MBFWA: Haryono Setiadi.

I only made it to one MBFWA show this year and not surprisingly, Haryono Setiadi did not disappoint. Off site shows tend to have a stronger impact - the entire creative direction can be controlled right down to the location, lighting and seating. The all white space with intense natural lighting served as a blank canvas and almost palette cleanser for what was about to come. With Haryono's design you tend to expect structured silhouettes and form fitting pieces but in his MBFWA collection he instead built texture through soft, flowy fabrics, origami folds. His use of colour however was very much present - the colours resembling the elements (earth, water, wind and fire) and the patterns looking like surreal abstract landscapes with vivid sunsets. 

Thank you to Monster for letting me experience an absolutely ethereal. To commemorate the collection, Haryono and Monster created custom designed DNA headphones which were given to all the models so they could chill out to some tunes before the show! 

Photography by Christine Ai (First image by Ryan Kitching)

See more of her MBFWA coverage on Pages Digital

3 comments behind the scenes , fashion week , Haryono Setiadi , MBFWA , runway

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watson x watson summer 13/ 14.

 Backstage as captured by Christine Ai.

The first thing you should know about Watson x Watson is that they never steer far away from their roots. With all the success the brand has achieved in two short years, sisters Liberty and Somer remain extremely grounded, never forgetting where they've come from. Their debut fashion week collection in 2012 was inspired by the bush raves of their teen years. Back for their sophomore follow up, the Watson sisters went through a 90's surf culture revival with their grunge-gone-luxe inspired collection. Growing up on the Coffs Coast probably had a lot to do with it.

The Watson x Watson girl wasn't a surfer herself. I imagine her sitting on the sand, watching her boy catching a wave while she herself preferred to catch rays. It was somewhat reminiscent of 3.1 Phillip Lim's neo grunge collection last September, but the laid back elements of the Australian surf landscape made it uniquely theirs. A modern take on Puberty Blues perhaps? There were feminine plaids with pink accents, jacket-tied-around-the-waist draping, thigh high splits and high wetsuit neckline contrasted with metallics and sequin accents emulating the ocean glistening in the sunlight. But no signs of neoprene here. No she doesn't like to get wet. Immersing herself in the surfie subculture she at the very least dressed the part. She was damn cool. She knew it and everyone else knew it.

The second thing you should know about the duo is that they're big on prints. I remember their very first collection featured a darker, more sophisticated take on the silk pajama print trend (to this day I am still beating myself up for not purchasing that print). Last year it was a hypercolour fluro interpretation of feminine florals and this time around they took the abstract swirls, textures and ripples of the ocean and turned it into one standout print. And to top it all off a bright matte pink lip, killer thick frame Sunday Somewhere shades and lightly teased hair with a half tuck. You could almost feel the salty sea breeze. 

5 comments backstage , behind the scenes , MBFWA , runway , Watson x Watson

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BTS. Shirt Up.

1, 3, 7: Andrew McIntyre

2, 4, 5: Christine Ai

Selamat sore all the way from Bali. Having an incredible time - white water rafting along the Ayung River, quad biking through the rice fields, having multiple dinners at various places in Seminyak. But more on that when I get back on Saturday. In the meantime, I thought I'd keep you all entertained with some behind the scenes shots from a shoot I styled late last year. I teamed up again with my talented photographer friend Christine and took to Walsh Bay for an exploration of a classic wardrobe essential: the button up shirt. Forgoing the staple crisp white shirt, we instead opted for variations on a theme - fuchsia, embroidered, sheer, pajama print and pleated shirt dress. I was stoked to have styled my first on location shoot (personally I think it's easier than studio because the background really helps pull all the other elements together) and had a great team supporting me. The shoot will be published in the second issue of Lovage magazine next month so keep an eye out for that!

Photographer: Christine Ai | Stylist: Melissa Ong

Hair & Make-up: Gia Mills | Model: Serena Hodgson

Assistant: Bill Liu | BTS: Andrew McIntyre

Leave a Comment behind the scenes , photoshoot , styling

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backstage at miss unkon.

Before the Miss Unkon show on Monday I popped backstage to get a glimpse of what things are like behind the scenes. I was amazed by the amount of detail that goes into the presentation of the models, from the immaculate wire plaited bun, to the smokey eye and patterned stick-on nails, all for that 20 second walk up and down the runway. It's crazy to think of how much time is spent on these elements when most people watching the show would hardly notice it or even be able to see it at all, so I considered myself extremely lucky to see it. With this in mind, it truly made me appreciate the attention to detail that went into the production and made me enjoy the show even more. 

 I loved the hidden dandelion tattoo behind every model's left ear, so discreet and subtle you would not have been able to spot it from the stands. I spoke to Miss Unkon designer, Courtney Meyer (I initially mistook for a model) who told me that was a magical element to the collection 'The Life Between', a reminder of the little things in life and has also become show tradition to include some form of temporary body art on the models. Such a fitting detail for a collection that strives to capture the essence of undiscovered beauty. Pictures from the runway coming soon.

7 comments backstage , behind the scenes , fashion week , hair , makeup , MBFWA , Miss Unkon

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