E: vanja@vanjastace.com | P: +61 (0) 425 433 335
Digital marketing & design
I love colour. It just seems to make such a difference to my mood. Here’s how I’m wearing floral and colour from Betsey Johnson, Manolo Blahnik and Yves Saint Laurent.
I just can’t wait for winter to be over. Only a month left till spring!
A little guest came to see what I was doing…..
Mmmmm Chanel tastes delish!
When I was in New York last month I shopped like a maniac. Sephora, Betsey Johnson, Barneys – you name it. The most frustrating thing? Not being able to shop at these places now I’m back in Australia. Enter USA Shopping Affair!
USA Shopping Affair offers personal shopping buying sprees in the USA as well as mail forwarding for all your online shopping all the way to Australia.
Each month they nominate a US online retailer that they purchase bulk orders on behalf of clients, allowing them to buy single items without the excessive expense.
Charmaine Graham, founder of USA Shopping Affair says that “there are a lot of companies based in the US offering package forwarding services, but none are coordinated from Australia consolidating multiple client purchases to enable discounted shipping. Essentially USA Shopping Affair facilitates ‘collective buying power’ that an individual would not normally have access too. The result is an affordable and reliable shipping option that offers online shoppers even more incentive to snap up bargains from the US.”
VS
Register now at USA Shopping Affair and start shopping!
Here in Brisbane it’s the middle of winter but spring is slowly coming through our stores. After my overseas trip I’ve fallen in love with colour (Paris and New York love colour) so I decided to post about lipstick colours for spring. I guess I felt the need to fast forward the next few months and be in spring already.
I played with various pinks, oranges and purples by Chanel, Face of Australia, Make Up For Ever and Australis.
I started the shoot with all my base, blush and eyes fully done but with just a nude lip pencil for a neutral base. Even though I am an expert retoucher I decided to not retouch my own images. No one is perfect and that includes me. I will never claim otherwise and I don’t want to add to any image related problems that girls might already experience.
Lip pencil: Face of Australia in Sugar Rose
Soft pink shine from Australis. Ballet is the perfect name for this soft candy coloured lipstick. Looks great with my holiday tan.
I’m a big fan of orange on my lips and the Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Liberte #46 adds a subtle hint of vibrant colour with a burst of shine. I wear this to the office when I need to look serious but warm.
4) Face of Australia in Coral Bay
The Face of Australia lipstick in Coral Bay has been my favourite lipstick all year. I can’t go past this colour when I need a pick me up. This would be on Mondays, rainy days, Thursdays (the weekend is so close yet so far) and any day I don’t have time for a full face of make up. Some women do this with red lipstick, I do this with this particular shade of orange.
This is a cute colour on everyone in the world except for me. On me this Pink Ambition colour looks, well, average. In the tube it’s a lovely, shiny, warm purple but on me it turns so dull. A real shame because the texture is velvety and lovely to wear.
6) Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense #15
I bought this Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense #15 at Sephora in New York last month. I love it! It’s a daring, bold burst of cool purple with a huge amount of shine. After the shoot I wore it all weekend, it is so comfortable and it certainly makes a statement.
Alice Moore is a Sydney based publicist who started her business in Brisbane with an array of prestigious labels as clients. Now based in Sydney she’s busier than ever. Let’s see what her days are like and what being a fashion publicist is all about.
I started Élysée Publicity in early 2009 to provide the link between Queensland-based designers and the national fashion media. I relocated to Sydney in late 2010 and now look after the publicity for a number of fashion labels, makeup and skincare brands and international fragrance houses.
Whilst working at another agency in Brisbane, I was given the opportunity to do the PR for the opening of Jean Brown. After the opening, I moved to Sydney after getting a job in PR for M.A.C. Cosmetics – it just grew from there.
Working in fashion is a girls dream and it is therefore often the choice for many publicists starting out. It’s a lot of hard work as well though so you need to treat it like any other job and just work hard to get the best results for your clients.
Yes and no. There are lots of wonderful moments and surreal experiences - tom gunn collaborating with Gary Bigeni for this year’s Australian Fashion Week was a highlight – there is also a lot of hard work.
As I work virtually alone, I have to do absolutely everything – including all the boring admin activities that interns would do in other companies. I find a lot of the more challenging activities are where the rewards are though, they’re where you actually learn and get better at your job – much more so than in the fun, party moments.
tom gunn for Gary Bigeni - shoes at Australian Fashion Week 2011
Much of my job evolves around submitting the latest product (whether it be clothing, fragrance or makeup) to the magazines so they can shoot it for upcoming issues. I also travel to Brisbane once a month to meet with clients there. I’m also planning a trip to Paris early next year so I can visit some perfumers and see the latest releases.
We’re doing Spring Summer showings at the moment so much of the next few weeks will involve hosting key fashion media at the showroom so they can preview the upcoming collections. Other daily tasks are emails, responding to call outs, pitching new stories, organising the showroom and meeting with clients.
I have no idea – Today is Sunday and I’m up to five so far…
You need to be very efficient and organised. Good writing and social skills are also essential. And of course, a well-recognized degree is a must. A lot of what you do in PR is taught on the job but a university grounding shows you are dedicated to the industry and this isn’t just a decision based on the latest fad.
Issada Cosmetics creating the looks for SWIMSHOW 2011
Definitely the amazing relationships I’ve formed along the way – with the designers and my clients, as well as with the press. I’ve made life long friends in this industry.
Fitting everything in and getting everything done! Working out how to grow the business is also very tricky – it requires very careful planning which is something I’m working on at the moment.
Take my gorgeous puppy to the Rushcutters Bay for some play time.
Collaborating with Gary Bigeni for tom gunn and bringing out Romano Ricci from Paris to launch Juliette Has a Gun are just two of the many highlights! Getting to meet amazing perfumers when I visit Paris is also a special moment!
The beautiful set up for our latest fragrance launch - the stunning floral installation is by the wonderful James Gordon
Work hard – once you get your foot in the door, keep working – the more you push yourself when you’re young, the further you’ll get.
… a job (but a wonderful one at that).
No spend August is basically a no shopping challenge. Francesca and Kim, two girls in my office, were talking about how much they spent on their holidays (one went to Bali and the other to Thailand) and that it would be good to refrain from spending for a bit. They decided that August was the month to do this no shopping challenge in.
Seeing and I just came back from the mothership of all holidays (Croatia, France, US) I thought I’d join them too.
Yes I’m crazy. But cheer me on because here’s what I signed up for…
So here we are, day 1 of a 1 month shopping ban. Thank God Chanel opens in Brisbane in October because I am going to have to shop up big time after this.
Wish me luck!
Vanja
As you might know I am going overseas in a couple of weeks. First to Croatia, then France, then the US. Yes it sounds so exciting but there’s one thing between me and my fabulous holiday – PACKING. Ergh.
I enlisted the help of Roopa Remmaraju to help me decide what to take. Roopa is a designer who specialises in resortwear with a luxurious, decadent feel. She understands the need to pack light while looking stylish (let’s avoid the ‘tourist’ look please). The only thing better than the advice would have been her actually packing my suitcase but I guess I have to endure somewhat.
A road map, a near-empty suitcase to fill with souvenirs, a compass, 2 pairs of shoes, a couple of bright, printed scarves, sunglasses, bangles for easy accessorising, a roomy tote bag for the plane, and a camera to capture it all.
A combination of folding and rolling.
Just two pairs: gladiator sandals for sightseeing during the day, and a more glamorous pair of heels for night.
Oversized scarves are excellent for adding a dash of colour (and keeping you warm on the flight).
So there you have it – packing tips from a professional. I have a couple of weeks to make this work…. Wish me luck!
Vanja x
The first Queensland PeepToe store opened today in Queens Plaza. The store sparkled when we went in, the jewellery is divine. My fave shoes are these ones below, I love the colours and the shape.
AIESHA is a natural skincare range created right here in Brisbane. There are beautiful products for the face, body and baby.
Jo Stojkovic is the creator of AIESHA and she is 100% dedicated to a natural, sustainable way of life. She created the skincare brand after a life changing event – a discovery of a brain tumor while she was 26 weeks pregnant. Gulp. Jo’s story is truly amazing and she tells it so well on the AIESHA website.
Jo from AIESHA
I met Jo last week (my friend Kim is a devout AIESHA customer) and I was amazed at her joie de vivre, her energy and enthusiasm and her skin which was radiant and dewy. I don’t know about you but I have had problematic skin from as long as I can remember. Seeing Jo’s skin made me hopeful about using AIESHA so I bought a few things straight away.
I got:
Since I bought 3 items I received a 15% discount which made this affordable purchase even more affordable.
Jo was kind enough to give me a pot of the Anti Ageing Cream to give away to my readers. To be in the draw tell me in a comment below what nice skin means to you. Winner will be announced on 30th April 2011.
You can order online at the AIESHA website.
AIESHA Two-in-one Gentle Cleansing Gel ($34)
AIESHA Intense Eye & Wrinkle Cream ($55)
AIESHA Anti-Ageing Day Cream ($47)
Anni is my lovely friend. We met in French class last year and we hit it off instantly. She’s an actress and an amazing lady. We share the love of Lady Danger, wine and France.
Recently I took some photos for her and we tried on different looks. In this one look she reminded me so much of a cross between Daisy from the Great Gatsby and Audrey Hepburn that I had to share the images with you.
The next two photos aren’t the most flattering to Anni (je suis desolee Anni!) but the pooches look cute. Had to be done!
Elisha is a Brisbane based fashion stylist and interior designer whose work is well respected in these parts. She writes a mean blog too.
I was curious to find out how she got her start in fashion and what her work consists of. If you are wondering exactly what a stylist does then this interview is for you.
My name is Elisha Casagrande and I am a Brisbane based Fashion Stylist and Image Consultant. I prefer to use the term ‘Fashion Stylist’ loosely as I try not to restrict my work to styling fashion alone. I also work as an Interior Designer therefore have a huge interest in all things creative whether it be fashion, interiors, arts, food styling etc.
It is a long-winded, roller-coaster ride of a story to explain how I got to where I am today.
I began working in retail from the ripe age of 15 where in just a few months saw myself climb the ladder from employee to 2IC/ Visual Merchandiser. After a few years, I decided to take a break from fashion and try my hand at interior design – an industry that is again, incredibly creative and an industry that I find similar to fashion in many ways.
Working as an interior designer didn’t cut it for me, it wasn’t enough. I was longing for something more and each day the inkling to work in fashion again, was increasing. I decided to let off some fashion crazed steam by creating my own fashion blog. Here I could talk like crazy about everything and anything fashion related that I was inspired by or currently wearing or lusting over. This was the beginning of something huge …
Starting my own fashion blog opened the doors to many opportunities. As the number of readers grew, I had fashion labels and designers approaching me asking me to blog about their newest collections and sending me product to style and upload to my blog. This is where my love of styling was formed. I had been given the opportunity to create my own concepts in anyway possible and this gave me a huge buzz.
I found myself contacting labels/ designers/ boutiques asking about their next season collections and how I could help promote their product which in turn, helped me build an incredible black book of fashion contacts which I continue to utilise to this day in my work as a freelance stylist. From here and as the saying goes, one thing led to another …
I have a much greater love for fashion. I find working as a stylist and image consultant incredibly rewarding. There is nothing more rewarding for me then giving somebody else the ability to look and feel their absolute best 100% of the time. That feeling of happiness and confidence can not be challenged.
I dove head first into the fashion industry expecting it to be cut throat. True to its word, the styling industry has proved to be a dog eats dog world however in saying this, I have been surprised by the number of people I’ve met that simply want to help others succeed and those that simply have a desire to want to create a society of ‘creatives’. I have the mentality that this industry is undoubtedly competitive however each person is individual and embraces an individual style that no one person can imitate. Work arises given your particular taste in fashion and this my friend will produce enough work for everybody. There is someone out there for everybody.
Fashion Stylists have recently taken on the role as fashion designer, photographer, hair and make-up artist, art director just to name a few. My job consists of MANY different roles. Each project is completely different and requires versatility. A good stylist can (if need be) exceed in each of the above roles.
A typical week for me of late involves attending meetings, creating mood boards, sourcing appropriate garments and accessories to fulfil a brief, attending fashion events, creating castings for particular projects and if I’m lucky… a fitting before the shoot.
The majority of my week however is dedicated to research. I spend a HUGE amount of time each day researching new labels, new boutiques, trends, new worldwide editorials and new worldwide blogs. Knowledge is KEY.
Each week is very different. Some days I’ll spend 12 hours on location shooting and some days I’ll spend 3 hours. From the minute I wake up, to the minute I go to bed, I’m working. My brain is always in overdrive and is constantly thinking up new ideas and concepts.
I’d say the most important skills as a stylist are your ability to network, your ability to approach and talk to people and most definately your ability to be organised. Each day I’ll write a list that stems across 2 A4 pages.
There are 2 things I enjoy most about being a stylist.
No. 1 is seeing the final post production results and the response from others regarding a shoot that you have worked so hard to create.
No. 2 is the feeling I get knowing I have taken the right steps to ensure that a client leaves me feeling confident and happy within themselves. I’m not happy unless a client leaves feeling as though they could conquer the world.
Image Consulting is not challenging, there is a solution out there for each and every person no matter what their insecurities. Editorials are the most challenging. Given that I live in Brisbane, it’s sometimes a challenge to find EXACTLY the right garments for a shoot to portray your concept successfully – this is when I’ll take on the role as Fashion Designer. Deadlines are also right up there or should I say, the lack of a deadline.
Some would argue that I do not know how to relax. My mind is constantly racing. Relaxing for me involves scouting local boutiques and stores on my own in search of new and quirky finds. I’m sure most people however would argue that this is in fact, relaxing.
Quality over quantity. Someone once told me that having one high quality image says far more than 50 average quality images. Choose your work wisely.
… my creative outlet. It is a way to showcase my talents and bring inspiration and life to those around me.
Thanks for reading my blog! I appreciate you stopping by. I felt it was time to reward my readers and what’s a better reward than Chanel? I am giving away a beautiful Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Aventure so read on to see how you can win.
Coco Shine comes in twenty something shades but Aventure is my absolute favourite. Pink, shimmery and very light, this lipstick is wearable both day and night. The subtle pop of colour flushes your lips with a seductive come-hither hue while the shine adds a juicy, delicious gloss to your now irresistible lips.
Vanessa Paradis, the longtime Chanel muse, is back again as the face of Coco Shine. I love how they kept her wrinkles in these promo shots. It proves that beauty isn’t just skin deep.
There are two things you have to do:
If you already like my Facebook page you just need to comment below.
Important stuff:
Bonne chance mon amis! Good luck to you all and merci for reading my blog!
Vanja x
Images of lipstick tube and Vanessa Paradis © Chanel
Thought owning an online store was easy? Sarah Timmerman from Beginning Boutique tells me what she enjoys about owning an online store and how she got to where she is in her career.
I’m 24 soon to be the big 2-5 and so far it’s been an awesome journey into the world of fashion and business. I love just chatting to our girls on facebook and really that’s what makes my working day.
Sarah Timmerman
I started my own business so not really a start as such but just a freakin’ huge leap of faith.
Not sure really – it’s just appealing to create something that women want out of a top or skirt.
Yes and no. I didn’t expect a few things to be as they are but I knew it was brutal!
I do a lot of social media, spend an unproportionate amount of time at Australia Post, late night customer emails, prepping for events and pretty much everything from making the coffee to the choice of what we are going to stock.
Typical week?! In fashion?! Hmm well all I can say is it’s a lot of emails, phone calls, posting things, negotiating things, organising things, planning things and laughs.
I’m trying to just do 9 – 5. However I’m kidding myself if I say that I am there yet. Pretty much BB is my home page on everything, my emails automatically load and the BB facebook is always getting updated.
Accounts, organising, people skills, ability to deal with stress.
I love people. I love making our customers happy.
ACCOUNTS!
Chilling in West End with Maarten, laughing over breakky with the girls, anything not to do with fashion (anyone in fashion am I right?! Magazines are just not as fun anymore!!).
What’s the highlight of your career so far?
HMMM it depends how superficial I want to be I guess – which isn’t that much! So in that case I was super stoked to recently get a picture of a girl’s wedding where she used some of our dresses as bridesmaid dresses and she loved them. That made my day.
STUDY – learn the lessons off someone else instead of learning the hard way.
A bitch. Am I allowed to say that? She’s pretty, she can be nice but she’s also a bitch hahahahaha.
The Diva’s Wardrobe was a gathering of Brisbane’s most stylish. Divas of all shapes and sizes got together to part with their private collections. Labels included Jimmy Choo, Chloe, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Dior, Gucci and many more.
This week marked an important occasion for Dan Cox Jewellery with the launch of his Events range. I was there to witness the birth of a new era for Dan and it looks like it will be an exciting time for him and his label.
To tell you the truth, I never thought I’d be doing an outfit post. Usually I am happy with others in the spotlight and me in the supporting role. I think my recent illness readjusted my confidence a little, so I bring you my outfit post Numero Uno.
Entries are open for the 2011 Avant Garde competition, in two categories – Fashion & Millinery and Hair & Make up.
My day today started with chocolate torte for breakfast and a new skirt for dessert. C’est magnifique!
Links a la Mode is a weekly roundup of the top posts of the week submitted to Independent Fashion Bloggers. Edited by various successful bloggers, it’s a privilege to be included. Below is the full list of the inspirational posts that made it this week.
Read more…
Sweet As Candy Vintage is a Brisbane online vintage store with a fantastic selection of garments from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
I caught up with Candy Barkey, store owner and vintage collector, to get to know more about her love of vintage.
This could be your project :)
