Gold Coast’s Best Dressed: meet the city’s fashion icons
Vintage treasures, designer detail and vibrant colour guarantee the Gold Coast style set never lack in personality. Meet 10 locals with looks we love.
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Vintage treasures, designer detail and vibrant colour guarantee the Gold Coast style set never lack in personality. Meet 10 locals with looks we love.
Rose Madden
The co-founder of 1970s-inspired fashion house Nine Lives Bazaar was a journalist and dedicated op shopper before testing the waters with original designs through market stalls with co-conspirator Vanessa Cave.
She and Vanessa launched Nine Lives as an online business, opening a shopfront at Coolangatta six months ago.
“My style is very much inspired by the ’70s and comes from many years of combing op shops for vintage pieces. We started making our own when they began to diminish.
“I have to say, after becoming a mum, my personal style has probably changed a bit..
“Pregnancy and breast feeding forces you to become a bit more practical. It used to be bell sleeves and midriffs but now it’s more floaty dresses and comfy styles, but I still love bright colours and warm tones.”
Vanessa Cave
Vanessa worked in media, spending five years at Frankie magazine, before indulging her passion for vintage fashion, first through market stalls then by launching Nine Lives Bazaar as an online business four years ago.
“I’ve always been a huge fan of colour,” she says. “My grandmother was a massive accessoriser and a hoarder — she kept everything from back in the day.
“My mum is a bit of a style queen too. She likes her labels and does a lot of shopping through American websites.
“Both of them kept all their vintage pieces and I’ve been passed down a lot of their things, the ones they could bear to part with anyway.
“I love Navajo jewellery, headscarves — I’ve got a big collection from my grandmother — and some great vintage belts that I mix with our own pieces.
“I love colour and interesting cuts. I’m not a dull human. It’s how I express myself and it makes me feel happier too.”
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Judy Brine
Artist and illustrator Judy has always had a love of fashion (and horses).
Her art and style is showcased on her Instagram @judybrine.
“Because I’m an artist, I’ve always loved line and colour and I’ve always been drawn to design and balance. If you wear a fitted top, you wear looser pants.
“For me, it’s what works visually. Fashion is just the way you show yourself to the world and style becomes something different according to your moods.
“Some days I love to dress up; other days you wouldn’t want to see me.
“Style has no age. Just because you’re over 50, you don’t stop dressing to your body shape and presenting yourself as well as you possibly can.”
GOLD COAST’S 50 BEST DRESSED OF 2018 PICTURE GALLERY
Fiona Edwards Bassingthwaite
The face behind the fifideluxe fashion and lifestyle blog also helps run a successful fashion import and retail business, as well as being a mum of three.
She has been a fixture on the Gold Coast’s Best Dressed lists for many years.
“My personal style is ever evolving, moving with the trends while staying true to classic styling.
“I always like a look that’s well thought out and accessorised. With so much ‘disposable fashion’ on the market, I’m really conscious of quality not quantity these days.
“It’s better to invest in one or two beautiful pieces to add to your wardrobe than 10 cheapies.
This also allows you to keep your wardrobe in check and not cluttered.
“My best advice to others is to wear what you love and feel good in and don’t be afraid to test the boundaries and step out of your comfort zone. When in doubt, think classy.”
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Emily Whitlock
Emily began her styling career in interior design before switching to fashion shoots.
The former teacher now works full-time as a freelance fashion stylist and is one half of Pacific Fair’s Two Girls and Nothing to Wear podcast duo.
“I would describe my style as feminine, modern, chic,” she says. “The seasons are an influence, so is social media, seeing what other fashion bloggers are doing.
“I like to keep things quite simple and add a bit of flair and a point of difference with accessories.
“I also like to make sure I’m dressed head to toe every time I leave the house, whether it’s dressing up or casual, just making sure everything matches and works well together.
“You create your own style with what suits you best and you should have a bit of fun too, with trends and colours.”
Violet Grace Atkinson
Fashion blogger and stylist Violet Grace used to juggle her fashion sideline with a law career but is now a full time influencer, content creator, Pacific Fair Ambassador and one half of the Two Girls and Nothing to Wearpodcast duo.
“My style is a mix of tailored, contemporary and sporty.
“I take a lot of inspiration from haberdashery and more masculine looks. I’m just not a huge feminine dresser.
“That said, each day I dress according to how I feel and that can quite different day to day.
“I think when it comes to fashion, you shouldn’t be a slave to trends. You can respect them and you can incorporate some of them into your own look but style isn’t about being on trend.
“It’s an expression of ourselves; it’s wearable art. It’s about being you.”
GOLD COAST FASHION WEEK 2018 LAUNCH PICTURE GALLERY
Isabelle Quinn
Isabelle grew up in an arty household.
She studied marketing at university and worked in retail, indulging her creative streak by making her own clothes.
Orders from friends — and passing strangers — were the forerunner to her Isabelle Quinn womenswear label, which has a storefront at Mermaid Beach.
“My personal style is probably a bit androgynous, a bit boyish but also feminine — if that makes sense.
“I think the best description is that I’m a chameleon. I love all types of styles, but I really love to dress up in beautiful clothes and go to nice places.
“I like using accessories to create whole looks. I would say my style motto is: don’t be boring.”
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Farai Chiwedza
When Farai Chiwedza came to Australia from Zimbabwe, he was struck by how conservatively men dressed.
It moved him to start his own business, Red Cypress Clothing, to inject some panache and individuality into the local men’s fashion scene.
“My philosophy on fashion is don’t be scared to express yourself,” he says. “Where I’m from, we like to dress flamboyantly, mixing African colour with European style.
“When I came here, I couldn’t find that so I started my own business to introduce that style here.
“My aim is to introduce Australian men to colour, to get them to be more adventurous.
“For me, fit is No. 1. If it doesn’t fit right, I don’t wear it. Then I like colour, something that complements my complexion, but I don’t like to wear a full suit. I like to break it up.
“I want to show my customers you can be both smart and relaxed. It doesn’t have to be one or the other; you can be both.”
Michael Dunn
Michael, 26, is a newcomer to the Gold Coast’s Best Dressed line-up.
With experience in fast fashion retail and a passion for putting outfits together, he has run his own personal stylist business m.a.d_style for the past three and a half years.
“My motto is you can never be overdressed,” he says. “When I piece together an outfit, I don’t start with one piece, I look at the overall picture.
“A lot of stylists follow the season rule and certain colours might look better at different times of the year, but I like to create a unique look, often mixing high end with lower end pieces.
“You need to know the rules of fashion to break them. I like working with colours and pattern matching to garner a reaction.
“I apply the same techniques when I put together outfits for my clients.”
James Carney
What is a best dressed list without some Italian influence?
Restaurateur James Carney of Gemelli Italian, Broadbeach; Gemellini, Nobby Beach and Roys by Gemelli, Sorrento has always had a taste for fine food and fine apparel.
“I like European style. For me, that’s where fashion comes from.
“I guess I’d describe my look as relaxed and my fashion philosophy as ‘less is more’.
“I don’t really follow fashion as such but I guess I keep an eye on trends and looks.
“I like to mix and match pieces from European brands with simple and cheaper items to create my own look.
“I think if you feel good in what you’re wearing, you’ll always look and feel more confident.”
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