From the current Great Gatsby windows in Harrods, London

** Confession time, I will need to do a Tron special too as I have had many a lightcycle fantasy since the Daft Punk themed opus, but that was their last album, much too passe for the likes of here!

Creative Ménage à trois – milliner, designer, ISABELLA BLOW

Blow me down if it’s not an Isabella Blow exhibition set to hit London later this year!

Announced yesterday was the upcoming exhibition ‘Isabella Blow: Fashion Galore!’ organized by the Isabella Blow Foundation and Central St Martins, London.

For those not familiar with the legend of Isabella Blow, she was a highly influential VOGUE and TATLER stylist, cheeky celebrity bon vivant, style queen and daring wearer of hats, most famous during the 1980s.   During her time at Vogue, she single-handedly launched the career of then Royal College of Arts student Phillip Treacy when she commissioned him to make a headdress for her medieval-inspired wedding to Detmar Blow.  She quickly moved him into a studio basement below her house where they spent months together dreaming up more and more outrageous headwear creations for her to wear.

Whilst Philip Treacy’s career was propelled by his relationship and collaboration with Blow, the indomitable talent of Alexander McQueen completed it.    Blow was also renowned for launching McQueen’s career around the same time, when she purchased his entire graduate collection whilst a Master’s student at Central Saint Martins School of Art and Design.      Blow encouraged collaboration between McQueen and Treacy, and together with her contacts and role within the media, helped shoot all three talents to fame, and they remained an formidable hyper-creative ménage à trois until the suicidal deaths of both Blow (2007) and McQueen (2010) respectively.   (yes like many a creative genius, she was a depressive)

Anyhoo, the exhibition is curated by Alistair O’Neill with Shonagh Marshall, designed by architectural firm Carmody Croarke, with installations by set designer Shona Heath, and will show 100 pieces from her epic collection of shoes and HATS, now owned by Daphne Guiness.  Among the labels featured in the show, in addition to McQueen and Treacy, are Jeremy Scott, Julien Macdonald, Viktor & Rolf, Fendi, Escada, Prada and Marni.

Sigh.

Sometimes it’s a bitch living in Australia.

Exhibition details:  2 November – 30 March Somerset House, London.

Photographer Donald McPherson 'Isabella and Philip', portrait at Claridges, 2002.  

Blow wears Haute Couture Mother of Pearl top and trousers by Alexander McQueen and Treacy ‘Tiffany pink DuPont Lycra stretch disc with feather arrows’ (online) 

http://www.abc.net.au/arts/artists/philip-treacy-hats-for-isabella-blow-grace-jones-lady-gaga/default.htm 

The first hat Isabella commissioned Phillip Treacy to make, for her wedding to Detmar Blow, 19

More Phillip Treacy/Blow collaborations:

"I wear hats to keep everyone away from me.  They say, 'Oh, can I kiss you?  I say, no, thank you very much.  That's why I've worn the hat.  Goodbye.' I don't want to be kissed by all and sundry.  I want to be kissed by the people I love".  

(from an interview with Tamsin Blanchard 2002)

"The Spirit in which she wore hats was like visual entertainment for everybody else and a tonic for her."

(Phillip Treacy)

Isabella Blow, portrait at Claridges, 6 May 2002. Styling by Amber Desborough, Phillip Treacy disc hat, orange acrylic, 2001.

                   Silk Victorian jacket by Alexander McQueen.  Vanity Fair, July 2002.  Photographer Donald McPherson.

Some other highly recommended links to all things ISABELLA BLOW:

Style Icons

Decadentoldbitches

Phillip Treacy Hats for Isabella Blow

Books:

Isabella Blow - A Life in Fashion

Isabella Blow

Blow by Blow - The Story of Isabella Blow

Hats on the Catwalk of London Fashion Week AW13

*Said with no scent of bias at all, none whatsoever....*

I love London Fashion Week more than any of the other Fashion Weeks in the World, because it is just so damn British, the other side of British. Not the pompous, bumbling, aristocratic, empire-building side of British, that is somewhat ironically idolised by Americans in Hugh Grant and the like (sorry, a somewhat hypocritical generalisation there). But the witty, quirky, innovative and totally mad side, well known by anyone who actually lives there, as a bi-product of too much time under grey skys in confined spaces. Jarvis Cocker is the poster boy for this. It is madness that can be best observed unleashed at 6am at the Stone Circle at Glastonbury. The side that is probably Britain's greatest export in this Modern era.

Anyway, I digress in my Britishness. I went through all the pictures from all the big fashion weeks, and I may post the hats from the others in due course, but the hats from London were just more fun. Mad fun. That is the key trend here!

Ashley Isham and Haizhen Wang had Winter visors (I love a good visor, thank goodness I can now officially wear them in the cold), Louise Gray and Fam Irvoll with colour and pop-art sensibilities,  Belle Sauvage with THOSE fringes, Pam Hogg pushing the gift wrapping theme, Yeashin and her Wintery woodland pixie look, and Ziad Ghanem who I have really included for the fabulous make-up.

Take a look and pick your favourite...

Belle Sauvage A/W 13

Ashley Isham A/W 13

Ashley Isham A/W 13

Haizhen Wang A/W 13

Haizhen Wang A/W 13

Louise Gray

Louise Gray A/W 13

Louise Gray A/W 13

Pam Hogg A/W13

Pam Hogg A/W 13

Yeashin A/W13

Yeashin A/W 13

Yeashin A/W13

Yeashin A/W 13

Fam Irvoll A/W 13

Fam Irvoll A/W 13

Fam Irvoll A/W 13

Ziad Ghanam A/W 13 

Ziad Ghanem A/W 13

Ziad Ghanem A/W 13

All pictures from www.vogue.co.uk