Isabel Marant Etoile

It's that time of season again, the first drop of Isabel Marant Etoile has landed in the corner shop! We love the soft grey coats and jackets (perfect for current weather) the neutral tones broken up with red and of course Isabel's always amazing selection of prints.

Karen Elson

Model, musician and mother are among the tiles given to the talented Karen Elson. Growing up in Britain, Karen now resides in Nashville, Tennessee with husband Jack White (of The White Stripes) and their two children. She also manages vintage boutique Venus & Mars with friend Amy Patterson.

From international runways to guest-editing an issue of Lula magazine and releasing her own album The Ghost Who Walks, Karen is a true inspiration.

Virginie Castaway

Just arrived is the new collection from Virginie Castaway, soft and feminine it reminds us of the 1975 film Picnic at Hanging Rock and trips away to the country side relaxing and picking fresh strawberries (Think Marie Antoinette at the Petit Trianon.)

Picnic at Hanging Rock

Marie Antoinette

Picnic at Hanging Rock

I love my tees

New at the corner shop this week is cute French label I love my tees. With fun stripes and nautical embellishment, the French know exactly what we want when it comes to effortless chic dressing.

Friedrich Gray

Today we stepped into the studio space of Friedrich Gray designer, Ben Pollitt. Having recently shown his s/s 10 collection at fashion week titled 'Refraction' Ben was all too happy to share the inspiration and ideas behind designing the range.

The entrance to the light-filled studio contains a cluster of pot plants including climbing spinach and passionfruit underneath glass doors which can open out to the buildings roof top (perfect for breezy summer days).

The studio is classic Friedrich Gray, think exposed brick, white walls and just the right amount of black paired with quirky objects sourced at markets and auction houses. The newest addition to the studio is the store which houses pieces from Ben's winter collection as well as some exclusive samples.

This season, Ben has taken inspiration from artist Banks Violet and sculpture artist Richard Sera. Looking at an image of one of Sera's installations (black shards of metal set against snow) you can see where Ben was inspired to create the dresses and jackets in black or white with the contrasting shards to break up the garment and create negative space.

Friedrich Gray has also become quite famous for their fabric innovation, the use of wool with silks and leathers keeps the collections functional but different. This season the focus is on a new blend of synthetic and natural fibres including a fabric with a soft tissue paper like feel and a chain mail/ viscose blend which creates a wool that can be scrunched and holds shape.

This season also sees Ben step away from prints and move into a black and white palette focussing on silhouettes, fabrics and textures. Putting the finishing touches on an alligator skin-feel leather jacket he is making for an exhibition in Paris, Ben discusses his fashion week show and the mirrored perspex shapes around his studio which were used to create the entrance.

It's impossible to leave this space not feeling inspired, bolts of fabric and patterns, books and collected images of artists work leave you wanting more. A big thank you goes out to Ben for letting us come and photograph his workspace and we just can't wait for summer!

The rooftop view through the doors

The studio store

Ben's inspiration board

Richard Sera's installation

Ben working on a leather jacket

A sample from the summer range

A wool dress featuring Friedrich Gray's 8 line logo

The show invitation

Somewhere

Somewhere is the latest feature from one of our favourite directors, Sofia Coppola. Set at the famous Chateau Marmont Hotel in Los Angeles and featuring music by Phoenix, we were excited to finally preview the new trailer which promises luxury, Sofia's famous beautiful direction and cinematography and the emotion and isolation she always captures so perfectly in her films.

The movie looks at the life of Johnny Marco (Stephen Dorff), an actor living in excess in the lavish celebrity-frequented hotel. When he receives an unexpected visit from his daughter (Elle Fanning) Johnny is forced to question his life choices.

Here is a peek at the newly released trailer featuring Australia's very own model, Nicole Trufino.

Alexander Wang

Just arrived in our Strand Arcade store are the new Alexander Wang handbags. With the addition of a beautiful smoky velvet and a deep forest green leather, these bags are the perfect compliment to any winter outfit.

Wanted

Look out for fellow blogger Mike Huynh's appearance on wanted posters in our Strand Arcade store. And if you haven't already, be sure to check out Cultures In Between.

Kinga Burza

Poland-born, Australian-raised Kinga Burza is one talented lady to watch. At just 29 her resume includes directing video clips for Peaches, Katy Perry, Kate Nash and The Teenagers.

We are constantly inspired by her beautiful work as well as her blog which features all round updates of her latest projects and some pretty photos to boot.

The Teenagers - Homecoming

Peaches - I Feel Cream

An image from Kinga's blog

Ok Ok

The latest addition to the corner shop is cute Melbourne based sock label, Ok Ok. These sweet sockies come in a variety of colours and are also available in ribbed and opaque tights.

We will be taking inspiration from Arnsdorf's winter lookbook and styling ours up to add a touch of colour to our winter layers.