Monday, May 31, 2010

Shoe of the day

Monday, May 31, 2010


Black and shimmery gold leopard-print high heel, Frederick's of Hollywood, 1980s. 
www.pageaday.com


Leopard-print shoes put a smile on my face, the pattern is one that has been round the block a number of times and reinvented as classic, retro, daggy, sophisticated and stylish.  Whichever way worn it's a fun way to add colour to an outfit. 

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Shoe of the day

Thursday, May 20, 2010


Pump with metallic bronze snakeskin bow. J. Renee. 1980s.
www.pageaday.com

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Day 1




ELLE magazine  
第二部分- Part Two
Round two and I’m greeted by the Deputy Editorial Director and Fashion Director who is equally as nice of a guy in person as when we spoke on the phone in preparation for this opportunity.  I feel a sense of relief; it’s refreshing that his presence is energetic and kind.  


We walk through the open plan space to his office, passing the editorial and beauty department on the way, a meeting in progress behind a glass enclosed boardroom, the layout team, Editor’s office (sneaking a peek, it’s empty and wonder if our eyes have already met through the glass doors of the boardroom) and arrive at the department which will be my home base for the next week and a half – Fashion.


We sit and have a chat about Elle magazine itself and the magazine industry in Australia.  He tells me he and a few members of the fashion team have just returned from Milan Fashion Week (damn, I’m a week too late... sigh…).  So far I’m delighted with how the industry operates, trips to Milan, Paris and the UK for viewings of the latest fashion and being surrounded by beautiful clothes and accessories.  However when I ask how Milan was I’m reminded it was a business trip, taking me away from my fantasy idea of attending glamorous fashion shows, wondering the cobble streets, sipping coffee, drinking wine and eating gorgeous food.  Tiring and busy were the words that came to mind from his response, along with insight and understanding that the industry is commonly mistaken as glamorous and glossy as the magazines they produce, but in actual fact it is hard work and my mind set about being here must be miles apart from everyone else in this office.

Debrief. Check. Reality check.  Check.

We head down the corridor to meet the Editor, and after my sudden industry epiphany I’m conscious of the busy schedule she must lead, so as I step in to shake hands I am both flattered to meet as well as intrigued by the thought of what a day in the life of a magazine editor would be.

We head back to the Fashion department where I’m introduced to Fashion Editor, Hubert whose wing’s I’ll be under and chat about what’s coming up for the week.  I’m delighted to hear among the schedule is an on location fashion shoot and a visit to fashion houses to sample clothes.   Great, I’m excited already until he politely asks what encouraged me to spend time at Elle? I reply with honesty expressing it excites me and enjoy indulging in the glossy fashion filled pages, finding it an expression of self in which everyone is different.  I suddenly get the sense he’s heard that response before; standard and naive, as he comments if you want to know what the industry is like watch “The September Issue” or “The Devil wear’s Prada”.   


Reality check.  Check, check!










Thursday, May 20, 2010

Shoe of the day


Thursday, May 20, 2010


Teal leather spike with snakeskin counter, Stuart Weitzman for Martinique, mid 1986.

www.pageaday.com

A lovely girlfriend of mine gave me this wonderful shoe a day calendar as a present last year and I utterly adore it. Each day displays a different shoe from modern, classic, retro to new and I look forward to flipping the calendar each day to get a lovely surprise. I've hand picked a select few of my favourite shoes to share.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Day 1

ELLE magazine




Monday October 12, 2009
第一部分 - Part One
My first day! It has finally arrived… I wake up feeling so excited I spring out of bed from under the crispy white hotel linen, feeling bright eyed and bushy tailed. Well actually… that was the plan, and although I was super excited, I couldn’t sleep! So I wake up feeling tired and disappointed from the thought my first day at Elle will be lined with heavy duty bags under my eyes, as if I had been shopping the whole day and night before, and carried oversized, supersized bags under my eyes.


Before I get sidetracked with heavy baggage I’m reminded of the excitement to come looking at the latest cover of Elle magazine China - a cause to break out in song to the tune in my head as I indulge in a creative burst of thoughts inflating the idea of what my first day will be like. Will I be tippy toeing around the editors, surrounded by snobby, unfriendly, fake fashion-istas like all the stories you hear and movies you see? The Devil Wears Prada, The September Issue? Do editors such as that played by Meryl Streep really dump their coat on their assistant’s desk as they walk through the office, not even battering an eyelid? Are they overworked, stressed and serious as portrayed by Anna Wintour?


I soon enough find out. My first day commences at 12pm - Yay, I think to myself, are these the sort of hours they work in magazine land? After carefully selecting my outfit nights before and conducting my own in-house hotel room photo shoot to document the experience, I am heeled up wearing my favourite Aussie designs making sure there are NO fake label handbags under my clutch! I would be devastated to walk in with a fake Chanel bought at a fashion market the day before, and be surrounded by people who work in the world of high fashion wearing the latest Gucci and Prada - which is sadly not in my current budget.


At the 23rd floor I arrive armed with nerves and sheer excitement, seeing the ELLE magazine sign above the reception desk sparks girly excitement within me, I’m sure the local Chinese girl behind the desk is wondering what this crazy foreigner is doing here. I announce who I am and ask for my point of contact, the Deputy Editorial Director and Fashion Director and am greeted with a polite response that there was a surprise photo shoot so to come back at 2pm. “Ok, sure” I reply feeling a little disappointed. I arrived excited to jump straight in to the scheduled start time and get to it: hello I’m here - ready now – let’s go! I left a tiny bit flat thinking my fresh excited self would dissipate after walking around the city for 2 hours in the thick smoky Shanghai air as I thought back to realize I had just experienced my first taste of the magazine world! Brilliant!


Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Shoe of the day

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Gold and black Lurex covered pump with overlay of paisley beading, Impo, 1980s.




Sunday, May 9, 2010

Elle magazine Shanghai, China 2009.
Welcome to the first ever photo and post I have published for Elle magazine, 2009. When deciding which photo to chose as the lucky first, I wanted to publish something fun. Naturally I went for Chanel....

These fabulous Chanel shoes are so adorable my feet were instantly attracted to them the minute I unwrapped them from the iconic CC logo embed shoe box. You might not believe it, but yes, they are comfortable.

More shoes, fashion and photos from behind the scenes, and published pages from the "Mix & Match" photo shoot are located under the contents section in Elle magazine, December Issue 2009.




Saturday, May 8, 2010

Letter from Charliefrankie



Charliefrankie has and will be a journey; one of discovery and adventure.  6 months after spending a week at Elle magazine in Shanghai, China, I am ready to share the experience together with my interest in all things fashion-istic.  

It took me this long not only to feel ready to write and create this site, but also to remember my blog password! Finally, both have emerged and I feel excited about what I have to share.