Fall Victim To Fashion

CANDIDLY NICOLE.

thefirstcasualty — Sat, 04 May 2013 13:06:08 +0000

I love Nicole Richie so much. She is an absolute style icon, always impeccably dressed in clothes that looks great and feel comfortable. And the jewels, don’t get me started on the jewels! What I like about Ms. Richie is that she has some serious personality and a wicked sense of humour.

If you follow her hilarity on Twitter, you’ll be pleased to know she has a new online show based on some of her finer tweets. The show is called #Candidly Nicole and it’s gold. Episode 1 is based on her tweet, “Woke up feeling good about myself, until I remembered I have a tramp stamp”. Episodes are only 5 minutes in length, so if you’re feeling hungover or couch-bound today….get involved:

TRAMP STAMP REMOVAL

The First Casualty x

RWB SALE. NUFF SAID.

thefirstcasualty — Wed, 01 May 2013 12:07:34 +0000

TFC x

I LOVE COLOUR!

thefirstcasualty — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:34:36 +0000

I do, I love colour so much. I have to have it around me at all times. If not in my outfit then in my accessories, my folders at work, my inspiration board, I even have these up on the walls in the lounge room:

This as my Facebook cover (yes, loving Mexico’s colour palette right now):

A great shot from stylist Emily Howlett:

Maya Hayuk is an artist and fellow colour lover!! Her work is bright, geometrical, spacey, a little bit psychedelic and oh so colourful. She transforms canvases, walls and spaces from blank to beautiful. Check out her recent collaboration with Billabong. These bikini’s are so fun, get your hands on some before your summer holidays to the northern hemisphere!!

Maya Hayuk from Billabong on Vimeo.

Check out more of Maya’s work here and get some colour into your day: www.mayahayuk.com

Happy Monday!
The First Casualty x

JELLY SANDALS.

thefirstcasualty — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 09:39:30 +0000

So they’re back! Dem’s being Jelly shoes!! Most of us 80s babies will remember these from our youth. I can’t remember if I ever had a pair. In fact, I’m pretty sure I didn’t. I definitely rocked some sandal action but more the leather kind. Grecian styles. So anyhoo they’re back and not just for the little ones. Big kids are getting nostalgic and rocking these fun, flat and super comfy gems. How do we all feel about these? Do you own a pair, do you like them? I think they are a great trend but I personally couldn’t pull them off. I wonder how they go in hot weather? If you’re loving the jelly goodness, check out these rad colour options:

Buy them here – http://jbeans.com.au or here – http://www.surfstitch.com/brand/jelly-beans

Jelly Belly craving totally just struck. I can’t think of one without thinking of the other. Nom nom nom here – http://www.jellybelly.com

Peace,
The First Casualty x

Une Révélation – Partie I

thefirstcasualty — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 10:34:42 +0000

The magazine God’s are speaking to me and I can’t be sure what they are saying. Let’s start at the beginning and we may be able to decipher this together.

I’m a 18-year-strong magaholic. There was two things I can remember buying for myself when I first earned that elusive ‘pocket money’ in my primary years. That was music; cassette’s to begin with and then CD’s not long after (yes, you’ve just worked out my age) and secondly, it was magazines. It was around the 1995 mark when I became overcome with the need to know all that was popular in the world. I wanted to be able to recite the Top 40 singles from the charts and recall the past years ‘Hottest Man on the Planet’ titles (does anyone remember Dean Cain aka Superman?!). I brought TV Hits and Smash Hits to begin with and as I progressed into teen life, my hormones changed and the need to read the bibles of my generation came to the forefront. I chose Dolly for my monthly dose (and education) of Dolly Doctor and Girlfriend so I didn’t have to let go of my celebrity and mainstream pop culture. As junior high passed and the first kiss became less relevant, I graduated onto Cleo and Cosmopolitan as they took me into the adult world (sealed sections and all).

Career and travel littered my young adult eyes as my dream to find a Bachelor of the Year at my local pub grew smaller and smaller. Jobs changed, relationships began and finished. My tastes matured once more and I began delving into the world of fashion magazines. As expected Vogue made its debut as well as random and usually once off purchases of magazines beyond my still ‘youngish’ years; Harper’s Bazaar, Fashion Trend, Madison etc. I quickly realised that these target markets earned a lot more than I did and although I had also begun my journey into fashion school, reality and personal taste began drawing me into the alternate, vintage, even pre-hipster culture of Yen, Frankie and street press realms like X-Press Fashion. All my stimuli and inspiration were being fed but with ‘celebrity’ and ‘high-end fashion’ lagging once again, I realised that my monthly mag habit was still not complete. There was room for a weekly.

Gossip mags seemed like the obvious choice though I could usually only stomach them when travelling for some reason. Holidays always meant escape and these mags certainly removed my conscious mind from reality. I was never into these types of mags outside of that scope. The front to back crapola and assumption was a little too much on a regular basis. That’s when Grazia came along. It had a light layer of celebrity want-to-know, was pleasant on the back pocket and had the perfect mix of accessible and high-end fashion. I had filled the void.

My magazine purchases have never been consistent. I fall into the category of ‘can’t live without them, can’t subscribe to them’. My interests change regularly and my timing and cover choices sporadic and whimsical. I quit fashion school and tried my hand at the real world. I loved the industry but became worn out with its succulent needs. Oh, and I can’t sew to save my live. Suddenly I realised my magazine norm was not challenging enough and began enjoying my boyfriend’s Monster Children more than my own boundary pushers. Vice became my new hero, Oyster and Russh my fashion spreads of choice and Acclaim the guilty pleasure to condone all my filthy habits.

Then one day (after 9 gruelling months of hard work), I released my own magazine with an amazing team of volunteers and it was one of the biggest highlights of my life. All 100 pages in their raw and often wonderful glory gazed back at me from my lap. It was a pinnacle moment in this thus far 16 year-long journey. I rode the high for months, even close to a year before spiralling into magazine guilt, unable to back up my own works with another due to time and money constraints.

I recently laid my magazine to rest on the coffee table along with all my past favourites. It had been months since my last magazine purchase. I hadn’t gone this long without a magazine since uni days when Mi Goreng filled my cupboards, and hopes and dreams fuelled my petrol tank. I was having a serious bout of magarexia.

Then this month something changed. I stood in the newsagent and had an overwhelming sense of urgency to buy a magazine, actually more like a handful of them. I grabbed one after the other, deliberating, selecting, returning. It is an intuitive process and always has been. Vogue was back on the map, Women’s Fitness made a debut (shit, what’s happened to me?!) and Grazia was my low-risk, good times-guaranteed kinda read. As I unleashed the latest stash on my bed at home, I poured over my chosen selection. Vogue March 2013. Why does that ring a bell?

When I moved from Perth to Melbourne a few years ago, I had to let go of a good chunk of my magazine collection that I had hoarded for so many years. What made the cut? Absolute favourites, collectables, one-off buys, and striking covers. I scanned over my culled collection to see which other Vogue’s had made it through. Vogue March 2010, March 2011, March 2012. Weird. I hadn’t noticed this when I packed them up and certainly not before today’s purchase. Turn’s out my Vogue movie is called The March Edition. I guess it makes sense with all the fun and brightness of the Spring/Summer Collections from around the world. I turned to my Grazia for some spooky-shit relief and not much more than the eighth page was turned before I realised I had picked up the last issue…ever. Grazia had come to an end. My ol’ faithful had completed its chapters and wad ready for the final dance. I can’t believe I missed the large fact on the front cover but was glad for its auto-purchase even more. Any freaky breakthroughs with Women’s Fitness? Well I haven’t opened it yet so there’s still time.

My loco magazine week concluded back at the supermarket later this week. An item I was buying 100 of was scanning at an incorrect price (event related Easter eggs, another story for another day). As I waited for the Store Manager to re-scan all 100 (surely there was a simpler way?!), I began flicking through the magazine rack. Not in any need to buy anything this time but simply to kill time before I killed the bad service offenders in front of me. Nothing really took my interest, all monotonous copies melting into one another. My only regular had come to an end and maybe it was reflective of the next chapter that was about to begin in my life anyway. My need for celebrity dwindled as my continual journey to find entrepreneurial success, egoless states and stable happiness grew. I noticed a shorter mag behind a stack of tall fashion matte’s. I’ll do my bit and put it in the correct place so some other unknowing purchaser is given the chance. Its good magazine karma.

The title on this short mister’s badge read “Messenger COLLECTIVE”. I don’t recognise it nor the healthy and happy looking blonde on the cover (turns out it’s the one and only Lorna Jane!). Not even the byline’s twinge my attention but as I place it in an empty space on the rack and prepare to head back to the ‘egg saga’, four tags above the title catch my eye. “Game changers / thought leaders / rules breakers / style makers”. I pause and without question, my mag intuition kicks in and this seemingly new kid on the block is added to my conveyor belt of chocolate goodness. This ‘Messenger Collective’ has single-handedly nailed everything that I occasionally am and always aspire to be. It has summed up my career goals in an eight word eye-catcher.

Today I sit at a crossroads, not sure what path to take in my creative future. Not sure whether to continue to pursue my current passions without the time and financial returns afforded to my industry fellows or how to combine a well paying full time job and a passinate hobby into one. Under my wing sits a blog, a website, a Facebook page and some Twitter accounts filled with opinions, events, style, music, action sports, fashion and more. A creative store where I hang all my favourite pieces. It is mostly a labour of love but with little return, often just simply a labour. As I read through Messenger Collective, I feel like another magazine chapter has begun in my journey. Here I have found an equal filled with new inspiration, information, people to look up at and places to escape to. The magazine God’s are speaking and I am eagerly listening and hoping to find some answers, make positive changes and move into bigger creative realms in my daily journey. Stay tuned.

The First Casualty xx

CHADSTONE SHOPPING CENTRE.

thefirstcasualty — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 05:41:02 +0000

Firstly can I say how impressed I was with the carpark situation. It was a warm 33 degrees so underground parking was the way forward. Never did I think I would find a park, let alone by directed to them by a digital sensor system. Green light for a park, red light for taken. I found a park in a minute! Chaddy, you were off to a good start. What exactly was I popping in for? Nothing really but I had to justify it so I went with the fact that I have two weddings coming up and a new dress wouldn’t go astray. Worst case scenario, I did need some bottoms i.e. pants, jeans, skirts, trousers etc.

What did I end up with? 8 tops, 1 pair of trousers, 3 CDs, cosmetics and skincare. Yes, it sounds bad but I did bargain hunt so all in all it was the same price as a new dress. What about the fact that 8 tops were not on the priority list? Irrelevant (when can you have too many tops?!). Here’s my catch:

I.D.S.: 2 x loose fit singlets in mango and on-trend khaki (Yes, military is back…again! Small doses, small doses). $14.90 each. Good customer service, good fitting rooms, amazing Romance Was Born type shorts if you’re looking for a cheaper pair.

Myer: 1 x Tokito blue trousers. Last pair, slightly too big but at $24 on sale – you can’t go wrong. But wait, I found a $20 voucher in my wallet when I reached for my Myer One card….$4 trousers – oh snap! Customer service is good when you can find it. Fitting rooms are possibly the most depressing. 360 views in horrid bright lights. If you ever need motivation to go back to the gym, this is the change room for you.

Target: 1 x loose fit singlet in cuh-razy neon zigzags (I know, I’m wild) $9.88. Discounted clothing racks are insane. If you’re game enough to sift through, you can find some winners. Totally overstocked racks and sizes/styles thrown together like spaghetti. Lucky I like Italian food.

Supre: Ok before you judge, it was 30% off the ENTIRE store. 5 x tops = $63.00. You can find some super cheap basics in here that are good for throwing together with your ‘classier’ wardrobe pieces. It is possibly the most overstocked store in the history of mankind and you will be battling with ‘tweens’ and ‘mutton dressed as lamb chops’ but it’s the price you pay for not paying much price at all. Got it? So I scored a great cobalt blue sheer singlet, a black batwing top, a dark grey marl (I love marl!!) long-sleeved number and two midriff-baring tshirts. Yes, I am reliving the 16-year-old dream (just with high-waisted skirts and other non-revealing assortments, how bold of me).

JB-HI FI: $51.95 minus $40 voucher from Santa (thanks bro) = $11.95. I can’t remember the last time I brought a CD. But how good did it used to feel when you were younger?! Great tunes, more tracks, album art, tactile love and giving back to the artists (slash making amends for your days as a pirate aarrrr). Flume’s self titled album is amazing. This kid (well he is 21) is making some serious waves as a producer. His sounds are unique mix of electronica with an old school hip hop blend. The only thing missing from this album is a re-release that includes his remix of Hermitude’s HyperParadise. Ball Park Music are one of the funnest bands I’ve seen play lately. If you get the chance to see them live, do it. You will know more songs than you think and will delight in dancing frivolously to the coolest nerd burgers going around. And as for Summer Festival Anthems, well everyone loves a good party tune don’t they? I happen to like 38 of them.

TARGET: Skincare and cosmetics on sale $53.78. ON SALE being the operative words here. Looking after this face costs money, isn’t that right ladddeeees! I’ve tried expensive moisturiser’s and my skin ain’t buying it (oh my goodness, is my skin a bargain hunter too?!). The beauty mags have done the studies and you don’t need to spend a lot of doe to get the results. Oil of Olay Sensitive is my first layer of choice, it’s light and moisturising without leaving the face oily or shiny. Second layer of choice has evolved of late to a sheer cover as opposed to the teenage dream of more heavy coverage than an Oprah visit. I used to use (and would still recommend – Napoleon or Clinique foundations. But for now its BB Cream all the way baby. 8 treatments in 1 my ass but the end coverage is a winner for me anyhow. Mascara of choice for the past few years has been L’Oreal Telescopic. The flexible brush leaves you with long lashes and no clumps. And lastly Garnier 3 in 1 Wash + Scrub + Mask is easy to use in the shower for those of us who are still looking for that long lost friend called TIME.

$172.41 for all above. Not bad at all. Final thoughts? Without a doubt Sportsgirl is the market leader in mid-spend merchandising standards. Their stores are an experience, not a casual visit. Chadstone needs a licensed venue, all this shopping can get a gal thirsty. Shopping by yourself is great if you know your own style. If you don’t, take a friend with a well-trained eye. Never spend a whole day shopping with your husband or boyfriend. It is not fair to them, or you. Havaianas are a great shopping shoe because they are easy to get in and out of. My secret? Buy the men’s ones because they have a thicker sole meaning extra cushion for the trolley pushin’.

Well that’s all to confess for now. Next week? My adventure into the Apple store to get my phone fixed and my return home with a Kit Cosmetics bag.

The First Casualty x

CONFESSIONS OF A BARGAIN HUNTER

thefirstcasualty — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 05:17:00 +0000

Oh Lordy, I’ve turned into one of ‘them’. Them being, ‘a bargain hunter’!!! It began in the early days when quite frankly I was young and although working hard full-time, I was broke. There is no other bargain hunter, like a broke bargain hunter. Then as I got a bit older and got a bit more money, I went and brought a house. Mmmm sounds smart doesn’t it. “You’ve got an investment for your future”. No, I have a concrete block cementing my feet to the ground and forever leaving my fashion budget in bargain-land. Oh dear.

It’s not all bad I suppose, the retail market has changed a lot in the last 10 years and you can quite comfortably dress on-trend with minimal spend. Thanks to the inter-webs and the accessibility of air travel, the fashion industry has now become an open market. Looks straight off the runway no longer have to set you back your monthly wage (unless you’re a ‘label whore’ who loves to reminisce over initials that no-one can see). Don’t get me wrong, I fit loosely into the ‘bargain hunter’ basket. This is quite different from the ‘tight ass’, ‘hoarder’ and the recently popular ‘vintage sifter’ categories. What will I dish out the big bucks for? Wardrobe staples; jeans, formal dresses, coats and one-off’s that make me fall head over heels. There will be a day when my fashion budget exceeds my current status. It will be an exciting era when Romance Was Born, Dion Lee, Belle Bijoux and Sass & Bide make themselves permanent fixtures in the line up. Not extravagant but well cut, unique pieces of art to adorn my body and place me in a new category for the more evolved and disposable income’d version of me; ‘Australian designer style’.

Yesterday I had a bargain hunter episode. I was driving past Chadstone Shopping Centre on the way home from an appointment and thought I’d just ‘pop in’. 5 hours later, I hadn’t left.

Stay tuned for the run down!
The First Casualty x

SUZUKI NIGHT MARKET

thefirstcasualty — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 11:54:39 +0000

I went to the Suzuki Night Market tonight and it was awesome. It is basically the Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne….but at night! It kicks off over the summer months each Wednesday night and you have until February, 27th to get involved. All the stalls are different to the day markets and the layout is much more open and casual. Thank goodness because there is a billion cazzillion people there.

The first thing I noticed is that there is an absolute bucketload of food stalls. Like 30 or more, of every single delicious food you could imagine. Mexican, Indian, Lebanese, Texan BBQ, Korean, Malaysian, Brazillian, Japanese, Spanish…the list goes on and on. Oh me, oh my. It’s like Multicultural Day at school where everyone had to bring a dish! I couldn’t choose, it killed me not being able to have a little taster of everything! But I finally settled on Lebanese because I can’t say I’ve ever actually had it before. I tried the Lebanese Cucumbers stuffed with rice, lamb and pine nuts cooked in a tomato or yoghurt based sauce. Sounds interesting doesn’t it but it actually tasted oright. After a stuffing and a Moscato (Good Lord, did I mention that there is ALCOHOL there!! You can peruse the stalls with wine/beer/cider/sangriaaaaaa in your hand – yessss!!!!), we topped the calorie counter with a delicious ice-cream and hit the stalls. Here is what we found:

Cool recycled leather bags in an array of bright neon on-trend clutches.

Funky jewellery (Dear me, I just used the word ‘funky’. Am I getting old?).

Colourful pilates pants, they looked soooo comfy (and a little bit transparent – eep!)

Crisp photography filled with wondrous Melbourne delights.

There is some fantastic ‘worldy’ music, it made me want to Flamenco dance but no-one else was so it would have been awkward. Though the best tunes of the night were surprisingly a police band. I don’t know why I’m surprised but I was. You just don’t expect the Policia to be an awesome live act – right?! The lady cop leading the way had thee most amazing set of pipes. Like Florence Welsh amazing. And then wait for it, they performed Gangnam Style…but word for word. It was probably the best version I’ve seen/heard. Nothing beats a aviator-wearing Constable your dad’s age waving his hands in the air (like he just doesn’t care). Check out Code One at the markets if you get the chance but if not they have a Facebook page and CD out (I know, wtf?).

Finish the night with some mmmm-mmmm coffee in this cool little sea-container dream of a coffee haunt. Oh and did I mention it’s Made in Brunswick baby 3056 represent.

So pronto, pronto. You only have two more weeks to get involved for this summer season but here’s some more info to get you prepped for the next season. Hot Tip: If you want a seat/table, get in early! Like 5.00pm-5.30pm early. Yep, you heard it here first.

Date: Every Wednesday night during summer from 14 November 2012 to 27 February 2013 (excluding 26 December 2012)
Time: 5.00pm to 10.00pm
Location: Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne. Enter via Queen, Therry or Peel Streets
Cost: FREE ENTRY

PARKING: Enter the Market Car Park from Franklin or Queen Streets. On Suzuki Night Market evenings, parking costs $10 from 5pm until 11:00pm. (Wednesday evenings only)

www.qvm.com.au/snm/snm_home.aspx

Orighty Nighty,
The First Casualty x

FASHION CRIMES PART I

thefirstcasualty — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 11:04:06 +0000

SNEAKER WEDGES

Gaaaaaah they’re horrible!! In any colour, in any style, I just don’t like them. I love sneakers and I love wedges but there are just some things that should just never go together. Toothpaste and orange juice, religion and politics, Chris Brown and Rhianna…you know, keep that shit apart. Here are some examples, I’ve started with the worst to really drive it home. What’s worse than sneaker wedges? Sneaker wedges with velcro grips….cringe.

But wait, there’s more.

And the sneaker wedges icon herself, Jennifer Lopez!

A close up if you were nearly convinced it looks ok. J-Licious can pull just about anything off. Sneaker wedges and heeled boots are not in that basket.

Ok lesson one over, don’t let me see you in these please laddees.

G’night,
TFC xx

UK IN NY.

thefirstcasualty — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 09:37:04 +0000

If you’re in New York New York this weekend, make sure you head along to Patricia Field’s store to meet the designers behind the UK’s Tatty Devine. Their jewellery is so colourful and fun!

More info on TD here – www.tattydevine.com
More info on PF here – www.patriciafield.com

TFC x