Going Gaga for Vogue

At laast! My U.S. Vogue came in the mail (March issue, about one month behind but who cares, it's Vogue!)
Weighing almost a kilo, over 500 pages of pure fashion & news from all over the world with a patriotic tick of approval for American Designers.

American fashion is too clean and simple for my taste, but it's a fair trade off for something I love to sink my claws into every month. :)

THIS is the POWER issue, Gaga on the cover, her shoot photographed by Mario Testino, on location at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp. Honestly & candidly written by Jonathan Van Meter who follows her on the Monster Ball Tour.

You will have to pry this issue from my cold dead fingers if you want it! She wears mostly Alexander McQueen throughout the whole shoot. Fashion.Art.Talent.Beauty...

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RIP Elizabeth Taylor

Wow, the first thing I heard today while I was still asleep was my dad saying "Elizabeth Taylor passed away"... I woke up immediately and couldn't believe it. Really.. so soon? I was aware time was moving on but didn't know she had so many health complications. 


I just wanted to pay tribute to the late Elizabeth Taylor, a style icon who epitomised the golden Hollywood era. As both movie star and onscreen legend, Taylor will forever be remembered for her sensuous beauty, sultry film roles, tumultuous love affairs and her active role in the fight against AIDS.


I first loved her in Cleopatra, loved the make up and head dresses, loved how well she played Cleopatra and set the bar for how strong & fiercely independent a woman really can be... 


Rest in peace. Xx

Catwalk Fashion Illustrating

I don't know why, but on rainy days I love to do water colour painting, or in this case fashion illustrations in watercolour, hot off the catwalk. I thought I'd share these with you. Some are S/S '11 and A/W '11, haute couture and ready-to-wear by Christian Dior, Alexander McQueen, Louis Vuitton and a red carpet design (unknown). I'm inspired by fashion illustrators like Patsy Fox (Angie Rehe) and Kelly Smith. Drawing was always my strength from since I was a small child, my mother was an artist, I love to communicate through imagery. :) Hope you like my latest illustrations. Xx

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Food Diary, Illustrated

I've always been curious about keeping a food diary, I've never taken the time to record anything I eat, but when I was flicking through an old Frankie magazine I saw an artist had illustrated 8 weeks of everything she'd eaten, healthy and unhealthy, easy to draw and not easy to draw. So I decided to just sample this quirky way of crossing food with art with just pencil and water colour.... I didn't want to wait too long before being able to eat it! ;) So this is me, one day of my life, my eating habits vary day to day, but this is just one day, illustrated, purely for fun...   :)

Radelaide Styling for Autumn!

Again, I'm using the colours of Autumn 2011: (listed left to right at top of story board): 

Bamboo, Emberglow, Honeysuckle, Phlox, Cedar, Deep Teal,Coffee Liquer, Nougat, Orchid Hush, Quarry

I received an interesting response from my previous story board "Styling Autumn 2011" where the price was more of a topic than the colour trends presented in the garments. (Oops! but the focus was to illustrate Autumn Colours, price means nothing to me) So this time instead of shopping via Net-a-porter, I'm kicking it Radelaide style, best & affordable prices from current catalogues in Australia to keep it real, oh and a local SA-based jewellery-maker you may have heard of ;P I hope this inspires you to look for these colours when you're on your next shopping spree & use the colours you love best & suit your hair/skin/eyes/personality and let them do all the work!

Autumn Colours Used: 

• Bamboo (Sportsgirl t-shirt, BZ necklace)
• Emberglow (BZ bracelet)
• Quarry (Target military jacket)

Styling Autumn 2011

Looking through familiar sites since studying fashion has become habit at times, sites like Vogue, blog lovin, net-a-porter, fashion trendsetter, fashion toast and the sartorialist which made me reminisce about making mood boards, researching colour trends and before you know it, I'm working on a mood board of my own. Styling for Autumn 2011, if money were no object and I lived overseas, had a figure to die for and breathed fashion even more than I do now, this is what I'd wear. I was surprised by the lively colour palette for Autumn but I love colour, so I love it! We need more colour. Right now I'm wearing a grey knit cardigan (sad face) and teal long sleeve top (new autumn 2011 trend). Small Victory, new trends. Enjoy!


“Designers take a painterly approach to fall 2011 by artfully combining bright colors with staple neutrals, reminiscent of how an artist would construct a stunning work of art,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Much like a painter’s masterpiece, there is a certain romance to this season’s palette.” -pantone.com


Colours listed left to right at the top of the story board are:
Bamboo, Emberglow, Honeysuckle, Phlox, Cedar, Deep Teal, Coffee Liquer, Nougat, Orchid Hush, Quarry.

I've incorporated that in the Vanessa Bruno shirt (Emberglow), Donna Karan jacket (Nougat) and kept the rest in black as it's best to stick to wearing only two colours, more than that and it becomes too overwhelming.

Have a great Autumn fashionistas!

Belinda Xx

International Women's Day

I was fortunate to be involved in my old high school's celebration of International Women's Day 2011 (Centenary). A few other graduates from different fields and industries were there. We all gave a speech about what IWD meant to us and who inspires us as a woman. I decided to wear one of my graduate designs from my Tafe Collection in '09 to show the students what I was capable of & to hopefully inspire them to follow their passions. 


Here is part of what I shared:


"Last year I was given this book & I recommend every young girl and woman read it, especially in your highschool years, as you sometimes need a little reminder of what your identity is as a young woman & finding out what you’re really made of. It’s called “Treasure Yourself”, written by Miranda Kerr. While I don’t covet her glamorous supermodel career, it’s actually her mind-set and attitude towards life which has brought her not only a success, but a happy life too, and that is worth coveting. I found this paragraph inspiring & wanted to share it with you:

“I like to think that we are all unique flowers in the amazing garden we call Earth. No two of us are the same and nor should we ever want to be. We all have a place here. A daisy is as beautiful as a sunflower. We all face challenges in different ways and we all have different strengths to help us through life. To find your strength, my advice would be to get to know who you are and listen to yourself before doing anything else. Think about your options and the consequences of each action you might take. Strive to be the best you can be and focus on who you are in each moment. 

I believe the only way to handle a challenge is to face it head on with an open mind and heart. Challenges are what life gives us to make us stronger. Welcome challenges and you will open the doors to opportunity and growth. Your own strength will be reflected back to you as you realise what you can accomplish.” International Women’s Day for me has been about empowering women and inspiring and engaging them in celebrating what we have achieved in the past, what we are yet to achieve in the future and being here now in the present. Thankyou."



 I hope you also had a good International Women's Day, I know that my experience of it through highschool made it all the more richer. 


Belinda Xx
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