THE BOY WITH THE PRADA BACKPACK!

LONDON I LOVE YOU!

2012-01-15T23:00:00.001-08:00

*This post was typed into my Blackberry on the way to London Heathrow International Airport on October 1st 2011 as I made my way back to Melbourne for the summer...

I can't really believe that after 2 years of living in the most amazing city in the world, I am now in a cab on the way to Heathrow to return down under until my sponsorship is processed and I can return to London. It doesn't feel real & still hasn't quite hit me. Words can't really begin to describe how much I love London. When I think back to the boy that moved here 2 years ago and the journey i've had it seems surreal. I never could have prepared myself for the emotional rollercoaster that waited for me in the United Kingdom. I landed, a very much in love highly devoted boyfriend who was ready to start a new life with someone I thought was my soulmate. I didn't think I had it in me to leave him, where I found that inner strength from I'll never know, but I did. Hard as it was looking back I see now it was the best decision I've ever made. My life started fresh. I could finally be the ME I wanted to be. However, from a heartbreaking end to a 2 year relationship - my first ever relationship - to my first internship in Fashion which single handedly changed my life and took me for a ride I will never forget. To the amazing people I've met who I now refer to as my London family - the real ME began to blossom. I've had the pleasure of meeting people I've looked up to and admired since childhood, have found myself in many a surreal situation and have been lucky enough to work with some of the most incredibly talented people in the world and I still can't quite fathom how this has all happened. I never knew I could love a city this much but when you land on your feet in a place where you feel more yourself than ever, you soon realise that 'home' really is where the heart is and my heart will well and truly always be in London. I could write a novel on the countless things I love about the city, its treasures, its people and through this blog I very well have! Words really can't do justice for how amazing my time has been so i'll let some pictures do the talking - there have been too many incredible moments along the way but here's a snapshot!

When I start to think about all the things i've learnt about myself in the last 2 years it overwhelms me slightly. I learnt so many things in London, simple every day things like doing your own washing, cooking and cleaning - to more complicated things like dealing with your first break up. However the most important lesson I learnt was the importance of the relationship you have with yourself. At the end of the day you have to wake up in your skin day in-day out and if you can't look in the mirror and love the person you see staring back no one ever will. For the first time in my life I started taking time to get to know ME. Having 'dates with myself' as I would call them much to my friends' amusement. However I have come back more comfortable with myself as a person than ever and look forward to continuously learning more about myself as the years go by. The journey back to Geelong will be a long one for this BOY WITH THE PRADA BACKPACK but it won't be long till i'm back home & that for me is London.

Thankyou London x I love you x

A TRIBUTE TO THE BIG BROTHER I NEVER HAD & WILL NEVER FORGET!

2012-01-05T02:59:00.000-08:00

*This is quite an emotional post but I felt it necessary to pay tribute to someone who had such an impact on my life.

You often hear the saying 'you meet everyone for a reason' - and in the fast pace world we live in, often forget it. However it could not be more true. Almost every person that comes into your life will teach you something. Good or Bad. I'll never forget the first conversation I had with Paul. I was working at Diesel almost 3 years ago now , myself in the female denim department and he in the male denim department. Paul was statuesque in form, like a true 'Adonis' perfect in every way physically. 6 foot something and super masculine - the kind of boy that would normally have tormented me in highschool and the type of boy that I at times still find myself intimidated of. My female colleague and I were having a discussion about my then boyfriend and as Paul approached us I went quiet. "Why'd you go quiet for , are you talking about me?" , "No, but i'm talking about something you might not feel comfortable hearing?" , "What, something gay? Denis half of my mates are gay you can talk about whatever you want and I wouldn't care man, you should come hang out with us in Menswear more , get to know me". I really didn't expect him to say that - there's more to this boy then meets the eye - I thought. So , everytime I'd walk past menswear I'd wave, say hello and on quieter days would stop for a chat. As time went on the chats became longer, more personal, more in-depth. After one occasion of drinks at the pub after work, we exchanged numbers and so a friendship was born. Fast forward 2 years later and this 'macho-russian-adonis' soon became the big brother I never had. From work-out tips "Denis, when you're doing push ups imagine a hot guy underneath you, that'll keep you motivated" , to relationship advice "Any guy who can't see how amazing you are is not worth your time Den" to talking about our dreams for the future - Paul and I could talk to each other about almost everything *I say almost because though he was the most gay friendly straight boy you could meet, so much so he came to Gay Pride with me and all our work friends - the mention of 'too many sexual details' would make him shudder & he'd often say "Den i'm glad you got laid, I just don't need to hear how" - bless him*. I'll never forget one evening while out to dinner I noticed a really attractive boy walk into the restaurant. "He's so hot" I exclaimed. "So go ask him out" dared Paul. "Are you joking? I could never do that?" , "Why not, what have you got to lose, you don't know him, at worst he'll say no or will have a boyfriend. At best you'll get this guys number" after much discussion he exclaimed "We're not leaving here till you do it Den" - and so I did it. With Paul's encouragement took a brave leap and did something I'd normally never do. Because that is the kind of effect Paul had on people. He was infectious. His smile would light up a room and put everyone at ease. From the outside some would say he could be passed of as a gym-junkie russian boy with an ego *and though this may not be entirely false hehe* for those of us who were lucky enough to know him on a deeper level, we knew inside that

tough boy exterior was the most sensitive, loving, caring and loyal person you will ever come across. Paul had a heart of gold. He was the kind of person that would literally give you the shirt off his back to help you. He helped me through many tough times and I was there for him when he needed me. I'll never forget him saying to me 'Deni I'm an only child, i've never had a brother so you can be my little brother' - in September of last year I lost my big brother Paul. Details aren't necessary. What's important is the effect he had on me and how amazing our bond was. Two total opposites a short-weak-homo and this statue of perfection yet together our brotherly bond stayed strong. I will never forget how much he meant to me and still think about him daily. I recently got his last words tattoo'd onto my back. LOVE.LAUGH.LIVE. three words that couldn't sum Paul up better. Paul came into my life for a reason - he taught me never to judge a book by its cover. To give people a chance. He taught me to be brave. To take risks. To Love hard. Laugh hard. Live hard. He also taught me that we should never take the ones we love foregranted because you just never know when your last goodbye may be. Though he's not here physically, I will forever have the amazing memories we had and his spirit will live on.

My Paulos I love you so much big brother and miss you everyday! xxx forever your little brother Deni!

EDITORIAL DEBUT!

2011-12-30T18:23:00.000-08:00

*Another long post guys so go pour a glass of wine! Enjoy x

Seeing your name in a magazine is something every one who aspires to work in Fashion dreams about. Flicking through the pages of my favorite magazines , always paying close attention to who styled the shoot , who did the photography , the make-up , the hair - its always the Editorial Credits I once looked at hoping one day that I would see my name credited in a respected fashion magazine. I will never forget the first time I saw my name credited in a magazine. I eagerly waited for the July Issue of Cosmopolitan UK to hit the stands. When I saw it beaming from the magazine vendor on the corner Argyll St & Great Marlborough Street , opposite my favorite department store Liberty's, I almost skipped along to it , picked it up placing Kim Kardashian's face on the counter (the cover girl for the issue) and handed my 4 pound 70 pence over to the elderly european man whom I buy gum and chocolate from on an almost daily basis. 'You look very happy today' , 'I'm in this magazine' I exclaimed with a smile. 'Really? Good for you buddy' , 'Thankyou' - and there It was! I walked a few steps across the corner and flipped through the pages till I landed on the 'Facebook Fashion' page. A style page myself and my fellow intern at the time compiled. A guide on how to wear the same item twice in different ways just like celebs so that you wouldn't be 'tagged on facebook in the same outfit twice'. I scanned my eye across and down to the right hand corner. There it was - compiled by Denis Todorovic. My name, Denis Todorovic in the pages of Cosmopolitan, the UK's highest selling glossy and a magazine I used to snatch off my girlfriends in high school to read. I squealed, did what can be described as 'hug' the magazine, smile again, look at my name again and skipped off into the day!

The moment fell surreal and at the same time so satisfying. 'Your hard work is paying off' - I thought to myself. All the interning , the working two jobs, its all worth it - moments like this make it worth every second. Since then I have started to build quite a collection of editorial credits from various shoots I've done with various magazines and each time I still pinch myself!

Being credited as an assistant is one thing, but to get your first Editorial as the Fashion Stylist/Director of the shoot - this is something I've been dreaming off from the day I decided I wanted to become a stylist. Fast forward 9 months and there I was being offered my first fully fledged editorial for a very well respected edgy fashion publication - FIASCO magazine. After re-reading the email 3 times and pinching myself another couple times I very happily accepted and before I knew it I was doing appointments pulling pieces from the likes of Felder Felder, Markus Lupfer, Camilla and Marc, Graeme Armour, Willow and Rupert Sanderson. The next thing I knew it was the day of the shoot and me and my gorgeous friend Holly, who was playing my assistant again today - were on our way to the location. The story was about two teenagers in love who decide to defy the odds and runaway together with nothing but love and some pretty cool clothes on their back. The story needed to be stronger than the clothing we didnt want the fashion too overpowering. It wasn't a 'Fashion Story' per se more a story that included fashion. The clothes needed to reflect their characters. Inspired by Chloe Sevigny, Kate Moss and the early 90s grunge period I was more ready than ever to style my first editorial!

Shooting can be a long day. I think sometimes people underestimate the work that goes into it. All the clothing that you have to call in, to the prep, the steaming, then there's trial and error and things that you thought would work may not , so then you rework looks until you get it just right. At times one shot can take up to an hour to shoot - however, when you're working in a team of amazing people the 'hardwork' element disappears and the creative energy in the room is like a drug that just keeps you buzzing from start to finish. Every look couldn't have worked out better, the photography was on point and each shot told the story perfectly! So after an amazing day of shooting I then highly anticipated the arrival of the magazine in print! 3 months later I was going through some old scrap books that I used to keep from the age of 13 , where I would cut out pictures from fashion magazines and document my fashion trends, shows and designers. Whilst doing this my mum walked through the door handing me a package 'Deni I think your magazines have arrive' - ordering it online the magazine landed on my door step and I was literally bursting with excitement to open it. As I flipped through the pages landing on my story I started smiling ear to ear. 'The Runaways' read the title, Fashion Stylist - Denis Todorovic. I couldn't believe my eyes - it was such a full circle moment, here I was flicking through my old scrapbooks and mountains of fashion magazines to know holding a fashion magazine with a fashion story I styled in my hands! Its a moment I'll never forget! I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to make my dreams come true! No matter how big your dreams - never stop chasing them as they will come true! Check out some of the highlights from the final product xoxo Deni

LFW - the last day of another season!

2011-12-28T01:00:00.000-08:00

LFW comes and goes like a flash of lightning. A week of shows , the daily routine of rushing from show to show getting little time to stop for food in between, followed by the after parties and events that proceed the day of shows - it can all be quite hectic. Amongst all the mayhem however you can't help but be excited that for a week you get to enjoy your greatest passion in a flurry of creative expression and most shows you attend in some way will inspire you , if its not coming from the catwalk it can come from the people attending the show , their style , or it may be the music , the lighting , the set etc... its a constant source of inspiration. To be a part of this , I feel truly lucky! My last day was relatively quiet in comparison to mosts, and today I chose to keep on the Neon theme wearing a great acid lime knit sweater from American Apparel layered under a vintage black cardigan with neon coloured print - breaking it up with my favorite vintage metallic silver Chanel bag, a super special item - it was its first LFW season out & about!

First show was that of Jasper Garvida's , a young asian designer based in London , known for embellishment and a bit of glam factor. Attending with my LFW buddy and best friend Laura , she absolutely took my breath away in her gorgeous embellished black Jasper Garvida Dress!

The show began and was a combination of futuristic inspired fabrics and silhouettes, included lots of embellishment , think disco ball like mirror applique, gold studs, silver aluminum foil like leathers and a black and white mod print. One part 2020 robots and One part 1970 Pool Goddess some of the pieces had a very throwback to vintage glamour type feel to them and wouldn't look out of place with a pair of hoop earrings and cocktail in hand by the water while others looked like they could be seen on the set of a Jessie J music video...here's a snapshot!

My final show/presentation of the week was by an up and coming designer by the name of Fedro Gaudenzi. I didn't really know much about him, had never even seen any of his clothes however one of my best friends who works in PR was invited to his show and asked me to go along and be her +1 as she had heard promising things about him. The presentation was taking place in a Penthouse in Mayfair - not bad for an up and comer - and when sat in the small intimate setting neither one of us really knew what we were getting ourselves into - however then the clothing started coming out , modeled on girls who seemed to sway and act rather than strut and pose. It was avant garde at its best , edgy, unique, just the right amount of risque and some might say 'weird' , but the beauty and the craftsman ship in every single dress that came out was incredible. It was one of those moments where you felt 'ok this could be the start of something

incredible. This young boy could be a rising star' and by the end of the presentation I remembered why I love fashion , because it gives us the opportunity to hope and dream , to pour all of our passions into a project and see the end result - living on a body. Its like that quote from The Devil Wears Prada , 'Fashion is the greatest form of art because we live in it' - and it really is that simple! Ending the week on this note reminded me why LFW has always been somewhat magical to me , I look forward to many more xoxo Deni

LFW - Neon, Mermaids and the day I met ADR

2011-11-24T01:05:00.001-08:00

*Hey Readers, once again apologies for the gap between blogs but one has been very very busy! However buckle up and get ready for some reading...enjoy!

As Day 3 swung around I felt the need to inject some colour and a bit of fun into my LFW wardrobe. Last season I got the biggest kick out of wearing my vintage neon pink neoprene trousers (which a week later ended up appearing in Jil Sander form on their runway during
MFW -fashion psychic perhaps?) this season however it was a printed oversized shirt in an array of neon colours that caught my eye while parousing the racks of Beyond Retro. Paired down with some white J Brands (THE best jeans in the world) and my neon converse I added a lolly green suede envelope bag from American Apparel and stacked a pink watch against my blue watch! To add to the effect I decided to channel my inner-becks an add Blue Polish! Voila!

I met my little ray of sunshine Miss. Laura Whitmore at the Vauxhaull Fashion Scout Venue (Freemasons Hall - Covent Garden) for the first show of the day, the luxe 'Izmaylova'. Clacking her heels down the pavement she squealed 'Aah your outfit makes me smile'. Meeting our friend the lovely Jewellery Princess Amber Atherton (check out her fabulous jewellery online store www.myflashtrash.com) at the door she too smiled at the ensemble 'I have to take a picture of this so when I'm feeling sad it makes me smile' - happy to make my girls smile this is just what fashion should feel like - FUN! On we went in taking our seats to board the 'Izmaylova Express' the runway was to look like a train station, its guests ready to hop onto a fashion-train ride of silk, sequins, feathers and the sort of luxury usually seen on the catwalks of Milan & Paris. Beautiful cuts & embellishment there were definitely some HOT red carpet frocks on show!

After our flurry of feathers we made our way over to catch the presentation of one of our favorite shoe brands Charlotte Olympia (designed by Charlotte Dellal). Inspired by the beach, mermaids and sea shells we were welcomed by gorgeous models lounging on sunbeds on the faux-beach in gorgeous C'Olympia heels! It was especially fun as I got Laura in two pairs of Charlotte's shoes over the course of LFW so we were ready to see what next season had in store!

I especially loved the palm tree print with wrought iron heels - a true work of fine fashion art!

About 20minutes into the presentation I noticed a certain someone walk through the door. This certain someone was none other than one of my GREATEST fashion Hero's the incredible Editor of Vogue Japan Anna Dello Russo. I had seen ADR a few times last season when she graced the front rows of Julien Macdonald and Kinder Aggugini however this was my first ADR spotting of the season! Dressed in demure-yet-chic white tuxedo with a citrus Bottega Venetta clutch in hand she breezed her way through the room without fuss and though she commanded every ones attention - a legend was in the room after all - you could feel just how down to earth she was by her presence. It was at this moment that I knew I had to introduce myself to this Fashion Great! Tapping her on the shoulder 'Anna, hi my name is Denis and I just have to say that you are one of my hero's, you're so inspiring' , 'Ah, thankyou' she said , 'What do you do?' , 'I'm a Stylist and Blogger' , 'Ah Si very good' she replied. Being in her presence just made me feel even more inspired to follow my fashion dream and one day achieve the greatness that ADR has.

Happy as a boy on Christmas morning we left the presentation and I parted ways with Whit to make my last show - one of my favorites of the season - Mark Fast! Best known for his body con dresses that when seen on the hanger look like kidswear but once on body form hugs every curve in all the right places , it was time to see what this genius had up his sleeve this season!

He didn't dissapoint with another collection inspired by the sea he sent out Mark Fast Mermaids in bright corals, citrus yellows, neon pink paired down with gold, ivory and a finale of black in his signature knit body hugging creations! This was a collection that bought sexy back! After a day of neon, under-the-sea inspirations and the highlight of my LFW (meeting Anna Dello Rosso) it was nice to see that my Neon ensemble was not only appreciated by my friends but my peers in the industry also - as I found myself appearing in the next days LFW Daily Street Style pages!

With the caption 'Brightest by Far' featuring in The Daily is always the biggest compliment to your LFW wardrobe! xoxo Deni

The Fashion Circus continues...

2011-11-14T20:04:00.000-08:00

As Fashion Week continued, day one was a whirlwind and day two proved to be a little less hectic. Only one evening show to attend and a fabulous event afterwards meant today was definitely the day to chill out and have a little fun. As I made my way to the Issa show I was super excited about my outfit. Earlier in the week the lovely team at Bryan Morel PR loaned me a fabulous shirt from John Rocha. Unfortunately I couldn't make it to the John Rocha show so

decided to rep the shirt that night. In this season's hottest print *snakeskin obviously* the silk shirt in a black/grey degrade colour came straight off the menswear runway which I loved even more! I layered it with my suede blazer to combine textures and left feeling very fabulous...

Picking up Miss.Whitmore en-route , Laura was rocking a seriously deadly look! We were invited to the All Saints LFW party and when earlier in the week I selected something for Laura to wear this leather corset-inspired dress immediately jumped out at me! Seeing it on her, matched with a John Rocha fur shrug was perfection she was sporting sex factor on a whole new level!

As we took our seats in the first & second rows (Laura - first, me - second - obviously) at the Issa show , the electric energy was pulsing through the room. It was the last show of the evening and everyone at the tent of Somerset House was excited for the night ahead. Joining us was Made in Chelsea star & jewellery business owner Amber Atherton. Her and Laura had met earlier in the week and it was an absolute pleasure meeting her. Soon enough the show was under way and what a show it was! Carnival in Rio was the inspiration behind the collection which featured fruit prints, sequins and fringing in an array of pop colours and citrus brights! As Caroline Issa came out to take her bow a head-dress adorned carnival girl followed with her and it had every single person in the tent cheering and dancing in their seat ready to party! For a moment it made me stop and smile and reminded me why I love fashion, when clothing has the power to transport you to a different country, a feeling, a mood, it's a truly special moment!

In such good spirits Laura, Amber and I hopped into a black cab and swiftly made our way over to Marylebone One to attend All Saint's London Fashion Week 'Not For Sale' event. As we entered this gorgeous venue the fashion crowd was a buzz and a mix of fashionista's including celebrity stylist/Britain's Next Top Model judge Grace Woodward (who just quietly is a bit of a

diva and loves to make an entrance) Fashion Blogger/model/muse Bip Ling, Reality Star Lydia Rose Bright from The Only Way Is Essex fame and a bit of fashion-rock royalty Jamie Hince aka Mr.Kate Moss. The Cocktails were flowing, the music was pumping and being there with Laura was the perfect way to end Day 2 of London Fashion Week , because fashion aside what would life be without friends? Stay tuned for the final installation of my LFW diary xoxo Deni

LFW comes to bid me farewell...(for now)...DAY ONE!

2011-10-19T23:23:00.000-07:00

*This may be quite a long post. Just giving y'all a heads up! Perhaps go make a cup of tea before reading...

I remember the first time I saw a fashion show on the telly as a kid. Laugh as you will but it was while watching a tragic little american soap known as 'The Bold & The Beautiful'. My grandma was and 23 year later still is, obsessed with the program, so I would very often watch it together with her. The show revolves around the fashion houses of Spectra & Forrester Creations. I remember an episode featuring a Forrester Creations Fashion Show - there they were, models one after the other coming out looking more glamorous than the one that walked before, lights flashing, music pounding and I a 6 year old boy - felt an electric pulse surge through my body whatever this world was , I wanted to be apart of it. I wanted to be a part of one of these 'Fashion Shows' - and so through american daytime television my dreams of attending a fashion show were well and truly born! Fast forward 17 years and sitting front row at

the Maria Grachvogel show, during London Fashion Week, as a respected up-and-coming Fashion/Celebrity Stylist with my client/best friend MTV Presenter Laura Whitmore and I couldn't help but think 'How did this happen?'. I arrived to London just over 2 years ago with one big suitcase and an even bigger dream and once again it was coming true. This September marked my 4th season of LFW so as I got into my cab on Day 1 in my metallic panelled Aqua trousers & Dior shirt , studded Kaviar Guache cuff firmly on my wrist - I was ready for the week ahead!

Day 1 proved very hectic. One day, 6 shows to attend and 3 events in the evening! As the season before I was styling Laura for the shows/events she attended. So for Day 1 we had 3 looks. Including a Pyrus dress & ankle boot combo. A lace & leather top and skirt combo set off with some serious Charlotte Olympia heels & for evening a sexy All Saints dress cinched in with a Felder Felder belt & a pair of sexy shoes once again by the incredible Charlotte Olympia!

After a very busy day *thankgod I had my LFW survival kit of Jaffa Cakes & Diet Coke on hand to keep me soldiering through the day* and after some very great shows it was off to pick up my darling Laura for the nights events! A quick costume change for me into a Topshop shirt and a sick Ralph Lauren Rugby skull & cross bone bow tie and it was ready to party! First stop was a party held for the launch of Britney Spears new single. Miss Spears however stayed for a mere 15 minutes allowing me no time to have a brush with the pop diva I've grown up with!

Following that was the Esprit Store event on bustling Regent Street with the amazing Emeli Sande as the entertainment , we were truly spoiled with her amazing voice, her performance of her hit single 'Heaven' gave me goosebumps to an extreme! After that we hopped into a cab and

headed over to The Mayfair Hotel for the party that always kicks off the LFW season - the PPQ after party where after several cocktails and a spot of dancing I bid farewell to my little ray of sunshine (Miss Whitmore) and made my way home into the hours of the early morning...

...after all Day 2, 3 & 4 were approaching us the next morning xoxo Deni

MUSIC VIDEO STYLING...A DREAM COME TRUE!

2011-09-27T03:19:00.000-07:00

From a very young age I have been obsessed with music videos. As a child I would wake up at 9am every Saturday morning to watch 'Video Hits' and eagerly await the Top 40 videos that week , video taping my favorite videos. I always dreamed that one day I could be part of a music video. (I've also always had the fantasy of producing/directing a music video, its on my list of things to do) As I got older and started to understand the role of a stylist I remember thinking 'God I'd love to style a music video' , so when by recommendation of a friend , I was called by a production company to do just that - style my first music video - I jumped at the chance and after receiving the confirmation email I danced around my bedroom in my underwear! *its the little things*

The video was for debut artist Noah Stewart, a classically trained singer signed to Universal records. Flying in from New York, the black and white music video was being shot in London and the inspiration was Old Hollywood Glamour, a style I've always loved. Think men in dapper suits and women in sexy , gorgeous gowns. Luxurious fabrics , amazing jewellery and beautiful hair. After meeting with the production team , the Director made it very clear that I had total creative control , all he requested was an amazing floor length black dress for the leading lady! Easy right? Well after 3 days of trailing vintage stores and most fashion PR agencies in London , this task was becoming near impossible. At the 11th hour (literally 10pm the night before the shoot) my best friend Laura presented me with a gorgeous one of a kind dress that fit the brief - and then some! As I went to bed that night , cases packed for tomorrow's shoot , I had butterflies in my stomach and woke up the following morning (at 5am) like a kid at Christmas. As my car came to collect me we drove through the dark London morning and I felt overwhelmed for the day ahead. The location for the shoot was the stunning Bentley Hotel in Knightsbridge, Chelsea.

Arriving on set were my two gorgeous friends who were there to assist me for the day. Holly, who I used to intern with at Vogue and her friend Libby who interns at Tank magazine. As the

three of us looked at each other we started to chuckle. All three of us were wearing black and white ensembles with seriously statement making shoes - great minds think alike no?

We started to get the models and extra's into hair and make-up when our first drama presented itself. Upon viewing the gorgeous floor length black dress the production team decided it needed to have a longer trail and after being told to "Make it happen..." I started to think 'What can I do to give this dress a longer trail' - before the thought it even came into my head my two assistants were on the phone calling fabric stores in Chelsea to buy some fabric , it was at that moment I realised how crucial it is to work in a great team! In the end we ended up pinning 2 other black dresses to the hem of the existing dress to give the illusion of a trail 'we can smooth it out in post production' said the crew , and with that it was Lights , Camera & Action! First scene ready to go!

The next 17 hours *yes thats right , the shoot was almost 20 hours in total* went passed in a flurry of costume, scene & location changes and it wasn't till about half way through when I found myself standing with the crew while the director called 'Action' that I started to get emotional (on the inside - one musn't cry on set hehe) at the reality of what my life was turning into to! My dreams were coming true and I just don't know how it came to be this way - too lucky for words! As we wrapped up the shoot , packed up the cases and said goodbye to cast and crew , I got into a cab at just after midnight and drove home into the London night with a tear in my eye. As I looked across the city, all lit up, I just felt an overwhelming feeling of happiness. I couldn't wait to get on set of another music video and was itching to see the final result of this one!

A mere 3 weeks later , I received a call from the production company booking me to style another video '...we know its really last minute but we were so impressed with your work on the Noah video we'd love you to style our next project' and before I knew it 4 days later I found myself at the BBC Television studios in West London at 6.30am with another suitcase of clothes for the day's shoot. It was for a rock trio called the 'Band of Skulls' , now most people will know that I love pretty much all music and have a very varied taste however safe to say my passion

sticks around the Hip/Hop & Pop genres, so I was not cool enough to know who the band were or quite how much of a following they have! The story for this video was unique , and unlike anything I've ever worked on as it involved professional martial arts sequences choreographed & 'performed' as such by some very talented kung-fu fighters. The styling inspiration came from the 70s and with that in mind the shoot begun! Going from doing a classical song to a rock song with a very catchy hook, the vibe on set was completely different & you could just feel the electric energy pulsing through the room! It was the type of feeling where as filming continued all members of crew would just keep looking at each other as we knew this was going to be something so amazing , and something that'd we'd all be so very proud to put our names on!

When I found myself watching both videos back a few weeks later , I squealed , smiled and cried simultaneously! Seeing the hard work and long hours put into every aspect of the video and then seeing the final product , is one of the proudest moments you can have as a stylist. Both videos will truly be an experience I wont ever forget and will always be very proud of! Hopefully one day I'll be styling videos for some of the hip hop & pop icons I admire so much! For now check these two vids out by following the links below! xoxo Deni

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvLlgegB1Gc&ob=av2e

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XUwKewzdNs

Assisting my HERO...

2011-09-22T08:45:00.001-07:00

It's not every day you get the chance to work with someone you look up to, someone you call 'your hero' - so when you get that chance on more than one occasion its necessary to pinch yourself and go 'fuck I'm lucky' - pardon the french. When I moved to London two years ago I discovered the amazing Natalie Hartley, then Fashion Editor at The Sunday Times Style now Senior Fashion Editor at InStyle Magazine. I've gone into detail about my 'fashion-crush' & admiration for Natalie on my blog before, I loved her column in STYLE & obsess over her own personal style and will state again that she is pretty much the coolest girl in the world - fact!After interning at InStyle , I would email every 6 weeks or so updating her on what I'd be doing with work , my internship at Vogue etc... trying to send a message out into the universe that I'd love to assist her again. So when she emailed me asking if I could do just that , I jumped at the chance. Over the past couple months I have been lucky enough to assist Natalie on a shoot for Japanese Vogue (one of my favorite publications) , 3 New Look campaign shoots and a jewelery look-book. Each and every time I work with her I am constantly in awe at how incredibly talented , hard working and grounded a person she is. All to often people lose themselves in this industry. They forget where they come from and the hard work it took them to get to where they are - Natalie is not one of those people. Meeting someone you look up to immensely and finding out that they are that down to earth & grounded is incredible. When I was asked to assist on the Japanese Vogue story I couldn't believe my luck. To me, there's nothing better than a fashion story by Natalie Hartley, seeing her fashion stories in InStyle each month is something I look forward to at the start of every month, when I see it on the stands I can't wait to purchase & soak in her pages (i'm a sad fashion geek I know but i'm cool with that)There's something about the way she tells a story through fashion that is so inspiring. The Vogue shoot itself was incredible , watching her at her best was all I could ask for and more - taking in someones creative energy like that - well you can't quite match it! I'm still not sure how over the past 2 years I've been so lucky with the opportunities I've been given and I didn't quite comprehend how lucky I was to be on that Japanese Vogue shoot until I was on the tube home , which is when I wrote the below into my blackberry notepad, and with this i'll end this post
xoxo Deni

Its days like today that truly remind me why i've always dreamed of working in fashion. Its days like today I realise how incredibly lucky I am to keep getting these opportunities. Natalie Hartley is someone I admire so much & to not only get to work with her but feed off of her energy , her creativity and her experience is beyond amazing. Hearing her story and how hard she worked to get to where she is today, further inspires me to keep persevering my dream to one day become a fashion director. Not many people can say that they've worked with their hero - I feel nothing but blessed! Thankyou universe...

A SPANISH PIECE OF HEAVEN!

2011-09-22T07:48:00.000-07:00

*Another apology to all my readers I've had computer issues for the past month and haven't been able to do any blogging! How technology can be our best friend and worst enemy i'll never understand. However, here comes a whole lot of updates...Enjoy! xxx

Before my parents made their way back to the shores down under it was time for us to investigate the shores of Spain, as we set off on a holiday for 4 on the Spanish Riviera - Alicante to be precise. Never having been to Espana before I was ready for sun , sea and sangria...and the very good chance that there would be lots of annoying tourists invading my idea of a holiday. What I got (within the first 3 hours) were in fact the three S's (mentioned above) minus the annoying tourists......the beauty of Alicante is that , though it has its main strip of tourist attractions - think a Marina , the main beach and a strip of Palm Trees and market vendors - it also has its little unknown treasures waiting to be discovered. Our hotel , was conveniently located in a quieter part of town and only a 10 euro taxi journey into the main beach. Within hours of arrival we made our way to a private beach recommended by a local (they always know the best spots) and suddenly it felt as though we were on a planet of our own. A beautiful rock beach nestled in a corner of the hill with water as clear as crystal and apparently only the four of us......conveniently for us , above the mainland and up two flights of white conrete stairs sat a quaint little restaurant (the size of most peoples living rooms) with the best Sangria & Seafood Paella in Alicante. The owner spoke barely a word of english , however some how we managed to communicate and suddenly we had discovered a local gem! Sat outdoors, which allowed me to sunbathe and eat simultaneously (hey i'm basically british now and see very little sun) we feasted on amazing cuisine and drank probably just a little too much sangria combined with sun...What followed was 4 wondrous days spent with my beautiful family. We swam, we drank, we ate and we bonded! Highlights included finding a hidden little village with my brother after walking up the hills of the main part of town , what I found interesting was that as its a small town the villagers had to build houses up and into the mountains as there wasn't enough room on the main land. The result is beautiful and some what magical , the view from the top - breathtaking!
On the last morning of our stay my mum and I climbed up the Santa Barbara Castle which sits at the top of Alicante. From most parts of the town you can see it somewhere in the distance and whilst my brother and father decided to sleep in , mum and I were up at the crack of dawn (quite literally) to climb the beast! The result was well worth the effort and it was so beautiful to experience that together with mum , encouraging each other as we made the trek to the top...
Sad as we were to say goodbye it soon came time to leave Sunny Spain and head back to dreary London Town. The 5 days we spent together on the coast was such a lovely break , it bought back memories of family holidays we'd taken as children but now we're all mature adults and our relationship keeps evolving, they're not just my parents and brother any more they're my best friends and going away with your best friends is pretty special! xoxo Deni

BEVERLY HILLS via LONDON!

2011-08-02T09:08:00.000-07:00

*Firstly a big apology for lack of posts of late. My life has literally just been that hectic that i've not had time to sit down and properly update you all on it! So here I am with an afternoon spare to share the adventures of months past.

It seems like years ago that I received an email from the Fashion Director at Cosmopolitan asking me to assist on a celebrity photo shoot , "I know your parents are down , and the shoot is on a Sunday but we'd love it if you could assist on the shoot". I checked with my parents and after an assuring "Deni go for it!" there I was waking up on an oddly sunny April sunday , making my way to Notting Hill for a location shoot with 90210 starlet Jessica Lowndes. Of course I knew the show , and exactly who she was , however I had no idea what would follow. As she came beaming into our trailer my first reaction was 'WOW , those eyes' , I've yet to come across anyone with eyes as piercing as hers , and her big smile was one warm and welcoming , like family. "I'm Jessica" , she said as she extended a hug and kiss. With that , I was head over heels in love - this girl had such an amazing energy , that it was impossible to not smile around her. Bonding over a mutual love of hip hop, red velvet cupcakes from Hummingbird Bakery and boys , we spent the day on shoot mostly hanging out chatting between takes. The shoot in itself , set across London from Notting Hill to Kensington Gardens , was a beautiful way to spend a Sunday , combine this with fashion and for a second I felt so blessed to work in an industry that

allows me to have these amazing opportunities. By the end of the shoot we were tweeting each other and when told she'd be staying in the UK for the summer I thought , 'I must get in touch with her while she's here, I would love to work with her'. 2 weeks later I was standing in customs coming back into London after travelling with my family , reading an email requesting I style Jess for various events she had coming up. Before I knew it , within 3 hours of being in London I was doing appointments pulling Matthew Williamson cocktail dresses and Jimmy Choo heels as options for film premieres and fashion launches. The following day I was sat in Jess's hotel room talking about boys & music and deciding between a metallic Matthew Williamson or coral Zac Posen dress for the premiere of Pirates of the Carribean that very evening. Deciding on the metallic Matthew , I walked out of the hotel with a big smile on my face (always the after effect of being in this amazing girls presence) and when at 1am that evening I saw pictures of Jess from the premiere - I leaped out of bed and did a little dance in my jocks across my room!

Two nights following there was a Marie Claire event at the gorgeous W Hotel. After wearing a Felder Felder belt and cuffs to the film premiere Jess fell head over heels for the designers , so we opted for a full Felder Felder look for the evenings event. The perfect little black dress toughened up by leather and studs! After our fitting , I was invited to go along to the event with Jess and before I knew it we were sat in her car and en-route to The W. As we talked about our family & boys (again), it became more apparent that a really beautiful friendship was forming.

During the party , I got to introduce Jess to Danielle Felder (one part of the Felder Felder design duo) who was thrilled to see Jessica in their design. For a moment I kind of had to pinch myself , this was the kind of moment I've dreamed of my whole life, being taken as a serious stylist by a designer who firmly approved of my styling, too surreal. After the formalities of the party , we were en route to Soho for a group dinner with some of Jess's friends, ending the night with cocktails on the rooftop of the Soho Sanctum Hotel - a bond was formed and over the course of the next month a little family formed. Friends I will have forever , beautiful people like Jamie Shepherd & Matt Johnsons , news reporters to London , big brothers to me and Laura Beverley

Glamour model -turned big sister all of which saved my life after a night of too much Grey Goose. Then there is Jessica , no longer 'Jessica Lowndes of 90210 fame' but now just Jess , my gorgeous canadian friend who is immensely talented with a gift in singing & acting, whom I share a love of Hummingbird cupcakes and The Nanny with. That is the most fulfilling part of what i've been lucky enough to call 'my job' , not the "meeting famous people" which can so often become an element that distracts people of their true self, but making incredible friends and memories both of which will last a lifetime! It is for this that I feel truly blessed! xoxo Deni

FAMILY

2011-06-05T12:56:00.000-07:00

When I think back to the tearful goodbye at Tullamarine Airport - Melbourne , more than 19 months ago now, I can't fathom how I've gone this long with out physically being in the same room as my family. Skype - is a miracle of our modern world and though smiling into the webcam of my laptop whilst chatting to my parents and brother on a weekly basis is lovely (most times multiple times a week), it is not quite the same as reaching out for a hug. Sometimes when the world feels like its crumbling around you , all you want is a hug from your mum and this is a luxury i've not had for a very long time. So it was on my last day at Vogue that as I walked out of those revolving doors sad to leave this amazing fashion institution, my heart was racing with excitement at the joy that I was going to be reunited with my family in a matter of hours. As I waited at Heathrow, alone, with nothing but my iPod to keep me company, I started becoming very emotional - my family mean the world to me , that goes without saying. However the bond I have with them , my mother especially , is something that in this day and age can sadly be quite rare. I cant count the amount of times my friends have overheard a telephone conversation i've had with my mum - which at times sound something along the lines of 'OMG he was so fit, an amazing kisser. I really fancy him, do you think I should have sex with him soon?' - to then be asked 'was that your mother?' , to which I reply 'Yes', which shortly follows with 'Oh my god you sound like you're talking to your best mate' , 'Well my mum is my best mate' - end of! The bond I have with this incredible woman is like nothing i've ever felt in my life and the bond I have with my father & brother are no less amazing! So needless to say I started to get quite teary at the thought of soon being reunited. When the 3 of them walked out of the arrivals terminal (after their plane had been delayed an hour - typical) I literally ran up to my brother jumping on him and into a hug! What followed was a month of pure joy! Showing my parents this amazing city I now call home , as well as going back to Europe to visit our family across Switzerland, Austria, Germany & Yugoslavia - has truly been an amazing experience. I have matured and developed in so many different ways since being apart from them and having them recognise that and be proud of me for what I have achieved is indescribable. To break down every day would take an entirely seperate blog so for now i'll let the pictures do the talking...they're currently still visiting family but return to London in a couple of days. I cant wait to spend another 2 weeks with these amazing people I am blessed to call my family - saying bye to them at Heathrow is gonna be tough! xoxo Deni

23 in LONDON TOWN...

2011-05-14T01:18:00.000-07:00

Just over a month ago now I celebrated my 2nd birthday in this amazing town I now call home - London! Last year was a very tricky time for me , celebrating your 22nd birthday 2 weeks after breaking up with your boyfriend of 2 years is not an easy task and looking back I was surrounded by such amazing people who really did everything they could to make it the most special occasion possible , but this year as I sat with my best friend Charlotte making arrangements for celebrating the 23 she said to me "We have to celebrate BIG this year as last year you were too upset to enjoy your birthday" - so with that in mind I decided to celebrate twice! My birthday falls on April 1st (yes April fools day , which funnily enough has never

resulted in a Birthday April Fools prank) and this year it fell on a Friday , so quite simply the only choice was to celebrate on both the Friday and the Saturday - did someone say multiple outfit changes? As Friday rolled around I woke up and begun my birthday at the House of Vogue where I was still interning - as I walked through those revolving doors it made me think 'who would've thought I'd be celebrating my birthday at Vogue' - that in itself was present enough! As the clock hit 5.30 I made my way into the Soho to meet friends at the chic Freedom Bar and walked through the buzz of friday-night-london. Waiting for me were my gorgeous Cosmo-ettes , soon to be joined by my old TKPR team , gorgeous friends Laura Whitmore and Natalia Jorquera and before I knew it there were about 15 of us relishing in cocktails and champagne! The night was followed with dancing into the early hours, doing Karaoke to Cheryl Cole Fight For This Love incredibly drunk and in front of 200 people at London's biggest gay club (HEAVEN) & 2 birthday kisses - I'm not promiscuous I promise - but as it goes 'its my party and I'll snog if I want to'.

As Saturday afternoon rolled around I decided to do some vintage shopping and treat myself to something fabulous to wear for the evening ahead - deciding on a slightly risque sheer vintage leopard print shirt - I deliberated on it for 20 minutes before thinking 'its my birthday and i'm going to have fun with it' - an hour later and I was ready in my leopard having pre-drinks with my stunning bestie Charlotte and flatmates before our night ahead. Always ones to enjoy a fine dining experience Charlotte recommend Gilgamesh one of London's top sushi restaurants for us to start followed by a night of dancing at a Shaka Zulu a ridiculously chic hip hop venue. The night involved some amazing sushi , one too many cocktails and lots of dancing - which to be honest included a very drunk Deni dirty dancing his way to Rihanna, T-Pain and Beyonce over the dance floor unbuttoning his shirt a little too much with Single Ladies being a highlight!

It was a birthday weekend to remember and when I stop and reflect on how far I've come in a year it is really fair to say that with age comes a little bit of wisdom and clarity, life is full of ups and downs but its such a nice feeling to look back and realise that as a person i've really grown and developed and have become more comfortable and confident in my skin at 23 then I ever have. Aside from that I am so lucky and feel so blessed to be surrounded by such amazing friends who have become more than friends to me , these people are my family and I'm so privileged to have them in my life! So i'd like to thank them for making my 23d birthday amazing! xoxo Deni

5 LETTERS. 1 WORD. VOGUE.

2011-04-25T06:08:00.000-07:00

The origin of the word Vogue comes from France meaning 'wave or course of success' other definitions lead back to words describing movement, travelling fast etc... all of these meanings, describe perfectly what Vogue stands for - Moving the (fashion) world forward, allowing its readers to through its pages, travel the world and enjoy its fashion. Last month I was lucky enough to intern with the prestigious fashion bible also known as Vogue. I have many times described in detail how I feel about Vogue and what it means to me , so as I walked through the revolving doors of Vogue House, located at London's Hanover Square - I couldn't help but smile!

Due to a confidentiality agreement I signed I can not go into lengthy in-depth detail about my time at Vogue , as I normally do with my other posts. However my short summary will be more than enough to explain how truly special my time was. At the helm of a magazine is its Editor. The media and popular culture lead us to have many a stereotype of how an editor should look and behave. Privately chauffeured car on a daily basis. Nope, the Editor proudly takes public transport whenever possible and occasionally cycles to work. Ice-Cold stare,

behind dark tinted sunglasses - No sunglasses inside no ice cold stare. Throwing of fur coats at her assistants. None of that, the editor hangs her coat in her cupboard, on her own & I never once saw a fur on her back. Demanding specifically cooked lunches be bought and served hot on a plate by her assistants. Once again, none of that here either. "Just popping out to grab myself a salad" , says the editor at lunch time as she ducks down to Itsu next door , on her own. Over the top , perfectly matching outfits together with perfectly coiffed hair , not a strand out of place. Refreshingly, no. The Editor's personal style is conservatively feminine (think printed A-Line skirts paired with beautiful knits) and her hair no different to anyone else. To the contrary what I did see is Alexandra Shulman, Editor of British Vogue - Businesswoman and Journalist

and one of the hardest working women in the UK's Fashion Industry. A woman who

talks to and treats her staff with respect and integrity and is open to everyone's ideas and suggestions and together with her team puts together a magazine to inspire women (and quite a handful of men) across the United Kingdom. As an intern stepping into an office of people I admire and look up to was nothing short of an honor. To work alongside the very people who write the articles I read word for word and main fashion I pour over every month, was an experience I will never forget. Most refreshing of all , my voice was heard. My ideas , thoughts and input taken into consideration as I worked on a fashion story with one of the team's editors. Coming into an office every day where people share the same passion as you is pure bliss and incredibly inspiring. In my 3 weeks of interning at Vogue, I can honestly say I learned more about how a magazine comes together , than I ever have. More over it further cemented in my mind that this is the industry I truly belong in! I will forever look at my time at Vogue as a full circle experience. From reading the magazine as a teenager to working with its team - and as I walked back out the revolving doors on my last day I looked up at Vogue House with another large smile on my face , pinched myself just a bit and realised that my fashion dream became a great reality! xoxo Denis

VANESSA G-lamour...

2011-03-24T17:28:00.000-07:00

When the highly anticipated Wednesday evening rolled around last week the only name on everyone's lips in twitter's fashion world was Vanessa G. With so much hype around the event I made my way to the Cosmopolitan offices (to meet the girls) feeling very lucky to have an invite to the hottest ticket of the week. Deciding for the event to sport some fierce vintage leopard print trousers (excuse the picture being taken in the bathroom's of Banquet House , it was the only time I had a moment to myself all day)...I was ready for the night - in true Deni style...

Our car dropped us off into the brisk London night and as we made our way to Banquet House there was a queue around the corner (always a sign of a hot event) , but with VIP invites in hand

we were escorted straight in *thankyou very much* ...as we stepped in to the rose-lit halls of Banquet House it was immediately obvious that this event was Glamour with a capital G (Vanessa G , that is) , a bevy of smartly dressed waiters stood with Veuve Cliquot Champagne cocktails in hand (don't mind if I do) and before long the gliteratti arrived. Jade Jagger, Poppy

Delvigne, Jade Parfitt & Sophie Ellis Bextor resident DJ for the after show wearing Vanessa G

The lovely Cosmo girls and I sipped our cocktails discussing the celebrity arrivals and grandeur of the event. Everything from the presentation of the finger food on hand (cheese plates sat in extravagant bird cages surrounded by rose petals) to the perfectly lit entry had WOW factor!

Before long we made our way upstairs where the show was due to begin. As we took our 3rd row seat - not too shabby - yet again I was overwhelmed by beauty of the venue and then there was the small thing of the set (which was btw in no ways small). Covered by a screen which projected

a short film & finally the Vanessa G title was soon removed to reveal what appeared to me the facade of a building , and before we knew it the army of models made their way out in a display of exquisite florals, silks and prints. The influence of art & poetry was evident in the romantic silhouettes and the whole production had a some what cinematic feel to it as the models walked along the raised catwalk surrounded by picasso-like paintings and fields of flowers. Take a look...

Once Vanessa G took her well deserved bow , it was time for the after show party. As Sophie Ellis made her way to the decks the tunes begun spinning and the crowds begun dancing and that's when the fun really began. At one point in the night I found myself dancing with the lovely Vanessa G herself , as well as this being her debut collection it was also her birthday. "Happy Birthday & Congratulations on a great show" I told her and then took her for a spin on the floor. Her infectious smile and lust for life was amazing, here was a woman living the dream. Successful, happy and loving every minute of life - she was truly inspiring and a whole lotta fun!

Before the night wrapped up I made my way over to thank the love Sophie Ellis Bextor for her brilliant DJ'ing and in true gay form I declared my love for her dance-floor classics (remember Murder on the Dance Floor) , she was so sweet and seemed to really be enjoying herself...

Before long it was time to head to Bungalow 8 for the exclusive after-after party with my friend Henry Conway and the crew from Tamara Kretzer PR, which was definitely a good decision. Bungalow always delivers and the members only 'club that needs a key to get you in' - as Carrie Bradshaw once said , truly delivered. Jamming the hottest hip hop tunes , drink flowing it was the perfect way to end a great evening! As I hung up my dancing shoes at 3am I thank Vanessa G for a glamorous-fashion-affair to remember! xoxo Deni

VANESSA G...did someone say luxury!?!

2011-03-21T14:56:00.000-07:00

When I heard fashion whispers of a highly anticipated fashion event coming to the city of London (a week before my birthday might I add) my excitement levels started raising and when I recieved my invitation to the Vanessa G event last week both myself and the Cosmopolitan team were both impressed and intrigued. With whispers of Celebrity DJ's , custom made sets and tweets that the entire Vogue India team were being flown in for this very event - the question on everybody's lips was "...who is Vanessa G?" Vanessa Gounden's bio consists of philantropist, entepreneur and an activist in the transformation process of South Africa. Her Debut collection will combine unique pieces of art from unsung artists transformed into timeless classics, ready to wow the fash-pack! With Sophie Ellis Bextor confirmed as the resident DJ, a bevy of A-Listers and Fashion's elite sure to pack the front row, the location of Banquet House is sure to provide a regal aura which couldnt be more perfect to host this luxurious event. Two seasons ago I saw the Julien McDonald show at the beautiful Banquet House and remember feeling like the location itself made the experience all the more breathaking. Vanessa G will bring to the Banquet House a never before seen custom designed and built set which will no doubt leave London's Fashion World speechless! I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek at what the collection has the offer so here's a little taster. If this gorgeous coat & dress are anything to go by, classic refined Sophistication & Luxury are sure to be the themes of the collection ! With just over 48 hours till

show time, the fashion world waits with baited breath for Wednesday night to roll around - and I have just the perfect outfit for this fabulous event! xoxo Deni

a nice long COSMO' and a strong shot of VOGUE

2011-03-20T03:30:00.000-07:00

...two days after LFW madness had ended and a weekend before my internship at COSMOPOLITAN was due to begin, I casually logged into my emails on a Thursday afternoon to check if I had received ticket confirmation for a movie I had booked. Little did I know sitting in

my inbox would be an email from...VOGUE...my heart stopped slightly and when I opened the email it read as follows - Dear Denis, Thank you for contact Vogue regarding an internship, please contact us to organise an interview - before I could even contemplate excitement,

I immediately dialled the number provided and before I knew it an interview was scheduled for me the following Friday at 3.30pm. I hung up the phone and let out an overwhelming squeal and yelped "Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my - effing - god". I immediately called my Mum , oblivious to the fact that it was 3am Australia time she was clearly asleep when she answered the phone. "Hello..." , "Mum, are you with Dad, put me on speakerphone"..."You're on speaker"...."Ok, guess who your son has an interview with next week", "Who?"..."Vogue guys, Vogue. Dad all those years I spent spending my wages on buying Vogue every month and now I have an interview with them"..."Deni we're so proud of you" , and as I hung up the phone I got a little choked up. Who would've thought that just two days prior I'd have introduced myself to the Editor and that the following week I'd have an interview with fashion's equivalent to the Bible. Before I knew it Monday rolled along and my first day at Cosmopolitan Magazine was before me. I stood before my wardrobe wondering what to wear. Cosmo is fun, sexy, flirty with a dash of playfulness , so I knew that leopard print, sequins and slogan tee's wouldn't be a problem. However for the first day I decided to embrace my smart sensibility - check G-Star shirt & vintage bow tie!

As I made my way in to meet the team , who through working in PR I already kind of knew , it was apparent that this was very much a close-knit team who I would have no problem getting along with. Almost instantly It felt like I had stepped into a little family. By my second day I had already been given opportunities to help out on pages, put together product to be styled according to various themes. There was more to this internship than just sending and receiving samples and my voice and opinion was really taken into consideration. By Day 3 I was thinking

"I could get used to Cosmo..." - Cosmopolitan , has the hightest readership of any consumer publication in the UK. Not specifically a 'fashion' magazine it combines celebrity, gossip, sex, fashion and pop culture to provide for fun reading and can be found in the handbags and dressing tables of most young women. My earliest memories of Cosmo was reading my girlfriends copies in high school aged 15 , sneakily peaking at the sealed section of the gorgeous men! It was surreal to think that I was now at Cosmo HQ assisting the Fashion team. Every day was an exciting challenge, calling in product for a Neon trend page, to hunting down the hottest Gold accessories

for the season - when a sequined 4,000Grand Chanel bag arrived at my desk it drove the entire team into ooh's and aah's of excitement and to the Fashion Editor's delight she was very impressed by all the product I called in for these pages. By Day 4 I sat down with the Fashion Director to discuss becoming a possible permanent member of the team and was offered a 9 month permanent contract as an official member of the Fashion team to start in July. Knowing that I had my Vogue interview on Friday she gave me the green flag to do my time at Vogue (if the opportunity came up) and then return to Cosmo permanently. I accepted, pinching myself on the inside, for the fact that suddenly it was all coming together. Before I knew it Friday arrived and alas, the Vogue interview. Perfectly planning my ensemble the night before I decided to take my cue from Celine (the fashion house, not the Titanic singer) and opt for a classic combo.

It described who I am perfectly, a mixture of high street, vintage and designer. High Street - being my Zara Blazer, trousers, shoes and bag. Designer - my Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo shirt and vintage - my vintage Loewe white leather bag strap. Feeling ready for Vogue 3pm came along & I was on my way to Vogue house based at Hanover Square , a mere 5 minute walk from Cosmo.

My heart couldn't have been beating any faster. I breathed in and out as the sun shone across the concrete jungle of London , I now call home. When I arrived to Vogue House (15minutes early) I took a moment to reflect. In June of last year I posted on the time I went to Vogue to host a sample sale when I was interning at Goodley, at the end of the post I said that I had a feeling one day I'd be returning to the house of Vogue for a more important meeting - fast

forward exactly 9 months later and here I was , Vogue House - for that important meeting. It was too surreal. As I walked through the revolving doors and up to reception "I have an interview at half 3" - "take a seat young man someone will be with you shortly". I smiled and sat down. The one thing I remembered about Vogue was the charming man at reception. His silver gray hair and warm smile , he felt like the familiar older uncle you'd turn to for advice. As I paced the reception nervously he smiled at me and said "Take a seat good chap, you'll be fine" - so sat I did. Breathing in and out. His phone rang and he gave me the nod of approval. "Up to the 5th floor and turn left young man" , "Thank you". As I got into the lift , fixing my hair and playing with my blazer, 'buttoned up or un-buttoned' , I decided on buttoned up on arrival and un-buttoned as I sit down. The doors opened , I was welcomed and walked through the halls to

the office of the Managing Director. I looked towards the two tall bar-stool style seats by the window , sun shining through. "Take a seat..." , un-buttoning my blazer I placed my portfolio down and did just that. "So, you want to work at Vogue, tell me a bit about why that is..." - before I knew it the next 4-8minutes went by in some ways as a blur and in other ways a moment i'll remember every second of , "You're in luck, our whole year of internships are all

booked and confirmed however there is a space now available as someone has just cancelled, you'd be due to start on the 21st of March, and I'd love to offer it to you" before I could even realise it I was being offered an internship at Vogue , which I obviously accepted. As I walk back out of those revolving doors, knowing I'd be returning for the chance I've wanted from the age of 11 - to work at VOGUE - I started to smile and cry simultaneously. I walked back into Cosmopolitan to congratulations, hugs and kisses. "Well we're glad you get to have your opportunity at Vogue and happy to have you back in July". The next 2 weeks of my internship were probably the most fun I've ever had at work. The team had become like my family, going from lusting over product together, assisting on photo shoots, after work drinks and lunch time yoga sessions. The girls were becoming great friends and coming to Camp Cosmo was a joy every day and the pics below display perfectly the joy that has been my time at COSMOPOLITAN...

...so with tomorrow being my first day at VOGUE (an experience I'm sure I will never forget) and July marks a new beginning at Cosmopolitan...and suddenly I see this is where i'm supposed to be! xoxo Deni

...a life changing last day of LFW!

2011-03-16T17:47:00.000-07:00

...as I woke up on the final day of LFW I reflected on the shows I'd been to. The trends I'd seen and the inspiration it had continued to give me. Shows can become quite repetitive but when you see a collection like Matthew Williamson, attend a show like PPQ and feel shaken up by Charlie Le Mindu - it reminds me why I love fashion so much. Its walking art and continues to inspire. I couldn't wait for the final day as 2 of my favorite-absolute-must-see shows of the season were both taking place...but more on that in a moment. My outfit choice for the day was to embrace my new favorite trend - NEON - I stumbled across a pair of neon pink trousers on an appointment at Beyond Retro and immediately fell in love. Deciding to pair them with my new favorite cashmere sweater it was time to pull out the trousers for the final day of London Fashion Week & from the minute I stepped out of my flat and got onto the tube , the public reaction was strong - smiles, shakings-of-the-head, laughter combined with being stopped twice with a "OMG love the trousers where are they from?" - so far the trou' was making an impact...

I made my way over to my first highly anticipated show of the season - Meadham Kirchoff. During my first LFW whilst interning at Goodley , the Meadham Kirchoff show was by far the most intense , stressful show I worked but as soon as the lights went low and the show began it was mind blowing, overwhelming and extraordinary all at once. Last season was no different - so this season I made sure I arrived to the Topshop venue ahead of time to avoid crowds. I picked up my copy of The Daily , glass of Moet on arrival and made my way over to my seat... ...as I was an early bird I decided to make my way over to the runway to inspect the set on the catwalk , a combination of what seemed to be images of the M&K boys from their youth , peace notes and candles I sensed yet again another incredible Meadham Kirchoff experience on its way Once seated , I funnily enough happened to sitting next to one of the Fashion Directors from ELLE magazine , through the world of PR I knew exactly who she was and wasn't sure whether to introduce myself to her..."Great trousers" she said , "Where are they from..." and just like that conversation started and before I knew it she offered me an interview in May for a paid internship at ELLE - one of my favorite UK Fashion publications , I was starting to think these trousers could be a lucky charm. Suddenly the lights went low and music begun - witch theme style music blared over the sound system and screeching violins followed with a mass of models

coming out ready to enter the show space. Like an army they all walked out together at once...

Once they made it all the way out onto the runway they begun to alternate back and forth and across like a well orchestrated chess game, I was overwhelmed, excited, it was truly amazing. Lasting a mere 2 and a half minutes it was the quickest show I had ever been to and by far one of the best -the looks , all of which seemed inspired by a mix of witches, the amish and the jews

after the show I spotted a very familiar face. 5 years ago while studying at the Paris Institute of Fashion , one of my lecturers was the famous Diane Pernet , an incredibly talented woman who was among the first fashion bloggers - she is truly one of the most inspiring people I've ever met. I approached her tapping her on the shoulder "Diane , my name is Denis , you were my lecturer 5 years ago at PFI , I just want you to know you inspired me so much" , "Well 5 years on its obviously paid off , you're doing well it seems" , and I updated her on what i've been up to since

- it was such a great moment to be able to think back to that time and see how far i've come... After my dose of high-edge fashion it was off to BodyAmr for a quick dose of Glamour - being stopped twice along the way to have my picture taken - the pink trousers were a winner! BodyAmr was a beautiful collection combining his signature draping , silks , embellishment , fur and leather and boasted lots of colour and Miss Amber Rose & Nicola Roberts in the front row......as I made my way back to Somerset House I had a few hours to kill before the last (and always my favorite) show of the season - Ashish - however after being stuck in an elevator that seemed to last forever , a guy in the elevator asked me to take his spare invitation to the Amanda Wakely show as his date was a no show. With time on my hands I decided to go along , the collection - to be quite honest - was nothing to write home about, what followed however is another story. As the last look hit the runway and the show was over I noticed large amounts of flashbulbs circulating the front row - who is it - I wondered, so I pondered over to see the editor of British Vogue Alexandra Shulman being interviewed in the front row - that's who it is... As I then made my way out of the crowded show , moving at snails pace sandwiched between a mass of people I then turned to my right to see A.Shulman right next to me. "Ok Denis...you have to introduce yourself , you can do it" - ran through my mind and before I knew it I turned to her and said "Hi Alex, could I trouble you for a moment of your time" , to which she stopped and turned towards me and smiled. "Basically , I'm a fashion assistant who's moved from Australia to London to pursue my fashion career and Vogue has always been my dream , to intern with Vogue would be an incredible honour , how do I make that a reality" , "Well put all of that in an email including your CV and email my managing director" , "Thankyou for your time" and with that said my heart skipped a beat and little did I know that 2 minute moment in time would lead to the opportunity of a life time (but more on that to come in another post). Fuelled with inspiration I was ready for the last show of the season - Ashish. The invite was by far the cutest I received all week -shaped like a small train ticket stub it put a huge smile on my face... I took my seat and the usual team of their A-Listers took their seats. Paloma Faith, Marina (from the Diamonds) , Nicola Roberts , Amber Rose etc...took their seats and just before the show begun the gorgeous M.I.A made her way in! Then suddenly it began - to the beat of M.I.A's vocal the sequin party started and yet again Ashish delivered his incredible expertise in my always favorite sequins - introducing menswear , every look made me squeal and the energy in the room was undeniable - it was everything the Ashish show promises and more! Purely amaz!

The finale was welcomed with roars of applause and as I made my way out , smiling ear to ear - always an after effect from an Ashish show , I couldn't believe the week that had been. From styling a show , to being interviewed by Janice Dickinson. Celebrating 6 months of working with an amazing girl I now call one of my best friends. Attending the breathtaken Matthew Williamson to the truly inspiring Meadham Kirchoff. Topped off with a brush from Vogue and a stellar Ashish show. It was truly another LFW I won't soon forget. To top off the week my lucky pink trousers recieved some press attention featuring in both the METRO - a free newspaper with the highest readership as its handed out at every tube station across London , to then appearing in the Street Style pages of The Daily - the special supplement put together by The Daily Telegraph every fashion week to update the Fashion world on the collections each day.

There's something so liberating about walking around in a bold colour and it taught me something , no matter who laughs , stares or admires you, never be ashamed of what you are and what your dreams are...keep following them , because when I stop and think about all that's happening to me , this little boy is realising his big dreams are slowly coming true! xoxo Deni

LFW DAY 4...

2011-03-16T17:14:00.000-07:00

As Day 4 of LFW rolled around , I decided it was time to don some fabulous vintage corduroy animal printed trousers - bought for a tenner I paired it with my leather and wool jumper from H&M and some studded ASH trainers, my look was all about texture with urban elements...

The first 2 shows of the day were on back to back and I couldn't have been more excited. David Koma & Holly Fulton are two of fashion's hottest names and I was ready to see what they had in

store for this season. As I made my way in to the over subscribed show I was forced to stand by the front next to the lovely Felder sisters. I complimented them on a fabulous show and we spent the next 15minutes exchanging feedback on what we were seeing. What we saw with Koma was a brilliant display of laser cut leather with a punch of colour in the form of fur-ball trimmed jackets and dresses. The silhouettes and varied use of fabric were really inspiring...

...as the David Koma show ended I was ready and raring to see the Holly Fulton show. Her art-deco prints and use of colour and embellishment always makes her collection's one of my favorites - this season was no different. As the first look , a combination of yellow leather and black suede made me immediately smile however it was when the second model came out , after a few strides of the runway then took off her painful Louboutin stilleto's because the poor girl just couldn't walk - the effect was brilliant as she strutted down with a 'dont give a fuck' vibe...

The rest of the collection included lots of texture - studs , spikes , fur , suede , velvet , leather , silk, patent leather and a whole lot of attitude. Yet again Holly Fulton put on an amazing show and received a roaring cheer from the audience and when you're standing in a crowded tent but you don't even care because of the amazing fashion that is before you - you know you're on to a good thing , this shy scottish designer continues to prove herself and is one to keep on watching...

As I walked out of Somerset House , once again inspired I quickly made my way to the tube to head to the Topshop show space by Monument to head to the Michael Van Der Ham show hungry as always lucky for me Grazia had little helpers handing out healthy snacks for all to eat while waiting in the fash-pack line, sultanas and nuts never seemed so appealing...

Another hot new name to watch Michael Van Der Ham served up a collection of crushed velvet in jewel colors , proving once again that colour and texture were going to be a big part of winter!

When I headed back to Somerset House I stopped off at the Cabinet stand to see my gorgeous friends who create gorgeous embellished collars and once again their range was too beautiful for words. Their attention to detail and one of a kind craftsmanship make their pieces ever so spesh!

The beauty of Cabinet's range was just what I needed to cap off my evening before the last day of London Fashion Week...xoxo Deni

LFW - DAY 3 - AMAZING FASHION MOMENTS...

2011-03-07T14:26:00.000-08:00

Day 3 of LFW was shaping up to be a day of back to back shows and after waking up to the nudging head ache of doing one too many shots and recollection of kissing one too many boys I decided a fabulous fashion moment was needed to snap myself out of it! I opted for a vintage cashmere jumper, which I decided to wear cropped to add an element of difference. I had long been in two minds about doing a cropped situation but was suddenly feeling it!With a cab on the way (I wont even begin to calculate how much i've accumulated in taxi fees though my bank balance will tell you its a sad sight) I made my way into Covent Garden for the first show of the morning - Jayne Pierson. I took my second row seat , ear glued to my phone as I chatted away to a family friend back home. I often frown at people talking into phones at fashion shows thinking they come across aloof and 'too cool for school' but as shows never run on time it really sometimes is the only way to kill a bit of time when you're on your own. The lights went low and the conversation ended and out came the first look - leather , boxy , 80s. These were the themes that echoed through Pierson's collection and for a designer I knew nothing about I was pleasantly suprised and genuinely enjoyed the show and her design aesthetic which for me meant a great way to start my morning and an immediate hangover cure! I passed by a few lovely bloggers who eagerly snapped at my stud print skinny jeans and made the short walk over to the BFC tent at Somerset house for the Jasper Conran show. The most commercial collection I saw all season , its always good however to see what the more mature clientele will be wearing as in this world of fashion and styling you just never know who may be your next client. In a collection that reminded me of Michael Kors , suede dresses walked passed sequinned oversized jumper dresses and feathered/fur overcoats sat beside gowns & trousers. As soon as the Conran show was over I was straight back into a cab and speeding off to a show I was really looking forward to. Last season, I by chance, went to the Charlie Le Mindu show. A designer who's expertise begun in hairdressing , he's combined his two passions (fashion and hair) and shocks the fashion scene with an individual vision unlike any others. Even with a seated invitation the wait was 40mins..."Would those of you with blue stickers on your invite please move forward" , I took a sigh of relief of my priority invite and walked on in feeling bad for the queue of people who had to battle the cold for some time more. Once in I took my seat in second row and the buzz in the room was absolutely electric. The crowd was the usual Charlie mix - from transvetites to international press and very influential editors. Everyone wanted to see what he would do next. As the lights went low, suddenly the sound of squealing pigs and bombs exploded over the speakers & then it happened - a naked model with a head piece reading VIOLENCE and dripping in "blood" walked eerily down the runway. It was a clear message & when I thought I couldn't be more shocked than last season - I was! Every look that

followed made me think harder, or shocked me more than the previous. Transparent Latex trench coats and gas mask adorned models made their way down the catwalk and after each look I couldnt help but feel the collection was inspired by Nazi germany and World War II. Male models with the words CUNT sprayed on their skulls - made a debut on the runway with Charlie's first entry to menswear. The finale however was truly amazing. What appeared to be a wedding dress combining lace and hair - juxtaposed with a head piece of taxidermy - a white dove in mid flight sat a top the models head and I didnt know whether to cry or scream with applause as I noticed the hem of the dress dripping in blood. Charlie came out to do his bow wearing a white butchers apron covered in "blood" and as he wiped his hands of a job well done the audience clapped and cheered some standing to their feet (myself included) when a collection like Charlie's leaves you breathless its a moment you remember! His show did everything you'd expect from him , it shocked me , suprised me , scared me even at times and I still had chills 15 minutes after walking out and onto the cobbled stone streets of Covent Garden making my way back to Somerset House. As I arrived to meet my lovely Laura Whitmore pre-Osman show , I was still reeling from the energy of Charlie's show. Upon entering Osman a blue rippled runway gave me clues that the inspiration would be some what ocean inspired. As the first model strode out with her cleopatra style wig it was clear the inspiration came from the seas of Egypt and for a collection that would normally consist of neutral tones Osman did something new and added a hot punch of colour. Neon Pink , bright blues, oranges and hues of green sat along side his usual colour palette and yet again it became obvious that colour is going to be a strong winter trend.

with Osman over it was time to get ready for the show of the evening - Matthew Williamson. When I recieved confirmation of my invitation I almost squealed. If last season's highlight was Dame Westwood this season was all about Prince William-son. Matthew's shows always attract a bevvy of A-Lister's and then there are the clothes! As I entered the gorgeous South-West location to Jacquetta Wheeler being papped in a Williamson splendour of sequins and feathers my heart started racing and a glass of Moet later (pre-show drinks in the foyer) I made my way to the front section of the runway. Standing (this is Matthew Williamson and I am only Deni) a hop skip and a jump away from Olivia Palermo & Alexa Chung , the show begun. With the first look it was very clear to me that this is where high-end was at. The quality of the clothes were

above and beyond anything I've seen this season and the effortless chic styling was everything Matthew Williamson stands for - a colourful, cultured, international woman. Who whether she be jet setting around the world or attending private yacht-parties on the riviera - she will always look fabulous in a kind of 'I just threw this on' type of way. As the finale of girls strode the runway and Matthew popped out for his bow (my camera wasnt quick enough to snap him) the show was over and I made my way through the crowd - only to be star strucked by Alexa

Chung on my exit. As I walked out of the venue and into the brisk London night I had another one of those moments where I stopped , took in my surroundings and exhaled in disbelief that I was lucky enough to be in this amazing city experiencing such amazing things! Updates on days 4 & 5 coming up soon xoxo Deni

LFW - DAY TWO....

2011-03-06T09:43:00.000-08:00

...as I woke up with my blood stream still flowing with Grey Goose , I looked out into the grey London sky and decided to layer up for Day 2 of LFW. Deciding to allow myself a few luxuries I called myself a cab and made my way into Central London for my first show of the day... opting for faux-fur and a bit of bling (courtesy of the fabulous Merle O'Grady) I channeled an urban-luxury look to disguise my hideous hangover - I was hoping for a fashion moment to cure me and that's exactly what I got. When I arrived at the Old Sorting Offices of New Oxford Street for the Belle Sauvage show I took my second row seat only to realise this was the same space I saw the Twenty8Twelve show last season - one of my favorite spaces it has a real warehouse feel to it. I was invited to the show with out really knowing much about the designers so with anticipation I waited , hopefully , for a little fashion magic to happen. As the lights went low the music begun or rather the sounds of what to be quite frank sounded like a female orgasm - pulsated over the sound system. Suddenly underground techno music begun and a model wearing a heavy large circle head piece made her way down the runway and suddenly I wasintrigued. The looks that proceeded were all quite 80s inspired , strong shoulder pads , metallic and printed leather with chain adorned shoes. Definitely what I needed to cure my hangover! Following a dose of dark glamour I hopped back into a cab and on my way into Covent Garden for what was sure to be colourful glee from Louise Gray. This quirky designer's show was one of the first I worked back in my internship days at Goodley PR. Her shows are always packed full of fun and put together with a large dose of eccentric humour so I was really looking forward to what she had in store this season. As I made my way in , even with a seated ticket the space was absolutely packed and I was forced to stand a top a speaker , funnily enough right next to Louise's husband. As the show started the energy in the room was incredible and the first look featured a model wearing what seemed to be an oversized balloon strapped to her head - its all about the headgear today! Every look that followed was bright , colourful and balloon fuelled-fun! As the girls did their final march and Louise came out for a quick appearance to a roar of applause. I looked over at her husband and he had tears in his eyes, beaming with pride it was the sweetest part of the show for me, her biggest fan cheering from the sidelines - so sweet!I left the show full of smiles and made my way over to Somerset House for my final show of the day John Rocha. It holds a very special place in my heart as last season I met my lovely Laura Whitmore pre-the John Rocha show and that was when we sealed the deal - so today was our anniversary of sorts. I went over to meet her for a quick drink pre-show and we made our way into the tent. John Rocha dished up what he does best - his signature silhouette of cinched in waists with exploding skirts in a-line and tulip styles featured his always veil like hats and headwear in a collection that consisted of a mostly black , white , nude with hints of red and the always John Rocha fur capelets and shrugs. It was a lovely way to end the afternoon & Laura and I went over for another few drinks at the bar to unqind and discuss plans for the eve ahead! ...as I made my way home it was time to round up some friends and get ready to head over to the Belle Sauvage after party taken place at chic Mayfair hot spot Sketch. Like most fashion parties there was an abundance of free alcohol , the usual fashion crowd and some serious tunage blaring from the DJ's decks. As the Vodka Cranberry flowed we decided to make our way into Soho for a night of dancing, being in the mix fashion folk followed by partying with close friends was a perfect combination and an ideal way to end Saturday night of LFW......for updates on Days 3-5 stay tuned xoxo Deni

LONDON FASHION WEEK we meet again!

2011-03-02T12:52:00.000-08:00

*Grab yourself a glass of wine - or a bottle - and kick back for a very long post!

As my alarm went off for 4.30am and my cab arrived for 5 , I couldn't believe that a year had been since my first LFW and that this one year anniversary was going to be better than ever! First up for this season was a project I had spent the week working on! I was assisting Sarah Cobb on the styling of the first show of the season - Paul Costelloe. We had spent the days following the show at Paul's studio doing model castings and preparing every last detail for how the show would look. From deciding that the models should have burnt-candy floss pink wigs to me running around London over the course of 2 days in the hunt of the perfect pair of oatmeal tights only to have that idea scrapped and replaced with burgundy! Alas Friday morning came around and as Day One loomed I made my way to Somerset House in the dark hours of the early morning to prepare for the fashion circus that was about to roll on into London Town... As time passed the models arrived and made their way into hair & make-up and before I knew it we were 45minutes pre-show and backstage was a flurry of hair & make-up artists running around adding finishing touches. Myself, Sarah & Paul's team trying each look onto every model switching outfit choices & the seamstress finishing off details on the garments till literally the very last minute. Amongst all the mayhem my morning started with a touch of celeb when Janice Dickinson entered the room , camera crew in tow! I saw Janice last season at Julien McDonald and remember thinking how funny and charicature like she is - a larger than life character to say the least! Suddenly her publicist came across to me asking for the Stylist as OK Television & Janice Dickinson would like to interview her, "Sure I'll just grab her" and as I dashed outside to steal Sarah away from her ciggie break she said "No , i'm not doing interviews you do it Deni..." , with those words I nervously shuffled my way backstage in front of the camera to then be interviewed by Janice Dickinson. "What's your name young man..." and with that question the next 2 minutes felt like a blur, bright lights in my eye a camera and microphone in my face and one of the most intimidating women in fashion was treating me like an absolute darling. "Honey you should come to L.A & be my stylist" she concluded & with that we exchanged a hug & kiss & posed for a quick pre-show snap (notice the lippy on my cheeks! Before I could even register how surreal the situation was it was almost show time. Having spent the last season of LFW attending shows I had almost forgotten how amazing the rush & anticipation of being back stage was. Before I knew it the show had begun , music thumping we began dressing and undressing the girls (and boys) in and out of their outfits in time for the runway! As the last look hit the runway & Paul went out for his bow and overwhelming feeling of satisfaction & relief came over me and suddenly the 3 days of running around like a crazy man and working 15 hour days suddenly paid off - it was truly a great moment as he came backstage to roars of applause and cheer from his staff , models and the production crew! Post show Janice Dickinson came around backstage and gave me a big hug "You're great young man you're going to be a big star some day" ... what do you say to that, thank you was all I could come up with. Alas there's no rest for the wicked and as I left the tents at Somerset House I made my way by foot over to the Savoy Hotel for the next show of the day - Maria Grachvogel.

As I entered the beautiful ball room of the Savoy Hotel and took my 3rd row seat I was immediatley taken in by the beauty of my surroundings...and then the show begun. To describe the collection in one word , fluidity comes to mind. Maria's signature beautifully cut silk, draped itself down the runway in the form of dresses and amazing high waisted trousers often finished with interesting harem style draping. Digital prints made an impact as did fur & lace details completed finishing touches to what was an overall beautiful collection & great way to kick off LFW...

A can of Diet Coke (ultimate LFW essential) and a cab ride later (a luxury I continued to allow myself all week) and it was off to the Jean Pierre Braganza show to see what this young talented designer had in store for London this season. As I took my seat next to follow fashionista Lucy Williams InStyle fashion assistant , we chatted Nicki Minaj & twitter before the show began! As the first look came down the runway - it was very apparent that the 80s were back in a big way. Shoulder Pads , oversized mannish style blazers and dramatic hair and make-up, the power woman we lusted for two seasons ago seemed to be creeping back onto fashion's forefront in a collection that consisted of a mostly grey black & red colour scheme, including sequins , transparency and stripes...

As the afternoon moved its way swiftly into early evening it was back to Somerset House and the main tent for the Aminaka Wilmont show where I was joined by fellow fashionista Melanie Tong Fashion Assistant at the Sunday Times Style - what never seems to suprise me is that the fashion world is almost a parallel universe in itself in which everyone know's everyone and they're all there for their one great love - FASHION! As the show kicked on it was becoming apparent that digital prints are back for another season in a big way , as almost every look that came down the runway featured an abstract digital print in hues of nude , blush and purple - toughened up with leather jackets and the return of the shearling aviator with a cascade front to die for! Altough the collection was by no means revolutionary it was extremley commercial!

Suddenly day turned into night and I got my way back into a cab to go meet some fabulous friends for a pre-show drink. A vodka & lemonade after (and still no solid meal all day - just no time) and it was onto one of my favorite shows of LFW , FelderFelder known for their signature rock chic look the Felder sisters use studs & leather like no one else and I couldn't wait to see what they had prepared for us this season. After pushing and shoving for 45minutes my bestie Charlotte and I finally made our way into the venue and took our seats the music began to thump over the sound system and I was immediatley buzzing in my seat as I spotted Marina (from the Diamonds) and Jodie Kidd front row and then the first girl made her way out...

Every look seemed better then the previous. Sequinned cropped leather jackets trimmed with what appeared to be faux-goat hair (or is it faux?) metallic silver trousers and studded cuffs as far as the eye could see the Felder sisters proved yet again that their rock sensibility was right on the money! I left the show feeling and inspired and ready for the night ahead! It was time for a quick costume change pre the evenings last two shows and I removed my striped jumper and replaced with a vintage silver metallic shirt & bow tie to tsjuz up my leather trousers for what promised to be a rock-star Friday night LFW opener! I soon made my way over to Tom's Bar at Somerset House to meet my darling clients and best friends Natalia & Laura for a pre show drink and then we made our way to the tents for the Bora Aksu show. As we entered I was blinded by paparazzi only to realise that , oh yeah my friend/client is kinda famous hehe and like a true proffessional Laura flashed her million dollar smile for the adoring lenses! Styled by moi - she rocked a Missoni body con dress complete with her signature leather jacket & new favorite Manolo Blahnik for TOUS necklace! Watching her amongst the paps made it seem so surreal!

The show begun and amonst the art-school style craft feel and slight victorian silhouette the only thing that really drew my attention was the colour pallette (love a bit of green mixed in with steel grey) and some lovely tailored trousers , other than that the star studded front row including Nicola Roberts & Kimberz Walsh was more a topic of conversation than the show itself

A quick costume change later for Miss Whitmore and it was time for the show of the evening and my favorite way to end Day 1 of LFW - the PPQ show! Dressed in John Galliano (by me) the devine miss Whit' made her way into the tents to a flurry of flashing lights and an overwhelming amounts of "Laura , here , just a quick photo please" - this by far has been my favorite styling moment with my darling friend - has anyone ever looked this good in bodycon satin - amazing!

As I took my seat behind Laura and the celebrities flowed in - think Paloma Faith, Nicola Roberts, Jamie Winstone to name a few. As the lights went low the anticipation and buzz in the air was so prevalent it was as visible as fog , the crowd was ready for the PPQ party to conclude the first night of LFW with a bang! Nicki Minaj's voice blared over the speakers before Lil Kim's 'Lighter's Up' opened the show - one of my all time favorite hip hop tunes as the first look took centre stage I found myself singing and dancing along to the track with the guests surrounding me. The hip hop posse that we were , knew every last lyric and the fun collection of fun party dresses with a tailored edge whilst the gorgeous models heads were adorned with cute kitten ear hats - it was everything you expect from a PPQ show - a fucking fun time with sexy clothes!

as Laura and I made our way out the tent I stopped for a moment to realise that 6 months ago I met this girl to discuss working together and now she is one of my best friends! I feel truly lucky and blessed to be surrounded by such an amazing passionate young woman - it makes me smile!

...now as they say, after the show its the after party and so we went , myself and my fabulous friends from the Cosmopolitan fashion team to the new SKY BAR at the Millbank Towers , not yet opened to general public we were the first crop of London to see the elite new hot spot! We froze for 45 minutes in the cold but once in the Belvedere flowed and the talents of the amazing Clare Maguire took to the stage. Soon to be joined by Miss Whitmore we danced along to Rihanna in a mixed crowd of designers, models, fashionistas and celebrities till the wee hours of the morning and at 2.30 I made my way home to a kebab and some much needed shut eye after exactly 22 hours of non stop action! The rest of my LFW adventures coming soon xoxo Deni

STYLING THE SHOOT...

2011-02-07T04:34:00.000-08:00

Hey readers, well it has been another whirlwind week for me and as the fashion world never stops - neither do I! Last week I had the pleasure of working on my first real 'test shoot' - in

order to build up my styling portfolio , I've got to put together a 'book' of my work. So when I sat at my laptop to think about what style of shoot I want to do I thought about what's been

inspiring me lately. The first thing that sprung to mind was Disco! I've spent many a night on the dance-floor of late and then there's something so incredible about dancing your cares away! With Disco - of course - comes the music and the clothes. Madonna's Confessions... album along with 70s & 80s Disco classics have been on constant rotation on my Spotify playlist and have been stalking images of Studio 54's heyday. With that in mind and the idea of walking home at

dawn in last night's fabulous outfit - I had my concept! With 2 visits to Beyond Retro and a case of Vintage clothes later I had my clothes and with the help of a friend I soon had a model, photographer & hair-make-up artist - before I knew it the day of the shoot had arrived! In order to tell the story I wanted to shoot on location just around the corner from where I live at the 'Chapel Markets' in Angel. The idea was a girl walking home after a night out , stopping along the streets , popping into an off-license to pick up a bottle of champagne to continue her bender on home, ducking into a Laundromat just because, stopping into the local Jamaican Take-Away and playing at the gamble machines. The clothes were all so vibrant that I wanted them to be shot amongst real life scenarios to contrast the drama of each look. Each look became more fun to shot than the previous , the model - Kimberley Marren , was a true proffessional , so much fun to work with & braved the freezing cold weather in some next-to-nothing looks. The photographer Georgina Bolton-King & make-up artist Chanel Sellears both shared my vision & Jade Alexander proved to be the best assistant going the extra mile , even running out to buy socks for the model due to how cold it was! Bless. The shoot turned out amazing, we took some behind the scenes pics while Georgina worked her expertise behind the lense...

Shooting on location proved to be very entertaining, not only for ourselves but for the passers on who would stop and watch as we did our thing. "What is this for?" , "She's gorgeous" , "Wow look at the sequins" they said as they made their way through the market.

Being in complete creative control and seeing my story unfold exactly how I imagined it - is a feeling I cant describe in words! My favorite memory of the day was when we were shooting the below look - a multicoloured sequinned dress that just screamed fun , the moment I saw it in Beyond Retro I knew I had to shoot it - we decided to shoot it in an off-license I had walked past a few days earlier , something about the interior and the stacks of product and alcohol in the shelves made me think it would be the perfect backdrop for the look. As we got started I queued Rihanna's 'Only Girl in the World' on Jade's iPhone and told Kim to dance along the aisle as if she

had just been out with her girlfriends still on a high from the night and just happened to walk into this store. We all started dancing , Kim was working her magic for the camera and I started to squeal when I looked over at Georgina's camera to see the shots that were coming through! It was an amazing moment and I couldn't help but clap & cheer as I knew we were making a bit of fashion magic. As the day drew to a close and I looked over at the shots It reminded me that this is what I love doing more than anything and the fact that I get to express my passion , is pretty amazing - I just can't wait to be doing this for a major magazine one day! I will be getting edited final images this week & will post them up to share with you all! xoxo Deni

FASHION MOMENT - Part Two...

2011-01-31T12:36:00.000-08:00

*I hope you enjoy reading this post as much as I enjoyed living it! Truly an amazing day!

After being in the world of menswear for a week , I was ready to dig my teeth into the world of sparkling stilleto's , glorious gowns and sexy leather leggings - I was having womenswear withdrawals so while on my way back from the shoot with Seventh Man I was told Sarah Cobb was shooting for french fashion publication L'Officiel magazine , my head almost exploded at the mere thought of being apart of it. L'Officiel - outside of Vogue - is one of the most highly regarded French Fashion publications. Its edgy, world class reputation is recognised worldwide.

When I recieved the brief - a spring summer trend story shot on 5 models in group sequences my head started spinning. 5 models , 10 trends - makes 50 looks. Including Shoes, Jewellery, Accessories - i'm talking bags, hosiery, scarves, gloves, sunglasses, hats - you name it we need it - it was shaping up to be a mammoth task for myself and the 1st assistant Faye. Mammoth , maybe , exciting , DEFINITELY! The trends varied from Animal Print and Block Colours to Leather & Stripes. Before I could say '...we need to call in the new green striped Prada wedges' it was Friday morning and time for the shoot. I woke up anxious and excited, not only was I assisting on shoot for one of the most elite style publications , it was also my first time assisting Sarah on a shoot and I was determined to make a good impression and soak up as much wisdom from her expertise as I could. I arrived at Sarah's at 8.30am to collect all the cases of couture to be shot for the day. A toal of 3 large suitcases and 6 large bags full of fashion goodness. As I got into the car the driver made his way to the studio and I made a quick emergency phone call to my mum for a pre-shoot prep talk. "Don't be nervous Deni you'll do great" - with those words we pulled up to the entrance and it was time to get started. The studio was huge , the biggest i've seen so far , the models were in hair & make-up and photography & crew snacking on bagels & fruit provided for breakfast. I started to unpack the cases seperating the clothes into trends. Boxes of looks hot off the runway were being sent to the studio all morning and when a box of Balmain arrived I almost squealed (my favorite brand of the moment) - out of the box I retrieved an amazing black leather baseball style jacket , silver sleeves, white panels on the shoulder , a metallic B badge on one chest and a big Balmain written across the back shoulders. "Oh my god Denis that is so you , I think you need to try it on" , "I know right (says I as I slip into it thinking , thank god i'm sample size) ah its amazing" , "That is so cool on you" - and suddenly I stop and think , 'What , me and Sarah Cobb are having a RZOE/Brad moment' and I smile on the inside and get back to work. The first story is colour blocking and as we overload colour onto our super tall , super thin , extremley high-fashion models, I stand back in awe of Sarah's vision. To say she is an amazing stylist would be an understatement. Immediatley I felt inspired & before I knew it the girls were in front of the photographer ready for the first shot!
Following colour we went to neutral and soft hair and caramel tones were before me. What I loved about this story is that with such a simple trend as neutrals your challenged to still make it interesting and inspiring and make girls want to wear tan , nude & taupe tones in their own way. Up next was my favorite category , a Biker-Leather style story , one of my favorite trends and a style that always inspires me. What I most enjoyed about this story was that the collaboration of ideas between Sarah and myself was really flowing , apart from the fact that she's extremley down to earth and so easy to work with yet extremley hard working - she was genuinely interested in my opinion and took my point of view seriously. As the girls stood before us leather clad with biker chic feirceness they posed and played it up for the camera's like the proffessionals they are. Its so amazing how a GREAT model stands out amongst the merely good & these girls were great - working off eachother , with each click of the camera a different look a new angle , being a model is not as easy people think yet these girls made it seem so effortless and chic!

Biker-Bad Ass out of the way it was time to turn to animal inspirations for our Animal Print story. An exaggerated play on prints textures and colours , print upon print of leopard was piled on the girls to bring out the animal inside. However for this shot we moved from inside the studio to outside in the freezing cold wind to shoot at a nearby playground. The models piled on their coats and I found myself assisting Amalie, a gorgeous 17 year old blonde dutch beauty as she was having difficulty walking in the sky-high Alexander McQueen heels I had put her in. Feeling bad I gave her a helping hand. The weather was beyond cold , freezing didnt even suffice for how cold it felt , but as soon as we got the the park the girls had to turn it on as the coats came off and the camera turned on. Posing by a big playground lizard the girls did an amazing job in the cold-chill.

As we walked back to the studio I continued a really interesting conversation with Amalie and it suddenly hit me that here was a seventeen year old girl being thrusted into a world of fashion , money , drugs , sex - when most girls are preparing for their Debutante Ball in high school. "You kind of forget how young you are in this world , age doesnt really exist" - she said to me and I felt a combination of excitement and sadness for her. As we returned back into the warm studio it was time to change into the next look before we headed back into the cold. The next story was romantic-lace and truly a beautiful fashion moment. The following day I had lugged around a box almost the same size of me , containing one amazing Giambattista Valli tulle ball-gown style skirt. The pain it gave my arms & shoulders seemed suddenly so worth it once on the model paired with a Chanel vest. In a second all the pain I endured lugging that box around , was forgotten, I imagined that's what having a baby must feel like for mothers - hours of pain but as soon as the glowing result arrives you forget it - it was my little fashion baby come to life! As the girls stood in a line it almost put a tear in my eye - they looked angelic , beautiful and ethereal.

We started off in the studio and the lovely Nicole flashed me a peace sign between takes -

However the photographer felt it wasnt giving off the right look , the soft feminine feel of the lace needed to be juxtaposed with something harsh & more gritty , so we took to the streets & the side lane by the studio proved the perfect location , for the poor girls however it meant freezing yet again with next to nothing on underneath their sheen lace outfits - bundled up they stood there but once the coats came on and the camera started working I felt like time stood still , the girls looked amazing and as they stood there ready for each shot I couldnt get over just how incredible this was all going to look! As I said bye to the team and got on the train to make my way to work (yes , interning doesnt pay the rent folks so i've been working a night job also doing more or less 13hour days Monday to Friday) something came over me as I sat looking out the window. Somewhere in the daily grind of working in Fashion sometimes I forget to stop and appreciate what I'm experiencing. I suddenly thought back to the young boy who saved his money each month to buy all his favorite fashion magazines and obsess over every fashion shoot just praying that one day he would be a part of that world - and now he was. What I experienced on shoot last Friday was so amazing that as I sat there reflecting on my day I was overwhelmed with emotion , tears started building up in my eyes. Happy tears, tears that said 'Deni you are so lucky to be doing this you're dreams are coming true' and for a moment I reminded myself that I was exactly where i'm meant to be. In an amazing city making my dreams come true - even if it means I've had to run around London carrying boxes and suitcases weighing down my scrawny arms with designer clothes - it will all be worth it one day - now more than ever I am more determined to make those dreams a reality xoxo Deni

did someone say FASHION MOMENT - Part One...

2011-01-29T03:30:00.000-08:00

*warning this is a long post , pour yourself a glass of wine or embrace the British and make yourself a cup of tea (I will have drank 2 cups whilst writing this post) and enjoy...

If someone was to tell me the first month of TWENTY-ELEVEN would be hectic-manic-crazybusy-beyond-belief , that would be an understatement! It all started in the last week of TWENTY-TEN when I thought I needed to start organising a very fashionable new year. Now, for those of you who don't know , many high calibre stylists work with agencies, so like where a model will be signed to an agent to organise them work a Freelance stylist will work with an agency that does the same. One of the leading agencies in Europe is LGA , they represent Cheryl Cole's stylist (Victoria Adcock) and the fashion director of Elle among others. I emailed the agency a week after Christmas applying for any assisting opportunities that were available in the New Year. Assisting an LGA stylist is the equivalent of a aspiring race car driver assisting Michael Schumacher. With such a reputation and its elite recognition in the industry it was my first port of call. 3 week's later I received an email that would turn my January into MAYHEM. Sarah Cobb , former Contributing Editor to Dazed & Confused and AnOther magazine , is an incredible Stylist who's styles for many high-end edgy international fashion publications. Her style is truly inspiring and whilst on the LGA site her work stood out to me among the rest.

So when I was told by her 1st Assistant that LGA sent over my CV and whether i'd be interested in assisting Sarah , I sprung out of bed and called her immediately and with the question "Can you start tomorrow..." my life turned into Fashion overdrive! My first day with Camp Cobb involved running around London visiting various Fashion PR's , 'pulling' clothes for a shoot for Italian Fashion Magazine FLAIR , I had 2 days and a brief of 'Long , Fluid , Layering' to work off and suddenly I was brainstorming which labels we should pull from. After 2 long days of running around we finally had enough clothes , shoes & accessories to send Sarah off to shoot on location in South Africa and a sense of accomplishment overcame me - until of course it was time to prep for the next shoot. In the mean time , the 1st Assistant (Faye) flat mate was the Fashion Co-Ordinator at uber-cool mens style magazine SEVENTH MAN and when she called Faye asking for an assistant on a trend story they were working on , I was put forward and before I knew it I went from the world of women's straight over to menswear.As I arrived to 7TH MAN HQ I was given the brief - Sports Luxe - and was told that I would be doing all the press appointments on my own as the team was busy co-ordinating the shoot. To be given that sort of trust on the first day was daunting to say the least but made me want to prove myself even more. With my first appointment at The Communication Store one of London's leading Fashion PR Agency's I pulled some great Versace, Missoni & Christopher Kane and as I made my way to the next appointment it suddenly hit me that I was running around this amazing city they call London, surrounded by my favorite thing in the world - Fashion and again I reminded myself how lucky I was to be apart of this - slowly making my dream come true. At day's end I returned to HQ to show the team some of the looks I pulled. The Fashion Editor was thrilled and the team really impressed with my choices and I left feeling slightly elevated on the cloud 9 I call Fashion! While prepping for the Sports Luxe shoot the team told me they were shooting a trend story on the weekend and asked if I'd like to assist - I jumped at the offer and was ready to work on my first mens-fashion shoot. When Sunday morning rolled around , after a night out on the dance-floor's of Soho , with only 3 hours sleep I stepped into my cab (I decided to treat myself the luxury) and arrived *Marc Jacobs shades to cover last night's hangover* at the studio's for 9am...eek! Determined, however, to make a good impression & work my ass off - the minute I was organising the rails the clothes spoke to me and my hangover was cured!The story of the shoot was Floral Print , a typically feminine aspect of fashion however the challenge was to make it cool and masculine yet embracing a softer vibe. Styling women is fun , its almost too fun at times because you can simply go to town and play dress ups - the difference with menswear is you need to keep it 'male-appropriate' however it needs to be fashion forward and inspiring and spending the day on shoot made me realise how interesting a challenge it is and I really enjoyed it. Working with the fashion director was a dream , an incredible stylist he was really open to my opinion and ideas and it felt more collaborative then simply assisting. The

looks came together beautifully and pushed some boundaries in a cool edgy way. That feeling when you nail a look , is one of the greatest feelings and when the whole room feels it, its electric!

Working with boys who are easy on the eye and really fun to work with doesn't hurt either , but in all seriousness I really found myself loving being on a menswear shoot and some of the looks we put together were really inspiring which ultimately is what fashion should be all about. Before you could say 'I need to rest' the Sports-Luxe shoot came around 36 hours later. As I arrived to the North London studio's (this time by public transport) I was transported from 'Floral & Soft' to 'Sports, Street & Edge' - the theme of the day was an exaggeration of sports-wear in a futuristic super human type way. I had in front of me nylon, leather, futuristic prints & colour

As the Fashion Editor & I styled the looks together I really started to get a feel for menswear and really trying to push myself. The result was brilliant & the looks came together so well. Slightly more high-fashion than Sunday's shoot , the Sports-Luxe story was not for the faint-hearted. The styling was edgy, super cool and I was in my element as the model worked it...

As I got on the train home I felt so inspired to view mens fashion in a completely different light! I really look forward to continue working with the SEVENTH MAN team but no rest for the wicked as they say and before I could gasp for air I was prepping for the biggest womenswear shoot I've ever worked on...all the details coming soon in Part Two xoxo Deni

...farewell 2010

2011-01-01T04:06:00.000-08:00

When I think back on the year that's been , it literally makes my head spin. I can hardly believe some of the opportunities I've had , experiences I've gone through, incredible people I've met, friends I've made and amazing situations I found myself in. I thought I'd do this post to toast an incredible year & welcome the year that is now before me... I thought I'd do it in a fun light-hearted way , looking back at some of my favorite things throughout the year along with the highlights & some low points of the year , as with good experiences come bad and with no regrets these are the trials & tribulations that make us the people we are & help us grow as individuals...

Let's get this rundown started!

Highlights of 2010

London Fashion Week

When I think to my first LFW in February of 2010 , as I worked the shows while interning at Goodley PR - it gave me a taste for what the fashion Industry was really about and made me feel like I was finally in the right place. Fast Forward to LFW September 2010 and now a freelance stylist I was attending shows and relishing in the whirlwind rollercoaster ride that was LFW. My London Fashion Week experiences so far can be summed up in one sentence - 'Is this really happening to me...' - I couldn't stop thinking this as I found myself showing Carine Roitfield (former Editor of French Vogue & one of my all time Hero's) around the Meadham Kirchoff collection, hand under her arm like two old friends. I couldn't stop thinking this as I sat 2nd row at Julien Macdonald in the beautiful Banquet House location , sitting behind Editor of Japanese Vogue Anna Dello Russo (also another hero of mine) or the ultimate , attending the Vivienne Westwood show which ultimately was so overwhelming it brought me to tears. Here's to more London Fashion Week adventures in 2011...

Special Event

Over the course of the year I've been lucky enough to work & attend various events. From store openings, to magazine & film launches followed by more upscale events during LFW & the Q Music Awards After Party. One night however is a night I will never forget - when as fate would have it on the same night the PR agency I'd at the time started working for was hosting a private event with the guest of honour being my Idol Kylie Minogue , which happened to coincide with the Glamour Woman of the year awards. In the one night I met the Divine Miss M & still smile like a child when I think how she shook my hand and called me a 'sweety' , shortly after I was whisked away to the white marquees at Berkley Square with my client and friend Seema to attend the Glamour Awards VIP After Party, where we rubbed shoulders with Florence Welch, Dizzee Rascal, Amanda Holden & Tinie Tempah. Truly a night I will never forget.

An amazing job!

The career prospects that followed me through 2010 were each amazing and fulfilling in their own way. From my first internship in Fashion PR , to then being made a Press Assistant with the amazing Tamara Kretzer PR - I learned about the fashion industry from a completely different angle and loved every minute of it. My own freelance styling has further developed and my client base expanding and then at the end of the year I scored an internship with InStyle magazine working alongside my fashion styling hero Natalie Hartley. I am so greatful & feel so blessed for each opportunity I've been given - its been quite the ride!

Wireless Music Festival

In the summer of 2010 my dream came true and I got to see the musical genius & one of my favorite artists Jay Z Live in Hyde Park. Words cant quite describe how amazing it was. It will forever be the greatest Live Performance I've ever seen. Pure genius!

Low-Point of the year

And so a Chapter ends...

I never imagined coming out of a relationship would be easy, but no one could have prepared me for infact how difficult it would truly be. Break-Ups are hard in any circumstance but then you're thrown into a scenario where you feel as though your whole world is crashing down and when you need your mother's hug the most you're on the other side of the world & suddenly you've never felt more alone. Someone once told me that matter's of the heart are never simple - well that is the understatement of the year. However there is a positive to every negative and coming out of a 2 year relationship in a foreign country when essentially you can only rely on yourself , has taught me so much about myself. What doesn't kill us only makes us stronger and at the end of the day life is full of lessons and this chapter in my life was a journey in which I learnt a lot along the way. It has to be said that without the amazing support of the incredible friends I've made in London and the incredible support my family & friends have shown me even from the other side of the world, I don't think I would be where I am today. Love is an amazing feeling & though along with it can come heartbreak but I would do it all again in a heartbeat, life is too short for regrets. So it is with this Low-Point that I will learn & grow from in 2011...

My Favorite Albums of 2010

2010 was all about the Hip Hop music scene and though there were many amazing musical offerings across the year , the 4 albums that are at the top of my list are as follows. Local London newcomer Tinie Tempah took the music world by storm with 'Disc-Overy' offering track after track of an amazing mix of hip hop & electronic beats. I saw him live at Wireless Music Festival &

thought he played in a tent & not on the main stage he had the tent overflowing with people who didnt stop dancing & singing along to his fly lyrics. Nicki Minaj is to Hip Hop what GaGa is to Pop - controversial , attention seeking and FUCKING TALENTED! 'Pink Friday' shows every aspect of Nicki's talent , rapping , singing , writing & producing. Pure genius! Kanye West , love him or hate him you can't deny his talent. Rolling Stone called My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy the record of the year and only just having really becoming obsessed with it I wouldn't disagree. Its constantly on repeat on my iPod & 'All the Lights' is a track of pure genius! It goes without saying that this was Rihanna's year. That Hair. That Song. Those Killer Live Performances , LOUD truly is an album you can put on and from start to end love every single track! Since its release I haven't stopped listening to it! Amazing!

My Favorite Songs of 2010

Kelis - Acappella That Beat. The David Guetta production. The hyponitizing vocals. This was a summer anthem. When I hear it I think of balmy London nights, full of dancing & Pimms!

Bruno Mars - Just The Way You Are Everytime I hear it It gives me goosebumps. I feel like you hear it and you just want someone to serenade you with the song. Add to the mix it featured on Glee and before you know it its a track that i'll always associate with 2010!

Far East Movement - Like a G6 The first time I heard this track was in an episode of Gossip Girl. I immediately downloaded it and its by far one of the coolest tracks i've ever heard. It makes me think of dancing all night & feels like the kind of track that would be played at a fashion show. Very Very Cool.

Katy Perry - Teenage Dream This song makes me want to fall in love again. That feeling of

floating on a cloud so intoxicated by that feeling that you do feel like you're a teenager all over

again. Also featured on Glee this season - its a guilty pleasure and very lovable!

Rihanna - Only Girl in the World Without a doubt the most played song of the year. The

Biggest anthem to be released all year its an absolute firework of a song. It explodes and leaves you wanting more. Its such a feel good track that no matter how many times I hear it , I find myself dancing in the street.

My Fave TV Show of the Year

It was the UK Reality TV Sensation of the year - The Only Was is Essex followed the lives of these tan-tastic Essex locals and did everything a reality show should do - provide entertainment, give us new catch phrases and ended up in every glossy rag on the news stand. Because one of my best friends is from Essex and before the show aired I had many a time frequented the clubs and the culture that feature on the show It was a personal favorite and a highlight of weekly TV. My favorite - the cutely ditzy Amy - such a sweet funny and like-able character & with Seasons 2 & 3 confirmed there's plenty more Essex to come! Yay!

My Favorite Film of the Year

Although 500 Days of Summer came out late 2009 , I didn't see it until January 2010 and a year on its still by far my favorite film of the year and one of my favorite films full stop. Such a beautiful yet heart-wrenching story of Love but not a typical love story and though I'm a huge fan of cheesy rom-com's , the realness of this film is so refreshing & its so beautifully made.

THE YEAR AHEAD...

On a nostalgic day during cold December after watching Eat Pray Love I felt a sudden burst of inspiration to make a list of 10 things I wanted to achieve in 2011. Some things are big and come down to timing with a little bit of fate while other things are little & easier to achieve but each is something I want to do for myself...

1. Travel to an amazing city alone & embrace it!

2. Establish myself as a successful up & coming Stylist.

3. Put myself out of my comfort zone & do something extreme like skydiving!

4. Give something back to my parents , something they've always wanted but haven't got around to doing/buying etc...

5. Throw a fabulous intimate dinner party and cook everything myself

6. Give back to the world/my community. Do some charity/volunteer work

7. Make more time for my brother. A weekly/fortnightly chat , just us two catching up on life

8. Allow myself one splurge/investment purchase

9. Take care of my body inside & out , eat better, exercise, meditate. Make that connection with the real me again, regain my confidence & a sense for the person I am & want to be...

10. Fall in Love! All consuming , can't live without each other , butterflies in your stomach LOVE!

That's it for me peeps! Happy New Year , looking forward to see what 2011 has in store for us xoxo Deni

STYLING THE BAND...DLJ SHOOT!

2010-12-29T16:34:00.000-08:00

Hey Peeps! Now due to technical difficulties I wasn't able to write this post when it happened so we're going to back track a month , to a very exciting day! My clients , electro-pop duo Dead Love Junkies discussed doing a shoot with me a while back which they would use for promotional purposes, for the cover art of their album & also to use on their website. I spent some time gathering inspiration & decided what kind of direction I wanted to go in. In the music industry in this day & age there are so many 'up & coming' bands, singers etc that it can be quite difficult to stand out, no matter how talented you may be. However, when a performer has a distinct look & presence , they tend to get people's attention. Take for example the amazing GaGa , would people continue to be so gaga over gaga if there were no dramatic costumes & theatrics - the girl is talented that goes without saying - but image does make a difference. The boys behind DLJ are extremely talented however I wanted to make them look like the rockstar's they are in their own right. My Inspiration came from various things. People like The Killers , David Bowie, Kanye West - these performers have a look that says 'I'm a Star' combine that element with glamour, futuristic influences & a nod to the Circus & I try & create a unique look for the guys. A look that hopefully makes people go 'These guys are cool, I want to listen to their music!'

After showing the guys my moodboard of images, followed by pulling some amazing vintage threads from Beyond Retro - I wanted to use a majority of vintage as it was important to me that the clothing not be about what labels the boys were wearing but more the over all look - I then asked my gorgeous friend & very talented photographer Lora Popescu to do the photography. The shoot took place , accidentally , on location at the Book Club in East London which is this amazing restaurant that has a basement level which provided perfect back drops for our shots! Though I was nervous it ended up being one of those days where everything runs better than you could have ever hoped. The photography, the clothing, the location & the energy in the room was electric. The feeling it gave me to see the guys look & feel amazing was priceless and more than anything cemented in my mind that this is where my heart is! Enough from me , this post is more visual , check out the images from the shoot below, and keep your eyes and ears peeled for these boys - they're gonna be big! xoxo Deni

check out www.deadlovejunkies.com to hear the boys do what they do best!

an amazing day in this world called FASHION!

2010-12-28T03:27:00.000-08:00

Hey my darling readers! Apologies for the delay between posts but yet again the technical world has not been my friend and my laptop has kept stuffing up on me! Alas it is back up & running so get ready for all the updates & lots more blogging!

During my 2nd week at InStyle I was asked to assist my hero aka Senior Fashion Editor Natalie Hartley , I couldn't quite believe my luck! Every month I pour over her shoots in the magazine squealing with joy at each look and now I was going to assist her on a shoot. As I woke up that morning I decided to go for a look that best described me! Its not so much that I was trying to impress her and the team , it was more a communication of 'this is deni' in an outfit! I chose to wear an oversized shirt with some leather skinny's , my Vintage Mickey Mouse jumper and silver volleys. It sums up my style in one look , Classic - the shirt. Vintage/Quirky - the jumper. Rock/Edge - leather skinnys. Urban/Glam - silver trainers. Music blaring through my new WESC headphones I made my way over to InStyle to collect the cases of clothes for the shoot!

My driver was waiting for me outside waiting to drive me to the shoot. Today we were shooting Eliza Doolittle , a very cool , fashion-forward up&coming music sensation on the UK music scene. The first time I saw Eliza perform live was in February at fashion week, she sang a live set during the Eun Jeong show & I remember loving her voice. Then I met her properly at this

year's Glamour Awards & happened to bump into her again more recently at the PPQ after show party. Both times I've spoken to her she's always been so lovely and down to earth so I was really looking forward to the shoot. Stuck in bumper to bumper traffic getting to the shoot was a nightmare but eventually I finally made it to the location. The shoot was taking place at a huge house in South-West London. The house was very intriguing in the way it was decorated. To say it was kitsch would be an understatement. Murals of palm trees and gardens were painted on walls of one room for example and in the other hung a massive painting that more or less took up the space of an entire wall (in a room which has very high ceilings) , the painting was of 20 or so people & monkeys running around a field naked. In the same room sat a baby grand piano in a light brown woodgrain finish - it was like the decorator was a. blind & b. extremely confused. However for the purpose of the shoot it set the perfect backdrop for a quirky fashion shoot. I said hello to Natalie & introduced myself to the rest of the crew, it seemed there was people everywhere, the photographer , his assistant, make up artists, nail artists, hair dressers, Eliza's agent , & another 2 or so InStyle representatives. I made my way downstairs to a bedroom which looked like the tackiest hotel bedroom you've ever seen - for today this would be Eliza's dressing room. I began to unpack the contents of the cases and hung up amazing pieces from the likes of Miu Miu, Louis Vuitton , Burberry , Christopher Kane , Henry Holland and soon

followed by laying out all the shoes - Louboutin, Choo, Rossi, Zanotti, Blahnik - the whole gang

was there , followed by vintage sunglasses , jewellery & accessories including a python DVF

clutch and some vintage head pieces. Tacky Room aside - I was basically in a little fashion heaven! While setting up the clothes the next thing I know Eliza came into the room , looking ever so cute in dressing gown & sipping her tea. "Hiya I'm Deni, i'm assisting on the shoot today" I said as I put my hand out for a shake , "Hiya, I remember you, we've met before" , "Yeah at the Glamour Awards & at PPQ" , "Yeah that's right , nice to see you again" - and with that I immediately felt less nervous , it was so sweet that she remembered me as she had just come off a world tour (being in Australia only a week prior to the shoot) and must meet so many people on a daily basis , the fact she remembered little old me was really sweet. Natalie soon made her way in to talk through the clothes with Eliza & this is where the action really began , observing the way she talked through the clothes and discussed the looks so calm cool casual & collected with Eliza like they were two old friends , I was just in awe already and the styling hadn't even begun. For her first look Natalie styled her up in a pair of Denim cut off's , a white Acne vest top & an incredible metallic silver Antonio Berardi jacket , some aqua suede Louboutins completed the look and suddenly the transformation from the girl in her dressing gown to this cool urban-glamazon began. As each look was styled together I couldn't believe how lucky I was to be assisting Natalie & I went into sponge mode and tried to soak up everything I could. The looks ranged from Mark Fast embellished dresses to a Louis Vuitton Kimono top. My favorite look was a bronze metallic leather cropped top with star shaped cut outs exposing some skin. Styled together with nude Viktor & Rolf leggings that had metallic turquoise stripes & studding up the legs , teamed with a pair of wrap around turquoise Louboutins - the result was fun , sexy and so fucking cool! Watching Eliza work the camera and Natalie style each look , was testament to the pro's that they both are but more than anything everyone was having fun with it and that was what was most inspiring of all. Seeing each look uploading onto the laptop as the camera took each frame , and the reaction of the stylist , photographer and crew felt incredible , the rush that filled the room when everyone knew what an amazing shot it was - that is what drives me to make this ambition my reality. As the last look was shot - a gold metallic lurex mini dress teamed with amazing Dior Jewellery & Nude Patent Choo's - it was officially a wrap! Eliza said her goodbyes to the team & before I knew it I was packing up the clothes and making my way back into the car. "Thankyou for your help today Denis you were brilliant" - said Natalie as we said our goodbye's wishing eachother well for our weekends, I hopped into the SUV and my driver made his way into the evening traffic. As we drove across the bridge - Big Ben &

Westminster in my view - I looked across to the London Eye and couldn't help but stop & think 'My God , I am in one of the most amazing cities in the world , experiencing things I've only ever dreamed of - how has all this happened to me' , and as I made my way home I picked up a small bottle of Champagne & some chocolate to toast myself & my amazing day in Fashion! xoxo Deni

InStyle begins...ready.set.go!

2010-12-06T11:57:00.000-08:00

As I stood there in front of the mirror umming & aahing over my ensemble I wondered if I looked 'InStyle - appropriate'. How does one sum up their style aesthetic in one outfit - classic.urban.glamour-with a twist! I decided to go for a black and white combo - CLASSIC - a velvet blazer & satin bow tie - GLAMOUR - & studded trainers - URBAN! Done and done! Bag in tow I made my way through the winter air and onto the tube to the Bluefin Building - home of InStyle. As I got off the tube & made my way to the building , which I could already see in the distance , I queued 'Suddenly I See - KT Tunstall' on my iPod and made my way through the revolving doors and into the building feeling very Annie-Hathaway-in-Devil-Wears-Prada!As I entered the long sleek lobby fashionistas made their way through the entrance , swiping their passes. Suddenly I was surrounded by every autumn winter trend possible - capes , shearling , faux fur and suede a plenty. As I made my way I was complimented on my trainers and with that I was in the elevator & on my way to 7th Heaven (aka 7th Floor home of InStyle)
Greeted at the door by one of the Fashion Assistants I made my way into the office & into the InStyle fashion cupboard - which I'll be calling home for a little while. Surrounded by clothes I was officially in fashion heaven. Chloe, Chanel, Valentino, Dior hung beside shelves of Louboutin, Zanotti and Choo! On my first day I met most of the team - it has to be said that the Devil-Wears-Prada expectations of rude , cold , bitchiness is nothing more than a stereotype , or at least so can be said for the InStyle crew. Everyone is lovely , warm & welcoming and made me feel at home. Day 1 included mostly sorting through the cupboard of beautiful clothes , sending back outstanding samples , organising new samples sent in on each editors/assistants rail. After just spending one day in an office where proffesional conversation included "I'm thinking Erdem will be perfect for our Helena Christensen shoot" I finally realised 'This is where I belong - I'm home' - I wasn't sure how long I would have to sort through samples, but I was willing to do it for however long it took to get to work for this fashion institution. As I walked out of the building on Day One I felt an overwhelming sense of this was my chance to prove how much I want this. Day Two came along and it was a slight milestone for me - today I would be meeting my styling hero the amazing Natalie Hartley - Senior Fashion Editor - getting dressed on Day Two I tried to keep up with my signature look and went for a grey knit layered over a white shirt , some black skinny's with a leather & metal Chanel-esque chain necklace , adding my signature oversized black beanie for that touch of urban street style! London was covered in snow and I made my way to the train station feeling nervous yet excited for the day! I spent the first few hours of the day sorting through designer samples in the cupboard feeling very Lauren Conrad & Whitney Port interning at Teen-Vogue on The Hills...As the day went on one of the interns came over to me 'Natalie's just walked in' she said - the previous day after being asked by the interns why I wanted to intern at InStyle I explained to them how much I admire Natalie Hartley and how she was my favorite stylist. As soon as her name was mentioned I felt my cheeks go rosy red and butterflies in my stomach - Its hard to explain but when I look up to someone as much as I look up to her , meeting her is the equivalent of meeting a celebrity. I quickly-yet-casually checked myself out in the mirror and before I knew it she made her way into the cupboard to sort through samples she shot the day before. "Hiya , I'm Denis" , "Hey, I'm Natalie" - and with that introduction the conversation begun. What impressed me more than her 'urban-chic' ensemble featuring an olive knit sweater , denim skinny's and Nike High-Top trainers (lined with shearling) - was how down to earth & genuine she is, chatting & laughing about with the interns. It made me admire/respect her even more!

...the following day while Natalie was out on a shoot we had a minor crisis at the cupboard. We were waiting on a Marc Jacobs runway look to be delivered to the office so we could send them straight to Natalie's shoot - however with London under full throttle snow and all of our couriers on severe delays , someone needed to deliver the Marc Jacobs to the shoot and that someone was me. Before I knew it I had a box of MJ in one hand and my tube pass in the other and made my way over to the studios where the shoot was taking place. As I walked into the space Natalie and the camera crew were breaking for lunch "Hiya Denis..." she began & as I listened I stopped for a moment to think 'she is calling me by my name' , the blushing school boy inside of me couldnt help but feel overwhelmed. As I walked into the studio space and towards Hair & Make-Up , rails of clothing a multitude of shoes and tables of accessories were laid out to be used! I took a look at some of the shots they had done earlier in the day and I was blown away with awe - as always the master at work styled up amazing fashion in the coolest way that only she knows how! As Natalie wished me well I made my way back to the office & as the clock struck 6.30 I made my way out of the office into the snow and out onto the weekend!

As the weekend came and went Monday Morning arrived , I woke up open my wardrobe and inspired by Chanel & Paris I opted to yet again pair my favorite combination of black & white mixed in with stripes for my first Monday at InStyle adding the beanie again for an urban twist!

The day proved to be crazy busy , with all the returns to go back from Natalie's shoot on friday , we had a chance to chat about Christmas , New Years & my Australian origins. As the day drew to a close the Editor-in-Chief of the magazine made her way into the cupboard to select an outfit to wear to an event tomorrow night. I met the Editor , on my 2nd day while she was doing a run through with our Fashion Editor for the Helena Christensen shoot - following my InStyle experience so far she too was a truly sweet down to earth genuine woman who definitley recieves respect when she enters a room but by no means fear - ala Miranda Priestley - as she decided what to wear to the event , selected a black Roland Mouret shift and some neon yellow Miu Miu shoes she looked around the room 'now what accessory does one wear with neon yellow shoes' - immediatley I remembered a bag I saw on friday, upon its arrival at the office it had myself and all the girls in a flurry of ooh's & aah's it is one of my favorite accessories of the season - with that in mind I Immediatley said (in an almost thinking out loud tone) 'You need the neon Celine' and as I reached through our returns I pulled out the neon yellow Celine python clutch and with a giggle she said ' that is the quote of the week' after showing her the bag she gasped 'oh yes that is amazing' , she walked around the room asking for everyone's feedback and my accessory choice was a hit with the whole team! "Thankyou , this is amazing , just what the outfit needed, its perfect" she exited the cupboard to show off her ensemble and returned with a pat on my back "Thankyou again for that" - as I walked out of the cupboard I heard her & senior member of staff say 'He's so cute' - and with a dose of Celine I think I made a good impression! I left the office today feeling so honoured to be in the presence of such genuine , down to earth , and incredibly hard-working team of proffessionals brought together by their love of fashion! Let the journey continue...xoxo Deni

The Fashion Dream continues...

2010-12-01T13:03:00.001-08:00

Hey peeps! November has been possibly one of the busiest months of the year for me so I apologise for the lack of posts - so much has happen and i'm not sure quite where to start! It all kicked off about 4 weeks ago when it became apparent that the styling game was really going my way - my boss and dear friend Tamara one evening after work pointed out to me 'Deni if this is where your hearts at then maybe you should follow your dreams...' and with those words and one very sleepless night , I decided that after almost a year of working in Fashion PR , it was time to follow my fashion dreams and take a risk. From as early as I can remember there have been two things i've wanted to do , be a fashion designer and/or work for a fashion magazine. At a young age I didnt really know what that actually meant however over the years I've learned a lot about this industry and working in PR especially has given me an insight to the how the Fashion Magazine world works! Celebrity styling is amazing and lots of fun (and something I will continue to do) however I still remember reading through the first fashion mag I ever bought... Vogue! Holly Valance was on the front cover and she was wearing a Tom Ford for Gucci Dress , I still have the issue in my cupboard at home. I remember how the main fashion shoots made me feel - they gave me hope , inspiration , they made me fantasise - to make someone else feel that way , to tell a story through fashion would be my dream come true! When I moved to London and started to become familiar with all the UK Glossy's , one stylist stood out to me - Senior Fashion Editor at InStyle Magazine - Natalie Hartley! Before I get into her as a stylist it needs to be said that she is basically the coolest girl in the world - her own personal style is my idea of the way girls should dress , she combines all of my fave elements , vintage , designer & high street urban yet feminine and always does so in a cool "I just threw this on "- effortless way!

I saw Natalie at various points over fashion week and each time would just freeze in awe of her style. I blush at the mere mention of her name and this, my friends is why - when you open a copy of InStyle UK and look at Natalie's shoots , whether its main fashion , a shoe special or jewellery - no one's style is cooler than hers. Her main fashion shoots are like eating a box of chocolates , each page gets better and once you've got to the end you're left craving more! Her styling inspires me beyond words , her pages make me gasp and squeal the way she tells a story through fashion and exudes her vision to the masses is everything I dream of doing - she's basically my fashion hero , if that makes sense? She is to me , what David Beckham is to young athletes! I have various tear cut outs of her work on my wardrobe to inspire me on a daily basis!

So when my directors at TKPR asked me 'Where would you most like to work, who would you most like to assist...' - I immediatley said "Well my dream would be to assist Natalie Hartley at InStyle , she is by far my favorite stylist" and before I knew it emails were exchanged , resume's sent over and a phone call that would give me my foot into the fashion world door , soon followed. 2 Weeks after emailing my CV to Natalie and her assistant , a mere 2 days ago I was offered an internship at InStyle - I could hardly believe this was happening. The publication at the top of my wish list and suddenly it was coming true! I knew it wouldnt be glamorous , I knew it would mostly including sorting through a fashion cupboard full of returns - however I also knew this was my chance to prove myself and get my first shot at what I hope will be a career at a major fashion magazine. I hung up the phone after my chat with InStyle and found myself giggling and skipping down the road like a child! So as I sit here in bed after my first day at InStyle (which I will blog about seperately in a few days once i've gathered all my thoughts) I take a moment to take in the fact that in just over a year my life has changed 3 times over and I've finally been given a key to the door which may hopefully open my fashion dreams and make them a reality! What i've done to deserve this I'll never know - all I know is the little boy who used to sit in Math class sketching dresses & reading fashion magazines is slowly making his dreams come true! Now I better get to bed , I've got a busy day ahead of me tomorrow and Natalie's in the office which means I really must figure out what I'm going to wear! Wish me luck xoxo Deni

THE STYLING CONTINUES...

2010-11-02T13:37:00.001-07:00

I cant believe its been almost a month since London Fashion Week , so much has happened and I've been so busy that I have barely had a spare minute to stop and blog - so here is a much overdue update followers!

A week after London Fashion Week I found myself walking a block down from my house over to my new client's house. Laura Whitmore (MTV Presenter) and I had sealed the deal over LFW and as our first meeting sprung I was both nervous and excited! As she greeted me at the door with her killer smile and glowing eyes I knew she would be a pleasure to work with. She poured me a cup of tea and we talked fashion , the olsen twins and boys , like old friends. We discussed what events she had coming up and as I jotted dates in my Smythson I soon realised my life was about to get a whole lot busier. The first event I had to style her for was the New Zealand Music Awards - sure piece of cake! The pressure was on and I really wanted her to love what I chose. A week later I found myself back at her door step walking up the stairs to her room with a whole heap of fab options from aussie label Antipodium. Laura loved it all and it really worked for her body and style. Paired with a pair of killer red heels & red clutch her outfit was red carpet ready!

The dress was a big hit and on her return from New Zealand we decided to get some outfit options together for various events as well as her filming for MTV. Proving a lover of aussie fashion two days later she emailed me across an image of her wearing Sass&Bide I chose for her on MTV Digs! Immediately I smiled and finally felt like 'ok this is really happening Deni'......determined to keep finding great pieces to put Laura in , I decided it was time to pull out the seasons hottest item 'the aviator jacket' and chose an Aldo number that we both loved. Little did I know just how much a hit the jacket would be! After wearing it to a fashion launch it featured on MSN online the next day as a 'Hot' Look - as it popped up on my screen I didnt know whether to smile or cry it may sound stupid I really felt like I was finally living my Styling dream.
Two days after the MSN hit , Laura was voted best in a 'who wore it best' vote on Heat Magazine Online. Up against UK Fashion Icon Fearne Cotton , when I saw that Laura was in the lead I immediately text her with excitement and the vote was in , Laura won with 20% more votes!

What's so nice about working with Laura is that we've had a really good chance to get to know each other on a personal level and she's fast becoming a very good friend - which to be honest is the nicest part of this. Its such a nice feeling to be able to collaborate with people you trust and enjoy spending time with. When i'm fitting Laura its like two kids playing dress ups! Last week we attended the film premiere for Nokia TV hosted by another one of my clients Natalia (and mutual friend between Laura and I). For the event I also styled Natalia - gorgeous petite with mediterranean features that would leave any boy drooling I decided to put her in this limited edition G-Star Dress , however I much preffered the back of the dress so I decided to use it as the front , hitch it up and add a belt to give it a more rock-chic feel - featuring a fab Mimco cuff!

As Laura and I headed to event , greeted by paparazzi , I was becoming increasingly aware of the star appeal Laura has and how much the paps love her! Ever the proffesional she poses and smiles and does it with grace! The event was to launch a small film just launched with the new Nokia phone. Featuring cameos by Ed Westwick and Pamela Anderson , Miss Pam was the guest of honour at tonight's event. As Laura and I walked in we found ourself making our way into the room with Jerome Jackson. As I stood shoulder to shoulder with one of the Jacksons I couldnt help but stop and think 'oh my god I have listened to your voice countless times and you're MJ's brother - how am I here?' - It ended up being a really fun event & Laura even got to meet Pam!

For most of the event we hung out with the uber-nice , down to earth and all round cool Benny Hudson aka Mr.Hudson the singer. We chatted about collaborating with my idol Jay Z and what the experience was like and got talking about new projects , television and the x-factor! It was really nice to be there with my two girls and in the company of some really talented people!

...as the event was coming to an end , Laura & some MTV peeps were invited to the Q Magazine Music Awards After Party hosted at uber hot spot Cafe de Paris. Before I knew it we were in a black cab making our way over to Leicester Sqaure to be greeted by more Paparazzi 'Laura , Laura' they screamed and with that we made our way into the venue. Before I knew it I was surrounded by some very talented musicians and the next thing I knew we were sitting at music extrodinaire Mark Ronson's table and dancing with his girlfriend! It was such a great way to end the night and as Laura and I danced the night away we got in the cab together on the way home & suddenly it hit me - here I am 22 years old in an amazing city , meeting & working with incredible people and making amazing friends along the way. I couldn't be any luckier and the adventures have only just begun! xoxo Deni

LFW DAY 5 - the last incredible day!

2010-10-06T13:21:00.000-07:00

*Yet again guys pour yourself a beverage of some form , pull out the snacks and relish in my last incredible life changing day of this seasons LFW experience. Happy reading!

I woke up rather nervous and excited for the final day of LFW. See the night before I had recieved a voicemail message on my blackberry from the producer I filmed with on the Saturday of LFW. "Hi Denis i'm just calling in regards to the filming we did with you & Henry on Saturday. I've watched the footage and I just think you're really great on screen and have a great charisma & personality for this. I'd love to film with you on the last day of Fashion Week so give me a call & let me know what your schedule is" - needless to say I called him back immediatley and suddenly I had a day of filming prepared as they were going to follow my happenings at LFW for an hour or 2 for the day. How this was happening was beyond me , but I immediatley looked to my wardrobe for inspiration & decided it was time to pull out all the stops. Vintage Versace combined with a little Sass & Bide to bring out the animal inside of me & let my fashion roar
Before the filming began I had a very exciting presentation to attend, one that is very close to home - Antipodium. Australian fashion maestro Geoffrey J Finch designs fun playful chic clothes that 'cool' girls and guys want to wear. Fans including Alexa Chung, Diana Vickers, my client Laura Whitmore and ME! I am a huge Antipodium fan and was eager to see what Geoffrey had in store for next Spring Summer. Set upstairs in the Portico Rooms of Somerset House I was greeted by my Lubin Lovely Rachel and had coffee and a chat with the amazing Kara Goodley on the balcony. My Internship at Goodley is what opened my door to the fashion world and Kara - ever the inspiration - was still as inspiring as ever. Looking effortlessly chic in a striped breton , chiffon pleated skirt and shaggy gilet she did 'cool' like only KG can! It was lovely to see her and as we discussed New York Fashion Week & Twitter the presentation was about to begin. As the first look came out - a sensible printed silk shirt dress - I knew that this collection was going the be a winner! Last season's playful crucifix's made way for this seasons sheer opulence and 'bookworm chic'. Combining transparency with long silhouettes and layering the presentation was full of beautiful pieces the fashion world & It girls alike would soon all be coveting!

My favorite pieces were a sky blue printed Miu-Miu-esque school girl dress & the transparent maxi dresses layered over a black bra and knickers. They were urban chic at its best and the subtle sea shell prints reminding me of the beaches and urban seascape of back home!
Once the presenation was over it soon came time for the filming to begin. As I met the crew we all had a bite together and got talking about how I came London & my love for fashion. Before long I was all miked up & the camera began to follow my every move. "Just do your thing , be fabulous and we will follow" - were my instructions. Now as I've just started working with the gorgeous Laura Whitmore I was about to become a very busy boy who needed to find some amazing brands to dress Laura in. As she's on MTV 5 times a week this was going to be quite the task so I decided to go for an explore throughout the stands/exhibitions of young up & coming designers and also some more established brands , and the camera's followed. In the first room I discovered an amazing jewellery duo Gemma Critchley & Zara Braganca behind their brand Cabinet. The girls create beautiful unique jewellery and INCREDIBLE embellished collars. When I set my sights on these sequinned and beaded babies It made me squeal! Truly incredible they are the perfect addition to jazz up any outfit. The girls , who I immediatley clicked with kindly let me play dress ups with their bedazzled &beauty's and wear the 'French Bead Collar' for the day - please ignore how dumb my face looks in the pic below & focus on the UN-BEELEIVABLE collar of which I was constantly asked about for the rest of the afternoon - at a cool 360quid this is an investment piece and something I feel would become like a heirloom. I could happily wear this every day for the rest of my life & never want to take it off! You all really need to check out the range on the website http://www.cabinetstudios.co.uk/ Collar in tact I bid the Cabinet girls' farewell and continued my exploration stumbling upon some great printed t-shirts and incredible shoes along the way. I then came to the stand by dutch designer Charlotte Sparre. It was her eye catching vibrant prints that caught my eye and I immediatley wanted to see more. Besides the fact that she is such a humble inspirational woman, her dresses and scarves are incredible and the fact that she designs all her own prints (100+ new prints are designed each season) is amazing & she has a strong celebrity following in LA. When a velvet scarf dripped in a gigantic skull print caught my eye it literally took my breath away. I put it on and could barely speak. "I never want to take it off" I told her "Well than its yours my love" she replied , taken a back I told her I couldnt possibly it was way too generous and she insisted I keep it! Needless to say its one of the most amazing things I've ever set eyes on & will be wearing it ALL WINTER quite literally! I cant wait to get Laura in her dresses! You guys can check her out at http://www.charlottesparre.com/ As we hugged goodbye I was off to the tents as it was almost time for my next show of the day. The producer was incredibly pleased with the filming, "People are just drawn to you Denis and you have a really down to earth sensibility of a boy making his dreams come true that people can relate to, we'll be in touch" and with those comments my mike was off and the whirlwind of the morning was still settling in to my now spinning head. Before I had time to comprehend what was going on I was sitting 3rd row at Todd Lynn. The collection was genuis. A slightly sci-fi element that combined shoulder pads , panelling, metallics and mirrored features. My favorite piece was a gilet with exaggerated mirrored neck piece , very gaga-esque & as the techno music pulsated through the crowd It was quite a short snappy show that provided much stimulation!

As I walked out of the show I was soon confronted by lenses shooting right at me , being snapped by bloggers and press alike is not uncommon during LFW but when four camera lenses are snapping at you all at once its a bit intense and quite surreal. "What are you wearing?" each one asked and as I talked them through my outfit 'Vintage Versace, Sass & Bide, H&M , collar by Cabinet' I noticed a boy next to one of the photographers sketching. "What are you drawing?" I asked him , "You" he replied and as he showed me the sketch he said "it will be featured in SixInch Magazine a new online fashion magazine". I was so flattered & had to take a pic of it!I rushed to the cafe to grab a quick diet coke before the next show. Amanda Wakely is a designer who creates gorgeous feminine dresses , for all my aussie's reading think like the Lisa Ho of London. I didnt have an invite for her show but thought her dresses would be great for any upcoming red-carpet events Laura may have , so I politely approached the PR girl at the door and explained "Hiya , I dont have an invite , but I style Laura Whitmore from the MTV & would love to see the collection - " before I could finish my sentence "Of course come right with me" she replied and before I knew it I was being ushered to the front row. "No you really dont have to make anyone move for me you know" , "Don't be silly its no problem at all" was the reply & suddenly there I was between two , more than likely much more important people than myself , sitting front row at the show. What The Fuck - was all I could think. How is this really happening? I took a deep breath , closed my eyes and appreciated for a moment what was happening to me , opened my eyes and the show begun. The collection didnt dissapoint. An array of grecian style dresses combined with metal jewellery and chain mail details , was really beautifully put together and I must say the view from the front row made it oh so much better!

I left the show loving all things draped , however before I could spend another second thinking grecian goddesses and aphrodite silhouettes it was time for a quick costume change before the Ashish show. Ashish is one of my favorite UK Designers & his show was probably the show I was most looking forward to. Known for his love of sequins & pop culture he designs fun , flamboyant , playful clothes that celebrities and fashionista's love world over. Cheryl Cole sported his sequinned animal print harem trousers in her 'Fight for this Love' video -

Suffice to say I am in love with Ashish's creations and in his honour decided to don some serious sequins of my own - my incredible Limited Edition Ksubi jumper covered in jet black sequins!

Sequins & wet look skinny jeans on (thankyou H&M) I was ready to go and as I sat with anticipation in 2nd row I chatted pre-show to the lovely Hannah Marshall & amazingly talented Marina from Marina & the Diamonds. The three of us questioned the socialite being papped like madness just two people away from us "Who is she?" we asked eachother "Some princess or something?" we replied all giggling , and as I sat there sharing jokes with one of the hottest designers and hottest singers of the moment I couldnt help but have another surreal moment!

Hannah & I had met on Night 1 straight after her show and had bumped into regurlarly since each time stopping to chat. She's one of the most down to earth people i've met in this industry and it was really refreshing! Other celebs included Pixie Lott & Paloma Faith but before you could say 'Mama Do' or scream 'New York' the show was abouto to begin. The words Amazing. Incredible. Out-of-control - all feel like understatements to describe the Ashish show - before I start talking about the clothes lets have a chat about the atmosphere. The music was banging , urban beats began to blare from the speakers and suddenly I felt like I was in a night club which happened to have a runway down the middle of the room. Guests cheered at their favorite looks - which in my , Hannah & Marina's case was about every 2nd look - and the energy in the tent was beyond exciting! Then there are the clothes - oh the clothes! A combination of sequins , fringing and tongue-in-cheek prints that kept me wanting more and more. The collection was what I would call 'Rodeo-gone-Ghetto' and a combination of sequinned bandana prints , fringed jeans and McDonald & Shell logo's made it clear the inspiration came from the United States of A! I loved every look , there wasnt a think I didnt like. The piece I died for If i had to bring it down to one - were the fringed sequinned animal print harem trousers. I would do anything for them and I was already thinking how much I would have to save to buy them for this summer!

As the girls did their finaly march I didnt want the show to end , in terms of style I personally like I would have to say Ashish was my favorite show - jam packed with glitz , glamour and a nice big table spoon of urban hip hop influences it was like a dream collection come true!
As I kissed Somerset House goodbye on the last night of LFW and walked through the cobble stoned paths and the arches that lead me back onto The Strand I hopped into a cab to watch the city of blinding lights pass me by on my way back home. I took a moment wound down my window and took a long deep breath inhaling in the cool London air - this London Fashion Week was truly life changing. How in the course of 5 days I managed to land a client who was about to send my styling career sky-rocketing, attend the show of one of Fashion's greatest Icons (thankyou Dame Westwood) , meet amazing celebrities and designers alike , was given a door to a possible television career (or guest appearance at the least), make a handful of great friends along the way & learn a little bit about my self at the same time - it was all so overwhelming and I couldnt believe it was all happening to me. A week later I still cant believe it did! The adventures to come is what I'm now looking forward to. Stay tuned xoxo Deni

LFW DAY 4 - Meadham Madness!

2010-10-06T11:57:00.000-07:00

As I prepared myself for LFW Day 4 I made my way to the office to spend a day back in the world of Fashion PR. On a Monday full of reports and emails there's nothing like one of the hottest tickets of London Fashion Week to get you through the day! Meadham Kirchoff awaited on this monday evening & on this day I felt like tuning into a casual playful character! Sporting some vintage Mickey Mouse & an amazing pair of Cheap Monday's I got on sale for 9 quid! DIE!At the strike of 6 we left the office and made our way over the the old Waterloo terminal , the venue for all the TopShop Newgen designers' shows. As I jogged my way to the massively long queue , I queued patiently for a show I had been anticipating all week. Last London Fashion Week while interning at Goodley the Meadham Kirchoff show was one of the most emotional experience i've experienced. The build-up backstage , the tears, the last minute adjustments, trying to co-ordinate the masses of crowds eagerly awaiting to be seated. The collection itself last season was some what olverwhelming and there were mixed thought from everyone. People either loved it or hated it or didnt quite understand it. Once Meadham Kirchoff's pieces are broke down however & their vision is clear , you can see the beauty in their clothes. As I made my way towards the show I was already overwhelmed, first by the sheer impact the venue had, such a great location for a show and then the set. MK had literally built a set of a somewhat twisted fairytale land. Wizard of Oz meets Alice in Wonderland - on crack! As the show began with the narration 'I Fucking won Miss Congeniality dammit' , the first look was out. Meadham & Kirchoff's vision was clear , a punk princess , twisted beauty pageant that combined textures of silks lace , painted leathers and over the top layering & styling like only MK can! An explosion of colour and vibrance that made you want to banish all things black & bathe in crimson & fuschia!My favorite piece was an acid yellow painted leather jacket with what appeared to be an egyptian symbol repeated various times across the body and sleeves of the jacket! Literally made me want to jump on the runway and take it off the models back & throw it on mine!As each look made me squeal more than the previous the show soon drew to its end and the parade of models that exploded onto the runway at shows end overwhelmed me as I was presented with a techni color display of Meadham & Kirchoff at their best! Not only was it inspirational but in many ways moving , I felt as though I was truly watching fashion history unfold infront of my eyes! These boys are unique that's for sure , love them or hate them I feel like this collection was Paris Fashion Week worthy. Eccentric. Theatrical. Incredible! I DIED!

I think what I like most about Meadham Kirchoff is that they make people think. As my colleagues and I walked out of the Waterloo terminal we each had distinct opinions about the collection. We each saw it in a different way and some of us loved it (me) and some of us didnt understand it (them) however it got us talking and it will have the rest of the fashion world talking - which ultimately is what differentiates the good designers from the great. Anyone can slap up a few sparkly dresses that are easy to look at , will sell and be copied by the high street however its the truly talented that have vision and tell a story through the fashion they send down the runway. Meadham Kirchoff , ladies & gentleman are truly talented! xoxo Deni

LFW DAY 3! ...this is what dreams are made of!

2010-10-03T04:51:00.000-07:00

*This post means alot to me as on this day one of my dreams came true... pour yourself a large glass of wine and read on.

With all of 2.5 hours sleep my day began at 8.15 as I made my way over to somerset house. The only thing to keep me going (besides for the fact that I had a fashion filled day) was that I was wearing one of my favorite LFW outfits. The outfit channels something between Kate Moss, Rachel Zoe & Jared Leto. A rockstar inspired, androgynous look compliments of my friend Lora!

The first show of the day was one I was really looking forward to - Basso & Brooke - a design duo who have a way with silks and prints. I went with my new LFW bestie Yety (who i partied with the night before) and as we both met , nursing our hangovers , we took our second row seats and once again we were graced by Amber Rose in the front row! Looking Fierce as ever!
The collection began & what a collection it was. Beautiful printed silk jersey dresses in tribal & animal print , it was all very Alexander McQueen esque but it worked & yety and I loved it!

Following Basso & Brooke , myself and Random Magazine Editor Rivkie Baum made our way over to Bloomsbury Square for the Charlie le Mindu show. I'd never heard of this designer & was going as Rivkie's plus 1 and was promised to be amazed! I petted my shaggy gilet to keep warm whilst freezing in the wind and as we made our way inside I noticed a very strong selection of key editors from various publications making their way in 'He must be good' I said to Rivkie & then yet again Amber Rose placed in front row , I was beginning to be increasingly impressed. Charlie le Mindu specialises in making clothing from hair , human hair , horse hair , goats hair , all in a very unique way , so I wasnt sure what to expect. Then suddenly the lights went black and a model holding spotlights from her chest shooted out on to the runway in a very GAGA way suddenly there was an unmistakable energy in the room i hadnt yet experienced at a show. Everyone was excited & cheering and as the first look came out you could literally feel the buzz in the room. The way Charlie combines his 'hair' approach with animal print and interesting cuts and silhouettes is truly amazing & the whole collection is completely up Lady GaGa's alley and something Rihanna would wear on stage. Most certainly not for the tame! When he came out at the end everyone was cheering (myself included) something about this show just felt special! It made me want to run backstage & give him a hug! Very well done!

As I left the show suddenly my day was about to turn into attending the 'up & coming' show to the fully fledged elitists of the London Fashion Week Calendar. I recieved a text from my friend Marta , here with the Italian Fashion Magazine BMM , telling me she couldnt attend any of her shows today , so I should meet her to come and collect her tickets & I could go in her place. Her tickets just happened to be for the Julien McDonald & Vivienne Westwood show. Before I knew it I was off to meet her & invites in hand made my way over to Julien McDonald pinching myself!

As I walked to Banqueting House (the venue for the show) just by Westminster , passing Big Ben & Westminster Abbey slight tears formed in my eyes I couldnt believe this was all happening to me , as I arrived to the grand venue I was breathtaken as I was ushered up the grand stair case surrounded by marble and white stone. Originally the property of the Archbishops of York The Banqueting House was used to provide entertainment for Charles I and was later the scene of his execution. This was a historic Royal property and today became a little piece of my history. As I entered the large space with its ornate ceilings & chandeliers I was breathtaken. Beethoven played through the speakers and gorgeous boys in black shirts handed me with a cocktail & walked me to my second row seat. Even the chairs were gorgeous , in old french-victorian style duchess satin cushioning. They looked like chairs that should be placed around the dining table of a royal function and here I was sitting on them in the second row. My head was spinning & not just from the cocktails-on-an-empty-stomach! Supermodel Janice Dickinson was infront of me charming camera men and switching from smiles for the lense to a frown for having to wait for the show begin. She was a true proffesional, the second the camera was in her face, smile was on!

The venue began to fill and I was surrounded by beautiful wealthy people. Royals. Top of the line magazine Editors. When Anna Dello Russo (editor of Japanese Vogue) walked in I lost my breath! Then the It-Girls made their way in. First Olivia Palermo star of MTV's 'The City'...

...and then Michelle Williams strode in. Glowing in a coral Julien McDonald dress. As soon as she walked in I thought 'this is my chance to right the wrong I did by calling her Kelly' and so I took a skull of my cocktail and made my way over to her front row seat. I crept down on my knee slightly to be at her eye level as she had already taken her seat. "Michelle, I know you must get this all the time, but I have been a Destiny's Child fan from day one, since the age of 12. I've seen you girls Live every time you've come to Melbourne and I love your solo album. You're incredible, I listen to your song 'We Break The Dawn' everytime I get ready to go out" and with that she got up and gave me a big hug "Aw you're gorgeous honey, what's your name?" , "Denis", I repeated. "Aw Denis thankyou, enjoy the show babe" and with that we kissed on each cheek and I made my way back to second row to do just that - enjoy the show. The dresses were beautiful. The style was very 60s inspired , baby doll meets Brigitte Bardot circa Valley of the Dolls. It was also the first show I'd seen a model go A over T and slip on the runway. With grace she picked herself up and kept on going while everyone gasped for air! When Julien came out for his final bow , greeted with applause , I couldnt help but giggle, I had asked this man for his name while doing the guest list on the door at the Kylie event to which he replied "You should know my name young man" (I genuinely didnt recognise him because of his hair , of course I knew Julian McDonald) and now here I was sitting second row at his show. It was a nice feeling.As everyone made there way out , I thought I had to go ask Michelle for a photo , the cheesy DC fan in me needed to take this opportunity. "Michelle Honey would you mind If I got a photo with you" , "Of course Denis come here" (she remembered my name - impressive) and just like that , we posed like two buds. She gave me another warm hug and kiss on the cheek & I was off!
After my brush with a child of Destiny I rushed off home for an outfit change as I had a very special event to attend in an hour - the VIVIENNE WESTWOOD show & I felt the need to change into something more Vivienne appropriate. I decided on a pair of vintage striped trousers I purchased in Brick Lane when I first moved to London. I've only worn them once as they are quite a piece but they're very Westwood and the one time I did wear them I was constantly asked if they were Westwoods. When I bought the vintage wonders there was no longer a tag attached only remaining thread where the label would've been sewn on so I guess i'll just never know. I decided to pair them with my H&M white shirt (fast becoming my LFW staple piece) an amazing vintage velvet blazer I bought for 1 quid and a checked Peckham & Rye bow tie I was gifted with. Ready for this once in a lifetime opportunity , invite in hand I headed to the location.

I arrived an hour before the show was due to begin. Queues during Fashion Week are never good and for a Westwood show I thought they would be nightmarish and as I only had a standing ticket I was not going to risk being denied entry due to over capacity. As I stood there 2nd in line I began to be snapped by various photographers. A small woman came and asked me to talk her through my wardrobe , when I asked if it was for a blog she replied 'No we're from Vogue Turkey' - so since my outfit had the VOGUE seal of approval I smiled and waited patiently...
...within half an hour the A-Listers began to arrive and arrive they did! Everyone from Cat Deeley to Nicola Roberts , The Saturdays and Tolula Adeyemi . However when Pamela Andersons car pulled up I thought the paparazzi were going to kill her. As I stood behind the railing all I could feel was literally a roar of flashes and the railing plummet down to the ground as they all pushed each other out of the way to get the money shot of Pammy entering the show. Her big burly security guard protected her as best he could and she truly did make an entrance.

Once the A-Listers , Editors and VIP's entered the PR woman at the door announced (to the probably 200metre queue behind me) "Ok guys we're over capacity in there and only the first 10 people in the standing line are getting in" , I literally stopped breathing , thank god I got there when I did. As the rope was let down I made a mad dash up the stairs of the Grand Conaught Rooms (a swanky hotel in Covent Garden) and as I entered the Grand Hall , the chandelier adorned ceiling and elevated runway took my breath away , there were people everywhere she really wasnt joking about the over capacity. Adamant to have the best view possible I jumped into the caged off Paparazzi pit and was leaning against the railing with a perfect view. Nothing was going to stop me from seeing this show and as the first look came out I couldnt believe here I was at Westwood and she didnt dissapoint. From her signature tartans, stripes , check, houndstooth , corsets and fab dresses - everything was pure Westwood and truly amazing. As the last look strode the runway suddenly the lights went low and a really sad song started playing by Elvis - the title or even the lyrics escape me - and then the lights came back on and there she was Dame Vivienne Westwood with her army of models behind her , lead super Jacquetta Wheeler embracing her with a bunch of flowers. As the music played Vivenne sashayed down the runway and looked so happy to be doing what she was doing. I was beside myself , I did my oral presentation on Vivenne Westwood at Fashion School and the fact that this iconic woman was walking here before me was so surreal before I knew it my goosebumps turned into tears and the emotion overwhelmed me. She is the face of british fashion & it has always been a dream of mind to attend her show and suddenly here I was. I'll never forget that moment! Why this was all happening to me is beyond me I cant believe it how lucky I am

As the show concluded and we all made our way out I bumped into Cat Deeley, wiping my tears we both caught each others eye and concluded the show was amazing & then before I knew it we were talking So You Think You Can Dance & the camera was out for a quick snap before exiting!
Recapping my amazing Westwood experience I made a dash over to Somerset House for the last show of the day , another great up and comer Kinder Aggugini and took my place in the second row with my LFW buddy Yety. Telling her all about Westwood we were suddenly captivated by the amazing Anna Dello Russo , italian editor-at-large of Japanese Vogue. Ever the fashion icon I saw her earlier in the day at Julien's show. She was now sporting a sexy black frock (different to her fur gilet of the day) and a massive cherry headband , she looked fabulous in the front row!Kinder's show was a very nice collection of what I call 'Lady Like Tribal' the beat of african drums kept everyone bopping in their seats from start to finish and as the press release stated he was influenced by travels through Africa and the history of the continent. It was a nice way to end the evening and as I parted ways with somerset for another day I walked home recapping on the days events. I genuinely cant believe this is all happening to me at times , I feel genuinely blessed and it seems that for now this fashion world is right where I belong! xoxo Deni

LFW DAY TWO!

2010-09-25T12:58:00.000-07:00

*Pour yourself a cuppa & get some cookies also , its a long one but I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did living it!

As I woke up at 8.00am ready for another day full of shows & events, my hangover couldnt have been worse! I immediatley went to the kitchen where lucky for me my house mate was preparing breakfast , she handed me 3 nurofen and a bottle of lucozade and had me on my way back to good health. Nothing like a day full of fashion to cure a hangover I thought and I began to get ready to head down to somserset house as I had a ticket to a private breakfast where famed photographer Rankin was shooting a photo shoot live for us all to view over croissants! Outfit 1 for the day consisted of my favorite vintage leather trousers , paired with my new favorite wardrobe staple - a sheer oversized white shirt from H&M which I then layered with a vintage Levi's D.J (Denim Jacket - its all about the acronyms you know hehe) and a faux-fur stole - also from H&M - I was loving today's look and was welcomed by the bright sun and chill in the air! I steadily made my way over to the Somerset Terrace where I attended a private breakfast/live photo shoot with Photographer Extraordinaire RANKIN! The shoot was of real women of different races and different body shapes & was quite inspiring to see how each woman was beautiful in her own way & totally owned her look & wowed the camera & the fashion pack!
After a quick coffee and croissant I made a mad dash into a cab to head over to the Louise Gray show. Louise Gray's collections are always colourful & quirky , slightly an eye-sore to look at but when you break down the pieces they become really fun & can be quite wearable (kinda), I've spent a few nights out drinking with Louise on the east london gay scene so I was looking forward to see what she had in store for the season! As I took my second row seat I was suddenly overwhelmed by colour! Streamers! Bottle tops! A pair of clear PVC shorts filled with bubble beans you would find in a bean bag! At closer inspection it made me want to take the shorts straight off the runway & shimmy them onto the dance floor! An OTT collection to be sure , but definitley some fun pieces that take a bit of cheek & humour to wear in real life!
The show came to a close and before i knew it I had to make a mad dash to the 'It show' of the morning , Sienna & Savannah Miller's label Twenty8Twelve. As I approached to the venue with my fabulous friend Marta (who was down to represent the Italian fashion magazine she works for) we couldnt help but notice the amazingly fashionable gorgeous people. The Vogue team pulled up in their black range rovers and with every inch of grace made their way into the shows , clad in shearling , slouchy knits and hiking boots (already ticking off all the key AW trends) for the mere mortals who had to wait in the cold as the VIP's were ushered through (myself included) it was a fashion feast for the eyes. As supermodel Jacquetta Wheeler walked in suddenly it made waiting in the cold easier and as Matthew Williamson & Jude Law strode in together I almost thought I was going to die. Words could not form from my mouth - Jude Law is beyond hot , the man is purely beautiful. He took my breath away. As I continued to wait I continuously was being snapped by bloggers and press making me hope my outfit must be saying the right things. As we finally entered waiting for the show to begin I couldnt help but admire Matthew & Jude in the front row. Designer Williamson in his cyrillian blue knit (which made me think of that scene in Devil Wears Prada ) & Jude in his check suit & bowler hat and just enough stubble, he looked effortlessly cool in a way that only Jude Law can!Before I knew it the lights went down low & the show began. The thing with twenty8twelve is the girls make such beautiful clothes that girls are going to want to wear. Though there may be nothing revolutionary in the design nor are they particurlarly fashion forward they remain effortlessly chic and in a time when everyone is going GAGA its nice to see a feminine collection that I could myself see my fabulous girlfriends dying to wear! My favorite looks included a show stopping leopard print hourglass dress , leopard print pencil skirt & a suede camel short paired with a white blouse & black bow combo - so chic , so carefree , so Sienna!When Sienna came out at the end , hand in hand with Savannah she took my breath away more so than Jude did. The girl is glowing and her 'just rolled out of bed in this' carefree attitude makes her sexier than ever! She epitomises UK chic (along with Miss.Moss) & its been a dream for me to spot Sienna in the UK and suddenly another dream had come true! It was so surreal!
As I made my way back to Somerset House I had some time to kill so thought i'd check my email in the 'blogger bar' - in saying that its crazy to see how far blogging has come and how recognised bloggers are in the fashion industry now - as i logged into my account I opened an email that was about to change my life. A few days prior to LFW had begun I had just started working with a fabulous new client Natalia Grace , a presenter for Nokia TV. A rising talent she's interviewed the likes of Rihanna, Pamela Anderson & Ed Westwick and it just so happened that one of her best friends was MTV Presenter Laura Whitmore. As Natalia & I had our first meeting over coffee , discussing where we lived , Natalia thought it was funny that I lived on the same road as her friend , when she told me it was Laura it made things seem slightly destined to be. I had met Laura before , at the Kylie Minogue Tous event & remembered being blown away by her stunning eyes and blonde bombshell effect she has. I remember saying to myself 'I would kill for a client like her' but convinced she had a stylist I didnt approach the situation. Natalia informed me she hadn't and then gave Laura a sterling recommendation on me following our meeting and so it was that I recieved the email from Laura saying she had seen my styling work with Natalia, was very impressed & would love for us to work together! As I read the email I could barely breathe & almost started to cry. 'This is it' I thought - the client I had been waiting for was about to become my official client. My hands went shaky & I made my way outside. As I did another life changing encounter accured. My friend , socialite Henry Conway , who I had bumped into a few times over LFW was around somerset house filming a pilot for a program being pitched as a behind the scenes of London Fashion Week. As we got talking his producer approached me 'Who are you young man?' he asked , 'My Names Denis , I work in PR & am a Stylist' , 'You look like an interesting character, you should be on television' he replied. I laughed 'I dunno , I'm just little Deni' I replied embarrasingly. 'Do you mind If we mic you up & film you as you take a look at the fashion around somerset house, we could do you & henry looking about together?' , he askedI was quite overwhelmed but thought 'Hey why the hell not' and before I knew it a camera crew was in my face and Henry & I were walking through the exhibitions of somerset house in a very Paris&Nicole type of way. We chatted fashion & Henry interviewed me on the importance of British Fashion to the industry. 30mins later we wrapped the filming & the producer told me to give me his details & with a 'We'll be in touch...' they were off! I couldnt believe what had happened & I needed to stand by the terrace to take this all in! Before I could get over the headspin & how surreal it all was, my blackberry went off - it was my first text from Laura.

She had just arrived to attend a show & wanted to catch up for a pre-show drink so we could meet. Before I knew it I walked over the to laid-black yet glamorous Somerset House Terrace Marquee Restaurant/Bar & as I made my way over there she was. In a gorgeous black dress & leather skirt , her trademark red lipstick & gorgeous blonde locks welcomed me with a big hug! "I saw you from a distance & hoped that you were you , you look so fabulous" were the first things she said to me & as we both sat down I felt as though we had met in another life 'as they say' as we just immediatley clicked. I've been lucky enough to meet some fabulous celebrities since I've been here , but when I sat opposite Laura is was suddenly evident that she had 'x-factor' her eyes glowed and she had an aura about her that just makes you want to be her friend. I kept myself contained & as we chatted clothing , her schedule and how funny it is that we both live literally a block down the road from each other , i just knew that this was going to be not only an amazing client to work with but something told me a beautiful friendship would soon follow. As we got up to head to the John Rocha show together , we had a quick banter about which brands we both like, as we approached the tents something happened to me that i'm not quite used to. It has to be said that yes during LFW there are hoards of photographers & bloggers snapping the fashpack as they come in & out of shows and I myself have been snapped already a few times. However there is a difference between being snapped for your style and being papped because of who you are, now most of my clients are not as well known as Laura and as we began walking to the show together we were immediatley stopped by paparazzi 'Could we get a picture' they asked 'Of course' Laura replied and like a true star her arm was around my waist while the other placed tactfully on her hip and before I knew it we were both posing for the cameras. As we walked into the show two camera crews followed us in as we discussed our love for Sass & Bide. I didnt realise how well known she was in the UK , the fact that the girl is on MTV 5 days a week you'd think I would have clicked! To say my head was spinning is an understatement. How all of this is happening to little old me is beyond me. Suddenly I felt like maybe my hard work was paying off! As the clock struck 5.30 the John Rocha show begun (fashionably 20minutes late) and a collection of , what I call , a mixture of Gothic & Angelic Brides , strode down the runway as large hats, lace & black silk made up most of the collection!
The show was gorgeous but literally as soon as it finished I ran to a cab and made my way to my humble beginnings, Diesel New Bond Street for a Fashion Week event to Launch the Sophia Kokosolaki Diesel Black Gold range in conjuction with AnOther magazine. There was something really nice about being surrounded by my Diesel family after a day of fashion flurry! However suddenly both my worlds collided and as various fashion editors from Glamour, Marie Claire & Harpers Bazaar strode in I was caught in this parallel universe of dancing with my Diesel family whilst partying on down with girls from LOOK magazine! The event was a success & as I made my way home I bumped into a gorgeous girl I had been eyeing up over the past few days. I'd seen her at all the same shows I had been too & loved her style. As I asked her for directions we got talking & again suddenly just clicked , before I could say another word the two of us and her friend were on our way to a LFW party were Joel Madden was the guest DJ! Needless to say , the night concluded in dancing up a storm to an amazing set of tunes & making my glamorous way home at 4am! Only to be up the next morning to do it all over again! Even at 4am as I lay in bed my head drowning in the evenings over consumption of Grey Goose , I couldnt wipe the smile off my face. Sienna Miller, being filmed & landing a beautiful (and potentially life changin) client , all in 24 hours! I couldnt wait to wake up & see what Day 3 had in store! xoxo Deni

LFW IS BACK! DAY ONE...

2010-09-22T15:38:00.000-07:00

*My LFW posts may be quite lengthy , I just have so much to share hehe so now would be the time to make yourself a coffee or tea, pour yourself that glass of wine, read and hopefully enjoy!

As I woke up on friday morning the bright sun pierced through my windows and though I couldnt help but smile (the sun has that effect on me) I thought 'Nooo , all my outfits are layered autumn looks' as I stepped onto the balcony I was welcomed by a brisk chill 'ah god bless the United Kingdom for remaining cold whilst sunny' I ran back inside and couldnt help but feel giddy, London Fashion Week was about to begin. The night before I lay out all my outfit options for the week to try make getting ready in the morning as quick as possible. Outfit 1 for the day consisted of ripped up jeans by White Suede , white sueded logo YSL tee and the amazing denim and leather jacket by Gripp (which I borrowed from my friend Lora - bless you) , paired with my trusty Zara bikers - my fashion week staple and my fail safe H&M beanie. Urban at its best!

LFW hasnt even begun yet and already i'm hungry (something everyone becomes accustomed to during LFW , there's never any time to eat) so i quickly ducked into the shop to buy my LFW Survival Staple - Jaffa Cakes! The first show of the day was Maria Grachvogel and as I walked into Somerset House I felt like I was back at home , in my element. Stepping into the surroundings of Somerset House during Fashion Week is like walking into a parallel universe where everyone is a fashion obsessed show pony here for the most important event of the season and the cobbles of Somerset House are as much a runway as the catwalk in the tent! The queue for the show was horrendous and in true LFW style I waited half an hour as the show went over time, the best thing about waiting in queues is admiring all the fashionistas, infront of me stood a stunning tall thin japanese girl wearing a tweed coat with shearling collar , white tee, leather skirt and super high hiking style ankle boots (the shoe of the season btw) the whole look was polished & made my waiting a whole lot easier. Once in I took my seat and as the sound of galloping horses introduced the show it soon transitioned into soft music & the show begun. Maria's sheer sophistication was gorgeous! My favorite piece was a silk canary yellow maxi dress that swished down the runway with ethereal elegance , the colour took my breath away !!

The Grachvogel show was beautiful and a lovely way to start of LFW - though the clothes werent revolutionary it was a nice collection combining colour and print with a nod to feminine fashion, draping & the return of the grecian goddess an ethereal character that takes over a room the minute she walks in. The show was over and I made a quick dash back to the office to wrap up the friday reports of a PR agency and after a quick costume change it was back to fashion world for one of the hottest tickets of the week - PPQ. Amy Molyneaux & Percy Parker are the design duo behind the brand and the party couple of LFW their clothes are fun , sassy and girls want to rock their dresses and of course the PPQ after party kicks LFW off with a bang!I met my client Seema for a drink pre show and styled her up for the evening ahead. This was quite a moment for Seema and I , we had met last fashion week so it had been exactly 6 months since our working relationship & friendship & celebration was in order! It was a special moment.

To keep within the fun cheeky spirit and the party ahead I decided to don my new leopard print blazer (the print of the season btw) from H&M with my Dior shirt and skinny tie. I wanted all black and then that splash of leopard. Seema was looking fly in my YSL tee which I rolled up to look slighly more vest-top-esque with some leather and jersey leggings and ankle boots - black and white my favorite combination , she was looking banging and ready for the night ahead! We were slightly early for the show so decided to chill in the private press lounge pre-show. As I sat on the couches I saw Time Blanks walk in the room. Many of you wont know who Tim Blanks is by name or maybe even by face, however he is one of the most influential fashion journalists in the world. He works for Vogue & Style.com & when I was 13 I watched a documentary on John Galliano that was presented by Tim Blanks. That documentary made me realise I wanted to work in fashion and I've listened to Tim's voice constantly since on Style.com so as soon as I saw him I knew I needed to speak to him. He sat at his laptop at the back of the press lounge blending in like he was Joe Smith from down the road and so I made my way over.

Quite nervous I quietly tapped him on the shoulder 'Tim, Hiya, my names Denis and I just had to come over and speak to you I am such a huge fan of yours and the documentary you did on Galliano changed my life at 13 so to me you're kind of an Icon and whenever I hear your voice It makes me think of that moment' , 'Oh thankyou Denis that was an amazing interview with Galliano' as he started to speak I couldnt stop smiling. 'What do you do young man, are you a blogger?' he asked. 'Yes actually I blog and i'm a stylist' , it was then that I asked him if I could ask him 5 questions for my blog. So here is 5 mins with Tim Blanks

1. What show are you most looking forward to? - Christopher Kane , I love how his references always come from some dark and morbid place and then it translates into clothing.

2. Who is your favorite designer? - Miuccia Prada. She also references very interesting ideas that arent necessarily linked to fashion and her collections always make people think deeper. She also understands how to link art and fashion & that is very important.

3. What's the best show you've ever attended? - every Dior Couture collection by John Galliano I see in Paris is amazing.

4. What do you think of Sarah Burton taking over from Alexander McQueen - She's

brilliant, I think she'll do an incredible job!

5. Describe Anna Wintour in 3 words - Sense Of Humour

I thanked him for his time and he gave me a tap on my shoulder 'You're a very impressive young man what are your dreams?' , It was a really big question so I answered 'Well I hope to have my own fashion empire one day , inspire people the way Miuccia, John & Alexander have and hopefully have you sitting front row reporting on it all' , he giggled 'Well I look forward to it and it seems you're on the right path'. As I walked back to Seema I couldnt believe how amazing a 5 minute conversation could be! I took Seema under my arm & as we walked to the show I had been stopped 3 times to be photographed by fashion bloggers and press along the way (the blazer must be a winner then - said my inner voice) ticket in hand we made our way in. As Seema and I have both met Percy Parker (designer du jour) at the Kylie event he had emailed me a week in advance saying he had put our names at the door for both the show & party (which caused me to squeal as I couldnt believe the designer himself had emailed me) however by fate I had acquired a 2nd row ticket through a friend who couldnt attend so as Seema & I were ushered to the 2nd row I couldnt help but pinch myself (little did I know it set the path for the rest of my LFW experience...but more on that later). Before I knew it the celebs had arrived , Amber Rose and one of Destiny's Children took their seats and the show had begun! The music was loud , the lights set for stardom as the PPQ Princesses took to the runway. The collection felt very circus inspired as an array of colours marked the return to Spring Summer!

For a moment during the show I looked at Seema and then back at the runway and couldnt believe we were 2nd row together at PPQ , I squeezed her hand and couldnt wipe the smile of my face! Though from the photo below you cant really tell so replace my pout with a smile hehe

My favorite look from the show was a fun chic summer outfit of white pussy bow blouse with striped shorts! Literally the perfect combination for the chic city girl whilst having a summer stroll by the river with her girlfriends , ice cream in hand! As soon as it came out I smiled!

The show ended with roars of applause & cheers as the duo came out for their bow! Percy's cute little hat made all smile & its testament to their design aesthetic - fun & fabulous!
As we made way out of the show I noticed the paps going crazy for the gorgeous tall thin leather jacket ppq dress wearing Kelly Rowland - or so I thought. I tried to get as close as possible and kept saying 'Kelly Kelly' though no turn around , hrmm she doesnt seem rude in interviews, 'Kelly Kelly' I kept saying when finally a boy from her posse turned around and said 'Its Michelle' and as she started to walk by and I could see face on I realised 'OMG it is Michelle , that did not just happen' , feeling rather bad I giggled and couldnt believe I had just insulted a member of my favorite girl band of all time. I hope she didnt hear me , I thought , and immediatley decided I had to make up for it at some stage during LFW! Upon exit of the tents I bumped into Amber Rose , Kanye's famous ex girlfriend who was a fixture in the front rows all week. 'Amber honey you're fabulous' I said in passing. 'Oh thankyou sweety come here , wanna smoke?' , 'No thanks babe I dont smoke , but how are you , enjoying LFW? I didnt see you last season' , 'Oh yeah I was here with Kanye, i'm loving this season, you going to the after party babe?' , 'Sure am' , 'See you there sweety, by the way lovin the leopard' , 'Thanks hun , you always look amazing' , 'Aw thanks babe' and after a quick photo I kissed her goodbye , like two old friends chatting in passing. WHAT THE FUCK?!?! THIS IS AMBER ROSE! How is this happening to me?
...so with Amber's seal of approval Seema and I were en-route over the river and off to the PPQ after party. As we stepped out feeling fabulous and ready to get down we skipped the queue 'always good when the designer puts your name on the door' I thought - and headed straight in. The problem with LFW is the free alcohol , its both a gift and a curse , before I knew it I was downing doubles with Seema when I noticed Tolula Adeyemi walk in , I saw her at the show and we exhanged a smile. I met Tolula at the Kylie event and then proceeded to dance like crazy with her at the Glamour awards. However with all the alcohol involved I wasnt sure she'd remember me. I walked up to her and said 'Hey Tolula , you probably wont remember me...' and before I knew it she cut in 'Of course I remember you honey , your the cute boy from the Kylie event how are you?' and just like that we started talking like two old friends reminscing about our night of crazy dancing at the Glamour awards. It really was a 'I dont think we're in Kansas anymore Totto' moment, I felt a world away from home and literally was and while drinking with Tolula , dancing to hip hop tunes with the Senior Fashion Assistant from SHE Magazine and congratulating Percy on a fabulous collection in the VIP Lounge , I constantly stopped myself to think 'Deni , is this really all happening to you' - as I stepped into my cab at 3am and kissed the party goodbye I could hardly wait for Day 2 to begin and for the adventures to continue! xo Deni

VOGUE'S FASHION NIGHT OUT!

2010-09-09T14:53:00.000-07:00

As the rain made way for a clear sky and day turned into night, London's fashionista's hit the pavement to make their way to the pre-fashion week bonanza that is Vogue's Fashion Night Out. Vogue's FNO is a collaboration between Vogue and Designer stores who put together various special events over the course of the night to celebrate the one thing we all love more than life - FASHION! As I closed my brolly (I dont care how light the rain was , rain and velvet blazers dont mix) and made my way to Liberty's to meet my fash pack , fellow PR colleagues Alex & Helena , my bestie Choush playing the Pyrus Princess and fellow friend and blogger the darling Lora. First event of the evening was Manolo Blahnik and Yasmin Le Bon opening the new shoe emporium in conjunction with the collaboration between Mr.Blahnik & Liberty's.

As guests waited patiently Cristina Blahnik (Manolo's daughter) came out to apologise to us all.

I've met her before at the TOUS/Kylie event and she was as graceful as ever, rocking some seriously fabulous Manolo's - could you imagine being the daughter of MB - freaking crazy!Once we finally entered it was liking into the gates of shoe heaven. Surrounded by Blahnik archives - the classic patent mary jane (remember that scene in SATC when Carrie strokes the 'urban shoe myth' in the Vogue fashion cupboard) and strappy gold stiletto's sat along side Manolo's styles created in Liberty's fine printed silks and cottons. As the modest man in the purple suit sat at his throne the throngs of girls surrounded him - he is a true fashion icon

Manolo in our presence was the perfect way to start the evening and it was off to the next location. Emporio Armani where editor of Vogue Alexandra Schulman and Giorgio Armani were hosting a cocktail party. As we approached the store I could see the masses of paparazzi surrounding the store and as I walked to the entrance I wondered why the bulbs began to flush till I suddenly realised Giorgio Armani was a little bit more than 5 metres in front of me. His small frame and shining white hair stood out against his perma-tan complexion and I couldnt believe I was amongst yet another fashion icon. For one of the first times in my life I couldnt even think to pull out my camera I was just so overwhelmed by who was standing metres infront of me. This was Giorgio-Fucking-Armani the Italian God of Fashion. Soaking up my Armani surroundings before I could catch my breath it was off to Stella McCartney. Upon my arrival I managed to spot Gwenyth Paltrow make her way on in, leggy, blonde and fabulous!

It was strange to think that almost a year ago now I stood in the very same store speaking to Stella McCartney when I crashed her private party - god i've had some crazy times! Trip down memory lane over it was off the Matthew Williamson next door where african drummers greeted us upon entry - the perfect combination with the Williamson tribal inspired collection Upon soaking up the atmosphere at Matthew Williamson it was well and truly time to hit the party everyone wanted to be on the list for - LOUIS VUITTON! Model/DJ & all round fashion it girl Alice Dellal was guest DJ for the night and as we strutted across Bond St & towards Vuitton I felt like U2's 'City of Blinding Lights' needed to be in the background & suddenly I felt like Anne Hathaway in Devil Wears Prada. Little Deni from the G was attending Vogue's Vuitton Party.

A minute before I entered the doors of Vuitton Alice quickly popped out for a cigarette break at which case the paparazzi went mad , I tried not to act a fool as I have a serious style crush on this girl , she just oozes 'I dont give a fuck cool' and as she quickly sucked away at her nicottine she was back in the venue to keep doing her thing on the decks and keep everyone dancing...The new Vuitton store in itself is amazing - breathtaking is more the word. With its high ceilings and wall to wall array of luggage , bags , scarfs , visual merchandising beyond compare it is a feast for the eyes and beyond incredible - combine this with being surrounded by beautiful people , the fine crop of models , actors/actresses and style elite of London and Alice Delall spinning Peaches and Beth Ditto on the decks and you have yourself a pretty bangin event!

Add a perfect selection of free cocktails and just the right around of mingling and people watching, the night ended with a smile on my fashion obsessed face! As I made my way back home through the streets of London , I had to stop to take in the evening and as I stood there with London's bright lights behind me the night continued to move forward. Another fashion adventure has been had and with fashion week just around the corner there's plenty more to come! After a night of fashion icons , models and exclusive parties it is still surreal that this is all happening to me! A little boy with big fashion dreams in the big city! Cheers to that xoxo Deni

STYLING THE BAND!

2010-08-28T14:06:00.000-07:00

The rain was pouring on Wednesday night and as I got slightly soaked in YSL I strode over to Soho St to the club Punk where the band I style 'DeadLoveJunkies' was performing for a crowd of music enthusiasts and industry insiders. It was almost a month ago that I sat down with DLJ's front man Raff to discuss working as they're stylist and this was the first time I was officially styling them. I buzzed at the door 'I'm here with Dead Love Junkies, I'm they're stylist' and within 2 minutes security let me in through the club to the make shift band area in what appeared to be an old kitchen. I gave the boys (Raff - lead singer/song writer and Will - Producer/Instrumentalist) a big hug and unzipped by garment bag of goodies to lay out options. Jewellery was all fastened in zip log bags and I laid out top options for Raff. Will was very easy to style , with his buff columbian physique he often performs gigs in nothing more than a vest top and most often ends up topless by the end of the performance. I wanted to bring sexy back with a tailored touch and decided to put him in a black waistcoat and skinny jeans with a big statment chain which I customised myself. Done and ready for stage it was on to Raff. With his signature statement quiff and kohled eyes I wanted to give him a frontman vibe but nothing too over the top for this urban venue. I decided on a washed black v neck tee , skinny's , boots and some great chain and metal accessories and a quirky star necklace I've had for a while! I was really pleased with the total look of the boys and they both complimented each other. I left the boys backstage to chill pre-show and was Joined by my gorgeous fellow-romanian Lora Popescu as official photographer (check out her blog http://www.untainted333.blogspot.com/) we dashed across to Las Iguanas for a brazilian feast complimented with cocktails and gossip before the band were due to begin. Lora and I have really bonded , meeting through mutual friends we've become like two peas in a pod and she's the latest addition the my very close-knit substitute London Family. Tummy's full we made our way back to PUNK and waited in anticipation for DLJ to start! It has to be said that Lora has such amazing style & am constantly in awe of her outfits - how is it I constantly attract drop dead gorgeous friends - ah I'm a lucky boy!!!Before we knew it the time had come for our boys to hit the stage and with their amazing sound fusing electro.pop.dance.soul they literally had the house on fire. Each song was better than the one before and I couldnt stop dancing the whole way through. Everyone need's to check out there site http://www.deadlovejunkies.com/ immediatley and listen to their music - its the kind of music I could hear on the radio at a club the kind of music I want to listen to while getting ready with the girls. Its fun music and Raff's voice is incredible , I couldnt help but feel so proud of them!

Their set was over and I immediatley went over to congratulate them. When I gave Will a hug he said 'Man thankyou so much for the styling you did an awesome job cant wait to keep working with you' and after the performance friends of their's had come up to me complimenting my work with the boys and how they loved what I put them in. With the band and their friends seal of approval and seeing them rock it completely rocking their look, reminded me why I love doing this so much. Its such a rewarding feeling and as Lora and I staggered our way up the stairs and back into the London rain I had a big smile on my face and all the extra hours of work and effort that I put into all these styling projects suddenly just fell so worth it. Creativity is a beautiful thing , I'm really looking forward to working with the guys again , these boys are going places and STYLIST Deni is loving every second of these fashion adventures! xoxo Deni

PHOTO SHOOTS & STYLING!

2010-08-28T13:13:00.000-07:00

My Fashion life can go from one extreme to the next. At one moment I will be organising shoes to be sent for a shoot with Jessica Biel to then being the subject in front of the camera and as I fastened by bow tie I smiled nervously in the mirror as I prepared for our photo shoot. It was the morning of the shoot that my PR agency was doing for our new web site. Tamara & Andre wanted new photos on the website to include the new team and as I sat at my desk typing away the photographer snapped to catch us in PR action. We did a variety of shots and overall the pictures turned out great and can now all be seen on our new website check it out and it will probably explain more of what exactly i do as PR Boy Deni! http://www.tamarakretzer.com/ STYLIST Deni is a persona I switch on when the office hours close and I become consumed by all things fashion. Things inspire me every minute of the day and when I get to execute this inspiration in a creative way , well its like music to my ears. I've been doing a few interesting projects lately , and on a cold summer's tuesday night (bloody england weather) I left the office and made my way across to Diesel to style the crew for a special Diesel Black Gold Look Book showcasing the new collection modelled by the staff at Diesel Bond Street. Styling friends is much harder than people you dont know as well , because you as much as you want to portray the creative look you have in mind you want them to feel comfortable yet at the same time its like a dream come true to be able to put them in an outfit they wouldnt normally wear and give them the confidence kick they sometimes need. The new Diesel Black Gold Colleciton designed by well known designer Sophia Kokosolaki is stunning so I began to put outfits together. In true Diesel style a rock chic element was needed - the girls had to look like bombshells and the boys their rocker boyfriends. The result was incredible and lots of fun and then once again it was my turn to be infront of the camera. As I posed on the Diesel staircase I thougth 'if only I was taller, I could get the hang of being paid to pout and pose infront of a camera in designer duds' good joke!
There is always that moment when you get the right outfit on the right person and you just know they're working it and as soon as the photographer starts snapping you can feel the energy in the air and literally ever shot we took felt like that. Everyone owned their look and completely shut.it.down and at the end of the day that's the most rewarding part of it! Read on to hear more styling adventures xoxo Deni

LONDON RAIN!

2010-08-27T02:08:00.000-07:00

Hi all, just a short post for now to vent my frustration on the current London Rain. This is August its supposed to be high summer yet as I peer out my office I see grey and rain. There is however a positive that's come out of this Rain - always seeing a fashion opportunity where one presents itself - I haven't stopped wearing my new RainWave cape , because why should one look wet and ugly in the rain when I can look fabulous and stay dry!

These capes are so cool they come in loads of different' colours and prints at £45 for the Kimono (which is the one that I have , these short legs need to be seen or I'll just look like a dwarf) or for those who are more gifted in the height department there's the classic Poncho style which is £55. They're all available online at http://www.rainwave.co.uk/ & they ship internationally! What's the most interesting part of this all is people's reaction as I walk down the street striding in my RainWave. People smile , compliment my cape , stop me to ask me where its from. One little girl said 'Mummy look at his cape its so cool' , I couldnt help but giggle! Once I put my RainWave on its like I turn into a little kid as well , jumping in puddles like a 6 year old! I went to suprise my bestie Charlotte at work the other day in my RainWave and she immediatley asked if she could wear it to a theme park the next day. It was love at first sight & she put it on instantly!
So for now I will stop complaining about the Rain (i've really turned into a Brit havent I?) and relish in the fact that though It may be raining I am looking fab in the rain - cant let a little whether get in the way of looking good now can we! xoxo Deni

PYRUS STORE OPENING - ANOTHER FASHION NIGHT OUT!

2010-08-10T14:25:00.000-07:00

As I looked in the mirror of the agency's showroom, adjusting the zip on my vintage leather trousers and tucked my YSL tee in just so , I was groomed and ready for another fashion night out. My day in PR world flew by - the afternoon a busy flurry of deadlines , countless phone calls made to a dozen journalists and stylists and the pages of many a fashion magazine had been read - it was time for a glass of bubbly. As I marched myself around the corner and over to meet my fabulous friend Anna we both looked at eachother and laughed - completely unexpectedly we both decided to wear a white tee leather bottom combination. Great minds think alike no?... I said as we sipped a quick pre drink in her office bar. It was soon off , down the cobbled stone lanes of Carnaby Street to the opening of the first store for uber-cool fashion label Pyrus. Pyrus holds a very special place in my heart. It was one of my favorite labels represented by Goodley in my interning days & my best friend Charlotte works for them as their right hand woman/design assistant Husband and Wife team Ash & Lorraine are based in east london , I was at their studio the week before viewing their new collection we talked of the excitement and anticipation of this very night. It's every designers dream to open up their store. Invite in hand I was on my way to 10 Newburgh Street and off to the Pyrus boutique! The fashionista's were spilled out the front of the store, champagne glasses in hand mingling amongst each other and immediatley I was impressed with the quaint boutique - instant charm! As I walked in to the beautifully crisp, clean, modern & polished ground level of the store I was greeted by my old Goodley crew and immediatley made my way to my gorgeous Charlotte looking stunning in a Pyrus number and headed over to Ash to congratulate him on the amazing store. He happily showed me around for a personal tour of the gorgeous boutique. Not only does it serve as a store downstairs they have a seperate section for art installations where every 6 weeks a new artist will exhibit their art work. I love a collaboration of art & fashion and I loved the concept behind it, a fashion boutique with a quirky difference - more than meets the eye! The clothing was gorgeous , the art was inspiringly intrigueing and the drink was flowing. Canapes made their way around to the fashion crowd and I spent most of the night with the Goodley girls and a friend of mine interning at Marie Claire. That's the thing about the fashion crowd its like a world in itself - seperate from the real world - where everyone knows everyone and they all speak the same language. Speaking for 10 minutes about the seasons hot new Chloe hiking ankle boot was not considered odd or out of the ordinary and as suddenly as the Chloe conversation ended Christian Louboutin studded loafers were thrown into conversation among Lindsay Lohan's recent stint in jail. Ever in my element the night continued in high spirits.

Across the road sat specialist boutique Peckham Rye a quaint little store specialising in unique silk scarfs and bow ties. The owners of the store were merrily drinking at the Pyrus opening and some how , still i'm not quite sure how , I found myself hanging out in the store with the owners and my friend Liam from Marie Claire. Telling them of my incredible love for bow ties and how their store was one of the firsts I went to amongst my shopping trips in London , they happily gifted me with a red silk polka dot silk scarf and a sky blue and soft red check bow tie! I could hardly contain my squeal and I skipped out of the store polka dot scarf tied around my neck and bow tie in bag! The clock struck 12 and this boy's fashion adventure was about to turn into a pumpkin as it soon became evident that one more free drink was certainly not needed! That's the thing about these events , too many free cocktails you cant say no to and bite size canapes that no one eats anyway! Ah my life in the fashion's fast lane, from being guided through a store opening by the designers themselves to being gifted one of a kind silk scarves and bow ties - my YSL t-shirt/vintage leather wearing self is very comfortable in this cosy world of fashion and ready for more adventures to come! xoxo Deni

SHOES. CAMERA. ACTION

2010-08-09T14:52:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of action and lots of hard work leaving me feeling mostly sleep deprived but very creatively rewarding. When Tamara asked me if I'd like to help style the lookbook shoot for one of my shoe brands Soloro - 2 weeks ago - I jumped at the opportunity. Before I knew it I was reviewing images of next years Spring Summer collection and found myself running through peak hour people traffic on a friday night on Oxford Circus the night before the shoot , to pull outfits together for the looming shoot. Running through the crowds , bumping and annoying people in my path I finally arrived at the Goodley showroom 15minutes before 6 on a Friday to do the quickest select and pack my giant laundry sized bag full of options for the morning's shoot. I stayed up till 3am putting outfits together on the floor of my living room - snapping them with my digi cam - so that I would be prepared on set. I woke up at 7 the next morning and put my own outfit together. Comfortable yet cool in Diesel Black Gold Modal hoody and drop crotch jersey trousers I was ready for a days work! On this morning also for the first time in almost 4 months I decided to wear my Alexander McQueen skull ring. The last thing Ben bought me , I haven't been able to wear it as everytime I put it on the thought of what it represents and the memories it holds is too much for my emotions to handle. Something about this morning was different though and as I slipped it on my finger I took one deep breath , & felt that I needed to put my best fashion foot forward & I needed McQueen's support. The morning had started relatively well, or so I thought. My taxi arrived 10 minutes early and consequently dropped me off to the location half an hour before the start time. As I paid the driver and slipped out of the black cab and into the pouring rain , I looked around me. I was surrounded by blocks of flat. Somehow this didnt look like a place that would have a photographers studio near by. However I gave the cab the address I was given so I assumed it must have been. When it turned into 10 minutes before 9 and I saw no sign of Tamara, a model or a car full of shoe samples pull up I began to panic and as I called my boss I was made aware that the taxi driver had indeed dropped me off in the wrong street. I could have cursed every name under the sun however I took a deep breath and did my best to get to the shoot as quickly as humanly possible with the weight of two giant bags of clothes and one of hangers - in the pouring rain. Of course this is happening to me , a typical Deni scenario - nothing without drama! A 10 minute walk away I finally arrived through a busy market and up a stair well into a warehouse that looked more fitting for a photographers studio. Apologising for the inconvenience there was no time to waste and I started to hang all the clothes on the rail while the gorgeous model was curled up in her chair, coffee in hand, ready for Hair & Make-up...The brief was simple , as it was a shoe lookbook , the focus had to be generally on the shoes , but the outfits needed to be styled accordingly so that they would compliment the shoe and make it stand out to its full potential - which at times was easier said than done. Shoes laid out on the floor it was time to mix and match and see which outfits would be paired with each style.
The first look - a pair of coral leather heels - was paired with a white floral print dress picking up on the coral in the heels and a sure fire winner , the shoot was off to a great start. Some utfits proved more challenging than others and I soon learnt that it was all about trial and error alternating through different choices for each shoe style. Did a high heel look better with hair up or hair down. How high above the ankle should the Citizens of Humanity jeans be rolled up. Tweaking each look to get the best result is a big part of the process but as soon as you see the model in the right look working it for the camera , you know instantly if the look is a winner or not. When it is, you can feel the energy in the room. The model , the photographer, hair & make-up, the photographer's assistant - you all just kind of look at each other and just know. The model , ever a professional , posed and worked every look to perfection!
Getting the opportunity to work so closely with my boss Tamara out of the every day office environment , was a wealth of experience in itself. Having worked in fashion for over 10 years I was like a sponge trying to absorb all her knowledge and she is truly such an inspirational person to be around. When the shoot is all wrapped up a feeling of joy and relief fills the room and knowing youv'e done a good job is beyond rewarding. As I packed all the clothes up back into my giant bags it made me realise - no matter what I'm doing in life , no matter what is thrown my way , as long as i'm doing something that I creatively enjoy - working in Fashion is my life long passion and the fact that it is finally becoming a reality is an incredible and slightly surreal feeling. What else does the fashion world have in store for me I wonder? We'll have to wait and see xoxo Deni

4TH OF JULY 2010. A DAY I'LL NEVER FORGET.

2010-08-09T13:52:00.000-07:00

Music - a universal language that speaks to everyone. I cant imagine life without it. A world with no music just wouldnt be right. Many of you will know that I love my rnb , love my fun pop tunes (the gay boy inside of me) and will squeel at the drop of a Kylie beat. Those of you who dont know me as well as others, wont know that since the age of about 14 one voice has spoken to me like no other. Jay Z , know to some as Beyonce's husband , to me he is HOV - a lyrical genius and Ruler of Hip Hop and is as his lyrics say 'the only rapper to re-write history without a pen...' - some of you may not like rap. Some of you will say hip hop is all about black men slurring lyrics about bikini clad booty shaking women and cristal champagne - this may be so - but then you have HOV. His lyrics tell a story. Send a message into popular culture and modern society as we know it. Whether he's rapping about the demise of instruments and real music in 'Death of Auto-Tune' or telling the world of his journey to the top in my all time favorite 'Encore' - Jay's music speaks to the masses like no other Hip Hop artist. So on July 4th 2010 a dream of mine was about to come true. I was about to see Jay Z live in Hyde Park. Still running on a high from Gay Pride - with a mere 4 hours sleep under my belt, I slipt on my Ksubi cut offs slipped on a fresh white tee (I thought it was only fair , a fresh white tee is the symbol of cool in many a rap tune) and made my way to meet my girls and make our way to Hyde Park. As we entered the park the adrenaline kicked in , not only was I seeing HOV , I was seeing him in the most iconic park in this city I have fallen in love with. I almost pinched myself. Tickets in hand we headed on in...

The warm summers sun rippled on my skin as we made our way to a small tent to see local hip hop newcomer Tinie Tempah and as we grooved to his tunes I had to stop and smile as a mere month ago I was having a drink and a chat with him at the Glamour awards - too surreal!

We made our way back over to the main stage to watch Lily Allen take the stage , for what was her last live performance for a very long time (Lily is leaving the music industry to open up her own vintage clothing store and has also just announced her pregnancy) she took to the stage in a gorgeous white jumpsuit and Louis Vuitton scarf - this prom dress teamed with Nike high top wearing girl has come a long way. Lily was fantastic and struck a personal chord with me. Her latest album 'The Fear' was an album that Ben and I had discovered - and listened to non stop for 3 weeks - at a very happy time of our relationship. Every song she sang bought back a memory and when she dedicated the two songs which reminded me of two very prominent phases of our relationship - 'Are you Mine' & 'Chinese' - to her boyfriend in the crowd , emotion took over and I found myself crying behind my Dolce & Gabbanna shades - and so is the power of music. Proffessor Green was soon bought onto stage , personal friend of Lily's and they performed his debut single on which Lily features much to the crowds pleasure! It was wicked! Lily's set was over , tears wiped away (for now) - and the countdown began for HOV to take centre stage. Charlotte and I couldnt contain our excitement. All four of us , Rachel (Charlotte's sister) and friend Emma are die hard Jay Z fans and we were now more ready than ever for our main man to blow us all away. We edged closer through the crowd to try get the best position possible. As I looked around me I noticed something , i was surrounded by the most varied mixture of people. Young, Old, Male, Female, English, Mixed Race - everyone was here for one reason - to see Jay and it just speaks volumes about the wide range of fans he attracts.

The countdown was up on screen and everyone had their diamonds in the sky, their roc's up - now to explain what this iconic hand sign means for those of you who dont know - it has several meanings. It is a sign for the greek letter Delta as explained by Kanye West's song 'Through the Wire'. For Jay Z and the Rocafella family (Jay's record company is called Rocafella Records) it means diamond , a play off the word Rock , in Rocafella Records - which means the hardest stone on earth as well as the most precious, this sign was coined as the dynast sign by Jay Z. As the countdown continued I've never seen so many roc's up at once!

When the man himself made his way on to stage to drop the opening lyrics of 'Run this Town' the adrenaline hit me and my heart felt like it was about to explode out and through my chest. The rush of the moment , the fact that he was merely metres away from me gracing the stage was overwhelming and I couldnt believe this was finally happening. It was a 2 hours I'll never forget.

I've seen a lot of live performances. Amazing productions by Kylie , Destiny's Child , Lady GaGa - involving costume changes different sets and many bells and whistles. What I saw on the 4th of a July was a talented poet , in black shorts a shirt and shades , a microphone , some amazing lighting and video projection but more then anything pure passion and music. Probably the most amazing live performance I've yet witnessed. From all the old school tunes like '99 Problems' to the ever popular 'Empire State of Mind' , to the incredible acapella freestyling sets but by the time it came around to 'Forever Young' - where Mr.Hudson joined him on stage - Jay had me in tears. Forever Young is a song that means a lot to me. The first version released in the days of The OC touched my heart with every lyric. I've always said I want to be young forever , and every lyric in that song means something to me. When Jay released his version it felt like a sign - my favorite song , with my favorite artist , what an incredible combination - and when he performed it , I was in tears. The power of music is truly incredible. He closed the show with my all time favorite Jay tune 'Encore' (every lyric came out of my mouth with so much passion I could feel myself losing my voice) and as he reluctantly left the stage - smiling like a big kid as he thanked London - we left Hyde Park with a bitter sweet feeling. Cant believe how amazing it was , so sad its over - kinda sums it up. As Charlotte and I walked out arms wrapped around each other talking about the highlights of the show - I smiled - Jay you made my dream came true. I saw you live and you did not dissapoint , you exceeded my every expectation! Whether you like Jay Z or not fact is the man has had 11 back to back #1 albums - making him the most succesful artist on the US charts beating even Elvis's record so do yourself a favour If you dont lsiten to all 11 albums download The Blueprint's 1 & 2 , The Black Album and The Blueprint 3 and let your education begin. Till next time xoxo Deni

BILLIONAIRE BDAY'S & GAY PRIDE!

2010-07-28T17:53:00.000-07:00

*Would like to note that the following blog post is probably one of the most open posts i've done, but this is me, i am an honest open book - and every story has its lesson. So happy reading - its a long one so go make yourself a cup of coffee or better yet pour yourself a glass of wine and I hope you enjoy!

Summer was well and truly in the air and the first weekend of July was set to be one of the best weekends I've ever had. Friday July 3rd soon approached the pages in my luxe Smythson diary and the night before Gay Pride , a dinner was scheduled with my PR team and as we sat on Charlotte St (one of the cutest streets in the West End which is well known for its amazing restaurants and eateries) at our new favorite Thai restaurant the night was only young and we were invited to Billionaire Heir Henry Conway's Birthday party at exclusive member's only club 'Home House'. I met Henry at our Kylie event and as he is a good friend of my work colleague we were invited through him and before we knew it , 2 bottles of wine in our system , we all made our way into a black cab for a night I wont soon forget. As we pulled up to uber discreet members only location , no signage out the front located in a victorian building nestled among Portland Square in London's West End we entered the venue that literally looked like a grand old house (hence the name) marble spiral case at the helm leading off into different rooms of the 'house'. The pre drinks were taking place in the outside garden area and as we walked into a small intimate crowd of fashionistas, including model Olivia Inge , we were greeted by the birthday boy who immediatley informed us it was a 70s hippy theme and adorned us with headbands , flowers to put in our hair and silver bangles to stack on our wrists. Champagne in and the night was off to a start. The remainder of the night was spent in the private room Henry had for his party and chic french champagne soon turned into downing jaeger bombs and dancing to the best old school hip hop i've heard in a while! For a moment I wondered 'how has this small town boy from g-town found himself at a heir's birthday party at a members only club surrounded by an elite crop of London's social set. It was the perfect way to start my wknd....Saturday morning slapped me across the face and with only 4 hours sleep under my belt i was ready to continue this party. Today after all was Gay PRIDE! My first Pride ever. Now before I go on , speak about the partying , the boys , the alcohol - I would like to say that as corny as it sounds the fact that we can now proudly celebrate our sexuality and raise awareness that , actually being Gay is nothing to be ashamed of - is amazing in itself - so this was one party I was ready to celebrate! Outfit of choice for the day proved quite difficult and much involved much changing of outfits, i was having an undecisive moment if ever there was one, however I finally decided to go with an all white virginal ensemble, inspired by the amazing Madonna!

Feeling fly in white , I made my way to central London to catch the last half an hour of the parade. Everyone informed me that the parade is really not that much to write home about and to be honest , in comparison to Sydney's Mardi Gras - its quite amateur - but alas see pictures below! However, amateur it may have been as the sounds of Gaga & Beyonce blared from the speakers and each group made their way through the parade , the police, fire and ambulance forces, gay mothers, gay fathers, mothers and fathers of gay children, you name it they were there to support the gay community - a big part of me felt really Proud. Growing up dealing with your sexuality you sometimes feel like you're the only person in the world who has to go through this and seeing how many other people can a. understand what you went through and b. support you for it - really meant a lot to me! Kudos to them for marching!

Parade over and done with, it was now off into Soho (bottle of Vodka in hand) to celebrate this party! The city was buzzing and today Soho was Grand Central Station. I've never seen so many people in one area at one time. Gay, Bi, Straight - doesnt matter what your preference everyone was out to have a good time and Soho Square was a buzz of people lounging in the sun relishing in alcohol, good company and the gorgeous weather. I was relishing with my flatmates and my gay bestie Ruthie and southern comfort (which thanks to Ruth, after the Vodka, became my drink of choice for the day) the afternoon was off to a fabulous start and it only got better!
The alcohol was flowing and one of the bars located on the corner of Soho square was blaring the best combination of stereotypically gay-fun pop music. Everything from 80s Madonna to Gaga and Kylie. My big group of Diesel family were all out in force , gay & straight, before I knew it we were posing with Drag Queens and dancing like crazy people , downing jaeger from the bottle!

Now going into Pride , I was warned by Ruth 'Denis you will definitley pull' , to be clear 'pull' is the expression replaced with 'pick up' in Australia. To 'pick-up' is to 'pull' - that translation aside , I assured Ruth that perhaps the odd kiss may take place but I wasnt about to place any bets. 'Denis its Gay Pride - remember my words' - ok I thought, I guess this makes sense, no one goes to their High School Prom without getting a kiss right? That's what happens in movies. Maybe Pride was like a gay prom hehe Ruth's theory soon turned to prove right and Kiss #1 occured approximatley after 4pm with already much to much alcohol running through my veins.
An old friend approached me and before I knew it we decided to greet each other with a very passionate kiss - "hrmm interesting , perhaps a kiss has occured today then". Kiss aside there was more dancing to be had and as light slowly turned into dark we didnt move from our position out the front of Soho Square right by the bar , dancing on tables we all lost it slightly when George Michael's 'Faith' played through the speakers and officially went crazy at 'Like a Prayer' - gay much? hell yes but hella fun - even the straight boys loved the cheesy gay tunes!

It soon drew close to 11pm and it was time to start figuring out where to next - obviously the best after party would be taking place at gay mecca aka G.A.Y/HEAVEN. As we tried to round up the gang it was then that Kiss #2 occured - an ex flat mate who will remain un-named waved at me through the crowd an we made our way to eachother to say hello. He's one of those boys that you find yourself crushing on in a geeky/comic book Seth Cohen kind of way (for those of you who dont know who Seth Cohen is - shame - immediatley go and get The OC on DVD). Seth Cohen (we'll call him) and I got talking and caught up on how things are going and whilst at this moment the alcohol certainly begain to take effect , secret crushes were admitted and a few very long passionate kisses proceeded. Hrmm, looks like kisses were definitley part of the Pride experience. As Madonna would say 'forgive me father for I have sinned'. We parted ways, kissed goodbye (shamelesslly two or three times) and were both off to different venues. My gang and I made our way to the 5minute walk away to Heaven - 1omins while drunk and stopping for regular swigs from what was now the almost empty bottle of Jaeger. As we finally arrived to Heaven , the queue was unbelievably long - 2 hours long to be precise. The first 30mins were painful, the following 30mins excruciating but after having waited an hour we were determined to get in. And finally we did - unfortunately the battery on my camera died , which in turned proved to be a blessing , allowing me to solely focus on dancing the night away. Once in the music was perfect , a whole lot of Kylie and every other pop song you could thing of - perfect for the event - and the club was jam packed but just the right amount to create the right atmosphere. Whilst dancing on the podium I had noticed on the podium below me a very fit 'rudeboy', think short shaved hair , tattooed arms, super fit body, arms on show , a white vest top, low slung jeans, white cons and rosary beads hanging from his neck. 'Hrmm' I thought , but looked away thinking nothing of it. As I danced away to Kelis's Acapella I suddenly felt a pair of arms wrapped around my waist and turned around to find Mr.Rudeboy facing me. Words were not needed and before I knew it Kiss#3 occured, after quite some time the kissing stopped for a moment and I thought it only right to start some kind of conversation, however it was soon apparent there was a major language barrier, all I knew was this boy was from Brazil, fit and didnt let go of my waist or my lips for enough time till I decided my kiss from Rio needed to make way for dancing with my friends. The hours passed us by and the dancing didnt stop, suddenly I found myself and my flat mates dancing with a group of people , one of which was a very attractive guy who shamelessly wouldnt stop looking my way. There comes a moment where you go 'Ok 3 is a good number stop there' and then you go '...why stop at 3, 4's a nice even number no?' - so the dancing continued , the blatant flirting with the eyes and with one swift move he took hold of my waist and pulled me close to a very soft passionate kiss (my favorite kind) which soon turned into slowly more passionate , slightly faster and more intense (always the best follow up) and Kiss #4 turned into many kisses for the last 2hours of my Pride experience! Down from Ireland for the weekend to attend London's Gay Pride, Kiss#4 was just what I needed it to be , nothing more , nothing less - a nice kiss (or 2hrs worth) with an attractive boy who happened to have a cute accent. The night - or shall we say morning - was drawing to an end , and as we exited the club and spilled out onto the streets of London , the morning sun pierced my eyes and after waiting 15minutes for a bus that never came I put me and my flatmates into a black cab and we made our way back to our flat and as I crawled into bed, sleeping mask firmly on I got thinking about gay pride. Its amazing to be part of a community that is becoming more and more widely accepted. On a personal note this journey of self discovery that has occured over the past few months has taught me a thing or two, i'd like to make a note that sure , I kissed a few boys in one night (which by the way Is a total first for me) but I went home alone and kissing 4 boys in one night is quite different to sleeping with 4 in one night (though I would never judge anyone if thats what makes them happy) - what i'm trying to say is that this is all well and good , quite fun and I dont regret it in anyway - but I realise something i've always known - that loads of quite meaningless kisses with 4 different boys means nothing in comparisons to meaningful kisses with one special boy. Which brings me to my final point , at the end of the day gay or straight everyone wants love. To love and be in love. Its what makes the world go round. The moral of the story is that some boys like boys, some girls like girls, some girls like boys and some boys like girls. Whatever your preference is , it shouldn't matter, Love is Love and as the below image will tell you - Some people are gay. Get over it! Signing out xoxo Deni

SUMMER IN LONDON!

2010-07-27T16:13:00.000-07:00

Hi readers...yet again I find my self apologising that its been over a month since my last blog post! However due to the technical difficulties I have not had the internet at my flat for about a month now - how i've survived I dont quite now. However after much a do the wonderful.world.wide.web is back in my life and the blog posts will be coming back at you like bullets in a warzone baby so buckle up! As I write the next few posts I would like to note I am currently listening to my darling Kylie Minogue's new album Aphrodite which is the perfect soundtrack for my Summer in London!

My winter in London was full of snow , grey skies and layers of clothing and fashion addict that I am , I kind of cant wait to layer up for winter again (winter fashion is just so much fun) Summer however has been entirely different and the layers are far and few and my wardrobe has consisted of designer denim shorts and tshirts rolled up around my shoulders. Suddenly the sun is out , hem lengths rise and everyone is sunbathing in parks every chance they get. Summer has included picnics in the park with my flatmates. One occasion specifically was a balmy saturday evening in Regent's Park - a 10minute walk away from my house Regent's Park is one of my favorite parks in London. Surrounded by a wide array of bright coloured flowers , bright green grass the smell of summer was in the air and after almost 5 bottles of Rose between us , it was one of those nights where conversation flows , laughter is continuous and the exchanging of sex, relationship and family stories turned into quite the bonding session - a perfect evening.

Another favorite activity of the summer has been my weekly sunday sessions in east london. Sunday Funday generally includes a stroll and lunch along BrickLane's food and clothing stalls always featuring my mate Kif - for those of you who don't know, Kif and I met through my best friend Christie back home in g-town and we all went travelling together a few years back. Kif (real name Christopher) has now also moved to London and we have become really close, the 2 wogboys from g-town living it up in London town. After eating amazing vietnamese , tempting carribean and delicous morrocan delights every weekend we become more indecisive as to what infact to try. East London is an area like no other - full of quirky artistic types , clothed in their latest vintage finds , no matter how often I go I'm inspired by my surroundings. No where else in London will you randombly stumble upon an euro-electronic DJ set up on the side of the lane and before you know it masses of people are dancing away to his beats on the street like its nothing - Kif, Michelle and I included. Beer in hand the crowd grew bigger and before I know it at least 30 people were dancing, a guy had climbed up onto a bin and clapped enthusiastically to the beat of every tune the DJ blasted from his decks, it was amazing and i'll never forget it!Most Sunday night's end up dancing at quirky east london gay bar George & Dragon followed by the Joiners Arms. What's great about gay bars in London is that more often than not 50% of the crowd is in fact straight and its just a really fun mix of cool people. One weekend at the start of the month we met two gorgeous girls Anna and Elektra from Adelaide who we've now also become quite close friends with - that's what I love about London , you just never know who you'll meet! With the combination of cool people , cheap drinks and the perfect mix of 80s and current music its a guaranteed fun filled night and no matter how many times i've gone to work on Monday with only 3 hours sleep its never a regret! Come to think of it me, Kif and the girls havent a had a full fledged bricklane & night out Sunday Funday in almost a month now...must get on that asap! The thing about summer is generally we associate summer with beaches and swimming. Living in this grand city that is London however limits you to your choice of beach. So it was that I found myself one sunday afternoon making my way to Hampstead Heath with the Diesel crew on a 30 degree day (record high's for these Londoner's who think 25 degrees is hot weather) to go swimming the the bathing ponds at Hampstead Heath. The Heath (as local's call it) perhaps better known for the park where George Michael was caught with his pants down , is one of the biggest parks in London and situated in the gorgeous area of Hampstead. Hampstead is quintessentially english. Quaint english houses, beautiful tree lined streets filled with cafe's and boutiques, as I walked to the Heath I thought , how lovely it would be to live up here. 20minutes away from Hampstead tube station and I found my way into the Heath and onto the grass. 20minutes of soaking up some sun, drinking more rose and sex chats with the girls (do you see a theme developing hehe) and it was soon time to take a dip in the pond! I couldnt quite believe me , an aussie beach boy , was about to go swimming in the pond. Clearly un-prepared no bathers in sight it was going to have to be my Ksubi denim shorts to the rescue. As we approached the pond , full of children , teenagers and adults alike , I made my way on to the jetty and took a big jump into the Pond. The water temperature was perfect and the soothing cool water against my skin was exactly what I needed on this hot summers day. I soon calculated that it was well over a year since i had gone 'swimming' in any kind of form and god it felt good. As I floated on my back and looked up into the cloudless sky I almost forgot I was London and for a few minutes I was taken back to childhood memories of swimming in Torquay.

Another thing I love about London is that so often when you're out of your comfort zone (halfway across the world) you tend to do things you wouldnt normally do eg. swimming in a pond - yet you let yourself go and love every moment of it! It was another great summer's day I wont soon forget! It has been an amazing start to the summer - nights filled with dancing and days lounging around parks with enough wine to last a life time , and there's a lot more to come - stay tuned for more posts on a some big events that have happened of late! Till then xoxo Deni

OH THE GLAMOUR!

2010-06-10T15:22:00.000-07:00

...so as Seema and I walked out of Kylie Fever leaving the Tous store and into a black cab "We're going to Berkley Square driver , for the Glamour awards" I said. However, this was not how my night was supposed to end. A week earlier, Seema recieved her invitation to the Glamour awards however her plus one was someone from the Television agency that represent her. To be invited to this is quite a big deal and I felt priveliged and proud that I was going to dress her for it (along with the Kylie event) however that afternoon I recieved an email from Seema that changed the course of everything. "Deni , call me we have a problem" read the email. "Hun I cant i'm swamped with work as the Kylie event starts in 2 hours, whats wrong" - my stomach started to churn with thoughts of wardrobe malfunctions. The reply came through shortly after and it read -

See the problem is , my plus one for the Glamour Awards has bailed and I need someone to be my date. Do you think you could squeeze that in? Would that be ok? Xxx

I could hear the sarcasm in her voice as I imagined her saying this. The Glamour Awards Party was the hottest ticket in town & everyone in the fashion industry wanted an invite and here I was , just a smalltown boy and by chance I would now not only be styling my client for the red carpet event but attending it with her! I could hardly believe my eyes and I quickly replied.

OMG OMG OMG! I can't breathe! haha very funny Of course I can go! Talk soon xxx

...and so it is with this turn of fate that I was sat in a cab on my way to one of the hottest events of the year! As we stepped out at Berkley Square , the same square i've walked through many a time, the same square I've ate lunch in on various occasions & the same square I sat in crying into my blackberry as I told one of my best friends back home that my relationship was over. The square tonight was transformed into a white marquee location of pure GLAMOUR!!!

Screaming fans crowded the entrance waiting to spot their favorite celebs, pictures in hand waiting to be autographed (if the celebs were so kind) - I spotted a Jonas Brother & Billlie Piper on arrival & so it was that invite in hands guests were ready to get on in & dance the night away
As we walk into the tenth and turn left onto the red carpet it makes my heart smile to see Seema represent my version of Glamour, and seeing the end result as she stands infront of the Glamour 'photo-call' makes all the running around, chasing samples while juggling a PR career worth every second of it. Before I know it photo's are taken and its time to head straight in!

The clear roof of the marquee allows just enough twinkle of the stars to compliment the flashing lights of neon pinks and electric blue and you can feel the buzz in the air amongst the fashion savvy crowd. Everywhere I turn I see girls doing their version of Glamour! Cocktail dresses, maxi dresses , sexy jump suits and heels that get higher and higher with each girl passing byCheryl Cole's 'Fight for this Love' pumps through the air as she has just been awarded the prestigous Glamour Woman of the Year award. Deservedly so , she's an incredibly glamorous stylish woman and after the year she's had she's managed to keep composed and chic every step of the way. As Seema and I head to the bathroom for a quick toilet stop before heading to the bar, I am transported into the Blue room - surrounded by moisturiser, blatantly a marketing scheme and some very clever product placing, I am loving my blue light surroundings!We walk back to the bar and straight to the cocktail list. 'The Glamourpuss' immediatley catches my eye and decide this will be my drink of choice for the evening. Belvedere vodka mixed with cranberries, raspberries, guava and lemonade on ice with a wedge of lemon - fabulously good & sure to be lethal! As we weave through the crowd we head into the main room where I am confronted with the word GLAMOUR - ah what's that saying 'there's no place like home' I am in my element and feel like i've walked into the world that I truly belong to & its an amazing feeling

and then it seems the celebrity sightings begin. First up the wicked british rap sensation Tinee Tempah (who i'm due to see at the Wireless Music Festival in a few weeks) looked dapper in a geek-chic way I personally love! I just had to approach him 'Man you're threads are dope who are you wearing tonight?' , I ask casually. 'Ah thanks bruv, its Dolce baby, all Dolce' , 'Sik man!'
it was slightly surreal to be chatting fashion and snapping pics with a guy who's music I dance to most weekends and am seeing live soon. "Have a good night man" - we both say and Seema and I are back off into the throngs of fashionistas to get our groove on. As I walk through a couple of drunk girls I bump into a very tall figure and look up to see Florence - frontwoman of the amazing Florence & the Machine , wearing a stunning black sequinned Jasmine De Milo dress, "Sorry Honey" she says , "No problems lovely. Can I just say you're amazing & I love your music" , "Aww you're too nice" she replies. "And you look incredible , lovin this dress", "Thanks babe" she replies and before I know it we're discussing the new Sex and the City film & dancing to Prince - the moment is so surreal , 'You've got the love...' is one of my favorite songs and has sentimental value for me , Sex & the City related hehe and when Florence's version was released I've been hooked on her voice ever since. Here she was calling me babe & dancing with me! DIE!10minutes after my Florence experience I spot Amanda Holden, the ever sophisticated Britain's Got Talent judge and the picture of Glamour in a white strapless dress! "Amanda I just have to tell you that i'm one of the many gays who finds you so utterly fabulous, I love you" I say slightly intimidated...she has a kind of sophisticated presence that seems almost angelic. She hugs me tightly and says "Oh my favorite kind of fan, I love my gays" and cocktails in hand we discussn favorite designers, moisturisers and tastes in men hehe we could've yapped away all night but there was more partying to be done and I told her to meet me on the dance floor for a boogie!While standing at the crowded bar waiting to be served I notice for a moment, that I am standing next to the cute-as-a-button Pixie Lott. I wrap my arm around her white silk Dolce & Gabbana blouse and say 'You shouldnt be waiting in queue' and we giggle and introduce ourselves to each other (like she needs an introduction). "I am such a big fan of yours honey you're fabulous" and with that we wait for our drinks together chatting about how cute the girls shoes infront of us are, "Jimmy Choo" she tells us and then Pixie and I chat about upcoming projects , how cute Jason Lewis (aka Smith from SATC) is and plans for the summer! Bless her!Seema and I , drinks in hand finally rest our legs for a second and met some really cool TV producers and as they complimented Seema's outfit "All thanks to my stylist" I cant help but smile. One thing that means a lot to me is that both of our careers are blossoming and we're experiencing it both together. I was so honoured to be able to share this night with her!

We stop and pose with Dizee Rascal as he walks by. With an entourage to rival J.Lo we manage to get in there and have a bit of a chat with him even, but the queue of girls grew by the second
As the night turns into the early hours of the morning the DJ really hits into overdrive and keeps pumping out non stop tune after tune! At one point I spot supermodels Tolula Adeyemi (rumoured to be the new face of Chanel) and Olivia Inge (Top british supermodel and features in Burberry campaigns) as they attended our Kylie event they immediatley recognise me and come over for hugs kisses and the beginning of a major dancing session. Olivia and I bonded when she walked into the Kylie event with her tag hanging out of her dress I quickly ran up and tucked it in before the paps started snapping "Thanks honey you saved me" she smiled - and there we were reunited at the Glamour awards. Looking fierce in a beige chiffon dress and hot pink Choo's (They're fabulous but dickheads to walk in - her words not mine) Olivia led the group of us to the dance floor as Lady Ga Ga blared through the room. Tolula , looking fabulous in sequins and high waisted shorts grabbed me and as Poker Face cut into Beyonce's 'Sweet Dreams' the three of us were grinding like it was nobody's business and Seema was close by to snap the action!

Note how Glamorously-intoxicated we look hehe trashy while fabulous I call it, but seriously what a crazy moment. I couldnt believe the night I was having and as the music died down, the glamorous crowd makes its way out feeling a lot more drunk & a bit less Glam then we all did on arrival the night comes to an end at the uber-exclusive Mayfair Hotel with the TV exec's and a group of fashions It girls for the "after after party" and a bottle of Vintage Dom later its well and

truly time for this boy to once again hang up his party shoes and get into bed! As I slipped my satin eye mask over my eyes - the sun was due to rise any minute now - I went to bed with a smile on my face. The past 24 hours was one of the most incredible, amazing and surreal expriences of my life and hopefully it was the beginning of things to come. Its funny but it once again makes me feel like things really do happen for a reason, everything seems to fall into place and my fast life in the fashion lane just keeps on getting more fabulous! Cheers to that!

xoxo Deni