Vogue Australia June 2019

D I O R . C O M - S Y D N E Y ( 0 2 ) 9 2 2 9 4 6 0 0 . M E L B O U R N E ( 0 3 ) 9 6 5 0 0 13 2 I C o u r t e s y o f S h e i l a H i c k s a n d S i k k e m a J e n k i n s & C o ., N e w Yo r k

Kendall: Girl of our dreams Sharp tailoring, fresh denim & luxe knitwear for the NEW SEASON Mary-Kate and Ashley’s style reign at THE ROW How hair can change

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THE FIRST WATCH WORN ON THE MOON On the 50th anniversary of the first lunar landing, OMEGA is reflecting on the golden moments that defined that iconic day. While our own Speedmaster was strapped to the wrists of the astronauts, George Clooney was looking up towards the moon where his heroes were making history.

#MOONWATCH

OMEGA Boutiques

SYDNEY 20 Martin Place • Westfield Bondi Junction MELBOURNE 179 Collins Street • Chadstone • Crown Casino BRISBANE 188 Edward Street

THE FUSION COLLECTION SYDNEY GEORGE ST | WESTFIELD SYDNEY | BONDI CHATSWOOD | CANBERRA | MELBOURNE COLLINS ST | EMPORIUM C H A D S T O N E | D O N C A S T E R | PA C I F I C F A I R | I N D O O R O O P I L LY B R I S B A N E | P E R T H K I N G S T. | C L A R E M O N T | A D E L A I D E GEORGJENSEN.COM

CONTENTS

June 2019 26 EDITOR’S LETTER

Vogue Codes

34 VOGUE VAULT

74

36 VOGUE VOICE

CURATED BY …

38 VOGUE VIDEO

2019 Vogue Codes speaker Karen Walker

40 CONTRIBUTORS

shares her inspirations.

76

Stylist: Jillian Davison Photographer: Charles Dennington Hair: Jen Atkin Make up: Mary Phillips Manicure: Jocelyn Petroni Set design: Sophie Fletcher, using installations from and inspired

by Breathing Room: Carpetcell (2018) by Heath Franco

20

GOING PLACES

46

Jennifer Rubio is the marketing mind behind

CUT ABOVE

luggage brand Away, which has created a loyal

Tailoring goes from strength to strength, but this

tribe of travellers in just three years.

time delivers more than just uniform dressing.

78

56

DOWN TO EARTH

OPEN SEASON

Alex Moss, the creator of a medical device

Unlock the pre-fall collections with fresh style

first designed for astronauts, now hopes it

missives that are key to the season. Cooler

will save lives in the mining industry.

weather wardrobe mastery is within grasp.

60

Culture

IN GREAT SHAPE

86

Gilded or rendered in resin, this season’s

AUSTRALIAN MADE

sculptural bags were made for maximum display.

Curators of an exhibition devoted to

62

homegrown contemporary art share their

ALL IN

insights into what’s new and noteworthy.

When the call to buy grows ever deafening, one

90

couple shrugs it off to pursue a new style vision:

TOMB RAIDERS

sharing a wardrobe together.

Cai Guo-Qiang’s radical art is set against

64

ancient artefacts to striking effect.

Island mode; New weave; Hung up on you.

93

68

ESCAPE PLANS

FEELING IT

A new performance by Bangarra Dance Theatre,

Stylists are perfectly poised to create the stuff

what to catch at the Sydney Film Festival and

of fashion myth. Enter, Stevie Dance.

a fresh series of art books to treasure.

72

RED DAWN

Beauty

Van Cleef & Arpels’s spectacular new

96

high-jewellery collection makes the case for

JUST ADD WATER

glorious gumball-sized rubies on the most

Could the key to better skin be the simplest

majestic – and transformable – creations.

ingredient of all? Dive in to find out.

JUNE 2019

V O L L X I V N O 6 W H O L E N O 6 6 0 * R E CO M M E N D E D P R I C E

Kendall Jenner wears a Saint Laurent dress. Tiffany & Co. platinum earrings set with diamonds and platinum bracelet set with diamonds. Atsuko Kudo stay ups. Make up from Yves Saint Laurent Beauty, starting with Touche Éclat Le Teint Foundation in Beige and Souffle D’Éclat setting powder in Beige; on cheeks, Couture Blush in Nude Blouse and Touche Éclat in Radiant Silk; on eyes, Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils in Noir; on brows, Couture Brow Mascara in Brun Dore; on lips, Rouge Volupté Shine Oil in Stick lipstick in Nude Lavalliere.

Viewpoint

CONTENTS

June 2019 Features

102

HEAD TURNING The hair on your head is interlaced with your sense of self, and as three women will attest, a radical change can be completely liberating.

106

142

NATURAL ORDER Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen’s The Row brings a unique perspective to those who prefer their fashion meticulously made and understated.

STICK IT No longer reserved for your lips, easy-to-wield sticks of make-up are a fuss-free zone.

108

146

MUM’S THE WORD The real-life drudgery of motherhood has spawned ‘mom-coms’, a new TV genre that’s

READY, SET … REST

proving the hottest thing on our screens.

After decades of going for the burn, the fitness industry is taking a gentler approach. Here’s how to crush your goals by doing less instead of more.

Fashion

158

A TOUCH OF GRACE Grace Coddington’s Long Island cottage is a reflection of its owners: unpretentious, full of curiosities and singing with creative vigour.

118

EYES ON THE PRIZE Kendall Jenner is super-strong, supremely focussed and fully functioning in love and dripping in Tiffany & Co. diamonds.

132

Voyage 162

COAST TO COAST From vast bushland teeming with wildlife to a creative hub in the centre of the country’s biggest

FEEL THE CHANGE

city, there’s plenty to explore in South Africa.

Enter the fresh-feel line-up from pre-fall, but what to buy into? Choose hero pieces with enveloping textures, ladylike ease and silhouettes heavy on sophistication.

166

WILD CALLING Embarking on a pinch-me voyage to Kenya, model Fernanda Ly discovered the poignant coming together of a blue-chip jewellery house

148

HERE’S LOOKING AT YOU Take a fresh look at your day wardrobe. Shapes become bold, volume is sculptural and flourishes

with an effort to save a threatened species.

169 SOIREE

come in high definition scrunched, ruffled and

175 HOROSCOPES

flounced. Hit those angles.

176 LAST WORD

SUBSCRIBE TO VOGUE

TURN TO PAGE 114 TO SUB SCRIBE OR RENEW AND RECEIVE A BONUS ALPHA-H ESSENTIAL SKIN PERFECTING MOISTURISER, VALUED AT $59.95.

22

JUNE 2019

P H OTO G R A P H S : B R A N N A C A P OZ Z J E S S E L ZOT T E E D WA R D U R R U T A CENTRE MAGE: MA XMAR A JACKET AND SHOES. ESSE STUD OS DRESS A N D PA N T S . PA S PA L E Y E A R R I N G S . G E O R G J E N S E N R I N G .

As the heat recedes, something new is in the air.

Edwina McCann Editor in Chief editor@vogue.com.au D eput y E d it or J E S S ICA MON TAGU E features@vogue.com.au Fa sh ion D i re c t or C H R I ST I N E C E N T E N E R A Cre at i ve D i re c t or (C ondé Na s t A u s t ra l ia t it le s) J I L L I A N DAV I S ON Cre at i ve D i re c t or ( Fe at u re s) at L a r ge A L I S ON V E N E S S ART art@vogue.com.au A r t D i re c t or M A N DY A L E X D eput y A r t D i re c t or DIJA N A M A DDI S ON D e sig ner A RQU E T T E C O OK E FASHION fashion@vogue.com.au S en ior Fa sh ion E d it or K AT E DA RV I L L Fa sh ion E d it or a nd Ma rket D i re c t or PH I L I PPA MORON E Y Ju n ior Fa sh ion E d it or PE T TA C H UA Ma rket E d it or K A I L A M AT T H E WS Ju n ior Ma rket E d it or R E BE C CA S H A L A L A Fa sh ion A s si s t a nt R E BE C CA B ON AV I A BOOK INGS bookings@vogue.com.au E xe c ut i ve P ro duc er a nd Ta lent D i re c t or R I K K I K E E N E S en ior P ro duc er L AU R E N BA RGE B o ok i ng s E d it or S A M A N T H A T R E Y VAU D FASHION FEATURES vogue@vogue.com.au Fa sh ion Fe at u re s D i re c t or A L IC E BI R R E L L Fa sh ion Fe at u re s A s si s t a nt J E N N U R IC K BEAUTY AND HEA LTH beauty@vogue.com.au S en ior B e aut y a nd He a lt h E d it or R E M Y R I PP ON He a lt h E d it or at L a r ge JODY S C O T T B e aut y S p e cia l P roje c t s R IC K Y A L L E N COPY copy@vogue.com.au Travel E d it or a nd C opy E d it or M A R K S A R I BA N D eput y C opy E d it or a nd L i fe s t y le Wr it er C US H L A C H AU H A N Su s t a i na bi l it y E d it or at L a r ge C L A R E PR E S S A r t s Wr it er JA N E A L BE R T Ma na g i ng E d it or L OU I S E BRYA N T DIGITA L vogue@vogue.com.au D ig it a l E d it or ia l D i re c t or J U L I A F R A N K D ig it a l E d it or L I L I T H H A R DI E LU PICA A s s o ciat e D ig it a l E d it or DA N I E L L E G AY D ig it a l Wr it er s LUC I E C L A R K E M I LY A L G A R A s si s t a nt D ig it a l E d it or A NGE L ICA X I DI A S CONTRIBUTORS A L IC E CAVA N AGH ( Pa r i s) V IC T OR I A C OL L I S ON (S p e cia l P roje c t s E d it or) PI PPA HOLT ( L ondon) N ATA S H A I NC H L E Y ( Fa sh ion) V IC T OR I A BA K E R ( Vog ue C o de s E d it or) EDITORIA L ADMINISTR ATION AND RIGHTS D ig it a l A s s et s a nd R ig ht s Ma na ger T RU DY BI E R N AT D ig it a l A s s et s a nd R ig ht s C o ord i nat or K AT R I N A T R I N H Nat iona l S a le s a nd St rat e g y D i re c t or, St y le N IC OL E WAU DBY (02) 8 0 4 5 4 6 61 .

He ad of Bra nd St rat e g y, St y le M E R RY N DH A M I (02) 92 8 8 10 9 0. He ad of D ig it a l C om mercia l St rat e g y, St y le A M A N DA S PAC K M A N (02) 8 0 4 5 4 6 5 8 .

NS W Group S a le s Ma na ger C H E Y N E H A L L (02) 8 0 4 5 4 6 67.

NS W Key Ac c ou nt Ma na ger s K AT E C OR BE T T (02) 8 0 4 5 47 3 7. CAT H E R I N E PAT R IC K (02) 8 0 4 5 4 613 . K R I ST I N A K A R A S S OU L I S (02) 92 8 8 174 3 .

Group D ig it a l Bra nd Ma n a ger A DR I A N A HO OPE R Bra nd St rat e g y Ma na ger T E S S A DI XON (02) 8 0 4 5 474 4 .

He ad of St rat e g ic Pa r t ner sh ip s H A N N A H DAV I D W R IGH T (02) 8 0 4 5 49 8 6 . P roje c t Ma n a ger Pa r t ner sh ip s K AT E DW Y E R (02) 92 8 8 10 0 9.

S en ior C a mpa ig n I mplement at ion Ma na ger S OPH I E G A L L AGH E R (02) 92 8 8 3 92 9. NS W Ac c ou nt E xe c ut i ve s , St y le E L I Z A C ON NOR (02) 92 8 8 132 4 . G A R I N E H T ORO S S I A N (02) 8 0 4 5 4 6 5 3 .

Vic t or ia S a le s D i re c t or, St y le K A R E N C L E M E N T S (0 3) 92 92 32 02 . Vic t or ia Group B u si ne s s Ma n a ger N A DI N E DE N I S ON (0 3) 92 92 32 2 4 .

Vic t or ia He ad of D i re c t S a le s & Pa r t ner sh ip s JO C ONSTA BL E (0 3) 92 92 32 0 3 . Vic t or ia C a mpa ig n I mplement at ion Ma n a ger R E BE C CA RODE L L (0 3) 92 92 195 1 .

Vic t or ia Ac c ou nt E xe c ut i ve R E BE C CA BL AC K (0 3) 92 92 32 0 8 .

C la s si f ie d Ad ver t i si ng T E JA L C H A BH A DI A 13 0 0 13 9 3 0 5 . C la s si f ie d Ad ver t i si ng Cre at i ve D e sig ner K Y L I E M c GR AT H A sia : K I M K E NC H I NGT ON , Me d iawork s A sia (8 52) 2 8 82 1 10 6 .

Ad ver t i si ng Cre at i ve D i re c t or R IC H A R D M c AU L I F F E He ad of Cre at i ve O p erat ion s E VA C HOW N Ad ver t i si ng Cre at i ve P ro duc er s S A R A H M U RY CA N DIC E S H I E L D S Cre at i ve S er v ic e s S en ior A r t D i re c t or A M A N DA A N DE R S ON Ad ver t i si ng C opy E d it or s A N N E T T E FA R NS WOR T H BRO OK E L E W I S P ro duc t ion Ma n a ger M IC H E L L E O ’ BR I E N Ad ver t i si ng P ro duc t ion C o ord i nat or ROBY N N E BE AVA N G enera l Ma n a ger, R et a i l S a le s a nd Ci rc u lat ion BR E T T W I L L I S Su b s cr ipt ion s Ac q u i sit ion Ma na ger GR A N T DU R I E Su b s c r ipt ion s R et ent ion Ma na ger C RYSTA L E W I NS G enera l Ma n a ger, D ig it a l ST UA R T FAG G He ad of P ro duc t D e sig n A L E X FAW DR AY D ig it a l D e sig ner Y E A R A C H A H A M Ma rket i ng D i re c t or DI A N A K AY Ma rket i ng Ma na ger Bra nd a nd Su b s cr ipt ion s M AGDA L E N A Z A JAC Bra nd Ma n a ger R AC H E L C H R I ST I A N Ma rket i ng Ma na ger, Pa r t ner sh ip s a nd Event s N ATA L I E H E A DL A N D S en ior Event s Ma na ger DA N I E L L E I S E N BE RG Event s Ma na ger GE N E V I E V E M c CA S K I L L Ma rket i ng C o ord i nat or S H E L BY A L L E N C a mpa ig n C o ord i nat or GE ORGI N A G O S PE R D i re c t or of C om mu n ic at ion s S H A RY N W H I T T E N G enera l Ma na ger, New s P re s t ige Net work A N DR E W C O OK Publisher, News Prestige Network NICHOLAS GR AY VO GU E AUST R A L I A m a ga z i ne i s pu bl i she d by New sL i feMe d ia P t y Lt d (AC N 0 8 8 92 3 9 0 6). I S S N 0 0 4 2 8 019. New sL i feMe d ia P t y Lt d i s a w hol l y ow ne d s u b sid ia r y of New s L i m it e d (AC N 0 0 7 8 7 1 178). C opy r ig ht 2 019 by New sL i feMe d ia P t y Lt d . A l l r ig ht s re s er ve d . 2 Holt St re et , Su r r y H i l l s , NS W 2 010. Tel : (02) 92 8 8 3 0 0 0.

Po s t a l add re s s: Vog ue A u s t ra l ia , New sL i feMe d ia , L o cke d B a g 5 0 3 0, A lex a nd r ia , NS W 2 015 . E m a i l : e d it vog ue au s t @ vog ue .c om . au .

Melb ou r ne of f ic e : H W T Tower, L evel 5 , 4 0 Cit y R oad , S out h ba n k , Vic t or ia 3 0 0 6 . Tel : (0 3) 92 92 2 0 0 0. Fa x : (0 3) 92 92 32 9 9.

Br i sba ne of f ic e : 4 1 C a mpb el l St re et , B owen H i l l s , Q ue en sla nd 4 0 0 6 . Tel : (0 7) 3 6 6 6 6910. Fa x : (0 7) 3 62 0 2 0 01 .

Su b s c r ipt ion s: w it h i n A u s t ra l ia , 13 0 0 6 5 6 93 3 ; over s e a s: (61 2) 92 82 8 02 3 . E m a i l : s u b s @ m a g s on l i ne .c om . au .

Su b s c r ipt ion s m a i l : Ma g s on l i ne , R epl y Pa id 8 70 5 0, Syd ney, NS W 2 0 01 (no s t a mp re q u i re d). We b sit e : w w w.vog ue .c om . au .

C ondé Na s t I nt er n at ion a l JON AT H A N N E W HOUS E C ha i r m a n a nd C h ief E xe c ut i ve WOL F G A NG BL AU P re sident

P r i nt e d by O vat o P r i nt P t y Lt d . Pa p er f ibre i s f rom s u s t a i n a bl y m a na ge d fore s t s a nd c ont rol le d s ou rc e s .

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JUNE 2019

VOGUE

Editor’s letter

Kendall Jenner photographed for ‘Eyes on the prize’, from page 118.

26

You can read about other ambitious women in this issue, too: Jennifer Rubio from Away (on page 76), and Alex Moss from Canaria (see page 78), who we profile ahead of this month’s fourth Vogue Codes Summit.

From our first event in 2016, held over just two days in Sydney, this year’s Vogue Codes – thanks to our presenting partner Westpac and our supporting partners Audi and Estée Lauder – is hitting four Australian states for the very first time. We’ll be hosting 12 events, including a Penfolds Visionary Women Dinner in Adelaide and an in-conversation breakfast in Brisbane, in addition to the many other Live, Kids and Summit dates on the schedule for Sydney and Melbourne.

It’s always been our aim to shine a light on how worthwhile (and fashionable) a career in technology can be, and with more inspiring women participating in and attending Vogue Codes than ever before, we are proud to say progress has been made.

EDWINA McCANN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

JUNE 2 0 1 9

C H A R L E S D E N N I N G TO N

A

t Vogue, we’re privileged enough to travel all over the world to photograph our exclusive covers – whether it’s the French countryside for Emma Watson, New York to shoot Lily-Rose Depp on a fire escape, or London for Rihanna, as was the case for last month’s issue. But occasionally, thanks to a little scheduling magic and luck, some of the world’s biggest celebrities touch down on our shores for a change. Such was the case when Kendall Jenner recently flew to Australia for a whirlwind 24 hours as part of her new campaign with Tiffany & Co. In that short time frame, and showing no signs of jet lag, the American model managed to pose for this month’s cover story, plus attend the opening (and after-party) of the brand’s new flagship store in Sydney, all while keeping her boyfriend – basketball player Ben Simmons – updated on FaceTime.

Like others in her family, Jenner is a consummate professional with a reputation for getting on with the job. As she reveals from page 118, irrespective of her family’s reality TV fame, becoming a successful model was the one thing she always wanted to do. Jenner loves proving people wrong, and the fact many said she wouldn’t make it as a model only made her more determined.

Audi is proud to support Vogue Codes and the next generation of women #DrivingProgress.

VO G U E VAU LT

Teenage dream

In 2012, Miss Vogue celebrated Kendall Jenner’s modelling debut.

Condé Nast Internationa l Cha irma n a nd Chief Executive: Jonatha n Newhouse President: Wolfga ng Blau The Condé Nast Internationa l Group of Bra nds includes: UK Vog ue, House & Ga rden, Brides, Tatler, T he World of I nteriors, G Q , Va n it y Fa i r, Condé Nast Travel ler, Gla mou r, Condé Nast Joha nsens, G Q St yle, Love, Wi red, Condé Nast Col lege of Fash ion & Desig n, A rs Tech n ica Fra nce Vog ue, Vog ue Hom mes, A D, Gla mou r, Vog ue Col lections, G Q , A D Col lector, Va n it y Fa i r Ita ly Vog ue, Gla mou r, A D, Condé Nast Travel ler, G Q , Va n it y Fa i r, Wi red, La Cuci na Ita lia na , L isa Germa ny Vog ue, G Q , A D, Gla mou r, G Q St yle, Wi red Spa in Vog ue, G Q , Vog ue Nov ias, Vog ue Ni ños, Condé Nast Traveler, Vog ue Colecciones, Vog ue Bel leza , Gla mou r, A D, Va n it y Fa i r Japa n Vog ue, G Q , Vog ue Gi rl, Wi red, Vog ue Wedd i ng Ta iwa n Vog ue, G Q , I ntercu lt u re Mex ico a nd Latin A merica Vog ue Mex ico a nd Lati n A merica , Gla mou r Mex ico, A D Mexico, GQ Mexico and Latin A merica India Vog ue, G Q , Condé Nast Travel ler, A D Published under Joint Venture: Bra zil: Vog ue, Casa Vog ue, G Q , Gla mou r Russia: Vog ue, G Q , A D, Gla mou r, G Q St yle, Tatler, Gla mou r St yle Book Published under License or Copy rig ht Cooperation: Austra lia: Vog ue, Vog ue L iv i ng, G Q Bulga ria: Gla mou r China: Vog ue, A D, Condé Nast Traveler, G Q , G Q St yle, Condé Nast Center of Fash ion & Desig n, Vog ue Me, Vog ue Fi l m Czech Republic a nd Slova k ia: Vog ue, La Cuci na Ita lia na Germa ny: G Q Ba r Berli n Hunga r y: Gla mou r Icela nd: Gla mou r Korea: Vog ue, G Q , A l lu re, W Midd le East: Vog ue, Condé Nast Travel ler, A D, G Q , Vog ue Ca fé R iyad h Pola nd: Vog ue, Gla mou r Por tuga l: Vog ue, G Q , Vog ue Ca fé Por to Roma nia: Gla mou r Russia: Vog ue Ca fé Moscow, Tatler Club Moscow South A frica: House & Ga rden, G Q , Gla mou r, House & Ga rden Gou rmet, G Q St yle, Gla mou r Ha i r The Netherla nds: Vog ue, Gla mou r, Vog ue T he Book , Vog ue Ma n, Vog ue L iv i ng Tha ila nd: Vog ue, G Q Turkey: Vog ue, G Q U k ra ine: Vog ue, Vog ue Ca fé K iev Condé Nast USA President a nd Chief Executive Of f icer: Rober t A . Sauerberg, Jr. A r tistic Director: A n na Wi ntou r

34

Vog ue Austra lia Subscription rate for 12 issues post pa id is $82 (w ith i n Aust ra lia). Copy rig ht © 2019. P ublished by NewsL ifeMed ia .

A l l rig hts reser ved. Reproduction i n whole or pa r t w ithout perm ission is st rictly proh ibited. NewsL ifeMed ia is a licensed user i n Aust ra lia of the reg istered t radema rk s VOGU E , VOGU E L I V I NG a nd G Q a nd has been g ra nted the exclusive rig ht to use those t radema rk s i n relation to maga zi nes published by NewsL ifeMed ia by the proprietor of the t radema rk s. P ri nted i n Aust ra lia by O vato P ri nt P t y Ltd. Dist ributed by Gordon a nd Gotch Aust ra lia P t y Ltd, tel 1300 650 666.

JUNE 2 0 1 9

WORDS: ANGELICA XIDIAS

K

endall Jenner has always been a force to be reckoned with, and this fact became glaringly obvious when she descended upon Sydney in 2012 to shoot with US-based Australian photographer Russell James for her first major fashion cover, the digital-only edition of Miss Vogue. A lot has changed since said shoot, now understandably ingrained in the 23-year-old’s memory. This month, we come full circle and celebrate Jenner’s steady rise to supermodel status as she returns to Sydney to cover the June 2019 issue of Vogue Australia. “It’s been an incredible evolution,” says James, whom Jenner has fondly described as her “fashion dad”.

“She is able to be a chameleon now,” adds the photographer.

Vog ue, Va n it y Fa i r, Gla mou r, Brides, Self, G Q , G Q St yle, T he New Yorker, Condé Nast Traveler, A l lu re, A D, Bon Appétit, Epicu rious, Wi red, W, Golf Digest, Teen Vog ue, A rs Tech n ica , Pitch fork , Backcha n nel, T hem

VOGUE VOICE

Tales to tell Vicki Laveau-Harvie has been writing her whole life. Now in her mid-70s, the Sydney-based first-time author recently won the 2019 Stella Prize for her debut novel The Erratics, a powerful and darkly funny memoir about her dysfunctional family. Here, she speaks about her passion for stories, and why it took so long for her to share her gift with the world.

I

was born one winter night in Montreal, Canada. My father was stationed with the Air Force on the Atlantic coast. My mother was alone and frightened in a strange city as she endured the hours before I appeared. Her life had been difficult and would continue to be, but her love of reading never wavered; perhaps she had a book for company. I hope so.

I grew up among books, an early, omnivorous reader. A singular lack of parental oversight meant that I read many books I shouldn’t have.

I understood that I must excel at school, and I was able to. There would have been consequences otherwise, but I was at ease with words, understood my lessons and wrote whatever I was asked.

I wrote a short story for school when I was eight or nine – a tale of duplicity and deceit in a family, cunning and cruelty, punishment, retribution. I frightened myself by writing about those themes. I know now why I chose those things: they were the stones I tripped over on my path. They were the manifestations of my mother’s mental illness, which we lived with every day.

Traumatic childhoods are not utterly black. I got an education; I learned to value truth and clarity, the elegance of a true idea expressed well. I wrote continuously at university and in my various jobs, but began to write fiction and poetry only in my 40s. Perhaps my life was constrained at that point, and I enjoyed the freedom of creating a world the way I wanted it.

I never wrote in a systematic way. I wasn’t aiming for anything beyond the pleasure of finding the idea I didn’t know I had, the insight I hadn’t realised I possessed, and developing it, finding a home for it in the right form: an essay, a poem, a story. I was always, and I remain, in love with the process – the exacting, exhilarating process of putting the idea into the right words – and not the result. It explains why I have been remiss in submitting what I write, in trying to find a public place for it.

When I had finished writing The Erratics, I put it in a drawer for two years. It’s a good idea to put writing in a drawer for a while; when you take it out, you can see where you went wrong, and fix it.

I had written this memoir to tell the story of a six-year period that began when my mother, almost 90, broke her hip and was hospitalised, leaving my father alone, frail and ailing, on a property in the Alberta foothills. My sister and I had been estranged from our parents for two decades, disowned and disinherited as my mother wished.

A person we did not know disbelieved my mother when she said there were no children; this person searched the web and found us,

asked us to help. As I write in my memoir, blood calls to blood – for several years, we travelled regularly to this property where my mother had starved and isolated our father until he accepted her twisted version of reality, to help him.

While my mother was recovering from her broken hip, we requested psychiatric assessments. She was diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder and committed to a locked facility, where she could harm neither herself nor others. My father recovered.

I wrote this story because in some ways it is the story of all families.

Some stories are more traumatic than others, but the structure of the dramas playing out is often the same: ageing parents; failing health; sibling rivalry; conflicts of duty and interest; love and grief.

I didn’t write to assuage my own grief. I believe that catharsis should take place away from the page, that a writer is freer to write well if he or she has laid the ghosts to rest in another place – while climbing a mountain, fighting for a cause or turning up the turf of the psyche in therapy.

I strove not to settle old scores on the page.

People tell me they are surprised by how funny the book is. I wanted that light and that shade – the ludicrous you couldn’t make up, and the rage and pain we all feel at times – because that is what life is.

Receiving the marvellous Stella Prize for The Erratics has amazed and delighted me. It would mean something different to a young writer; but for me it seems a validation of maturity and breadth of vision, two of the consolations of older age. I am not only trying to see a meaningful future for myself, but also looking back, and reflecting.

In many respects, age is an irrelevance. With reasonable health, we live and love as we always have. For me, there is joy: children and grandchildren, friendships, a new connection of affection and respect I didn’t expect, the continuing pleasure of discovering how to make words sing on the page. The generosity of the Stella changes lives and opens up possibilities, regardless of the age of the recipient: research, travel, uninterrupted time to write. It will change mine.

Perhaps by rewarding a woman writer in her 70s, the Stella is saying what one of the organisers of a recent climate protest, a girl still in high school, said. Why demonstrate, she was asked, when perhaps it is already too late. She said: “It is never too late to do what you can.”

Wise words. Words to live by.

Vicki Laveau-Harvie is the author of The Erratics (HarperCollins Australia, $22.99) and the winner of this year’s Stella Prize.

“I wanted that light and shade the ludicrous you couldn’t make up, and the rage and pain we all feel at times that is what life is”

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VOGUE

Contributors

JESSICA MONTAGUE

For Kendall Jenner’s second Vogue Australia cover, celebrity hairstylist Jen Atkin joined the model for a whirlwind 24 hours in Sydney. No stranger to working alongside the 23-yearold juggernaut, the founder of Ouai Haircare shares: “Kendall is very aware of what does and doesn’t work on her, so it’s always a fun collaborative effort when we’re planning out hair and make-up looks.” For Atkin, the funniest moment on set was “watching Kendall get thrown in and out of latex all day!”

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NATASHA INCHLEY

In her essay ‘Red dawn’, on page 72, Natasha Inchley, the Sydneybased founder of ModaFamilia. com, delved into the history of French maison Van Cleef & Arpels. Travelling to Bangkok, Inchley attended the unveiling of a new Van Cleef & Arpels collection and was treated to tea with an archeologist and, later, a lavish dinner in a heritage home.

Describing the experience as escapism at its finest, she says that through her piece she hopes to highlight “the future of luxury, and the very considered and unique steps that a brand must take in order to strengthen its position, via incredible craftsmanship, exclusivity and savoir faire”.

MARY PHILLIPS

Tasked with transforming Kendall Jenner’s beauty look for the cover of Vogue Australia, celebrity make-up artist Mary Phillips set out to show the “raw, stripped-down version” of the superstar. “Behind all the glitz [and] glamour, there’s a playful, edgy cool girl who I really wanted to portray,” she explains.

Together with Jenner and hairstylist Jen Atkin, she had a ball on her short-lived Sydney sojourn, admitting: “We even tried to extend our trip!”

WORDS: ANGEL CA X D AS P H OTO G R A P H S : M I K E R O S E N T H A L K R I S T I N E S T U D D E N H O L LY WA R D

JEN ATKIN

Vogue Australia’s newly minted deputy editor jumped straight into the deep end with her Kendall Jenner cover interview, ‘Eyes on the prize’, from page 118.

Montague described the shoot as “a fusion of bright colour and texture” and is hopeful that the story “offers a fresh Australian perspective that hasn’t been told before”. Deeming her first experience with the team “a lot of fun and a real privilege”, Montague says: “Instead of seeing limits and parameters, they see opportunity and possibilities. I love this, because I thrive on optimism.”

JUNE 2 0 1 9

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Meet the Next Generation Galaxy

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CUT ABOVE

Tailoring goes from strength to strength, but this time delivers more than just uniform dressing. These are wardrobe centrepieces that allow expression, panache and individualism.

What suits you? By Alice Birrell.

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EARNED STRIPES Balenciaga put shoulders firmly on the agenda seasons ago and the house continues to show us how it’s done, spinning classics like the pinstripe. Try a pagoda silhouette that defines a streamlined shape.

Balenciaga coat, $7,165.

Bulgari ear cuff, $2,000.

Cartier necklace, $15,500.

Beauty note: Joico Matte Grip Texture Crème.

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LEAN IN

BREAK IT DOWN

Volume is one way to go, but at the other end attenuated lines and clean shapes feel especially of-the-moment. Start with a timeless black blazer then add super-lean leggings as the new two-piece.

Those who think outside the usual tailor’s chalk marks come up trumps, as seen in Dion Lee’s peony pink, building-block approach to trousers and a shirt. Cut away here, spliced up here – it’s a total rethink.

Wardrobe NYC Release 01 blazer, sold as part of a four piece, $2,000, or eight piece set, $4,000, and Release 03 hoodie, shirt and legging, sold as part of a four piece set, $900. Georg Jensen earrings, $3,900 for a pair, top, and $5,100 for a pair. On right hand: Chaumet ring, $6,535. On left hand: Chaumet ring, on middle finger, $10,335.

Bulgari ring, $3,260. Givenchy shoes, P.O.A.

Dion Lee shirt, $590, top, $250, bra, $160, and pants, $990. Van Cleef & Arpels earrings, P.O.A., and rings, $7,200 and $8,900. Omega watch, $12,025.

Balenciaga shoes, $2,615.

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IN-VEST

LEG IT

It’s less about borrowing from the boys than showing them how it’s done. Pair an oversized vest that takes the best of the double-breasted jacket with undone loose separates.

There’s no rule saying tailoring is about eschewing femininity.

Chanel remains the go-to for the original skirt suit, a pretty but no less commanding take on the matching set.

Tibi vest, $1,035, from www.mychameleon.com.au. Bassike shirt, $380, and pants, $495. Louise Olsen necklace, $1,800, and bracelet, $950.

Birkenstock shoes, $225.

Chanel jacket, $8,330, skirt, $1,990, and shoes, $1,750, from the Chanel boutiques. Dries Van Noten top, $315, from Poepke. Chaumet earrings, top, $1,795. Bulgari earrings, $3,860. Reliquia necklace, $169.

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FULL PELT A second glance at Boss’s trousers reveals they’re crafted from butter-soft leather. The unexpected keeps a classic like this belted version feeling current.

J E S S E L ZOT T E A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT V O G U E . CO M . A U/ W T B

Maggie Marilyn top, $550.

Boss pants, $1,999. Chloé earring, $690 for a pair, from David Jones. Cartier rings, $5,600 and $8,400.

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PLEAT STREET

ONE UP THEM

If there is one style that should be added to wardrobes this season, it is pleat-front pants that are heavy on an old-world feeling of power.

Reclaim it in a warm wash of pink that – let’s not forget – was once worn by both sexes.

It’s not all about matching separates. The one-piece boiler is still one of the hardest working pieces out there and gets extra points for allowing us to spend less time thinking about what to wear.

Vetements T shirt, $395, from Harrolds. Bianca Spender pants, $395. Isabel Marant earrings, $515, from Parlour X. Bulgari bracelets, $26,300 and $10,350. Omega watch, $12,025. Aquazzura shoes, $1,595, from Miss Louise.

Louis Vuitton jumpsuit, $5,800, shirt, $3,650, and shoes, $2,280. Georg Jensen earrings, $395 for a pair each, and rings, from $385.

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SHORT ORDER

DRESS CODE

Recasting shorts in the disciplined lines of tailoring allows them entrÊe into a polished day wardrobe. The styling note to execute: tuck in the top half to underscore their proportions, especially with this season’s paper-bag waist.

How to stay relaxed but looking sharp? A shirtdress worn with buttons open plays counterpart to smart blazers and pants.

Matin blazer, $690, and pants, $580. Thomas Puttick shirt, $990. Givenchy earrings, $1,100. Bulgari rings, $8,850 and $3,330. Valentino shoes, $1,295, from Miss Louise.

Ginger & Smart jacket, $739. Scanlan Theodore shorts, $350. Louis Vuitton earrings, $725. Oroton bag, $329.

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VOGUE V IEW POINT

VOGUE V IEW POINT

Open season Unlock the pre-fall collections with fresh style sives that are key to the season. Cooler weather drobe mastery is within grasp. By Alice Birrell.

THE FRILL OF IT sh wilting frills these are not. The new ruffles have muscle as wend around the body, as in Ellery’s sculptural peplum, or cascade ake-like into a high-drama Valentino dress. The point is not to weet but harness a pinch of dance-hall elegance and amped-up, washed out, femininity. Look to Delpozo for a demi-couture take, Solace’s souped-up version of a mini-dress that uses ruffles to dial up a sense of occasion. Note, though: these have no limits when it comes to when to wear them. Day to post-dusk, they’ll prop up any wardrobe.

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INVEST IN: a holistic embrace of the trend, like a LBD that’s all layers.

Styling tricks that sweep in with a kind of game-changing freshness are few and far between in this modern age, but suddenly there’s a power couple putting fashion on notice. Granted, layering dresses and skirts over pants has been done before, but there’s a subtle alchemy at play now that’s making this time around feel very 2019. Without the petulance of grunge and a little smarter than 70s loungewear, the combination calls for some structure, as at Proenza Schouler and Calvin Klein. The absolute golden rule is that hems are midi, no higher, to ensure it feels lean.

CLAUDIA LI PRE-FALL ’19

DOUBLE DOWN

INVEST IN: a matched combination like all-in-one colour to give a more subtle effect for those dipping a toe in for the first time.

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wearer. Ellery, Bottega Veneta, Salvatore Ferragamo and MSGM put out some of the best renditions scaling waist to floor. Enlist a skilled dry-cleaner, and adopt the carefree mood.

JIL SANDER PRE-FA

LL ’19

MSGM PRE-FALL ’19

INVEST IN: pants with a paper-bag waist – the waistline of the moment.

FLASH SOME SKIN

Considered a near neutral by some, snakeskin shimmies off our handbags and shoes to take up one of its most prominent wardrobe positions in recent memory. Its scales redolent of the sinewy, languorous creature it gets its look from, python wrapped itself around lean pants at Victoria Beckham, went knee-to-toe on Chloé boots and coloured leather-y and 70s slanted daywear separates at Nanushka and Nili Lotan. Its mesmerising geometric clash of scales is like a natural-born kaleidoscope, and this outing stays rooted in earthier tones to keep things truer to the original.

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DSQUARED2 PRE-FALL ’19

INVEST IN: a silk snake-print dress in keeping with its slinkiness.

A paean to Princess Di, or a return to elegance, the kind the French are fluent in – either way, point d’esprit made a subtly heroic return to skirts, tops and occasion wear. Equal parts serious seduction in a darkly Guy Bourdin-style of broodiness and peppy flou, the kind it erienced on the moneyed legs of the 80s power set, the delicate dots peppered themselves across Givenchy’s burst of a tulle sleeve a d the more subtle gowns of Khaite and No. 21. Keep it sheer to m imise its effect.

INVEST IN: a party-ready piece with a boost of volume to add some oomph.

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W O R D S : J E N N U R C K S H OT O N LO C AT O N AT J A R DA N , S Y D N E Y A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT V O G U E . CO M . A U/ W T B

Opposite: Chanel bag, $29,220, from the Chanel boutiques. This page, above, from left: D LY P bag, $1,299; Louis Vuitton bag, $2,720.

Below, from left: Staud bag, $470, from www.matchesfashion.com; Dinosaur Designs bag, $980.

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STYLE SYLLABUS

All in

When the call to buy grows ever deafening, one couple shrugs it off to pursue a new style vision: sharing a wardrobe together. By Alice Birrell.

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masculine,” agrees Bordin. They acknowledge the wardrobe pendulum often swings in Toman’s direction, as Bordin’s taste doesn’t yet extend to skirts, although he wouldn’t rule out kilt silhouettes. There’s also the fact that Toman, the smaller of the two, can fit more easily into tailored shirts from Commes des Garçons and Sacai, and can wear blazers and trousers oversized (shoes, for the pair, are a sizing impossibility).

“We’re now looking at everything we have together with fresh eyes,” says Toman, pointing out that if fit is a problem, it’s about finding a workaround. “Dale is so much taller than me, so his pants are far longer.

A lot of his pants are going to be wider in the waist, but you’re not necessarily looking at them as challenges, but: ‘Okay, how am I going to deal with this? I’ll just wear a belt.’”

Their tastes are similarly classic. Working closely with a buying team at Harrolds for the past five years, previewing the likes of Saint Laurent,

H A R & M A K E- U P: J A N C E W U A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT V O G U E . CO M . A U/ W T B

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hen Natalie Toman saw the current wave of decluttering break across the world, she joined in, not knowing she’d be blindsided by a total twist. “It was January and I felt like everyone was into Marie Kondo,” recalls the PR and partnerships executive for Australian luxury boutique Harrolds. She would unwittingly pick up more than she aimed to leave behind when she dropped off the spoils of a wardrobe cleanse at a Melbourne consignment store with her partner, Dale Bordin.

“They had such good stuff. Jil Sander, Margiela … just such good pieces,” she reels off, a hint ruefully. What caught her eye was a vest by Maison Margiela. “Dale was trying it on and he was obsessing over it and then I said: ‘Okay, well, if you really like it, let me see how it looks on me.’ I tried it on and said: ‘This looks mad on me, too.’”

That happy accident has resulted in a total shakeup of their take on their respective wardrobes. “We thought: ‘This is cool. We can approach this more.’

And then I guess it opened up a can of worms: ‘Hey, I think that’s a really beautiful idea,’” says Bordin, a graphic designer and artist. That idea was to own a shared wardrobe, with the revelation that they wanted less, but just as much quality.

“We spend money on a piece that gets halved in price because we’re both spending money on it, or it’s just a staple piece,” he explains.

Theirs is a philosophy touched on sometimes tritely in fashion – the boyfriend shirt, the platitudinous ‘borrowed from the boys’ – but this speaks more expansively to where we find ourselves in 2019. It’s the dream of being more communal at a time when polarised thinking rules, all while the traditional codes of dressing are breaking down.

“I think sometimes people are scared of the idea of there being a grey area; that not everything is one way or the other,” says Bordin. “There’s a whole world in between those things that can be explored.”

The couple’s rules, while still being developed, are simple – see, consider together, buy – but they acknowledge their idyll is not necessarily one-size-fits-all. “I think it’s due to the fact we both have the same interests that we’re able to play with it and actually follow through,” says Toman. “We both have dual personalities of being feminine and

GO THE DISTANCE Take cues from the duo’s approach to staples and choose classic pieces bursting with versatility.

Left and above: Acne Studios jumpsuit, $960, from Harrolds.

Above: Vetements T shirt, $565, from Harrolds.

Opposite: Dale Bordin wears his own Maison Margiela shirt. Yohji Yamamoto shorts, $1,170, from Harrolds. His own Issey Miyake sneakers, worn throughout. Natalie Toman wears a Yohji Yamamoto shirt, $2,100, worn as dress, from Harrolds. Alighieri necklaces, both $320, from Harrolds, worn throughout. Her own Bella Clark and vintage rings. Her own Francesco Russo shoes, worn throughout.

Tom Ford and Rick Owens, Toman developed an eye for quality. Bordin grew up without the means for frequent purchases of new clothing, and as a skateboarder was used to seeing a piece to its bitter, skate-shredded end. “I had that as a step up to be more considerate in how things were consumed,” he reflects.

“It’s always going to be a work in progress, but it’s a really exciting journey to go on together,” says Toman, who is about to get dressed for a wedding she’ll attend with Bordin at Melbourne’s Heide Museum of Modern Art. So how will they approach the style proposition at hand? “Well, I actually bought a Jil Sander dress before we came up with this idea,” Toman says with a laugh. “It hasn’t come into play in this situation … The other night I was wearing the Margiela vest and a skirt. It’s all about what I currently have and mixing it with what Dale has. It’s like fresh eyes.” The life-changing magic of sharing.

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Left and below: both wear their own vintage Maison Margiela vest. Toman wears an Acne Studios dress, $1,150, from Harrolds.

Bordin wears his own Yohji Yamamoto shirt and Comme des Garçons Homme Plus shorts.

From top: Double Rainbouu shirt, $295; Camilla and Marc pants, $599; Prada shoes, $1,370; Lucy Folk necklace, $1,175; Dion Lee trench coat, $1,190.

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DESTINATION PARTNER

WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF

PRINCIPAL PARTNER

NGV.MELBOURNE

This exhibition is organised by the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, in partnership with Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau (陕西省文物局), Shaanxi History Museum (陕西历史博物馆), Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Center (陕西省文物交流中心), and Emperor Qin Shihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum of the People’s Republic of China (秦始皇帝陵博物院) (left) CHINESE Armoured general, Qin Dynasty 221–207 BCE (detail) Emperor Qin Shihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum, Xi’an (002524), (right) Portrait of Cai Guo-Qiang, 2009 (detail) Photograph © Mark Mahaney

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SNAPSHOT

New weave ST YLING K AI L A MAT TH E WS PHOTOG R APH LE VO N BAI R D

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s the climate cools and the need for warmth tempts you to make unstylish concessions, consider these cues from Ganni, Coach and P.A.M for knitwear that insulates in intarsia. Chunky sweaters not unlike those gifted from grandma are back in bold, oversized offerings, replacing the monochromatic versions to which we’ve grown accustomed in winters past. Paired with denim or teamed with boots for maximum effect, statement knits deliver a foolproof formula for winter dressing. This season, comfort is well within reach – dressed in a colour palette that is anything but uninspired to weather the inevitable storms.

Jen Nurick

From left: Loli wears a Coach sweater, $1,095. Jac + Jack sweater, worn underneath, $969. Santa wears a Ganni sweater, $950, and cardigan, worn around neck, $1,800, from Incu. Lucy Folk shorts, $395. Mileshka wears a P.A.M sweater, $420, and hoodie, $385. Calvin Klein Jeans turtleneck, $80. Barrie pants, $1,919.

Slowdown Studio throw, used as backdrop, from Jardan.

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H A I R : S O P H I E R O B E RT S M A K E- U P: L I N DA J E F F E R Y E S M O D E L S : M I L E S H K A CO RT E S S A N TA LO L I WAT S O N A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT V O G U E . CO M . A U/ W T B

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EMERGING DESIGNER

ST YLING K AI L A MAT TH E WS PHOTOG R APH R EN E VAI LE

magazine editorship then relocating to the US. Denim was always present in her work and in her own wardrobe. Now as fashion director of Pop magazine and consultant to Virgil Abloh at Off-White, who has created his own cult jeans, it’s part of the furniture.

“What comes to mind are portraits of Donald Judd at work in Marfa, Lee Radziwill, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, Joan Didion on the beach in Malibu,” she describes of the references that she’s mentally amassed over years prepping for shoots. “Bob Dylan, Jeff Bridges, Charlotte Gainsbourg, images of Richard Prince’s cowboys, Kate Moss in the 90s in a rigid jean and Manolos.”

The visual expression of all this comes through strongly in the jeans’ satisfyingly textural wash, the element Dance says she spent the most time on, along with the rise. The original ‘Genuine’ jean has five pockets and a button fly, rendered in a grainy blue that will play to the offhand nonchalance of creatives who seek out denim as a blank canvas. A hint of grey in the indigo allows it to easily match back with vintage denim but with only a soupçon of nostalgia – Dance doesn’t want her jeans pegged to a decade. “I wanted them to be contemporary and neutral and you can’t quite put your finger on it,” she says, mentioning the 90s, but also not the 90s.

The second colour is black – not a raw pigment-soaked hue but a lived-in kohl black, the denim equivalent of smudged, night-out eyeliner. Both renditions are achieved using an ozone wash, which utilises ozone gas and little water to fade the jeans.

Dance’s label is more than notionally sustainable, using organic softeners rather than harsh acids, with labelling and packaging kept to a minimum.

Offcuts too are upcycled into denim insulation, through the program Blue Jeans Go Green.

“It should be the biggest conversation today,” says Dance of sustainability. “Being a stylist and watching this endless rotation of trends was something that I really didn’t want to play into.” So she produces in small batches, saying customers are happy to wait for what they want. “We don’t have an aggressive growth plan where we’ve been making sure that we’re never out of stock of any size.”

Dance’s focus on universality also speaks to another tenet fashion is increasingly fixated on.

Rather than issuing diktats, she listens to her customers, who range from an 80-year-old woman in Santa Barbara to Parisian men. She encourages clients to send in photos of themselves to determine their best fit, as well as answering an online quiz. The label offers moulding tips post-purchase (wearing them in a warm shower then doing squats is one), and strives to account for personal taste and a plethora of sizes. “Irrespective of whether I think a pair of jeans suits all, other people might think: ‘I can get them on but I don’t like them,’” Dance says. To that end she’s also personally willing to share her nous. “If you ever want Stevie to give her two cents, I’m down to look at photos!”

Since launching last year, Feel has added a hemp-cotton blend T-shirt and, most recently, white denim. After that will come cut-offs in “a sophisticated length” (Dance can’t stand shorts that are too short). She sees Feel as providing an essential “tool in your tool box for getting dressed and just getting on with things … It’s the most pure version of what you actually need it to be.” Sounds as close to perfect as you can get.

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CLASSIC HITS :

Dance’s other life essentials from LA 1. “EREWHON NATURAL FOODS FOR ORGANIC EVERYTHING: TINCTURES, THE BEST JUICE AND MY FAVOURITE CREAMS, SUPPLEMENTS AND SURPRISE SNACKS.” 2. “SCOUT FOR CURATED VINTAGE. [OWNER] JOEY DOES AN INCREDIBLE JOB HERE.” 3. “HEATH CERAMICS, WHERE I COULD SPEND ALL MY MONEY ON HANDMADE ESPRESSO MUGS AND THE LIKE.” 4. “THE ROW, FOR MOSTLY BROWSING!” 5. “MELANIE GRANT’S NEWLY OPENED STUDIO, FOR CUSTOMISED SKIN LOVE.”

K A I L A M AT T H E W S

“Everyone can wear a white T-shirt and feel sexy, smart and sophisticated in it. I was working on that premise with jeans”

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O K S A S O S Baz Luhrmann Catherine Martin Emmanuel de Bayser Kelly Wearstler LET'S DANCE

FROM TERRAZZO TO TIMBER 50 DEAS OF SPECTACULAR FLOORING

EXCLUSIVE

From Paris with love

I NSI DE TH E DESI GN WO RLD O F LEN NY K R AVITZ PLUS REMEMBERING KARL LAGERFELD

A LE SS I D E S I G N AWA R DS ENTRIES NOW OPEN

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JEWELLERY

Red dawn

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In the realm of rare and precious stones, a spectacular high-jewellery collection makes the case for glorious gumball-sized rubies on the most majestic and transformable – creations. By Natasha Inchley.

e are in Bangkok on a longtail boat, puttering down a canal early in the morning, before the heat sets in. There are important treasures to discover – specifically, a 3,000-carat high-jewellery collection of rubies, the latest exquisite offering from Van Cleef & Arpels. But first, a little journey into the soul of the fabled French maison via the winding waterways of the Chao Phraya river.

The international showing, staged over four days, is an opportunity for clientele, journalists and even a princess to immerse themselves in the house’s DNA codes. The itinerary takes in everything from private viewings and flower arranging to morning tea with a renowned archeologist, Pia Pierre, whose stately home is filled with antiquities.

The scene-setting is dizzying.

Van Cleef & Arpels president and CEO Nicolas Bos describes the Bangkok experience as a chance to connect and delight. “These truly are the most exceptional and rare ruby stones, and for that reason the collection has taken many years to come together. We have been patient, and now we are excited,” he explains. “Rubies are often referred to as the king of stones. Red is such a significant colour: it’s the symbol of strength, of blood, of royalty. You can translate that into an expression of great power, status and vitality, but equally, rubies can be seen in quite romantic and delicate designs. In that sense, I think they are the dream stones.”

The collection is, indeed, other-worldly. During a lavish dinner held at the historic Wanglee mansion, the pavilion is bathed in vermilion light for the dramatic unveiling of Van Cleef’s 60-piece collection.

Naturally, there are show-stoppers: the house’s famous Zip necklace; a divine pearl-and-ruby tassel; the magical Unisson earrings that are elegantly mismatched – one bears a pear-shaped ruby, the other a brilliant diamond. The major talking point, however, is a spectacular Rubis flamboyant necklace festooned with a whopping 25.76-carat ruby, which comes with its own companion, an equally divine 3.09-carat diamond ring. The ruby’s deep velvet colour is perfect, according to gemological experts, but the stone can be swapped out for the diamond from the ring, should its wearer feel like changing things up. If there was a case for rationalising a luxury investment via its versatility, this is it.

Indeed, the business of selling fine jewels is a deeply discreet, deeply personal affair, and for this reason Bos is tight-lipped about client liaisons. We know a jewel is removed from viewings once it has been secured by a client, and there are whispers that one of the Thai princesses has privately seen the collection.

Bos says this kind of brand loyalty comes down to the maison’s integrity. “I think our clientele really identifies with Van Cleef’s expertise and exceptional quality. I think they consider that we are one of the houses that sets a benchmark when it comes to technique, craftsmanship and the choice of stones.”

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The quest for exceptional gems has inspired the house ever since the Arpels brothers sailed off on voyages to India and the Far East during the 1950s. Their precious stones were meticulously crafted into remarkably original shapes, such as delicate flower brooches with undulating petals, and ribbon-like necklaces that draped the back in playful bows.

Today, that ingenuity remains at the core of the company. In his role as president, Bos heads up both business operations and creative direction, and attests the two are intertwined. “I’m not an artist, but I have a passion for culture, and this is a business based on creation and craftsmanship, so I don’t see a conflict between the roles. If the pieces are not desired by our clients, then the commercial side fails: they need to feed each other,” he says. “I feel that when you look at the world of luxury today, be it a fashion or jewellery house, the brands that are thriving are the ones that have remained uniquely creative yet commercially relevant.”

In Bos’s mind, continuity has been the key to Van Cleef & Arpels’s continued success. “That’s really something that I think is very important, particularly in the world of jewellery,” he says. “If you are only reproducing the past, you lose your relevance and the excitement. And if you want to break from tradition and create a revolution, you lose the identity of the house. It’s a very fine line. With each new collection, we might open a small door, perhaps by working with a new colour, such as the ruby stones, or a new shape, a new way to wear a jewel, but there is never going to be a dramatic disconnect. That is the difference between trends in fashion and high jewellery: a designer typically wants to break from tradition and take the house in a new direction, whereas we must go slowly and be very considered. That is my great focus.”

Fostering the maison’s artisanal skills is another guiding light. Van Cleef opened its first l’école in Paris in 2012 with the purpose of teaching students the savoir faire behind its fine jewellery-making, and a second school is set to launch later this year in Hong Kong. “We have put a lot of time and resources into making sure we are nurturing the next generations of craftsmen. These are very, very long cycles, but they are important ones that build on the foundation and on our legacy. You see brands fall down when they become purely commercial: artistic expression and craftsmanship are everything,” says Bos. “But, ultimately, I think people expect even more than just creativity these days: they expect emotion.”

■

“Rubies are often referred to as the king of stones.

Red is such a significant colour: it’s the symbol of strength, of blood, of royalty”

JUNE 2019 73

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Going places Jennifer Rubio is the marketing mind behind luggage brand Away, which has created a loyal tribe of travellers in just three years. By Victoria Baker.

L

ike all good ideas, it seems obvious in hindsight. Luggage carousels covered in indistinguishable and uninteresting black nylon bags have been passing in front of our eyes for years. For Jen Rubio, a broken suitcase in Zurich airport, and the fact that none of her friends could recommend a luggage brand with any enthusiasm, was the kernel of the idea for Away. Just three years later, it was reported (although never officially confirmed) that the Duchess of Sussex gave an Away suitcase to each of the guests at her New York baby shower.

While it takes more than marketing to build a business, Away’s thoroughly modern success story owes much to its founders’ clever ideas about what a brand should be.

Jen met her co-founder Steph Korey when they started work on the same day at online eyewear retailer Warby Parker, then a small start-up.

Several years later, after the Zurich airport incident, Rubio called Korey, who was studying at business school. “I never set out to become an entrepreneur, but I’d always pursued roles that allowed me to work on things I was curious about. It wasn’t until my suitcase broke that my curiosity manifested into a business plan,” says Rubio. “I’m a problem-solver at heart and, in this case, the problem was that the brand and products I thought people needed just did not exist.

Steph and I felt so strongly about it that we were compelled to do it ourselves.”

The timing was right for both women, and they started work on the business in 2015, launching their first suitcase in early 2016 with a team of four. “Steph and I have very different skill sets, so figuring out the best way to divide the work has actually been the easy part,” says Rubio.

“I’m focussed on bringing our brand to life and Steph is focussed on building a business that scales. We work together on all of the big-picture things and the strategic vision. As a co-founder team we can compensate for each other’s blind spots, which I feel has always given us an edge.”

The luggage itself is slick yet functional, with clever touches including a built-in battery for phone charging in the carry-on cases, a laundry bag and personalisation options. The range now encompasses four suitcase sizes plus a cute kids’ version, as well as complementary weekend bags and backpacks.

From the beginning, the idea was to create luggage that you’d be happy to buy, carry and recommend. “Our goal has always been to solve real problems that travellers face by creating products and experiences that make the journey more seamless,” says Rubio.

The business works on a direct-to-consumer model, with Away manufacturing and selling directly to customers, first online and now also from its own bricks-and-mortar stores. There’s a new wave of brands working this way: think Warby Parker, where the duo met, beauty phenomenon Glossier, fashion brand Everlane and sustainable footwear label Allbirds. It’s a model that allows the brands to do away with the middle layers of mark-up added by wholesalers and retailers, and means they have complete control over their marketing,

merchandising and messaging. And for all of them, communication is key. Rubio herself sounds like your cool, connected friend; the one who goes to the best parties, and is up on the latest and greatest of everything that matters. The Away brand voice and aesthetic are similar – she describes it as “inspired, but not out of reach”. Away’s focus is fixed on travel, rather than just on luggage.

“Before Away, a lot of luggage brands were using top-down voices that focussed on their products’ features (the wheels and the zippers!) but we’re creating one that’s familiar and intent on telling a broader narrative around travel and the places you could go with our products,” she says.

And here’s the key to it all: creating connections. “So much of what consumers today are looking for is a connection with the brand,” says Rubio. “They’re placing almost human expectations on the companies they interact with and they feel like their purchasing decisions are a reflection of their identity. If they just wanted a product, they’d buy it on Amazon. At Away, we’re building community through every touchpoint we have with our customers – we’re providing them with opportunities for meaningful interactions with the brand.” These touchpoints include their stores – originally planned to build awareness of the brand, but now cornerstones of the business in their own right.

“The stores are a place to bring a community together and for people to feel inspired to plan their next trip. We’re creating an experience that draws people in and allows us to connect with them in a way that we couldn’t do online alone,” says Rubio.

It’s a clever strategy, particularly in the aspirational and content-rich world of travel. A scroll through the brand’s Instagram feed and the #travelaway hashtag reveals a breezy, confident tone, and a social-media savvy set of followers. User-generated content from around the world is a strong part of its social presence, allowing customers to feel part of a tribe. Collabs extend exposure even further, including a recent tie-in with model Karlie Kloss.

“Karlie was an early fan of Away, so we collaborated with her on a collection that would create something special for our tech-savvy customers, while also drawing attention to the work she does with Kode with Klossy to support and empower girls in tech,” says Rubio.

As a tech founder herself, how does she find time to direct her energy outside the demands of the business? “I believe in putting your energy towards what nourishes you, and because I love what I do, I do end up spending a lot of time thinking about work. I know that everything can’t get my full attention all the time, but I try to be aware of both what needs my attention and what’s good for me, and allocate my energy accordingly.

If your idea of balance is trying to split your life evenly across the things that are important to you, you’ll almost always end up dropping the ball on something and feeling a lot of guilt. It’s a fluid thing for me.”

Away’s value is climbing steadily towards a billion dollars and that much-vaunted ‘unicorn’ status. While the pair try not to centre on it, they do see symbolic value in what they’ve achieved.

“I read that of the 200-plus venture-backed companies worth over a billion dollars, only two dozen or so have female founders,” says Rubio.

“That’s insane! If anything, we’d be thrilled to set another great example and show the next generation what’s possible.”

Jennifer Rubio will speak at the Vogue Codes Summit in Sydney on June 14.

Go to codes.vogue.com.au.

“CONSUMERS TODAY ARE LOOKING FOR A CONNECTION WITH THE BRAND”

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Jennifer Rubio, photographed in front of the Away store in New York.

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VOGUE CODES

Down to earth

The creator of a medical device first designed for astronauts now hopes it will save lives in the mining industry. Meet Alex Moss, the tech founder drawing inspiration from fashion, art and Madonna. By Victoria Baker.

“IT WAS ONLY AT 23 THAT I REALISED THAT I COULD HAVE A CAREER IN TECHNOLOGY”

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In the short term, the company is looking to complete a research project with the University of Cambridge and paid pilots with industry partners in Australia before moving towards mass manufacture of its signature technology.

Personally, Moss draws inspiration from her engagement with popular culture, honed over time spent in drag clubs and on the fringes of the music industry. “People told me I would need to ‘tone down’ the way I dress to look more traditional in this industry,” she says. “But my whole aesthetic is based on conveying power and looking more ‘superhuman’ than human; I dress more like a drag queen than a business woman. The result is that I don’t have to fight as much to be respected. I wear eight-inch heels when I pitch; it’s hard for a man to be condescending when I’m a foot taller than him.”

When preparing for pitches, Moss keeps Madonna in mind.

“Before I pitch anything, I rehearse for at least a full week. If you don’t treat a pitch like a serious piece of theatre, you’re not going to do well at it. I’m always reminded that Madonna would rehearse a new touring performance for a full year before going in front of an audience. I try to bring that level of professional artistic obsession to everything I do.”

Alex Moss will speak at Vogue Codes In Conversation in Adelaide. Go to codes.vogue.com.au.

JUNE 2 0 1 9

CL AUDIA BA XTER

A

lex Moss is in the business of defying expectations. For a start, the 26-yearold is the founder of a technology business but has a background in fashion and art. She’s also a young woman seeking to impact the traditionally male-dominated mining industry. And the high-tech medical device she’s designed takes its style cues from the work of Anish Kapoor and Alexander McQueen.

Intrigued yet?

First up: her business, Canaria. Every start-up has a story, something like the meetcute in a rom-com. But forget spilled orange juice in a travel bookshop, and instead imagine NASA’s International Space Apps Challenge, an annual global hackathon. Of more than 1,200 projects presented in 2016, Canaria was the global award winner for Best Use of Hardware. Matched with her co-founder, electronics engineer Dr Robert Finean, Moss built on the momentum created by her pitch to create an earpiece that could measure vital signs and carbon dioxide in real time, with the first use case for astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Further success followed, with Canaria reaching the top 10 in Richard Branson’s 2017 Extreme Tech Challenge.

All this, although incredibly satisfying, wasn’t the career Moss had first envisaged.

She’d started a fashion magazine at 16, skipping school to sneak into London Fashion Week shows and close advertising deals. She then moved on to creating her own art dealership while studying at London’s Courtauld Institute of Art and had also worked as a model. “Even though I was really into computers and learned how to code in Java when I was 10 to 12 years old, it was only at 23 that I realised that I could have a career in technology,” she says. This came after a period of soul searching, during which she lived “like a mad hermit” in the garage of friends. She emerged with a new resolve: to apply her background in the arts to technology and engage with her passion for design.

In 2017, seeking commercial applications for their technology, Moss and Canaria moved to Brisbane, winning a spot in the resources-industry-focused Unearthed Accelerator program and planning to engage Australia’s large and valuable mining industry.

“The big idea behind Canaria is the creation of a first generation of predictive medical devices to prevent fatalities in extreme environments,” says Moss. “Right now, our focus is on solving the four biggest causes of fatalities in the global resources sector: cognitive fatigue, heat exhaustion, asphyxiation and lack of automated emergency alerts for lone workers. These problems cause two miners every month to die in Australia.”

Canaria’s earpiece measures and analyses the patterns emitted by the reflection of light from the bloodstream via the earlobe, then uses machine learning and mathematics to create algorithms that can set up alarms before an event happens. By way of example, the team is preparing to deploy a new product that can send out alarms to users at risk of passing out from extreme exhaustion, and also to their managers.

So far, so start-up, but it’s Moss’s fashion and pop-culture-focused inspirations that add an extra dimension to her work. “Many problems remain unsolved after years of work by traditionally educated technologists, so in order to solve them, you need to try radically different approaches,” she says. “I find the best approach is to look far outside the academic confines of previous solutions, like thinking about haute couture construction methods in relation to medical device electronics engineering.”

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VOGUE CU LTU R E

ART

Australian made Curators of an exhibition devoted to homegrown contemporary art share their insights into what’s new and noteworthy with Jane Albert.

Flirt (2019)

by Nicholas Folland.

B

iennial exhibition The National will this year see four curators from three Sydney art institutions come together to present new works from the most compelling artists working in Australia today. Held as a free joint exhibition across the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA), Carriageworks and the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), it features works from 70 artists, chosen to provide a fascinating insight into the ideas and issues driving them today, and the provocative ways in which they’re exploring them.

Art Gallery of New South Wales

ISOBEL PARKER PHILIP, CURATOR OF PHOTOGRAPHS, AGNSW How did you go about selecting artists for The National?

Isobel Parker Philip: “It was a really open conversation and a supportive framework where all four of us [curators] talked initially about artists we were interested in. We have 20 works here, created by 15 women and 10 men, and more than a quarter are Indigenous artists. That was a focus for all of us; if you’re calling a show The National, you need to have a significant focus on Indigenous art in all its multiplicities. The research period was long (around five months) and wonderfully rewarding, with lots of studio visits seeing what artists were interested in and projects they hadn’t had a chance to explore. As a curator it’s rare to let slow gestational conversations with artists happen, and let that shape the work.”

Did you have a theme in mind for the exhibition?

IPP: “As the curating process developed I noticed echoes between the different artists’ works. Nicholas

“A LOT OF THE ARTISTS ARE DEALING WITH STATES OF INSTABILITY AND CHANGE”

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Folland has created a suspended archipelago based on an inverted map of Lord Howe Island using 1,000 pieces of antique glassware. A very beguiling [sculpture], it weighs more than 750 kilograms and looks dense yet is a reminder of the fragility of the natural world. A lot of the work comes out of a very attuned sense of the profound uncertainty and precariousness of the contemporary moment. For a lot of these artists, things feel as if they’re in a state of anticipated collapse. Whether that relates to climate change or the refugee crisis or a personal narrative, they’re all dealing with states of instability and states of change.

“Rushdi Anwar is a Kurdish refugee whose work takes a humble domestic object – the chair, something that gives comfort – but here burns them to a crisp and piles them into a precarious funeral pyre. It’s a work about displacement and dispossession, yet there’s resilience in the way it’s structured, because it will rise higher, a phoenix from the ashes.

“And then you have established Melbourne sculptor Linda Marrinon with one of the largest sculptures she’s ever made, hinging on a true story from World War I of a French church that was hit, felling the statue of the Virgin Mary but not fully. It remained horizontal and became a mark of resilience. She’s created a heroic female figure in the foreground, so the work feels like a time capsule of the moment before calamity happens.”

Museum of Contemporary Art

MIM STIRL NG ZAN WIMBERLEY

ANNA DAVIS, CURATOR, AND CLOTHILDE BULLEN, CURATOR, ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER COLLECTIONS AND EXHIBITIONS, MCA What was the process of pulling together The National?

Clothilde Bullen: “We didn’t know each other …”

Anna Davis: “As an Aboriginal woman from Western Australia and a white woman from Sydney, we had pretty different cultural backgrounds and research interests. So that meant first coming together and working out what it means to collaborate.”

CB: “We talk about it as the ‘third space’, where the Venn diagram overlaps. The artists who landed ‘in between’ make up this exhibition.”

Was there a strong focus on innovation?

AD: “One of the things that has emerged is a lot of artists have music and sound backgrounds. Tina Havelock Stevens is a video artist and documentary filmmaker but also a well-known drummer. She’s combined these two aspects for her new video installation, The Rapids. Ross Manning has made a sound installation piece using long wires hung from a ceiling fan with computer LEDs attached; and Lucas Abela is known around the world for his noise performance and has created a large-scale interactive sound and light installation, Fort Thunder. Hannah Brontë is a young female artist with a rap and hiphop background who puts on big events and has made a video piece that will be projected down onto a pool of sand that looks at female empowerment through hip-hop.”

CB: “A number of artists are also working in highly experimental ways, such as Daisy Japulija, Sonia Kurarra, Tjigila Nada Rawlins and Ms Uhl, four Indigenous artists working from an aged care centre in Fitzroy Crossing, Western Australia. They started experimenting with perspex because it was easier for them to push paint pens and paint across perspex, and it’s produced this really exciting work. They paint mostly about country, the resources, the river. We’ve commissioned eight really long panels that are seethrough so produce a double image, they’re highly experimental and totally out of the box.”

Who should visitors keep a special eye out for?

CB: “Kaylene Whiskey is an artist from the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) [South Australia].

Her work references pop iconology such as Wonder Woman, Monkey Magic, David Bowie, Dolly Parton and other music, and mixes with her traditional culture.

We have a big salon hang and have also commissioned a new work.”

AD: “Eugenia Lim has created an installation called The Australian Ugliness, which takes its name from a book by Robin Boyd about Australian architecture being obsessed with needless embellishment, → JUNE 2019 87

VOGUE CU LTU R E

connected to how we feel as Australians. Eugenia brings an Asian-Australian identity to that, asking who our buildings are made for and what our built environment means. Her exhibition is based on a Robin Boyd-designed fish and chip shop in Victoria, with a video installation inside showing performers, including Eugenia, moving through 30 Australian architecture sites.”

CB: “Kunmanara Williams worked out of Mimili, population 280, a very strong community in the APY Lands. He was an important member of the push for land to be returned to the Indigenous people, which happened, and he was an important senior man, an elder. [Mr Williams, a brave leader, pastor and political activist died suddenly in March.] He painted on canvas mailbags, symbols of the rations of flour and sugar that were disseminated through post offices to Indigenous communities, often laced with poison. He’s painted the postbags with pictures of Australia but he’s flipped the image upside down, so that’s an interesting statement.

The postbags stand for a government that pushed the Aborigines out. [Mr Williams] used his own language: you don’t necessarily need to understand it, but it shows we’ve always been here and it’s our land. It’s a highly political work and we’re so blessed to have it here.”

Kamantaku Tjukurpa wiya (The Government doesn’t have Tjukurpa) (2018) by Kunmanara (Mumu Mike) Williams.

Carriageworks

Above: Counts Trains (2019) by Thom Roberts.

Below: House of Discards (2019) by Tony Albert.

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What does The National say as a snapshot of Australia’s contemporary art scene?

Daniel Mudie Cunningham: “It’s a really good reflection of the changing artscape. We’ve focused a lot on emerging and mid-career artists and the majority are unrepresented commercially. I think that signals a different way of working for artists. And with Clothilde Bullen working at the MCA there are a lot of remote Indigenous artists [in the mix], which is telling another really interesting story about contemporary art, because curatorially they haven’t always been considered part of the contemporary art landscape. There are more women than men in the exhibition overall: 60:40. That just emerged: it wasn’t deliberate. There’s certainly been a lot of discourse about gender politics and representation in light of an historical tendency to privilege white male artists.”

Who were some of the up-and-coming artists you selected for the exhibition?

DMC: “Thom Roberts is a multidisciplinary artist with an intellectual disability who works in painting, drawing, animation, performance and is also a trainspotter, so Carriageworks [a former rail yard] is really important for him, a ‘bedroom for trains’. His work will be on the signage structure at street level, painted images of his friends on one side and their corresponding train portraits on the other. He’s a fabulous emerging artist.”

Are there common themes throughout The National as a whole?

DMC: “The ideas of mapping, memory and place-making through the motif of the postcard are recurring: Troy-Anthony Baylis, who’s a descendant of the Jawoyn people from the Northern Territory, has called his work Postcard [its shape reflects breastplates given as ‘badges of distinction’ to particular Indigenous people in an effort to control and divide them]; Sean Rafferty’s work is based on fruit cartons from far north Queensland through which he maps the communities they came from, collecting the stories they tell. A shared theme across the venues was the idea of fragility at a time of uncertainty risk and fear, [as epitomised by] the precariousness of Tony Albert’s work House of Discards.”

The National is on until June 23 at Carriageworks and the MCA, and until July 21 at AGNSW.

JUNE 2 0 1 9

J A CQ U I E M A N N N G Z A N W I M B E R L E Y

DANIEL MUDIE CUNNINGHAM, DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS, CARRIAGEWORKS

5 rea son s to

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VOGUE CU LTU R E

ART

Tomb raiders

Cai Guo-Qiang’s radical art is set against ancient artefacts to striking effect, writes Darryn King.

T

he studio of the Chinese-born, New York-based artist Cai Guo-Qiang, in New York’s Lower East Side, exudes calmness and quietude. Natural light streams in via the pebble-floored open-air courtyard, and there’s a traditional Japanese tearoom on the lower level, with tatami mat floors and a bamboo reed ceiling.

Cai’s art, however, is anything but quiet. He has become particularly well known – in part thanks to the documentary Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang (2016) – for what are known as ‘explosion events’, as well as other forms of pyrotechnic and pyromantic expression, including the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

When I meet Cai on a freezing winter’s day in the city, he has recently returned from staging an event in Pompeii, a city that knows a thing or two about explosive events.

But closer to home, though, the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) is currently presenting Cai Guo-Qiang: The Transient Landscape, in tandem with Terracotta Warriors: Guardians of Immortality, an exhibition which includes eight terracotta warriors and a range of ancient Chinese relics.

Cai, who was born in 1957, was a teenager when the Ghost Army – the estimated 8,000 life-size terracotta warriors guarding the tomb of Qin Shi Huang since the second century BCE – was unearthed by farmers near China’s Shaanxi Province in 1974. “It felt like a miracle,” he recalls.

The two NGV exhibitions will be a striking collision of the ancient and the contemporary, of art and artefact.

Hovering over the stonily rigid warriors will be Cai’s murmuration of 10,000 porcelain and soot-dusted starlings,

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their formation subtly suggesting the shape of Mount Li in Shaanxi. “I imagine the 10,000 birds to be their ghosts,” says Cai, “the shadow of an empire.”

Nearby, an entire room will be devoted to a contemplation of the peony, a floral symbol of China: an elaborately sculpted porcelain peony garden encircled by one of Cai’s trademark gunpowder paintings – the charred residue of ignited gunpowder, set off in the safety of a studio, depicting the peony life cycle across 11 sheets of silk.

Two further gunpowder paintings, on Japanese hemp paper, depict a thriving cypress tree and China’s majestic Central Plain. Cai observed both on a research trip to Shaanxi in 2018, during his search for a “unique point to make”.

The result, he says, is a kind of “hallucination of the Asian Empire”– Emperor Qin’s monumental bid for immortality, contrasted with Cai’s more ethereal display of the “fragility of culture”.

“They are engaging in dialogue, but also rejecting each other,” he explains.

The international demand for Cai’s work is such that he travels constantly.

Recently, he has been engaged in an overarching project he is calling an ‘Individual’s Journey through Western Art History’. As part of the project, he has already created work in dialogue with Russian avant-garde artworks in Moscow and with Botticelli’s Renaissance masterpiece Primavera, in Florence. Future works will see him engaging with works from the Middle Ages, Impressionism and modern art.

But engaging in a dialogue with the terracotta warriors has provided an interesting Eastern interlude to that project. “The special thing about this exhibition is that it made me look back at the Eastern art aesthetic,” he says.

It’s also a far cry from Cai’s first visit to Australia in 1996, which was spectacular for all the wrong reasons. A planned explosion event on Brisbane River was cancelled after a storage room caught fire and dozens of fireworks were set off in broad daylight, forcing Cai and the crew to run for their lives. In around 30 years of experimenting with volatile materials it was his biggest art-related mishap. “It was beautiful,” Cai says, “but terrifying.”

Cai Guo-Qiang: The Transient The terracotta Landscape in parallel with Terracotta warriors, which guarded the Warriors: Guardians of Immortality tomb of China’s is on at the NGV until October 13. first emperor.

Go to www.ngv.vic.gov.au.

JUNE 2 0 1 9

I M A G E S CO U RT E S T O F T H E N G V

Day and Night in Toledo (2017) by Cai Guo-Qiang.

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VOGUE CU LTU R E

Escape plans The new-season performance by the awe-inspiring Bangarra Dance Theatre touring Australia, what to catch at the Sydney Film Festival and a fresh series of art books to treasure.

REEL TIME

As the Sydney Film Festival (June 5 to 16) kicks off, event director Nashen Moodley offers his viewing picks for Vogue.

1. VARDA BY AGNÈS I’ve always loved Varda’s inimitable imagination. The French New Wave legend’s final film presents her own thoughtful version of an autobiography, revisiting different key points across her incredible career and legacy.

2. PHOTOGRAPH Starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui as a photographer who convinces a shy stranger to pose as his fiancée, this film possesses the same quiet sentimentality that made director Ritesh Batra’s previous film, The Lunchbox, such a success.

3. THE THIRD WIFE This period drama is about a 14-year-old girl who becomes the third wife of a wealthy landowner in rural 19th-century Vietnam. Inspired by director Ash Mayfair’s family history, it features an incredible performance by the lead actress.

4. NOTHING FANCY: DIANA KENNEDY A candid profile of the iconic 96-year-old British chef, regarded an authority on Mexican cuisine. She’s a staunch environmentalist and has built her own sustainable, solarpowered property where she recycles rainwater.

5. I AM NO BIRD

E D WA R D U R R U T I A

Told using digital footage, Super 8 vignettes and animation, this film looks at four women from different countries preparing for their weddings, raising interesting questions of gender roles, faith, family and love.

Above: the cover and inside images from Mini Monographs: Del Kathryn Barton (Thames & Hudson, $29.99), one of two new releases from an ongoing series profiling prominent Australian female artists.

Celebrating Australia’s most illustrious female artists, Mini Monographs is a new series of books with each 96-page volume dedicated to a single artist and serving as compact portfolio of her most captivating works. Edited by notable art curator Natalie King, the first two releases feature two-time Archibald Prize winner Del Kathryn Barton and award-winning late photographer Polixeni Papapetrou. As well as offering a visual deep dive into each artist, the book also includes an essay inspired by the artist’s work penned by a luminary from another creative field – in this instance, writer Sarah Darmody (Barton) and playwright, screenwriter and novelist Joanna Murray-Smith (Papapetrou).

BANGARRA DANCE THEATRE CELEBRATES ITS 30TH ANNIVERSARY WITH A TRIPLEBILL PROGRAM OF CONTEMPORARY DANCE THEATRE AND A NATIONAL TOUR. ENTITLED BANGARRA: 30 YEARS OF SIXTY FIVE THOUSAND. THE NAME OF THE WORK PAYS HOMAGE TO THE COMPANY’S DRAWING INSPIRATION FROM 65,000 YEARS OF CULTURE AND INDIGENOUS STORYTELLING. GO TO WWW.BANGARRA.COM.AU. JUNE 2019 93

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JUST ADD WATER

Could the key to better skin be the simplest ingredient of all? Dive in to find out, says Remy Rippon.

PHOTOG R APHS CH R I S CO LL S

DRINK UP Take a dual approach to a hydrated complexion this winter by upping your fluid intake in your beauty routine and beyond.

Maramcs ring.

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ampire facials, multi-step skincare routines, intergalactic face masks: as far as innovation goes, the beauty world is on an endless quest for the next big breakthrough. It’s surprising, then, that experts and skincare formulators alike are tapping into the powerful benefits of water, the most elementary ingredient of them all, and the back-to-basics protocol of hydration. Cutting-edge? Perhaps not.

Necessary? Absolutely. Your best skin may only be a splash away.

Dryness versus dehydration First things first: dryness and dehydration are not interchangeable terms when it comes to describing our complexion. Put simply, dry skin lacks oil or lipids, while dehydrated skin lacks water. “Dry skin is a skin type,” explains Armelle Souraud, Chanel’s international scientific communications director. “But dehydration is a condition that anyone can experience.”

To the naked eye, distinguishing between the two isn’t so straightforward.

Generally speaking, dehydration shows up as uneven skin tone, itchiness, redness, an overall feeling of tightness and an increase in fine lines, all of which may be symptoms of dryness, too.

Blame the elements Some skin woes are the upshot of changes happening internally (hello, hormonal breakouts), while others, like dehydration, present themselves as a by-product of daily life. The effects of the sun, wind, cold temperatures, central heating and air-conditioning – and even using your beauty products incorrectly, or at the wrong time of the day – can all contribute to dehydrated skin. And although dehydration is often exacerbated in the cooler months, it’s not confined to winter. “In summer, the sun causes damage to the skin’s upper layers, which become less efficient at storing moisture to keep it supple and smooth. In winter, extreme cold can cause skin lipids to thicken, rendering them ineffective in retaining skin moisture,” explains Richard Parker, founder and director of research and development at Rationale.

And while anyone who travels regularly will attest to the havoc air travel can wreak on skin, it bears repeating: low humidity levels in planes (as little as three per cent) saps the skin of moisture. Mask accordingly.

Up your skincare game When it comes to keeping moisture in, it pays to know how the skin’s barrier function works. The lowdown? The barrier is made up of cells held together by lipids, a bit like bricks bound by mortar. Dehydrated skin is prone to ‘gaps’ in that brickwork. “[This] means moisture can escape, but, equally, if there are gaps, things can get in, so what you find is that usually the more acute and prolonged the dehydration is, the more sensitive your skin becomes,” explains Emma Hobson, education manager for the International Dermal Institute and Dermalogica.

A compromised barrier means the ingredients in your skincare might not work as hard as they could do. “When the skin barrier is impaired, it affects the skin’s ability to absorb and retain ingredients from the products we are using,” says Helen Robb Lacey, Endota’s senior training consultant, noting the importance of switching up your skincare routine seasonally to address these environmental changes.

The best approach is twofold: reach for hydrating products (hyaluronic acid is the gold standard) that increase water content in the skin; and moisturising formulas, to prevent water being lost. “Serums are generally water-based and deliver ingredients deeper into the skin,” notes Robb Lacey. “Layering serums containing hyaluronic acid with a moisturiser that also contains hydrating ingredients helps to prolong skin hydration by binding water in the epidermis and limiting moisture loss.”

The newest in-clinic treatments aim to complement at-home protocols by aiding the skin’s ability to absorb water. While skin needling, which involves tiny →

HYDRATION STATION THERE’S A MYRIAD OF HYDRATING FORMULAS TO WADE THROUGH: THESE MAKE A SPLASH FOR ALL THE RIGHT REASONS.

You’ll love the cream-gel texture. You’ll also love the fact that it’s powerful enough to recharge hydration levels deep with the epidermis.

Sisley Hydra-Global Intense Anti-Aging Hydration, $290.

This cleanser ticks two boxes: instantly rehydrating, it also seals in moisture by protecting lipids on the skin’s surface.

Dermalogica Intensive Moisture Cleanser, $95.

In flight or on land, this intensely hydrating mask brings dull, dehydrated skin back to its former glory.

Lano Face Base The Aussie Flyer Leave-On Recovery Mask, $26.

Hovering somewhere between a serum and a moisturiser, this hydrogel works double duty to shield skin from the elements and restore moisture levels.

Rationale Antioxidant Hydrogel, $175.

Spiked with white camellia extract and antioxidant blue ginger, this cream can be applied on its own or worn under make-up for a hydrating base.

Chanel Hydra Beauty Camellia Water Cream, $94.

With vitamins A, C and E as well as hyaluronic acid, this lightweight formula deeply hydrates while combatting free radicals.

Endota New Age Peptide Firming Moisturiser, $110.

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skin of its natural stores of hydration. And if you notice dryness throughout the day, consider swapping out your mattifying foundation: it might be absorbing too much moisture and oil from the skin’s surface at a time when you could actually use it.

Can drinking water give you great skin?

Everyone knows that drinking water is good for you, but how it truly benefits your skin isn’t so clear. While recent research has found that upping your water intake may increase hydration in the stratum corneum (the outermost layer of the skin), a lack of scientific evidence means we can’t definitively conclude that drinking fluids is a fast track to better skin. “We need water for whole body functioning, but that’s not to say that if you drink more water you’re going to have this really plump hydrated skin from the inside out,” Hobson says. “That correlation doesn’t work.” It certainly can’t hurt, though.

THE LIFE AQUATIC

THE HEALING POWER OF WATER HAS BEEN PRAISED FOR CENTURIES. HERE, THE NATURAL WONDERS TO KNOW ABOUT.

Switch up your routine – forgo ultra-hot showers, matt make-up and diligent exfoliation to keep hydration levels in check.

Nicole Landaw necklace.

pinpricks to the skin, has been called out for being overly aggressive, if administered correctly it creates clear pathways for ingredients to penetrate the skin more efficiently. The same goes for next-gen ultrasound. “Sonophoresis is ultrasound technology that increases absorption of topical ingredients deep into the skin,” says Dr Joseph Hkeik, aesthetic physician and owner of Sydney’s All Saints Skin Clinic.

Waste no water

The key to upping hydration levels isn’t only in the products you use daily, it’s in the way you use them. Timing, says Hobson, is everything. “After a shower you’ve got three minutes to put on your moisturiser, otherwise the moisture can evaporate rapidly,” she says, adding showers that are too long and too hot can also deplete moisture levels.

Moreover, in the winter months, when dehydration levels typically peak, scale back exfoliating to once a week – any more frequently and the process may strip the

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Tlacote, Mexico More than 10,000 visitors per day flock to a well in the small Mexican town of Tlacote as it’s claimed the water can cure all manner of ailments.

Travertine Hot Springs, United States Whether it’s the stunning view of the Sierra Nevada mountains or the 40° Celsius water, these natural springs in California provide respite from the gruelling hikes for which the area is known.

Kusatsu Onsen, Japan Bathing in an onsen (a naturally occurring mineral hot spring) is a well-regarded practice in Japanese culture. Situated north-west of Tokyo, Kusatsu is one of the most popular onsen resorts for its high quality natural spring water.

Sandunovsky Banya, Russia Similar to day spas, banya have been a part of Russian social life for centuries. Moscow’s Sandunovsky boasts saunas, pools and relaxation quarters within impressive, old-world surrounds.

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VOGUE BE AUT Y

Head turning

The hair on your head is interlaced with your sense of self, and as these three women will attest, a radical change can be completely liberating. Interviews by Remy Rippon.

EMMA BOYD, MODEL

CO U RT E S Y O F E M M A B OY D

I’ve always been naturally blonde, but I had been bleaching my hair for a couple of years to a point where it was platinum. It took a huge toll on my hair – it just didn’t feel healthy anymore.

I had been thinking about a huge hair change. I didn’t feel like blonde hair resonated with me anymore, and when I brought up cutting my hair short to my modelling agency, Elite, they suggested going brunette, too.

I first cut my hair in early September last year – a short, French-style bob with a fringe. I hadn’t been brunette before, but it just felt like me; it felt right. Work-wise, everything changed, which I didn’t expect. Everyone seemed to recognise it and I think that’s how I was booked on an exclusive for the Prada show that season, which for a model is a huge coup.

I also felt a lot more confident after I chopped it. I think that showed through my work and the energy I would bring to shoots. It can change

a lot of things, your hair. I probably didn’t realise at the time, but hair is like a safety blanket. When I first went short I felt like it had been taken away because, although we may not know it, we do tend to hide behind our hair a lot.

I showed up in Milan for fashion week last year and I was there three days before the Prada show for fittings and there were whispers of a big hair change – some of the girls getting their hair cut for the show. They ended up picking four out of 40 models to have their hair lopped into pixie cuts and I was one of them. I found out the night before the show, and after it was cut I loved it!

Once I had the cropped cut my style changed too, and, admittedly, I had a bit of a wardrobe crisis. Now I tend to dress a little bit more boyish and maybe a bit more Parisian – I wear more statement pieces.

I bought a lot more jewellery and I wear earrings a lot more now … and hats too, like berets and little bucket hats.

I never really imagined I would have a pixie cut. As a model, your hair is part of your identity and while a lot of models have quite similar hair – generally long – changing your hair can set you apart. It completely changes the type of work you get. Now I tend to get more editorial and androgynous shoots. It certainly marked a pivotal point in my career. →

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VOGUE BE AUT Y

POPPY ROY, BRITISH VOGUE DIGITAL PICTURE EDITOR

The first few months after I shaved my head were completely life-changing. Having suffered from alopecia since I was eight years old, the majority of my childhood was spent wearing headscarves or wigs to hide my hair loss. It governed my entire life – where I went, who I spoke to – and I was often fearful my true self would be exposed.

But last June, aged 24, I finally made the decision to pack away my wigs. As my friend took a pair of clippers to my head, and swathes of thin, mousy hair fell to the ground, a new and unrecognisable version of myself was revealed. I never knew the transformation would be so profound. Walking through the park the following day, the sensation of the wind on my head felt incredible as it blew the past away. I felt a lightness I will never forget, and was no longer weighed down by the burden of my appearance. I had taken back control. Finally, I had uncovered my true visual identity and made it my own.

The realisation that one can be liberated from their past is a wonderful thing. Overnight, I discovered an unwavering desire to live life without bounds. My newfound confidence opened me up to more heartfelt encounters and my happiness was infectious – it was not long before I met my boyfriend, who has taught me the importance of self-worth.

I completed a yoga teacher-training course, and I was offered a job on the picture desk at British Vogue. For the first time, I jumped at the chance to push myself and use my voice.

We invest so much energy in our visual identity, particularly in today’s world where beauty is equated to success and happiness. It took me a while, but I’m grateful to be able to reflect on the fear that previously held me back.

When I shave my head every 10 days, I am fascinated by the transformation: how the shape of my face appears to change as the hair grows with time, often unveiling patches of hair loss or hair growth. Each is a small reminder to take care of myself, and are trophies of how far I have come.

My hair journey started with a really wispy fringe. Over a 12-month period it just developed and I went blonder. Then one day I walked into the salon, and when I sat down, my hairstylist [Diane Gorgievski] looked at me and said: “You want to chop all of your hair off, don’t you?” And I said: “Yes!” So I chopped it into a short bob and went platinum blonde. I didn’t tell my husband.

I didn’t tell anyone. I just did it.

It was really interesting how a haircut could feel so transformative. As women, we can become emotionally attached to our hair.

I started to recognise a shift in myself and I was starting to feel more confident in my own skin and felt I was no longer defined by how I wore my hair. I can still be sexy and have short hair.

I like doing things that are a little bit different sometimes and breaking out of my own little comfort corner. I also like to test myself and go: “You know what, if I’m so attached to my hair that I can’t chop it, then maybe I need to re-evaluate some things.”

I loved my hair when it was long – I just didn’t want to be attached to something that really didn’t matter that much.

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So eventually I went from that blonde platinum bob to more of a pixie cut with my natural colour coming through, which I love.

My inbox is filled with women asking me about my haircut. Women say: “I went to the hairdressers and I chopped it all off and I feel amazing.” That’s the biggest thing … not: “I look amazing”, but: “I feel amazing.”

My haircut has also encouraged me to have fun and experiment with fashion. I feel like it has changed my look; even just putting on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt feels a little more edgy and cool. And it’s definitely changed the way stylists style me on shoots.

I’m quite low-maintenance – if I can’t get ready and be out the door in 10 minutes it doesn’t happen. When I had long hair all I did was wear it in a topknot. The cropped cut has always been easy. The shorter I go, the more undone it is, the better it looks. I just wake up and put a bit of wax in the ends or even just hop out of the shower and put some gel in it – it doesn’t take a lot of effort to make it look good.

For so long women have been told what is beautiful and I feel like for the first time in a long time we’re telling people what makes us feel beautiful. I’m seeing so much change: it’s a really exciting time to be a woman.

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G E O R G E S A N TO N I N S TA G R A M . CO M / P O P P Y R OY_

JESINTA FRANKLIN, SPOKESPERSON AND MODEL

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UP CLOSE

ART DIREC TION D IJANA MAD D I SO N PHOTOG R APH EDWAR D U R RUTIA

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Ready, set … rest

After decades of going for the burn, the fitness industry is taking a gentler approach. Here’s how to crush your goals by doing less instead of more. By Jody Scott.

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his is a story for all the gym junkies, endorphin chasers, endurance racers, CrossFitters, interval trainers, weekend warriors and busy people addicted to #doingthings. It’s a must-read for A-types who post and boast their #fitnessgoals. And it’s one for those hell-bent on achieving #totaltransformation or a #bikinibody.

But coach potatoes – and those who look svelte but do little – should like it, too.

That’s because after decades of being urged to go harder, better, faster and stronger, there is finally some good news on the fitness front. While HIIT (high-intensity interval training) was last year’s most popular fitness trend, according to the American College of Sports Medicine, it now appears many of us have been doing far too much of it. And that’s why the next big fitness movement involves doing less for better results. Harder, smarter, slower, stronger … Dial down the intensity and achieve our personal best. It sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?

We underestimate the benefits of serious rest, argues Silicon Valley consultant Alex Soojung-Kim Pang in his book Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less (Penguin). “Work and rest are not polar opposites,” Soojung-Kim Pang writes. “They complement and complete each other. You cannot work well without resting well.”

Now sports medicine scientists are exploring the longoverlooked relationship between exercising and resting.

Their research is revealing that what we do between workouts is as important as the nature and intensity of our training.

“It is during the recovery that the positive changes take place,” says Dr Daniel Hackett, a sports science lecturer and researcher at the University of Sydney. “You want to do just enough so it will lead towards good health but avoid doing too much.”

To summarise, exercise causes micro-tears to our muscles that heal and grow stronger while we recover. Proper recovery enables us to increase the volume and intensity at our next training session. If we don’t recover properly and train on top of sore muscles, we run the risk of injury, muscle breakdown, stress fractures or even illness (because overtraining lowers our immunity). Throw in a stressful week at work, jet lag or a few late nights, and any hard work we put in at training will be wasted.

Hence, the latest thinking suggests that after going for the burn, we should go for an ice bath, an infrared sauna or a massage to reduce post-workout muscle soreness and inflammation, plus speed up our recovery.

Cue the arrival of recovery centres offering high-tech versions of good old-fashioned TLC (that’s tender loving care) to help us bounce back between workouts. In Sydney’s affluent east, the luxurious Shelter is a hybrid ride-andrecovery studio offering spin and boxing classes alongside infrared saunas and freshwater ice baths to soothe sore muscles and promote recovery.

J A N W E LT E R S

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Other places are offering to treat your post-workout DOMS (delayed-onset muscle soreness) with cold laser therapy, cryotherapy, oxygen therapy in a hyperbaric chamber, LED light therapy delivered on purpose-built beds that look like indoor tanning booths, and one-on-one stretch labs. Then there’s PPDC (peristaltic pulse dynamic compression), which uses inflatable compression garments to massage limbs and stimulate blood flow.

The aim of all of these assisted recovery methods is essentially the same – that is, to help flush lactic acid, stimulate lymphatic drainage, increase blood flow, reduce inflammation and speed up muscle repair. Hackett says that although massage appears to be the most effective option, a small amount of evidence suggests the aforementioned techniques may reduce DOMS and reduce body fat, at least in professional athletes.

However, he says, it’s unlikely the average gym-goer or weekend warrior will notice a small uplift in performance from the occasional therapy. “They are not going to really know [if it made a difference],” he says, adding that resting would probably serve them equally well.

For the low-fi among us, there’s always foam rolling, Epsom salt baths or plonking a packet of frozen peas on sore spots. Or HIIT followed by a gentle walk when the DOMS sets in.

“If you are experiencing DOMS, the worst thing to do is not doing anything,” says Hackett. “The best thing is to move around.”

Even Kayla Itsines, multimillionaire Sweat trainer and creator of the BBG workout programs, recommends three to five LISS (low-intensity steady-state) sessions (such as walking or swimming at a moderate pace) per week.

“If you’ve had a few tough training sessions during the week, adding in another HIIT or resistance session may not be the best idea for your body,” Itsines says. “Low-intensity cardio can be a great way to still fit exercise in, because it is low-impact. This means that you are unlikely to impede your recovery by training over the top of sore muscles.

LISS can actually help to increase blood flow to damaged muscles and help reduce post-workout stiffness.”

Itsines says training at a lower intensity means that more oxygen is available to your body. “As fat needs oxygen in order to be broken down, the more oxygen you can give your body, the more fat you may be able to burn,” says Itsines. “If your goal is to lose body fat, combining both HIIT and LISS into your routine is an efficient way to achieve this.”

LISS helps your body metabolise fat, something that doesn’t happen during HIIT. But don’t be tempted to skip your high-intensity workouts altogether. “If you choose to only do LISS, your body may also begin to break down stored muscle as it burns energy, which means you may potentially lose muscle and strength,” Itsines warns.

So the trick is to vary your weekly training loads. Put a few big workouts in the diary, then do gentler activities

in between. Go hard, then go to a yin yoga or a stretch class or get a massage. As the old adage goes, the dose makes the poison, and when it comes to exercise, many of us have had too much of a good thing. Almost 40 years since aerobics queen Jane Fonda urged us all to “go for the burn”, it appears many people are flaming out.

Much has been written about millennial burnout caused by job uncertainty, the gig economy, high expectations and perfectionism, among other things. Constant online social competition and comparison have also been shown to play a role.

The Butterfly Foundation, Australia’s national eating disorder support centre, has seen a rise in body dissatisfaction as people feel pressured to engage in disordered eating and exercise behaviours to achieve an ‘ideal’ body. The foundation’s 2018 Insights in Body Esteem report found that 73 per cent of people wanted to change the way they look, and more than 40 per cent of people compare themselves with others on social media.

“Within today’s digitised world, we have access to people’s intimate lives, including their eating habits, exercise regimens and appearance,” says the foundation’s head of communications Melissa Wilton. “This can place pressure on us to look a certain way and definitely increases comparisons and competitiveness in individuals. We need to be mindful of the content we are sharing and absorbing. Regardless of whether we are referring to fit, muscular, thin, strong and attaching certain images to this, we are still saying there is a right or wrong way to have a body. It is so important to practice self-care and to consider our social media use – follow pages that inspire you and make you feel good about yourself, as opposed to those that place pressure [on you] to look a certain way.”

In response to the survey, the Butterfly Foundation teamed up with Instagram to launch the Own Your Feed campaign, to encourage social media users to better manage how they use the platform and who they follow.

Ben Lucas, the co-founder of Sydney’s Flow Athletic gym, also believes social media is encouraging some people to overtrain. “I have been in the fitness industry for over 20 years, and I have seen more [overtraining] in the last two years than ever,” Lucas says. “I do believe Instagram is a big reason for this.”

Lucas advises clients to switch between strength, fitness and yoga classes. “I am a fan of quality training over quantity,” he says. “And you are able to execute on quality by making sure you are well-rested and in optimal health.”

For post-session recovery, he’s opened Flow Revive, a centre offering infrared and float-tank therapies. “We had noticed that members of our community were overworked, overstressed and overtired, and we wanted to help out with a worldclass recovery facility,” he says. “The take-up has been overwhelming, and we are starting to see the tide turn. People are regarding recovery as an important part of training. The post-workout magic comes from rest and what you put in your mouth as you rest. And it is easier to control what you put in your mouth when you are rested.”

Lucas, who has run 40 marathons, is not averse to big training goals but says they must fit into your life holistically. “It has to work with your relationship, your health, your family, your work and not put any of these in jeopardy,” he says. And remember, if your body says nap, just do it.

If you need help with an eating disorder or negative body image, call the Butterfly Foundation’s national helpline on 1800 334 673.

“We are starting to see the tide turn. People are regarding recovery as an important part of training. The post-workout magic comes from rest”

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THE MANE EVENT Micelles are the teeny molecules that redefined skincare. Now they’re here to help us look after our hair, with new products from Pantene.

VOGUE PROMOTION

s Australians, we love our outdoor lifestyles and yet we’re also aware of the toll the sun, surf and sea can have on our hair. Then there’s also the potential damage from other factors, such as daily shampooing, which results in dry, weak and dull hair. Pantene’s latest hair-care products are gently purifying and can be used daily to help strengthen and protect hair against everyday environmental concerns.

“We have developed the Pantene Pro-V Micellar series to meet the needs of Australian women,” says Saint Tiu, principal scientist at P&G Hair Care Asia Pacific. “It contains micelles, which detox the surface of the hair.”

Tiu likens micelles to micro-magnets that naturally attract dirt and impurities away from the hair, leaving it squeaky clean and lustrous.

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For more information and to shop the range, visit pantene.com.au

S U B S C R I B E A bonus Alpha-H Essential Skin Perfecting Moisturiser

Sharp tailoring, fresh denim & luxe knitwear for the NEW SEASON Mary Kate and Ashley’s style reign at THE ROW How hair can change

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P H OTO G R A P H : C H A R L E S D E N N I N G TO N S E T D E S I G N : S O P H I E F L E TC H E R , U S I N G I N S TA L L AT I O N S F R O M A N D I N S P I R E D BY B R E AT H I N G R O O M : C A R P E TC E L L ( 2 01 8) BY H E AT H F R A N CO

f this Fashion moves in the realm of dreams: lavish impossibilities, a supermodel writ large in a fantasy world, a superstylist who creates her own world, experimenting with XL proportion and volume – although there’s room for new-season updates and luxurious classics to keep us in the here and now. The bold and the preternaturally beautiful, living the dream. Welcome to our surreality.

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Kendall Jenner is super-strong, supremely focussed and fully functioning in love. She talks to Jessica Montague while dripping in Tiffany & Co. diamonds. Styled by Jillian Davison. Photographed by Charles Dennington.

Valentino dress, P.O.A. Prada hat, $770. Tiffany & Co. platinum earrings set with diamonds, P.O.A., and platinum ring set with diamonds, P.O.A. Atsuko Kudo gloves, $355.

All prices approximate; details at Vogue.com.au/WTB.

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C H A R L E S D E N N I N G TO N

K Mary Katrantzou dress, $12,045. Tiffany & Co. platinum earrings set with diamonds and sapphires, P.O.A., and platinum bracelet set with sapphires, P.O.A. Atsuko Kudo stay-ups, $220.

Prada shoes, $1,080. Mrs Noodle Pillow by Molly Findlay, featured throughout, from $3,700 each, from motherofthousands.com.

endall Jenner was 14 years old when she decided she wanted to become a model. Actually, she’d been mulling it over since the age of seven, but it wasn’t until her teens that she decided to take action. Jenner did what any enthusiastic teenager with some paper, a colour printer and stapler would do – she compiled a homemade booklet of DIY snapshots (giving it the title Kendall Jenner Modelling Photos) and presented it to her parents. Most mums would have taken one look and put it out with the recycling, but Jenner’s mum – the ultimate ‘momager’ Kris Jenner – took her second youngest daughter seriously, telling the audience of their hit reality TV show Keeping Up With The Kardashians: “If this is what Kendall really wants to do then I’m on board and I’ll get the word out.”

Speaking to Vogue Australia, Jenner, now 23, reveals that modelling was – and still is – her end goal. When asked if she had a fall-back plan, she is polite but matter of fact.

“No. And I don’t think I necessarily needed to have one.

Anything I do, I always want to be 100 per cent in it and know I want to be doing it. When I started I was so young, so if it didn’t work out then I was going to figure it out. I’d cross that bridge when I got there.”

As we know, Jenner never did have to pull out a career pivot. In the five-and-a-half years since she made her runway debut for Marc Jacobs autumn/winter ’14/’15 in a sheer long-sleeved top and razor-sharp wig teamed with bleached eyebrows, she has walked for Chanel, Givenchy and Balmain, fronted campaigns for Calvin Klein and Estée Lauder, and amassed a following of 107 million on Instagram (more than four times Australia’s population). In 2017 she even knocked off Gisele Bündchen as the world’s highest-paid model (a title the Brazilian had held since 2002), and she earned a tidy $30 million last year, according to Forbes.

Jenner’s latest affiliation with Tiffany & Co. is, quite suitably, the jewel in the crown of her career. She fronts the spring 2019 campaign wearing the iconic Tiffany T collection alongside five other personalities, including Carolyn Murphy, Fei Fei Sun and Imaan Hamman. “Being able to work with Tiffany is really exciting, because it’s genuinely been part of my life for so long and genuinely is stuff that I really love,” says Jenner, revealing that her first little blue box contained a necklace her mum gave her as a baby. It was also a good excuse, she jokes, to come to Australia for a day.

The day she is talking about was a recent 24-hour jaunt during which Jenner flew here to headline the opening of Tiffany & Co.’s new flagship store in Sydney. Jenner arrived flanked not only by security, but her own glam team – hair and make-up artists Jen Atkin and Mary Phillips, who boast three million Instagram followers between them.

Arriving on set, she was friendly and relaxed and showed no signs of fatigue, despite only swinging by her hotel → JUNE 2019 121

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Tomo Koizumi top, P.O.A., and skirt, P.O.A. Tiffany & Co. platinum earrings set with white and yellow diamonds, P.O.A. Atsuko Kudo stay ups, $220.

Fragrance: Tiffany & Co. Sheer EDT.

Givenchy dress, $5,000.

Tiffany & Co. platinum earrings set with diamonds and sapphires, P.O.A., platinum chain and pendant set with diamonds and sapphires, P.O.A., and platinum ring set with diamonds and green tourmaline, P.O.A. Atsuko Kudo gloves, $380.

C H A R L E S D E N N I N G TO N

Valentino dress, P.O.A. Prada hat, $770.

Atsuko Kudo briefs, $125, and gloves, $355.

Aquazzura shoes, $909.

for a quick shower (and slather of La Mer face cream) after jumping off her flight. She walked around in her fluffy robe and slippers until it was time to pull on some latex and have a specialist gemologist drip her in diamonds.

Similarly, at the store opening a mere few hours after wrapping, Jenner defied all laws of jet lag and walked the red carpet wearing a pink tourmaline and sapphire butterfly necklace (it featured more than 400 pink sapphires and a cushion-cut morganite of approximately 11 carats) matched with a fun and frothy flamingo-coloured dress by French label Ingie Paris.

The Tiffany & Co. association reflects Jenner’s current standing in the fashion world – that is, at the very top. She was last in Australia with sister Kylie for the launch of their Forever New fashion line in late 2015, but it was Jenner’s first trip down under that is particularly telling. On the cusp of her 17th birthday, she flew here chaperoned by her mum and US-based Australian photographer Russell James, whom Kris enlisted to nurture her daughter’s transition from reality TV little sister to serious fashion model.

Jenner grows wide-eyed as she admits to being completely out of her depth. “I had no idea what I was doing,” she remembers. “I was kind of just winging it and I don’t think I was super-confident … I was signed to an agency in LA and I thought that it was big time and that was going to be my big break. It was only when I started shooting here in Australia with Russell that I decided I was going to go to New York.” She’d done some modelling before that, “but it was a different type … like ‘Prom’ magazine or ‘Cheerleader’ magazine”.

On the ground for five days, that trip in late 2012 coincided with Jenner shooting her first major fashion cover: Miss Vogue, the digitalonly younger sister to Vogue Australia. Afterwards, James took mother and daughter to the Kimberley in Western Australia to shoot against stunning, albeit wildly remote, backdrops.

“We were sleeping in Broome and then we’d fly out on a helicopter for an hour and a half to the middle of nowhere,” recalls Jenner, almost incredulous. “We’d land on a massive rock, then get out and shoot, then get back in the helicopter and leave. Russell was my fashion dad in a way. He took me under his wing, and said I am just going to give you experience. It was a really intense way to just throw me into it. I’m in such a different place now, I get it more. [Coming back] really is a cool full circle. For sure.”

There were sceptics in the beginning who questioned whether Jenner could make it off her own back. She’d even attend castings simply as ‘K’ or ‘Kendall’ to distinguish herself from her famous family. “But I’ve always been the person to prove [critics] wrong, even when I was younger,” she says. “I’ve always been a hard worker: that’s in my blood.

My parents raised me and my little sister to be that way and the rest of my sisters, too. A lot of people assumed that because I came from a ‘name’ that it was a lot easier for me to get to where I got, but actually it’s the completely opposite.”

Russell James has gone on to shoot Jenner for countless magazine covers, department store jobs and even private art projects in the US, and tells Vogue: “100 per cent of Kendall Jenner’s success is actually 100 per cent Kendall, because she is so damn motivated and disciplined in a way that people don’t get to see.

“Genetically she had everything to be a great model, but I told her it was going to be so hard to do because she already had a brand. In some ways the industry was especially harsh on her, because it’s harder to rebrand than it is to brand, so she had an incredible challenge.”

Jenner also feared being too hyped up and becoming hot one second, a fashion footnote the next. “Most of the time [this business] is all about new faces and it happens really fast. They kind of grab onto that person and then all of a sudden you take off and you’re doing a bunch of shows and you’re getting a bunch of jobs,” she says. “So for me it was that initial two to three seasons where I was like: ‘Oh wow, people are feeling me’, but my goal with everything is always longevity. In this industry specifically, it can be really challenging to maintain, so it’s always a work in progress.”

She says it’s something she’s still managing, especially since it’s hard to reach the top but even harder to stay there. But apart from appearing on Keeping Up With The Kardashians, she has no plans to expand her career beyond modelling.

“I am still so young,” she says. “People are always asking me: ‘What’s next? What’s next?’ I’m like: ‘Why do I have to have it all figured out right now?’ Most people my age don’t have it figured out as much as I do.”

Navigating her way, on her own terms, is an approach that has spilled over into Jenner’s personal life. She is dating Australian-born basketballer Ben Simmons, also 23, and although the pair do not talk openly about their relationship, they are clearly smitten. Jenner revealed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in February that they’d been dating “for a bit now” and on the day of Vogue’s shoot she streamed Simmons’s game for the Philadelphia 76ers while she was in hair and make-up. Later, she Face-timed Simmons, cheekily holding up the March/April issue of GQ Australia that had him on the cover.

Having seen her half-sisters Kim, Kourtney and Khloé Kardashian deal with the scrutiny that comes from having your love life paraded as public fodder, Jenner has chosen to remain schtum.

“I got a glimpse of how my sisters dealt with [the attention] and it’s cool to learn from that. For me, a lot of things are very special and very sacred, like my friends and relationships, and I personally think that bringing things into the public makes everything so much messier.

“Also I’m very young and right now I feel like relationships aren’t always super-certain and I don’t want to bring too much attention to something if you don’t really know long term [what it’s going to be]. A relationship is only meant to be between two people, and the second you make it the world’s business is when it starts messing with the two people mentally. Like once everyone is let in, you’re letting all these opinions into your relationships, and I don’t think that’s fair.”

Jenner says she is content staying on her current path and doesn’t want to force things or put pressure on herself to tick off boxes by a certain age. “I feel like once you do [that], it’s just completely ingenuine and you think that you have to be in a certain place when you don’t have to be. Everyone has their own path and their own way of letting the cards fall. Your 20s are for messing up and figuring it out.”

As for the cheeky suggestion that one day she’ll be able to combine work and love with a Tiffany & Co. engagement ring, Jenner just laughs.

“Maybe. Definitely not now, but maybe one day.” For the moment she’s happy doing her own thing in her own time.

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“I’m still so young. People are always asking me what’s next. Most people my age don’t have it figured out as much as I do”

Tomo Koizumi top, P.O.A. Tiffany & Co. platinum ring set with green tourmalines and diamonds, P.O.A.

C H A R L E S D E N N I N G TO N

Tiffany & Co. platinum ring set with white and yellow diamonds, P.O.A. Atsuko Kudo gloves, $355.

Richard Quinn dress, $3,550, and bodysuit, P.O.A. Tiffany & Co. platinum earrings set with diamonds, P.O.A., and platinum necklace set with pink tourmalines, P.O.A.

Prada dress, $6,170.

Richard Quinn bodysuit, P.O.A. Tiffany & Co. platinum earrings set with diamonds and tanzanites, P.O.A., platinum necklace set with aquamarines and diamonds, P.O.A., and platinum bracelet set with diamonds and tanzanites, P.O.A.

C H A R L E S D E N N I N G TO N

Balmain dress, P.O.A. Tiffany & Co. platinum earrings set with sapphires, P.O.A. Atsuko Kudo gloves, $405.

Hair: Jen Atkin Make up: Mary Phillips Manicure: Jocelyn Petroni Set and prop design: Sophie Fletcher, using installations from and inspired by Breathing Room: Carpetcell (2018)

by Heath Franco

Master the art of PROPORTION PLAY by reaching out in length via this season’s pressed pleats, then pulling back with abbreviated outerwear as in Givenchy’s ultra-sharp, ultracropped trench.

Givenchy cropped coat, $2,700, dress, $3,850, and shoes, P.O.A.

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As the heat recedes, something new is in the air. Enter the fresh-feel line-up from pre-fall, but what to buy into? Choose hero pieces with enveloping textures, ladylike ease and silhouettes heavy on sophistication. Styled by Philippa Moroney. Photographed by Bec Parsons.

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Bottega Veneta pullover, $2,510, shorts, $4,990, and belt, $1,340. Cartier earrings, $10,300, bracelet, $37,600, and watch, $27,900.

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The message should have sunk in by now: SHORTS ARE BACK. The smartest are the more modest bermudas, like Daniel Lee’s for his Bottega Veneta debut, that follow the line of the legs in sumptuous fabrications like buttery leather.

The DARK ROMANCE of a richly embroidered floor-length dress renders it a tapestry on which to weave our coolerweather wardrobe fantasies.

Engage a more practical side by layering over a turtleneck.

B E C PA R S O N S

Christian Dior dress, $47,000, top, $1,900, earrings, $940, and necklaces, $2,650 each.

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The allure of a DUSTER COAT is in its all-encompassing length and whisper-not-shout perennial relevance when rendered in soft neutral.

Armani’s gets an extra dose of Êlan with glittering accessories.

Giorgio Armani coat, $6,550, sweater, $920, and pants, $1,450.

Isabel Marant earrings, $695, from Parlour X. Miu Miu shoes, $1,470.

Fragrance: Giorgio Armani Light di Gioia EDP.

B E C PA R S O N S

What we wear up top is firmly on the style agenda of late. The traditional feel of Gucci’s WOOLLEN BERET gives this hat credibility and functional nous.

Fendi dress, $4,050.

Gucci beret, $450.

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Miu Miu shirt, $1,350, and pants with belt, $1,740. Bulgari earrings, $5,850 and 4,000, and rings, $1,720 and $3,260. Prada shoes, $1,270.

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A paean to the super-women of the world, the strength of MILITARY PIECES, as only Miuccia can do them, reminds us that a wardrobe bolstered by utility makes us feel ever at the ready.

Gone are the days when dress codes were dictated to women. A polite TWEED SKIRT SUIT in the unexpected hue of teal layered over a gossamer-thin dress emerges as a witty re-look at ladylike classics.

Chanel jacket, $31,690, dress, $1,990, and skirt, $11,400, from the Chanel boutiques. Bassike shirt, $420. Ellery earrings, $490 and $330.

Hair: Michele McQuillan Make up: Victoria Baron Model: Jordan Daniels

Natural order

Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen bring a unique perspective to those who prefer their fashion meticulously made and understated. By Olivia Singer. Photographed by Craig McDean.

I

t’s 11.29 on a blustery New York morning when the doorbell rings at Craig McDean’s studio.

Instead of being fashionably late, as one might expect from Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, the twin sisters arrive early, clutching enormous exotic-skinned handbags, their tiny frames swathed in layers of black. “We are professional women, and that’s how we conduct ourselves,” they earnestly impress upon me later in the day.

After all, “we’ve been working since we were nine months old”.

That discipline has paid off. Now aged 32, they are esteemed designers who have won a devoted customer base the world over. With little training besides what they picked up in the wardrobe departments of Full House and Two of a Kind (the American TV shows that made them household names), or sitting in on meetings for the Walmart clothing line they launched aged 12, they have built something of a fashion empire. It is one that includes The Row and Elizabeth & James, along with a handful of other projects, and is rooted in the kind of good taste and refined aesthetics that may not have defined their TV starlet beginnings but with which they have become synonymous.

The Row, the brand we are here to discuss, is unusual.

Not only because it is helmed by these two young women, whose every Starbucks trip has been documented for decades, but also because it determinedly shies away from the press: it never advertises (the Olsens themselves rarely grant interviews) and this season it didn’t even hold a fashion show (instead, a dozen rails of particularly lovely garments were quietly presented in its New York studio).

Throughout our day together – and despite having known photographer Craig McDean for years and taken part in hundreds of shoots – the most apprehensive they appear is when preparing to step in front of his camera.

(Later, they sweetly implore me to discard my portrait of them in favour of an image he took of their interlinked hands.)

It’s hard to imagine that their rigorous discretion isn’t a repercussion of their celebutante years, that the scores of

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Instagram accounts dedicated to their daily activities and the fervent fandom that still surrounds them don’t play a role in their reluctance to retake centre stage.

“We’ve been there, we’ve done that, we started out that way,” sighs Mary-Kate. “But this is the way we chose to move forward in our lives: to not be in the spotlight, to really have something that speaks for itself.”

The Row is clothing designed for women who identify with that spirit, who prefer subtle elegance, plays on proportion and luxurious fabrics to loud or logoembellished extravaganzas. In fact, when the Olsens first started the brand in 2006 (originally as a side project while studying at New York University), with the simple intention of creating the perfect white T-shirt, they had no branding at all, just a hand-stamped gold chain sewn into each neckline.

“The whole exercise was to see whether if something was made beautifully, in great fabric, with good fit, it would sell without a logo or a name on it,” they explain.

“And it worked.” That first T-shirt established a solid foundation from which they grew their collection piece by piece, first by selling to a Los Angeles boutique. “For every T-shirt sold, we could make two more,” MaryKate says with a smile. “Then Barneys picked it up, and we developed some more pieces, took them to Paris, hired a salesperson … it was baby steps.” In an industry often suspicious of celebrity designers, it is no small feat that they made their mark. “It was very hard at the beginning,” Ashley remembers. “And, actually, probably until the past couple of years. But we don’t really take things personally. For us, sell-throughs were the only thing we really cared about.” If that has been their main concern, it is easily dismissed: sales have been brilliant, thanks to the sort of women for whom the Olsens’ former careers are of little interest (anyone spending $15,000 on a cashmere coat is unlikely to be doing so because its designers were in the 1999 comedy Passport to Paris).

Money is often no object for The Row’s customers. On one trip to the LA store, I asked why there were no mink slippers on display. The store attendant explained that a woman had swooped in and bought 15 pairs for her dinner party guests to wear (at $2,710 a pair).

Natalie Kingham, buying director at Matchesfashion.com, where the brand is stocked heavily, says: “There is no price resistance to the collection”, and that it maintains a particularly loyal following.

In truth, part of the reason the Olsens understand this world is because they inhabit it: they were once the youngest self-made millionaires in American history; Mary-Kate is married to French financier Olivier Sarkozy, and the sisters have →

“This is the way we chose to move forward in our lives: to not be in the spotlight, to really have something that speaks for itself” – Mary-Kate Olsen

Ashley (left) and Mary Kate Olsen, photographed in New York.

Hair and make up: Mark Townsend and Ana Marie Rizzieri

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“There is a lot of pressure we put on ourselves. I feel like we’re really lucky that we have a great partnership and that we can rely on each other” – Mary-Kate Olsen

This page: The Row wool canvas dress, $3,975, and nylon bag, $2,409.

Opposite: The Row jumpsuit, $3,735, and top, $1,605. All prices approximate; details at Vogue.com.au/WTB. Hair: Orlando Pita Make up: Francelle Daly Manicures: Yuko Tsuchihashi Models: Freja Beha Erichsen and Binx Walton

CRA G McDEAN

built their personal aesthetic on the bohemian insouciance and artful dishevelment only the monied can afford.

Equally, they are on first-name terms with plenty of their best customers – in their early years, they’d hold intimate dinners with retailers to familiarise themselves with their market. It was a savvy move, and one that has informed their business ever since. “I feel really fortunate to be very close with those women, and they really do dictate where we go season to season,” says Mary-Kate. “When we design, we’re designing for specific clients. We understand what their day looks like, how and when they travel …”

Ashley takes over: “What they’re looking for at a certain time of year; what events come up, their families.”

That understanding means that The Row covers all bases: collections comprise everything from expertly crafted, minimal tailoring (the recently launched menswear has as many female fans as it does male) to sumptuous, sculptural eveningwear in heavy silk mikado or ethereal organza.

Shoes, bags and small leather goods are just as exquisite: from the enormous crocodile or ostrich-skin handbags to tiny wristlets crafted in polished, 3D-printed resin or distressed satin combat boots to those mink slippers. They pay little heed to trends – if anything, they seem to have set the fashion agenda in recent seasons, during which modern minimalism has been the standout aesthetic.

While The Row’s sometimes monastic silhouettes and strict palette can appear austere on the hanger; there is nothing more sensual than wearing it on the body. “We love fabrics – everything comes down to the way something feels,” says Ashley. These are clothes that drape weightlessly, are cut to flatter and on which every stitch, every fastening is forensically considered. In fact, it’s difficult to leave a The Row store without draining your bank account in an effort to channel the aspirational elegance with which each piece is saturated.

The Row’s third store (after LA and New York) is set to open this northern summer in the UK and is almost a homecoming since the brand’s very name is a nod to the precision tailoring of Savile Row. Each has a different feel, but they are united by a tasteful eclecticism and the selection of products the sisters find to fill them.

“Whether presenting a collection in a Dover Street Market store alongside a Jean Prouvé sculpture or notable piece of furniture, The Row excels at quietly communicating its values and aesthetic beyond ready-towear by exploring the Olsens’ taste in design as a broader concept,” explains Dickon Bowden, vice-president of Dover Street Market (The Row does a roaring trade in five of its global stores). “We love curating; we love discovering new products and vintage pieces,” says Ashley. “And London will be totally different, but very much The Row,” continues Mary-Kate. They hope that moving there will introduce the city’s international elite to their vision; that the creative energy of the capital will permeate their new home and the brand as a whole. “There’s still a craft in London. There’s authenticity; there are a lot of artisans

based there,” reflects Mary-Kate. “And the art scene is amazing,” enthuses Ashley.

“And music. It’s got such great music!”

Sitting with the Olsens is a bizarre experience, because in spite of their huge success – and the fact that neither has an Instagram account, which only amplifies their mystique – they seem remarkably normal young women. Yes, they finish each other’s sentences, brush each other’s carefully tousled hair back from their faces, and claim to spend “every waking hour” together, but they are twins who have grown up in each other’s pockets, so that’s to be expected. Indeed, the most curious thing about them is their unrelenting drive. They don’t have to work, yet regularly put in six-day weeks, merchandise their stores themselves and are involved in each and every brand decision – from fabric choices to the nuances of developing an e-commerce platform.

“There is a lot of pressure we put on ourselves,” says Mary-Kate. “I feel like we’re really lucky that we have a great partnership and that we can rely on each other for support, because I can imagine it can be so lonely.” When I ask where that pressure comes from, they immediately answer in sync: ‘’It’s self-inflicted.”

Mary-Kate continues: “If you want things to be perfect or beautiful, it’s a lot of hard work … Nothing comes easy. That’s just the way we were raised; that’s what we believe is necessary to do something different.”

In a time of frenetic pace and quick-fire success, their quiet, meticulously curated world is just that: different. And for that reason, it’s entirely compelling.

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The real-life drudgery of motherhood has spawned a new TV genre that’s proving the hottest thing on our screens. Meg Mason investigates why ‘mom-coms’ are enthralling audiences the world over and how an Australian show is leading the way.

I

n the opening scene of The Letdown, a drug dealer approaches a sketchy-looking station wagon and asks a woman slumped in the driver’s seat which of the class-A varietals she’s after.

None, it turns out. Audrey is an exhausted new mother who has finally driven her baby to sleep and is just after a moment of quiet in a back alley. If the only way to make a street criminal keep his voice down is to buy something, she’ll do it. “Fine,” Audrey says. “What’s your cheapest drug?”

Technically, the runaway hit TV show The Letdown is a comedy. But for any mother who has experienced a moment of existential despair – that is, most – the show, which debuted on the ABC in 2017 and is set to hit screens again this month with the release of its much anticipated season two, feels closer to documentary.

The breast-feeding. The controlled crying. The other mothers, the post-baby sex where foreplay amounts to Audrey telling her husband to “just stick it in”. After the show reached US audiences in 2018, The New York Times called it so “achingly familiar that it’s just about unwatchable”.

Just about. What compels you to watch and keep watching, even when Audrey is crying on the bus on her way from a miserable night

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out with child-free friends, is the sense that you haven’t actually seen the achingly familiar on the small screen. Or not like this.

Although parenthood has been the fodder of countless television shows, it’s difficult to recall a mother – in comedy or drama – who doesn’t look like Modern Family’s Gloria, or struggle with the demands of family life as charmingly as Claire Dunphy. Or who isn’t as saintly as Meredith from Grey’s Anatomy, as long-suffering as every 90s sitcom mum (whose baby remains invisible after its purpose as a plot line has been served – think Rachel’s baby in Friends), or a mother who wasn’t involved in the largely mythical ‘mummy wars’, as in Desperate Housewives.

But since pregnancy and motherhood are so universal and in comedy terms, so material-rich, why hasn’t television shown us the mess of loneliness and drudgery and joy and love of it all in a way that feels funny and authentic before now?

“There has always been a profound sanitisation and censorship of the female experience on screen,” says Alison Bell, who plays Audrey and co-created The Letdown with writer Sarah Scheller, “because there have always been gatekeepers and the gatekeepers are mostly men who do not enjoy seeing the real experiences of women.”

The statistics bear this out. In the US, only 27 per cent of television directors, producers, executive producers, creators and writers are women in broadcast, cable and streaming, according to recent research. Most productions – 69 per cent – employed fewer than five women behind the scenes, 74 per cent had no female writers, 86 per cent no female directors.

In Australia, representation is better, although still fewer than half of directors, producers and writers are women, Screen Australia research shows, and none of our networks are headed by women.

Comedy seems like an even more male-dominated part of the industry than others whether you go by statistics – exactly 11 per cent of British television comedies are written by females – or by the experiences of women who have broken into the writers’ room, only to find that the men there were still the arbiters of what’s funny.

“Women have been in writers’ rooms for decades, throwing out ideas and having them rejected,” says Joy Press, author of Stealing the Show: How Women are Revolutionizing Television, “because networks were uncomfortable and male, and men would ask: ‘Who wants to see that?’”

“The things that are undervalued in society tend to be undervalued in television,” says Imogen Banks, the award-winning writer and producer of Offspring and Puberty Blues. “People don’t want to make shows about things they’re not interested in, and motherhood hasn’t been considered dramatic or something that requires a lot of analysis.”

In one way, male writers and producers aren’t wrong in their perception that much of motherhood – the real, unvarnished version – is tedious and unspecial. If, as Banks points out, “drama can be made out of the most mundane things”, the foremost example of that truth is The Office. But that show was set in the traditionally male terrain of work (and gave a speaking role to one female character). When it comes to the dull minutiae everyday life, different rules apply to majority-female experiences.

For all those reasons, when Bell and Scheller started workshopping the concept of a comedy built around a local mothers’ group in Sydney, they thought: “Women and babies. No, that won’t happen,” Bell says.

“But we just kept toiling away.” Although it took almost a decade for The Letdown to make it to air, “timing is everything in this industry”, Bell says, and in that exact period, the landscape shifted.

Comedy and the visibility of women in comedy started changing the moment Tina Fey dropped 30 Rock. As a sitcom about a messy, normallooking woman who cared less about sex and more about her job and eating cheese, it felt like an anti-Sex in the City – an aspirational show for women, made by men – and it soon led to proliferation of femalecreated, female-led comedies.

Then ‘the streamers’ arrived. Insatiable for content, studios such as Netflix and Amazon were more inclined towards boundary-pushing, original content.

“There’s been a huge shift in what’s ‘allowed’ on television, female experience-wise, in the last five or 10 years,” says Press. “Broadcast television was very squeamish about women’s bodies.” But Girls broke ground with the way it portrayed the female body, while Broad City showed women being ‘gross’ and bodily. “Those shows are significant,” Press says, “because they are about and by young women, using comedy to push back on some of these restrictions and open up what you could make of women’s physical experiences.”

Women were doing the same thing at the same time in stand-up comedy. Amy Schumer says she made mainstream “the stuff nobody else talks about, like the darkest, most serious thing about yourself … life and sex and personal stories”. Bridget Everett did biology in her show Gynecological Wonder, and Tig Notaro broke out with a set about the supreme bummer that is a double mastectomy. Next came Baby Cobra, a

special that seized attention because Ali Wong, the comedian on stage making ovulation, IVF, miscarriage and married-sex jokes, was seven months pregnant. Amy Schumer’s one-hour comedy routine Growing makes her the second comic to record a special while gestating.

“It makes sense that pregnancy and motherhood would be the next step,” continues Press, “since they are really primary experiences for a pretty decent percentage of the planet and there’s been such a silence around it in pop culture.” But why did it take that much longer for television to take the filter off motherhood and to start green-lighting comedies like Catastrophe, SMILF, Workin’ Moms and Motherland?

“There’s still a massive problem with likeability,” Bell explains. She says the idea that audiences will reject a female character because she’s unattractive, unsexual, overweight, ambitious, funny or over 40 is by no means gone. And according to industry lore, the one thing that isn’t just unlikeable but unforgiveable in a lead woman is being a bad mother.

Television has given us plenty of sweetly imperfect mothers, but few who are funny as well as broken, lost, angry or ambivalent about their children.

Since that second kind is often is closer to the real experience, female viewers were actually hungry for characters like Catastrophe’s Sharon, who stares at her phone while pushing a swing and whispering: “I hate myself.”

“We need to see people who remind us of ourselves, authentic characters who are lovable – or hateable – in all their flawed glory,” says Sally Caplan, Screen Australia’s head of content.

Women are generally tired of “all that lean in bullshit”, Bell says … “the fact that I’m supposed to do my best, but I can’t be all those things at once and I don’t know what the answer is.”

The popularity of The Letdown can be assumed from the fact Bell finds herself constantly approached in Los Angeles, where she now lives, by women desperate to fire-hose her with anecdotes from their own mothering lives.

Whether we’d choose to describe it as a ‘mom-com cluster’ as The New York Times did last year, we’re safe to assume there are more shows like these coming. “In terms of female-led stories on screen being commercially risky, that’s a myth that’s been busted over and over again, with increasing speed,” adds Caplan, helped along by women like Shonda Rhimes (Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and How To Get Away With Murder) and Amy ShermanPalladino (of Gilmore Girls fame) rising to the highest levels of the industry.

The last question is whether television will ever move on from the idea that, as Press puts it, “shows about women and made by women are only for women”.

There is no denying Big Little Lies was a watershed moment: a show written by a woman, with women as its key characters, watched by a mixed audience. But for every review that called it great television, there was a think piece with some variation of the headline: ‘Why you should make your husband watch Big Little Lies!’ or: ‘Important lessons men can learn by watching Big Little Lies!’ If women enjoyed it as entertainment, but the inference was that men were watching it under duress to be educated about women’s lives, the gendering of TV remains entrenched.

“It’s hard to shake that,” Bell says. “I don’t understand why whenever there is a predominance of women on screen it’s ‘just for the ladies’. But in another way, I don’t care. Whoever this reaches, I’m thrilled. If it’s just women, I don’t mind.”

Maybe that’s the last question: does it matter if television thinks our stories are only funny to us? We’re going to watch either way.

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“The things that are undervalued in society tend to be undervalued in television”

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Here’s looking at

you Take a fresh look at your day wardrobe.

Shapes become bold, volume is sculptural and flourishes come in high definition – scrunched, ruffled and flounced. Hit those angles. Styled

by Marie Chaix.

Photographed by Brianna Capozzi.

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This page: a wall in the master bedroom is hung with cats past and present, photographed

by Coddington’s partner, Didier Malige.

Opposite: Coddington on her charming East Hampton front porch.

A

Grace Coddington’s Long Island cottage is a reflection of its owners: unpretentious, full of curiosities and singing with creative vigour. By Andrew Bevan. Photographed by Eric Boman.

lways keep your eyes open. Keep watching. Because whatever you see can inspire you,” Grace Coddington famously announced from the backseat of a car driving through Paris in the 2009 documentary The September Issue. It was the moment American Vogue’s long-time creative director quietly stole the show and became a household name. That mantra, which has since made its way onto greeting cards and motivational posters, came to mind during a recent visit to the Wainscott, Long Island, weekend retreat of the woman responsible for some of the most iconic fashion imagery of our time.

It’s unseasonably cold and rainy on the day of my visit, and the scent of burning firewood tinges the air when I pull up to the unfussy threebedroom ranch house Coddington and her partner of 36 years, French hairstylist Didier Malige, bought back in 1988. Malige, in black Adidas

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track pants, is pruning a bush in the front yard, blissfully ignoring the drizzle. Coddington, whom I am honoured to count as a mentor and friend, bursts through the screen door in matching track pants, a Céline pullover and garden clogs, her famous shock of fiery hair spilling out of an off-white bucket hat.

After directing me to take off my shoes, she leads me inside. “It’s not very proper; it’s just very comfortable,” she explains. “It’s just a place where you can come in and throw yourself on the sofa and put your feet up.” Indeed, nothing – from the antique Native American rugs scattered on the floors to the vintage pillows and throws – is too precious to be used. Even the large all-white linen-slipcovered sofas by George Sherlock in the main sitting room seem to have a come-hither quality.

A sense of place – and a sense of Grace – is present in spades, evident in all the photos, books, and curiosities on display. “This home isn’t →

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actually designed,” she says. “It’s just full of stuff because my life is full of stuff. I can’t help myself. I keep thinking I’m very minimal, but actually, I’m the worst. I’m finally ready to own up to the extent of things that I’ve amassed – at the ripe old age of 78!”

Let’s be clear: Coddington’s “stuff” encompasses a great many gems, including a vast collection of prints by the stellar roster of photographers she’s worked with and known during her career – Helmut, Mario, Bruce, Patrick, Steven, Annie and long-time Vogue eminence Mr Penn – all nonchalantly displayed overlapping on various picture ledges.

These trophies are juxtaposed with Coddington’s equally prized, ever-expanding collection of cat paraphernalia. (She and Malige share the house with their two beloved Persians, Pumpkin and Blanket, the latest in a long line of feline family members.) “I can’t help it that people, including myself, are always bringing in cat memorabilia,” Coddington explains, referring to the various artworks, the clowders of vintage Steiff, and even the pair of andirons keeping watch over the roaring afternoon fire.

Some of the most charming and personal artefacts line the hallway to the bedrooms, which is hung with dozens of the cheeky sketches and messages on hotel stationery – often written in the voices of their cats – that she and Malige have been faxing each other from all over the world since the 1980s.

(She tells me she has hundreds more tucked away.)

The house’s uniformly white walls and restrained colour palette allow it to breathe and help impose a sense of order on all these disparate mementos. Ever the stylist, Coddington also likes to move things around, bringing pieces into new relationships with one another. “But Didier always wants everything to stay just the way it is, so I must wait for the appropriate moment,” she confesses.

She and Malige originally purchased the house she describes as “plain and not pretty” as a jumping-off point that would allow them to search for their dream home, but now, decades later, it seems as if settling has turned to settling in just fine.

Over the years, they have pulled in their friends, the architects Jeffrey Cayle and Brad Floyd, as well as Floyd’s contracting partner Lafayette Compton, to introduce numerous small customisations and poetic touches: figurative Paysanne tiles from Le Fanion in the otherwise clean-lined kitchen; a mammoth custom-built ‘French dresser’ with bookshelves held up by a raw tree trunk in the living area; columns on the front porch made from railroad ties. Outside in the blowsy garden stand a trim little guest cabin and a screened-in “eating house” built with reclaimed wood.

At an age when most people are thinking of slowing down, Coddington is as busy as ever. In addition to her ongoing relationship with Vogue, she has two new book projects and a talk show in the works and recently collaborated on a handbag collection for Louis Vuitton. Throughout her long, peripatetic career, this quaint, homey cottage has always served as a tonic and an escape, a far cry from the haute couture world she’s immersed in professionally. “When I’m here, I don’t go much farther than the garden except to do the shopping,” Coddington admits. “I do swim laps twice a day, but otherwise it’s the life of a very lazy country lady. And it’s delightful.”

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Malige tends the garden. Right: an eclectic China collection and photos by Kurt Markus catch the eye in the kitchen.

VOGUE VOYAGE

Coast to coast

From vast bushland teeming with wildlife to a creative hub in the centre of the country’s biggest city, there’s plenty to explore in South Africa. By Mark Sariban.

PHOTOG R APHS DAVE WH EELER

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ulling up a few metres from a tree rising up above the scraggly scrub, we face an almost surreal sight: a burly leopard is rearranging the splayed carcass of a full-grown impala on one of the main branches, trying not to let any part of it fall down and into the waiting jaws of the two hyenas four metres below. The day-old kill isn’t exactly cooperating, however, with one half of the partly devoured body dangling off the thick branch, held only by a few tendons and flaps of skin. As the hyenas shriek and pace with anticipation, the leopard manages to retrieve the rest of the impala and secures it, then slinks over to another branch to daintily lick its paws like a house cat and settle down, its belly bulging with its meal.

Then the action really begins: a pack of African wild dogs has caught the scent of the impala and arrives yelping and yipping, prompting the hyenas to back into the nearest bush in self-defence. The wild dogs and hyenas face off, each noisily testing the others’ nerves with rushes and feints, until they eventually reach an impasse and the dogs scamper off.

This electrifying drama unfolds in the Sabi Sabi Game Reserve (www.sabisabi.com), within the larger Sabi Sand private game reserve established in 1948 by a collective of landowners with holdings adjacent to South Africa’s Kruger National Park. Since 1993, when the last of the fences between Kruger and Sabi Sand was taken down, there’s been free movement of wildlife between the two reserves.

At the unfenced Earth Lodge, one of Sabi Sabi’s four lodges, a ranger will escort you to your suite after dark, in case you encounter a leopard or a hippo on the dirt path from the main lodge building. A lion pack resident to the area had recently killed an impala outside one of the suites and took several days to eat it. “Luckily, the room was unoccupied at the time,” Earth Lodge manager Bridget Thompson recounts drily.

A typical day at Sabi Sabi starts early, with a 5.30am wake-up call for a morning game drive in an open-air Land Rover. In the two-hour drive, the big prize might be spotting that resident pack of lions or a cheetah; sidling up to a rhino to marvel at its bulk; or getting a close look at an extended family of elephants munching on a tree they’ve just knocked over. In the heat of the day, you can doze in your air-conditioned room or have a spa treatment, or head out on foot with armed rangers for a hushed hike through the scrub. Then there’s a late afternoon game drive, before dinner back at the lodge and a sensible bedtime in preparation for the next morning’s wake-up call. → 162

The affluent beachside suburb of Camps Bay in Cape Town, at the foot of the iconic Table Mountain.

JUNE 2019 163

On the other side of the country – the southern tip of the African continent below Cape Town – you can enjoy a safari of a different kind at the eco-resort Grootbos Private Nature Reserve (www.grootbos.com).

Here, guests can dip into an excellent wine cellar and sample fine dining amid 2,500 hectares of some of the most unique vegetation on Earth.

Owner and human dynamo Michael Lutzeyer created the resort and the non-profit Grootbos Foundation to help conserve the Cape Floral Kingdom, the smallest of the six designated floral kingdoms of the world.

UNESCO described the region as one of the global “hottest hot spots” for the diversity of its often critically threatened plant life; it contains three times as many plant species as you can find in the Amazon.

The highlight of a stay at Grootbos is a ‘floral safari’, for which guests head out before dawn to watch the sun rise over the mountains before driving through spectacular coastal countryside exploring vast swathes of native flowers and spotting the long-tailed sugar birds that dart from protea to protea to feed. The resort partners with Dyer Island Cruises (www.sharkwatchsa.com) to offer expeditions from Gansbaai harbour in search of great white sharks and whales. You can also explore the caves and pristine beaches of Walkers Bay below Grootbos – just note that while the water may look enticing, it’s icy cold.

From Grootbos, a two-hour drive along the famed Garden Route takes you through the renowned wine region of Stellenbosch to Cape Town. South Africa’s oldest city is also its most naturally beautiful,

164

Left: the penthouse suite at Cape Town’s Silo Hotel takes full advantage of the building’s floor-toceiling domed windows. Right: carved out of former grain silos behind the Silo Hotel, the atrium of Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa displays Ghanaian sculptor El Anatsui’s installation Tsiatsia – searching for connection (2013).

Below, from left: banquettes at the Shortmarket Club in Cape Town; watchful impala in the Sabi Sabi Game Reserve, in the north-east of South Africa.

as is evident from the rooftop of the opulent Silo Hotel (www. theroyalportfolio.com), a 28-room boutique waterfront property housed in a former grain silo on the working harbour. Here, you have 360-degree views of the flat-top Table Mountain and Lion’s Head peak, the city centre, the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront shopping and dining precinct below the hotel and even Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for all those years.

The Silo Hotel occupies the grain elevator structure of the silo complex, while the silos themselves have been carved out to create the galleries of Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (zeitzmocaa. museum). Zeitz MOCAA is dedicated to 21st-century African art and art from the African diaspora around the world. It’s an astonishing space displaying a series of engaging and enlightening artworks (who knew Zambia had its own astronaut program in the 1960s?).

Capetonians consider their city to be the culinary capital of South Africa, and it’s hard to argue with that opinion when the likes of chef Luke Dale-Roberts is feeding them. If you can’t land a reservation at his Test Kitchen (his first, and most awarded, restaurant), the Pot Luck Club or Salsify at the Roundhouse in Camps Bay, try his most recent venture, the Shortmarket Club (theshortmarketclub.co.za) in the city centre.

Pair a main course of springbok loin with a Stellenbosch pinotage (a signature South African red varietal that’s little known elsewhere) and your immersion in the local culture will be complete.

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DAV E W H E E L E R

VOGUE VOYAGE

IN AND OUT

Where to stay and where to go in Johannesburg, the country’s biggest city.

The stately Saxon boutique hotel (www.saxon.co.za) in Sandhurst, near Joburg’s financial centre of Sandton, feels like a world away from the troubled downtown, with its manicured gardens and lawns, grand lobby and leafy pool area.

Above: in the courtyard of the honeymoon suite at Sabi Sabi’s Selati Camp. Below: a leopard in the Sabi Sabi Game Reserve.

Above: the Amber Presidential Suite at Earth Lodge, one of Sabi Sabi’s four luxury lodges in the game reserve. Below: the expansive four-bedroom villa at Grootbos Private Nature Reserve, overlooking Walker Bay on South Africa’s Western Cape.

Previously a blighted inner-city industrial area, Maboneng sprang into existence in 2009 with the opening of Arts on Main, a creative hub that on Sundays hosts a local designers’ market and buzzing regional food stalls.

On Maboneng’s Fox Street, you’ll now find South African fare such as boerewors sausage with pap and chakalaka relish at Pata Pata, great steaks at Che Argentine Grill and a lively scene at The Living Room rooftop bar.

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VOGUE VOYAGE 3.

2.

5.

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POSTCARD

Wild calling

6.

Embarking on a pinch me voyage, Fernanda Ly discovered the poignant coming together of a blue chip jewellery house with an effort to save a threatened species. By Jen Nurick.

F

ew corners of the world are as vulnerable to the realities of endangered wildlife as Nairobi, the starting point for Australian model Fernanda Ly’s trip of a lifetime to Kenya. Travelling as a guest of jewellery house Tiffany & Co., the model witnessed first-hand the ivory crisis threatening elephant extinction.

Ly’s trip builds on Tiffany & Co.’s 2017 launch of the Save the Wild collection – featuring lion, elephant and rhinoceros charms – as part of the #KnotOnMyPlanet social media campaign, with 100 per cent of the profits going to the Wildlife Conservation Network.

Ly had an illuminating and immersive week-long experience flying over Samburu National Reserve (“The vastness continued to stretch out over the seemingly endless savannah,” she says) and visiting Reteti Elephant Sanctuary.

“To meet demand, ivory is in a perpetual circuit of poaching and trafficking, which will inevitably ruin the continent,” says Ly. “Tiffany & Co. has become a frontrunner in conservation … [The company’s efforts are] testimony to humanity’s power to save the Earth.”

Tiffany & Co. has pledged to make a donation of US$4 million in aid by December 2019, moving the needle for others like Ly to follow by example. “From our insignificant singularities, we can join hands to really make a difference,” she says.

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1. “Camouflage selfie: I am one with the car.”

2. “Picturesque Kenya at sunset.” 3. “Making everyone nervous with my fearlessness.” 4. “On a surveillance flight.”

5. “An elephant en route to a watering hole.

A very rare up close experience.”

6. “At Reteti Elephant Sanctuary, where each calf has its own specialised milk formula.” 7. “A silent encounter with a lone bull.” 8. “Learning about the elephant tracking phone app.”

8.

JUNE 2 0 1 9

VOGUE PROMOTION

VOGUE PROMOTION

VOGUE SOIR ÉE 1.

2.

WORDS: AL SON VENESS P H OTO G R A P H S : A N D R E W J M O R L E Y P H OTO G R A P H Y S T E FA N J A N N I D E S P H OTO G R A P H Y

7.

3.

4.

6.

1. Record covers covered in silk scarf prints. 2. Harts on stage for the opening night. 3. GQ editor Mike Christensen.

4. The set of Silk Mix designed to look like a vinyl record store. 5. &. 6. Guests enjoying the night. 7. Photographer Wes Nel selecting an album.

JUNE 2 0 1 9 169

VOGUE SOIR ÉE 1.

2.

8.

3.

To celebrate the launch of the Mercy collection from Danish jewellery house Georg Jensen, guests gathered at Sydney harbourside Quay Restaurant for an evening affair to remember.

Treated to an intimate dinner prepared by pre-eminent chef

6.

1. From left: Georg Jensen CEO Anne Sullivan with Penny Constanti, Nadia Bayfield and Irene Rayment. 2. Georg Jensen Frequency collection with Grandiflora arrangements on the tables. 4. Sydney’s Circular Quay at sunset. 5. Shark’s private performance for VIP attendees. 6. From left: Vogue editor-in-chief Edwina McCann with Shark and Sullivan. 7. Guests view pieces from Georg Jensen’s Mercy collection. 8. Guests seated for dinner.

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WORDS: JEN NUR CK P H OTO G R A P H S : S E A L M E D I A

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Manhattan time

On a warm autumn evening in Brisbane, champagne greeted guests at the door of the city’s newly opened Omega boutique.

Inside, a gathering of Australia’s fashion set pored over the storied Swiss institution’s freshly unveiled Constellation Manhattan collection. Co-hosted by Omega ambassador Lindy Rama-Ellis, invitees, among them Toni Maticevski, Rebecca Vallance and Tanja Gacic, enjoyed a three-course meal prepared by chef William Wallace in an intimate candle-lit setting within the boutique’s dedicated event space. While relishing the Fraser Island spanner crab and a dessert of dark chocolate ganache with gold leaf, guests were introduced to the new features and modern design of the Manhattan classic: a signature of the watchmaking house worn and beloved by women around the world since 1982. The iconic style, revised to reflect its present-day appeal, was the centrepiece of the soiree, embodying Omega’s ethos to remain at the forefront of refined design and sophisticated technology.

7.

4.

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1. Back row, from left: Paul Vasileff, Lana Wilkinson, Chris Kontos, Jade Kisnorbo. Front, from left: Toni Maticevski, Tanja Gacic, Lindy Rama Ellis and Rebecca Vallance. 2. Chris Kontos and Lana Wilkinson. 3. Rebecca Vallance. 4. Chris Kontos. 5. Aicha Robertson (left) and Milica Cigoja. 6. Tanja Gacic. 7. Lana Wilkinson. 8. Jade Kisnorbo. 9. Lindy Rama-Ellis.

JUNE 2 0 1 9

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A S T R O LO G E R : S T E L L A N O VA

Virgo

22 JUNE – 22 JULY

23 JULY – 23 AUGUST

24 AUGUST – 22 SEPTEMBER

There’s a lot going on behind the scenes now. Your future is at stake, so plan wisely and well, and have Plan B, C and D ready in case you need to deviate unexpectedly. Romance could blur the lines at work or with health, but aim to keep your ultimate career and wellbeing goals in sharp focus.

STYLE ICON: Khloe Kardashian

Switch things up with your tribe now, whether it’s by bringing new life into what you do with your current crew or initiating new members onto team Leo. Romance could emerge from the friends zone, too. A positive outlook will work wonders with a fitness wish or with an ambitious work project.

STYLE ICON: Frances Bean Cobain

Your career gets revitalised this month. Feeling acknowledged for your input could be reward enough, though kudos at work may also be forthcoming financially or even romantically.

You’re a major driving force now.

Don’t resist change, as a volatile connection may be just what’s required for the magic to happen.

STYLE ICON: Arizona Muse

Libra

Scorpio

Sagittarius

23 SEPTEMBER – 23 OCTOBER

24 OCTOBER – 22 NOVEMBER

23 NOVEMBER – 21 DECEMBER

It’s a month for planning ahead and thinking big. If you’ve worn out your options locally, explore outlets further afield. Write that novel or start a blog as you have a message that needs to be heard.

Small steps will get you there.

Your career may go into overdrive, just don’t let it be at the expense of your home-life.

STYLE ICON: Brie Larson

Take extra care with your cash now as your usual financial safety net is out of action. Turn your mind to communication, as crafting something that speaks from your soul will fulfil a desire both to connect and to create.

This works to deepen romance too, where the right words could change everything.

STYLE ICON: Alicia Vikander

You could feel a little off your game this month, so rather than trying to do it all, hand over the reins and share the load. Romance may blossom now too, and though you might not ‘feel the love’, destiny is pushing you to sign and seal romantic and business affairs for security, so it’s vital to focus on the details.

STYLE ICON: Zoë Kravitz

Capricorn

Aquarius

Pisces

22 DECEMBER – 20 JANUARY

21 JANUARY – 18 FEBRUARY

19 FEBRUARY – 20 MARCH

An overloaded mind can lead to an under-loved body, so this month clear your thoughts and focus on ways to nurture yourself that also stimulate your thinking.

Relationships may be passionfilled in your career and personal life. Use this explosive alchemy to transform the way you collaborate into a force for change.

STYLE ICON: Haley Bennett

It’s a loving and playful month, though be wary of mind games.

Friendships and ambitions may be on hold now as your romantic hopes are raised, but keep a grip on reality and don’t lose touch with friends, hopes and dreams.

A bold yet nurturing approach to finding fulfilment with work and health will get swift results.

STYLE ICON: Lily Donaldson

Light up your home life now as you have energy and ideas to reconfigure your dwelling options. You could be overoptimistic with your plans, creatively and with romance too, so make sure time, work and money all meet expectations to feed your super-powered need for comfort and companionship.

STYLE ICON: Sophie Turner

Aries

Taurus

Gemini

21 MARCH – 20 APRIL

21 APRIL – 21 MAY

22 MAY – 21 JUNE

It’s a month for raising your profile and making new connections. Keep things local and also keep a grip on reality when it comes to spending.

Hunkering down chez vous is your safest and most desirable option as the month ends, when home and lifestyle plans could be open to a major overhaul.

STYLE ICON: Paris Jackson

The urge to splurge could prove irresistible, but spontaneous spending could be your undoing now, so keep a sharp eye on your budget. Conversations that make you feel like part of the family are a big theme this month. A revelation could bring changes, so believe what you see but not necessarily all you hear.

STYLE ICON: Katherine Langford

Others will notice the inner confidence and the extra gorgeousness you’re radiating this month, but you could attract hangers-on, so protect yourself from energy vampires. Money matters need attention, so aim to revolutionise the way you earn, spend and save rather than live now and pay later.

STYLE ICON: Georgia Fowler

June

Leo

HOROSCOPES

Cancer

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W O R D S : J E N N U R I C K S H OT O N LO C AT I O N AT J A R DA N , S Y D N E Y A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT V O G U E . CO M . A U/ W T B

L AST PAGE

INSTANT LIFT

The humdrum of nine-to-five is crying out for accessories that excite. Demna Gvasalia’s latest offering for Balenciaga commands attention, empowering the working woman with a top handle that fits all without just fitting in.

ART DIREC TION D IJANA MAD D I SO N ST YLING K AI L A MAT TH E WS PHOTOG R APH G EO RG I NA EGAN

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