Portraits of a Tea Cosy

‘Portraits of a tea cosy is a tribute to all those who make and give tea cosies to their loved ones, and to those who receive and revere them.’
Self-described ‘funny knitter’ Loani Prior

'Tea cosies are funny even when they are not mean to be funny
And tea POTS are very accommodating. They will not bemoan your handmade gift. They will not worry about the colour suiting their complexion, or that it doesn't quite fit. There will be no prissiness about scratchy wool. They will not say 'how lovely' and then hide it at the back of the cupboard somewhere.
Make a teapot smile. Knit a cosy.'
Queen of the Tea Cosies Loani Prior
Quote from her book 'Really wild tea cosies'

This was a small display at the Powerhouse Museum showing a sample of these wild sculptural tea cosies. They are crazy artworks in themselves. Mum and I just had to buy the book to try out some of her patterns ourselves. They will most likely become Christmas presents for everyone :-)
Check out Loani Prior's blog http://www.grandpurlbaa.com/

Some of my faves

Roger Rampant

Modern Primitive

The Jester

FROCK STARS Inside Australian Fashion Week

‘Fashion week says to the world that Australia is able to compete in the most image led, sophisticated cultural market in the world, which is ready-to-wear fashion.’
Simon P Lock, founder of Rosemount Australian Fashion Week

About the Exhibition

'The exhibition Frock stars takes you behind the scenes to Australian Fashion Week. Experience the shows, the set and the scene. Relax in the VIP lounge, watch footage from past and present collections, see some of the best outfits from the past 15 years, plus exclusive interviews with designers, models and industry insiders!

From backstage to front row, Frock stars takes a look at the complex organisation behind the staging of this major event and the roles and experiences of selected people working inside Australian Fashion Week; from buyers, media and models to designers, volunteers and producers. Explore the creative process of putting together a collection, in a recreation of the studio of fashion designer Nicola Finetti.

A centrepiece in the exhibition is a catwalk showcasing fifteen key Australian Fashion Week outfits drawn from the first shows from 1996 to the present.

Australian Fashion Week was established in 1996 by PR and marketing consultant Simon P Lock and his business Australian Fashion Innovators, with the ambitious plan of placing Sydney on the global fashion map. The event was acquired by IMG Fashion in 2005 and is now recognised globally as the 5th stop on the international fashion week circuit alongside London, Paris, Milan and New York.

Now in its 15th year, Rosemount Australian Fashion Week is an annual presentation of spring/summer collection shows by established and emerging designers from Australia and the Asia-Pacific. The event showcases a range of garments and styles for men and women: swimwear, resortwear, streetwear, eveningwear and accessories.

Fashion Week’s main focus is to sell clothes – to both domestic and overseas markets. Each year the event also puts the industry firmly in the media spotlight and provides a launch pad for emerging designers.'

http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/frockstars/about.php

This was also an amazing exhibition showcasing Australian Fashion Week from the catwalk through to the history of AFW, front row VIP, behind the scenes and a glimpse of inside the design studio of Nicola Finetti. This is definitely an exhibition worth seeing!
Images sourced from http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/frockstars/index.php

THE 80'S ARE BACK!!!

The Powerhouse Museum has some really good exhibitions at the moment including The 80's are Back, Frock Stars, Student Fashion and Portraits of a Tea Cosy. I had a day in the city today with Mum visiting some fabric stores and then headed to the Powerhouse. All the exhibitions were amazing and too much to put in 1 blog entry so I shall blog about them all :-)

Sparked by a combination of nostalgia, curiosity and the thrill of the taboo, the 80s revival just keeps getting bigger as a new generation looks to the decade for inspiration.
But what were the 80s really like? Were they one just one big party and an awful lot of big hair? Or was there a lot more going on? And what did the decade mean for Australia as the ‘land down under’ took its place on the international stage? This exhibition takes you back to the music, the fashion, the parties, the politics and the people to find out…

http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/the80sareback/

I would have to say that it was one of the best exhibitions I have been to. The way it was all set up was really cool and really took you back to life in the 80's with the big hair, PAC MAN, Rubik's cube, old school computers and game boys, sony Walkmans 'Girls just want to have fun', cabbage patch dolls....the list goes on.

I can't even begin to fully describe the exhibition. There was just too much so you are all just going to have go and see it for yourselves.

Disco room

Interactive electronic Rubik's Cube

Costumes worn by Australian band "The Presets", whose music is influenced by the sounds of the 80s

Op-Shop Finds

BARGAINS!!!

Found this cute little purple dress. It was a size 12 (a little big and a little long) so I took it in a little and took the hem up
Price: $2

This was originally a long skirt so I just took the hem up and now have a little black skirt (which you can never have enough of)
Price: $2

Found this 80's style over-sized women's leather jacket at the Gosford Vinnies. A dry clean and a little lining repair and it will be ready to wear this winter. My new fave jacket!
Price: $15

Bali-Fabric-Bali-Textiles-Bali-Jewllery

So my Mum just spent the last 2 weeks in Bali searching for beautiful fabrics, textiles and jewellery. As you can guess, I get my creative side from her.
Knowing that my Mum was in Bali for the last 2 weeks fabric and textile shopping while I was stuck at uni was so hard but at least she got me some beautiful things :-)

Jewellery, jewellery & more jewellery!!!

I love these cute hand beaded little rings

Mum tried out her Batik skills

Hand dyed & hand woven silk

Convertible bag with one quick zip

My happy pants!!! So comfy

'Threads of Life' textile piece. Considered to be very precious.
'Threads of Life' is an organization to restore pride in traditional ways, keep sustainability in the traditional weaving arts and restoring art form by promoting traditional textiles as a refined art. It also empowers women by commissioning textiles directly from weavers and conserves nature by using sustainably harvested natural dyes

Hand made dolls by street and deaf kids to keep them off the streets and give them a greater quality of life.

Some cool Ray-ban sunnies for my sister-in-law.....her fave colour.....Orange!

And finally some leather boots. The one on the left is my boot from last season which were pretty cheap and not leather but I loved them so I gave them to Mum to get made in Bali in leather (the one on the right) :-) :-) :-)

Autumn Fantasy

I found this editorial a few years ago in Vogue Sept 08. I absolutely love this shoot. The rich earthy colours of Autumn with so many textures captures the mysterious outdoor feeling of fantasy.

I also chose to use part of this shoot to a digital illustration

Alice in 'Fashionland'

So because I am entering the 'Art U Wear' competition where the theme is 'Alice in Wonderland' I thought I would blog about one of my favourite editorials which just happens to be a take on the classic childhood fairytale.

This fashion editorial is an appropriation of the famous children’s fairytale story Alice in Wonderland. The fantastical adventures of Alice have grown in popularity all over the world and have never lost their magic for over a century. Like this editorial Alice and her adventures have influenced contemporary authors, artists, musicians and inspiring adaptations to the stage and screen. (C. D. Merriman 2007, Para. 2)

“Lewis Carroll dressed her as an innocent in satin and ribbons. Disney made her flaxen-haired and saucer-eyed. In the pages of Vogue the land of merry unbirthdays and the late-running rabbits shimmers to life again- as the worlds most influential designers dress the original little girl lost in their own visions” Vogue issue Dec 2004

Curiouser and Curiouser features Olivier Theyskens as Lewis Carroll

‘Through the Looking Glass’
Balenciaga’s Nicolas Ghesquire features as Alice’s black ‘kitty’ lounging on the nearby chair.

Down the Rabbit Hole
Yves Saint Laurent designer Tom Ford as the white rabbit

“Drink Me”
Helmet Lang watches from the portrait on the wall

The Cheshire Cat Jean Paul Gaultier

Marc Jacobs

Tweedledum and Tweedledee, otherwise known as Viktor and Rolf.

“and the moral of that is-Be what you would seem to be-or, if you’d like it put more simply-never imagine yourself not to be otherwise than what it might appear to others that what you were or might have been was not otherwise that what you had been would have appeared to them to be otherwise”.

Karl Lagerfeld

‘The Mad Tea Party’ features Alice interrupting the tea party with Stephen as the Hatter and Locroix as the March Hare.

Donatella Versace and Rupert Everett

The Red Queen John Galliano and his king Alexis Roche

Editorial: Alice in Wonderland
Magazine: Vogue US, December 2004
Model: Natalie Vodianova
Photographer: Annie Leibovitz