Fall Victim To Fashion

PREP-ARE.

thefirstcasualty — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:45:58 +0000

One style I have always loved is ‘preppy’. Think private college Ivy Leaguers, football games, getting your hair messed up behind the tennis bleachers, flamingoes, cucumber sandwiches…that kind of thing. Ok you got me, I threw in the flamingoes for shits n giggles. But on a serious note, to me preppy exudes such a rich palette of colours; navy, ruby, gold, deep purple, and emeralds intertwined in stripes, crests, blazers, crisp shirts, tailored pants, sweaters, pleated skirts, and your most favourite wanky boat shoes. Oh and if you’re not carrying the biggest overnighter bag you can find, save yourself now. Canvas by day, leather by night…either-or, as long as its rolling emblems – big ones. I’m stoked to see that this style is making a bit of a comeback (again) and the best thing about it, is that it is completely gender neutral. All boys look good in this style, not just the la-la-ladies!

The folks at Insight have killed this look in their current Mens Collection. Their interpretation equals preppy meets street. No high fashion to be seen here lovers. Just good ol’ college drop-outs. Genius.

Without a doubt, the hero dish.

Clean, structured tailoring.

Mens sweaters, ripe for the girlfriend steal mmm.

Cute parka's for when ya step out in the chill. You know the one.

Bold, rich colours.

Something for the drive-ins on Saturday nights with Winnie.

Plaid baby, plaid!

Masculine looks with a cheeky twang. Is that even a word?

Yup yup, I love it all. Though I do love a lot of stuff that comes out of this brand so it comes as no surprise. Forget oozing cool, these guys bleed it. See for yourself – http://www.insight51.com/

Catch you in class,
TFC x

LMFF 2012.

thefirstcasualty — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:43:29 +0000

So the L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival is less than a month away, running from March 8-15 at various locations across this cuh-razy town. My love for fashion has taken on a love/hate turn since I moved over to the fashion capital. Odd, I know. I have shopped up a storm since I arrived and have taken a real liking to all these accessible and affordable options that are around. I am constantly inspired by new looks on the street and love that more people are willing to push their own fashion boundaries and try something new here. Style is individualism peeps, get onboard. But on the other hand, I have tapped out a little bit. Out of the industry, out of the glossy mags, out of the global trends, away from the events. It can be exhausting sometimes, there is always so much going on here that I would literally need a cheeky mill $$ for a new wardrobe and some new balls for all the ego bashing. None the less, I am interested to give my first LMFF a real go and will hopefully get along to some must-see events and give the good ol’ camera a serious dust off.

Designers on show this year include Dion Lee, Ksubi, Camilla and Marc, Scanlan & Theodore, and Limedrop as well as WA’s own Lisa Ho, Ellery, One Fell Swoop, Aurelio Costarella and many more! Student runway is ALWAYS a win, I hope there is something like that on. Dion Lee would be amazeballs to see, I have been a fan for quite a while now and am excited to witness his latest creations.

Get along if you can, tickets are available at http://www.lmff.com.au/. Then on the night, come and say hi; let me photograph your gorgeous outfit, tell me things about your amazing city, get involved. I’ll most likely be the person with the camera that is looking extremely lost.

The First Casualty x

THIS HAPPENED.

thefirstcasualty — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 03:56:33 +0000

I’m not gonna lie, I may have lay-byed this baby yesterday. Amongst other things, I have always been obsessed with Native American headdresses. I even had a search around the US for one when I was there to no avail. I love the colour in this one, it’s so vibrant and full of life. The detailing in the beading and feathering is amazing. This is going straight to the pool room and will only be venturing out on very special occasions. And no, that does not mean music festivals. You critters with the bright eyes that get all tactile and shit can stay the fuck away from my wondrous headpiece. That is all.

Where did I get this from? No chance. The thing about nice things is that not everyone has them.

Peace.
TFC x

español mexicano.

thefirstcasualty — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 12:47:39 +0000

I’m a little bit in love with this mexican/spanish influence cropping up in the fashion realms lately. And by a little bit I mean, a lot. You can see it in all the lace, red lips, blacks, espadrilles, shoulders, fringing, reds, knits, chunky heels, skulls, roses, and all that fun stuff. In fact I like it so much, I really want a sugar skull as my next tattoo. I think they are beautiful when done correctly and traditionally. Here is some rad new stuff from surfstitch.com that fits the bill.

Mariachi El Bronx’s ’48 Roses’ is a great song to get your mexicana inspirations flowing.

Ole!
The First Casualty x

2011 – MAG. MOVE. MAN.

thefirstcasualty — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 08:49:40 +0000

Hello hello! Well firstly a big Merry Christmas, what a huge year 2011 has been. It is hard to believe that the holidays are here already and soon we will be embarking on a whole new year. Tell me things, how has your year gone? You could probably guess by my lax posting the past 6 months that things got very busy on this end. Like bat-shit-crazy busy.

First up Stray Magazine was born, it then evolved and finally went to print this month which was a massive achievement! If you haven’t checked it out, get out from under that rock at http://stray-mag.com/ or at http://www.facebook.com/straymag. If you are keen to get your hands on a limited print copy (only 1000 floating) then hit subscribe on the website and follow prompt.

It’s been a lot of hard work but totally worth it. I was lucky enough to work with a very talented young team of contributors that made this all possible and for that I am very grateful. We also bagged our first award a week after Issue 01 went to print, not bad at all. Cheers to Express Media for the award “Best New Project or work by a Young Person or Young People in Western Australia”. Go Team Stray!

Next up I moved to a new city. Ya nothing too major or anything hmmm. So goodbye west coast; mates, amazing beaches and beautiful weather and hello east coast; awesome bars, a great job, and a new beginning. Melbourne is such a cool city but you already know that. I thought I would share some of my favourite hoods with you:

DRINK:
The Workshop Bar: my second home, no pretentiousness, chilled vibe and great tunes to sip your hipster bev to http://theworkshop.com.au/
Section 8: ideal on a balmy night, this place is a sea container surrounded by some crates, genius http://www.section8.com.au/
The Croft Institute: banging science lab down the bottom, banging gymnasium bar at the top, take your pick http://thecroftinstitute.net/
Electric Ladyland: a classy establishment where the boys can be found in suits and the ladies in their Sunday best…on Saturday http://www.electricladyland.com.au/
The Carlton: taxidermy ostrich with pearls, nuff said http://www.thecarlton.com.au/, http://thebridgehotel.com.au/

EAT:
Tofu Shop: healthy, nutritious variety of food, priced for dinner not lunch but that never stopped anyone http://www.urbanspoon.com/Tofu-Shop-Richmond
Chin Chin: great modern asian set up, reasonably priced, amazing food, cocktails to finish http://chinchinrestaurant.com.au/
Gerald’s Bar: tucked away, intimate, decadent, perfect for catch ups over great wine http://www.urbanspoon.com/Geralds-Bar-Carlton-North
Lentil As Anything: donation based so don’t be a scrooge, these volunteers offer delicious vegetarian food and abby convent is a perfect setting on a sunny day http://lentilasanything.com/
Bar Lourinha: high end tapas that melt in your mouth, first night there Guy Grossi is on the table behind us, good enough for a masterchef – good enough for me http://www.barlourinha.com.au/

PLAY:
Shopping is ridiculously plentiful here so never shop at the same place twice! You’ve got Melbourne city, Chapel St, Bridge Rd, Chadstone, markets…there is so much variety here, it would be wrong to have just one favourite! Fashion is soooo much cheaper than in P-Town so I reckon the wardrobe has been given a complete once over. Will have to get the camera out and get some proof soon.
Gigs are on every night of the week and in the last month I’ve managed to cross off two from the list; Eminem and Bloody Beetroots. Looking forward to Summadayze on New Years Day and busting shapes to Pendulum, Snoop, Scissor Sisters, Calvin Harris, and Moby…lovvvvve festival season! Then squeeze in a few intimate gigs with Beirut first off the rank and before long, AFL season begins. Can’t wait to make trips to the MCG and Etihad a weekly occurrence to see my Sainta’s.

And in between starting a mag and moving to a new city, I found love! He is amazing and wonderful and was right under my nose the whole time…yup, we worked together. 10 months down and things are going swell (yes I just used that word). He is in Canada at the moment but is making the move to Melbs shortly, the countdown is on and I have never been happier. Find a good one and don’t stop at anything till you do. Fuck I’ve met some duds out and about lately; massive oxygen thieves but it really makes you appreciate what an awesome human being you’ve got when you do. And I’ve got a good one – love you pup!

Ok ok once you’ve finished vom’ing, I’m just about done haha. Enjoy your festive season. Hopefully you’ve scored some time off work and doing your best to make the most of it. Lot’s of things to look forward to between the family get ups, partying with mates, festivals, and of course voting in Triple J’s Hottest 100. And on that note, Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year. 2012 is going to be a great one so brace yourself!

Love Bec aka The First Casualty x

I’M SO WASTED ON YOU.

thefirstcasualty — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 11:13:44 +0000

Yep pretty bummed I’m missing this lil partay. And only by 2 weeks too, that hurts. Well go on then, have fun, take pics, tell me all about it! I’ll see you the fortnight after for a whirlwind tour of P-Town. Fly in, sleep, work, eat, release issue one of stray mag (yippee), party, recover, family, appt, eat, fly out. Catch me if you can.

The First Casualty x

Oooo-eee!

thefirstcasualty — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 09:56:30 +0000

This Romance Was Born shoot looks amazing! Not usually a regular Marie Claire buyer but think I might have to make an exception to see this one. I love the boldness of RWB and their exciting use of colour. The detail they put in is amazing, it’s never just about the clothes. The hair, jewellery, shoes, location, background, props, etc are all meticulously planned out for the full RWB story telling experience.

Have you seen any great fashion shoots lately? I brought the latest Vogue Australia because I thought the Africa shoot with Isabel Lucas had some potential but I have mixed emotions about the whole issue at present. A bit ‘tribal’ overkill. Some shots are amazing, others not hitting the mark. And seeing as I am picking…I think Ms Lucas would have suited the shoot better with her more natural darker shade of hair colour rather than the blonde. Just an observation. The cover looked great though didn’t it, love the title.

The First Casualty x

A MTHR TRKN SALE YO.

thefirstcasualty — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 09:38:22 +0000

Very jealous I can’t get to this one. Pics of your purchases please lovers!
The First Casualty xx

ON A LIGHTER NOTE.

thefirstcasualty — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 11:42:06 +0000

Enough serious talk on this blog. It’s time for some FUN kids. And no-one puts the F in fun like Patricia Field. Yep y’all long term FFTF readers know who I’m talking about and for those newbies – ya-googly it mate! Did someone say pop art?! Oh snap! Here are some of my current cuh-razy faves:

And that’s just the accessories, don’t even get me started on the crazy-like-a-coconut clothing. We’ll save that for another day. You know the drill www.patriciafield.com.

Happy Halloween ooo-eee!
TFC xx

NOT FOR SALE.

thefirstcasualty — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 08:07:32 +0000

“There are more than 30 million slaves in the world today, more than at any other point in human history”. What a disgusting fact. We are so far advanced in so many areas such as technology and medicine yet we can’t even get the simple task of freedom right. And the fact that it has got worse as time goes on, not better, is absolutely baffling.

Fashion label AllSaints Spitalfields have teamed up with anti-human trafficking campaigner’s Not For Sale and produced a fashion forward collection that not only supports the cause but practice what it preaches. To really appreciate this concept, watch this.

Proceeds from the line will benefit Not For Sale’s work to combat human trafficking globally, and producers will promote the shared vision of Not For Sale and AllSaints to prevent forced labour and end human trafficking. Not For Sale equips and mobilizes Smart Activists to deploy innovative solutions to re-abolish slavery – in their own backyards and across the globe. Together we can end slavery in our lifetime.

I find a lot of fashion that is done for charity or a cause comprises of unappealing design; tacky/unwearable/too loud. You can think of at least one shocker you’ve seen, can’t you. But I am happy to see that AllSaints have not gone this path. Their Not For Sale collection is indi, on-trend, wearable and totally affordable selling for around $65 each.

From what I can see, you can get your hands on a tee through All Saints UK or US websites www.us.allsaints.com/not_for_sale/landing/ or at http://notforsalestore.org/store/allsaints/. This is my favourite design out of the collection below. Oversized tee perfection and a cool design that states the message not screams it. Luv luv luv.

Hope you enjoyed a fun and safe weekend full of freedom.

The First Casualty xx