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.

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 

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.

Burnside Village Fashion Parades

Shocker, I'm back at Burnside Village again! It's totally becoming the place to be.

Burnside Village held their Autumn/Winter fashion parades recently to celebrate the launch of their 6th issue of The Vine magazine. 

Usually 'mall parades' try and please everyone but Burnside Village knew their customer and understod their fashion sense. And even though said customer may be a wealthy middle aged mum they didn't compromise on style.

Burnside Village has a lot of high end brands and they did a great job of showing elegant ranges like Karen Millen and Carla Zampatti.

Sure, it didn't have the excitement of the Rundle Mall parades with dancing kids in shiny silver shoes and there were no opera singers or live bands but what I want from a fashion parade is to go away wanting to shop the trends. That's what I left the Burnside parades with, the urge to shop!

Winter Trends


- Red from bright tomato to maroon. The must have item is a pair of red jeans.

- Sequins - sparkly pants, tops and shoes.

- Fur

- Mustard And Teal

- Vintage Style Dresses

- 40s style trench coats, double breasted jackets and pea coats.

Photos by Alice Healy

Whitney Eve Is Coming To A Sportsgirl Near You

When I watched The Hills back in the day, I always wanted to be Whitney.

She was the least annoying and whiney and she had the best job. She also has the most amazing hair and I still try to copy her hairstyles a lot (see below). I will admit she is a bit of a style icon of mine.

Whitney Port became the first international designer to launch a collection at Australian Fashion Week at the end of April.

Whitney Eve and WE by Whitney Eve consist of pretty, feminine designs with lots of of florals and pastels. The range is aimed at young girls and reflects Whitney's personal style that we saw so much of in The Hills and The City.

I myself love a good blazer and a playsuit so the affordable range is right up my alley.

The good news is that the less expensive line WE by Whitney Eve will be coming to Sportsgirl in September so we can all have a little bit of The Hills.

While it may not be the most original range of designs, Whitney Port's collection is definitely very wearable and something I can see being a staple in my wardrobe. 

Photos courtesy of Tim Jones

A Night In London - The Best Of British Dinner

On the anniversary of Kate and Wills' marriage I got dressed up like a royal and headed to the Best Of British dinner at the InterContinental Adelaide.

Now, I didn't think that Britian was know for it's excellent cuisine. In fact I thought it was quite the opposite.

However, I suppose if you're going to eat calf tongue and eel, you may as well have it cooked by some of the best chefs in the world.

Plus Bernie Vince was there so....

I wore an amazing Couture + Love + Madness gown. Navy is one of my favourite colours and sequins are the next big thing this season so it was perfect.

After the eel and the tounge and some lamb chops (that we're actually quie normal and delicious) a Beatles cover band The Fab Four entertained the crowd and they were actually really, really good!

The last cover band I saw was a Spice Girls tribute band called Sugar and Spice at the Tivoli when I was 8 so I really wasn't sure what to expect after that experience.

The highlight was when one of The Beatles asked to have a photos with me. He said his name was Andy. I'm pretty sure there is no Andy in The Beatles. They may need to learn to stay in character better.

One thing that had me a bit confused was the dress code which was black tie. I always took black tie to mean floor length gowns for girls and tuxedos for the boys. But apparently that's white tie, so Google has saved the day and here's a guide if you're ever invited to a black tie or white tie event.

Black Tie

Traditionally black tie is only worn for events after 6pm.

Less formal than white tie.

Women
Usually means a dinner (to the ankle) or tea (below mid-calf) sleeveless dress. Today cocktail (knee-length) dresses are considered appropriate.

Men 

Suit, usually of black wool, in which the jacket lapels and trouser braid are of silk or other contrasting material, a white dress shirt, a black bow-tie, a waistcoat or cummerbund, and black dress shoes.

White Tie

Also for events after 6pm.

 Worn to ceremonial occasions such as state dinners as well as to very formal balls and evening weddings.

Men

Black dress coat commonly known as an evening tailcoat, white bow tie, white waistcoat and starched wing collar shirt, 

Women should wear a formal gown to the ankle.

I still prefer full length dresses over cocktail for black tie and at the end of the day and if you have the chace to wear a beautiful gown and dress up, why the heck wouldn't you?

InterContinental Adelaide photos by Chloe Henderson Photography

900 Ways To Wear Black & White - H By Felici Launch

Cristina Tridente of Couture+Love+Madness created this dress!

Friday night was the much anticipated H by Felici Launch at Burnside Village.

I seem to be spending a lot of time at Burnside lately. Next thing you know I'll be wearing pearls and driving an SUV!

The dress code was black and white cocktail and luckily most people stuck to this which made for a very impressive looking crowd.

To be honest, the dress code really threw me. As soon as I felt like I was told what I had to wear I was really put off and kept seeing beautiful colourful dresses everywhere.

However I ended up being really happy with my outfit.

I wore a white Liza Emanuele strapless dress, Witchery shoes and accessories from Miss Mollini on King William Road.

I also surprisingly didn't spot any people wearing the same thing which was kind of amazing. 

900 people ended up attending the launch! In Adelaide, you often end up with the same crowds at events (there's only so many of us) so it was kind of cool to attend a huge launch like this.

I've picked a selection of the 900 black and white outfits to showcase below. 

I thought that with so many people it would be hard to get a drink/food/move around but it didn't feel like there was that many people there.

 The delicious canapés were styled from the H by Felici menu by Paul Wood and guests even had the choice of Longview Wines, McLaren Vale Beer or Hills Cider.

 I may or may not have had one too many ciders...

 Mark Holden, the former Australian Idol judge made an appearance which was pretty random. Dicko gets The Celebrity Apprentice, Mark Holden gets restaurant launches in Adelaide.

It was really a great night and if I learnt anything (besides to cut back on the ciders unless you want to end up falling down the stairs at Sugar and 2am) it's that there really are 900 different ways to wear black and white!

All photos were taken by Supernova Photographics and can be found on Glam Adelaide.