Knuckles' Shopping Spree at Westfield Woden

Today I had the most fabulously fun time and couldn't believe I was actually working.

104.7 recently had a competition whereby 4 lucky winners won a 1K shopping spree at Westfield Woden and Belconnen and got to hang out with radio presenter Knuckles, another Westfield stylist, Ella, and myself.

My role was to help the girls shop with their vouchers to find some awesome Autumn fashion. Oh and shop they did!

So many bags!!

I was just so excited for them all- can you imagine holding a 1K Westfield gift voucher in your hot little hands! I could do some serious shopping as I'm sure you all could too.

I took the girls to Sportsgirl, Cue, Witchery, Country Road, Dotti, Wittner and Lovisa- phew! It was great that they were open to new styles and ideas and bought some pretty spesh items.

Knuckles was really sweet and fun and just how she is on the radio. She even did a little interview with me on Autumn fashion so you may hear me blathering away on Scotty and Nige on Monday morning!

Seriously, what fun. Shopping will never get old. Even if I was vicariously shopping through the competition winners!

xx

Trend Alert- The Hero Pant (Guest post at Stylehunter.com)

For my first article for Stylehunter.com (hurrah!) I wanted to translate a trend that anyone can wear. Yes, anyone.

Cue: the hero pant.

Zimmermann- Rising feather school boy pant- $395.00  http://www.zimmermannwear.com/collections/readytowear/ rising-feather-school-boy-pant.html

ASOS Pants In Diamond Jacquard- $66.58
http://asos.to/14zi6u7

We saw this trend during Spring/ Summer and it seems it’s here to stay as the weather gets a bit cooler (the temperature has already dropped here in Canberra- distressing!)

The hero pant is essentially any pair of pants that stands out and makes an impact- it is the feature of the outfit.

The beauty of this trend is that by picking a killer pair of pants to be the focus of your ensemble, you can keep it simple everywhere else. It makes dressing a no-brainer!

Over the Summer months we saw the hero pant emerge in light, floaty fabrics and cropped lengths and the pattern was more often than not a pretty floral. As Winter approaches the hemlines will drop, the fabric will be sturdier and we will see some moodier and more opulent prints and fabrics. Think brocade, gothic, embellished, lace, winter florals and cyber prints to name but a few...

You can read the rest of this article at Stylehunter.com

xx

Why I'm loving being an Insider at Stylehunter.com

I love to write.

Especially about fashion.

I'm also getting pretty inspired by 'ol Canberra town these days. We have new boutiques, restaurants and bars a plenty and even have a so-called 'hipster' hub in Braddon that is positvely brimming with coolness.

Canberra? Cool? Ya reckon?

This would have been my reaction a few years after moving back from London, but not anymore. Nope. Canberra is inspiring me daily and our burgeoning fashion industry is most certainly taking off in the most intriguing way.

So, with all of my recent observations, you can imagine how thrilled I was when Stylehunter.com picked me to be their new fashion 'Insider' for Canberra. This was hugely exciting for me as a) Stylehunter is a bible of all things stylish and to contribute to it is a DREAM b) I can write more about what I love and c) I can share some of Canberra's newly found street-cred to a global audience.

There are insiders all across the world- from London to Sydney to New York and our role is to bring light to all the fabulously stylish goings-on in our cities.

Mission accepted!

Here are my first couple of posts if you fancy a read:

http://www.stylehunter.com/fashion-news/meet-annie-brown-the-new-canberra-insider-who-said-canberra-doesnt-do-fashion/

http://www.stylehunter.com/featured/5-minuets-with-annie-brown-the-new-canberra-insider/

So stay tuned for all my Insider musings and if you feel like the world simply MUST know about something exciting happening in our fair city- please let me know so I can share the love!

Stylehunter.com

xx

In the City Magazine Photo-shoot

Gorgeous Model Zoe- Styled by Moi, Photography by Geoff Jones, Hair and Makeup by Mary Li Makeup. Dress and shoes from Itrip Iskip, Head-piece from Pela's Studio and necklace from Wildwood (all in Canberra)

Gorgeous Model Zoe- Styled by Moi, Photography by Geoff Jones, Hair and Makeup by Mary Li Makeup. Shoes from Itrip Iskip, Head-piece, top and necklace from Wildwood and shorts from Designer Op-shop (all in Canberra)

Gorgeous Model Zoe- Styled by Moi, Photography by Geoff Jones, Hair and Makeup by Mary Li Makeup. Top, shorts, sunnies and shoes from Itrip Iskip, Head-piece from Pela's Studio (both in Canberra)

Gorgeous Model Zoe- Styled by Moi, Photography by Geoff Jones, Hair and Makeup by Mary Li Makeup. Earrings and shoes from Itrip Iskip, bag and ring from Designer Op-shop and top and shorts from Wildwood (all in Canberra). Sunglasses are Model's own.

Gorgeous Model Zoe- Styled by Moi, Photography by Geoff Jones, Hair and Makeup by Mary Li Makeup. Dress and shoes from Itrip Iskip, Head-piece from Pela's Studio and necklace from Wildwood (all in Canberra)

Behind the scenes...out in the wilderness.

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to be chosen to collaborate with some of the most talented creatives in Canberra for a feature in 'In the City' Magazine. The shoot itself was lots of fun and the team (who I had never worked with before) were gorgeous, professional and relaxed. Not to mention crazy talented!

The photographer, Geoff Jones, is phenomenal. Really laid-back and his images are always top-notch and inspiring. The hair and makeup artist, Mary Li, is so bubbly and we hit it off straight away. She just made me laugh all day while my jaw dropped at the incredible work she was doing. I was secretly hoping she'd expertly swipe a bit of make-up my way- if ever I need an MUA, Mary's my gal.

The model, Zoe, is so beautiful it's ridiculous, with legs that seem to go on forever. Not to mention totally sweet and personable.

These guys have impressive portfolios and have worked with some of the best in the industry. It truly was a pleasure to work with them and I have a sneaky suspicion we collaborate again.

Thanks to the lovely ladies at Itrip Iskip,Wildwood, Designer Op-shop and Pela's Studio for letting me borrow your beautiful pieces for the shoot.

Hope you like! xx

Paying it forward. Beautifully.

Recently one of my gorgeous friends Megan, from the lovely Liebe Bluhm, did a very sweet thing.

She posted on her facebook page that the first 5 people to 'like' or comment on the post would receive a little vintage treasure in the mail. Just because. Because it's wonderful to receive gifts in the mail. It makes you smile.

It was Megan's way of 'paying it forward'.

I liked the post because I thought it was a beautiful idea, completely missing that if you liked it, you got sent the gift!

When I said this to Megan, she insisted I was a worthy candidate and a few days ago I went to the letterbox and found a sweet little package in there.

HOORAY! I LOVE PRESSIES!

I unwrapped the delicate tissue paper to find a gorgeous vintage scarf and adorable vintage fruit-bowl earrings. They were SO me. Just another reason why this gift was so special- Megan had put real thought into what she gave me.

So, to my very sweet friend, THANK YOU. You really made me smile and brightened a week that needed brightening.

Megan modelling on a shoot we collaborated on for HerCanberra.com. She's sweet AND a babe!

It's kind gestures like these that fill the world with love.

xxx

Twitter! Where have you been all my life?!

Oh dear.

Twitter. Obsession. Creeping. In. Slowly.

I joined yesterday and already I'm hooked!

Would this make a cute Twitter profile pic?

I can't believe it's taken me this long to get involved. It's like a treasure trove of info, goss and inspiration!

Already I'm going around, following everyone willy nilly. Is there etiquette on here? I'm sure there is but hell, I don't know what it is yet so I'm just going to tweet 'til my heart's content.

I already told Gok Wan I'm enjoying his autobiography. Which brings me to my next question: Can one simply write to big celebrities and have a chat or is this not the done thing? Maybe I need to ease myself in.

All this direct access is exciting though! I squealed when my favourite astrologer started following me.

Does everyone else do that? Or am I a bit of a Twitter- nerd?

I'm intrigued- what's your Twitter personality like?

Follow me at:

https://twitter.com/Annie__Brown

xx

New Year, New Me?

Hi! Hello there. Hello again.

Hmm, yes, I know I've been rather quiet. The festive season sure was festive and I was so distracted with being jolly that I forgot to write. Whoops.

But it's now a new year and I am full of beans (like the rest of the world). I have made some hearty resolutions and am feeling really positive about the year ahead. I really enjoy the start of a new year- endless possibilities abound. I truly think 2013 is going to be a cracker of a year.

In addition to my vows to be healthier, wealthier and wiser, I'm also pretty keen to spruce up my look. I bet a lot of you are thinking the same, after all, this is the time that the 'New Year, New You' motto rings the loudest. What better way than to start afresh than with a new look!

I tend to go through phases with my style. I was ultra-femme for a while there and then had jack of that, and tended towards a more masculine style- with rock elements (I was, and continue to be, obsessed with Debbie Harry). In there somewhere, I wore a lot of vintage- from the 50's to the 80's, that I mixed with modern elements. This was mostly, but not exclusively, when I owned my vintage boutique- it kinda just went with the territory. Recently, I've been a bit more minimalist but I'm finding that a bit boring now. I've always loved dressing a little on the 'eclectic' side and am proud that my style is unlike anyone else I know. This is not to say I look like a crazy old cat lady, with patchwork and multicoloured knitwear a plenty. I just put things together in a sometimes unconventional way and I guess that works for me. Fashion has been my creative outlet for a long time and I express it accordingly through how I dress.

Casual Me.

When it comes to my client's style however, we go at their pace. I gather as much information as I can about their lifestyle, body-shape, likes, dislikes, budget and taste as I can, so we can take the journey together. I do believe though, that it's worth pushing outside your comfort zone to get a formidable result. Just like anything in life, you'll never know how wonderful something can be until you try it.

I'm pretty sure a new look could be just what we all need to start 2013 feeling fabulous. I'll keep you posted about my impending transformation....can't wait.

xx