STYLING NOTES

Jumper: Topshop
Skirt: Temt
Shoes: Nike Flyknit Free Run
Bag: Sportsgirl
Snood: K-Mart
photos by Daniel Freer

Its been bloody freezing this past winter. Spring is technically here, so that means finally being able to bare a little bit of leg, fucking finally. This draped skirt is a good little cheap number from Temt – if I could afford a Rick Owens version I would, but unfortunately here we are in 2014, still not rich, still buying Rothmans instead of Marlboros, and still Rick Owens-less.

Mumma Sarge bought me this jumper from Topshop in the UK. It’s quite amazing that even in a fast fashion chain store, the outerwear purchasable from the UK is ten times warmer than that in Australia. I love it because it’s natural unbleached wool. Every now and then people will comment on it being stained, and I could retort with some very snooty comment about how ‘actually, no, that’s just the natural fibres, they’re not heavily bleached so there will be blemishes in the wool’, or at least I would if I was a worse person.

Finally, my favourite sneakers I ever did purchase: black Nike Flyknit Free Runs. How I loved them, such incredible beauties! Unfortunately I purchased them a size too small, so they are no longer in my possession. I’d kill to get another pair. They were not meant for this life with little old me. RIP.

“O powerful Nike, by men desired, with adverse breasts to dreadful fury fired, thee I invoke, whose might alone can quell contending rage and molestation fell. ‘Tis thine in battle to confer the crown, the victor’s prize, the mark of sweet renown; for thou rulest all things, Nike divine! And glorious strife, and joyful shouts are thine. Come, mighty Goddess, and thy suppliant bless, with sparkling eyes, elated with success; may deeds illustrious thy protection claim, and find, led on by thee, immortal fame.”

Cx

You know those enigmatic people you meet, and you’re like ‘shit, I’m so glad I got to meet you/work with you now, because you’re destined to be huge’? You just have that feeling about them. That person for me is Christopher Arblaster. At the beginning of 2014, I decided to style a shoot featuring Arblaster’s clothing, his debut collection after graduating from fashion design at TAFE SA. His vision and talent is something that I adored from the moment I laid eyes on his designs.

Chris agreed to lend me the collection to shoot however I wanted, and I was stoked because that level of trust is rare. The editorial was shot by the talented Haley Renee, with hair and makeup by Ali Ancell. I styled and modelled the shoot, with styling assistance from the wonderful Ellycia Kruger. We spent a cruisy Sunday in a studio in Adelaide creating these images, and I love them.

The editorial was recently posted by Spook Magazine, who featured me as a stylist and asked me some questions about myself, my work, and this shoot. You can read the full interview here.

How did this shoot happen?

I went to a runway show and saw some fashion design graduates’ debut collections – one of them was Christopher Arblaster’s, and I fell in love with his designs. I got love hear eyes over every single piece. I had wanted to work with Haley for ages; both her and Ali are stupidly talented and have such an amazing editorial eye. And I had a rad styling assistant, Elly, who was my organised saviour when I got frazzled doing two jobs at once, or when I had to wash my hair in a sink. I looked around for models, but couldn’t find anyone that was reckless enough to pull off Chris’ clothing, so I decided to just do it myself. I’m glad I did, I couldn’t find anyone else willing to get their tits out and drag on ciggies.

What’s the location?

A studio in Adelaide’s CBD.

Where are the clothes from?

All of the clothing is Chris Arblaster’s debut AW14 collection. His completely black and white debut collection shows inspiration from Rick Owens, Margiela, Yohji Yamamoto and Junya Watanabe, and some pretty bang-on early 70s punk themes. It photographs just so well. It’s so strange that a collection so anarchistic can translate through to a really beautiful femininity. All the jewellery is thrifted.

SHOOT CREDITS

Photography: Haley Renee
Makeup/Hair: Ali Ancell
Styling Assistant: Ellycia Kruger
Stylist & Model: Chloe Sargeant

Cx

Sick news! I’ve been nominated for a Blogster of the Year Award by Pedestrian.tv. I am very very humbled to even be nominated, so thanks to everyone who’s helped me in any way with this site, and that includes my readers! \(*^▽^*)/ To vote for me, click on the banner above, then click on the little ‘Like’ button on the right hand side of the site. Thanks again you legends ＼(^▽^＠)ノ

I’m tired, I’m delirious, I may have hit a state of mania. I stayed up until 3:30am today in Australia to watch the Keynote presentation by Apple. Apple is a company very close to my heart, and I’ll be a loyal lifelong Apple customer. But this announcement, holy shit… It’s the first one to blow my mind in a while. I wrote a short op-ed for Glam Adelaide about it.

This morning, at 2:30am, Apple unveiled its newest products, the iPhone 6, and the iPhone 6 Plus, which has a far larger screen. But that wasn’t all. Steve Jobs was famous for, in previous Apple Keynote product presentations, pronouncing proudly, that there was “just one more thing.” And today was a nod to Steve’s legacy, with current Apple CEO Tim Cook announcing, “We’re not quite finished yet… we have one more thing.” Behold, the Apple Watch.

In the past year or so, Apple has noticeably employed people from major fashion houses, such as Angela Ahrendts from Burberry, and Paul Deneve from Yves Saint Laurent. Is that a coincidence? Possibly. Possibly not. But, it must be noted that Apple’s first piece of wearable technology not only has features that blow other companies attempts at tech watches out of the water, but it also looks stylish and completely wearable.

The Apple Watch is completely customisable. The face comes in two different sizes, 38mm or 42mm. There’s heaps of strap options; multiple types of looped chain link, various colours of traditional leather with a buckle, 18-carat gold for the rappers, and sport bands for the fit people that run everywhere. The face of the Watch also comes in stainless steel, 18-carat gold or rose gold, Space Grey, and Silver aluminium. This isn’t just your standard wrist technology people, this is gonna be your watch that suits your style.

Apple hasn’t just made an iPhone smaller to slap on our wrists. The functions include heart rate and fitness monitors, Apple Pay (allowing users to pay using the watch instead the plastic in their wallet), receiving and physically feeling the notifications of text messages, email and phone calls, sketching, continuity between Watch and other iOS devices, and a whole new range of applications that are sure to be announced closer to the release date in 2015.

All in all – Apple aren’t the first company to release wearable technology. They are rarely the first to market. There were MP3 players before the iPod, and smartphones before the iPhone. But when they release something, damn do they do it right. It ‘just works’.

The Apple Watch is set to be released in 2015. Australian prices are yet to be announced, but currently start at $349USD.

This article (written 10.09.2014 by myself) was originally appeared on glamadelaide.com.  LINK
All images from apple.com

Cx

I just received these images of the spring/summer release from Australian label OSKAR, and I’m over the moon that a label has created a whole range that I can see myself wearing during the upcoming hot summer days, as well as the sweaty summer nights. White, black, and just a hint of navy blue is something I very obviously identify with, and clean monochrome minimalism is truthfully, pretty easy to screw up. Multiple black pieces not matching properly (it sounds idiotic but it’s 110% true); layering can look clumsy. This collection has eradicated the fear of a minimalism faux pas, and offers origami tailoring and neoprene to add something interesting to your layers. There’s a very youthful energy to this collection, while still being worldly, casually elegant – wearing any of these styles with slides or sneakers is my summer vibes for 2015. I’m bloody excited to get my hands on some of these pieces.

all images from OSKAR, via Bespoke PR

Cx

These Maurie & Eve jeans and Windsor Smith slides have featured before. But we should all be honest with ourselves here: do bloggers that post outfit photos weekly with brand new clothing have some magical endless wardrobe or income? I certainly don’t. I can’t afford a brand new addition to my wardrobe every week, just like most women my age. I blog to share my knowledge and style, learn, write, and to post things I like. Quality and passion matter most to me with style posts, not quantity. Innovation isn’t buying new stuff to shoot all the time, it’s working through adversity, being creative and styling the same pieces in unique ways.

Speaking of unique personal style, I got told the other day over dinner that I looked like I was wearing pyjamas. It’s not something I haven’t heard before. I wear a lot of black, and it’s always slouchy and relaxed, no bra, you know what I’m talking about. My wardrobe is almost wholly made up of oversized tees. It’s fucking amazing. Like at the end of dinner and everyone’s complaining about wanting to unbutton their jeans, and you’re sitting there in stretch dropcrotch pants and you are SO FUCKING COMFORTABLE. Couldn’t recommend it more. Use the Olsen twins as inspiration – their ‘look, I love expensive labels but fuck off if I’m not going to be comfy’ vibes have inspired me for years.

This outfit is slouchy, comfortable, and perfect for running around on those ‘I have a thousand things to do and no motivation to do any of them’ kind of days. The tee is soft cotton and I’ve had it for too many years to even remember where it’s from. Maurie & Eve’s ‘Word Jean’ is in my top 5 favourite pieces of clothing I own. I really need to photograph the back of them so you can properly see the dropcrotch detail, it’s fantastic. The Windsor Smith slides have barely come off of my feet since spring hit Adelaide. The sunglasses are my favourite newbies – a darling friend runs a incredible label called Supa Sundays. He gave me these wonderful ‘Maximillion’ sunnies, and I adore them. The leather-look caps on either side of the frames are just so sick. You can find them here.

STYLING NOTES

T-shirt: unknown
Bra: American Apparel
German shirt (around waist): Aussie Disposals
Jeans: Maurie & Eve
Shoes: Windsor Smith
Sunglasses: Supa Sundays
Clutch: Comme des Garçons

Cx

Balenciaga was one of the first labels I ever truly loved. I got a ‘chucked in the deep end’ kind of education to high end fashion labels when I started modelling at the age of sixteen, and Balenciaga was one of the first labels I looked at and went ‘oh yeah, I get it.’ (I remember the first collection I ever loved, it was Ghesquière’s spring RTW 2007, with those jewelled science lab goggle sunglasses.)

It’s taken me seven whole years since then to get a piece of my own from the label. I knew I wanted my first piece to be something quintessentially Balenciaga, that I’d be able to wear all the time. So I decided on the Arena Wrap Bracelet. Those riveted Balenciaga studs; you can spot them a mile away. I’m a happy gal.

OKAY. We all need to talk about Cara for Givenchy.

I know a lot of people in the fashion industry dislike her, for, y’know, having a personality beyond a brick wall, but fuck them all, I love her. She have given me so much inspiration by being a personable, energetic model, that likes to have a laugh. She also has my exact measurements, where I’ve struggled to meet “agency requirements” over the years. Models like Cara give me an really loving hope for the modern fashion industry.

Cara bleached her eyebrows for Givenchy SS15. I mean, almost every model did. But Cara’s ‘thing’ is her eyebrows. They are huge, they are rebellious, they do what they want – just like her. And in that show, they are non-existent. And she looks fucking amazong. She looks high fashion, she looks edgy as fuck, she looks incredible. Appreciate.

A woman’s known feature does not make the woman; she is so much more. In the words of Kenneth Parcell, “this mess is gonna get raw like sushi, so haters to the left.”

To Media Makeup,

Recently, on local creative page that I am a part of on Facebook, I came across a post from one of your students. The student was seeking a model for a shoot as a part of one of her assignments for you. In her post, she claimed that for a whole day’s work, the model would receive one image for her time, and would have to purchase every other image for her portfolio.

Is the way Media Makeup conducts their assignments? I couldn’t find any information on your website about it. 

FIRSTLY

[I spent half an hour staring at my computer; dumbfounded; trying to start this paragraph.] A model having to purchase her photos? I can’t honestly believe how ridiculous it is that I should have to explain it. I’ve had modelling agencies warn me that if someone tries to charge you for your own photos, to get outta there quick smart, because they are scamming you. Creatives have been fighting this for years, amateur or professional. Listen to us! We are not slaves or servants. You are seeking models (or any type of creative) out as amateurs/professionals that deserve to have their time compensated in one way or another. Why? Because they have a skill that you do not possess, that you need. THAT IS WHY YOU ARE HIRING THEM.

Your student sent me a personal message after I commented on her post, asking why I was so upset, and that I shouldn’t be because she herself has to purchase the images too. Which, of course, made my head nearly implode. You charge $11,800 for a diploma in Makeup, plus the student has to buy pictures of their own work? Who are these photographers you are are using, and why are they and you yourselves, scamming students who are just trying to learn? I’m beyond astounded.

I’ve been modelling for six years, and working as an editorial stylist for three. I consider my skill of considerable worth, and I charge accordingly. Now, considering how you are conducting and letting your students be a part of the aforementioned shoots, I’ll have to assume that perhaps you’ve never been a part of a professional, creative photoshoot for example a magazine, or advertising. You see, the way it works is that each creative person (photographer, creative director, model, makeup artist, hair stylist, so on) are compensated for their time, in the monetary amount decided by themselves, or an agent. Photos that are created on this shoot are not exchanged for monetary value (unless being used for licensed advertising, but thats a whole other issue), they are distributed to the team because they deserve those images; those images are their work.

SECONDLY

You are a school. You are responsible for students. These people are passionate fresh minds, and you are responsible for helping shape their ideals, their creativity, their confidence, and their self-worth, both today and for the rest of their careers. By showing them that people in creative fields will pay money to work, you are not only lowering their inevitably low self-worth when they launch themselves into the creative work force, but you are also lowering the standards of local creatives everywhere. By the end of their course with you, they should know that 1) you do not pay for images you work on yourself, 2) sometimes it’s okay to work for free when starting out, but only if you feel confident that the images will be worth it for your portfolio or experiences, and 3) you deserve to get paid for what you do, because what you do is important and wonderful!

THIRDLY

Advertising on a creative Facebook page is not the greatest of ideas for your students. The page itself is used for TFP or paid work, and generally, trying to charge creatives for their own time while receive incredibly hostile feedback – not something that students need at the blossoming stages of their career – ESPECIALLY if they expect the creative to be experienced/skilled (like in this post, ‘Model needs to be confident with posing’). Professional people will get angry (somewhat like I am now) at your students for trying to get them to work for free or trying to charge them for their time and skill. If your students are planning on advertising for amateur models or creatives for their assignments, it comes highly recommended that you allow your students to do it TFP. That means time for prints, by the way. I can confidently assume you might not have heard of that term because you were too busy trying to make money. Please feel free to get back to me via email to explain this process, and why you are ripping off local creatives, and the students that you are entrusted to protect and teach.

Thanks,

Chloe Sargeant

- I have protected not only the student’s name (as she is at no fault whatsoever) and also the name of the creative Facebook group, to protect the admins who played no part in the interaction at all -

My friends are the best. The best. They love me, and they support me, and laugh with me, they cry with me, they celebrate with me. And I love them for all of that. The other thing that they occasionally do, is buy clothes in the wrong size then leave it too long to return, and give me them. My best friend Maggie bought this Marni dress. It didn’t sit right on her, but she forgot to return it. And now it is mine. Thank you beautiful angel, it’s so wonderful.

This dress is an all rounder: sack-like midi-dress with boxy shoulders, during the day with flats it looks relaxed as hell, and at night with heels it looks dressy and on point. The pins at the waist keep a little bit of shape, but it essentially fits straight with tapering around the calves.

I’ve decided to blog this dress twice; at day and at night. My day look pairs it with Windsor Smith black leather slides, an oversize Sportsgirl tote, and layered necklaces. Simple as it comes, and it feels beautiful on. Relaxi-dress.

Keep watch, I will post the night look of this dress very soon! Which will be my last outfit post from Adelaide; I’m going to start working on some outfit posts from my new hometown, Sydney.

Cx

STYLING NOTES

Dress: Marni
Shoes: Windsor Smith
Bag: Sportsgirl
Wallet: Comme des Garçons
Necklace (shortest): Nanna’s pendant, vintage
Necklace (middle): rose quartz pendant, vintage
Necklace (longest): Alexander McQueen