Front Row BLOG, By Alicia Pyke.

February 4th, 2008.

Couture Craving.

Looking at the coverage of the recent haute couture collections in Paris and the current ready to wear season which has just kicked off in New York, I’ve decided there’s no better time to write one of those grandiose wishlists should I ever come into a fortune.
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January 29th, 2008.

Resolve to Evolve.

New year, new you… You know the drill. Time to make resolutions about fresh trends to try and old favourites to mothball. Here’s the ultra optimistic, anguish free guide. Let’s go shopping!
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January 7th, 2008.

The Rules of Engagement (part 2).

It’s party time so being beautiful is on all our minds. Following on from last week’s blog about fashion dos and don’ts, here are the new beauty commandments. Ignore them at your peril…
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November 19th, 2007.

The Rules of Engagement (part 1).

Blue and green should never be seen, don’t wear white shoes after Labor Day and always take off one thing before leaving the house – those and other old-school fashion commandments need a serious make-over if you ask me.
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November 12th, 2007.

Pack attack.

Call me schizo-fash-ic but I have an entirely new wardrobe worry this week: Packing Paranoia.

In a little over a month I’ll be relaxing on a remote island in the South Pacific. Mmmm, I can almost see it now.. But theres one major detail to consider – what I’m wearing.
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November 5th, 2007.

Fact or Fashion

I’ve been present at a lot of fashion shoots lately and what you see in a magazine has as much to do with the art of illusion as it does the clothes. Or the model. And I’m not even talking about Photoshop. Here are some of the tricks of the trade that routinely take place before a single frame is snapped…
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October 29nd, 2007.

The ones that got away.

Regrets, I’ve had a few. Among them is a tiny cream lace dress I wore with hefty boots aged 16 and a collection of glamorous vintage slips and nighties worthy of a silver screen goddess I really was too young to appreciate.

Sure, there are certain other items I wish I had purchased at the time rather than letting common or financial sense stop me but it’s the items I’ve loved and lost that continue to haunt me.
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October 22nd, 2007.

Costume change.

Sometimes when I’m dressing, I like to imagine myself playing a role. Just as actors garb up for a particular part in a play, so I like to prepare for the day or night ahead in theme.
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October 15th, 2007.

Ebony and Ivory.

Hello toes! Yes, it’s officially sandal season and with it comes a whole new range of vivid nail polishes to test-drive.

No, this is not a column about overhauling your feet for spring since I believe in perennial pedicures and truly practise what I preach on that score. Rather, it’s about that stage most of us go through in which the weather forces us to get reacquainted with particular parts of the body that seem to go MIA during winter.
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October 8th, 2007.

Global Warming.

As Sydney temperatures hit the mid 30s last week, I found myself struck with a serious case of coat envy. While I should be thinking of adding to my collection of LWT’s and which sublime Camilla Franks caftan to swan about in, I’m dreaming of a white Christmas and all the wonderful coats my northern hemisphere sisters in style are wrapping themselves in.
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October 1st, 2007.

Do It Yourself Vs To Die For.

A funny thing happened on the way to the boutique. I ended up blowing my spring shopping budget at Ikea. I’m exaggerating of course because no one accidentally ends up at Ikea.

And yet I found myself joining the bizarrely ordered march of young families and empty-nesters giggling at the names of the merchandise in over-stuffed room displays twice in one weekend.
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September 24th, 2007.

In the Bag.

Would you step on the scales while holding your handbag? Didn’t think so. Even if you keep an immaculate handbag with the bare minimum you’re probably still toting more than you’d usually lift at the gym.
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September 17th, 2007.

Less isn’t best.

Gimme more. That’s the title of Britney’s comeback song and that’s exactly what she should have said to her costume designer on the subject of fabric.
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September 10th, 2007.

More Shopping Confessions.

It has finally happened. I’ve turned into one of those women. One of those women who sneak new fashion purchases home, that is. One of those women who hides receipts from her boyfriend and considers actually responding with “What, this old thing?” if he happens to notice I’m wearing a new dress for dinner.
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September 3rd, 2007.

All White, Enough Already..

My name is Alicia and I am an addict. With my closet in an annoying state of disarray at the moment, it was only when I came home from an impromptu shopping trip with a dear little white cotton sleeveless shirt to hang up that I realised I already have several almost identical dear Little White Tops (LWT).
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August 27th, 2007.

Stylist, STAT!

Okay, I can’t resist. It’s time to talk trash about Britney again. No, I’m not referring to her bizarre antics which pay the global paparazzi’s bills, her shocking taste in men and personal assistants, the war with her family or even her dubious parenting style. Rather, let’s focus on her abysmal fashion taste.
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August 20th, 2007.

Wardrobe Work Choices

Like it or not, what you wear for work affects both your perceived and actual professionalism. Trust me, my working week consists of a couple days with the laptop at home and the rest in an incredibly chic office where Yves Saint Laurent, Lanvin and Chanel make daily appearances. Talk about extremes.
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August 3, 2007.

Life Changing Experiences

Like a great hair cut and finding the right shade of foundation, some items of clothing can change your life. Seriously. For me, there have been a few.

A Natasha leather and elastic corset belt is top of the list. Bought on sale last December, it renders sack-like dresses saucy with its waist-cinching power.
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July 30th, 2007

Snap Happy

Being more than a little obsessed with what celebs wear (it’s an occupational hazard, alright?) I do feel sorry for some starlets when they’re snapped looking less than amazing.

Bikini slips at the beach, dresses that turn sheer in a flashbulb frenzy and broken heels could happen to anyone. But some of looks those pretty young things throw together are no accident. They’re grade-A disasters.
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July 24th, 2007

Undercover Agents.

A few of weeks ago I wrote about the wonders of womanly fashion. Well, I deliberately withheld the secret to its success. Lingerie. When you’re wearing clothing designed to accentuate the female form, it’s essential ensure yours is in a state worth emphasising.
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July 18th, 2007

Best Dressed.

My best friend is a style star. Lanvin, Collette Dinnigan, Botega Venetta, Lisa Ho, Kate Moss for Top Shop, Prada, Josh Goot, Gucci. You name it, she has it. But most importantly, she knows how to wear it.
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July 9th, 2007

Familiarity breeds contentment.

That all-consuming desire for the newest, latest and greatest never wanes. It is this very concept, after all, that drives fashion and we hungry, hungry consumers that keep the industry alive.
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July 2nd , 2007

Child's Play.

I’ve never been obsessed with “It” bags. Shoes are much more my thing.

But my latest purchase from the universe of so-called “carrywear” has me so rattled I don’t know whether to proudly spruik its existence from the rooftops or leave it in the original packaging, too afraid to admit it even caught my eye.
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June 25th , 2007

All Grown Up.

Grown-up glamour is having another moment, and frankly, it’s a flattering alternative to the shapeless smocks and shifts flooding chainstores. If you’ve got curves it sets them off to full advantage and if you don’t, well, you will by the time you’re dressed.
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June 18th , 2007

Happiness is a warm… pair of tights.

Remember that period in fashion a few years ago when it was considered a sartorial sin to wear tights, stockings, pantyhose or any variation of legwear? How times change. This winter may well be subtitled Hallelujah for Hosiery.
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June 11th , 2007

Professional Help Required

I heart my dry-cleaner. When I moved to Sydney almost two years ago, the thought of finding (and trusting) a new dry-cleaner filled me with dread. Until I happened upon one of the city’s best. My criteria were pretty simple. What I got was much, much more.
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June 4th , 2007

Does my bum look weird in this?

In an effort to improve fashionable relations between the sexes, I’ve pinpointed the Top Five Fashion Trends Men Don’t Understand. Read on, have a giggle and continue wearing your killer fashion finds with utter abandon.
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May 28th, 2007

Cracking the Code

Dress code, schmess code. As a fashion critic, I usually eschew such diktats for something I know – ok, think – I look and feel good in. Besides, fashion has been so flexible this decade that, with a few exceptions and the right attitude, pretty much anything goes.
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May 21st, 2007

Recycled fashion

Since green is the new black and we’re all supposed to be thinking with our environmental hats on, I’d just like to point out I’ve been fashion neutral for a few years already. In the same way big business plants trees to compensate for greenhouse gas emissions, I overhaul my wardrobe every time I make a toast-worthy purchase.
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May 14th, 2007

Accidental Fashionista

Twelve months ago I had a fashion epiphany. Running late for Leona Edmiston’s Australian Fashion Week show on a Saturday night, I pulled on a pair of black opaques, platforms and a Jayson Brunsdon LBD to subconsciously create an outfit that changed the way I dress.
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