WHOLESOME

The girls of So Much To Tell You have ended their blog. It was a sad day. They were my inspiration for The Collective. Though it wasn't totally unexpected as there have been less posts lately but for good reason as they now have their own individual sites. An acceptable consolidation. I've already gone and had a flip through the archives and they're pretty great.

Nathalie always has such interesting content to share. She has declared this year as the year of being more sustainable with a list of high expectations but said she'd never give up her trashy treats. I'll admit I'm the same. There's too much pressure in doing everything right. And I think some things are meant to be sacred, like the right to take good deeds in moderation. Even if that means your health in exchange for ice cream. Because ice cream can keep you sane.

BYE BYE BABY

I'm always drawn to white. The combination of a white dress in the summer is unbeatable. It feels comfortable to be dressed in white though I'm not altogether sure why. It's fresh and says I'm pure of heart. It's what you put on when you don't know what to wear.

I think white can be sexier than black but it's reputation for innocence has people confused. It's a shade with more depth and potential than it's given credit for. It's got substance. The strength lies in it's weakness; the presumption that the wearer is youthful and perhaps unaware of the world around them. Those who wear white hold power but only if they understand how to use it.

Kate Moss by Mario Sorrenti, Vogue Italia

A CERTAIN KIND OF SADNESS

Break-up songs are the best. But they're also the worst especially if you're going through one. It seems that there's no escaping their reach. Radio stations pump them out with no remorse because most songs are break up songs. They're all heart and cryptic lyrics but somehow you just get it. Like horoscopes you find what's relevant. And the world makes sense again. Someone has felt what you're feeling. You're not alone out there all washed up in emotions. Let's face it, we're addicted to love. Love and a certain kind of sadness. This is my current favourite. And it will always be the song from the summer of 11' in Australia. Break-up or no break-up. 

GLOW

Holidays leave you with this glow. It's a certain kind of glow. I've recently been told I have this glow.  Not the kind you get from the sun but something more. It's a refreshed glow. The kind you get from excess sleep, good food, good company and hours of doing nothing in particular.

The greyness in your complexion lifts along with the circles under your eyes and the luxury of time slows you down. It renews your outlook. All of a sudden not much seems important enough to upset your day. Though strangely enough you don't notice a change until you're back at work. Heels drag as you resist the adjustment with the same conviction that had you convinced taking a break wasn't necessary. But as it turns out, it was.

Now it takes you twice as long to do anything but you're contented and unfazed by the faces on the street. Admittedly a holiday in a place where there's sun does speed up the process. I put my glow down to freckles and blonde hair dye. Now just to keep it up... Fake tan is hardly up to the job but it might just have to do. I don't think I'll bother. There's no substitute.

BLONDE CRUSADER

No wallflower is she. A crusader at heart. Blonde waves dominate her stare. Don't look away, don't loose sight of the green in her eye or you'll miss it. It's fleeting but you'll find it lingers long after it's gone. Wearing lace and heavy knits she armours herself from the day and from the roll of the weeks and months. A distraction at best. The raspiness of her voice comes unexpected with words carefully chosen her actions are swiftly taken. Don't cross her in plight for there's a chance the green won't linger but sear right through instead.


Jess Gold by Bec Parsons.
Styled by Romy Frydman with Hair & Make up by Victoria Baron

HOT IN THE SUMMER

Not so long ago the heat of an Australian summer was just a distant and rose-tinted memory. I welcomed the thought of being hit by a wall of humidity, the sun beating down on the pavement its golden light making an impression on my skin. I didn't even mind the possibility of my clothes being soaked through with sweat. But the reality of this experience is something else. With a constant need to run into sprinklers and to hide out in air conditioning, just a walk to the shops becomes a challenge. I think my most used words over the last month have been 'It's hot.' The storms have been illusive and there's a haze that's beginning to set in over the horizon. The grass is drying out. The nights are still and the crickets have us surrounded in our homes. Productivity is at a low point with all the lounging, talking and eating that's been going on. But then that is the holiday season.

I've also rediscovered that looking your best isn't really an option. The only way you can use this weather to your advantage is if your at the beach where a good bikini, shorts and sunnies will do. Less is definitely more in this lazy summer heat.

WATERMELON

There are many moments in my life when I say something profound like 'I carried a watermelon.' These are the moments where baby really should have stayed in her corner. Countless moments of clarity are spelt out into defining revelations. Revelations that others usually find unnecessary. Funny but unnecessary. Though this awkwardness is not restricted to words because being a cluts effects all areas.  In fact if it weren't for those who knew me I suspect things would regularly go quite wrong. Here's looking forward to a more together 2012. 

CHIC ABODE

Daphne not only has a cool name but she also has one of the most enviable loft apartments situated in New York. It's other-worldly but doesn't venture out of context. Much like her photographer, Nathalie Joos she has an affinity with vintage. Her relationship to vintage is "long-term and committed" stemming from the kind of nostalgia that makes you yearn for a time you never lived. She tends to gravitate "towards classic pieces very much inspired by the style icons of the 60's and 70's like Romy Schneider, Goldie Hawn, Francoise Hardy, Mary Rickards..." And with a love of "true navy blue" Daphne sums up what I love about vintage.

Tales of Endearment

SHAKE UP

If there's one thing that will shake you up it's travel. Shocking your senses into the moment. It doesn't seem to matter whether you're returning home or on an adventure, the experience effects you in much the same way. Everything feels new. It peels back a layer of the eye revealing all the differences between where you've come from to where you are. Things look different, they smell and sound different, they feel different. The environment has changed around you and it seems that the same rules don't apply. It's familiar yet it's altogether new. You're just a babe in the woods. You remind me of someone I used to know.

Photographer Dan Martensen
Styling Gilian Wilkins
Models Anna Speckhart & Camille Rowe
Russh Magazine Issue 42

HELLO LOVER

 

Russh's Christmas Gift Guide for the Best Friend. Yes I realise this is another Russh post...I should really just repost everything they do. But I already almost do. I'm still into red - isn't the leather notebook a keeper? Might also try my hand at escadrille's this summer. Love my Havianas but sometimes you need a bit of sophistication on the beach front. 

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

Snow white in the woods she's delicate but not fragile
Lovely but not lacking in wit
Inquisitive beyond cautious
Don't seek her, you won't find her
She's left town.

Anna de Rijk by Yelena Yemchuk styled by Leith Clark for Lula Magazine's fall winter edition.