Behind The Scenes At The Finesse Lingerie Parade

During the Adelaide Fashion Festival each year, prestigious modelling agency 'Finesse Models' puts on a theatrical lingerie parade. 

I was lucky enough to attend this year and got to witness smoking hot models strut down the runway in their underwear.

Talk about a self esteem booster!

But honestly, the parade was amazing. It was like Adelaide's version of Victoria's Secret.

One of our photographers Kate Pardey took some amazing behind the scenes photos of the parade.

It's always interesting to get a sneak peek into something you're are not usually privy to, which is why these backstage photos are so intriguing.

Check out a few of the photos below and see the full gallery here on Glam Adelaide. 

Bride For A Day

I got to live every little girls dream on Thursday by playing dress up in designer wedding gowns for the Adelaide Fashion Festival.

Tomorrow Brides Of Adelaide Magazine is holding a 'Bridal Runway Fusion' fashion parade, so to give everyone a sneak peek of what will be on on show at the parade Kelly and I from Glam (along with Filip from Fashion Squared) filmed an episode of Glam TV.

I got to wear three amazing gowns by Suzana Lucci, Paolo Sebastian and Malachi Empire. Check out the video below.

You can still buy tickets to the fashion parade here.

The Launch Of The Adelaide Fashion Festival

On Wednesday I was privileged enough to attend the VIP launch of the Adelaide Fashion Festival at Government House.

It was pretty fancy.

Guests recieved an 'entree card' prior to the event which was used to introduce us and we had to line up to meet the Governor and his wife. It felt like we were meeting the queen!

We then got to have a sticky beak around the house. Which they actually live in. Go figure.

The glamorous affair was an amazing launch to the festival which runs until October 27th.

Behind The Scenes With Wayne Cooper

I interviewed Wayne Cooper for Glam Adelaide last week (you can read the full interview here). You can never know what to expect from a celebrity, especially a fashion designer. Will they be friendly? Will they be a diva? Will they answer my questions? Etc etc 

 But I honestly really liked Wayne Cooper. He was brutally honest and wasn't afraid to speak his mind without being rude or arrogant. He also had a great sense of humour and didn't seem to take it all too seriously. 

 Below are some of my favourite quotes from my interview with Wayne Cooper. 

On Fashion 

 I think fashion is supposed to take you out of your everyday life and make you dream a bit. Otherwise why are we doing it? 

On Wearing Labels 

 Everyone needs beautiful clothes in their wardrobe, but you don’t need all your clothes to be beautiful clothes. It’s a mixture. But it’s good that you appreciate beautiful clothes that are expensive and why they are. 

 On Having A Diffusion Line 

 I can’t stand it when people say ‘why is that dress so expensive?’. That annoys me. ‘Beause this one took forever to make, and drove me insane and we don’t make many of them.' Sometimes I think, why did I make this beautiful dress out of silk when they don’t care if it was made of the worst polyester? There’s a place for all fashion. 

Hamptons Chic - Harris Scarfe SS12/13

When I was invited to a showing of Harris Scarfe's new Spring/Summer 12/13 collection I wasn't sure what to expect.

I don't think I've ever bought anything at Harris Scarfe but I have been dragged there by my Grandma many, many times. 

However it was clear to see that Harris Scarfe is 'no longer a nanna store' with their new collection described as 'Hamptons Editorial Chic'.

Think playing tennis, sipping cocktails on a yacht and having Summer picnics. Kind of like that TV show Revenge without the murder etc. 

The collection still has that conservative Harris Scarfe look but it's been overhauled to suit a young, modern audience. 

The pieces are inexpensive and a lot of the outfits could be worn by women of all ages. 

I LOVED the colour palate of the range, especially the pinks and peaches. It's all about clashing prints and colours which is going to be huge this Summer. 

Hamptons chic is definitely a look I could see myself getting into.

You can check out more photos on Glam Adelaide.

How To Have A Holiday On $100

I have mentioned on this blog before that I am a shopaholic (I am also a workaholic which is a weird combination).

So instead of saving up for my week of annual leave, I had a sweet $100 of mad money to go wild on.

For someone who can spend $100 in the blink of an eye, this was not an amazing start to a week of fun filled adventure.

But I totally made it work so here it is, my awesome guide for 'How To Have A Holiday On $100'.

1. Walk Up Mount Lofty 

(Or equivalent mountain)

Want to look as cool as this guy?

Take a stroll up Mount Lofty on a freezing cold and rainy day. I may not look like I'm dying but I seriously am on the inside.

Usually the only exercise I get us reaching for the remote LOL.... 

However walking up Mount Lofty is FREE. The best thing about this was that my legs were so sore for the next 3 days that I couldn't have gone shopping even if I wanted to! And I didn't feel bad about laying around and watching TV for 2 days straight. Win by me.

Macaron Madness

It's no secret that Macarons are the "in" dessert right now. 

It's also no secret that half of their appeal is that they're super hard to make. Well everybody can bow down to the master because I managed to make them perfectly the first time!

I never cooked anything before I moved out of home. Ever. Which is why it is so strange how much I've gotten into baking and cooking and watching Masterchef (shame on me). 

Unfortunately I can't take all the credit for my success. I followed a recipe on a blog called Brave Tart and the woman who writes it makes macarons every single day. Another blog Eat. Live. Travel. Write has really great pictures that you can follow every step of the way. Super helpful.

The trick is to follow the recipe EXACTLY. I weighed the egg whites and everything.

One thing I did change was that I beat the eggs double the amount of time because they didn't look like the picture and I don't have a fancy KitchenAid. If I were to make them again I would beat them even longer. I would beat the crap out of them. 

I'm not going to lie though, I made four trays and the last 2 were like flat almond biscuits. I think this was because they sat around for too long so that's something to keep in mind.

If you've also had success with Macarons, comment below because I'd be interested in hearing your tips & tricks!

On Trend: Olympic Fashion Gets Nailed

Getty Images

I think it says a lot about me that what I notice most about the Australian Olympic swimming team is their fancy green and gold nail art.

Not how the 'Missile missed the target' or the armspan of Michale Phels, or the Ye Shiwen doping controversty. No, I'm like 'check out Stephanie Rice's nails!'

It seems she and the other Olympians sporting this look (see what I did there) have stumbled onto a new trend.

Nail art is all I seem to see on Instagram and Pinterest lately. The last time I did 'nail art' was in year 3 when I got a nail tattoo kit for my birthday but apparently my press on butterfly and flower stickers would be highly sought after in the Olympic village.

I'm not sure I have the energy or urge to paint my nails with tiny kangaroos but hey I get it. You can't exactly accessorise an Olympic athlete, you have to stand out somehow.

Check out some of the best nail art of the Olympics and maybe get inspired to create your own.

Getty Images

Missy Franklin, USA

British archer Amy Oliver 

Getty Images

Caroline Wozniacki, Tennis, Denmark

Girls

I am currently obsessed with the TV show Girls.

And it's not just because I have a major girl crush on Jemima Kirke (below). I wish I owned every single one of her outfits.

The show follows four girls living in New York city.
Sound familiar?
Well think again. It's basically the anti Sex and the City.

ASOS AW12 - The Cool & The Crazy

The ASOS Autum/Winter 2012 (which is our Spring/Summer) lookbook swings wildly from amazing to out there. 

Which pretty much sums up their looks in general. 

Only ASOS could put elbow length riding gloves with a party dress and make it look wearable.

What I love about ASOS is the cool stuff mixed in with the crazy. 80's boxy double denim outfits, pleather caps and geometric onsies are not my thang but the great thing about ASOS is that there's something for everyone.

The Cool 

Move Through Life

Hands up if you ever did dance when you were a youngster.

I did it all. Jazz, tap and ballet every week for years. I think my favourite part of the whole thing was the costumes which probably says something about me.

If you didn't then you definitely missed out on a right of passage. One where you thought you had a chance at becoming a ballerina and those ideas were quickly shot down when you realised you sucked which might have been sooner rather than later depending on how honest your teacher was.

The launch of the Move Through Life's new season was held at the National Wine Centre recently. Events at the wine centre are AWESOME because you never have to worry that they will run out of wine!

Unfortunately there were a lot of speeches and the world's longest auction and as you can see below, my shoes, while gorgeous, were no made for standing around in (what do you mean that's what shoes are made for?). 

On Trend - White Hot

A few weeks ago I went to the Liza Emanuele fashion parade at the Ice Arena.

It's rather ironic that I've named this post 'white hot' because it was in fact bloody cold.

It was quite a spectacular experience and like nothing I've ever seen before. You can read more about it here on Glam Adelaide.

I noticed a definite trend amoung the who's who of Adelaide. White blazers.

How To - Survive A Sample Sale

How do you know if you're whipped? 

Probably if your girlfriend makes you and your (also male) friend come to a sample sale and search through the clothes for size 8s which you then have to hold up for her one at a time so she can critique your choices and decide what she likes and what she doesn't with comments like 'ew that's hideous' and 'what were you thinking'.

And I'm the one who's single...

On Sunday my friend Caity (caityj-says.blogspot.com.au) and I headed off to the Finders Keepers, Keepsake and Cameo sample sale and we were completely unprepared for what we were about to encounter.

First of all there was a line. In the rain. Full of teenage girls.

As soon as we were let in to the hall SHIT GOT CRAY. The girls were absolutely out of control grabbing clothing left right and centre and stuffing them into bags that they had brought along.

The phrase that comes to mind is 'bitches be crazy'.

Once they had a bag stuffed full to the seams, they headed to a room off the hall to strip off and try everything on.

Caity and I were clearly amateurs to the whole sample sale situation but managed to escape with what we wanted and no visible injuries besides some emotional scarring. 

Don't get me wrong, it was awesome and kind of exhilarating. I will definitely be going back considering some of the bargains I picked up. 

I will however be following these simple rules.

How To Survive A Sample Sale

Arrive Early

Yep there was a line. I'm sure the bigger the sale is, the bigger the line will probably be. 

Know What You Want

Avoid walking out with three pairs of almost identical black shorts and six dresses you will never wear because you got excited and grabbed everything in your size.

Know Your Size

Knowing what size you are in the brand will save you a lot of time and energy.

Be Prepared/Accessorise

FYI - Not with a boyfriend.

Take a 'green bag' to put your finds in and an umbrella for standing in the rain/bashing other girls over the head with. 

Dress For Success

Wear clothes that are easy to take off/try things over. I suggest a dress or tights and a loose top and shoes that are easy to slip off.

The Etsy Edit

How did I not know about Etsy?

As a shopping addict, I pride myself on knowing these things and I can't believe I only just found out about this online store.

Etsy is a shopping website focusing on handmade and vintage items as well as art and craft supplies.

It's a closet hippies dream.

Etsy is kind of like an online Gillies street markets.

The one problem is that it's so huge it's hard to find anything on there unless you know what you're looking for so I've done the 'Etsy Edit' and picked some of my fave items below.

 

Etsy blurrs that line between need and want. Do I need a huge feathered $200 Sass & Bide style headdress? Probably not. Does that matter? Definetly not.

Etsy's missions statement says they want to empower people to change the way the global economy works by giving small businesses much more power to create a more fair, more sustainable, and more fun world.

I can't argue with that.

Behind The Scenes At The Central Markets

Am I the only person who gets so overwhelmed by the Adelaide Central Markets that I tend to go back to the exact same stalls every time? 

It turns out there is a solution. 

I love the Central Markets so I jumped at the chance to take a tour of them with Central Market Tours, fellow Glam Adelaide writer Gianni and and Celebrity Chef Matt Moran. Also because I never turn down free food. Never.

Central Market Tours was a great way to discover a lot of hidden gems at the markets and visit stalls you never would have noticed before. Including discovering the best shallot pancakes I have ever tasted.

 I was expecting Matt Moran to be scary and intimidating like he is on Masterchef but he was actually very nice and surprisingly down to earth. He also followed me on Twitter which pretty much means we are besties now (free dinner at Aria?).

He's spent a lot of time in Adelaide recently and seemed to really enjoy it here. I was also super impressed that he was tweeting and blogging as we went as part of TQUAL (tourism quality).

Usually I am the only person on their phone 24/7.

You can read his TQUAL tick tour blog here.

The markets tour may seem like something only tourists would do but it's something fun to do next time you have people visitng from interstate. I guarantee you will discover a host of things you didn't know about the markets. 

I also got to go into A ROOM OF CHEESE. It was pretty much an out of body experience.