An Illustrated Fashion Blog by Angie Réhe

There may not have been a sexy boy in make-up, but there was plenty of booty, tassles, burlesque fans and cheeky striptease to keep me interested on Sunday at Dr Sketchy’s.  And as if that wasn’t enough there was even a mermaid.  Most likely attributable to the fact that I couldn’t swim as a youngster, I never shared some of the other girls’ fascination with mermaids, that is until Roxy Music released ‘Siren’ with Jerry Hall on the cover, crawling over the rocks like something glamorous I wanted to be. She was a siren, not a mermaid, but same to me.  And Bryan Ferry was her boyfriend. I rest my case.

But back to Sunday.  Thanks to Vesper White and Hayley Gray for the bootilicious posing.

In my various roles as a designer, it became painfully clear that I had a disproportionate penchant for certain motifs – namely birds, feathers, and cats.  To the point where I was once banned from using any of them for at least 2 seasons.  How joyous I was to change jobs and have a whole new brand to plaster with my feathered and fluffy friends.

So you can imagine my joy when Muccia Prada sent the Miu Miu collection down the runway in Paris last week, and it was cats gone mad.  Cats and birds.  Sigh.  Reason # 341 why I love Muccia Prada.

It’s no secret that I’m a teeny weeny bit in love with cats, and indeed I’ve been told I am a cat – a comment I took to mean I’m slinky, mysterious and aloof, as opposed to a moody biatch.  So in light of the new decree “cats are in!”, I felt it perfect timing to introduce you to the namesake of this blog – my cat Patsy.

Almost 14 years old but not looking a day over 9, she’s given me 12 years of cranky, disdainful, moody behaviour, until age finally mellowed her into a lovely lazy cuddly companion – then 6 months later a geriatric taken to pissing in my studio, on anything.

Patsy has always featured in my annual xmas cards…..

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Setting your own working hours can do funny things to your body clock.  The first thing I noticed was that I would stay up a teeny bit later each night, consequently staying in bed a teeny bit later the next day.  This worked brilliantly for communicating with the London office of WGSN, but not so brilliantly for everyone else in Melbourne I needed to talk to.  As hoped, eventually I went all the way around the clock and now I’m back to getting up at 7.30am, ish.  Which brings me to my point.

While listening to the RRR breakfasters this morning, Fee B-Squared played a piece of spoken word that was unfortunately cut short.  Unable to continue my day without hearing how it turned out, I searched on You Tube, and bless, it was there – “On the eve of your engagement”.  Possibly I like it because it’s effectively miserable, and I have a penchant for that sort of thing.  And spoken word as it turns out, because that’s the second one I’ve found on You Tube after hearing part of it played on RRR.  The other is Francesca Beard’s “The list”.  Blimey, if I’m not careful I’m going to find myself at some spoken word night pouring my cranky maudlin soul out to the poor punters.

The trick then was how I could share these tasty treats with my dear readers, and somehow link it to a drawing.  (Insert think music.)  Got it.  Spoken word is pretty kooky and an unusual artform…Much like TOYS (Take Off Your Skin), from the Fringe Festival. Patsyfox newsletter readers will know this and possibly saw it, but for the rest, TOYS was the creation of Japanese artist Yasuko Kurono, who created clones of herself to move around public spaces in Tokyo to a choreographed plan.  It since spread to other cities, inc Melbourne during this Fringe Festival.

So if you live in Melbourne and happened to see this in the Bourke st mall, now you know.

“Short, sharp and streamlined” was how my journalistic hero Suzy Menkes described the black leather dress which opened the Celine Spring 2010 runway show in Paris on Monday.  How I’d like to be described as that.  Short?  Check.  Sharp?  Well I was once described as sharp-as-a-tack (does the fact that it was said by someone who looked like they wanted to hit said tack with a hammer negate it?)  Streamlined?  Never.  I have three books on how to clear my clutter.  I would read them if only I could think through my brain fog and remember in which pile in which room they were located.  But I digress.

Dear Phoebe,

What took you so long?  It’s four years since you left Chloe to spend time with your kids.  Seriously – you didn’t get sick of them before this?  Admittedly, I don’t have children, but when I spend time around others’, I am gagging to get away within two hours. Four years?? And P.S. Chloe caught fugly in your absence.

But here you are back, in the guise of Celine, and isn’t it fabulous to see your lovely style on the runway again.  Soft leather t-shirts with split sleeves?  I die.  I would also die over the other exquisite utility-chic pieces – square shaped do-it-all dresses which lace up the front; the elongated sleeveless trench that pleased the crowd so; the high-waist mannish trousers, etc, were it not for the desert-inspired palette. Shades of beige from flesh to khaki, olive, camel, tobacco & tan – did you deliberately fan through my personal colour wheel & choose all the colours I wear to the doctor’s when I’m trying to get a fake medical certificate?? Sheez. Thank god for the stripe dress is all I can say, and I will be writing a letter to Net-A-Porter post-haste to implore them to order it.

It’s good to have you back Phoebes.

Love, Patsyfox

P.S. Can I come over and interview you next year for my masters research? – I hope you didn’t think that crack about your kids was serious?

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The lucky recipients of the Patsyfox newsletter will already be clued up on the Together Alone exhibition that opened yesterday at the NGV Australia in Melbourne.  They will also know that I, being the multi-hatted laydee that I am, was there at the opening, drinking the house dry and reporting for WGSN and of course the page you’re now reading.  And how fantabulous the night was, and that’s not just the champagne talking.

When I walk into a place and the first face I see is that of Karen Webster, and that face smiles and waves at me, I know that I am somewhere.  And indeed I was, surrounded by some of the most interesting Australian and New Zealand designers and their creations.  As Karen said in her opening speech, “Ah, the tyranny of distance….Isn’t it great?!”  Ah, yeh, I guess…except for the flights…

Together Alone is an exhibition looking at the common fashion ground shared by Australia and New Zealand, in particular geographical isolation, and the role it plays in informing approaches to design.  It showcases a collection of work from the past twelve years, by eight leading Australian and New Zealand fashion houses – Akira Isogawa, Toni Maticevski, MaterialByProduct, Romance Was Born, Doris de Pont, World, Nom*D and Zambesi – many of whom will appear in drawn form here soon.

It’s free, and it’s on until next April, what more do you want?  A catalogue in the form of a passport?  Check.  And a steal at $9.95.  Particularly in my case, as I didn’t pay for it – I’m media.

The always-fabulous Ms Webster:

Some of the tasty treats:

This may well be the lousiest blog post I’ve ever done, but I can do that now – I’m almost famous.

As if being welcomed as media at the opening of the new fashion exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria (Ian Potter Centre) – Together Alone (see following post) wasn’t enough, I have within the very same 24 hours been written up on the Brook&Lyn blog.  Yes that’s right, free champagne followed by someone in New York writing about me and my illustrations.  Eat my dust.

And check this out…

http://www.brookandlyn.com/blog/

When it was first pointed out to me that I have a “thing” for stripes, I protested vehemently – simply for the fact that I hate to be predictable. And yet take me out of my quirky routines in any way and I am like an ant dusted with talc powder, hopelessly lost to my path.  It wasn’t until said accuser led me into my clothes room (yes, I have a room for my clothes, whatevs) and pointed to my stripe draw and stripe hanging section, that I conceded defeat.

So imagine my joy to see so many stripes on the New York catwalks.  And if I had a diary that went far enough ahead for in-store delivery of summer ’10 stock, I would definitely write a reminder to tear out and buy this Karen Walker striped dress.

With less intention to buy, but no less love, I, along with many others from what I gather, am nuts for the Rodarte collection, though I admit an unfeasible amount of this enthusiasm is attributable to the tattooed arms – do they come with the collection?  Will I still love them in the morning?

The perforated trend identified by the analysts may be hard to pull off without the sensible aid of undergarments, but my, it looks sharp at Y-3 by Yohji Yamamoto.  My friend Mr Yamamoto is the man.  Well not friend exactly, acquaintance perhaps.  Breakfast companion.  Ok, once when I was having my omelette au fin herbs outside Les Deux Magots in Paris, he was inside having a cup of tea. Close enough, I felt we bonded.

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Crazy catwalk time again and I’m again wondering why I’m in my pyjamas in my studio, when clearly I should be front row somewhere far far away and much more glamorous.

The best thing about being a Melbourne correspondent for WGSN?  Every night at about 11pm I get my new daily bulletin full of amazing reports and pictures; the new is renewed every day.

The worst thing about being a Melbourne correspondent for WGSN?  Every night at about 11pm I get my new daily bulletin full of amazing reports and pictures; the new is renewed every day, and I am over tomorrow while it is still today.

So to begin the Patsyfox top tips from places more glamorous, I bring you New York crazy colour.  Actually it’s mainly Marc Jacobs who’s crazy.  His Marc by Marc Jacobs line is whacked and full of oranges, cobalt blue, yellow, green, stripes, spots, and is amazing.  And those bows on the heads remind me just a teeny weeny bit of the rabbit ears he stuck on the models (and later Madge) in the Louis Vuitton show a couple of seasons back…. It wasn’t just him doing colour, but he did it so well.  I can almost forgive him for that stupid doco on him that showed during Melbourne Fashion Week earlier this month.  I don’t know what 5yr old filmed it, but I’d like to lock him in a cupboard for the flat-out sea sickness I had throughout the entire film.

The BCBG dress is a little Star Trek, but that’s fine – it reminds me of my life-long desire to become Mrs Jean-Luc Picard.  Just putting it out there.  And P.S. Mr Stewart, I dig older men.

Truth be told, I am just back from dinner with Craig, my erstwhile co-worker, menswear designer extraordinaire, and someone whose wit, much like the pace he keeps while marching along those northern hemisphere streets, I have to trot to keep up with – kind of like a gym for my sense of humour, without the mirrors or the muscle marys.  And as much as I love working à la lone ranger,  I do miss arriving at work – late – in a post peak-hour-commute cranky mood, only to have him say something so naughty and funny that I throw my head back and laugh like a hyena – in fact on one occasion, throwing my head back with such gusto I put my neck out and had to seek chiropractic assistance.  I do not get the same joy from Patsy – blog namesake and beloved cat – who has nothing but disdain for me.  And it only makes me love her more.

On another subject and social outing entirely, I can’t stop thinking about a jacket I saw at my friend Carrie’s exhibition opening last week.  It was worn by the lovely Bronwen, who unfortunately turns out to be a friend of my friends, so there was no chance of ripping it off her back and running full tilt down the street with it.  Quelle disappointment.

Like all good items of clothing, the jacket has a story, and comes from a place far away – Edinburgh in fact.  Apparently there is a little store in a little street at the back of Princes st, run by a designer called Joey D.  On the walls hang an array of pants – army pants, jeans, racing pants, etc, from which you select one to have Joey D re-model into a very very cool jacket, made to your measurements.  On this occasion the jacket actually came up a little small so Joey found a Marilyn Monroe screenprint out back, and simply sliced a panel right through the centre back, somehow making this mistake look even better.  Tricky.

As Bronwen and I seem like approximately the same size, I’m hoping to engage her in a game of poker and win the sucker off her back.  As soon as I learn to play poker.

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