Check out the online shopping report from Channel Nine's A Current Affair featuring The Grand Social! Our friends at Katzi discussed on the show last night how going online has changed their business and what they love about GS!

VIEW THE CURRENT AFFAIR VIDEO HERE

SHOP THE FULL KATZI COLLECTION HERE


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Look One: E L L E R Y Poisson Dress and Barnacle Boots.

Poisson Dress Shop Here
Low back, long sleeve dress with frayed hem and metal zipper features on the sleeves and at the center back.
Made to order $1595

Barnacle Boots Shop Here
Black leather and suede boots with gold detaiing and barnacle on heel.
Made to order $990
(Available to order without barnacle attachment $880)

Look Two: Limedrop Pants, Matt Weston and tmod Necklaces.

L-silk-pant.jpg

Limedrop Wide-leg Silky Pants Shop Here
High waisted black shine tapered wide-leg silky pants with front pleats. Available now $187.

tmod Large Hexagon Necklace Shop Here
Available in black, matt silver and shiny silver $157

Matt Weston Bead, Button and Chain Necklace Shop Now
$180

Matt Weston, Frame, Button and Key Necklace Shop Now
$200


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Wowee are we excited for this! Andrew and Bri have treated us to sneak peek of their Spring/Summer 09/10 collection which will be available online from August. How nice to have such lovely things to look forward to! Love love loving the Cotton Man Pant in Grey Check and Sky Blue, the whimsical Cream Silk Dress, the Rayon Wrap Dress and love the length of the Rose Silk Linen Cumulo Skirt. A charmingly sweet collection that makes us excited for the coming summer and dreams of lazy days sipping cool lemonades under the shade of a willow tree!

SHOP SECRET SQUIRREL

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Everyone will be receiving a little something extra in their parcels as of this week. Imagery from the new Grand Social 'The Escape' Winter 2009 will be included with all orders in the form of a full-colour A3 newspaper/poster book, showcasing the full shoot starring Madeline Kragh and a featured selection of our labels winter collections, collated by Imogene Barron, beautifully shot by Lyn&Tony and art directed by Mitch Beige Brown.

Photography:
Lyn Balzer and Tony Perkins
www.lynandtony.com

Fashion:
Imogene Barron
www.imogenebarron.com

Fashion Assistant:
Pip Vassett

Makeup:
Jasmin Lo

Art Direction and Book Design:
Mitch Beige Brown
www.mitchbeigebrown.com

Model:
Madeline at Chadwick
www.chadwickmodels.com

Digital Operator:
Mike Purvis

Printing:
mpd - Printing the news everyday
sales@mpd.com.au

Knit by Trimapee

Bodysuit by bec & bridge

Bodysuit by Ellery
Harness by Deadly Ponies

Swimsuit by Seventh Wonderland
Coat by Trimapee

Cape by myPetsQuare

Dress by Nicola Finetti
Bags by Deadly Ponies
Shoes by Nicola Finetti aXessory

Swimsuit by Seventh Wonderland
Coat by Trimapee


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Das Monk is back with an exciting new collection 'Midnight in the Mojave', telling a tale of drifters, bad trips and desert dreaming in the middle of nowhere. Designer Marc Hendrik collaborated with international artists Zach Johnsen (US), Tim Laing (UK), Evan Meister (US), and Keenan Marshall Keller (US) with designs continuing this labels love affair with the bizarre, the psychedelic and the irreverent, all on their super-soft 100% cotton.

SHOP THE NEW DAS MONK COLLECTION

The Drifter

Quartz

Rear Window

Acid Icecream

Desert Eye

The Ringmaster

Shiva


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Welcome to Blog Love, a series of posts by Courtney Awesome. This series will give readers a greater insight into what makes a good blogger and how much more than a shitty, self obsessed online diary a fashion blog can be. Our first profile is of Australian blogger Kat George- Kat spent some time in London and has honed her fashion writing over at Dazed and Confused. She has exceptional style and is not known for hiding her opinions on fashion, which is more than a passion for her. Her writing is smooth, detailed and professional - with sass and jazz in all the right places. Kat is seriously one to watch. The girl has the determination and talent to get her name off your screen and into your glossies!

FULL NAME
Kat George
AGE
23
LOCATION
Melbourne

WHY DID YOU START YOUR BLOG?
I used to do a street style blog and I felt like it was naturally progressing into an area I wasn't happy with so I started my own blog to satisfy the control freak within. That, and to keep myself writing. I want to be a writer so the blog is essentially a really fun way to propel that, as I'm able to pour myself into something I really love, and at the same time practice my art and keep my writer's cap working hard.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE POST THAT YOU HAVE WRITTEN AND WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
Probably 'Heart throb hair'. It was just something really silly that I really enjoyed writing up, I even got a few cheeky giggles out of it as I reminisced about how cringe worthy I was as a teenager. View post here.

WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE BLOG/BLOGGER?
Susie Bubble! stylebubble.co.uk

WHERE DO YOU DO MOST OF YOUR BLOGGING?
Where ever I can, especially now that I have mobile blogging. Isn't technology wonderful?

DO YOU LOOK AT BLOGS THE SAME WAY YOU WOULD LOOK AT MAGAZINES OR ONLINE MAGAZINES, WEBSITES, ECT?
No, I don’t think so. Print media has a certain romance for me that blogs can never have. Blogs are a quick fix, I might spend half an hour to an hour a day getting snapshots of people's wardrobes, street fashion etc, but there's a certain thrill I just can’t shake of going to the news agency when a new magazine comes out. Trotting out of a store with a mag bundled under my arm and knowing I'm about to sneak away from the world with coffee, cake for a listless afternoon is priceless. Magazines give me a complete experience, where as blogs give me immediacy and fast information. They are both essential in my life, but for really different reasons.

HOW DO YOU FEEL PERCIEVED AS A BLOGGER?
I haven't decided yet. At the end of the day I still want my name in print, so I'm quite conflicted. On one hand I enjoy being part of this very rapidly expanding cultural discourse that constantly changes the way we disseminate and absorb information. On the other hand I don't want to be 'branded' a blogger- I want to be able to branch out into different media forums without that preconceived stigma attached.

WHAT DO YOU DO ASIDE FROM BLOGGING?
I'm a student studying Law/Media & Communications at Melbourne Uni, unfortunately into my 6th year. I'm also a freelance journalist.

WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE DESIGNERS?
That's really hard! I love a lot of different designers in equal amounts but for very different reasons, so I'm a afraid I can't really answer that question!

ARE YOU A FAN OF ANY AUSTRALIAN LABELS?
I love Australian fashion, and I want to champion local talent as much as I can. I especially love Alpha60, I'd say they were a wardrobe favourite for me. If I had the money, I'd be all over Tina Kalivas and Arnsdorf. In terms of fresher faces I've fallen head over heels in love with Emma Rea and Carly Hunter. Shall I go on?

DO YOU THINK AUSTRALIAN FASHION DESIGN DIFFERS FROM OTHER DESIGNERS AROUND THE WORLD? HOW SO?
Of course. Australian fashion is trans-seasonal, we don't have an extreme winter so collections tend to be more seasonally ambiguous than overseas collections. We also have a completely self contained, self sustaining industry so we produce clothes with a uniquely Australian attitude, which I think is generally laid back, practical, with a very natural, earthy beauty. Australian fashion excels when it's being itself, and flounders when it tries to emulate European trends.

WHAT ARE YOU PSYCHED ON AT THE MOMENT?
Wolverine! No seriously, have you seen the new movie? I'm also obsessively hunting for the perfect pair of black wedges, preferably ankle booties, but no luck yet.

WHAT IS THE BEST EXPERIENCE BLOGGING HAS GIVEN YOU?
Probably leading me to my internship at Dazed Digital.

YOUR FAVORITE WEBSITE?
Twitter!

WHAT ARE YOU WEARING RIGHT NOW?
I've been sitting here for a while trying to decide whether honesty really is the best policy and in the end I decided to go for broke- I'm wearing my old high school tracksuit jumper and black tights. Sexy.

WHAT OR WHO SHOULD THE WORLD BE LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
Beyonce- Diva.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF STREET STYLE PHOTO BLOGS?
I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with street style photos. They're a dime a dozen these days, and generally they're completely subjective and based on the photographers personal tastes, which is fine, but it means that many of them don't really appeal to me. I like Jak & Jil Blog.

HAVE YOU HAD TO DEAL WITH ANY HATERS IN YOUR INTERNET EXPERIENCE? HOW DOES IT MAKE YOU FEEL AND WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO DEAL WITH IT?
Don't let the bastards get you down. Seriously. I've copped quite a bit of flack over the past year, but none of it has even come within a reasonable distance of 'constructive'. I want to propagate discussion, I'm all for freedom of expression and I'll even encourage healthy debate. What I can't stand is mindless abuse. It makes me feel sad for my generation, because we're the first generation with the whole world at our fingertips. We can do some really wonderful things if we put our heads together, but people can be so predictably spiteful and hateful. You just have to brush it off because at the end of the day, if you're doing what you love, the anonymous commenters who spew inane crap onto the internet aren't even worth a bat of the eyelid.

DOES IT SURPRISE YOU HOW MUCH BLOGGING HAS BECOME SUCH A REGULAR THING, AND IS SO WIDELY ACCEPTED AS A FORM OF MODERN WRITING?
I don't find it particularly surprising, but it's eternally fascinating to me. We don't appreciate it now, but we're essentially changing the way history is perceived. It's scary to contemplate, but we're writing history everyday by archiving our thoughts online, so in the future researching the past is going to be as simple as a few clicks of a button. And who knows what that might turn up?


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The second drop of the bec & bridge Winter 09 collection is now available! 'The Lady Of The Lake' features stunning knits with the Epalette Cardy and the Stripey Knit Jumper, amazing tie to to the thigh leggings, metaliic rib slips, sheer rib singlets, the criss-cross King Arthur bodysuit and dress, and yes ladies the Camelot Tab Dress the Second is here!

Don't let yourself be disappointed a second time!

SHOP THE NEW bec & bridge SECOND WINTER COLLECTION

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 A model on the rise:
Madeline Kragh
Agency - Chadwick
Born - 1989
Hometown - Arizona
Here's a face with personality, with that strong jaw, deep brown eyes , amazing hair and bleached brows. Madeline starred in the Vogue/IMG hit online reality series Models.Live that followed the lives of three models in NYC. Madeline has temporarily relocated to Australia where she has shot a cover for Oyster, starred in a Lee campaign and has just had a very successful RAFW, walking for Romance Was Born, Camilla and Marc, Dion Lee, Antipodium, Konstantina Mittas, Aurelio Costarella and Illionaire.
Madeline also just starred in our autumn/winter 09 shoot, she did an amazing job - you'll be seeing the images here very soon! You can also see her in the Maise winter look book here.
We love Madeline! Can't wait to see what she does next...

Camilla and Marc 

 Dion Lee

 Dion Lee

 Konstantina Mittas

 Aurelio Costarella

 Antipodium

 Illionaire

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 Tiah Eckhart
Outside Marnie Skilligs as part of her RAFW coverage for a Perth newspaper publication
Romance Was Born dress, vintage boots, YSL glasses and bag
Favourite shows: Zambesi and Dhini

 Paul Bui Editor of Oyster
At the Rosemount Bar
World jacket, American Apparel singlet, Junya Wuntanabe pants, Balmain and Maise rings, Tiffany bracelet, myPetsQuare boots
Standout shows: Romance Was Born, Dion Lee, Christopher Esber

 Isaac NZ fashion blogger isaaclikes.com
Outside Marnie Skillings
Comme Des Garcons sweater, Little Brother pants, Gap shirt, Converse sneakers, Working Style bow tie

 Camille Yi
Heading backstage pre-Nicola Finetti show
Phillip Lim vest, American Apparel t-shirt, Lee shorts, vintage lycra boots from Paris, Marc Jacobs bag

 Max and Alex
At the Rosemount Bar
M - Prada jumper, Levis jeans, Ksubi sunglasses, Jil Sander shoes, Ted Benson bag
A - Comme Des Garcons shirt, Chronicles Of Never jeans, Pierre Hardy shoes
Most looking forward to: M - Fernando Frisoni
A - Kirrily Johnston

 Louise Cavanagh and Elvis Difazio
L - Josh Goot top and skirt, Marshall Votalski jacket and Gucci bag
E - Italian boots, vintage 1960s everything else

 Maria Fontana and Sinead Allen-Shea from Cleo Magazine
Heading into Wayne Cooper show
M - Ode To Noone jacket, Zimmermann top, French Connection leggings, Miu Miu bag
S - Top Shop t-shirt, Marks & Spencer top, Stretsis skirt, Top Shop shoes and bag
Standout show picks: M - Magdelena Velevska
S- Nicola Finetti

 Kate Gurney
At the Rosemount Bar
Zait skirt and jacket, Bonds singlet, shoes from the south of France
Favourite show: Wayne Cooper

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 Ok sorry everyone but after a much later evening at the party than planned, day four was a bit of a right-off. Fortunately one of the team did manage to drag themselves out of bed to make the Gary Bigeni show. It was a really nice show, very signature Bigeni, clean and sleek with a palette of five block colours – black, bright sky blue, lilac, deep mauve and light grey. The show was accompanied by a beautiful looped film clip of Rachel Rutt surrounded by a with a sheath of sheer, billowing fabric. Loved Myf Shepherd in the opening look, a full length black asymmetrical gown with gold side zip and one ankle-length billowing arm. It’s always so funny to see Gary walk out afterwards dressed in a colourful mash of shorts over pants, patterns, stripes, bow tie and platform brogues after seeing such a clean, pared-back collection.

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 The final show of the evening before skipping off to the party was one of our own, Jayson Brunsdon, in his ‘homecoming’ show – his first show on home shores in three years. After a dark year Jayson was inspired by colour, simplicity and glamour, as epitomised by the muse for his new collection, his mother Dorothy and images of her at chic backyard barbeques and poolside parties.
The Brunsdon team created an ingenious seating plan for the show, instead of tiered seating they had eight rows of seating each with their own runway that snaked through four lines of runway - so that the clothes were out for view for longer and four times the people had got that front row feeling - very clever!

The show presented an ageless ultra chic collection of collared shirt dresses, silk shangtun easy shorts and skirts bowed at the waist, stunning evening gowns in champagne silk, blouses with rolled sleeves and upturned collars and a stunning pair of gold exquisitely sequined shorts. The colour palette for the show was a collection of ivory, beige, gold, blush, mint and chocolate, along with a signature gum-leaf print.
Armed with a backstage pass I headed behind the scenes after the show and the atmosphere was pure jubilation. Jennifer Hawkins and Henry Roth were backstage alongside Jayson's family and partner Aaron. Media backstage were declaring the show a standout for the week. We can't wait to get the collection online!
And now it was time to get ready for The Grand Social mid-week event - 'The Escape'! If you haven't already, head to thegrandsocial.com.au/escapeparty to see all the pics from the night.
SHOP JAYSON BRUNSDON

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 Marnie Skillings was the next show for the afternoon and we had heard from a friend of hers that this season was killer. Marnie mixed her trademark sweet floral femininity with a hard shot of rock chic for her new collection, with the help of Chaingang drummer Skarlett Saramore, who accompanied the show with a thrashing drum solo alongside the catwalk, clad in black jeans and a black sequin bikini.

The models marched down the catwalk to the hammering drums with Alice Dellal inspired hair (proving to be very popular in this years shows), bold brows and lids splashed with aqua and orange. There was a great toughness to the prettiness with the fierce studded belts and thick nude chain necklaces against the cute twin-sets, soft off-whites and the great new faded floral print, seen above on a magnificent huge pair of culottes.

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 What a night! Well I think we can safely say everyone had a lot of fun, & judging by how packed out it still was at 4am it looked like no one was wanting to go home! There must have been some very sore heads at the Romance Was Born show just a few hours later, ouch. Founder of the Milan fashion week party Punks Wear Prada, DJ Natasha Slater was a huge favourite, spinning out lots of dance-friendly tracks & Kirrilly Johnston also jumped on the decks for a guest spot.
theclub was completely transformed for the evening, with designers, stylists, PR, media & all the fashion kids stepping into the green paradise created by Lyn&Tony in our winter shoot 'The Escape' - complete with trees, vines & real grass!
Check out Pip Edwards coverage of the night at the Grazia blog.
For all the pics from the night visit thegrandsocial/escapeparty.

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 Well Day 3 began with a very nice start to the day – meeting the lovely French fashion blogger Garance Dore, garancedore.fr/en flown over by IMG for RAFW (alongside her partner Scott Schuman of The Sartorialist). We had been plucking up the courage for the past two days to approach her for a style shot and we finally caught her walking across the prime expanse heading towards the OPT building. With her was the also very nice Linlee Allen (the Australian fashion writer who has written for style.com, V, i-d, Purple to name a few and was covering RAFW for Grazia online – also check out her blog here linleeloves.blogspot.com) who made sure we were aware of the gravity of the situation, “you know this is Garance Dore right?”.

(above: Garance image courtesy of her blog).

 Linlee was wearing a stunning purple kangaroo skin necklace by the amazing Lyn&Tony (speaking with L&T later I discovered Linlee had been at the Konstantina Mittas show for which L&T did the creative direction and spotting the necklace on the runway ran backstage after the show to ask if she could borrow it for a couple of days because it was perfect for the purple dress she was wearing that day! and she was right, it looked great). Two inspiring women for anyone in fashion media, it was great to see how down-to-earth and nice they both were.

Garance has some beautiful shots of the best of the off-the-catwalk fashion at RAFW, including Sydney PR’s Holly Garber and Emily Pero, Arnsdorf designer Jade Arnott in amazing double-denim, stylist Tamila Purvis and Linlee (above).

 So after some excited jumping up and down we headed into the Gail Sorronda/Dhini show. Gail is well known for her black and white only colour palette which she continues to keep fresh from season to season. Her new collection was inspired by the fragility of birds, with feathered headpieces and delicate plumages of frills and ruffles. The collection had a very elegant flapper feel mixed with sexy sheers, beading and bondage style heels. Sorronda, who has recently relocated to Paris says the collection presents “invasive exotics inspired by a new environment”.

Sorronda images courtesy of Zimbio.

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