Gigi Tells The Haters to Go-Go

I just love this post from It Girl of the moment, Gigi Hadid. While I am saddened that she even has to defend herself in this way, I am realistic: it's the Internet, and there are trolls out there who will attack and denigrate even the cutest cat video out there, let alone the looming target of a good looking girl living the dream as a supermodel. Haters gonna hate.

I have thought on a number of occasions that models like Gigi Hadid suggest a shift towards a more realistic body image. She certainly makes it look very appealing!

Straight Outta Compton

This year, fierce tennis champ Serena Williams is battling for her first calendar-year Grand Slam. If Serena wins the US Open (which is well underway), she will have won all four major tournaments in one season, joining only two other women who have done so in the past: Australia's Margaret Court in 1970 and Germany's Steffi Graf in 1988.

Although the 2015 season is arguably one of Serena's best, she hasn't gotten here without some past struggles — she suffered from depression in 2006 and took a six-month hiatus, before coming back to being the number one world tennis player.

The Residence

Nicole Kidman has appeared in Etihad's latest advertising campaign, promoting its A380 Residence suite. Described as better than first class, the suites are the only private living spaces available on commercial airline flights (I'm sure Emirates isn't far behind on this though).

The Residence is a three-room suite at the front of the plane featuring a living room, bedroom complete with a double bed and a private bathroom with shower.The living room features a two-seat leather couch, a dining table and private mini-bar. Both the living room and the bedroom feature LCD TVs for in-flight entertainment.

The only thing missing is a treadmill. Based on some of the very senior executives I know who fly frequently, the hours spent in the sky are unanimously believed to be a wasted opportunity to squeeze in some exercise (although admittedly I'm sure there is plenty of space to do a spot of yoga). I'm not sure I'd fork out $24,000 each way in order to do so, but it sure would be tempting to use points to upgrade if that were the case.

Not-so-simple pleasures.

Sneaker Pimp

A work colleague was visiting from snowy Switzerland not that long ago, and I asked him what he noticed about Australia, or what he thought had changed about Australia (he is an Aussie, but has lived abroad for several years). His response?

"I am completely weirded out by all the women walking around in exercise gear, and going to breakfast, lunch and dinner in sports clothes. What is with that?"

Karlie Kloss off to breakfast with Taylor

Too true. I used to be very guilty of this activity for a variety of reasons:

1. I was genuinely about to go to / had just finished some type of exercise and either didn't have time to change, or simply couldn't be bothered (yep, lazy). This is related to the growth in the fitness trend that we've witnessesd over the past few years. Cross-fit, triathlon groups, Tough Mudder, swimming training, running club or good old fashioned gym junkie - as we are hyper aware to the obesity epidemic, we work out more. Also, I hear that cross-fit and tri groups are a great way to pick up.
2. I had no idea what to wear, and my adorable Lorna Jane outfit needed to be worn. As fitness gear becomes more fashionable (think Mary Kratantzou and Stella McCartney for Adidas, Rihanna as creative director and fitness ambassador for Puma, the list seriously goes on), I think we have given ourselves a leave pass to wear fitness clothing outside the gym under the reasoning that our workout gear is no longer daggy old shorts and a paint-spattered T-shirt. We are fashionably fit now.
3. Gym gear is ridiculously comfortable. No skirts slipping around on your waist and requiring constant re-positioning, no VPL, no high heels to rub your toes - it is pure comfort. You wouldn't go outdoors in your pyjamas or a tracksuit, but your gym gear gives you the same comfort factor without the public humiliation. 

While I have tried to ditch my gym-clothing-to-brunch habit, a lot of women are still happily doing it. All power to them I say! 

In celebration of sneakers, here are a few shots from Elle Mexico.

I think the happy middle-ground for the gym gear as outer-wear trend is sneakers with your usual day-wear. But that's just me. What say you?

Fitness for the Fearfully Busy / Keeper of Funny Hours / Loather of Gyms

I love the Internet. I actually think it is better than sliced bread, but that's really only because bread goes mouldy after time, whereas the Internet just keeps getting better and better with time.

One of my major dramas last year was the ability to find the time to get to the gym to attend classes. I am not someone who can run on a treadmill, nor am I a huge fan of running deserted streets in the dark (be it pre-dawn or post-sunset). I am a fraidy cat of both the dark and strange people, so running alone is not, and has never been, an option for me. I am the girl standing towards the front of a class, frowning when someone blocks her view in the mirror (Vain? You betcha. But there is method to this vain madness - the only way you can work out effectively is to check your form), and frowning further when said person in front can't pick up the moves/is off the beat consistently. Some would say aggressive, I would say aggressive gym bunny with limited time in which to enjoy her work out. If you can't tuck jump, get thee to the back of the class!

Unfortunately, I don't make it to my class of choice very often, mainly because gyms frequently cater to people who are out of work and into their gym gear by 5:15pm and/or to the early birds who work out at 5:30am. I fill neither category.

Thankfully, 2015 seems to be the year of the online workout.

Tracey Anderson, that formidably fit trainer to the stars (Gwyneth is one of her biggest devotees, and who can argue with her excellent form?), is leading the charge with her video streaming subscription released this year.

Gratuitous Gwyneth-on-the-red-carpet shot

As her website attests, regardless of where you live - worldwide - you can access Gwyneth Paltrow's trainer through a series of weekly videos from Tracey, working out alongside her classroom clients (I expect these will be a step up from the Aerobics Oz Style girls I used to love watching back in the 80s). Ok, so at US$475 for 6 months it doesn't necessarily come cheap, but it is comparable to a gym subscription, and you have the bonus of variety as the videos are updated weekly (great for those with mindbogglingly short attention spans) and accessibility at whatever time of the day and wherever in the world that suits you (i.e. the living room, centimetres away from the Cherry Ripe you just ate).

Other live-streaming options include Ballet Beautiful, which allows you to undertake a customised Barre-esque class (you don't need a barre, just the back of a chair is fine). They also update the classes you undertake bi-monthly, and you have unlimited access to the streaming library, again from whatever device you happen to have at your disposal, wherever you find yourself on this gorgeous planet. Priced at US$39.99/month, this option is a little more accessible.

Actually, you don't need a leotard, ballet shoes or any other ballet clothing. It's just pretty to look at!

There are also a treasure trove of apps available for your iPad or phone. I have Pocket Yoga which I tend to do when I travel (you can change the settings to a small room, and the workout is customised to your space). What I like about this app, is that you can set your level depending on how you feel (Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced), and you can choose the length of your session (30, 45 or 60 min).

I am also a big fan of the 7 Minute Workout (no points for guessing why!) - there are loads of apps for that, which offer basically the exact same workout.

Then there is the more involved Nike+ Training Club app which allows you to choose a work out based on your goals (get lean, get toned, get strong) and then your fitness level (beginner, intermediate and advanced). I have the app on my phone, however have never used it, mainly because I find you need bits of equipment, which suggests you should be at least a little bit organised, and be at the gym (or buy a medicine ball etc).

Somehow, I don't think the cushions off your couch will suffice for this one

All this talk of physical fitness is making me feel rather guilty, having just polished off a pizza after nailing my mum's Christmas cake earlier this afternoon.

The downloading starts tomorrow...

Shoesday: Mary Katrantzou for Adidas

Fashion's Queen of print - Mary Katrantzou - has released her latest collection: an out of the box, glow in the dark collaboration with Adidas.

The collection features studded shoes, serious lashings of colour, and of course a solid dose of the the furious prints we've come to expect from this Dutch master.

The collection doesn't just stop with shoes - with figure-hugging zip up dresses and pullovers in neoprene and print mesh with lashings of florals and the iconic adidas 3-stripes, the trend of wearing athletic wear as outer wear is unlikely to die out any time soon.

Legs Eleven

Sarah Murdoch fronts Vogue Australia's August edition, marking her eleventh cover for the fashion stalwart. She is streets ahead of other regular Aussie Vogue covergirls, with Abbey Lee at 6, and Gemma Ward miles behind with 6 and 5 covers respectively. Sarah was apparently reluctant to appear on the cover, and was only tempted to do so on the basis that she had something to celebrate or important to share with readers.

Murdoch has recently been appointed deputy chairperson of the Australian Ballet, after having served on its Board since 2006. The Australian Ballet is currently running its "Out There" program, designed to take ballet to disadvantaged schools as well as teaching more general principles about the value of movement (and dance is one of the best ways to move, am I right?). 

The world of ballet - with its classical music, well-established story lines and emphasis on strict and perfect discipline - can be easily misinterpreted as impenetrable and of interest only to the most ardent of culture vultures (alternatively it could be viewed as being snooty and boring which at times is perfectly accurate). Attempting to turn that view on its head, Sarah states that "I never want to feel this company is untouchable to every single Australian."

In recent years, the Australian Ballet has taken great strides forward in making ballet more accessible to the general public - guest choreographers such as Graham Murphy playing with old classics (my all-time favourite choreographer and who created the most stunning interpretation of Swan Lake I have ever seen, although admittedly his take on Romeo & Juliet was entirely unstimulating), more of an emphasis on contemporary ballets as well as their "Behind Ballet" program which consists of emailed newsletters and short videos, and their recent collaboration with US and French ballet companies. 

Combining this accessibility with a proactive attempt to engage disadvantaged schools is truly admirable. For many kids, dancing is a beautiful way of escaping for a few hours. Ballet adds another dimension to this: it instils discipline, you learn another language (everything is in French), you learn to listen to and appreciate classical music, you are part of a team and you become physically strong. As I mentioned in a previous post, while I've been unable to do adult ballet classes due to the transient nature of my life at the moment, I do manage to get to a Barre class once per week. Although the classical music and French language elements aren't there, the discipline and the hard work bits are in equal measure - and the results speak for themselves. Defined arms and a happier lady now that I can still squeeze in some exercise that actually interests me (my attention span is dreadfully limited). 

So if you haven't tried out Barre yet, I still urge you to do it. But if all else fails, just head to the ballet. 

Happy Monday to the Ballerinas

In honour of its latest ballet, Imperial Suite (a double bill featuring US and French choreographers), the Australian Ballet commissioned a series of pictures dedicated to ballet in the theme of the loveable Paris vs New York: A Tale of Two Cities.

Speaking of ballet, I feel obliged to tell you about my current Fitness Obsession (if you count attendance on a once per week basis an "obsession"...)

Xtend Barre in all its variations (there are so many now that the craze has caught on - Ballet Burn, CardioBarre whatever you want to call it) in a nutshell combines ballet with pilates.  But Barre is so much more than that. It's ballet exercises (the tedious ones we used to hate when we were petite ballerinas itching to put our pointe shoes on) to pop music. It's arm toning without the muscle tees and 'roid boys watching from the corner. It's pilates without feeling bored, and most of all it's fun! 

While you don't wear a tutu, you don't feel any less of a hardcore ballerina as you sweat through your plies. Images of Natalie Portman's dedicated Black/White Swan aren't far from your thoughts as you point your toes, centre your hips and hold and lift your leg that inch ever-higher. It's a great, low-impact workout, that I truly believe gives you great results. Dubbed one of the Victoria's Secret angels' best kept workout secrets for years, the cat is truly out of the bag these days - I highly recommend getting yourself to a class!

The other great thing about Barre is that if you don't have access to a studio class , you can get a DVD of workouts and do it at home with the aid of a chair, 2 x 1kg weights and a pilates ball - it's that easy!

There are studios all over Australia, so there are no excuses (although quality of instructors is highly variable). I went to a fantastic studio in Toowong, Brisbane and in Adelaide I absolutely love Aleenta Barre in the East end of the city. As barre-devotees would say - meet you at the barre.

And finally, I think we can finish our Monday on this note:

Happy Friday: Time

I post about time quite a bit, and certainly spend quite a bit of time thinking about time. You can't help but be a watch checker, and cognisant of hours slipping away when you're sitting at a bus stop, staring at the departures board as your flight's delay is announced, and as you impatiently wait a week for the next episode of The Good Wife (addicted).

As a wedding gift, my husband gave me the gift of time, both figuratively and literally (there was a lovely box from the Rolex shop too). As he so eloquently explained in the letter that arrived on the morning of our wedding, he was giving me the gift not only of his lifetime but also all of his time, devoted to me - and all he asked from me in return was my patience. *sigh*

Advertising for watches is generally pretty standard: some sophisticated looking man or woman (depending on the watch, obviously), dressed fairly conservatively, doing something luxurious - strolling with a polo horse, popping off in your private aircraft for a weekend in France, effortlessly winning a tennis Grand Slam, sitting with lengthy legs crossed looking sumptuously relaxed.



Karl Lagerfeld has delivered a watch campaign for Chanel that challenges this notion (but also rather fits the type also, I must say). Below are a few images shot by Patrick Demarchelier from the campaign. Essentially, the model's body is positioned in such a way as to mirror the placement of the hands on the watch. I'm not sure if there's a deeper meaning here - synchronicity, in-tune with you - but the images are definitely representative of a certain type of elegance.

Shoesday: Clowning Around

Following on from yesterday's post about clown-inspired clothing, I feel that there is a bit of clown in Marc Jacobs' hi-tops (yep, still obsesed). The red toes and the colourful extras don't quite scream clown, but then again, you wouldn't really want your shoes to do that anyway, would you?

Shoesday: Wimbeldon

Australia's tennis hopes are being restored by 15 year old Ashleigh Barty from Ipswich, who just won Wimbeldon's Junior Girls' competition this week... Happy shoesday indeed!

~Pic~

The Twit & The Lip Colour

Having recently become a Downton Abby tragic (ok… I’ve only seen 2 episodes, but I do love it when I get around to watching it), and because Dancing With The Stars (DWTS as it is known in the Twitterverse) is on right before it and further because I was babysitting that night so watching TV was the only logical thing to do… I watched DWTS for the first time. One of the contestants was the gorgeous Lara Bingle: one-time ‘where the bloody hell are you?’ pin-up girl for Tourism Australia, model, former girlfriend of Michael Clarke (an Aussie cricketer) and general girl-about-Sydney-town.

As a dancer, she wasn’t quite rocking it, but she also wasn’t as uncomfortable to watch as another of the contestants (remaining nameless, but any viewer of DWTS will know who I’m talking about). As one of the judges stupendously meanly put it, Lara was “dull” and lacking in the X factor. She then also got bundled out – much to the distress of Sonia Kruger who I also adore (mainly because of her star turn as Tina Sparkle in Strictly Ballroom). Lara was also accused of sporting a Cousin Itt style hair-do (i.e. her hair was down... and kinda in her face) which was distracting. True. When dancing, get thy hair out of face.

Tina Sparkle is cool. Don't let anyone tell you different.

Whatever. It was a shame LB didn’t go forward, as she definitely wasn’t terrible. BUT! The burning question I mulled as I watched DWTS and then later, Downton Abby, was this: what was that gorgeous, glorious lip colour she had on her kissers? Was it MAC? It looked like MAC.

Bingle posted Instagram pics on Twitter throughout the evening.


Furthermore, as a follower of Ms Bingle on Twitter, am I able to tweet her to ask? Is that weird? It seems weird! Stalker-ish even! Can you imagine getting a text or tweet from someone you’ve never even met, saying “hi – you didn’t see me on Sunday night, but I sure saw you and, well… Heck you were just wearing the prettiest lipstick (yes, I got that close!). What colour was it?”

Psycho!

I just don’t get Twitter. I got an account recently – in order to get with the program – and I am terrible at it. My tweets suck (I have lost followers after some particularly lame-o tweets), and I feel like a self-obsessed moron even tweeting in the first place, because I’m not a celebrity. Why would anyone care?? It seems to be a PR machine and nothing much else. (That said, I would love to be a professional tweeter for celebrities – that must make the job of publicists so much easier! Bugger those pesky gossip columnists – you can trump them in a 20 second tweet).

Anyway… If you can advise on one or both of these questions (particularly the lip colour… It’s my key interest!) I will love you forever. Even more than I probably already do. Which is lots.

Shoesday: Run Club

It is a fact that I run faster in high heels than I do in joggers. I'm not sure why... I have a 10 kilometre run this weekend, and my preparation has been, well... Non-existent. It's not going to be pretty at that finish line!

It's Hip To Be Square

Ana Ivanovic is playing Wimbeldon with a square racquet. She's into the final 16, so it must be working...

Shoesday: Cement Shoes

Last night, I rocked up to the gym for my usual Monday night run. Things initially appeared to be going to plan: the boys were down below flexing their muscles and were looking their usual cute, masculine selves; the ladies were sweating it out on the various machines; my iPod shuffle - the size of my fingernail and packing more pop music than an MTV office - was charged; I was kitted out in Lorna Jane and I was sure nothing could thwart my next 45 minutes of walking/running pleasure.

I was wrong.

I forgot the headcold which knocked me for 6 most of last week was still lingering, and was determined to interfere with any form of exercise that involved much effort. Next my iPod spazzed out and refused to allow me to turn up the volume, change songs or anything else of much use. Worse, the fallback plug-in to the TV was redundant due to an uncharacteristically lacklustre offering on Channel V. Neighbours just isn't an option these days... I mean please: how many more evil Paul Robinson storylines can they write? It's a loud, pounding beat that gets me through, and there was no noise from the iPod, limited pounding and only a mouse's heartbeat to power my run from V.

So, what's a girl to do but go home, find some chocolate and read up on cement shoes - the supposedly mythical gangland vengeance of choice.

You may also enjoy this ad.

Happy Friday: Running Girl

Tomorrow I am embarking upon a 10km run. I have actually never run, walked, or run & walked 10km in my life in one go. I am nervous - I have had weird dreams of humiliation on the running track. It brings up all those memories from school, where I was just no good at athletics, I always felt like I was wasting my genetic inheritance. My whole family is pretty athletic, yet I can't run to save myself (this is why I should seriously do self-defence in case of attack - running is not an option I feel I can rely upon).

So, like any other fashionista would do, I decided that if I had a cute outfit on, perhaps this would inspire me sufficiently to get me to the finish line.

I have been applying gradual build fake tan for the past few nights in a bid to look as though I am frequently involved in outdoorsy activities like triathlons, hiking and the like (although I believe I now have a fantastic excuse for not mtn walking). Next is the outfit, obviously. Lorna Jane, an Aussie sports-clothing label for women (and now their kidlets) full of slogans designed to both inspire ("Never, never give up") and poke gentle fun ("I run like a girl") has been around for 20 yrs.

I have something of a love-hate relationship with LJ. For a long time there, it was rather naff to wear the clothes - they were a little American in design with slightly too-high waists (we like hipsters in the Southern Hemisphere) and, previously, the smearing of the LJ logo everywhere was just irritating - particularly because Lorna Jane is not synonymous with serious athletics like Adidas, Nike etc who I felt on that basis, were entitled to logo their clothes up. It was also associated, in my mind, with the type of people who make a New Year's resolution to join a gym and then kit themselves out head to toe in Lorna Jane, sweat for 10 minutes and give up. In my slightly dirty Cotton On outfits, which I proudly paid a total of $20 for, I smugly believed the outfit did not make-th the athlete, as I watched LJ-clad women drop like flies half way through Body Attack.

Ironically, this outfit-as-inspiration methodology is exactly what I am applying now in order to cajole my legs in to constant, 10 km movement this weekend. Thankfully, Lorna Jane has picked her act up in terms of styling: it's less soccer-mum-at-the-gym-for-10-minutes-followed-by-coffee-with-the girls-for-50-minutes. Someone has reduced the size and prevalence of the omnipotent logo and brought fashion into the line. I am loving the new look for Lorna Jane:

Suggested Activity: Self-Defence Training

A most horrific story in the news today reminded me to follow up on my abandoned attempts at self-defence (I did one class but felt terribly awkward, as we practised in the same room as black-belt karate people: basic judo accompanied by yells is humiliating at the best of times, worse when surrounded by professionals)...

A 29-yr old bushwalker (how did such a boring activity become so dangerous?!)feared for her life as she had the crap bashed out of her by a resident nutter who uttered the fear-inducing words: "If you struggle then I will kill you." Jeepers!



She said - after her 5 hours of surgery to repair tendons in her hands, an artery in her neck and a fractured eye socket - her self-defence training from school kicked in, as it became immediately apparent to her that he was "probably going to kill me".

The man reportedly attacked as she gave him directions. "He punched me in the face a couple of times; I saw lights. He had me round the throat on the ground." She screamed and fought back, and the man ran away. She then called her parents (wow - she had reception??) and dialled 000.

Not surprisingly, waiting for help to arrive, not knowing if her attacker was coming back, was one of the scariest moments in her life.



Blue Mountains crime manager, Inspector Mick Bostock, refused to comment on reports that police were seeking a known person with a record of sexual assault. The plot thickens... That type of thing really needs to be public knowledge, no? I sure as hell wouldn't bushwalk (actually, insert a full-stop there) alone if I knew that little fact...

Let's Get Physical

Forever 21 - doyenne of uber cheap chic - has finally launched its sports range (they have been emailing since late last year with promises of a sports range). With prices starting at $3.80, I never cease to shake my head in wonderment in the difference in prices between the USA and Oz. Of course the quality is different - but not to the extent the price difference would indicate. Whatever... It looks like a fun range - the kind of thing you slip on for a "jog" when you've told the boy you've just started seeing that you're not too bad at sport when really, the last time you ran was in primary school...