| | | | | | | | MESSAGE FROM THE FASHION FESTIVAL DIRECTOR
| | We're almost there! After the rigorous planning and the months of hard work by our dedicated team, our vision is about to be realised. In just a matter of days, we will be presenting our fabulous local designers and retailers and showing off our great city to some of the country's top fashion editors. This is a serious business aimed at directly stimulating retail sales and visitation to Brisbane, in what can only be referred to as a fashion frenzy. Already, tills are ringing and the season's must-have pieces are being swept from the shelves as fashionistas prepare their wardrobes for Spring. Last year, the Festival generated retail sales in excess of $4 million. Our goal this year is to increase this figure and help to sell-out the new season fashions that will have graced the runway during the week. There is an impressive program of events on offer this year. We are very excited about the Westfield Chermside Australian Fashion Graduate of the Year Award on Tuesday 23rd August, during which Australia's most talented fashion graduates will present their collections. Also, don't miss the Mercedes-Benz Group Show and the Evening Wear Group Show, which are on Monday 22nd August. There are still a few tickets remaining for each of these Group Runway Shows, so snap yours up now. Likewise, there are a few seats remaining for the Myer Fashion Luncheon, which will be held at Victoria Park Golf Club, Herston, on Wednesday 24th August. This is your chance to rest your feet and catch your breath mid-Festival, while enjoying a delicious two-course lunch and viewing the hottest looks for Spring/Summer 11/12 from Myer's stable of leading Australian fashion designers.
 And don't forget the daily City Fashion Flash in Queen Street Mall. At 12noon each day Monday 22 to Friday 26 August prepare to be surprised by 'flash' fashionistas as they strut through the Queen Street Mall adorned in this season's key looks and hot new styles from an array of city retailers.
And of course, if you want to get amid all the buzz and excitement pre-show, make sure you head to The Fashion Bar, located in Cascade Court, QPAC. This is the stylish place to be seen, with delicious drinks and canapés, a DJ and runway images broadcast on plasma screens. The many cafes, restaurants and bars at South Bank are also a great option if you are looking for a quick snack, drink or some fine dining. So, with just a few sleeps to go until we kick off Queensland's premier fashion event, and with a number of events now sold out, I encourage those who have not booked tickets yet to snap to it. And to those lucky fashionistas who have managed to secure their tickets: put the finishing touches on your Festival outfits and get excited! Brisbane's most fashionable time of year is upon us. Lindsay Bennett
Festival Director
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 If you are yet to secure your seat for the QueensPlaza High Tea & Salon Showings on Monday 22nd August and Tuesday 23rd August from 10am, there are 501 reasons why you should hurry! Firstly, the High Teas are already proving to be two of the most hotly-anticipated events of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival – Brisbane calendar, with tickets disappearing daily. Secondly, because it's not every day you get to sit in elegance surrounded by like-minded people who all have a passion for style and see and meet The Sunday Mail's Kellie Alderman up-close and personal. Thirdly, Kellie will share her essential styling tips for the season, which is key to looking your best for the new season. Her tips can be invaluable and will have you thinking like a style pro in no time.
Schwarzkopf Professional's Fashion Festival Ambassador Craig Smith will be discussing hair stying trends and Kate Squires, National Creative Team Leader from Napoleon Perdis, will present the latest make-up trends.
And if that's not enough reasons to come along, these salon-style showings will convene in the superior Marriott Hotel with guests treated to a combination of QueensPlaza world-class fashion labels, luscious delicacies and, of course, gorgeous goodie bags. This promises to be a morning fit for a queen. Or, at least the princess that lives in all of us! QueensPlaza High Tea & Salon Showings, Monday, 22nd August and Tuesday, 23rd August, 10am.
Where: Brisbane Marriott Hotel, 515 Queen Street, Brisbane
Price: $55, tickets available from QTIX on 136 246 or www.qtix.com.au,
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| IN OTHER NEWS... NETWORK 10 HAS THE SCOOP ON STYLE
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Network Ten is once again proud to be a media partner of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival – Brisbane. Newsreader Georgina Lewis has been a member of the festival's advisory panel for four years and when she's not sitting front row - she's taking part in the fashion showcase.  Georgie will be hosting the Myer Fashion Luncheon at Victoria Park Golf Club on Wednesday the 24th of August as well as the Mercedes-Benz Designer Luncheon on Friday the 26th of August at Moda Portside and the Mercedes-Benz Highlights and Wrap Party at 7pm.
"Each year the fashion just gets better and the staging more spectacular. Our local designers never cease to surprise me with their amazing collections. It's an exciting week for Queensland's dedicated followers of fashion. I can't wait to be a part of it once again!" Our cameras will be capturing the action as it happens with full coverage on Ten News at 5pm and also on the popular Network Ten show, The Circle at 10am weekdays. Weather Presenter Amanda McLeay will cover the event as Ten's fashion correspondent. "I can't wait to showcase the glamour of Brisbane - on a national platform. The creativity of this city is something which truly inspires me - and we need to flaunt it! It's been such a tough year and the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival - Brisbane will allow us to celebrate how far we've come. I'm especially looking forward to the Swim & Resort Wear show at South Bank - our outdoor culture, our "comeback" post-floods AND our sophistication, all on show, at the one event. " Keep watching Network Ten to find out how you can be a part of this week long festival. Image: Georgina Lewis
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With the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival - Brisbane only 8 days away, there is still time to grab tickets to this prestigious fashion event. While some shows have already sold out there are still fantastic seats left in some of the most fabulous shows in the program. Don't delay as there is still one final opportunity to grab tickets this year! Sunday 21st: Limited tickets still available at the 6.00pm Brisbane Arcade Group Show featuring,The Hat Box, Maiocchi, Pia du Pradal, Tengdahl, Bora and Darb Couture. And the 7.30pm The Sunday Mail Group Show featuring, Adorne, Lylah (featuring Zambesi, Nom.D, Kate Sylvester, Cybele, and Company of Strangers), Nelson Molloy, Katelyn Aslett, and Sacha Drake.  Monday 22nd: Limited tickets are available for the 6.30pm Mercedes-Benz Group Show featuring Man & Woman by Peter Morrissey, Izabel + Sebastian (featuring - Bianca Batson, House of Ezis, Louen Hide, Emma Rea, and Melissa Shoes), Austen Brothers, Living Silk, Surafina, and Daniel Alexander Couture. Tickets still available for the 8.30pm Evening Wear Group Show featuring Paul Hunt, Gina Kim, Jacqueline Buck, Jordanna Regan, Toscano and Fiorenza.
Tuesday 23rd: Limited tickets still available for the 6.30pm Westfield Chermside Australian Fashion Graduate of the Year Award which will showcase Graduate Designs from Australia's top 6 fashion colleges and announcement of the National Winner. Limited tickets available at the 8.30pm Emerging Designer Group Show featuring; Soot, Sharka Bosakova, Thousand Dancers, Royce, Kezini, Sae Miyazaki, Sabrina Saunders, Eva Lilly, and kip and brand. Wednesday 24th: Limited tickets available for the12.30pm MYER Fashion Luncheon held at Victoria Park Golf Club. Tickets include a gourmet 2-course luncheon while viewing the hottest looks for the Season Spring/Summer 11/12 Collection by Myer's stable of Australian designers including Sass & Bide, Leona Edmiston, Jayson Brunsdon and Aurelio Costarella. Special Guest Leona Edmiston. And remember to check out the many additional FREE events listed in the program at www.mbff.com.au Tickets available at QTIX on www.qtix.com.au or 136 246 Image: Westfield Chermside Australian Fashion Graduate of the Year Award
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 Part of the thrill of attending the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival is watching the action beside the runway, as well as on it. Not to mention playing "I Spy" with all the beautiful people as they party, play and meet-and-greet at the array of events on and off the catwalk.
While our lips are sealed on the celebrities attending the shows we can reveal the famous fashion editors and journalists we'll have seated in our front rows. If you don't know what they look like, you'll probably recognise them by their fabulous shoes, serious faces and furious note taking. They're the A-list of the fashion pack, they can make or break a designer's career with one swift head-line and they do understand the difference between the 'new' and the 'old' black.
Here's who will be in our front rows this year: The Australian's Damien Woolnough; Vogue Australia's Felicity Loughrey, Harper's Bazaar's Anna McLeod, Who's Siobhan Sheehan, Rag Trader's Daniela Aroche, Financial Review's Lisa Carapiet, The Sunday Mail's Kellie Alderman, The Courier Mail's Laura Stead, The Gold Coast Bulletin's Rose Sadlier, Bmag's Heather McWhinnie, Style Magazine's Claire Parviz, City News's Reshni Ratnam and Brisbane Time's Katherine Feeney just to name a few. If you want to catch a glimpse of these style leaders, while seeing some of the best fashion in the country on show you'll need a ticket. Tickets are close to selling out so move fast and jump on-line at www.qtix.com.au |
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| | FALL IN LOVE WITH FRENCH STYLETitle | | |
 Celebrate in style at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival - Brisbane with Chambord black raspberry liqueur. It's little wonder that the sexiest drink of Spring/Summer harks from the land of romance, style and sophistication: France. Chambord has become synonymous with fashion both in Australia and overseas, present at fashion weeks from London to New York.
The luxurious French black raspberry liqueur is excited to reveal their fashion partnership as exclusive liquor and spirits partner at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival - Brisbane from 20th – 26th August 2011. While this year's festival is set to sparkle with the glitz and glamour of some of Australia's top fashion designers and labels, Chambord will unveil their distinctly Chambord cocktail bar. The bar is modelled on the contour of the contemporary orb shaped bottle and will be serving their world famous cocktails at some of the most exclusive fashion events on the festival calendar in style.
Visit http://www.chambordonline.com
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 Macquarie Private Wealth is a proud sponsor of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival - Brisbane, hosted by South Bank. Whether its fashion or finance, we know it takes an innovative team of professionals to deliver cutting edge products and services.
When it comes to our wealth, we all like the idea of growth and protection, and some of us even have a good idea of how to go about it, but it's difficult to do it on your own. You need specialist skills and knowledge to make the most of the ever-changing market conditions, rules and regulations – it helps to have expert guidance. The expertise of Macquarie Private Wealth advisers' is highly regarded, but that is only half of the story. What really distinguishes them from the rest of the field is their access to Macquarie's formidable resources, knowledge and investment opportunities. At Macquarie, we have brought together the very best researchers, analysts and technical specialists who share vital market insights with our advisers. Our clients reap the benefits. We search the world for market-leading financial products and our advisers recommend those that suit your circumstances, goals and needs – you genuinely receive personalised advice solutions. Macquarie Private Wealth provides financial advice to retail clients, offering a range of solutions and investment opportunities. For more information call 07 3233 5888, or visit www.macquarieprivatewealth.com.au The Macquarie Private Wealth Group Show will be held on Saturday, 20th August at 8:30pm.
View the behind-the-scenes action from our fashion photo-shoot taken in the Macquarie Private Wealth Boardroom.
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| BE CHIC THIS SPRING WITH NAPOLEON PERDIS COSMETICS
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 As the days get longer, the nights balmier and leather, fur and hosiery make way for flowing fabrics and peeps of barely-bronzed skin, visions of sweet, Spring beauty trends begin to dance through our late-winter daydreams. What better time for a fresh, Spring makeup revival all of your own from the best in the business.
Napoleon Perdis is giving you the opportunity to perfect your new season look with a personal consultation by one of their talented makeup artists and a 10% discount on purchases over $75. Indulgent makeover? 10% discount? Yes please!
Click on the Be Chic logo above to view the exclusive Napoleon card, print the page and get your well-heeled self off to your favourite Napoleon concept store. Be chic this Spring with Napoleon Perdis cosmetics. |
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By Lara Lavers If Australia were a family, Brisbane would be the proverbial middle child; the misunderstood, seemingly unsophisticated quiet achiever, underestimated and dismissed by her siblings Sydney and Melbourne.  Though we protest the sniping and snobbery of our southern sisters, there's no denying Queenslanders have always relished their inherent underdog status. From Cape York to Coolangatta, maroon blood flow througheth our veins. Unsurprisingly, Queensland is better known for its cauliflower-eared State of Origin behemoths than its world leading creative industries princincts and unique emerging cultural scene.
But undeterred by the stereotypes, Brisbane is finally coming of age, growing out of her blue-collar roots to become a confident cultural epicentre in her own right. Today, Queensland's somewhat culturally baron, blokeish history is of small significance to the hoards of well-heeled fashionistas who stomp Paddington's quirky LaTrobe Terrace each weekend; the groovy, creative types who discuss Kubrickian cinema over lattes in West End cafes; or the local hipsters who flock to Queen Street Mall to acquire high-end fashion and social collateral. According to Mercedes-Benz Brisbane Fashion Festival Director, Lindsay Bennett, the influx of people moving to Queensland's capital from the southern states has upped the ante. "Brisbane's consumers expect cultural events, shopping and infrastructure to be parallel with that of Sydney and Melbourne, and I'm confident we have the capacity to satisfy this growing demand," Mr Bennett says.  The city is a hugely competitive market for spring/summer fashion, and Mr Bennett has been tirelessly crusading to promote Brisbane as the perfect location for launching collection during the warmer months.
Even influential Vogue Australia editor Kirstie Clements has commended Brisbane on its anti-parochial fashion platform and positive fashion festival vibe. Having secured Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival's South Bank venue for the next three years, Mr Bennett couldn't be more thrilled. "South Bank is the perfect conduit between the arts, fashion, and tourism industries - all vital components in Brisbane's cultural melting pot," he says, adding that focused attention of local designers through the festival means they don't need to move south to be recognised on the national stage. Unique, edgy, and unapologetic, Brisbanites are busy forging a cultural and style identity all of their own, which keen observers describe as adventurous and loaded with colour, with a fresh, youthful aesthetic that compliments the Queensland lifestyle. |
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| FASHION AFTER HOURS FOR FREE
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There's not many occasions where you can be mesmerized, educated and enlightened with in-depth discussions from extraordinary and talented people in the fashion industry for free. The QUT 'Fashion After Hours' in partnership with the State Library of Queensland discussions are set to be on the radar of the city's most fashionable at this year's Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival - Brisbane. If you pride yourself in breathing, living and knowing about fashion, not just wearing it, then this spectacular and unique fashion event is for you! Mix it with true lovers of fashion as expert speakers from the fashion industry explore the fascinating world of fashion with interesting topics such as: Industry & Autonomy: what is sustainable fashion?; and Brisbane Women in Fashion: clothing, community, and culture. Facilitated by fashion curator Nadia Buick, this is sure to be an exciting and colourful night filled with amazing insights into this wonderful industry. Set in the gorgeous surrounds of the State Library of Queensland, tickets for this event are free but will still need to booked through QTIX outlets to reserve your seat. Here's what's on and who will be our VIP guest speakers:  Tuesday 23rd August, 8.30pm
Industry & Autonomy: what is sustainable fashion? Guest speakers include: Tess Curran, Assistant Editor, Peppermint Magazine; Paula Dunlop, PhD, Independent Practitioner and co-founder, the stitchery collective; Alice Payne, PhD Candidate QUT; Samantha Hardman, Fashion Designer, Bento; & Joshua Jones, Jean Brown. This discussion will be followed by an exclusive event; The Pop-Up Vintage Market by The Best Little Vintage Van in Vegas. Wednesday 24th August, 8.30pm Brisbane Women in Fashion: clothing, community, and culture Guest speakers include: Lydia Pearson & Pamela Easton, Easton Pearson; Kath Horton, Discipline Leader, Fashion QUT and Co-founder, the stitchery collective; Thea Basilou, Blonde Venus; Faiza El-Higzi, The Romero Centre. When: Tuesday 23rd and Wednesday 24th August, 8:30-10pm. Where: State Library of Queensland. Tickets: FREE but need to booked at www.qtix.com.au or 136 246 to reserve your seat. Image: Bento AW11 collection, photograph by Caitlin Jane McColl
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| | A DREAMY SLICE OF FASHION HISTORY AT THE QUT ART MUSEUM | |
 This year, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival – Brisbane is helping put off the post-fashion week blues with the anxiously awaited launch of Dreaming of Chanel at the Queensland University of Technology Art Museum on Thursday August 25th. Presented exclusively in Brisbane, Dreaming of Chanel is a celebration of some of history's most beautiful and iconic fashion pieces and delves into the dreams we attach to the clothing we cherish. From the instantly recognisable work of the international fashion houses to the treasured creations of unknown dressmakers, this FREE exhibition brings to life the garments contained in the book Dreaming of Chanel by Charlotte Smith, and showcases the thousands of exquisite pieces Ms Smith inherited from her Godmother in 2004. A snapshot of the fashion moments that defined us from 1790 to 1995, Dreaming of Chanel is a blissful escape for worshippers of all things stylish. So come-down, keep the fashion-love burning bright and be one of the first to see the exclusive Dreaming of Chanel exhibition. It's a little slice of fashion heaven, right here in Brisbane. Dreaming of Chanel - Launch Event When: Thursday 25th August, 6.00pm Where: QUT Art Museum Cost: Free |
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