Sharing to Eliminate Struggle

Dearest Creative Souls and Actors,

It is an exquisite day here in Melbourne today, it doesn't get much better than this. I was thinking how confronting I found the task of sharing my personal story in my E-Book, The Secret of Your Success as an Actor was today. It is so important to me that it help you, I want everyone to read my E-Book before you do anything else and it seems the Industry agrees with me. NIDA and other institutions have given it huge accolades.

So check it out, its only $9.95 for over 100 pages, its a MUST READ because I don't want YOU to Struggle, I want you to SOAR!

Must be feeling mushy today,

love T

www.actorssecretweapon.com

A beautiful sunny Melbourne morning greeted a fashionable crowd as they arrived at the Malvern Town Hall for the first of the L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival Fashion Collection shows: Metalicus.

Formed in 1992 by Melbourne designer Melma Hamersfeld through the design experimentations of transforming stretchy material, Metalicus has long since become a staple of most fashionista’s wardrobe. As such, it was with excitement that I joined in the throng to see what we would be wearing this coming season from the label. Spotted amongst the crowd were the sister act, uber talented musicians / DJs and L’Oreal Ambassadors Nervo looking effortlessly glamorous.

Groove Armada’s ‘Oh My Gosh’ welcomed the models onto the runway with the the parade commencing with the brands high performance sportswear range Move. Featuring extremely wearable jogging jackets, tee’s, jogging shorts, leggings, singlets, pants and more, the thing that struck me first was the use of color! It seemed that a burst of sunshine had been thrown into the Melbourne wardrobe staple of black, grey and more grey.

Red, yellow and pink added gorgeous color and movement to the range with singlets featuring cut-out circles at the back, sure to bring relief to any exercise fanatic who knows just how hot getting sweaty can be. In particular I loved the pink stretchy jogging jackets which looked like they would be perfect for relaxing or exercising.



Perhaps my pick of the sportswear range were the black knicker bockers (referred to as Song Fold Over Pants in the Metalicus brochure) which just looked so comfortable and stylish. This item truly translates across style and would work easily with a pump and cute Tee to meet the girls for brunch. Shoes were by Lacoste and a particular silver pair caught my eye as being particularly special.

The lights dropped much to the chagrin of the photographers pit with one yell heard above the music of ‘liiiights!’. Soon enough it was onto the second half of the parade with the Metalicus Women’s Collection beginning with an array of dresses and again the use of color was evident. Bright colors were layered into outfits with orange and pink a stand out. A gorgeous beanie came down the runway with a flower on the side that I could see many a Melbourne fashionista enjoying through Winter.

Current trends were acknowledged with two ruffled skirts looking particularly pretty and comfortable. A stand out for me were the colored, patterned and textured tights which came down the runway in an array of styles including small check, tartan, aqua and yellow along with grey’s - both dark and lighter. A long sleeved jacket in grey was gorgeous as was a purple maxi dress with zipper detailing at the neck. Cut outs were again a feature as was the clear eighties inspiration with a hot pink and white lace party dress standing out to me. A corset dress in steel grey was super sexy whilst the use of stripes made this collection seem to appear appealing to a cross selection of ages. This possibly was reflected in the audience which saw a mix of generations enjoying the collection.

The use of stripes was particularly interesting with a wrap dress featuring horizontal stripes at the back moving into diagonal at the front with buckle. A yellow bodysuit was particularly pretty as was the blue cardi.

The models featured natural hair and makeup as one would expect for a sportswear range and women's collection which focuses on comfort. Spotted on the runway were the exquisite Lucy McIntosh (who is surely Melbourne’s hardest working model) along with Samantha Downie of Australia’s Next Top Model (2008) fame, who always looks stunning. The finale saw all models congregrate on the runway in a houndstooth inspired batwing mini dress (stunning!) teamed with a different pair of colored tights each. Sky high heels by RMK were a feature as the girls formed a group to then cascade off the runway.

All in all, I really liked the collection, I felt it was transgenerational, interesting and made great use of color – something I am a fan of in general. With most of the range under $100, I could see many people enjoying this collection, whilst getting a lot of wear out of it.

For more information or to start shopping the collection visit Metalicus.com.

For more information of the rest of the L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival visit the LMFF website here.

Photography by The Contessa for AskBronny. See The Contessa's Street Style snaps from the parade here.

How To: Get Longer Legs

Ever wished your pins were a bit longer? Looked in the mirror and thought, give me just a couple of inches more! Here's our tricks to fake your legs longer. How To Make Those Legs Look Looooonger

How To Make Those Legs Look Looooonger

If you havn't been blessed with a pair of Nadja Auermann
pins (nineties supermodel and previous title holder of the longest legs
in the world) then here are a few tricks to lengthen your legs.

1. Double it: match your shoe to your stocking and your legs will instantly appear longer. For example, if you are wearing black opaques team them with black high heels. Instant leg lift.
2. Striped:
vertical stripes in trousers will make your legs look longer! Don't
scoff, it's true and whilst you wouldn't dream of wearing a vertical stripe, think again, pinstripes are always stylish and look great in a pair of tailored trousers. Check out these ones from French Connection.
3. Spray it: if it's the Spring or Summertime and you're legs are on display, then make sure you've got a tan,
a bit of color will make those puppies look nice and lean and you'll
feel fab when you see a bit of color on them too. It goes without
saying that those legs of yours are groomed and looking ready to bite
into.
4. Hitch it up: i'm talking panty line as in knickers or bathers here girls. Don't go for a boycut, think more of your 80s glam supermodel swimsuit, this kind of high cut is going to make your leg look longer and that's what we're all about.
5. Get the skinny: skinny leg jeans or fitted trousers are going to hug your legs and make them stand out a mile.
6. Heels, heels & more heels: high heels are your best friend
here, they will hike you up and give you inches. This is of course the
most obvious way to lengthen your legs. Now all your have to do is
master walking in your stilts!
7. The shorter the better: when picking lengths for shorts and skirts choose either a short that is short and fitted (think Levi cutoffs) or a mini skirt. Otherwise an ALine skirt just on the knee with heels will work fine.

And if you're just not sure - then look to our celebrity sisters for inspiration! Here's Kylie Minogue rocking her legs and definately making them look longer! Remember, Ms
Minogue is only 5ft and her legs always look a million dollars!

Make Those Legs Longer by askbronny featuring Christian Louboutin shoes

Items in this set:
Navy nautical short coat, 60 GBP
Tomas Maier Strapless cut away swimsuit, 235 GBP
J Brand Skinny faded-wash jeans, $175
'Levi's' 501 Denim Shorts W28 L11
Christian Louboutin High Satin Peep Toes with Knot, 535 GBP

Say No to Shopping by Jane Stabler

I'm going to post articles by my gorgeous writers - this one comes from Jane Stabler.

Ask Bronny tears herself away from the winter sales to figure out if a small shopping addiction is such a bad thing… There are times when I seriously suspect I have a shopping problem. Times when I know I have just about enough in my bank account to buy a happy meal but I don’t get paid for another fortnight, and I still buy shoes. Times like Saturday when I organised to meet a friend in the city for coffee – just a coffee - and on the way I bought a dress, two pairs of tights and new makeup. It seems that even bordering on bankruptcy isn’t enough to squash my desire to shop. At least I’m helping the economy.

I wonder what it is that causes this addiction to shopping, because in other aspects of my life, I am actually capable of exercising a relatively impressive level of self control. For example, as much as I love a vino, I can go for days or weeks without drinking if I tell myself it shall be so, even when the pressure to imbibe is unwavering from my friends. Similarly when I do decide to exercise (and no, it’s not often) I actually stick to it for a determined period of time. (It’s usually a short period, but I still stick.) But when it comes to shopping, it seems as far as willpower goes, I have none. I certainly didn’t need the new dress. The tights I can warrant for work purposes (I wonder if I can claim them on my tax…) but it seems I am unable to walk past something I think is remotely nice without trying it on, and that ultimately leads to trouble. And that brings me to my latest quandary.

My most fabulous boyfriend has recently informed me that we are attending a formal ball interstate in a couple of months. This is beyond fabulous news for a girl who loves to glam up, but of course the minute he uttered the words “black tie” I was stressing about a dress, and my mind was running rampantly through my decidedly inadequate wardrobe.

Now, I have many dresses (not surprising based on the above story) some of which I cringe to admit I have only worn once - even more devastating when I recall the price tags. Of course I will do the obligatory try on of all the possibly suitable dresses in my closet, but I already know they will fail the test miserably. And that’s mostly down to the fact that I have only just this weekend seen the most fabulous, beautiful creation in a glorious window display and I just know that this dress is perfect for this event.

Half of me is screaming to go and try it on because it would be perfect (and everything I own I have of course pre-empted will suck beyond belief) but the sensible part of me is reminding me I am no closer to owning anything other than shoes than I was 10 years ago, and I should really stop buying unnecessary dresses that I hardly ever get to wear and start considering property as an investment possibility.

I’m pretty sure I’ll be trying it on this week.

For more articles like this visit www.askbronny.com.

The pretties of Melbourne flocked to Miss Greens Garden Party at The Willows on St Kilda Road for the last day of Melbourne Spring Fashion Week. One could have mistaken the crowd as Flemington race goers with the range of floral frocks and fascinators on display. Rebecca George (Miss Green herself) arranged a divine event with the concept based around presenting an ‘Eco Friendly’ fashion parade and then auctioning off the designs for lucky bidders.

There was a distinctly vintage feel to the event with hostesses wandering around dressed in gorgeous 50s garb replete with hair and makeup. Models dressed in the designs they were soon to present, allowed us the opportunity of a close up view of what was later to be an auction item. Guests sipped eco friendly organic wines and nibbled canapés whilst admiring the display of cupcakes they would soon dig into provided by ‘Love At First Bite’. I have one word for those cup cakes ‘delicious’. Photographers were kept happy with the colorful display; definitely the most color I had seen that week at any parade!

Designers who had donated their time and effort to create a dress for the auction included Lady Petrova, Made in Donald, Alexi Freeman, Eva Q, Nicolangela, Jenny Bannister, Miss Lyndel Yeo, KBAD, Sara Victoria, Nikolina Concepts, Tiffany Treloar, Messina Designs, Leonard Street, Hair Fascinators, Hopeless and Anna Campbell. Accessories were provided by Airdrie Makin with the gorgeous Joolz range.

Each designer had been invited to create a frock with eco friendly materials which proved to be a winner with some gorgeous creations resulting. Lady Petrova’s purple floaty cocktail frock was perhaps my pick of the day with bidding hot at the auction and the dress finally going for close to $300. Other standouts included Made in Donalds velvet frock with jacket made from recycled carpet (though you’d never have guessed) and Jenny Bannisters use of straws to embellish her simple white dress.
50% of auction proceeds were generously donated to the charity of the Designers choice including Beyond Blue, the Lost Dogs Home, RSPCA and Guide Dogs. As guests left the event they were treated to a fabulous gift bag the best of the week in my opinion, including wonderful products and samples to get your eco friendly heart racing.

All in all, Miss Greens Garden Party was a wonderful finale to a week of fashion and frivolity. We certainly hope to see this event on the next years fashion week calendar.

To view images from the day visit this article at AskBronny.com.

MSFW09

How do you describe with images the beauty of the clothes you witnessed in person? It’s a hard one, but I’ll try. This past week was one of my busiest of the year with Melbourne Spring Fashion Week in full bloom across the city. I attended quite a few of the parades and walked away with idea’s of hot looks for the coming season. I have to admit there was a peach boiler suit that I just can’t get out of my head, not to mention the Betina Liano bustier that I am currently coveting.

Sky high heels were a definite feature of all the parades I attended with only a few daring designers sending their girls down the runway in biker and low heeled ankle boots. You heard it here of course on AskBronny that the biker boot (that early 90s look) was returning and it was confirmed in Designer Showcase Series 4 when designers teamed gorgeous outfits with the buckled variety. We love this look, and anyone can wear it, we suggest teaming your boots with leggings, flippy 20s inspired dresses and a headband for that added fun.

The 20s and 30s were also a clear inspiration with menswear in particular chanelling The Great Gatsby, I couldn’t get past the gorgeous pale grey and cream suits for men. I predict a hot look for this coming Spring Racing Carnival, team it with a checked flat cap and your Great Gatsby look will be complete. Forget about your dark suits boys and opt instead for the cool colors of white, grey and cream. For women it was high waisted Kath Hepburn inspired trousers with a wide cuffed leg – divine. This kind of trouser looks awesome with flats, a fitted shirt and a cardy draped over your shoulders. A perfect work outfit for any stylista.

The Wayne Cooper Dresses at Showcase Number 3 were nothing short of inspirational, in particular the gothic inspired maxi that was a standout, we could see young Kristen of Twilight fame rocking this on any red carpet.

Whilst goth seems to be creeping back into fashion it seems hemlines are also creeping up, the crotch skimming mini is definitely not a look for the faint hearted or those not feeling super confident with their body. I’d suggest giving this look a miss unless you are built like Giselle, it’s a hot look but so inconvenient in terms of how do you sit down, bend over, leave it for the runway is my suggestion.

The girls sparkled as they glided down the runway with most designers featuring a look or two that included sequins or sparkling materials, we particularly loved a blue Wayne Cooper frock which just screamed late night glamour.

There was something about the parades that felt very primary colors to me, with variations and hue’s of red, yellow and blue. For men the colors were very muted with a lot of grey, black, cream and white. The designs seemed to be more about fit rather than color. A few brave designers sent there men down the runway in a unisex creation with French inspired ruff at the front, we’re not sure this look will take off in mainstream fashion although could see a particular confident manista rocking it.

A rock element also seemed to come through which ties in nicely with the goth look of black, we felt elements of Morrissey and the punk movement with black outfits, pencil ties, and cut outs featuring.

Resort wear was also a feature with white plastic looking sunglasses, lycra and that look you would surely only see on the French Riviera, we particularly liked the idea of wearing and all in one singlet with your high waisted trousers, there is something (again) very 30s about this look which we loved.

All in all it really came down to the following hot looks that you could adapt into your wardrobe:

1. wide legged cuffed man trousers
2. biker boots
3. lace
4. resort wear
5. bustiers
6. sequins & sparkles
7. 1930s inspired looks for men and women
8. crotch skimming dresses
9. zippers
10. sky high heels

All those girls who loved their maxi dresses last season – never fear, the maxi is still a hot look with designers sending different versions down the runway. Also, any fashionista on the money will purchase a jump suit which have taken a step up with silk materials, longer sleeves for a more evening look. Gorgeous. As said, I’m in love with this peach boiler suit… now if only I had been wearing that in the paper.

For all the images visit this article at AskBronny.com.

Why Blog?

I started AskBronny.com in 2006, the site is dedicated to answering questions about fashion. I actually answer all the questions myself and am really interested in helping people who are a little bit fashion fearful. Of course, I get plenty of questions from fashionistas and I love answering those questions as well.

Even though I have my own website and have a host of people writing for me I figured a blog could be a good little fun thing to do on the side.

So here I am! Feel free to ask a question - I might even get featured on the AskBronny.com homepage.

Til then - why not visit AskBronny.com and see what it's all about.

Visit now...