TF Archives

Stylin' 947

Author: Alyx Gorman
Tuesday, February 24, 2009

NEWS
We haven’t mentioned a celebrity designer in quite a while here (you don’t count, Kanye), so we figured it was about time. Nicole Richie has just released a range of jewellery and to our surprise it’s actually really cool (turns out she’s not just a skinny face). Named for her daughter, House of Harlow 1960 is a set of statement pieces in bright golds. Think big bling rings, delicate necklaces with big pendants, and heaps of colourful bangles. The pieces are made with ‘60s modernism in mind, although they look a little bit Ancient Egypt to us as well. You can get them exclusively in Australia from miijo.com.au.

Speaking of celebrities, American Vogue has discovered, about two months after the weeklies, that there is only one surname that can still sell magazines. That’s right, the First Lady of the free world (and second of fashion, Carla’s Dior Couture beats J Crew anyday), has become a Voguette. In the Vogue interview, written by Editor-At-Large Andre Leon Tally, paints Michelle Obama as a lady of more substance than style (although she does have shovelfuls of both). In a wise PR move she wore her own clothes for the photo-shoot, and looked every bit the dignified American every-woman. Debate in the States now rages about whether or not Michelle Obama should attend New York Fashion Week. The question is whether she should encourage a bit of economic stimulation (spend!) or actually…  you know, look like she’s doing something to help. 

Apparently the spirit of Australian fashion is captured in the pumpkin head and stick thin body of Miranda Kerr. The Australian Tourist Commission are considering offering Kerr the position of Australian Fashion Ambassador. A similar offer was made to Elle McPherson in the 1980s. Personally, we’re not sure if a model whose major source of income is an American lingerie firm, who lives in New York, dates a Brit – and promotes an awful lot of international labels in her role as the face of David Jones – is the best pick to represent our industry. Perhaps the Tourist Commission should consider offering the role to someone who’s made a lasting contribution to Australian fashion, like say, a designer. Or if they must have a model, one who has stuck with the industry for the long haul – Gail Elliot for example.

Possibly the most iconic model (literally) of our time is turning fifty this week. And she’s having a fashion show to celebrate. At 11 inches tall, she’s a little too short to strut the catwalk herself, but she has plenty of stand-ins ready to walk in her place. Barbie’s 50th birthday extravaganza includes 50 frocks from up and comers as well as industry stalwarts. What a doll!

FEATURE
DETOX DIARY
Until recently, going on a proper detox required cooking skills, iron willpower and a whole lot of trips to the vitamin store. Not now, with the arrival of eatfitfood.com.au, a healthy food website that will deliver meals straight to your doorstep. They provide farm fresh, nutritionally balanced and calorie-controlled meals to busy worker types every day of the week. But what had us really excited was their ten-day detox program. Thanks to the double whammy of the party season and festival time, we’re looking glass-eyed, tapped out, and so badly bloated we have our Grandmother’s one-piece swimsuit on permanent loan. That combined with the proliferation of dial-a-pizza into our lives, and we’re thinking it’s time for a change. Unlike that crazy, starvation style clay-shakes and colonics detox your friend tried once in Bali, this program involves three full meals and snacks every day, so you have more than enough energy to do it while still going about daily life. The idea is that Eat Fit Food deliver you all the food you need – all you have to do is eat it while abstaining from caffeine, alcohol and cigarettes. Easy, right-
Well, we decided to find out. Here is our diary:

Day 1: There is so much food here it is unbelievable. When you see everything you’ll eat for a couple of days laid out all it once it’s actually pretty shocking. I’d ask where it goes, but I’m not sure I want to know.
This food is actually really delicious, fresh vegetables, fruits and nuts all make an appearance and dinner is a salmon steak! I could get used to this.

Day 2: Okay, so my grandparents came around after a bat mitzvah with the world’s most moist chocolate cake. They are eating it in front of me! Argh. I cave and have a little bite. Clearly I am not the biggest loser. Today’s menu includes a breakfast omelette and this really amazing chutney stuff with dinner. It’s a Saturday night, but I decide to stay in to avoid the temptation of alcohol. I don’t want to cave twice in one day.

Day 3: My boyfriend has discovered he can torture me by eating baked goods near my face. So far he has bought out and consumed half of Bourke St bakery. I, however, am strong, invincible and woman. Okay, so maybe I had a bite of pie… but it was a baby bite! Also, I’ve just read that I can drink green tea. Welcome back caffeine, you may expand the blood vessels in my brain here, here and here.

Day 4: So these milk substitutes they’re giving me – soy and rice milk – are actually really good. I didn’t think I’d be able to cope without dairy, but I’m doing fine. The low sodium count is beginning to get to me though, I also really want a beer. These thoughts are banished when I notice that neither my belly nor my eyes look puffy anymore. Damn.

Day 5: This not drinking thing is easier than I imagined. I’ve been offered numerous glasses of wine and I’m capable of saying no. Clearly my shrink was wrong about my alcoholism (kidding!). I’ve also noticed, sorry to over-share, that I’ve become a lot more, shall we say… regular- It’s kind of satisfying.

6-8: Things are going pretty well, although on day six I caved and eat most of a bag of Doritos (it was that or actually go out and buy a horse salt-lick), that and there’s cake in the office today, which I know I won’t be able to resist. I’d forgotten how pleasant it is to eat bushels of fresh vegetables. Given that much of what Eat Fit Food serves is raw, I can actually see my lazy arse keeping up with my herbaceous habit. Chomp chomp.

Day 9: The whites of my eyes are really white… it’s sort of weird, I didn’t know they could do that.  The food is still really tasty, but I have to confess I’ve been putting salt on it. I actually cannot live without it. I’m also loving my morning juice. My heart skips a beat when it’s pomegranate.

Day 10: Farewell, Fit Food. I think I shall miss ye. I was planning on celebrating the end of this detox with a huge bowl of dumplings, but now I don’t want to go and ruin my perfect skin and rock hard nails. I also really don’t want to put back on the two kilos I’ve lost.

Final thoughts: It’s surprising how easy it was not to drink. I thought I’d be crying outside the bottle-o on day three. It was good to learn that I can have a nice time at night without a beer in hand. This detox is also pretty habit forming; I now crave celery as much as I wanted pizza before. The salt thing is worrying though. Oh well, I’ll get more concerned when my blood pressure starts to rise. I don’t think there is any way I could have done this on my own though. Preparing all those meals, on my fast food lifestyle would have bit away at whole chunks of my time I’d rather spend surfing the internet looking at pictures of cats in bonnets. I also don’t know enough about nutrition to pull ten days of balanced food together.

Final verdict: Extremely worthwhile, but make sure you pick your dates well. If you are detoxing during a best friend’s birthday or an anticipated concert, you will almost certainly fail.

To find out more visit eatfitfood.com.au

TAKE A LOOK BOOK
LANVIN
This week we thought we’d take a break from local talent (good as it is) and show you some work by one of the big guns in Paris. This is Lanvin’s latest look book. It came about thanks to French production team Hartland Villa’s hard work. We love how the glamorous dresses work so well with the pop-bright colours and kitschy pixilation of the Lego. Lanvin is a French heritage house that was founded by Jeanne Lanvin around 1909. Since then it has enjoyed a reputation for extremely high production values and classic, pared back elegance. The house was struggling in the late part of last century, but has lately enjoyed a renaissance – both critically and through sales – under the guidance of creative director Alber Elbaz. If you’d like to buy one of the dresses seen in this lookbook, we advise you to start saving (or selling your body) now. Available through the Belinda boutique at the MLC centre, Lanvin dress prices often run into the five-figure region. Fortunately Lego is much more affordable, so that’s the style tip we’re taking from these images. Pow! Pow!

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