The September Issue

The September Issue (thanks to Sundance Film Festival website for the description).

Anna Wintour, editor of Vogue for 20 years, is the most powerful and polarizing figure in fashion. Larger than life and more complex than fiction, Wintour embodies a fascinating contradiction of passion and perfectionism as she reigns over a dizzying array of designers, models, photographers, and editors.

Director R.J. Cutler delivers a rare insider account of the nine months leading up to the printing of the highly anticipated September issue of the magazine, which promises to be the biggest one ever. He takes us behind the scenes at fashion week, to Europe and back, on shoots and reshoots, and into closed-door staff meetings, bearing witness to an arduous and sometimes emotionally demanding process.

At the eye of this annual fashion hurricane is the two-decade relationship between Wintour and Grace Coddington, incomparable creative director and genius stylist. They are perfectly matched for this age-old conflict between creator and curator. Through them, we see close up the delicate creative chemistry it takes to remain at the top of the ever-changing fashion field. Cutler cleverly deconstructs the creative process as it plays out in the hollowed halls of Vogue, lined with racks of couture. In The September Issue, his access and insight are impressive and make us aware that he is offering us a privileged glimpse into a world many dream about but few see.

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Country Road Kids

After visiting the biggest Country Road store in Queensland on Saturday, I think I've succumbed to the "buying for baby" bug. Since I don't have kids but have a number of friends who do (and a few who are soon to pop), my shopping trips now always include a look in the children's sections and if you haven't checked out Country Road's section, you're missing out.

I could have easily bought 20 things, my favourite of all were the gorgeous silver ballet flats for babies (the same as the ones I happen to be wearing that day). With everything from cute red & cream striped woolen dresses and summery pinafores for girls to cowboy check shirts and cargo shorts for boys, they've got the stylish child look down pat.

Even cuter were the gorgeous catalogue posters on the walls with an array of lovely little-uns in duffle coats, beanies and scarves (all of which I'd love for myself if they made them in my size!).

Great for gifts of for your bubs if you've got them, check it out now while the sales are on.

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More photos.... Chictopia style

I just couldn't help posting some more pics today, these ones again from the wonderful Chictopia.

I've been looking for a cute grey blazer like this for a few weeks now but alas, no such luck. Black is everywhere but I like the contrast of back jeans, a light coloured top and the grey jacket. The search continues.

I saw a cute singlet on sale in Sportsgirl recently in a similar colour to this great acid yellow/green and now wish I'd bought it. I love the bright colour of this top paired back with the pale shorts and black stockings/shoes. Chic!

Sister to the LBD - the LWD (little white dress). Done in Carrie-esk style with a cute studded belt. It's a little bit angel, it's a little bit devil. Love it.

In case you hadn't realised, I love the blazers and jeans look. And I particularly like this one cause it's a great example of a really basic outfit that looks really hot. There's just something about a little blazer that brings the outfit together. Great inspiration for a winter weekend.

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A little bit of music....

If you haven't voted in Triple J's Hottest 100 of All Time yet, get a move on! Voting closes this Sunday evening so you don't have long to get your 10 together.

While I found it next to impossible to choose just 10 (so hard that I actually only voted for my top 3) it was great remembering all the things you were doing when you first heard these songs, the people they remind you of and how they've influenced your music taste over the years. In case you're wondering what my list comprises of, here's just a small sample (in no particular order).

My top 3:
1. Jeff Buckley - Last Goodbye
2. Metallica - Mama Said
3. U2 - Sunday Bloody Sunday

The rest.... (you can see why I couldn't pick just 10)
Lamb - Gorecki
Portishead - Sour Times
Peter Gabriel - Sledgehammer
Tool - Stinkfist
Hunters & Collectors - Throw Your Arms Around Me
Incubus - Drive
Chris Isaak - Wicked Game
Little Feat - Willin
Fear Factory - Resurrection
Daft Punk - Around the World
The Prodigy - Breath
The Chemical Brothers - Sunday Morning
Underworld - Born Slippy
Metallica - Master of Puppets
The Police - Don't Stand So Close to Me
Massive Attack - Teardrops
Empire of the Sun - We Are the People
Crowded House - All I Ask
Eric Clapton - Layla
The Crystal Method - Trip Like I do
Itch-E & Scratch-E - Sweetness & Light
Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah
Pink Floyd - Another Brick in the Wall
Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Telephone & Rubber Band (theme song to the movie Malcolm)
Michael Jackson - Thriller
4 Strings - Take Me Away
The Cinematic Orchestra - To Build a Home
Supreme Beings of Leisure - Never the Same
Pnau - Embrace
Lovers Electric - Honey
The Eagles - Hotel California
Rage Against the Machine - Gorilla Radio
Everything But The Girl - Missing you
Limp Bizkit - Red Light, Green Light
Linkin Park & Jay Z - Numb/Encore

And that's just a small selection..... RIP Michael Jackson, a true genius of the music world.

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Friday photos - RIP Farrah

I couldn't not include the lovely and talented Farrah Fawcett in today's photos after hearing of her passing last night. Well before ladies were asking for "the Jennifer" at the hairdresser, women around the world were dreaming of long, blonde flowing locks just like the Charlie's Angels star (getting her haircut was easy, getting her body was a little more difficult!).

Also in today's line up are some more lovely ladies including Kate Moss at the opening of a friends hair salon in a gorgeous black lace dress (hello copies galore) and Megan Fox looking lovely in brights promoting Transformers 2.

Last but by NO means least, I've included 2 very stunning guys in today's photos - who could go past the young and delicious Chace Crawford from Gossip Girl (why Serena or Blair didn't stick with him I'll never know!) and the dashing and very well dressed Adrian Brody, heading off to a Hugo Boss catwalk show (doesn't he look the part?). This shot reminds me of my Grandfather - tall, lean, immaculately and appropriately dressed. Maybe some inspiration for any fellas out there this weekend...... (or at least for you to dress your man, ladies).

Thanks again to Popsugar for today's photos.

Enjoy the weekend!

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Test Drive: Maybelline Colossal Volum' Express Mascara

What THEY say:
UP TO 9x THE VOLUME - Give your lashes mega volume instantly. In just one coat of the mega brush your lashes are loaded with up to 9x more volume!

NEW COLLAGEN ENRICHED FORMULA - Collagen enriched formula with thickening agents boosts each lash, one by one, redefining volume to our colossal max.

MEGABRUSH - Applied by the oversized MegaBrush, to ensure all lashes are coated, giving gorgeous volume and conquering clumps!

Directions: Sweep brush upwards from root to tip to plump individual lashes and achieve dramatic volume. Continue building lashes until you reach your desired look. Do not let dry between coats. Repeat for lower lash line. Removes easily with soap and water.

I’m not normally one to fall prey to sales assistants suggestions when it comes to make up because I prefer to get a recommendation from a friend, work colleague or my Mum (someone who has actually used it and can offer an unbiased opinion). But when visiting Priceline recently to pick up some new mascara I was out of luck when looking for Maybelline’s Lash Blast which was suggested to me by my BFF. Enter the Colossal Volum’ Express. Haven’t seen it? You must be living under a rock then – it’s BIG, it’s YELLOW and it’s being advertised EVERYWHERE.

Having previously used everything from Revlon to Napoleon, the Colossal Volum’ Express isn’t bad for those on a budget, coming in at a reasonable $15. The large rubber brush makes it easy to get one quick coat on without having to check for clumps or remove smudges on your lids. Add a few more quick coats for a more dramatic look and your ready for your close up, Mr. Demil.

Pros: According to the guru’s over at Maybelline New York, this stuff is like a hairdryer for your eyelashes – volume, volume, volume. Think Bridget Bardot, Twiggy etc. So does it deliver? Well, I don’t know about 9 times the volume but I have to say, it is by far the smoothest mascara I’ve ever purchased.

Cons: Unfortunately it’s not the most waterproof of all mascara’s (in other words it will come off when chopping onions at dinner time) but that does make it easier to remove at the end of the day. Don’t be fooled by the images on the Maybelline website (see right) – thanks to the wonders of fake lashes and Photoshop, mascara advertisements are by far the most misleading of all advertisements. A landmark case in the US in 2007 involving L’Oreal changed the legislation for cosmetic companies and they now have to state in the ad when they use lash inserts or edit the images (in case it wasn’t blooming obvious).

Verdict: For risk of sounding like a broken record and test driving something that I’m going to give a good rating too, I can’t really help but give this product the thumbs up. Clumps are the biggest problem I’ve had with most mascara’s I’ve tried over the years and it seems this eliminates that issue.

4 out of 5 stars

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Think outside the square

Don't get me wrong, pink ribbons, white lace and calligraphy have their place on a wedding invitation (if that's what you're into). But if like me you're not one of those girly girls or your husband-to-be doesn't seem to keen on having flowers and love hearts sent around to all his mates, here's a great idea to steal.

This is by far one of the most wonderful invitations I've ever seen. Clever, irreverant, funny, and unusual, I can only imagine these two are a riot. What a great way to show how much they love each other all the while being a bit tongue in cheek. While I don't know them personally, I bet their wedding wasn't your average church aisle, white dress type affair.

Now all I want to know is how he proposed! Enjoy.

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* Click on the image for a larger view

Weekend wind-up

1. Chinese and karaoke are a match made in heaven.
What better way to help a work colleague celebrate her hen's night than plates full of good chinese. glasses overflowing with wine and a list of cheesy karaoke songs longer than a 10k marathon. Britney Spears would have been proud but Cindy Lauper may not have enjoyed hearing True Colours being belted out purposely off key.

2. Knee injuries mean flat shoes
I love my dog. Maybe more than I love clothes (and that's a big call). But when he runs into you in full flight and causes your knee to bend a way it's not supposed to, for a split second I really disliked him. But it didn't last long as I realised that having to wear flat shoes for the next 6 weeks is fine but only owning 2 wearable pairs is not. And so off to the shops. Thanks to this month’s Instyle magazine (with the stunning Sandra Bullock on the cover), I picked up a great pair of black ballet flats from Target for just $34.95. A great copy of the pair I had my eyes on in Wittner for 3 months but without the $130 price tag. Thanks to the people behind Cotton On, Rubi Shoes has popped up in most major shopping centres in Australia. For $20, I couldn’t go past the basic silver flats (they go great with almost every colour in my wardrobe).

3. My man is caling me a Nanna but I don’t care
Being home by midnight on a Saturday and making grilled cheese on toast doesn’t make me Grandma material just yet but buying a 41 pack of ribbons and a bunch of card making bits and pieces might just push me over the edge. Yes, sipping tea and making thank you cards is something that normally goes on in retirement homes but when you see the look on someone’s face when they realise you’ve taken the time to DIY their card, it’s well worth the Nanna name calling. Get yourself into your nearest Big W and head for the stationery isles – if you’ve got even the slightest creative bone in your body, you’ll walk out with enough bits and pieces to fill your entire linen cupboard.

4. Thank god for V8 Supercars
The only thing making me feel less of a Granny on this rainy Sunday afternoon was watching Michael Caruso win the second race at Darwin’s Skycity Triple Crown. Jamie Whincup might have snared top spot on the podium yesterday but thankfully the Garry Rogers Motorsport team got their number 1 driver across the line to give Holden fans something to cheer about. Now all we need is Will Davison to overtake Whincup on the championship ladder and life will be sweet.

5. Sunday Roasts with the in-laws
The best way to finish the weekend. Enough said.

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Bruno's A to Z Fashion Guide

A is for... AUSTRIA. Ze most amazing place in Europe. Ve’re all proud of our country und are raised to try und achieve ze Austrian dream – find a job, get a dungeon und raise a family in it.

B is for... BULIMIA. Still to me ze number one eating disorder if you want a great body. Ich vas in fact ze first Austrian to have bulimia, it vas 1987 – three years before Diana. No big deal votever.

C is for... CHINESE. Zere’s like over 500 billion of zem, yet zey don’t have one single model amongst them – vy is zat?

D is for... DESIGNERS. Fashion is ze most important und lifesaving of all ze sciences. Vood World War II ever have started if zere’d been a Berlin Fashion Veek in 1939? Ich don’t think so.

E is for... EIGHTY. About ze right number of hats to pack for a veekend avay.

F is for... FLORIAN. He’s mein godson, ich just vanted to mention him cos he makes me so proud. He’s only five, but Brüno has already taught him how to read, write und make himself throw up.

G is for... GIANT PANDA. Vot a beautiful, beautiful creature. A vord of vorning, though, its fur is not machine vashable.

H is for... HIGH-VAISTED JEANS. In terms of human tragedy on a mass scale, vy are zese not getting the attention zat Hurricane Katrina did?

I is for... INJUSTICE. Vy do zey give out Nobel Prizes for physics, medicine und svimming, but not for fashion?

J is for... JACOBS, MARC. Not just a fashion designer, but alzo an important œ vorld leader und beacon of hope for ze future of mankind. Not one suicide bomber has ever blown zemselves up vearing Marc Jacobs – you do ze mathematisher.

K is for... KAMPF, MEIN . Ze fashion bible written by Austria’s black sheep, Adolf. It literally translates as ‘My Flamboyance’.

L is for... ZE ‘LITTLE BLACK CHILD’. Thanks to Madonna und Brüno, it’s zis season’s vardrobe essential.

M is for... MR UNIVERSE. Ich helped Arnie vin zis for his final time in 1984. Ich met him at ze vay-in vere he was just over ze weight limit und needed to lose two ounces in seven minutes. Ich vas only too happy to help out.

N is for... NAOMI. She’s amazing – 20 years in ze business und all ze pressure und fame hasn’t changed her a bit – she’s remained a total bitch.

O is for... ORLANDO BLOOM . He’s basically obsessed mit me. I don’t vant to use ze word stalker, but ven ich vas at Milan Fashion Veek I stayed at ze Hotel Malecci. Guess who checked in to ze same hotel two hours later… Orlando Bloom. Coincidence? Ich don’t think so.

P is for... PINK . Just vatching him now on MTV. A great singer, great fashion sense und so hunky!

Q is for... QUEEN OF FASHION. Zis, of course, can only be Anna Vintour. Still timelessly dignified, stylish and feminine, despite being in her fifties und a pre-op trannie.

R is for... RUNWAY MODEL. Can you believe zis, I’ve never been one!

S is for... SEPTEMBER 11TH 2001. Famous, of course, for being ze day on vich Oscar de la Renta reintroduced ze chambray peasant blouse.

T is for... TAMPONS. Ze perfect thing to snack on to keep zose hunger pangs avay und stay looking great. Just one heavy flow size vill leave you feeling full up for ze whole day.

U is for... UNDERVEAR. Try not to go mit out it too often or you’ll end up having to play hackysack mit your kugels just to keep zem off ze ground. Personally, ich just leave off mein unterhosen for appropriate occasions, like if I’m going to ze beach, or if I’m vearing a kilt und zere’s a chance ich vill be photographed getting out of a car.

V is for... VAXING. Hair removal und manscaping ist essential. Be careful if you do it yourself, though – yesterday ich tried to self-wax mein arschenhaller und glued meinself to ze bed. Even more important ist regular anal bleaching. In Austria, anal bleaching ist considered so important zat it’s paid for by ze state. In fact, you cannot run for office if you don’t have a vhite arschwitz. Zere are other benefits to getting ze bleaching – on my last session ze beautician, Klaus, found the long-lost head of a David Beckham action figure up zere.

W is for... WINEHOUSE, AMY. Ich bin sick of all ze haters – she is not too skinny, in fact, for ein junkie she ist actually zehr fat.

X is for... X-RAY PHOTOGRAPHS. Ich still look too fat!

Y is for... YOGURT. Peach flavour tastes best on ze vay back up.

Z is for... ZERO. Brüno’s dress size.

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Baby, it's cold outside

And according to the weather bureau, it's going to rain this afternoon in Brisbane too (typical, after I cleaned my car for the first time in 8 months).

Cold, rainy weather requires warm, scrumptious food and after today discovering the Shesaid website, I think it's going to be soup for dinner - chicken minestrone in fact!

Normally my man requires some kind of dead animal in his meal (must be a guy thing) so making soups for dinner can be tricky - pumpkin soup is one of my favourite's but it's way too healthy for him so I only ever eat it out of a can for lunch at the office. But minestrone is more than just a soup, it's a meal in itself!

The best minestrone I've ever had was of course made by my Mum - I'd pass on the recipe but she swears it was off the packet of San Remo rissoni from the supermarket (and yes, I've looked and looked for it but it seems San Remo packets are now 'sans' minestrone recipe, they do have some great ideas online though).

In the absence of a nice warm bowl of soup, get out to Barkins this weekend (or online) and grab yourself a cute knit or beanie. My pick of their latest items is the red knit beret $19.95, pea coat for just $49.95 and the blotch blouse, a steal at $39.95. A number of other items are on sale on their website so get a bargain quick sticks.

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