September 2009 - Perth Upmarket

Hot on the heels of PFW we had another Perth Upmarket.  It just gets better and better.  Did anyone happen to see the article in the West Australian, the day after?  Featuring yours truly!  It was great fun to have a mini photo shoot, and I was really happy to read the article and it's focus on how so many people in markets are trying to make a go of it around all sorts of other commitments.

 

I displayed some of my PFW pieces, along with Spice Lily jewellry, and am so happy with the response.

 

I am now taking limited orders for Melbourne Cup, so don't dally!

 

Next Perth Upmarket will be Nov 29th.  Also, keep an ear out for the new Junior Upmarket to be held 2 weeks earlier in UWA.

 

September 2009 - Perth Fashion Festival results

The last month has been simply amazing, and very eye-opening for a PFW first-timer!

 

Lin Pin's designs for the Gallery Runway show where just exquisite.  Many featured beautiful kimono fabrics in silver and ivory, and one glorious piece was a fully beaded dress with a gold obi!  Just amazing!

 

Jewellery by Heidi under her label "Spice Lily" was just perfect, and the whole affect of the outfits was wonderful!  Yay!!!  It is so cool to see my own work on a runway!

 

The music chosen by Linda (Lin Pin designer and owner) was Malcolm Maclaren's "Madame Butterfly", and the makeup was also Japanese inspired with white geisha influences.  Linda was so well supported Nat and Faye who are two Freo TAFE fashion students.  They were Lin Pin's official dressers backstage, and there is no way the show would have been as great as it was without them.  It was such a relief to have our girls with some common sense when so much behind the scenes was pure chaos.

 

Yes, I hate to say it, but I was not that impressed with the official PFW team.  Sure, I'm a first timer, but I cannot understand how models are not present for the only dress fitting time available, how models can be changed without letting the designers know, how hair stylists (who have seen the headpieces to be worn) still put ridiculous top-knots on the models which made it so hard for the dressers to actually get the headpieces on.

 

In fact, one of my headpieces did not make it on stage for our catwalk because of these errors - so I feel justified in my little burst of outrage!

 

And now, nearly two weeks later - I haven't seen one photo in the media from the Gallery Runway!!  I've heard rumours of Scoop Magazine being snubbed and left out of events(?!?).

 

How does the PFF support local designers in this way?  Who gets to see the outfits outside of those who were at the actual event?  Do the sponsors feel they are getting a decent return for their investment?  Lots of room for improvement, in my opinion!

 

Thank goodness Heidi paid for her own cameraman to come and film our catwalk.  I hope to have it on the website soon!

 

August 2009 - Perth Fashion Week preparations

I am designing the headpieces for Lin Pin for PFW this year (thanks Linda!!), and all of a sudden my world has just exploded!  Last night was the first fashion photo shoot I've participated in.  Linda has got a great team of friends behind her, and we had such fun shooting Lin Pin's look for the catalogue for the show in PFW (see my News page for more).  The look is edgy bridal - glorious, show stopping pieces that will really make everyone sit up and take notice!  No merinques here!  So I'm a little busy right now...this is the first opportunity I have really had to cut loose (thank goodness I did Louise Macdonald's Costume Millinery course earlier this year)!

July 2009 - Moora Fine Arts Winter School

This was my first workshop in flower making, and it was wonderful!  My class of six students (5 from Moora and 1 from Perth) worked really hard and produced amazing results.  I hope everyone will wear their pieces to the Moora Races in October - I'll be there!

 

Thank you to Joan Apels for her invitation, and for organising such an exciting event.  I hope I will have the opportunity to return!  Everyone is Moora was so friendly and generous - it must be a country thing!

 

June 2009 - Perth Upmarket

Another great Perth Upmarket - and really busy!  A sunny winters day brought thousands of people out.  A wonderful lady took the photo below of me at my stall.

 

 

May 2009 - Costume Millinery with Louise Macdonald

I flew over to Melbourne (lucky me!) for a weekend on Costume Millinery techniques with Louise and her assistant Ana.  It was just fantastic, as Louise has such a wonderful background with the BBC and Merchant Ivory productions she has worked on.  I really want to pursue a theatre opportunity to expand my experience!  A highlight was meeting Isaac, a costume designer working on a theatre production called Barnum.  Due out in September 2009, if Isaac's costumes are anything to go by, this will be an amazing show!

 

This is my piece - bear in mind it was made for my 5 year old daughter...

 

April 2009 - Silk Painting

I have been joining Jan Clifton in Roleystone, WA for a series of workshops on silk painting. This is a great opportunity for me as there are so few classes available in this art, and I can't spend all my time doing trial and error! I'll let you know how I go - my aim is to improve my skills so I can replicate more flowers such as liliums.

 

April 2009 - Millinery Intensive with Louise Macdonald!

I have just returned from an inspirational week with Melbourne-based milliners, Louise Macdonald and Georgina Conheady.

 

Held in Louise's studio in the wonderful Nicholson building on Swanston Street, 6 of us from all around Australia worked on completely projects, so we could all watch and learn the different techniques, tips and ideas.

 

We worked with Louise for the first two days, some on felts, some on parisisals, some on sinamay. Louise's block collection has some real beauties - I was spoilt for choice!

 

Then we had two days with Georgina, who some of the ladies have worked with previously on her Flower Making workshops. This time though, Georgina introduced us to Cobweb sinamay, and how to work with it. Again, we all came up with completely different ideas, so could learn so many techniques.

 

Our final day was with Louise, finishing and trimming our hats.

 

I had brought with me a few felts purchased in New York years ago, so it was really good to get them into fantastic new pieces.

 

A couple I had blocked years ago, but they were in desperate need of a new life! The grey and black beret with the patent leather butterflies is one of them. I've also completed a black beaver, finished with hand-painted button faces from the button shop in the Nicholson Building.

 

But my pride and joy is my "bird" headpiece in cream felt - inspired by a block designed by Louise. I am so happy at how it has turned out!

 

Next month I am back in Melbourne doing Costume Millinery with Louise. This will be so fascinating, as wire-frames are something I have not attempted before, and this will give me the opportunity to maybe branch into some theatre work! So exciting!!!

 

 

 

Copyright 2009 Nicola Gredziuk.