On a recent rainy afternoon, well-supplied with biscuits and cups of tea, my Grandmother and I were joined by her globe-trotting Italian friend Yvette as we sat down to explore the changing role of fashion in young women’s lives, and as it turns out, Grandmother really does know best. Armed with examples of current fashion…
Read more
Here we have Vivienne Westwood causing one of her classic kerfuffles by claiming that she ‘doesn’t see why women in the privileged world need to be’ feminists. It’s an interesting point to raise as it brings to mind how often those in positions of privilege seem to either forget or willfully ignore the thronging mass…
Read more
The world of the ballet meets high fashion in the sumptuous new exhibit at Melbourne’s NGV International, Ballet & Fashion. Celebrating the close relationship between renowned local and international designers and ballet, the exhibit explores the blurred line between the costumes and haute couture. Launched in conjunction with 50th birthday celebrations for the Australian Ballet,…
Read more
I’ve mentioned before that I don’t read print magazines much anymore. Nowadays, I will usually only read if I’m bored, or if I’m at the airport and need to kill time. There’s too much in “women’s” magazines that raise my blood pressure and I like to keep it low. Caffeine addiction already does the damage,…
Read more
This morning, I was reluctantly watching Sunrise (I know, I know) when, what I assume is a regular rotating panel of women came on to discuss the current issues. One of today’s current issues was: Australian retailer, Witchery, is now introducing a size sixteen to their range. The women were asked what they thought of…
Read more
Discrimination against women based on appearance is rife in our universities. This harassment is allowed to grow unchecked online, and the combination of the two denies women a space to feel safe and comfortable in their bodies. A saga has unfolded online through late July and early August that shows the extent of sexism in…
Read more
Clementine Ford recently wrote an article about our obsession with plus sized role models over at Daily Life. She speaks about the “real woman” debate (we all know my feelings on that, repeat ad nauseum until I’m blue in the face) and the pitting of women against women. She makes mention of the fact that…
Read more
When I see other women walking, running or even dancing in high heels, I am always amazed. Similar to watching a trapeze artist, or someone eating a yiros without dropping 37% of it into their lap, these are skills beyond my reach. Walking in flat shoes I’m already clumsy and ungainly enough to have from…
Read more
As well as writing here, for Lip, I also write a fashion blog – Australian Fatshion. I focus mainly on fashion trends for each season, where to get them in plus sizes and how to wear them. I sometimes run competitions and talk about clothes I’ve bought myself or things I want to buy. I…
Read more
If you haven’t read Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan’s hilarious fashion critique blog, Go Fug Yourself, you’re missing out. Starting as a inside joke for themselves and their friends, the blog grew to such popularity that they receive over 3.5 milion unique visitors every month. The duo criticise — and occasionally commend — celebrities on…
Read more
Little monsters across Australia are screaming Gaga, as the lady herself tours the country and treats fans to thrills, spills and everything in between. Whether you love or hate her, everyone has an opinion about the lady who is breaking all the rules of normality. A singer, film maker, fashion diva, gay activist, and number…
Read more
A few years back I lived in Manchester in the north of England for eight months. I arrived in summer which meant that it was around the same temperature as winter in Brisbane. So naturally I whipped out the trench coats, thick stockings and beanies thinking that this was appropriate clothing for cold weather —…
Read more
I never, ever get sick. My poor boyfriend has been sniffling and coughing for weeks, my whole family seem to be afflicted with head colds every time I visit for dinner (my Mum’s cooking is totally worth risking contracting an illness for) and yet I have managed to remain robustly healthy and rosy-cheeked all winter:…
Read more
“Now I am old-fashioned. A woman, I consider, should be womanly. I have no patience with the modern neurotic girl who jazzes from morning to night, smokes like a chimney, and uses language which would make a billingsgate fish woman blush!” ? Agatha Christie, Murder on the Links “They were smart and sophisticated, with an…
Read more
