POWER

TO
THE
YOUTH
Zendaya and the new
age of enlightenment

RENEWABLE
CHARGE
People
and fashion
with purpose
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Spring Summer 2020
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CHOICE

SEAMASTER DIVER 300M

007 EDITION

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SYDNEY 20 Martin Place • Westfield Bondi Junction
MELBOURNE 179 Collins Street • Chadstone • Crown Casino
BRISBANE 188 Edward Street
SY D N EY G E O R G E ST | W E ST F I E L D S Y D N EY | B O N D I | C H AT S W O O D | C A N B E R R A | M E L B O U R N E CO L L I N S ST | E M P O R I U M
C H A D STO N E | D O N C A ST E R | PA C I F I C FA I R | I N D O O R O O PI LLY | B R I S B A N E | C L A R E M O N T | A D E L A I D E
 CONTENTS

56 EDITOR’S LETTER
64 CONTRIBUTORS
66 VOGUE VIDEO
70 VOGUE VOICE

Zendaya wears a Gucci dress, tights and shoes.
On right arm: Tiffany & Co. bracelet. On ring
finger: Tiffany & Co. ring. Repossi ring. On index
finger: Repossi ring. Make up from Lancôme,
starting with Teint Idole Ultra Wear foundation
in Sable; on cheeks, Belle De Teint Healthy Skin
Powder in Belle de Moka; on eyes, Hypnôse
Volume a Porter Mascara and Le Sourcils Styler
VIEWPOINT
74
A NEW WAY OF SEEING
When it comes to imagining what’s possible,
the brand-new season is about dreaming big,
a return to uplifting clothes with integrity,
simplicity and youthful possibility.
80
NO LIMITS
Raised on a rich creative diet, multi-
hyphenate Milan Ring knows few bounds
when it comes to making music.
82
LIFE LESSONS
Designers were united in sending out spring/
summer ’20 collections that seemed to say:
“Let’s make it count.”
92
OPENING ACT
Australian designer Jordan Dalah is bringing
the attention he’s garnered abroad home,
designing from his Sydney studio.
98
IN HIS SHOES

brow mascara in Brun; on lips, L’Absolu Rouge
in Crème de Marron and L’Absolu Gloss
Rôsy Plump lip gloss.
Stylist: Christine Centenera
Photographer: Daniel Jackson
Hair: Larry Sims
Make up: Sheika Daley
Manicure: Ashlie Johnson
V O L L X V N O 3 W H O L E N O 6 6 9 * R E CO M M E N D E D P R I C E
Appointed last year, Salvatore Ferragamo creative
director Paul Andrew has meticulously injected
a touch of the new at the 93-year-old brand.
100
Highly strung; Curated by: Christelle Kocher.
104
TRUE BLUE
An electrified version of Pantone’s hue of the
year classic blue cuts through in a season
abounding in colour.

36 MARCH 2020

CULTURE
108
ON THE UP
Actor Milly Alcock had to choose between
finishing high school and starring opposite Tim
Minchin in his latest TV project. Favourable
reviews hints that she made the right decision.
110
WILD RIDE
The provocateur behind one of Beyoncé’s most
famous music videos takes audiences on a
heart-pumping journey with her first film.
112
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
A new wave of hip-hop is disrupting the music
industry, introducing diversity and giving
Australia’s youth a voice.
117
HIGH NOTE
Better in Blak launched Aboriginal artist Thelma
Plum to the top of the ARIA charts. Now, as she
wraps up her second album, her sights are set
on conquering the international stage.
44
CONTENTS
119
SOUL SISTERS
Indigenous Australians have lived in
matriarchal systems for more than 65,000 years.
An upcoming panel will explore what these
strong female bonds can teach wider society.
122
SHELF: CLARE GILLEN
As a photographer and creative director of LA’s
Gilly Studio, Clare Gillen has captured the newest
and brightest talents through her colourful lens.
126
A FIELD DAY
The organisers of this month’s women’s cricket
World Cup are aiming to fill the MCG for the
final, on International Women’s Day.
BEAUTY
136
ALL TIED UP
Backstage and beyond, universally flattering
plaits are proving that you can turn any look
into a head-turning statement.
144
FACE VALUE
With a new legion of well-known noses,
the celebrity fragrance market is getting
a sophisticated shake-up.
146
ALTER EGOS
Worn day or night, make-up this season runs
the gamut from paint-box brights to barely
there tints. The choice is all yours.
148
IN PROFILE: LUCIA PICA
Chanel global creative make-up and colour
B E C PA R S O N S D U N C A N K I L L I C K E D WA R D U R R U T I A
director Lucia Pica views the world as one
vast source of inspiration. Here, she shares
her creative processes and daily rituals.
BECOME
A VOGUE VIP
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benefits – see page 160 for details.
MARCH 2020
 CONTENTS
150
FRENCH KISS
Luxury powerhouse Hermès has its sights set
on your make-up bag with its debut collection
of lipsticks inspired by its history with colour.
152
CREATIVE LICENCE
With the age of undone tresses behind us,
a sprinkle of spectacle settled over the
spring/summer ’20 collection shows.
154
HIT REFRESH
Fans of dopamine fasting, the latest wellness
trend to come out of Silicon Valley, believe
abstaining from food, sex and technology offers
a shortcut back to appreciating the simple things.
FEATURES
164
GEN ZEN
Welcome to the new generation of style, where
attitude reigns supreme, as embodied by the
ultimate Gen Z woman, Zendaya.
196
POWER SHIFT
Want to know what’s motivating young change-
makers today? Listen to them. Vogue sits down
with five young leaders to hear what drives their
activism and their ideas for the future.
200
HEAR HER RA
A stint in New York’s historic ballroom scene
brought dance performance artist Bhenji Ra
back home with a mission: to create a local
stage for self-expression.
212
DREAM WEAVER
Valentino creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli
is responsible for bringing an all-inclusive
204 humanism back into fashion, doing it in large
through the unlikely, lofty world of haute couture.
48
226
SIGNS OF THE TIMES
In an age of increasing uncertainty, Millennials
are turning to an unlikely source of divine
wisdom for comfort: the zodiac. Sassy one-line
readings on phones are helping to reassure the
youth of today, one notification at a time.
FASHION
180
WONDERLAND
Invoke a time when days were calm and filtered
through a kaleidoscope of colour, adding a riot
of sparkle in mini hemlines.
204
PICTURE THIS
The top-billing accessories of spring/summer ’20
were those that showed a designer’s imagination
running wild. In the same spirit, collage artist
Siduations recreates the season’s best
accoutrements in a whole new context.
218
SUITS YOU
The unexpected hero of the new season? The
lean 70s suit in psychedelic colours and graphic
wallpaper prints. Tailored with precision, the
elongated lines are the antidote to the glut of
volume elsewhere. Bianca would approve.
CO L L A G E : S I D U AT I O N S P H OTO G R A P H S : I S A A C B R O W N  J A M E S TO L I C H
VOYAGE
228
AFTER THE FIRES
With the end of this devastating fire season
in sight at long last, we highlight how to help
regions affected by bushfires in their recovery
efforts by visiting and discovering or
rediscovering our own backyards.
233 SOIRÉE
239 HOROSCOPES
240 LAST WORD
MARCH 2020
 Edwina McCann PU BL ISH ED BY CON DÉ NA ST
Editor in Chief editor@vogue.com.au Ch ief E xecutive Of f icer Roger Ly nch
Globa l Ch ief Operati ng Of f icer & President, I nternationa l
D eput y E d it or J E S S ICA MON TAGU E features@vogue.com.au Wolfga ng Blau
Fa sh ion D i re c t or C H R I ST I N E C E N T E N E R A Globa l Ch ief Revenue Of f icer & P resident, U. S. Revenue
Cre at i ve D i re c t or (C ondé Na s t A u s t ra l ia t it le s) J I L L I A N DAV I S ON Pa mela Drucker Ma nn
Cre at i ve D i re c t or ( Fe at u re s) at L a r ge A L I S ON V E N E S S US A r tistic Di rector a nd Globa l Content Adv isor
ART art@vogue.com.au A nna Wintour
A r t D i re c t or M A N DY A L E X Ch ief of Sta f f Sa ma ntha Morga n
D e sig ner A RQU E T T E C O OK E Ch ief Data Of f icer Ka r thic Ba la
Ch ief Client Of f icer Ja mie Jouning
FASHION fashion@vogue.com.au
S en ior Fa sh ion E d it or K AT E DA RV I L L CON DÉ NA ST EN T ERTA I N M EN T
Fa sh ion E d it or a nd Ma rket D i re c t or PH I L I PPA MORON E Y P resident Oren Katzef f
Ju n ior Fa sh ion E d it or PE T TA C H UA Ma rket E d it or K A I L A M AT T H E WS
St y le C ont ent E d it or R E BE C CA S H A L A L A Fa sh ion A s si s t a nt R E BE C CA B ON AV I A E xecutive Vice President A lternative P rog ra m m i ng
Joe La Bracio
BOOK INGS bookings@vogue.com.au E xecutive Vice President CN É St ud ios A l Edg ing ton
E xe c ut i ve P ro duc er a nd Ta lent D i re c t or R I K K I K E E N E E xecutive Vice President Genera l Ma nager of Operations
S en ior P ro duc er s L AU R E N BA RGE E M M A PROU DF O O T Kathr y n Friedrich
P ro duc er DA N ICA O S L A N D C ont r ibut i ng P ro duc er S A M A N T H A T R E Y VAU D
CH A I R M A N OF T H E BOA R D
FASHION FEATURES vogue@vogue.com.au Jonatha n Newhouse
Fa sh ion Fe at u re s D i re c t or A L IC E BI R R E L L
Fa sh ion Fe at u re s A s si s t a nt J E N N U R IC K WOR L DW I DE EDIT IONS
Fra nce: A D, A D Col lector, Gla mou r, G Q , Va n it y Fa i r,
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India: A D, Condé Nast Travel ler, G Q , Vog ue
COPY copy@vogue.com.au Ita ly: A D, Condé Nast Travel ler, E x perienceis, Gla mou r,
Travel E d it or a nd C opy E d it or M A R K S A R I BA N D eput y C opy E d it or a nd L i fe s t y le Wr it er C US H L A C H AU H A N G Q , La Cuci na Ita lia na , Va n it y Fa i r, Vog ue, Wi red
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Condé Nast Joha nsens, Condé Nast Travel ler, Gla mou r,
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T he World of I nteriors, Va n it y Fa i r, Vog ue, Wi red
ADV ERTISING SA LES AND STR ATEGY United States: A l lu re, A rch itect u ra l Digest,
General Manager, Sales The Australian and Prestige titles N ICOLE WAU DBY (02) 8045 4661. A rs Tech n ica , basica l ly, Bon Appétit, Clever,
Head of Digital Commercial Strateg y, Prestige A M A N DA SPACK M A N (02) 8045 4658. Condé Nast Traveler, epicurious, Glamour, GQ, GQ St yle,
Commercial Manager GA R IN EH TOROSSI A N (02) 8045 4653. healthyish, HI V E , Pitchfork, Self, Teen Vog ue, them.,
NSW Group Sales Manager CHEY N E H A LL (02) 8045 4667. NSW Key Account Managers K ATE COR BETT (02) 8045 4737. The New Yorker, The Scene, Vanit y Fair, Vog ue, Wired
J EN N IFER CH A N (02) 8114 7610. NSW Account Manager, Prestige ELIZA CONNOR (02) 9288 1324.
Group Digital Brand Manager A DR I A NA HOOPER Brand Strateg y Manager SOPHIE GA LL AGHER (02) 9288 3929. PU BL ISH ED U N DER JOI N T V EN T U R E
Partnerships Solutions Manager CATHERINE PATRICK (02) 8045 4613. Project Manager Partnerships KATE DWYER (02) 9288 1009. Bra zil: Casa Vog ue, Gla mou r, G Q , Vog ue
Campaign Implementation Manager M ATILDA McM A STER NSW Account Executives EU N ICE L A M Russia: A D, Gla mou r, Gla mou r St yle Book , G Q ,
R EBECCA ROBERTSON (02) 8045 4873. Victoria Sales Director, Prestige ELISE DE SA N TO(03) 9292 3202 . 
Acting Victoria Group Business Manager ME AGA N PATE (03) 9292 3224. G Q St yle, Tatler, Vog ue
Victoria Head of Direct Sales & Partnerships JO CONSTA BLE (03) 9292 3203. PU BL ISH ED U N DER L ICENSE OR COPY R IGH T
Victoria Campaign Implementation Manager CECILE STEFA NOVA (03) 9292 1951.
COOPER AT ION
Victoria Account Executive ISABELLA PIRRIE (03) 9292 3208. Classified Advertising TEJAL CHABHADIA 1300 139 305.
Classif ied Advertising Creative Designer K Y LIE M c GR ATH A sia: K IM K ENCHINGTON, Mediaworks A sia (852) 2882 1106. Austra lia: G Q , Vog ue, Vog ue L iv i ng
Bulga ria: Gla mou r
ADV ERTISING CREATIV E China: A D, Condé Nast Center of Fash ion & Desig n, Condé
Head of Creative R ICH A R D M c AU L I FFE Head of Creative Operations E VA CHOW N Head of A r t K A R EN NG Nast Traveler, G Q , G Q St yle, Vog ue, Vog ue Fi l m, Vog ue Me
Head of Content BROOK E L EW IS Sen ior A r t Di rector A M A N DA A N DER SON Czech Republic a nd Slova k ia: La Cuci na Ita lia na , Vog ue
Sen ior Content Writers A N N ET T E FA R NSWORT H T I FFA N Y PI LCH ER ROSI E DOU BL E COL I N SE V IT T
Creative P roducers SA R A H M U RY CA N DICE SH I EL DS K R IST I E WA L DEN Germa ny: G Q Ba r Berli n
Greece: Vog ue
P roduction Ma nager M ICH EL L E O’BR I EN Adver tisi ng P roduction Coord i nator ROBY N N E BE AVA N Hong Kong: Vog ue
I mag i ng a nd Retouch i ng Ser v ices, P restige M ICH A EL SY K ES Hunga r y: Gla mou r
Icela nd: Gla mou r
Genera l Ma nager, Reta i l Sa les a nd Ci rcu lation BR ET T W I L L IS Korea: A l lu re, G Q , Vog ue
Subscriptions Acqu isition Ma nager GR A N T DU R I E Subscriptions Retention Ma nager CRYSTA L EW I NS
Midd le Ea st: A D, Condé Nast Travel ler, G Q , Vog ue,
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Dig ita l Desig ner Y E A R A CH A H A M Dig ita l P roduct Ma nager BENJA M I N L A NGFOR D Pola nd: Gla mou r, Vog ue
Por t uga l: G Q , Vog ue, Vog ue Ca fé Por to
Ma rketi ng Di rector DI A NA K AY Ma rketi ng Ma nager Bra nd a nd Subscriptions M AGDA L ENA Z A JAC Roma nia: Gla mou r
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Sen ior Events Ma nager J EN N I FER SA L A M EH Events Ma nager GEN E V I E V E M c CA SK I L L
Loyalty Marketing Executive ANNA SINDONE Marketing Coordinator SHELBY ALLEN Campaign Coordinator GEORGINA GOSPER Serbia: La Cuci na Ita lia na
South A f rica: Gla mou r, Gla mou r Ha i r, G Q , G Q St yle,
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54 MARCH 2020
 VOGUE

A portrait by Hugh Stewart of guests at Vogue’s 60th anniversary supper.

From left: Emma Summerton, Edward Enninful, Christine Centenera, Edwina McCann,
Dena Giannini and Rikki Keene. Seated: Adut Akech and Anders Christian Madsen.

I
am by nature an optimist and I’ve always looked to the future,
which probably comes with the territory when you work in
fashion, but lately my resolve has been tested. I returned to
work in mid-January to find traumatised staff. At Vogue our
hearts and thoughts are with all those affected by the fires,
and especially those who have lost loved ones, and our thanks are
with the brave firefighters and volunteers who have risked
everything to protect us.
Australians are resilient – we have to be to live in what can be one
of the most inhospitable places on the planet – but this summer has
pushed us to the limit.
The summer began with us celebrating 60 years of Vogue and
welcoming our colleagues from British Vogue, who came to shoot
with the backdrop of our beautiful New South Wales landscapes.
The bushfires had been raging for a month, but despite the warnings
of scientists and former fire chiefs, and the smoky, hazy skies in
Sydney, we were still blissfully ignorant of what was to come. Of
course, we now know all hell would unleash on New Year’s Eve.
beautiful bush, which requires fire to regenerate. And yet in
Queensland the rain is causing flooding. We all know Australia has
always burned and flooded, and with the climate warming it stands
to reason that it will burn more ferociously while flooding will occur
more frequently, which presents us with the question: what are we
going to do about it?
Aside from practical solutions such as building emergency disaster
evacuation centres in regional areas, which I think is an excellent
idea, we also need to start thinking of ourselves as a renewable-
energy superpower of the future. While encouraging further
investment in innovation to achieve that goal, we will pull together
and not allow differing views on climate change to divide us, or
become our Brexit, but rather rebuild our communities, support one
another, and face the future, united, together. That’s the optimist in
me talking.
Carmel Tebbutt, CEO of the Mental Health Coordinating Council,
reminds us on page 62 that it is vital to safeguard the mental
wellbeing of those who have suffered, as they may well be as
H U G H S T E WA RT

Today, as I write this letter, the rain is pouring down outside my traumatised as the landscape and its wildlife.
window and over many parts of the state, welcome rain that will The 60th anniversary also brought into our orbit two individuals
feed the thirst of the drought-stricken land and rejuvenate our who went on to play significant roles in the bushfire recovery →

56 MARCH 2020
davidjones.com
 VOGUE

EDITOR’S LETTER
Bhenji Ra pictured in
Batemans Bay, NSW,
during the fires. To read
her story, ‘Hear her Ra’,
turn to page 200.

Zendaya in ‘Gen Zen’, from page 164.

“I had just left Australia and had one of the most beautiful trips of my life – visiting the gorgeous beaches,
holding koalas, meeting some of the kindest people. To see those images of devastation happen on the same
land I was lucky enough to experience just months before broke my heart. When I knew my cover was coming
out, I figured it would be the perfect way to use my platform as well as Vogue Australia’s” – Zendaya
process. Celeste Barber played guest editor of Vogue and lead a huge researchers at the University of Queensland who are using a new
public voguing event overlooking iconic Bondi Beach, but the real rapid-development technology to fast-track it. I said we Australians
star of the show was Bhenji Ra (meet her on page 200). Later, she was were resilient, but we are smart, too.
caught up in the bushfires while visiting her family for Christmas So what can we do to help? That was the question our cover talent
on the South Coast. Her work on the frontline assisting the emergency Zendaya also asked: how could she use her cover to help? When
recovery and distributing self-raised funds and care packages shows posting these pictures and cover, Zendaya will be using her
what a big, brave heart this extraordinary woman has. extraordinary reach through her 65 million-plus followers to
In our first issue of 2020, which was sent to press before the fires, encourage donations to the World Wildlife Fund to assist with
we published Vogue’s global pledge for the new decade, committing the devastation caused to our wildlife by these bushfires (see her
to speak with a unified voice across 26 editions and stand for the comments above).
values of diversity, inclusivity, innovation, creativity and respect for One way those of us living in a city can help is to holiday at home
individuals, community and our natural environment. in a regional area affected by the fires. Turn to page 228 to see where
At Vogue we do not want to be part of the problem, but part of the we recommend you visit. And also encourage your international
solution. And so we have dedicated this issue to our youth who are friends to come back: it is still a beautiful land and we are ready to

brimming with ideas and passion. We pulled together a roundtable
of activists to listen to (page 196), went to the music festival FOMO to
understand the new, locally born hip-hop movement, and profiled
the talented, young singers, writers, designers, actors and cricketers
who are shaping our future.
Of course, as I write this, the future looks even more uncertain
because of the novel coronavirus. Naturally, it is my hope that by the
time you are reading this, a vaccine has been developed and
the crisis has peaked. I’m so proud of our extraordinary scientists
at the University of Melbourne who were the first to culture
the coronavirus in a lab outside of China in a major breakthrough,
which should speed up work towards a vaccine. And also the
I N S TA G R A M . CO M / N E W G E N D E R W H O D I S  DA N I E L J A C K S O N
welcome visitors, indeed, we need them.
We are Australian, we will get through this, our bush will
regenerate, we will rebuild, we are resilient, we are clever, we will
innovate and we could become a renewables superpower.
That’s the inner optimist talking again – and I’m welcoming
her back.
EDWINA McCANN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

60 MARCH 2020
 VOGUE
Banding together
While many of us are reeling from the ecological scars left after our country’s recent disaster, former New South Wales Deputy Premier
and mental health advocate Carmel Tebbutt stresses the urgency of also safeguarding the mental wellbeing of those who have suffered.
TO PPI NG TH E LI ST of trending search terms for summer was
the phrase ‘fires near me’. I am not surprised. Like so many others,
I downloaded a popular app to get the latest information as I prepared
to drive through fire-affected areas on my recent holiday break.
However, I wasn’t prepared for the sheer intensity of the alerts
flooding my phone minute by minute as New South Wales burned
through its worst-ever season. It gave me just a tiny insight into what
it must be like to live in a bushfire area, constantly watching and
waiting, deciding whether to stay or go, and the terrible anxiety of
not knowing what you will find when you come back.
The only risk to me was disrupted holiday plans. What must it be
like when your home, your community and your livelihood are at
stake? And yet for so many, that is exactly how they spent their
summer while more than 18 million hectares burnt across Australia,
nearly 3,000 homes were destroyed and, tragically, more than 30
people died. Distressing images of the destruction wreaked by the
fires are seared in our minds. But so too are extraordinary images of
firefighter’s heroic bravery, communities supporting each other and
the generosity of strangers.
While not through the fire season yet – climate change means the
fire season is starting earlier and finishing later – thoughts and
actions are now turning to recovery. There is so much that needs to
be done to address the economic, ecological and emotional havoc
caused by the bushfires, and we know from 2009’s Black Saturday
fires that mental health must be front and centre in the reconstruction
effort, both immediately and in the longer term.
It is critical for people’s mental wellbeing to quickly re-establish
normal activities as much as possible. The Australian and state
governments have announced funds to help with the clean-up, get
62
businesses back working and infrastructure repairs, and these
activities will benefit people’s mental health. Governments have also
recognised the need for trauma counselling, funding for additional
Medicare and headspace psychology services and are deploying
teams of mental health clinicians.
Six months to two years down the track is a time of real difficulty,
after the immediate shock of dealing with the fires has passed. As
people realise their lives will not just go back to normal, feelings of
stress, anxiety and depression can increase. Disasters like bushfires
also produce a high incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD), which can take years to recover from, so support needs to be
there for the long haul.
Previous fire tragedies have taught us the importance of recovery
being led by communities rather than imposed from outside, and we
need to make sure resources are directed to allow this to happen.
Professionals have a valuable role, but family, friends, workmates
and local networks will be more important in helping people get
back on their feet. Community mental health organisations, with
on-the-ground knowledge, connections built over decades and
a strong understanding of trauma and mental health recovery will
be an essential part of this process.
This summer of fires touched everyone in some way. For many
the impact will be long-lasting, and we can all play a part in
helping the towns and regions hardest hit rebuild emotionally as
well as physically.
Carmel Tebbutt is the CEO of the Mental Health Coordinating Council, the
GET T Y IMAGES
peak body for community mental health organisations in New South Wales.
If this article causes distress, speak to your local health providers or contact
Lifeline on 13 11 14 or BeyondBlue on 1300 224 636.
MARCH 2020
VOGUE
STEPHANIE YAZBEK
“Evolutionary dreamscapes
from the runway,” is how
Stephanie Yazbek, a Sydney-
based graphic artist, describes
the collages she was excited to
create for this issue, from page
82. “With the brief in mind, I’ll
have images and ideas flood
my mind, then go from there,”
Yazbek explains of her
process. “I try not to think or
plan too much; I let myself go
by feeling.” Music, art,
architecture, travel and film
are among the artist’s
inspirations. “I play around
and have fun with layered
images and scapes until
a world is created on the
pages in front of me.”
64
ELAINE WELTEROTH
It should come as no surprise
that Elaine Welteroth, the
award-winning journalist
who was crowned the
youngest editor in Condé Nast
history when she took the
helm of Teen Vogue in 2017
at 29 years of age, was
handpicked to interview
Zendaya for this next-gen
issue (from page 164). The
celebrated author of More Than
Enough has worked with the
star of Euphoria before, and as
a woman of influence in her
own right, proved the perfect
person to speak to Zendaya
about her role as a voice for
her generation. “Young people
of today are undeniably
inspired by Zendaya,” says
Welteroth. “She sits in this
position as both role model
and friend in their heads,
which is rare these days.”
SIDNEY
PRAWATYOTIN
Sidney Prawatyotin, an
LA-based collage artist best
known for producing work
that plays on fashion and art
under the moniker Siduations,
collaborated with Vogue for
the first time for ‘Picture this’,
from page 204. “By the time
I started the project, I just had
word of the fires, so I decided
to create images that were less
fantasy and more real, yet
fun,” says Prawatyotin. “We
all need a little laugh even in
times of despair.” Drawing
inspiration from pop culture,
politics and current events,
the artist says his favourite
collage in the series was the
Off-White one. “Who doesn’t
love shoes, cheese, and
kittens?” he quips.
SHEIKA DALEY
This month, celebrated
make-up artist Sheika Daley
was tasked with transforming
Zendaya for her first-ever
Vogue Australia cover shoot.
“It was the shedding of baby
Zendaya and the [emergence]
of the woman that is Zendaya,”
says Daley, who has worked
with the actress for a number
of years now. When quizzed
on how she went about
creating the beauty look
she describes as sultry and
seductive, Daley says Zendaya
“was very clear as to how she
wanted her hair, and as for the
make-up, we went with
W O R D S : A N G E L C A X D A S P H OTO G R A P H S : J O S H U A K S S I
something super-clean,
beautiful and fresh”.
I N S TA G R A M . CO M /O F F I C I A L S H E I K S H U G H S T E WA RT
MARCH 2020
 Subscribe to our YouTube channel Vogue Australia,

home to exclusive celebrity interviews,

behind-the-scenes access,

fashion, beauty and fitness how-tos, and more.

66 MARCH 2020
 VOGUE VOICE

The time to talk

Camilla Freeman-Topper lost her mother to ovarian cancer when she was 11 the same age her eldest daughter is now.
Here, the creative director of Camilla and Marc explains why she’s ready to reveal her family’s story and use her experience to
help raise funds and awareness for a disease that claims the lives of three Australian women every day.
I WAS N I N E when my mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, time was very promising. Marc and I would visit during the school
but it’s only recently that I felt ready to talk about her death publicly. holidays and for a while it was a bit of an adventure: we would fly
Being open and vulnerable about something so personal and so unaccompanied as Dad was working, and the moment he could
devastating has taken time. escape he would join us. But eventually the novelty wore off and
Nine is very young to have vivid memories and with grief, your we missed her terribly. She would send us homemade postcards
body goes into survival mode and the brain blocks out much of the that were so beautiful and creative, but I began to get angry and
trauma. But I do recall that first moment I found out she had been somewhat resentful when I would receive them, because I wanted
taken to hospital to have an emergency operation. I was called to my mother home, not another postcard in the mail.
the principal’s office and I remember witnessing all
remember watching him speak the awful things she endured
and seeing his mouth move but that every cancer patient has to
not hearing his words. I was in go through – losing her hair,
shock and it was all so surreal. becoming very sick and pale
After that I waited for what felt and losing lots of weight. It
like hours until someone came was so painful to watch. But
to pick up my brother Marc I also think back to how
and I, but I have no recollection extremely brave she was for
of who that was and what I did her children – you never knew
for the rest of the day. Dad she was in pain and she never,
protected us from a lot of what ever complained.
was going on, but I still connect Two years after her diagnosis,
very strongly to the feelings of just three days after she turned
deep confusion and sadness 42, we lost our mum. I was 11
that I experienced that first day. and Marc was 13.
My mum, Pam, was a I’m an intensely private
kindergarten teacher and person when it comes to my
deeply loved her job and the family and what I have been
children she taught. She was through, but I’d been thinking
everything you would ever about being more vocal about
dream for in a mother: deeply my story for quite some time.
caring, soft, nurturing and “The more I can talk about my story, the more it Being a mother was the real
warm, and everyone who met hopefully inspires others to do the same” catalyst, though. I’m at a stage
her adored her. Her kindness is of life where holding back is
her legacy. She was quietly not an option. My eldest
confident, a beautiful listener and very patient – the woman you daughter, Leudica, is the age I was when I lost my mother, so I feel
would tell your secrets to. I remember she loved tapestry and sewing a deeper sense of how it would have felt for her to leave Marc and
and loved to garden, too. To this day, everyone tells me I look very I behind. Losing my mum has meant that I have been hyper-aware
much like her and that I talk and I have similar mannerisms to her. of how crucial it is to be a present, aware and loving mother. It has
Mum’s diagnosis came out of nowhere: she was healthy, happy, been a reminder that so much of what we think is important means
loving and strong one day, and sick the next. She was 39 at time, just nothing without the people you care most about being close to you.
one year older than I am now. The more I can talk about my story, the more it hopefully inspires
For a year during her illness she was based in San Francisco, others to do the same and the more we can realise just how
receiving a trial treatment in Los Angeles called Taxol, which at the widespread and devastating this disease is. →

70 MARCH 2020
O ROTO N .C O M
 My brother and I embarked on a campaign with the Ovarian
Cancer Research Foundation at the end of 2018, but the decision of
where to channel our donation was a long and intense process. We
knew we wanted to donate directly to research and that it would
take time to educate ourselves. Investing in the labs and scientists
making the discoveries was important to us, since investing in
people leads to advances in medicine. The key was finding a research
team focussed on early detection, as no such test exists for ovarian
cancer and 75 per cent of women are diagnosed at stage three or
four, which is often too late.
Currently, you have to rely on a woman noticing her symptoms,
which are very vague. Signs include abdominal pain, bloating,
indigestion and bleeding, and since most
women can experience some or all of these
on a monthly basis, it is extraordinarily
difficult to spot.
In the end it was Professor Caroline Ford’s
work leading the Gynaecological Cancer
Research Group at the University of New
South Wales that felt the most aligned to the
messages of early detection, awareness and
education that we wanted to promote.
Caroline’s team has developed a non-
invasive test that may change how ovarian
cancer is diagnosed. Her vision is to have
a test available to women at their regular
GP visit and health check-up. This would
be revolutionary for the disease, so we
wanted to support it in every way
we could.
The biggest barrier to breakthroughs for
ovarian cancer is funding, because it is low
on the priority scale with government and
other organisations, since cancers with a
higher incidence rate get more attention.
The Australian government recently made
Camilla with her children, from left, Wolfie, Leudica
an investment due to the work of the late and Missy, all wearing the campaign T-shirts.
[ABC broadcaster and ovarian cancer
advocate] Jill Emberson, and other
campaigners, but we still have a huge “We wanted a design that offered
amount of work to do to get anywhere close hope and inspiration”
to what has been achieved for other cancers
like breast cancer.
The evidence is clear from breast cancer that greater research
investment and public awareness has the power to drastically
change outcomes for diseases that receive that attention. Ovarian
cancer is underfunded worldwide and now is the time to do
something about it.
In mid-2019, when Marc and I were well on our way to solidifying
our approach for our ovarian cancer campaign, I found the courage
to post a picture of my mother on Instagram and mentioned her
passing from ovarian cancer. The response I received was
overwhelming. I have never during my time on social media
72
experienced such a phenomenal, huge amount of direct messages
and emails. At that point, I honestly didn’t think my voice was that
important, but that reaction gave me the confidence and
understanding that sharing my story is valuable. Using our platform
to raise awareness of this issue brings me a greater sense of purpose.
I care deeply about the women we design clothes for, so it only made
sense that I open up a more meaningful conversation with the
women we dress and beyond.
For our campaign, ‘Ovaries, talk about them’, we created two
limited-edition Camilla and Marc T-shirts with all the proceeds
from sales going directly to Caroline’s research.
We choose to work with Perth-based artist Rina Freiberg, as there
was a wonderful synergy between her
work and ours. She has the most open and
positive energy and it was very much
a collaborative process from the start.
With these T-shirts, we wanted to bring
something feminine and beautiful to a
topic that is not openly talked about. The
idea was to design a T-shirt that women
would want to wear every day so that we
could spark a very natural and open
conversation about ovaries and ovarian
cancer. We also wanted women undergoing
treatment to have something to wear that
they could be truly proud of – a design that
offered hope and inspiration and that
deeply honoured a woman’s body.
The second T-shirt, ‘Power and
Solidarity’, is a unisex option that speaks to
the change that can occur when women
and men unite to raise awareness over
issues like this – because it’s important that
men talk about this disease too.
I was very young when my mother
passed away in the early 90s and since then
our attitudes towards a lot of really
personal issues have changed. We never
used to talk about breast cancer or mental
health, for example. But now I think as a
community we’re realising the more we
open up to each other, the more we can lean
on one another.
I’ve learnt that when you allow yourself to be vulnerable, reach out
to others and share your story, great healing can occur. You never
truly get over the loss. My mother’s passing was by far the worst
D E TA I L S AT V O G U E . CO M . A U/ W T B .
thing that has ever happened to me and at times growing up the
pain was unbearable – I thought I would never be okay. Over the
years I was, and at times can still be hit by waves of grief, but slowly,
with lots of love, you can heal by learning to embrace that feeling
G E O R G E S A N TO N
of grief and work through it.
Camilla and Marc ‘Art’ T-shirt ($160) and ‘Power and Solidarity’ T-shirt
($140) are available in-store and online at Camilla and Marc from March 2.
MARCH 2020
O ROTO N .C O M
VOGUE VIEWPOINT
CLEAN SWEEP

MARCH 2020 75
VOGUE VIEWPOINT

WRAP MUSIC

76
 FLOWER CHILD
Just as Ring nods to her predecessors of the
70s – Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, Jimi
Hendrix – in her music, take on the earthy spirit
and sunny outlook of the era in garden-fresh
floral prints best offset with a dose of tie-dye.
All is a Gentle Spring corset, $330. Anna Quan shirt, $370.
Christian Dior jumpsuit, $6,100. Valet earrings, $149. Hardy
Brothers bracelet, $3,899, and rings, $6,999 and $1,499.

ELECTRIC FEEL
Full-wattage neon has
become the unexpected
preserve of Valentino’s
Pierpaolo Piccioli, who
applies its jolting effect
to feminine volume for
one of the season’s
most electrifying
combinations – a fitting
look for those, like
Ring, willing to take
centre stage. GOLD STANDARD
Valentino dress, $4,390. Gucci’s Alessandro Michele has
always glorified bowerbird
A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT V O G U E . CO M . A U/ W T B

metallics, and this season the

emphasis is back on celebratory
champagne, gilts and silver, not
limited to night-time.
Gucci dress, $8,700. All is a Gentle
Spring leotard, $270. Louise Olsen
necklace $1,300. Georg Jensen
necklace, $1,850, and bracelets, $550
and $1,100. Hardy Brothers
rings, $6,999 and $1,499.
DUNCAN K LL CK

Balenciaga boots, P.O.A.

MARCH 2020 77
VOGUE VIEWPOINT
SKIN DEEP
The rock’n’roll allure of
sumptuous leather continues
its ultra-luxurious reign.
No matter that Nanushka’s
version is vegan – in fact, all
the better for it, as clothes
that are kinder are a season
maxim – the rebel energy
still looms large.
Nanushka shirt, $615, and
top, $315. Bassike pants,
$340, from David
Jones. Tiffany & Co,
earrings, $5,600, and
necklace, $2,650.

SHE’S A NATURAL
The level-headed Miuccia
Prada took her own stance
on a season with feeling by
stripping down clothing to
its purest form as a base
from which to add your own
touch. Think raw materials,
as in Ring’s fresh cotton
dress by Miu Miu.
Jordan Dalah coat, $1,800.
Miu Miu dress, $3,820, and
necklace, $1,580. Phoebe
Hyles earrings, $290.
Hardy Brothers rings, $6,999
and $1,499. Falke tights,
$40. Bally shoes, $860.

78
 DUNCAN K LL CK
A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT V O G U E . CO M . A U/ W T B

VARIETY
GARDEN
NOT-SO

MARCH 2020 79
VOGUE VIEWPOINT
SPOTLIGHT
MITS
Raised on a r
diet, multi-hyp
Ring knows few
it comes to m
ST YLING K AI L A MAT TH E WS
PHOTOG R APH D U N CAN KI LLI CK
FOR SYDN EY CREATIVE Milan Ring, last year was a milestone:
she went a whole year without buying anything new, and that’s to
say little of her musical triumphs as a singer, songwriter, producer,
rapper and multi-instrumentalist. “I wanted to minimise my
possessions and my environmental footprint and not cave in to
the fast-fashion culture. I’m really not about it,” says Ring, which
makes her the perfect ambassador for a season filled with
feelgood clothing.
The 29-year-old’s music has an equally good-times feel, with
undulating synth-inflected R&B in which you can hear traces of
her musical heroes growing up – Aaliyah, Jimi Hendrix (she’s a
dedicated guitar aficionado, practising almost every day), Prince
and Nas (her dog is named after the New York rapper).
80
With an optimist’s world view that anything is achievable if you
try hard enough, Ring refused to be known solely as a vocalist or
A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT V O G U E . CO M . A U/ W T B
guitarist, studying production and sound engineering before
H A R : M A D S O N V O LO S H N M A K E- U P: CO L E T T E M L L E R
founding her own record label. Now she can do what she loves,
creating music wholly from start to finish, including the finicky
business of producing a song once it’s recorded. “Sometimes I’m just
in a production vortex and the whole day goes by,” she says.
With a new single Switch Off about the pitfalls of social media
(“I wanted to write a song about disconnecting from that external
noise”) and a tour on the cards, Ring pays the positive mood forward
through mentoring school students. What does she teach them
about? “Just letting go and being as present as possible. Playing
around, having fun and not losing that childlike spark.” ■
MARCH 2020
Chadstone | Doncaster | antonjewellery.com
VOGUE VIEWPOINT

Life lessons
The world of spring/summer ’20 is all about feeling good.
With a heightened awareness that time is precious,
designers were united in sending out collections that
seemed to say: “Let’s make it count.” By Alison Veness.
COLL AG E S STEPHAN I E YA ZB EK

THE HUMANISTS
“Being human means throwing your whole life on the scales
of destiny when needs be, all the while rejoicing in every
sunny day and every beautiful cloud” – Rosa Luxemburg
COMMUNITY, COLLABORATION AND human gestures all lie
at the heart of the new season. A pure celebration of exquisitely
simple craftsmanship, the true art of the artisan and a total
respect for people painstakingly making beautiful clothes were
among the strongest influences on the season. Glorying in the
handmade and a spirit of make-do-and-mend were at the fore,

c
and we left many shows and showrooms thinking about making
things ourselves. With this contemplation comes the knowledge
that we must reject the idea of fast fashion and immerse ourselves
in the renewable, purchasing clothes that have been made with
passion and good intentions. Darning, stitching, knitting,
embroidery prevailed. Made-by-hand macramé, crochet, lace and
rope ties united designers from Loewe, Dior, Stella McCartney,
Gabriela Hearst, Isabel Marant, Altuzarra and even Hedi Slimane
at Celine. A wave of white light in white cotton, like a wiping of
the slate, elevated Jonathan Anderson’s Loewe into a Tess of the
d’Urbervilles-esque hand-worked utopia. “I looked at the 16th and
17th centuries, where the craft was in the tiniest thing … where
you had to rely on precision,” he said. The starched linen, the way
in which he so eloquently captured history and a sense of Loewe’s
Spain, was lauded this season.
Pierpaolo Piccioli at Valentino opened his collection with 12
white looks based on the white shirt, which reminded us that
while he can send out amazing colour combinations and gorgeous
graphic prints, it’s all built around clever cuts, draping and
pristine cotton and linen. Piccioli is a life-less-complicated expert.
Simone Rocha’s Irish-inspired collection was a nod to the
simplicity of shirting and smocking with Irish poetry at play. The
humanists are sometimes romantics, too – check Erdem, Brock
Collection, Khaite and Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen, who
never fails to deliver something extraordinary, while fellow Brit
Richard Quinn added a darker edge to the idea of humanity via
volume and mysterious black in equal measure. →

82
ERDEM S/S ’20

ALEXANDER McQUEEN S/S ’20

GIAMBATTISTA VALLI S/S ’20

GIAMBAT
TISTA VA
LLI S/S ’2
0

LOEWE S/S ’20

VOGUE VIEWPOINT

BOTTEGA VENETA S/S ’20

3.1 PHILLIP LIM S/S ’20

HERMÈS S/S ’20

JIL SANDER S/S ’20

NEW MINIMALISTS
S T E P H A N I E YA Z B E K

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” – Leonardo da Vinci

Bottega Veneta is having a moment: a monster wave of pure, driven design underpinned by Daniel Lee’s eye for moving things on carefully.
The house is built on the softest leather and expert Italian craft, both of which Lee so eloquently elevates. His Bottega joins the hallowed ranks
of Jil Sander, Giorgio Armani’s androgyny, everything Hermès, the original works of the designer Helmut Lang, and Balenciaga. →

84 MARCH 2020
VOGUE VIEWPOINT

SIMONE ROCHA S/S ’20

THE OPTIMISTS
“Many people say that Sweden is just a small
country, and it doesn’t matter what we do,
but I have learned you are never too small

BALMAIN S/S ’20

to make a difference” – Greta Thunberg
TH E PH R ASE OFTEN applied to fashion? “It’s

0
S/S ’2
not rocket science.” Meaning, perhaps, that it’s

ANE
okay to be frivolous. This may still be the case, but

H ER K
now there will always be a conscience. The world

STOP
has changed. Fashion optimists gave us a hefty

CH RI
dose of intense colour guaranteed to deliver a
certain joy as we ponder the meaning of life in the
coming months. Let us not forget that it’s good to
have fun and moments of lightness in the
aftermath. Colour might be part of the antidote.
Colour is intoxicating and everyone was playing
with it, with standouts from our favourite Dries
Van Noten, plus Tomo Koizumi, Sies Marjan and
Pyer Moss by Jean-Raymond, who was inspired
by Sister Rosetta Tharpe. A rainbow of colour, a
riot of richness, a complexity of social justice and
simply great clothes with a social relevance that is
undeniably uplifting. If we use our voices we can
make a difference. Mary Katrantzou did just that,
using her platform to take everyone to Greece to
raise funds for the Elpida Association, a charity
there working for children with cancer. Each
dress was an explosion of fringing, beading,
sculpture, elegance and brilliant colour.
Katrantzou is a genius and her fusion of meaning
and masterful couture-like workmanship
captured the moment. “He was utopian, not
dystopian,” said Paco Rabanne’s incumbent
designer Julien Dossena of the spring/summer
HALPERN S/S ’20

’20 extravaganza. There is nothing quite like Paco

Rabanne to blow away the dystopian cobwebs.
S T E P H A N I E YA Z B E K

Dossena added love hearts to the final signature

chainmail, all-shining glory: “To me, it’s about a
kind of strength. Being proud of being nice and
kind. It’s something I value now.” →

86
 MSMG S/S ’20

MARY KATRANTZOU S/S ’20

’20
O S S S /S
PY ER M
BALENCIAGA S/S ’20
VOGUE VIEWPOINT

THE ROW S/S ’18

THE ROW A/W ’19/’20
THE ROW S/S ’19
THE ROW A/W ’19/’20
THE ROW S/S ’20

THE EVOLUTIONISTS
S T E P H A N I E YA Z B E K

“Imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution” – Albert Einstein
These are designers who imagine clothes you want to wear and evolve them slowly with each season, as pictured above.
Of note: Gabriela Hearst, The Row, Jacquemus and Victoria Beckham. They make small, beautiful, exquisite steps.
And what could be more seamlessly sorted than that? Imagine everyone wearing just The Row … yes, please. →

88 MARCH 2020
VALENTINO S/S ’20

MARNI S/S ’20

DRIES VAN NOTEN S/S ’20
BALENCIAGA S/S ’20
S ’20
N N S/Q UI
HARD RI C

THE NATURISTS
“I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery – air,
mountains, trees, people. I thought: ‘This is what it is to
MOTHER NATURE WAS perhaps the most joyous thread running
throughout this season, infusing collections from New York all the
way to Paris with all her powers of growth and hope. It was lush and
green, and at Dior, Givenchy and Alexander McQueen, a hothouse of
S T E P H A N I E YA Z B E K

be happy’” – Sylvia Plath botanicals. A market garden of florals appeared at Marni, Fendi and
Marc Jacobs – the latter’s show at the Park Avenue Armory epic in its
staging of strong flower-power looks, a nod to the 70s and the people
who have inspired Mr Jacobs, Karl Lagerfeld among them. Leave it to

90
 VOGUE VIEWPOINT

’20
S /S
HA
OC
ER
ON
SI M

’20
S /S
D ER

0
SAN

/S ’ 2
JIL

OR S
N DI
ISTIA
CH R

OSCAR DE LA RENTA S/S ’20

GIVENCHY S/S ’20
CHRISTIAN DIOR S/S ’20

Donatella Versace then, to reference the mighty Versace jungle (this
was always her brother’s happy place). Almost 20 years after she first
wore that jungle dress, J Lo astounded everyone sashaying up close
and personal next to us still as sexy and confident as way back when.
Totally tropical, Valentino took cues from the 19th-century artist
Henri Rousseau and gave us yet another amazing, memorable print,
not unlike Piccioli at Valentino, who is making his mark on fashion
history with burgeoning prints that give us life. And then there was
the most honest, down-to-earth array of natural materials, with a
slew of raffia edging on dresses and skirts and a show of straw bags
in simple classic basket shapes. Lucie and Luke Meier at Jil Sander
added giant raffia, from the leaves of a palm tree, in the form of
‘neckpieces’ sprouting out randomly, adding a kick to clean lines.
Simone Rocha and Dior delivered the most simple of materials and
lifted the spirits with the knowledge that not everything has to go
through a million processes to be part of our future wardrobes. ■

MARCH 2020 91
VOGUE VIEWPOINT
TA LE NT
Opening act
ST YLING J I LLIAN DAVI SO N
PHOTOG R APHS B EC PAR SO N S
JORDAN DALAH THINKS about clothing in a way that an artist
thinks about painting. “You start off with an undercoat of paint [in
art], which is like an underwear layer,” he says. “You lock
everything in, and slowly adorn a canvas with all these rich
colours.” Having grown up interested in Tudor style, both in
clothing and in art, his debut spring/summer ’20 collection sways
between each medium, often blurring the two. “The way the Tudor
person gets dressed from underwear and corsetry … and then, how
they adorn their body with deep reds and greens, the two seem
really in sync,” he says.
92
H A R : M C H E L E M c Q U L L A N M A K E- U P: L N DA J E F F E R Y E S M O D E L : S A R I A E L F R O S E W H I T E
A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT V O G U E . CO M . A U/ W T B
Born in Australia, 27-year-old Dalah graduated from London’s
Central Saint Martins in 2017. His mother nurtured his instinct for
design and, taking him shopping with her, their outings were soon
translated into sketches. “I was always drawing women, drawing
outfits on them even before [I knew] it was fashion,” he recalls.
Dalah’s time at Saint Martins helped him to understand both the
woman he was designing for and how to ground his pieces in
the real world. Inspired by a sense of drama in clothing from the
Tudor dynasty, the young designer was tutored by his teachers on
the art of keeping period-inspired pieces from becoming too →
MARCH 2020
VOGUE VIEWPOINT

Jordan Dalah

costume-like by using high-quality finishes seldom found in stage

wardrobes. His own creations explore this tension, imagining the
interims between a dancer’s rehearsals and their recitals onstage –
and so have an equal share of theatricality and practicality.
“I think every element of this woman’s life is interesting and
worth documenting,” he says. Hours spent barre-side are reimagined
as a silk wrap top a ballerina might wear to class, then pair with
a fluted skirt to run errands in after. “I wanted the clothing to reflect
[the ballerina’s] duality … and to show her break character.” Discreet
in-built hoodies that emerge from T-shirts enable this flexibility,
while oversized leather sleeves give the illusion of a cape, under
which the wearer might transform themselves entirely, shedding
elements of dance to dress for their days off-duty.
While drama plays out in his silhouettes, Dalah treats colour and
print with caution at first. Then he welcomes their clashes. “I like the
character the prints give garments, [but they have to be] very jarring,”

A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT V O G U E . CO M . A U/ W T B
he continues. “If something’s borderline pretty, I have to push the
silhouette more and change the shape, increasing the volumes so
things become awkward.” This means bookending tubular sleeves
with shoulder padding and puffed cuffs that resemble candy
wrappers, or lining leather biker trousers with organza (“that she’d
wear on the subway”) to emulate a tucked-in tutu.
R U S K N B R O W N B E C PA R S O N S

Dalah sources his fabrics from Italy, Japan and New Zealand,
upcycling deadstock materials where possible and assembling his
designs in Australia. Though his inspirations are rooted in costume,
his final designs are contextualised in real life. “My garments are
enhanced by an everyday wardrobe,” he says. “When people find a
place for them in their lives, that makes it feel the most credible.” ■

94 MARCH 2020
contemporary japanese cuisine

SYDNEY THE ROCKS | MANLY | DOUBLE BAY

MELBOURNE FLINDERS LANE | HAMER HALL
BRISBANE EAGLE STREET PIER

sakerestaurant.com.au
VOGUE VIEWPOINT
Salvatore
Ferragamo
creative
director
Paul Andrew.

In his shoes
Paul Andrew’s appointment as creative director
of Salvatore Ferragamo in 2019 called for a deft
handling of the past to look to the future. Since then,
he has slowly and meticulously injected a touch of
the new at the 93-year-old brand. By Jen Nurick.

IT I S NO more than five degrees in wintry Milan on a

January day, but at least in Paul Andrew’s mind, the sun
is always shining. “I love to be outside in the heat, with
the sun and the blue sky,” he says. “I find that so uplifting
and inspiring.” Given he grew up in England, it’s
unsurprising he has honed the skill of mentally
simulating warmth with aplomb. He is thinking of the
summertime in his house in Connecticut, New England,
where he retreats to gain inspiration for the six collections
he designs each year in his role as creative director of
Salvatore Ferragamo. That is, when he’s not commuting
between the US and Florence, where the heritage house is
headquartered since its establishment in 1927.
The designer founded his now-shuttered eponymous
shoe line in 2012 and was hired as design director of
women’s footwear at Ferragamo in September 2016. In
October 2017, he became design director of women’s
ready-to-wear, before his promotion to creative director
in February 2019. “The ascent has been really exciting
and I feel so humbled to have that position, to be the
first-ever person to have that role,” he says, before
cataloguing each touchpoint he is responsible for, from
clothing to fragrance to social media to the layout of
more than 650 stores. “[In the past], there was no design integrated metal fastenings and snaps from shoes into his ready-to-wear, and
head pulling everything together with one message. So how the seams in the clothing mirror the seams in the footwear. He is careful to
when they asked me to be creative director, I decided modernise house codes, but never abandon them. “It just seems really valuable
that was the first thing I had to do.” for Ferragamo, given that this brand was also born with shoes.”
It began with shoes: that singular wardrobe staple For spring/summer ’20, Andrew tasked himself with the lofty challenge of
that has held pride of place in Andrew’s career so far, reinterpreting the house’s Vara shoe, designed by Ferragamo’s daughter Fiamma
and been enshrined by the Italian house since its in 1979. “It’s something I was really intimidated to do for a number of years,” he
inception. The late Salvatore Ferragamo (1898–1960) admits. “The idea of taking that icon, that is 41 years old, and reinventing it to
gained a reputation for his craftsmanship and catering make it feel valid and fresh for the next generation of consumers at Ferragamo
to the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren and Judy became a really exciting challenge.” In his version, the Viva, the toe is elongated
Garland. Under his own line, Andrew designed shoes and pointed, the bow is oversized, the identifiable metallic clip is now
for his own generation of notable women, including monochromatic and the heel is reimagined in the vein of American artist Richard
Meghan Markle. This synergy between the two men is Serra’s Torqued Ellipses. On the runway, the Viva debuted with ankle-length socks
part of why Andrew has made a point of designing each styled schoolgirl-like in shades of patent baby blue, matt navy and cream.
collection at Ferragamo, as he’s coined it, from toe-to- These spoke to the clothing, designed in a palette of periwinkle blue, forest green
head. “The shoe dictates everything that I’m designing and rust that has come to distinguish Andrew’s collections from those that came
with ready-to-wear. The proportions, the lengths, the before him. “It’s true,” he concedes, “that periwinkle blue is the colour of the sky in
colours, the fabrication,” he says, explaining how he’s the early summertime [in Connecticut]. And those greens, I literally live in a tree

98

All looks from Salvatore
Ferragamo spring/summer ’20.
house.” There is a painterly quality to his work – he borrows colours from Robert
Motherwell, shapes from Constantin Brâncuși. But he is practical, too. “I like to
identify colours that are really trans-seasonal and also work with different
ethnicities and skin tones.” Diversity from race to age is top of mind in his casting
and his muses, which range from Troye Sivan to model Paloma Elsesser.
A crisp white rib-knit sweater with an exposed back and leather bubble skirt
opened the show for spring/summer ’20, hinting at balloon-style dresses and
skirts, and a bounty of leatherwear, which followed. The Fountain of Neptune in
Florence’s Piazza della Signoria was shot by Andrew and superimposed onto
cotton shirts, shorts and drawstring trousers, another motif that paid a graphic
homage to the house’s roots. Nappa leather coveralls in buff and blue
strengthened the designer’s case for summer leatherwear, lined in cotton, or
perforated, or composed in super-lightweight versions for breathability. “Being
a leathergoods house, we should own leather clothing,” Andrew explains. “A lot
of the work I’ve done in crafting leather with footwear and bags over the years,
G O R U N WAY. CO M
I’ve worked with those same tanneries, and used some of those tanning
techniques for our clothes.” Crocheted tank tops and dresses, tight-knit in parts
and in others open-weave, evidenced the human hand, as if to trace Andrew’s
The new Viva shoes – a reimagined
version of a house icon.
willingness to experiment with different textiles, like
the house’s original founder.
“Ferragamo was using hemp and raffia and cork
because he was working during the wars, and you
couldn’t get leather. He invented all of these genius
things,” says Andrew. “I’m trying to incorporate those
materials again into the collection, whether it be a raffia
bag or a cork heel … To reopen looms and start weaving
fabrics with yarns that haven’t been used in a long
time.” It’s part of a holistic effort to achieve the mandate
he’s given his team to ensure new collections are at least
25 per cent sustainable, and secure a greener future for
Ferragamo without compromising its legacy.
“You should feel the luxury, the craftsmanship [of a
Ferragamo garment] … That it holds a certain level of
forever-ness,” he says. “You’re going to be able to wear
that shoe or bag or jacket for years to come. And if you
treat it well, why not pass it through generations?” ■
MARCH 2020 99
VOGUE VIEWPOINT

Panthère de Cartier
white gold necklace set
with diamonds, emeralds
and onyx, P.O.A.
The history of Panthère
will be on show at the
jeweller’s pop up, ‘Into
the Wild’, at the
Atrium in Melbourne’s
Federation Square,
from March 6 to 17.

A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT V O G U E . CO M . A U/ W T B
WORDS: AL CE B RRELL

100 MARCH 2020

 Master of Design
Bachelor of Design
Fashion Design
Creative Direction & Styling
Interior Design

FEE-HELP is available for eligible students

1300 551 433

www.whitehouse-design.edu.au
Fashion Design by Bachelor of Design student Issy Ridley
TEQSA Provider Number 12065
CRICOS Provider Code 02863C | RTO Provider Code: 91319
VOGUE VIEWPOINT

1. Musician
070 Shake.

CU R ATE D BY

Koché
creative
director
Christelle We ask fashion’s preeminent
Kocher. talents to mine their inspirations
and curate their world through
style. Christelle Kocher,
designer of Paris-based label
3. Simone de Beauvoir
Koché, which has sustainability
at its heart, shares hers.
KOCHÉ S/S ’20

1. “I’m in love with 070 Shake’s voice. She’s

becoming big now and I’m so happy for her.
She walked for a Koché show and did a
concert for our after-party two years ago,
and it was spectacular!”
2 “I was lucky enough to spend time this
summer in an unknown part of Tanzania
among all of these wild species. It’s crazy to
5. A look by understand how vulnerable we can be.
designer Ed Lee. I need nature, like everybody living in a big
city. It brings us back to our origins.”
3. “I took a long time to read the diary of
4. Honey Honey #5 Simone de Beauvoir, [given it’s] more than
(2018) by Morgane
Tschiember. 2,000 pages long. It was another time,
another context, but I am stunned by how
modern she was. The way she fought for
women is an example for all of us.”
4. “I met artist Morgane Tschiember for an
exhibition in Marseille. She always creates

M A G E S : A L A M Y G E T T Y M A G E S H A R R Y C A R R C A R I N K E L LY DA N I E L R E G A N
amazing pieces that are very unique. She
the original likes to mix and clash elements, but in
a very poetic way.”
5. “My former assistant Ed Lee’s sense of
style was always so fun: mixing crazy stuff,
but with a lot of taste. He’s crazy about
fashion, like me. Every morning we had CO U RT E S Y O F D O L BY C H A D W I C K G A L L E R Y
this little competition of who would create
the best style of the day. It was very silly,
6. Stills from but very motivating.”
N T E R V E W: J E N N U R C K

the original 6. “I watched the whole third season of

Twin Peaks
TV series
David Lynch’s Twin Peaks. The way it’s built
(1990). is amazing. You can feel the freedom of an
artist who goes beyond any expectations
or limits.”

MARCH 2020

2. Twin Peaks
 um p in to m y cru sh
When I b p in g
y groc er y sho p
doing m
VOGUE VIEWPOINT

104
 W O R D S : A L C E B R R E L L H A R : J O E L F O R M A N M A K E- U P: G L L A N C A M P B E L L
M O D E L : J O H A N N A D A S ( N S TA G R A M . CO M / S E L F E G O D)
A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT V O G U E . CO M . A U/ W T B

Opposite: Asai dress, $640. Paspaley earrings, $1,780. This page, clockwise from top left: Mars earrings, $220;
Valentino bag, $3,680; Louis Vuitton shoes, $1,680; Georgia Alice top, $605, and skirt, $605. Paspaley necklace, $2,680.

MARCH 2020 105

SECOND
TO NONE
The Longines Record collection
features watches that combine
technical excellence with classical
elegance. A limited edition
variation that’s exclusive to
Australia has just been released.
 VOGUE PROMOTION

Opposite: the
Longines Record
collection – Limited
Edition Australia
with a violet
alligator strap.
This page: the
watch shown
here with a white
alligator strap.

ULTRA VIOLET
While the mechanics of
a luxury timepiece are crucial,
the aesthetics must also be
exceptional to complete the
package. Longines’s new
violet alligator strap (left)
is exclusive to Australia and
pays subtle homage to the
country’s rolling lavender
fields, blooming jacaranda
trees and coastal sunsets.

K
nown for crafting timepieces of outstanding calibre and exquisite
design, Swiss watchmaker Longines has dialled up its offering
with the introduction of the Longines Record collection – Limited
Edition Australia. In a first for Longines, this collection has acquired
chronometer certification by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing
Institute – an official recognition of the watches’ accuracy and precision
in timekeeping. The Limited Edition Australia variation also gets a tick
for its refined style. The bezel features 52 diamonds, and the luminescent
mother-of-pearl dial has 13 brilliant-cut diamond hour markers. Three
interchangeable alligator straps come included in black, white and violet.

ONLY 35 OF THESE CHRONOMETERS HAVE

BEEN PRODUCED, WITH EACH INDIVIDUALLY
NUMBERED AS A COLLECTOR’S ITEM

For more information, visit www.longines.com.au.

VOGUE CULTURE

On the up
At a crossroads in her last year of high school,
19-year-old actor Milly Alcock had to choose
between finishing her education and starring
opposite Tim Minchin in his latest television
project. Favourable reviews hints that she
made the right decision. By Danielle Gay.
ST YLING K AI L A MAT TH E WS
PHOTOG R APHS I SA AC B ROWN

IT ’ S FO RTU NATE THAT Milly Alcock isn’t

one to shy away from profanity, because the
opening scene of Upright, the Australian drama
she starred in last December alongside actor and
comedian Tim Minchin, required her to unleash
the swearing.
“I remember reading it, and being like: ‘Fuck,
yeah.’ I think I say ‘fuck’ six times,’” she says
with a laugh, speaking to Vogue in her home town
of Sydney. “I do swear a lot in real life, but not in
the way that [my character] Meg uses swear
words as a deflection. I think it’s quite a common
Australian thing … casual swearing.”
Her role as misfit Meg in the highly successful
local production was not Alcock’s debut, but the
first role that’s earned her attention – and
deservedly so. She previously starred in the 2018
TV drama Pine Gap and the 2019 miniseries The
Reckoning, and also had a part in Seven’s A Place
To Call Home. But in Upright, Alcock spent much
of her time on screen with only Minchin, 44, who
also co-produced and co-wrote the project, as
well as all the music. Known globally as a talented
composer and lyricist (Minchin wrote Matilda the
Musical), he played fellow outsider Lucky Flynn,
who is propelled into Meg’s life by chance and
then forced to navigate the Australian outback
with her and an upright piano in tow.
The result was a sharp-tongued eight-part

A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT V O G U E . CO M . A U/ W T B
series that became the number-one new drama to
launch on Foxtel in 2019, and has since been rolled

H A I R : J O E L F O R M A N M A K E- U P: G I L L I A N C A M P B E L L
out in the UK and Canada.
“Meg is this beautifully gritty and complex
three-dimensional character. Her story, much like
Lucky’s, unravels across that journey through
Australia, and we get to see her grow,” Alcock
explains. “The dynamic between the two is really
interesting and it’s something that hasn’t been
explored in Australian drama.”
The chemistry between the two characters was
crucial to the show’s success, and prior to her

108

screen test Alcock admits being “so nervous” and
“scared the whole time”. She even imposed a self-
ban on Googling Minchin in a bid to remain
unaware of his impressive CV.
Alcock’s audition strategy worked, with
Minchin later labelling his young co-star “a really
special talent”. Although initially it wasn’t a given
she’d take the role. Since Upright was due to film
for close to three months among isolated
communities in rural Australia, the young actor
was forced to choose between playing Meg or
finishing year 12 at Sydney’s Newtown High
School of the Performing Arts.
“I knew that this opportunity would be so much
more of a valuable experience than getting my
piece of paper,” she says of her decision to leave
school. “I never doubted it for a second. I was
almost too impulsive. I was like: ‘No, this is what
I’ve been working towards and I’ve been given
this amazing opportunity with this amazing cast,
with this beautiful script.’ I couldn’t say no and
I couldn’t let the fear and anxiety of not finishing
school haunt me, because that would have defeated
the whole purpose of leaving.”
2020 is already shaping up to be a big year for
Alcock. Next up is another local drama, The
Gloaming, which was shot in Tasmania and stars
“Looking younger
does have its
advantages,
but it also has
disadvantages, fellow Australians Emma Booth and Ewen Leslie.
because sometimes “I was really lucky to go see another beautiful
people don’t give you part of Australia, which is Tassie. I play Jenny
McGinty, and her murder kind of triggers a series
the same respect” of investigations that Ewen Leslie and Emma
Booth’s characters follow.”
At present, there are no plans to pack up and
leave for Hollywood, though Alcock is practising her American accent, a skill she learnt
on the set of The Reckoning. She still lives at home with her parents and two brothers and
reveals they’re more of a sporty family than creative. “I think I got my interest in acting
because everybody was uninterested in acting,” Alcock says, laughing. “I grew up in
a predominantly rugby union household; it doesn’t make any sense.”
She is also aware she looks a lot younger than her 19 years – which she considers a
double-edged sword. “Hollywood has set up this ideal where people who are between
aged 17 and 18 look like they’re 25, which is just not true. So we’ve kind of been
conditioned to think that if you’re a certain age you have to look a certain way, which
is not the case for a lot of people. Looking younger is bittersweet. It does have its
advantages, but it also has disadvantages, because people treat you like you’re younger
and sometimes don’t give you the same respect in that regard.”
Despite being touted locally as ‘one to watch’ by industry insiders, Alcock says that
above all else she’s focussing on “riding the wave” rather than getting ahead of herself.
“I’m still young, I’m still at home. This is my first big response to anything I’ve done, so
I feel a bit out of my depth at the moment,” she admits. “I was always hypnotised by
cinema and would get this sense of being overwhelmed every time I watched a film. It
was a weird feeling. Through that intuition I felt like this is what I have to do for the
rest of my life. And I’m very happy I’ve made steps to do that.”
Upright is available to stream now on Foxtel on Demand.
MARCH 2020 109
VOGUE CULTURE

FILM H ER NAM E M IG HT ot be instantly familiar, but Melina Matsoukas’s show-

. The 39-year-old director behind such music videos as
anna’s We Found Love and Lady Gaga’s Just Dance has
r her powerful storytelling through music.
her big-screen debut with Queen & Slim, a richly shot
ican-Americans (played by Get Out’s Daniel Kaluuya as
Turner-Smith as Queen) flung into a speed chase when a
death of a white police officer after he pulls the pair over.
ough she grew up “an MTV baby”, bringing a feature-
always her end game, and she teamed up with Lena
m the Netflix TV series Master of None, for the project.
ortant story that was told through what I like to say is
ays of Waithe’s script, which tackles racism, mortality
na’s] voice is so necessary but at the same time really
favourite kind of artistry… The film reflected so much
nd how I see it, but also how so many people deal with
and survival and resilience.”
Queen and Slim was crucial in the casting and while
(“the Denzel Washington of our generation”) basically
a woman with the right mix of regal strength and
een was more challenging. “Lena and I thought it was
this as an opportunity to break a new black actress,
ortunity we get often,” says Matsoukas.
e their way from Ohio down to the deep south, they’re
r soundtrack featuring the likes of Lauryn Hill and
e myriad black voices and it to be a geographical mark
atsoukas. “So when they go to New Orleans, you hear
we go to Mississippi you hear the blues.”
m’s international success down to the fact Waithe has
drama and horror and love story all at the same time.
e walk through life,” she adds. “It speaks to a much
st who it’s about.”
as March 12.

M A G E S CO U RT E S Y O F U N V E R S A L F L M S

A scene from the film.

M I C A I A H C A RT E R A N D R E D. WA G N E R

110 MARCH 2020

VOGUE CULTURE

Top row: Chillinit performing at FOMO. Below: the wild mildness of the looks versus the behaviour among the crowd at FOMO Festival.

112
MUSIC

The kids are alright

A new wave of hip-hop is disrupting the music industry, introducing
diversity and giving Australia’s youth a voice. By Noelle Faulkner.
PHOTOG R APHS JAKE TER R E Y

FO M O FE STIVAL , PAR R AMAT TA , New South Wales; January 2020. The

Vogue team is on the ground to catch local rap sensation Chillinit and, really, to
people-watch. At the gates, we’re met by sniffer dogs and a dozen police – a norm
at any festival these days. A dog approaches and sits in front of a young girl, who
starts shaking. She asks the officers not to strip-search her, clearly terrified.
“Don’t worry, we won’t do it here,” the officer replies, leading her over to a tent
as she confesses she has a joint in her bag. “It’s for my anxiety; I’ll just give it to
you,” the girl says as she’s led off. The mood of the festival can be summed up in
one word: mild. The look of it, however: wild.
Over the day, we witness just one case of intoxication and note to each other how
many of the attendees are neither smoking nor drinking heavily. “We can’t afford
it,” a 19-year-old girl from Sutherland tells me. “After we buy our outfits and tickets
…” she shrugs. The outfits, however, is where the wild part comes in. Fishnets,
booty shorts, chaps, bikinis, sheer tops, crop tops, PVC, one-piece swimsuits and
combat boots, body paint in place of clothing, micro sunglasses, oversized pants,
bucket hats, polo shirts and Perspex accessories. There’s an overwhelming
cyberpunk-meets-90s garage scene-meets-rave boxer vibe; the theatrics of the
styling stepping into the space once occupied by festival drugs and alcohol.
As we’re waiting for Chillinit, a local Lebanese-Australian rapper to take the
stage, we ask three 20-year-old girls in the front row, why they like him. “He’s a
good guy. Like, he’s not violent and he’s not a dickhead,” says one. “I just love
hip-hop, and it’s cool to see an Australian with so much talent,” replies another.
“I found him on Instagram and just kind of started following him because he
loves his fans and he’s doing it on his own, you know?”
I ask what their parents think of them listening to rap. “My mum thinks it’s
violent, but she doesn’t have any idea. Anyway, she listened to Eminem, I mean as
if she can talk – he’s cancelled,” laughs the young Wollongong local. This comment
explains a lot about the popularity of Chillinit and his grassroots climb to fame. But
first, the show. Chillinit bursts onto the stage, spitting, jumping and growling his
track Freedom and pulsating with energy as the crowd erupts. Like Rihanna’s
Navy, Beyoncé’s Beyhive and Lady Gaga’s Little Monsters, Chillinit also has a
moniker for his fan base: 420Fam. Throughout the set, they’re singing the words
to his tracks, aggressively opening a mosh pit and chanting: “Aussie, Aussie,
Aussie. Oi, oi, oi”. His lyrics cover strippers, marijuana, sex, fashion, money and
family, and at the end of his set, Chillinit brings out his mum, much to the delight
of the 420Fam. He tells us later that she’d never been up there with him before.
If you’re reading this, confused because you’ve never heard of this artist before
today, it probably means you’re older than Gen Z. Chillinit is in fact the stage
persona of 25-year-old Blake Turnell, who hails from the southern Sydney suburb
of Hurstville and he’s one of the most exciting and talented artists to be
spearheading a new wave of independent Australian hip-hop that speaks directly
to youth. Since releasing his 2018 album Women, Weed & Wordplay through his
label 420 Family (followed by his new album The Octagon, released at the end of
January), Chillinit’s rise has been steady, but nothing short of remarkable.
Here is an artist, with no mainstream backing, limited radio airplay (bar some
support from Triple J’s hip-hop show and community stations) that through →

MARCH 2020 113

VOGUE CULTURE
the power of social media and YouTube has managed to rack up more
than 60 million streams, sit in the ARIA Album chart for 52 weeks
straight, land two gold singles and earn the title of 13th highest-selling
Australian album of 2019. Since its release in mid-December, Octagon’s
lead single Ready for the Pain has had more than a million streams on
Spotify, and Octagon debuted at number two on the ARIA charts.
There are even hundreds of ‘reaction videos’ uploaded from fans
who’ve discovered his music. Again, with zero major label backing.
Fame via the internet is the most common path trodden these days.
Troye Sivan, Billie Eilish and Post Malone all hailed from there. But in
Australia, even if you’re discovered on SoundCloud or YouTube, the
traditional recipe of success in the music industry still stands: get
discovered, sign to a label, be added on rotation to Triple J or
mainstream radio, book
a support gig, snag a spot
on the Triple J Hottest
100, rinse and repeat.
However, for Chillinit,
and other talented
contemporaries circling
hip-hop, drill, grime, rap
and EDM rap (such as
Huskii, Lil Sknow,
Talakai, Shadow, Nerve,
Hooligan Hefs and
Onefour), they’ve turned
this formula on its head.
I meet the charismatic
Turnell a few days after
his festival set at a local
chicken shop near
his parents’ home.
Hurstville happens to be
the same area where
I also grew up, so I
understand how his raps
about home, family, place and culture build a sense of pride in
listeners. Every reference Chill makes to the area, such as the
Georges River or the local smoke sesh spot (which hasn’t changed in
18 years, mind you), my younger self feels just as seen and heard.
“Rap music represents the street culture, regardless of what anyone
can say,” says Turnell. He admits his music may sound aggressive to
outside ears, but says it’s simply a reflection of the frustration young
people feel today. “I didn’t grow up in the easiest environment, but it
wasn’t the worst one, either. There are some people who had it harder
than me, but we’re all here telling our stories,” he says.
“One of the best flow-on effects is that people from areas which
weren’t very celebrated before are having a renewed sense of pride
in where they’re from,” says Nick Lupi, Chillinit’s manager, who is
also a hip-hop veteran (having been one half of ARIA Award-
nominated duo Spit Syndicate and part of the One Day crew, which
put on gigs and parties around the country). “That’s a very
fundamental thing about hip-hop culture. It’s from these places that
weren’t known for great things, in terms of wider society’s eyes.”
Obviously, this is not a new sentiment – the legacy of hip-hop owes
much to artists like N.W.A and Wu-Tang Clan from the 1980s and
114
early 90s. It’s actually odd Australia has taken so long to catch up
and that the genre is still so often misunderstood. The scene exists,
but until recently, mainstream success has been dominated by PG-
rated artists like Hilltop Hoods, Drapht and Bliss n Eso. Rarely,
perhaps bar duo A.B Original, have we seen the aggression and fire
possessed by Chillinit.“These areas are low socioeconomic areas,
but because of this cultural phenomenon that is hip-hop, it just sort
of shifts and offers a sense of place and identity,” explains Lupi.
“That’s definitely happening in western Sydney right now.”
In an interview with GQ recently, YP, a member of the Onefour,
the Samoan-Australian drill group from Mount Druitt that have
been labelled the genre’s enfants terribles due to violence and jail
time, summed it up in one: “You’re going to rap about princesses if
all you see is princesses.”
But Australia isn’t the
only place seeing the
rise of SoundCloud rap
reflecting youth culture.
For years now, the same
thing has been
happening in the
Netherlands, Poland,
Morocco and across
South America. And
thanks to Spotify’s
clever algorithms, this
music takes less than
two seconds to find.
Turnell knows he is
somewhat of a role
model for the current
scene. “[But] you have
to understand that
someone who has been
to jail for two years and
is now doing music,
they’re going to have a different perspective, compared to what
I would,” he says, vaguely referencing other members of the rap
community who have recently been shamed for their history.
Onefour, in particular, have been in and out of the media amid
reports they were unfairly targeted by police over links to a number
of violent crimes (including a pub brawl in western Sydney which
saw two members, including YP, sentenced to jail time).
“I started to realise that the energy I’m putting out is what I’m
getting back,” Turnell says of his point of difference. “Once I started
putting out positive energy and giving back to the community,
instead of just taking, I noticed how many kids were telling me they
were having a better day from me just trying to stay positive. It kind
of became a responsibility I owe to these kids. To let them know that
good days, bad days, you’ve just got to keep going.”
“Over the last 10 years there’s been this massive shift in voices and
stories, that’s probably the most prolific sort of change,” says Lupi of
hip-hop’s local evolution. “There’s a stronger female, non-white or
non-dude presence and the number of acts that are getting a shine
and are much more reflective of what modern, multicultural
Australian society is like.”

Blake Turnell,
aka Chillinit, steps
into the kitchen at
his local hangout.
The quality is increasingly world-class too, and stands up against
the likes of Migos, A$AP Mob and Skepta out of the US and UK. It’s
also uniquely Australian beyond the “bedroom and barbecue rap”
as Lupi dubs it. “One of the unique things about Chillinit is you have
a half-white, half-Lebanese kid from Hurstville; and he’s doing
‘Aussie!’ chants and people are going nuts for it,” says Lupi. “He
loves cricket. He’s got raps where he’s talking about his grandfather
coming over from Lebanon and starting a fruit store, growing up
in Hurstville and the Chinese community there. He’s very much
a product of modern, multicultural Australia.”
But with every generation, battles between old and young about
music causing corruption have raged. This is the space where
Chillinit and his contemporaries now find themselves. It’s almost
comical to look back and see that Elvis was once described as
“deplorable”, “a rancid-smelling aphrodisiac” and “a threat to the
morals of young America”. The original Prince of Darkness, Ozzy
Osbourne (aka the man who ate the head of a bat) was reduced to
JAKE TERREY
reality television not so long ago. As for gangsta rap, well, that’s now
played in supermarkets. Chillinit, Onefour and their fellow
grassroots rappers are, quite simply, the rock stars of now.
“One of the unique things
about Chillinit is you
have a half-white,
half-Lebanese kid
from Hurstville …
He’s very much a
product of modern,
multicultural Australia”
“We live in politically correct 2020, the rock-star lifestyle has died
in Australia,” says Turnell. “I don’t care, I just do me. I mean, if I do
something stupid and get cancelled tomorrow, I get cancelled.” As
he sees it, that’s internet showbiz, baby.
“What people think of me because of their ignorance, that’s on
them. I know what I’m about. Anyone who dives into my music
deeper than looking at my album cover with five strippers on it
would find a lot more to it than just girls and drugs and stuff like
that. So I’m not fussed what the parents think about it. If anything,”
he adds, “it creates more convo. It creates more convo for the mum
at home, telling her 15-year-old daughter Jessica: ‘Don’t listen to
that music.’” And Jessica goes: “Yeah, but Mum, have you heard
the song Inner Thoughts?’ And a conversation that might not have
happened starts.”
If by now, you still don’t get who Chillinit is, then his music is not
for you. As to whether he considers it to be punk, he makes the
point: “Yeah, it is punk rock. It’s Kurt Cobain, it’s Blink-182, it’s the
Sex Pistols and the Living End … that song Prisoner of Society. Our
music might not have the same sound, but it’s a big middle finger up
to people who don’t understand what it’s like to be young.” ■
MARCH 2020 115
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 VOGUE CULTURE

Better in Blak launched Aboriginal artist Thelma

Plum to the top of the ARIA charts. Now, as she
wraps up her second album, her sights are set on
conquering the international stage. By Jen Nurick.
ST YLING PH I LI PPA M O RO N E Y AN D LYN -AL YO U N G
PHOTOG R APH H U G H STE WART

M OST PEO PLE WO U LD baulk at the thought of

transforming their personal hardships into catchy
anthems for others to connect with. Not Thelma Plum.
For the 25-year-old Gamilaraay woman, making music
is a form of healing. “There’s something so beautiful
and therapeutic about being able to channel your pain
and trauma into an art form,” she says. “It’s a lot easier
for me to look at a situation and evaluate what I’m
actually feeling if I write those words down.”
Born in Brisbane, Plum grew up listening to country
artists who would later help to hone her sound, which
she identifies as indie-pop. Kasey Chambers, Dolly
Parton, Joni Mitchell and Gillian Welch were especially
impactful, helping Plum to develop a formula for her
song-writing. Inspired by their composition, Plum
wrote her 2019 debut album, Better in Blak, as a way to
find closure in the face of adversity and to work through
personal challenges. “I sing about a lot of sad things,”
she says, referencing the album’s title track, which
followed a period of online harassment in the wake of
an alleged altercation between Plum and another
musician in 2016.
While it hasn’t been easy, Plum, who is wrapping up
her sophomore album, says embracing her heritage has
come with growing up. “I don’t have the privilege of
that not being what people immediately see,” she says.
“But I’m so proud of my heritage and my culture.”
M A K E- U P: G L L A N C A M P B E L L H A R : R O R Y R I C E

She’s hopeful her rising star will lead her to London or

New York in the future, and cites her performance at
Vogue’s 60th anniversary celebrations last year as a special
D E TA I L S AT V O G U E . CO M . A U/ W T B

culmination of her love of music and fashion in her career Thelma Plum
wears Lyn Al
so far. “I loved performing [while wearing Indigenous Young scarves
designer] Lyn-Al Young. I love her, I love everything she worn as a dress.
Mara & Mine
does, and being able to wear one of her gowns made me shoes. Her own
feel very special. That was a career highlight.” ■ jewellery.

MARCH 2020 117

VOGUE PROMOTION

Soul sisters
Feminism may be in its fourth wave, but Indigenous Australians have lived in matriarchal
systems for more than 65,000 years. An upcoming panel will explore what these strong
female bonds can teach wider society and the next generation. By Jane Albert.
IN CELEBRATION OF International Women’s Day, a special event
titled Blak Matriarchies will pay tribute to the powerful inter-
generational bonds within Indigenous communities. The panel,
which is part of the annual All About Women Festival, will feature
prominent Indigenous voices including 29-year-old Kirli Saunders, a
proud Gunai woman and award-winning children’s author, poet,
artist and emerging playwright, who is also a finalist in the New
South Wales Aboriginal Women of the Year Award.
VA: Tell us about your upbringing and your mother.
KIRLI SAUNDERS: “I’m really blessed to have the most incredibly
dedicated mum. Her name is Joyce and she is very much the
matriarchal backbone of our family. She was raised as a state ward
in children’s homes, eventually [settling] in the New South Wales
Southern Highlands. She was a hairdresser when we were children
and our hockey coach. She’s the sort of mum who, when you woke
up at 7am, would have cleaned the house, a load of washing on,
a banana cake baking and breakfast on the stove – very dedicated.”
VA: What is your cultural background?
KS: “I was raised on Gundungurra country in the New South Wales
Southern Highlands. My mother is Yuin, raised around Bega, and my
grandmother is Gunai. On my grandfather’s side we’re Biripi people
with ties to the mission on La Perouse. On Dad’s side we’re non-First
Nations with ties through Ireland and Denmark and many generations
of Australians. It’s a diverse cultural background from a First Nations
perspective and one way I’ve tried to learn the different Dreaming
stories, connect to Country and community, is through learning
language and immersing myself in the stories of the different places.
“Being raised separate from community, as Mum was too, meant
my childhood wasn’t always
connected to culture. We’re walking
that journey together now, Mum and
I, exploring culture and identity
collectively, and it’s a beautiful path to
be on together. Mum’s now a First
Nations consultant in hospitals at
Bankstown and Bowral. She’s a
spectacular human being and if I can
be half the matriarch she is I’ll have
done the world a service.”
VA: What role does the matriarchy
play in First Nations communities?
KS: “Women are held in the highest
regard in our community – they’re
our unity and strength – and I feel
lucky to have been raised with that
ANH HA
awareness. They’ll never reprimand
you fiercely, you just know what the
VOGUE CULTURE
right thing is to do. I’ve always had strong powerful women around
me as role models and now feel a certain responsibility to go on and
become one too, but it’s always a gently-gently approach.”
VA: Which female Indigenous leaders did you look up to as a child?
KS: “Being born in the 90s, and as someone who plays sport,
I remember watching Cathy Freeman on the TV as a kid and thinking
that if she can carry our flag on that [international Olympic] track,
there’s nothing that could ever stop us. Now I love Nakkiah Lui and
Miranda Tapsell on stage and [screen]. They’re incredible women
and, as an emerging playwright, two people I really look up to. The
poetry of Ali Cobby Eckermann, who won the Windham-Campbell
Prize, really helped me begin to unpack my cultural history.”
V: Has your career been inspired by some of those role models?
KS: “My Dreaming tells me I’m a storyteller and a teacher, so I’m
a poet, a children’s author and an educator. But I wear many hats. Since
2017 I’ve managed the Poetry in First Languages project at Red Room
Poetry, overseeing the celebration, sharing and preservation of First
Nations languages through poetry and art. We take First Nations
students to meet with Elders on Country to learn language, then they
create poems in language and we publish them in unusual ways – on
keep cups, murals or installations. It’s an exciting project to be leading.”
VA: What does the term blak matriarchies refer to?
KS: “Blak is a power word, a word First Nations women use to identify
with strength, intuition, the matriarchy – that power is woman. When
I think of blak matriarchies, I think of sitting in a room with my
aunties, with women who have been through hardship, who are
strong, who are leaders and who are caring and generous in ways
women are, and being strengthened by them. In the panel we’ll →
“Women are
held in the
highest regard
in our
community
– they’re our
unity and
strength. They’ll
never reprimand
you fiercely, you
just know what
the right thing
is to do”
MARCH 2020 119
VOGUE CULTURE
be exploring the idea of the matriarchy, what it is to hold each other
up, to be resilient and strong in this day and age, how we can carry
that knowledge and wisdom and share stories with our young women
to enable the continuation of that kind of power.”
VA: Are feminism and the blak matriarchy aligned concepts?
KS: “I think they complement each other in that they’re both about
recognition and the forward projection of our women in our
community. But they’re different in that blak feminism is a very
communal process: it isn’t a ‘me against’ concept, it’s a ‘me for’. I benefit
from both ways of thinking: the more independent, staunch, ‘looking
out for myself’ feminism and the ‘I’ve got to do it for the mob’ mentality.
Ultimately they work together to help our emerging leaders.”
VA: What can non-Indigenous women learn from our First
Nations sisters?
KS: “Keep listening – hearing from the heart instead of with ears; and
have an awareness that time is a colonial construct. So more time
spent listening, yarning and honouring that is really important. At
the moment our lives are so frantic and the focus on process rather
than outcome is something that we as a collective could embrace.”
VA: How is the blak matriarchy changing to meet the 21st century?
KS: “There’s been feminism the world over and then there’s been blak
feminism and the blak matriarchy. The more we see that, the more I see
fierce young women embracing those matriarchy roles and showing
strength in their cultural identity. They are changing in really beautiful
ways, and I’m excited to see what the future holds for our young
women as they continue that and shape that in their own way.”
VA: What future do you see for female First Nations leaders?
KS: “Poetry [introduces me] to a lot of young girls and women and
I often see them walk into workshops feeling unsure of their cultural
identity. Towards the end of the session they’re strengthened by
connecting with community and learning in a safe space and they
emerge as proud, resilient and confident. When I ask them what they
want to do, their overarching theme is about being changemakers –
whether politicians or artists or musicians. All of them need to see our
culture celebrated more widely, accepted as a more available part of
everyday life. We have some powerful thought leaders and I think
there’s space for them to dream at the moment in current society. It’s
that notion of standing on the shoulders of giants: I walk the path
because it’s been laid out for me by women who have gone before, and
likewise, my footsteps leave foot holes for the girls who will follow.”
Blak Matriarchies will be held on Sunday, March 8 at the Sydney Opera
House. Go to www.sydneyoperahouse.com/all-about-women.
HAPPENINGS AT THE HOUSE
BADU GILI LIVE A free sunset series of outdoor live music where
First Nations performers will transform the iconic steps of the Opera
House into their stage, while a pop-up bar will serve a range of
drinks. (March 6 and April 3, 8-9pm.)
TASTE OF THE OPERA HOUSE Arrive with an appetite for this
degustation tour, which combines the best in local cuisine with
titillating insider tales of rock stars and prima donnas.
($295 per person; Sunday, April 5 and Sunday, May 3.)
120
A Doll’s
House (2018)
by Tatzu
Nishi.
CHILD’S PLAY
For Adelaide Festival’s 60th anniversary, renowned public art
advocate John Kaldor suggested to organisers that Japanese
contemporary artist Tatzu Nishi should bring an iteration of his
life-sized interactive doll’s house to Rundle Mall. Now it’s open
to the public for only the second time ever. By Angelica Xidias.
AU STR ALIAN ART CO LLECTO R John Kaldor AO, and
world-renowned Japanese installation artist Tatzu Nishi have
two things in common: a need to prevent art from going
unnoticed, and a desire to tap into our imagination with
projects that encourage a reinterpretation of the mundane.
“He is a very imaginative and very popular artist and
I thought he would be ideal for Adelaide Festival,” says Kaldor,
who owns Kaldor Public Art Projects and recommended the
60-year-old artist to organisers for a special commission.
The project, a life-sized doll’s house, aims to capture the
public’s interest in contemporary art. “Each person will
interpret it differently, and that’s the beauty of it,” Kaldor says
of A Doll’s House, which Nishi first exhibited in Paris outside
the Palais de Tokyo contemporary art museum in 2018.
Born Tazro Niscino, Japanese artist Tatzu Nishi is known for
crafting works that challenge the concept of the public and
private sphere. While for this installation, much of Nishi’s
original project remains, he tweaked the design for Rundle Mall
to illuminate two different aspects of childhood. “I have created
two dimensions, the doll’s house as the innocent side of children,
and the backyard [as the] children’s other side, considering
nature and the broader society … I have made the steps to the
backyard bigger and more complicated,” he explains.
Both Nishi and Kaldor are keen to demonstrate that when
shown beyond the confines of a gallery or museum, art has
the ability to engage an audience that may not otherwise have
access. “I want to bring art into everyday life. Art is not
a privilege simply for the rich: it should be available to
everyone,” says Nishi. “I believe that experiencing great art
assists in the expansion of the imagination.”
A Doll’s House is free to the public until March 15, Rundle Mall,
Adelaide. Go to www.adelaidefestival.com.au.
MARCH 2020
 1. Photograph
by Kate Biel.
6. Image by Ivar Wigan.
SHELF
As a photographer and creative director of LA’s Gilly Studio,
Clare Gillen has captured the newest and brightest talents
through her distinctly colourful lens. Here, she identifies
the image-makers who have helped to hone her craft and are
pushing conversations forward through their pictures.
1. KATE BIEL: “Kate Biel’s soft and fluffy medium-format film
photos are colour-corrected for the gods. Kate’s work is pop and
feminine, and although innocent, is also inherently alien; it’s
peculiar when you look closer. My favourite of Kate’s work is what
she takes into Photoshop and pushes into an even more fantastical
alien realm. This is where her work turns into art.”
2. CHRIS MAGGIO: “I found Chris on Instagram after seeing a wild
photo he took of Pamela Anderson for Balenciaga. His work is mostly
documentary photography and it’s pure genius. He takes some of
the coolest photos I’ve ever seen, hands down. There’s a lot of
humour in his work as he digs to expose the secret inner workings
of culture and the outward hilarious reality of human existence.”
3. KATIE McCURDY: “I’ve known of Katie for years and since
she started she’s been so consistent and precise in her practice.
122
3. Billie Eilish
photographed
by Katie
McCurdy
4. Channel Tres, shot
by Clare Gillen.
I wouldn’t say this about anyone else: her work is objectively
beautiful. She takes light-focussed portraits of celebrities, models
and friends that are never overdone stylistically. Her work is
sincere and natural.”
4. CLARE GILLEN: “Yes, it’s 2020, and yes, I am adding my own
name! As a creative director, I have had the privilege to develop
my photo skills with my clients over the past year and I’m
proud and unapologetic. Fostering a working environment of
N T E R V E W: J E N N U R C K P H OTO G R A P H S : V N C E A U N G K AT E B E L
experimentation has allowed me to grow into photographing
C L A R E G I L L E N C H R I S M A G G I O K AT E M c C U R DY I VA R W I G A N
more often organically. My images are colourful and like my
practice, they’re often very playful.”
5. VINCE AUNG: “Vince walks on set with the purity of a boy scout
and then surprises everyone with the most artful and unwavering
sense of self. He gracefully commands his subjects to yield exactly
what he wants. The outcome is always timelessly elegant.”
6. IVAR WIGAN: “Ivar’s photographs are wild and make you feel
naughty. He’s experimental and uninhibited – a true freak who’s
enjoying himself. The work is voyeuristic and feels like a story, not
just a portrait. If he made a movie, I’d be first in line for a ticket.” ■
MARCH 2020
 Handmade culinary architecture.
Designed and created for you in France, since 1908.

www. la co rnue.co m . au Available at

VOGUE CULTURE

SPORT

A field day

ST YLING K ATE DARVI LL

PHOTOG R APHS J U STI N R I D LER

Tayla Vlaeminck wears

a Matin dress, $440.
Spring Court sneakers,
$135, worn throughout.

126
 TAYL A VL AE M I N CK I S one of Australia’s most talented young
cricketers, despite only taking up the sport when she was 14. As a child
she was a keen soccer player, but experience with the bat and ball only
extended as far as playing with her brother in the family backyard.
Now one of the best pace bowlers in Australia’s women’s T20 team,
Vlaeminck can reach speeds around 120 kilometres per hour. “My dad
tried to coach me, but I was pretty erratic,” she says of her humble
suburban start. “I definitely didn’t have much of a base to go on.”
While her talent was raw, what Vlaeminck did have was a role model.
Just a few years earlier, schoolgirl Ellyse Perry dominated headlines
when, at the tender age of 16, she became the first Australian – male or
female – to don the green and gold in both cricket and soccer. Perry,
also a bowler, eclipsed all other male athletes Vlaeminck had idolised.
Fast-forward a few years and the two are now teammates –
Vlaeminck is 21 and a junior member of the national T20 team, while
Perry will turn 30 later this year. When Vlaeminck first played
against her teen hero, she says: “I remember sitting on a bench with
her and I couldn’t make eye contact when she asked me questions. It
took me a couple of years until I could
actually string some words together.”
Perry jokes that Vlaeminck playing Perry is
alongside her is “alarming, because it’s emblematic
a reminder of how old I’m getting”, but she
also realises it’s emblematic of the feminist
of the
adage, ‘You cannot be what you cannot see’. feminist
Hers is the first generation of women adage, ‘You
who’ve proven that you can make money in
a sport typically reserved for men.
cannot be
“When I started out it was very much a what you
part-time thing: all the players had jobs or cannot see’
S H OT O N LO C AT O N AT T H E M E L B O U R N E C R C K E T G R O U N D.
A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT V O G U E . CO M . A U/ W T B
H A R : G E O R G A R A M M A N M A K E- U P: K Y L E O ’ TO O L E
From left: Vlaeminck
wears an Iris & Ink dress,
$205. Meg Lanning wears
a Camilla and Marc shirt,
$299. Lee Mathews skirt,
$329. Hublot watch,
$14,400. Veja sneakers,
$155, from www.theiconic.
com.au, worn throughout.
study,” confirms Perry. “For the new generation of players coming
through, this is truly exciting, because they’ve got this wonderful
pathway. But I think they’re also capturing the essence of women’s
sport in this exciting period of development and change.”
But cricket’s evolution from under-the-radar and amateur hasn’t
been all Perry’s doing – it’s been bolstered by the wider push for
increased equality and visibility for women in sport. The introduction
of the Big Bash League, a high-octane version of cricket that’s played
in 20 overs a side, as opposed to traditional five-day Test series, has
also helped. The Women’s Big Bash League debuted in the 2015-16
season, with big-name sponsor Rebel, commercial TV deals and
legitimate salaries for players. As for the flow-on effect, 30 per cent
of players are now female, six out of 10 new cricketers are girls or
women, and last year saw a 14 per cent rise in female participation.
These impressive statistics were something Nick Hockley, CEO of
the International Cricket Council T20 World Cup, hoped to capitalise
on in planning this year’s women’s tournament. For the first time
it’s being held as a stand-alone event in venues across Australia (the
men’s World Cup kicks off on October 18).
“With the popularity of the Big Bash League, the World Cup felt
like an outdated model,” Hockley, a father of two girls, tells Vogue.
“I realised we kind of had a unique opportunity, because a World
Cup doesn’t come around every day and once it’s gone, it’s gone. So
we’re absolutely going to make the most of this moment.”
When Hockley realised International Women’s Day fell on a
Sunday this year – and within the tournament time frame – he
launched an ambitious campaign to break a world record. On March
8, the Melbourne Cricket Ground will play host to the final and
Hockley is aiming to get almost 91,000 people through the turnstiles
– eclipsing the highest number of attendees for a women’s →
Lanning wears a
Camilla and Marc
shirt, $299. Lee
Mathews skirt,
$329. Hublot
watch, $14,400.
MARCH 2020 127
VOGUE CULTURE

sporting match, which stands at 90,185, set in the US at the

1999 soccer World Cup final. Interstate fans can join the party
by tuning in to the match on Foxtel and Kayo.
“We don’t want to look back and say: ‘If only.’ We’re seeing
this incredible change and moment [in sport], which you could
argue is actually just catching up with years of discrimination,”
Hockley says. “According to Malcolm Gladwell’s book The
Tipping Point, change happens unevenly over time, and it’s often
moments that create a shift. 2020 is probably Australia’s best
platform, and the time is right to really shift the dial.”
In a savvy marketing move, he’s also enlisted the help of Katy
Perry for her pulling power. She will play two songs before the
first ball (including her feminist anthem Roar), then a one-hour
concert after the presentation of the cup to the winning team,
with tickets for kids at $5 and adults starting at $20. Katy Perry
Above: local young
is across the messaging of the event (“Very much so. That’s a big cricketers formed the
part of it,” says Hockley) and will be pumping out support to opposition for a game
on the hallowed turf
her almost 200 million social media followers in the lead-up.
of the MCG.
In the meantime, there are the other stars of the show. For Right: Ellyse Perry
their Vogue shoot, Vlaeminck and Perry took to the MCG wears an Aje shirt,
$225. Lee Mathews
alongside captain Meg Lanning in what is hopefully a prelude shorts, $249, from
to the upcoming final. Only instead of an aggressive opposition, a selection at
David Jones. Hublot
dozens of ecstatic young girls who play cricket on weekends
watch, $27,800.
enjoyed a mock game alongside their heroes, who in turn
swapped uniforms for contemporary Australian fashion.
Under Lanning’s leadership the Australian side will be
defending their title, having won two years ago. “We’ve got
a really good squad. We’re aiming to win and that’s what
we want to do,” Lanning says with a cool confidence. “We’re
striving to be there on March 8 and hopefully we are, but even
if we’re not we’re really hoping that everyone gets behind it.
It’s just going to be a great moment for Australia.”
Perry is equally as driven and has no plans for retirement after
this year’s World Cup. “It feels like a whole new career at the
moment, the way things have changed,” she says. “Now we’re From left: Vlaeminck wears a
Jac + Jack T-shirt, $90, from
entering this wholly professional era where things are new and David Jones. Lee Mathews
there’s great advancements every year, it’s so engaging and cool shorts, $249. Lanning wears a
Viktoria & Woods tank top,
to be part of. You just want to make the most of it.” $150. Anna Quan pants, $495.
Her influence shows no signs of waning, either. Arguably the Hublot watch, $10,000.
code’s most marketable player, she boasts a long-term partnership
with Adidas and Swiss watchmakers Hublot named her a friend
of the brand last year. She recently released the book Perspective

A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT V O G U E . CO M . A U/ W T B
through HarperCollins, and is the first Australian athlete
(following the likes of basketballer Stephen Curry and NFL star
Tom Brady) to have a Facebook Watch reality series, titled Insight.
While most of the young players on set with Vogue were star-
struck by Perry, it was Vlaeminck who enjoyed the most
meaningful fan moment of the day. When a gaggle of girls hit
her up for pointers on how to improve their bowling, she found
herself on the receiving end of admiration for once. “I was trying
to pass on some helpful hints and they were loving it,” she says,
smiling at her full-circle moment. “I was telling them to run in
JUSTIN RIDLER

and have a crack and not worry too much about it early on. Just
try and bowl really fast; the rest will take care of itself.”
Tickets for the T20 World Cup final are available from Ticketek.

128
 “It feels like a
whole new
career at the
moment, the
way things
have changed.
You just want
Perry wears a Lee to make the
Mathews shirtdress,
$299. Spring Court most of it”
sneakers, $235.

MARCH 2020 129


TOP SECRETS
David Jones Elizabeth Street has been given a top to toe makeover and is
your destination for the best beauty products and pampering treatments.
A
new season presents the perfect opportunity to reinvigorate
many aspects of your life, style and beauty routine. Thanks
to a $400 million redevelopment of the David Jones flagship
Elizabeth Street store in Sydney, the iconic retailer now offers an
unparalleled designer experience for the fashion-forward – a Designer
Shoe Floor, an Australian and International Designer Womenswear
Floor and a Luxury Beauty and Designer Accessories Floor.
The recently unveiled Luxury Beauty and Designer Accessories
Floor has a curated collection of iconic cult favourites, covetable
new brands and department store exclusives.
Think of the Beauty Floor as the ultimate one-stop beauty
destination, providing discerning shoppers with immediate access
Clockwise from left: the La
Prairie beauty suite at David
Jones Elizabeth Street is
similar to this one at the
Chadstone store, Melbourne;
a Dermalogica counter at
David Jones; Rationale B3-T
Superfluid Sunscreen SPF50+,
$75; La Mer The Moisturizing
Soft Cream, 60ml for $445.
to the best from around the world. Beauty aficionados can enjoy a
vast range of services available on-counter or in one of the dedicated
beauty rooms. The menu includes individual make-up masterclasses,
indulgent skincare treatments and expert advice on how to select
a wardrobe of fragrances. And the best-kept secret is that the cost
of many of these in-store services is redeemable on the purchase of
products, so you can enjoy a session and pick up a treat afterwards
– it’s a chance to give yourself a well-deserved bonus.
Grooming services, such as eyelash extensions, eyebrow shaping
and mini mani and pedis, are also available. As well, there are
special in-store services, such as custom engraving on selected
fragrance bottles and lipsticks.
 VOGUE PROMOTION

ALL DAVID JONES STORES OFFER NICHE AND EASY

A RANGE OF BEAUTY SERVICES, Find your new-season scent
in the niche fragrance range at
WHETHER IT’S ON-COUNTER OR David Jones with help from the
IN A DEDICATED BEAUTY ROOM. team of beauty advisors.

The Elizabeth Street store is home to La Mer’s first dedicated facial

room. Skincare consultants will tailor the service to your skincare and
lifestyle needs, plus it’s a way to find out about Miracle Broth™, an
exclusive blend of ingredients at the heart of every La Mer product.
Swiss skincare brand La Prairie is known for its innovative products
and elegant packaging. Its luxurious in-store beauty suite is the place
to try these products in a variety of treatments, such as a 15-minute skin
consultation followed by a 45-minute relaxing facial ritual experience
that’s designed to leave your skin radiant.
Homegrown favourite Rationale offers in-depth skin consultations
in its first service room and counter outside of its own clinics. Global
brand Dermalogica has a wide-ranging menu of customised skincare
Guerlain Baiser de
treatments, such as a complimentary skin analysis and skin fitness Russie EDP, 125ml
plan; an express pick-me-up; and a 60-minute power peel. for $395.

Tom Ford Rose Prick

EDP, 50ml for $480.

AS ANYTHING
Many beauty companies are making
moves to be cleaner, greener and
more sustainable as well as promoting
biodiversity. David Jones stocks a long Gucci The Alchemist’s Garden
Ode on Melancholy Perfumed
list of brands, such as Grown Alchemist, Oil, 20ml for $580.
Guerlain, Jurlique, Kora Organics,
From left: Guerlain M.A.C and Ultraceuticals, that are
Abeille Royale
Eye Cream, $160; committed to creating sought-after
Grown Alchemist
Anti-Pollution products – while helping to make
Primer, $49. the world a more beautiful place. For more details, visit www.davidjones.com.
VOGUE BEAUTY

ALL TIED UP
Our dedication to effortless
tresses may be on hiatus with
the arrival of styles that feel no
less cool, but are considerably
more put together. Backstage
and beyond, universally
flattering plaits are proving
that with a little dedication and
patience, you can turn any look
into a head-turning statement.
PHOTOG R APHS B OSU N G KI M H A I R KI M S EU N G WO N M A K E - U P LEE YO U N G

136
 FA S H I O N E D I TO R : K I M S E O K W O N M O D E L S : S E O H E E PA R K K I M S TA R B A E YO O -J I N B O M I YO U N G
A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT V O G U E . CO M . A U/ W T B

MARCH 2020 137

VOGUE BEAUTY
A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT V O G U E . CO M . A U/ W T B

BRIGHT SPARK
Punchy colours need not
be assigned solely to the
sartorial. For an adventurous
new turn, take a leaf from
this season’s runways by
introducing temporary (or
if you dare, permanent)
hues to your tresses.
BOSUNG K M

Ghd Final Fix Hairspray, $20.

MARCH 2020 139

140
VOGUE BEAUTY

MARCH 2020
BOSUNG K M
A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT V O G U E . CO M . A U/ W T B
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VOGUE BEAUTY
FRAGRANCE
With a new legion of well-known noses, the celebrity fragrance market is getting a sophisticated shake-up. By Remy Rippon.
IT ’ S TE LLI N G THAT among the first things you’ll notice about
a Henry Rose fragrance is either the sleek, minimalist design (in
transparent recyclable glass) or the intoxicating blend of botanicals.
Less transparent is the fact the five-piece collection is the result of
almost a decade of research and development spearheaded by
Hollywood actress Michelle Pfeiffer. “I developed Henry Rose to prove
you could create a premium product that doesn’t sacrifice luxury over
safety,” says Pfeiffer, a closet fragrance devotee who tinkered with the
line of genderless scents offering full disclosure of ingredients for
years before the range was eventually stocked at Goop.
The celebrity fragrance vapour trail might have been paved by
J Lo’s Glow or Sarah Jessica Parker’s Lovely (both wildly successful),
but recently it’s taken a sophisticated new turn. Beyond simply
lending a well-known face to a campaign, the new guard of celebrity
perfume enthusiasts is driving the process from its inception. When
144
US Vogue’s inimitable creative director Grace Coddington departed
the magazine in 2016 after more than 25 years, one of her first stand-
alone projects was Grace by Grace Coddington, a heady rose juice
developed in partnership with Comme des Garçons. It’s a similar
story for legendary French editor and stylist Carine Roitfeld. After
mixing and wearing her own custom blends for years, in 2019 she
debuted Carine Roitfeld Parfums, a concise edit of seven scents
inspired by fictional lovers from Roitfeld’s favourite cities.
Jen Atkin, who built a dutiful following attending to the tresses
of Kardashians, can also add the role of perfumer to her CV. Since
launching her millennial-approved hair-care line Ouai in 2016,
Atkin knew a stand-alone fragrance would be a natural progression.
“What’s the first thing people do in a Sephora or even a drugstore?
They open the bottle to smell what’s inside. If they don’t love it,
they move on,” says Atkin, who developed two frequently sold-out
scents, Melrose Place and North Bondi.
“We worked with one of the top perfume
“Our goal houses in France from day one, and
was to create spent months fine-tuning. Our goal was
to create a sensory experience that
a sensory wasn’t overly precious or too delicate.”
experience Aside from a slew of famous faces
that wasn’t turning their smarts to sillage, perfumers
overly themselves are enjoying a renewed
appreciation. Frédéric Malle, Francis
precious” Kurkdjian, Byredo’s Ben Gorham and the
estate of revered editor Diana Vreeland
have pushed olfactory parameters and
ushered in a new need for niche. But while fragrance may be
increasingly inching towards the abstract, that’s not to say traditional
celebrity blockbusters are waning. When Kim Kardashian West
launched KKW Fragrance, the entire line sold out in a matter of days,
proof that with fragrances, our preference is always personal. ■
A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT V O G U E . CO M . A U/ W T B
E D WA R D U R R U T A H A R L E Y W E R
From left: Diana Vreeland Parfums Devastatingly Chic
EDP, 50ml for $283; Henry Rose Queens & Monsters EDP,
50ml for US$120; Ouai North Bondi EDP, 50ml for $87.
MARCH 2020
 HYDRASPLASH

THAT WON’T
WEIGH YOU DOWN

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VOGUE BEAUTY

LIVING OUT LOUD

146
 WORDS: REMY R PPON
A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT V O G U E . CO M . A U/ W T B

ON MUTE

MARCH 2020 147

VOGUE VIEWPOINT

Chanel Le Lift Eye

Crème Yeux, $145.

Make up
by Pica.

2. Interiors
inspiration.

3. Travel snaps of Namibia,

which inspired the spring/
summer ’20 collection.

IN PROFILE
From left:
Chanel Les
Beiges Eau
de Teint in
Medium,
$109; Chanel
Baume
Chanel global creative make-up and colour director Essentiel
Multi Use
Lucia Pica views the world as one vast source of inspiration. Glow Stick in
Here, she shares her creative processes and daily rituals. Sculpting $71.

1. “Whenever I go back to my home town of Naples, I love the
spontaneity there that you don’t get living in a big city. When you’re
in Naples, you call a friend and they’re like: ‘Okay, I’ll see you in
10 minutes.’ The day can unfold in a very unexpected way, which
I have not seen in many other cities.”
5. “I can’t leave the house without [Chanel Les Beiges] Eau de Teint.
Before I created this product, I didn’t really wear foundation, but
now I feel comfortable that others can’t detect I’m wearing
foundation at all and it looks so natural that sometimes I even think
it’s my own skin.”

M A G E S : CO U RT E S Y O F C H A N E L N S TA G R A M . CO M / LU C A P C A O F F C I A L
2. “I’ll go on Instagram – sometimes just to see what’s happening, 6. “I use a lot of products, but I don’t like to look make-up-y. All the
and to check in on what people and friends are doing – but apart textures I’ve worked on are made to be undetectable. I use Baume

from that I’m not really an app addict. I prefer to look at architecture,
houses and design.”
3. “I’m inspired by travel. I like to get out of my everyday life or life
at the studio and go out with a photographer. That can bring me all
sorts of ideas, whether it’s colour or textures. I get inspired by the
things I see and by nature and I transform photographs into
products, textures, formulas and colours. Next, my dream is to travel
to Iceland.”
4. “I love using oil on my face. I use Vintner’s Daughter religiously
– it’s full of botanicals. I’ll also clean my face with a moisturising oil
cleanser, because I don’t like to strip the oil from my skin. I love
[Chanel] Le Lift Eye Cream and I like the Sublimage masque.”
A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT V O G U E . CO M . A U/ W T B
/ S O M E W H E R E W O U L D L K E TO L V E / V N T N E R S DA U G H T E R /
Essentiel high on the cheek; sometimes I put it on my eyelids. It’s
really all about looking glowing, moisturised and healthy.”
7. “I try to meditate most mornings. Meditation is one of those
things that I really believe in. When you give yourself a little bit of
time to connect with yourself, you start getting less bothered by
everything happening around you; you just deal with everything
with a little bit more distance and don’t get too overwhelmed,
which helps a lot.”
8. “I love having naps in the afternoon; I’m so Italian like that. After
Chanel’s haute couture show recently I went straight to bed. I think
the 5am call time and all the energy you have to give for the show
drains you completely.” ■

148 MARCH 2020

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VOGUE BEAUTY

French kiss
Luxury powerhouse Hermès has its
sights set on your make-up bag with its
debut collection of lipsticks inspired by
its history with colour. By Remy Rippon.
ART DIREC TION ARQ U E T TE CO O KE
PHOTOG R APHS EDWAR D U R RUTIA

Rouge Hermès
lipstick in
Orange
Boîte, $94.

150
 PIERRE-ALEXIS DUMAS, Hermès artistic director and sixth-
generation family member, is feeling nostalgic. He’s handling an
almost century-old pocket-sized mirror, which the brand’s namesake
founder Thierry Hermès, designed and gave to his wife to assist with
her morning make-up application. “Apparently she spent a little bit
too much time putting on make-up, so he added a little clock, which
she immediately spotted,” Dumas reveals from the brand’s Parisian
headquarters. “When we started to talk about beauty, I remember
I brought that object out of my office and said: ‘The idea of beauty has
been looking at us all this time, we just didn’t see it.’”
After more than three years in development, the French luxury
house synonymous with craftsmanship and fastidious attention to
detail now has its gaze firmly set on beauty. Aside from the success of
its fragrance offering (Hermès appointed its first in-house perfumer,
Christine Nagel, in 2016), a slice of the booming multi-billion dollar
beauty pie has, until now, remained elusive. “Our first approach to
beauty is a complete continuation of what Hermès is about,” explains
Dumas of what, in brand-speak, is considered a new metier, or
division. “This is a historical moment for Hermès. It doesn’t happen
every day that we introduce a new metier … We do things that we feel
are right, when we feel it’s right for us. We don’t design under
pressure, and we make collections when we have something to say.”
Indeed, a brand that invests in the hand-stitching of every single
bag it sends out into the world was not about to muddle together some
pretty palettes and call it make-up. Every product the 183-year-old
house produces is carefully considered, and the decision for Hermès
to make its beauty debut by way of lipstick was just as deliberate.
As Dumas explains, his family’s brand has long been in the business
of creating chic objects that also happen to be incredibly useful (note:
the original horse saddle, and later, the scarf). For this reason, the
humble lipstick, an item many of us apply on auto-pilot, seemed a neat
entry point and “took shape quite naturally”, notes Dumas.
The other reason is colour. “The culture of colour has been in Hermès
for a long time,” says Bali Barret, Hermès’s artistic co-director for
women, who, alongside Pierre Hardy, creative director of shoes and
jewellery, and newly appointed Hermès
Beauty creative director Jérôme Touron,
spearheaded the collection. With this, she
reaches for a weighty portfolio, on loan
from the archives, brimming with more
than 75 thousand squares of silk fabric.
Within the walls of its central Paris
enclave, this fabric bible informs
A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT V O G U E . CO M . A U/ W T B
the orange,” says Touron, uncapping Orange Boîte, which is
strikingly similar to Hermès orange and can be dialled up or down
on application. “It took more time to fine-tune, because it has to be
surprising, it has to be daring and audacious, but it also has to
be flattering, and this is the case.”
The rest of the 24-piece collection, simply dubbed Rouge Hermès,
is similarly bold and offers 14 satin and 10 matt shades. The dual
textures, says Touron, are another nod to a well-honed Hermès craft.
“The matt comes from the doublis leather that is soft, velvety, almost
powdery, and the satin is inspired by the box leather, which is
smooth and super-thin,” he explains, noting the additional lip care
balm and Poppy lip gloss can glide over all the shades or can be
worn solo. Seasonally, the brand will also drop limited-edition
collections – a touch more trend-driven and playful – starting with
the spring/summer ’20 trio of eye-poppingly vivid bullets.
Rouge Hermès is a deliberately tight edit of modern shades, an
antidote to fast beauty, that, again, was considered. “Fast beauty was
interesting, because it created dynamism and excitement, but I think
it was really about quantity, renewal, product replacing other
products. We have a different approach, so that instead of only
focussing on quantity we focus on quality,” says Touron of the
lipsticks, which at $94 each makes them some of the most accessible
Hermès products on the market. Touron and Barret have also taken
precise care to cultivate universally flattering shades, offering cooler
and warmer riffs on the same hue, to complement every skin tone.
As important as the colour spectrum was to Rouge Hermès, so too
was a sleek design. “It had to be very simple, because you have to use
it in your everyday life, but at the same time it had to be very luxurious,
so all this makes the design essential and radical,” says Hardy. The
result is an ultra-chic, plastic-free encasing of black, cream and
brushed permabrass metal which is stacked, Tetris-style, complete
with a satisfying magnetic click closure. Each refillable tube
(“designed to last a long time,” says Barret) can also be housed in one
of two chic lipstick holders, which have all hallmarks of an Hermès
creation, like trademark stitching, exquisite design and functionality.
Just as an Hermès Birkin is as
meticulously crafted on the interior in
addition to what’s on show, the lipstick’s
formulation is equally smart. Perhaps a
precursor to skincare, which will follow
at some stage in the future, the lipsticks
are loaded with naturally derived
actives, including wild mulberry, a skin-

everything from the ready-to-wear benefitting source of antioxidants. The

designs to the scarf colourways and, now,
lipsticks. “We’re crazy-obsessed with
colour; we will redo and retry, until we’re
satisfied,” explains Barret.
It’s somewhat ironic then that of all the
shades, it was the brand’s signature hue
– a distinct orange created in 1942 when
the atelier’s packaging supplier ran out
of its usual beige stock – that proved
most challenging to translate from page
to pout. “Of course we wanted to have
From left: Rouge Hermès lipsticks in Beige
Naturel, Orange Boîte and Rouge Bleu, $94 each.
attention to detail is carried through to
the scent too, with the range infused
with a pleasing fragrance finessed by
Nagel. Never spared a thought for the
smell of your lipstick? That’s precisely
the point, says Hardy: “Why would you
buy a black turtleneck at Hermès? There
are so many black turtlenecks
everywhere, but you know you’re
wearing this one and there are slight
details that make all the difference.” ■

MARCH 2020 151

VOGUE BEAUTY

Creative licence
With the age of undone tresses behind us, a sprinkle of spectacle
settled over the spring/summer ’20 collections. By Remy Rippon.
Above, from left: backstage at the Chanel, Thom Browne and Fendi spring/summer ’20 shows.
Below, from left: at the Haider Ackermann, Proenza Schouler and Miu Miu spring/summer ’20 collections.

A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT V O G U E . CO M . A U/ W T B
G O R U N WAY. CO M J A M E S TO K E R

152

From top left: Oway Phytoprotein Mist,
$55; Oribe Serene Scalp Thickening
Treatment Spray, $119; Kérastase
Resistance Extentioniste Thermique
Length Caring Gel Cream, $48; Kevin
Murphy Young Again Immortelle Infused
Treatment Oil, $55; Sisley Hair Rituel
Pre Shampoo Purifying Mask, $130;
Summer Stories Tamborine Conditioner,
$35, and Tallebudgera Shampoo, $33.
FRESH START
If hairstylists this season taught us
anything, it’s that even the most enduring
hairstyles can be spun in a fresh new way.
Case in point: the humble ballerina bun,
which showed up at a handful of shows,
including Emilia Wickstead and Elie Saab,
was teamed with imaginative twists and
experimental heights.
“I wanted to make something really
graphic and strong so it had a lot of 90s
influence to it,” noted Jon Reyman, who
created the slicked back buns that sat atop
models heads at Marta Jakubowski. “We
had a tight bun and made the rest straight
and shiny.” Full-blown shine was also the
reason the low and sleek ponytails at
Proenza Schouler and Christopher Kane
felt new, while among the various styles
at Chanel – some centre-parted, smooth,
poker-straight – was a modern take on a
timeless style. For 24-hour hold, start with
day-two tresses (freshly washed hair lacks
the required grip) secured in a ponytail,
before snailing it around the elastic and
securing with bobby pins. Finish with
a generous dose of hairspray to keep fly-
aways at bay.
A TOUCH OF THEATRE
“It’s just pure theatre, isn’t it? It transports
you to another place and lets you dream,”
said Eugene Souleiman of the Marie-
Antoinette-inspired conical creation that
vied for attention at Thom Browne. This
season, hairstylists from New York to
Paris paid tribute to centuries past with
experimental styles that stepped back in
time. At Vivienne Westwood, legendary
hairstylist Sam McKnight referenced the
bygone era with tightly wound cylindrical
curls – not unlike a judicial wig – adding a
touch of regalia to an otherwise textbook
ponytail. “The rolls are done with their own
hair – a slightly anarchic version of 18th-
century hair,” said McKnight backstage.
NATURAL WONDER
Even when hair ventured into familiar
undone territory, it came with a powerful
message. New York-based designer
Gabriela Hearst declared her show carbon-
neutral, which meant hairstylists sought
out inventive creations in lieu of their
trusty electric tools. “She asked us not to
use electricity, so we used a type of gel to
hold the hair straight back and into a loose
ponytail and then into a rope braid which
loops back up on itself … and a piece of
leather as the final detail,” chief stylist
James Pecis told reporters backstage.
McKnight followed a similar ethos at Ralph
& Russo with a style he likened to bed-
head, requiring only water, dry shampoo
and texturiser. Meanwhile at Fendi,
models’ own natural texture informed the
look. “Every girl’s hair was different, so we
asked each model how she would quickly
pin up her own hair and did a version of
that,” notes McKnight.
NEW ATTITUDE
From Tom Ford to Simone Rocha and Sacai
to Haider Ackermann, hairstylists across
the board found new inspiration in
a familiar punk attitude. At
Marques’Almeida, Pecis backcombed
the hair before straightening it then
loading up on hairspray for added
unruliness. Elsewhere it was more
deliberate. At Tom Ford, bird’s nest
mohawks were made all the more dramatic
by Ford’s characteristically intense smoky-
eye, while Haider Ackermann’s soft-punk
interpretation was cropped, slicked and
married with intense brushed-up brows.
TWISTS AND TURNS
If there was ever a time to become
reacquainted with your curling tong,
it’s now. The message hairstylists were
sending this season was clear: embrace
your curls, and if you weren’t blessed with
luscious waves or ringlets, create them. It’s
what Pecis did at Richard Quinn:
no matter what the natural texture, each
model was given a full head
of corkscrew curls. “The curls here
are kind of 70s Yves Saint Laurent – like a
fun, playful vibe to it,” he explained.
At Miu Miu and Marc Jacobs it was a
similar story, with curls running the gamut
from tightly spun to Victorian-era finger
waves, both achieved by simply changing
up the barrel size of the curling wand to
suit the desired hold. ■
MARCH 2020 153
VOGUE BEAUTY
H E A LT H
Can you really cut out food, sex and technology to reset your brain’s
worst tendencies? Fans of dopamine fasting, the latest wellness trend
to come out of Silicon Valley, believe abstaining from pleasures offers
a shortcut back to appreciating the simple things. By Fiona Macdonald.
154
AS WE STAGG ER blinking and numb into this new
decade, there may be no more appropriate summation
of where we’re at as a species than the latest Silicon
Valley trend: dopamine fasting.
If you haven’t heard the term, the ethos is this: the
reason why so many of us spend our days
unproductively scrolling, overwhelmed and burnt out,
is that our brains have become hooked on low-quality
triggers of the neurotransmitter dopamine. It’s not our
fault, it’s our neurochemistry that has us reaching for
our phones, spending money we don’t have and making
endless plans we don’t want to keep.
The solution, according to a slew of San Fran-adjacent
psychologists, is a detox. Fasting from dopamine
stimulants, including but not limited to sex, social
media and even stimulating music, can apparently
‘reset’ the brain’s reward pathway, helping you tune out
background noise and regain pleasure and motivation
from the simple things.
The practice went viral at the end of last year,
primarily because it is so easy to mock. The New York
Times reported on a trio of tech founders, all in their
mid-20s, who cut out all eating, screen time, work,
touch, speaking, music, exercise and even eye contact
during their fast, leaving them nothing to do except
read and wander aimlessly from room to room.
Some say dopamine fasting is yet another example of
millennials and tech bros turning good old-fashioned
moderation into a new wellness fad. To his credit,
Dr Cameron Sepah, the Silicon Valley psychologist
largely responsible for popularising the trend, is the
first to criticise the practice as it’s been portrayed by the
media. Most coverage, he argues, focuses more on the
extreme case studies and skips over the details –
incorrectly making it seem like the goal is to somehow
fast from dopamine itself, or cut out all sources of joy in
one extreme weekend of austerity.
In reality, dopamine is a very good thing that you
don’t want to fast from. It rewards us when we do things
that keep us alive – it’s why food and sex both feel
so good. Too little is linked to conditions such as
Parkinson’s disease and anhedonia, an inability to
‘want’. “We are not trying to restrict dopamine or
pleasure,” Dr Sepah clarifies. “It’s not a rigid
prescription of things you can and cannot do. If you
I L LU S T R AT I O N : C H R I S T I N A Z I M P E L
have zero bad habits, then you probably don’t need to
do it at all.”
But many of his clients do have issues, often with
social media use, drinking or compulsive spending –
not addiction per se, but enough to stop them achieving
what they want in life. In these cases, he recommends
scheduling short fast periods such as a few hours ¤
MARCH 2020
VOGUE BEAUTY
a day or one weekend a month. Maybe you only allow yourself
to check your devices for 15 minutes after every meal, “instead
of being triggered to use them by external stimuli like
a notification, or internal stimuli like a negative emotion”.
The ‘fast’ aspect means that instead of relying on willpower,
you simply make the behaviour hard to do – for example, by
locking your phone in a drawer outside of the hours you allow,
going out without it, or using an app to block it.
For Julia Clavien, an Australian working between Silicon
Valley, Sydney and Auckland as a chief product officer, the
approach has been freeing. “People always tell you to practise
more gratitude,” she says. “Well, this is a shortcut to feeling
really grateful for your life.”
In 2015, she was living in Sydney when she found herself
burnt out, stressed and unhappy. She took a job in Phnom
Penh, Cambodia, and spent a year in a mosquito-ridden guest
house, surviving on a diet of rice and vegetables.
“It was intense. I accidentally went on an extreme dopamine
fast,” she says. “But coming back to Sydney was amazing.
Going back to basics and then bringing back in all the hedonic
pleasures I’d previously been bored of – even just drinking out
of the showerhead – it was a formative experience.”
The experience led to a career shift and move to the US.
Clavien now writes about psychology and coaching, as well as
her tech work, and regularly keeps up small dopamine fasts
– she puts her phone in a drawer for a few hours each week
and restricts food at certain times. It makes her less impulsive
and more productive.
Another fan is Daria Tsvenger, a San Francisco-based group
coach and angel investor. When she first moved to the US
from Russia three years ago, she went through a period of
depression, unable to do much other than scroll her phone
and watch Netflix for hours. “I identified I had really low-
efficiency dopamine,” she says. “My life was saturated with
easy but low-quality dopamine; short-term gratification that,
overall, was totally meaningless.”
With some encouragement, she started taking courses on
neuroscience and functional medicine at Stanford, where she
came across the concept of dopamine fasting and decided to
try it out by joining her dad on his annual 15-day camping trip
in the Siberian wilderness.
“There was no reception, no junk food, no chitchat – the
whole day was designed around getting from point A to point
B … making food, finding water. I went with my father and
his friends and we had nothing in common,” says Tsvenger.
“The first few days I felt this overwhelming anxiety to get on
my phone. I felt I was missing out on something.”
But by the end, she felt calm and undistracted. “When
I came back, I remember how flavourful life became. I started
to appreciate the little things again.”
Tsvenger has now integrated dopamine fasting into her
daily life. She no longer has any notifications on her phone
156
“The first few
days I felt this
overwhelming
anxiety to get
on my phone.
When I came
back, I started
to appreciate
the little
things again”
and while she still uses Instagram for work, she uses an app to limit access
to an hour a day.
Perhaps most importantly, she schedules lunches with friends instead of
messaging back and forth, which took up just as much time but left her
feeling lonely and unfulfilled. “I did this diligently for two weeks and
after that it became like second nature,” she says. “I definitely feel less
irritated and when I see my friends’ phones lighting up at lunch I don’t
know how they live [with that intrusion].”
But what does the science have to say? Dr Ciara McCabe, an associate
professor of neuroscience at the University of Reading in the UK, says her
biggest issue is the idea that we can somehow change the brain’s reward
pathway by simply leaving our phone at home for a few hours.
In reality, scientists still don’t fully understand how those systems work
and the role they play in behavioural impulses. There have been no official
studies done on the effects of dopamine fasting on the brain, and there’s
definitely no optimum level people should be trying to ‘reset’ to.
“The system is not so easily manipulated,” says Dr McCabe. “Turning
the TV off is not going to reset the mechanism inside your brain. But it’s
probably not going to do you any harm, either.
“There’s nothing wrong with reducing the amount of simulation in your
environment if you think it’s problematic for you. But you don’t want to get
rid of dopamine – and I would argue you don’t even want to get rid of
stimulation if it’s not an issue.”
In fact, there are some people for whom aspects of the practice could be
problematic. “If you’re suffering from feelings like apathy or lack of
motivation, then withdrawing yourself even further from social
engagement wouldn’t be something people would recommend,” she says.
Instead of fasting, swapping unhealthy behaviours for something that
makes you happy, like a new hobby or group, might be a better way to
think about it. Perhaps the problem isn’t your brain, but the stimulus
you’re giving it.
Which, when you think about it, really does sound like a millennial
rebranding of old-fashioned commonsense. But that doesn’t mean it is bad
advice, either. “It’s nothing new,” says Clavien. “It goes back to the old
religious traditions like Lent or Ramadan. But there’s a reason people do
these things. You don’t have to self-identify as all of these trends, you don’t
have to join the cult, but you can look at it and take what works for you.” ■
MARCH 2020
 TONE CHECK
Achieve fitter, firmer and fresher-looking skin this autumn.
 VOGUE PROMOTION
Thermage is not suitable for all patients. Please consult your practitioner to see if Thermage is suitable for you. ©2020 Solta Medical, a division of Valeant Pharmaceuticals North America, LLC.
All rights reserved. Distributed in Australia by Bausch & Lomb ABN 88 000 222 408. Level 2, 12 Help Street, Chatswood NSW 2067, Australia; call 1800 251 150. THR.0017.AU.20

W
hile we have health goals, such as going
on a fun run or to a Pilates class, it’s time
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skin to soften wrinkles and lines, help tighten SAFETY OF SURFACE LAYERS.
the skin, and kickstart the body’s natural collagen
renewal process. It typically takes 45 minutes to 2
treat around the eyes or face, and up to 90 minutes A SPECIALLY DESIGNED
for larger areas of the body. There’s little or no TREATMENT TIP IS PLACED
downtime needed for recovery, so you can book in AGAINST THE SKIN IN
a lunchtime appointment. Patients can see results TARGETED AREAS.
soon after a single treatment, but most will see
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01 RENEWABLE
CHARGE
People
and fashion
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POWER
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THE
YOUTH
Zendaya and the new
age of enlightenment
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 Simone Voss luxury fragrances immortalise evocative scents imbued with unique
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 Vogue
03/20
162
 Light
th
ay
A future in their hands looks bright: the young
generation’s time is now and they know it.
Stepping up, they act their values, speak them, embody
them. Far from wide-eyed, they are all-seeing. Gut and
grit, substance and preternatural style. Their outlook
underpins the way fashion is advancing: with optimism
in the face of unprecedented adversity, flying in the
face of doubt with hope and a bright spark. Light up.
MARCH 2020 163
Gen

Zendaya wears a Dion Lee dress, $1,090. Falke tights, $35. Bottega Veneta shoes, $2,300. On right arm: Tiffany & Co. bracelet, $7,950. On ring finger: Tiffany & Co. ring, $3,800. Repossi ring,
$4,135. On index finger: Repossi ring, $20,675. On left hand, on ring finger: Repossi rings, from $1,670. All jewellery, worn throughout. All prices approximate; details at Vogue.com.au/WTB.

164
 Zen

Welcome to the new generation of style, where attitude reigns supreme, as embodied
by the ultimate Gen Z woman, Zendaya. Start with an insouciant mix of mellowed out
colour and electric brights, then add languorous lengths and sultry sheers and you have
the new youthful spirit. Styled by Christine Centenera. Photographed by Daniel Jackson.
MARCH 2020 165
Prada top, $650, and skirt, $1,220. Falke tights, $35. Bottega Veneta shoes, $2,300.

DA N I E L J A C K S O N
Christopher Esber dress, $890. Fragrance: Lancôme Idôle EDP.

DA N I E L J A C K S O N
Christopher Kane dress, $3,400. Falke tights, $35. Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood shoes, P.O.A.

DA N I E L J A C K S O N
Bottega Veneta dress, $2,860. Falke tights, $35.

DA N I E L J A C K S O N
Gucci dress, $4,300, tights, $235, and shoes, $1,175.

DA N I E L J A C K S O N
Wardrobe.NYC coat, $3,150. Stella McCartney top, $1,655. Emilio Cavallini tights, P.O.A. Bottega Veneta shoes, $2,300.
Hair: Larry Sims
Make up: Sheika Daley
Manicure: Ashlie Johnson
DA N I E L J A C K S O N
 Zendaya’s ascent is a case study in how the new generation step up to claim their
own agency: getting a seat at the table, walking the walk, quietly achieving to
reshape the game. Elaine Welteroth speaks to the actor about owning her moment.
Z
endaya, my queen!” Two precocious 20-year-olds are
slurping down a shared bowl of dumplings in downtown
LA, lost in deep discussion about the show every college
student with access to an HBO account is raving about.
Despite explicit parental advisory warnings and
unflinchingly dark subject matter that swerves head-on into
underage sex, drugs and profanity, the teen series Euphoria has hit a
nerve with audiences of all ages across the globe including Australia,
where it’s the second most-watched new series on Foxtel. The show’s
breakout success is undeniably due in large part to its star, who
reigns as both Gen Z ‘queen’ and the most bankable young talent on
the planet right now: Zendaya.
While I admittedly self-identify as an “old millennial”, I too found
myself transfixed by Zendaya’s haunting, career-defining
performance as Rue, the pill-popping, high-chasing teen struggling
to find herself and her footing in friendship and family while
battling mental illness. I have studied Zendaya’s impressive multi-
hyphenate career arc since my days as editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue,
taking note not just of her meteoric rise but also the prescient
strategy, laser-focussed precision and courage she’s employed to
pull it off, all without losing herself along the way.
But no-one can appreciate Zendaya’s dazzling ascent, from Disney
child star to red carpet style icon to newly minted fashion designer
and, now, bonafide superstar, quite like the fans who grew up
alongside her. And I can’t help but listen in from my dinner seat.
“It’s like, I wanna be friends with her, but I also look up to her,”
one of them says breathlessly, to enthusiastic nodding. “She’s the
most real, authentic, naturally stunning, relatable human out there!”
In truth, none of it is far off the commentary I hear about Zendaya in
Hollywood’s innermost circles.
While she has never played into the pretty, popular teen tropes on
screen and likes to keep a fairly low profile in real life, Zendaya is
arguably one of the most popular people on the internet, boasting
more than 65 million Instagram followers. Which means that when
she descended upon Sydney late last year to deliver her GQ Woman
of the Year award acceptance speech, which left the whole crowd
enraptured, and then managed to squeeze in some sightseeing on
the Sunshine Coast with her Australian Euphoria co-star and
rumoured boyfriend, Jacob Elordi, the whole world watched.
178
Whether you met her on Disney as a young teen maths genius by
day turned butt-kicking spy by night in K.C. Undercover; or on the
red carpet, where she famously called out racism in the most
graceful of ways back in 2015; or as a high-flying trapeze artist in
The Greatest Showman; or on billboards as the face of Lancôme’s
Idole fragrance, one thing’s clear: Zendaya has been defying the
odds and subverting stereotypes since day one, both on and
off camera.
Here’s what she had to say as she plots her next decade of level-ups.
Elaine Welteroth: “2019 was one hell of a year for you, sis! How are
you feeling at the beginning of a whole new decade?”
Zendaya: “I’m feeling like I can’t wait to get back to work! The past
six months have been my first real break since I was a kid, you
know? This is the first time that I wake up and have the day to just
do stuff, and it’s super-weird. And if I’m honest, I don’t love it.
[Laughs.] Everyone is like: ‘Oh, it’s good to get time off’ and I’m just
like: ‘All right, I’ve had enough!’ So for me it’s been about just being
more grounded and working on things on a more personal level
before the priority becomes work again. It’s an adjustment. I am
testing a completely new life in a lot of ways.”
EW: “I’m curious, now that you’ve had this much time to reflect,
when you think about how far you’ve come from being that young
girl growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area to the life you live
now, what moments stand out?”
Z: “I guess I look back and I’m proud of what I have been able to do,
but I always look at things like [it’s just] the beginning, which is
sometimes a blessing and a curse. Because even if I have big
accomplishments, they’re very minor to me. It’s just that I have more
to do. I guess that’s what makes you not be too full of yourself. So I’m
grateful for that quality, but there are also times where it’s important
to take in the moment and be like: ‘Wow, I did that! I’m proud of
myself for that work.’ Because I’ve been able to take this time and
work on myself as a human and be with Zendaya alone in a lot of
ways, now I just want to get better at my craft. I want to work hard,
push myself further and level up on a personal level. Which I think
is a much more exciting place to be, and the pressure is different.
I think I have always felt a lot of pressure to make the right move,
take the right steps. This year is about getting better; it’s not
necessarily about the moves.”
EW: “Everything you’ve said is really wise for anyone at any age.
But being 23 and having that kind of grounding is really special.
I asked a couple of 20-year-olds what they would want to talk to
you about if they had the chance. One of the things they said was:
‘Tell her thank you for not ruining our childhood! There’s nothing
more depressing than watching the Disney stars you grew up
with as a kid go off the rails. It forces you out of your childhood
too soon.’ And it’s true: you made that ascent so gracefully. Now,
you’re the girl they want to be best friends with, but you’re also
their role model. How do you react to that? I’m sure it’s not the
first time you’ve heard that sentiment.”
Z: “The first thing I will say is it’s important not to judge any other
person’s career or trajectory, because when you’re a young actor you
are growing up in front of the world. Sometimes that’s not easy.
Everybody has their own path. I think for me I had a very clear
vision of what I wanted to do. I had a very good sense of self and
I think I also took a lot of lessons just from being in the industry for
so long. I’d rather just walk the walk [laughs], which I think is why
I haven’t been as much on social media. I’m just letting the work do
what the work does. I also think it’s really just been about taking my
time, not rushing, and trusting the right thing is coming even if it
doesn’t feel like it. When I wasn’t in the position where I could say no
to things, I would say yes and then, unfortunately, if it didn’t feel
good all the way through my body and my being, it would always
come back to haunt me. I’ve also learned to deal with that in the past
few months by trying not to allow myself to worry or stress about
the next move or what it is. Knowing that the right thing is going to
come; and it’s going to happen at the right time. And until then, just
focus on yourself and not worry so much about what it looks like to
the rest of the world.”
EW: “How did you know Euphoria was right for you?”
Z: “My whole everything was like: ‘I have to do this.’ I couldn’t
explain it. I had no fear: it felt right. When it clicks and when it feels
right, it’s right. [It’s about] trusting those instincts. I got worn out on
music, because the industry felt like it wasn’t really for the music,
and it didn’t make me happy. So I allowed myself to step away from
it until that passion comes back or until I’m ready to step back into
it. There’s no real blueprint at the end of the day for any of this shit.
As people, we don’t know what we’re doing. It’s not like I can say:
“I have always felt a lot of pressure to make the right move, take the right steps”
“This year is about getting better; it’s not necessarily about the moves”
‘This is the kind of career I want to have, so I’m going to do what
this person did.’ I didn’t really have a map to know what the right
thing was. The only kind of guide I had was my instincts and gut.
So I’ve just been trying to follow that, and I think that has served
me very well.”
EW: “I would say so! Also, I feel in some ways going off the rails
is a privilege, and for people of colour in entertainment, there’s
not a lot of room for error. Do you feel that way?”
Z: “Yeah, I have definitely learned that that’s the reality. I guess it’s
subconsciously a part of why in a lot of ways I don’t allow, or want to
allow, myself to make mistakes. Making mistakes is the scariest
thing. I don’t know about you.”
EW: “It’s also the Virgo in you!”
Z: “Yeah, I definitely think that’s a part of it. I think what’s really
special right now is there are a lot of really, really talented black
female creators who are really doing their thing. So it’s my job to
support them. I feel our job is to support each other together,
whether it be working together, creating things together. Also, as I
grow and get older, I think about how I can continue to create
opportunities for more people in this industry. How can I do what a
lot of black female creatives are doing, like the Ava DuVernays of the
world? Because it’s not a lack of talent: it’s the lack of opportunity.
I think some people just need a shot.”
EW: “Last time I saw you, we were at the screening in New York
for Euphoria. What does it feel like watching yourself play Rue
and seeing people react to the show?”
Z: “It’s been very, very special. I think the most special thing is
when people come up and say: ‘Hey, I really needed that.’ Or: ‘That
was my story and I just want to say thank you.’ The fact that the
story was so personal and that it couldn’t have been written by
anyone who hadn’t lived it, people are going to respond to it. The
creator, Sam Levinson, put words to feelings that people have a
tough time being able to articulate, whether it be around mental
health or depression. I’m just extremely lucky that I was able to be a
part of that story and really humanise what Rue is going through,
which is what I think a lot of people have gone through or are going
through. For every person who says something to me about what
the show meant to them, it warms my heart – and it means we’re
doing something right.” ■
MARCH 2020 179
180
WONDER
d
.

. .
.
Louis Vuitton blouse, $2,480, knit top, $3,850, and skort, $4,800.
House of Priscilla headpiece, $200. Reliquia earrings, $139. Adut’s
own earring, worn throughout. Olivier Theyskens shoes, $2,400.
All prices approximate; details at Vogue.com.au/WTB.

MARCH 2020 181

E M M A S U M M E RTO N
 LOUNGE ACT
Sun-worshipping Sydneysiders are
known for a devotion to the outdoors:
channel their embrace of all things skin.
Christopher Kane’s sky-print, thigh-high
mod mini is the ultimate nod.
Christopher Kane dress, $2,475, and earrings,
$365. Ryan Storer ear cuff, $670.
Dilara Findikoglu shoes, P.O.A.
EMERALD CITY
Sydney when she sparkles is the
subject of much adoration, and why
not? The glittering harbour is
matched by a tendency of its
inhabitants toward the outré, so
embrace show-off shine in verdant
E M M A S U M M E RTO N

sequins and doorknocker earrings.

swimsuit, $595. Ryan Storer ear cuff,

$670. Thomas Sabo earrings, $329.
E M M A S U M M E RTO N
 PARK LIFE
Cool off during a day touring the sites in one
of Sydney’s green sanctuaries. Although
blockbuster platforms aren’t made for
walking, they’re necessary if vying for
attention with a backdrop this spectacular.
Paco Rabanne top, $1,269, and skirt, $4,260.
Zimmermann swim top, $105. Aggie Choi hat,
$350. Ryan Storer earrings, $670 each. Reliquia
earrings, $139. Olivier Theyskens shoes, $2,400.
E M M A S U M M E RTO N
 FREE WHEELING
Historic Luna Park Sydney has stood
the test of time, a reminder that
unadulterated fun never goes out of
style. Be prepared for it with a
disco-inflected batwing sleeve and
more than a hint of glitter.
Burberry dress, P.O.A., and hat, $740.
E M M A S U M M E RTO N
FLOAT ON
Relishing a chance to show off swimming chops,
or just to cool off, people flood to the city’s
abundance of outdoor pools. Peacocking is
second-nature – so what if your gilded dress and
wrap-around heels are only made for lounging?
Fendi dress, $5,400, and swim top, $850 in a set. Salvatore
Ferragamo headscarf, $595. Ryan Storer earrings, $670
each. Ritual Projects earrings, P.O.A. Area shoes, P.O.A.

E M M A S U M M E RTO N
E M M A S U M M E RTO N
 FOUNTAIN OF LIFE
With the city’s nightlife back on track,
dressing to dance until dawn is once
again a prerequisite. Channel the
gloss and glamour of the Sydney
Mardi Gras that begins here in Hyde
Park in kicky cocktail attire.
Alessandra Rich bodysuit, P.O.A., and brooch,
P.O.A. Alexander Wang skort, $1,280, and
hat, $240. Reliquia earrings, $139.
Hair: Alan White
Make-up: Gillian Campbell
Manicure: Victoria Houllis
Prop stylist: Sophie Fletcher
 Power shift
Want to know what’s motivating young change-makers today? Listen to them.
Sustainability editor Clare Press sits down with five young leaders to hear what drives
their activism and their ideas for the future. Photographed by Imogen Wilson.
Clare Press: “What does activism mean to you? Moreblessing, you’re
the only one among us who uses the word in your Instagram bio.”
Moreblessing Maturure: “I remember when the phrase ‘alt right
activist’ started being used to describe neo-Nazis, and going
through my whole digital presence and removing the word ‘activist’.
Recently, I reconsidered. I now list activist first. A big part of my
practice is that, and I got a lot of this from Black Lives Matter – not
everyone can be on the front line.”
Varsha Yajman: “I actually don’t call myself an activist. I am a
normal teenager. A lot of my friends, who don’t do interviews or
media, do exactly what I do [in terms of climate action].”
Isabella Wiggs: “To me, an activist is someone who puts their assets
into what they believe in, and I think your biggest assets are your time
and skills. Using those two things to effect change, to promote effort
in something you care about – that’s activism to me and I’m all for it.”
Jason Clark: “Fashion is activism: you’re basically wearing a
billboard on your back. Your style, what you wear, your tattoos, the
way you adorn yourself can all be activism if we think about it as
self-fashioning. My pride now with that word is around trying to
carve a space in an industry that hasn’t given space to certain people
[before]. I’m a menswear designer and I’m queer. There are people in
my community who don’t have a voice, and I want to use my
privilege to give them that stage and say: ‘This is yours now.’”
Maia Ihemeje: “The big thing is to be what you stand for. I feel like in
this moment there’s a lot of all bark, no bite. It’s one thing to say you
do something, but to actually do it, that’s a whole other ball game. It’s
easy to be like: ‘I just shared a post on Instagram.’ No. You need to …”
IW: “Have integrity.”
MI: “Exactly. You need to take action. For me, that’s my United
Nations diploma, the networking, even being here today. I feel like
with this whole topic there is no limit, because humans are the best
and worst things, right? So one step at a time, and there’s never a
start or a finish.”
JC: “Everyone is doing something, whether it’s bringing your green
bags to the store, or marching in the climate strike. In the past year
I’ve tried to work with myself and my friends to be kinder with
ourselves. Empower yourself, say: ‘Yeah! You know what? I am an
activist.’ I haven’t done it all yet, but I keep doing my bit.”
CP: “What causes motivate you?”
MI: “Social justice. Equality. Environment. Refugees. All of it. With
the internet and social media, we are all so connected, it’s impossible
not to know what’s going on. Also, being a woman of colour, things
196
happen, you see and experience things, and it makes you mad. There
are so many people out there who feel the same way.”
IW: “We might be the first generation that hasn’t had the luxury of
being able to ignore things. Stemming from that there is a
universality to a lot of the issues. No-one isn’t affected by it. And
I think that reflects the interconnectedness that we, as young people,
already feel through things like social media.”
MM: “With the climate strikes, seeing the turnouts increase to
numbers that hadn’t been seen since like the Iraq war protests – it’s
because of digital organising.”
VY: “The climate movement is intersectional. It’s a strongly female-
dominated movement, it’s embracing the LGBTQI+ community and
Indigenous voices. That’s interesting because I think we tend to
divide ourselves up as much as possible, like with immigration
restrictions and passports to go here and do that. Then suddenly we
have a social movement that brings everyone together, and it’s like:
‘I don’t care about your race, gender, ethnicity, where you live,
whatever. We are all one.’”
CP: “How do you use the visual to communicate what you care
about? Let’s talk about your earrings, Varsha.”
VY: “My ‘Stop Adani’ earrings are Haus of Dizzy [by Indigenous
designer Kristy Dickinson]. They’re a great way to say what I stand
for. They are handmade, and that’s also important to me.”
IW: “It’s really cool when people ask you about what you’re wearing,
and you can be like: ‘Okay, I’m going to tell you how it was made, I’m
going to tell you where I got it from, and why I’m wearing it.’ It
creates opportunities to story-tell.”
MI: “Self-expression is important. You look at a person and what
they’re wearing, then you take a second look and you’re analysing.
Is it fast fashion? Is it destroying the environment?”
CP: “Jason, you use the phrase self-fashioning. What does it mean?”
JC: “It’s a concept I learned about when I was researching queer
style: this idea that fashion is beyond just the clothes you buy.
Fashion and clothes are two very different things. Buying a top from
H&M isn’t necessarily fashion, but buying a top from Vinnie’s
definitely can be. If we take clothing away from its intended purpose
and reclaim it, that’s self-fashioning. I’ve lived in Sydney for eight
years, and going to all these queer parties, meeting all these amazing
queer identities, I’ve been documenting in my mind what they’re
wearing. Maybe you’re going to an op shop, getting Adidas track-pants
and cutting them to make a long slit-skirt … you’ve self-fashioned it
into this article of clothing that has become its own statement.” →
 CP: “Is society becoming more accepting of difference? How does
everyone feel about body image?”
VY: “[Last year] I did an interview with the ABC about how we don’t
talk about eating disorders enough. It’s almost become a trend to be
really, really skinny, or have this certain body type – and apparently
that says everything about you?! I think it consumes us.”
IW: “Social media makes it worse.”
VY: “Exactly. It’s suddenly all about, how short is your skirt? How
are your thighs? And people are trying to highlight their collarbones
and cheekbones. It’s impossible and unrealistic.”
MI: “I’ve been modelling since I was 16, and it feels like my agents
have always said to me: ‘It’s time’. But it never is because I’m not six
foot and stick-thin. I’ve been on set a few times and talked about my
aspirations, and been like: ‘I want to be in Vogue’ and they’ve said:
‘Look at you! You’re too big and too brown.’ I’ve literally had that
said to me. So it’s amazing that it’s changing, because I’ve seen some
of the things young girls do to themselves to try to fit in.”
CP: “Moreblessing, you’re running a magazine, Folk, and have
also modelled, so what would you say to Maia?”
MM: “I’m always hesitant to say the times are
“To me,
changing. I’ll be interested to see to what end point
inclusivity stays profitable, and when it stops.”
MI: “I do think it’s changing. Okay, it’s slow and it’s activism is
still got a long way to go, but diversity sells. I believe it
does. It’s just a matter of someone wanting to be the
about putting
first person [to say] let’s do it, because it will work.” your assets into
VY: “But are we just making more categories to fit what you care
into? Because you have the people who are quite
skinny, and you have people on the bigger side, and most about”
they’re body positivity all the way. But then I was
watching this thing [online], and somebody wasn’t big
enough to be a plus-size model. Then there’s ‘slim thick’ … It’s like
every time we make a new category for people to fit into, we’re not
allowing [ourselves that] flexibility to just be who we are.”
CP: “Moreblessing, in your TEDxYouth event you argued that
white people are still deciding whose stories matter.”
MM: “Diversity sells, but walk me through it: how am I a diverse
actor? What is the norm that I am diverse to? And how diverse is too
diverse? That won’t change until the people opening the door and
sending the invites, selecting the playlists, saying when the party
starts and stops … until those people change.”
MI: “How many times do you go to a casting and it’s like: ‘ethnic
model’, ‘ethnic actor’, ‘this age’ …? Why can’t I just get: ‘young
female’, or ‘young person’, or just ‘person’? Do you understand that
what you’re asking for is very insensitive?”
JC: “Especially in the fashion industry. There’s so much tokenism. The
most cringe-y thing is when there’s a runway show of 30 girls and
three of them are women of colour. And it’s always the same character
– the South Sudanese bald girl, the one with dreadlocks, the one with
natural hair. There’s more to the story than just those three tropes.
Diversity is a hot-button issue, especially for fashion students.”
CP: “What kind of future do you want to shape?”
IMOGEN WILSON
IW: “There’s something in people being allowed to do what they
want to do. I don’t want to sound trite, but it seems like as people
become more liberated, it comes with this expectation of what you
should do. We all care about things. As I said before, to me, activism
is about putting your assets into what you care most about and
thinking that through: what can I do with my time and abilities to
effect change in the areas that matter to me? There are some fights
you want to fight and others you don’t, and that sometimes comes
with guilt. I think our generation is overwhelmed. I also think that
maybe the magic happens between the space where you’re almost
crippled by all of this, and the one where you’re empowered by it.”
VY: “I just want to see the right people in charge. I know it’s hard to
say who the right people are because we’ve all got subjective views
on that, but I think just humans who are not economically driven
24/7. There’s more to life than capitalism. There’s humanity and
there’s environment and there’s wellbeing.”
CP: “Okay, what about power and money?”
MM: “I think power is never given, it’s taken, and it kind of has to
be taken from the current powers that be.”
CP: “Isabella, you do some work in the philanthropy space, right?”
IW: “I am part of Philanthropy Australia’s New Generation of
Giving program, which is about trying to get young
people more involved, because most private wealth is
held by the same types of people. I realised it’s one of
the things I can help do something about. When we
look at the funding for climate organisations in
Australia, just two to six per cent of philanthropy
goes towards climate. The biggest single philanthropic
cause is World Vision, [and money also flows to]
religious organisations and paediatric issues.
Anything to do with kids and health, basically. The
smallest areas are Indigenous welfare and climate,
which is shocking to me. I would say they should be
two of our biggest priorities. New Gen’s approach is:
there are going to be trillions of dollars inherited by the next
generation so how do we equip them to put that into the places that
[philanthropic money] hasn’t [traditionally] been [abundant].”
CP: “Where do you want to see a power shift?”
JC: “I want to see a more sustainable fashion industry. I want to see
more support for really amazing younger companies and businesses
who have world-changing ideas. Most of all, I want to see more
humility and collaboration in the design world. I don’t have all the
answers, and I’m so ready to bring people into the conversation and
say: let’s do this together.”
VY: “We need younger people in power. It doesn’t make sense to
have a 50-year-old dude in power – why is he deciding my future for
20 years’ time? I was inspired to see Finland has younger women in
power now [Finland has the youngest PM in the world in 34-year-old
Sanna Marin]. How amazing is that?”
MM: “I’d like to see us embracing the complexity. In order to
adequately address and engage with the world we’re in we need
to start establishing processes and structures that can support the
complexity that is here, otherwise people will fall off.”
MI: “When I say this, I’m including Mother Earth: this whole ‘us and
them’ mentality needs to stop because that’s where the problems
come from. Come together, embrace what everyone has at the table.
Even here, we all bring different things. I feel like acceptance, being
open and actually listening – that could do wonders.” ■
MARCH 2020 199
Hear
her Ra
A stint in New York’s historic ballroom scene brought
Bhenji Ra back home with a mission: to create a local
stage for self-expression. By Jen Nurick. Styled by
Philippa Moroney. Photographed by James Tolich.
Bhenji Ra is poised on the tips of her Giuseppe Zanottis, effortlessly easing out of
a duck walk, when we first meet on the set of her Vogue photo shoot. For the
uninitiated, the duck walk is a universal dance move in the voguing lingua franca,
a style of dance born out of 1960s Harlem. The move looks the way it sounds, only
with a dancer’s rhythm – body bent in a squat, weight balanced on one’s heels,
feet alternating forwards and backwards in the manner of the humble bird.
When executed to the beat, the duck walk, as Ra demonstrates, can lift the mood
in a photo studio, but it can also conjure up a history that predates the movement,
that of Harlem’s underground voguing balls in 1980s New York.
“I feel so lucky that I fell into something so legendary,” says Ra, tracing the
simultaneous developments of the ballroom scene to the queer community. In
the wake of the 1920s Harlem Renaissance, a new wave of African-American
expression across arts, literature and culture, there was a progressive shift in the
neighbourhood. This infiltrated Harlem’s dance scene in the 1960s – then largely
populated by the LGBTQI community – and set the scene for a thriving ballroom
subculture, where dancers competed for titles, that reached its zenith in the
1980s. Since then it has carried forth into the mainstream, with Madonna’s 1990
hit Vogue and FX’s Pose.
Growing up on the New South Wales South Coast, Ra’s understanding from an
early age that her mother, who had moved from the Philippines, felt the need to
assimilate, ironically swung her to the opposite extreme, encouraging her to stand
out. Given she was a first-generation Australian who since childhood felt at odds
with her national and gendered identities, Ra knew she couldn’t conform, so
didn’t. This meant disidentifying with her assigned gender at birth and using
gesture and performance to show a discord between “the body that I was … and
the gender that I want to be embodied by”. She reflects: “Forming that identity
within the backdrop of suburbia, rural Australiana was interesting. It allowed me
to see that otherness and difference was actually something I was attracted to …
I was propelled to be more authentic and more unique and to stand out even more.”
This compulsion manifested through dance. Ra travelled from Batemans Bay
and Moruya to Canberra and Sydney to take classes before bringing hip-hop
back to her home town. At 18, she moved to study at Manhattan’s Martha Graham
School of Contemporary Dance, the oldest professional dance school in America.
Located in the city’s West Village, the school is roughly a 30-minute subway ride
from ballroom’s native Harlem neighbourhood, where Jennie Livingston’s 1990
documentary Paris is Burning was based. For Ra, the downtown institution →

200
became emblematic of the kinds of queer expression available to her
generation, representing a personal interstice of old and new – and
the birthplace of her true identity.
“I was on the periphery of the ballroom community, because a lot
of my friends were voguers,” she explains. “My identity moulded
very quickly, because people would see something within me that
I couldn’t see in myself.” Embedded within Manhattan’s cultural
melting pot, Ra realised she’d come to synonymise queerness with
badness because she felt she had been socialised to do so.
“I would see trans women of colour fighting back on the street and
questioning someone’s gaze,” she recalls. “That was so invigorating
for me, because I was like: ‘Oh yeah, I can clap back,’” Ra says. There
is humour in her response (she’s borrowed a term from rapper Ja
Rule’s 2003 hit of the same name), but it belies the challenges her
forebears faced establishing the
freedoms she now enjoys. “What
makes New York such a hot spot …
are the historical communities, like
the ballroom community,” she says.
“They were created as a kind of
social structure that would protect
and nourish young people so they
could have a sense of home, and then
ideas of family structure could be
born out of that.”
When she returned to Australia in
2010, Ra realised that the same
cultural awareness that surrounded
the LGBTQI, African-American and
Latinx communities in New York,
didn’t exist here. “That was really
jarring, because I didn’t feel like
there were bridges made between
communities. I felt that people were
quite isolated, and that in order to
thrive here I needed to build
something that reflected that sense of
community in New York,” she says.
Ra formed House of Slé in 2014. Slé
is comprised of 18 members, most of
whom identify as queer, trans and
people of colour, and Ra is the house’s mother. The title harks back to
Harlem, where for many of the subculture’s community members,
dance crews became their chosen families and a place of refuge.
“[These are] some of the most vulnerable people in the world,” she
explains. “Coming together and voguing collectively is so important,
because it’s building on that collective healing, that joy and that safe
space outside of the rest of the world.” Ra insists it’s not only for
spectacle. Slé is a supportive, intersectional hub, a way of organising
and subverting heteronormative ideas of gender. “No-one looks the
same. It’s culture-meets-gender-meets-politics-meets-art practice, and
so many people from so many different networks can filter through
that,” she says.
In 2017, a major sponsor approached Ra to found the Sissy Ball (now
in its third year) as part of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. But
being fiercely protective of the House and her elders in New York (the
generations of voguers that came before her), who warned against
becoming “consumed to the point of having nothing left”, her initial
answer was no. “I felt that it was too much of a big stage for our small
community,” she says. “At the start, I thought: ‘Oh, we should water it
down for the mainstream audience’ … but now it’s holding its form.”
This led Ra to seize new audiences, performing at Vogue Australia’s
60th celebrations in a flash mob at Sydney’s Bondi Icebergs. “[Vogue] is
a social, critical, cultural platform. The meeting of those two groups
(Vogue and Slé) is so crucial at this time, to share the voice and to open
up the platform and make things relevant,” she says.
In 2020, the Sissy Ball and House of Slé have no social media
presence, provoking questions surrounding visibility Ra still reckons
with today. “I still believe so much visibility is a trap,” she says. “Until
these communities or minority groups are actually creating the
platforms for themselves to be visible or inviting the right community
to step in, I think that’s when things
will change.” Any anxieties she might
have about Slé’s exposure run parallel
with conversations about universal
definitions of what it means to
identify a certain way. This is a
challenge she admits is endless, given
everyone’s lived experiences are
different and old labels are losing
hold as identities become fluid. That’s
why Ra recognises value in what she
describes as slippery identities that
morph and change to evade
prescriptive labels. “The idea of
queerness or even the LGBT
sometimes is quite limiting in its idea
of who is that and who does that
encompass … Because so much of
visibility today is an invite from
someone else, an invitation to sit at
the table, but when your community
has built the table for you, you can
control the messaging.”
Returning to her home town for a
holiday, Ra was recently caught in the
devastating Australian bushfires.
Forced to evacuate her family home
near Batemans Bay, she used Instagram to educate her 18,200 followers
on how they could help those on the frontline. “[I realised] that even if
I have a small platform, it could be quite transformative,” she says. Ra
raised awareness for local businesses and started a GoFundMe page
where more than $20,000 has been raised as this issue was going to
print. “Helping your community on a micro level hopefully speaks to
how we begin to create systems of care for each other,” she says.
Her Instagram posts tell how many of those affected by the fires
are people like herself, who identify with intersectionality, and are
often the most vulnerable. She’s hopeful social media will spotlight
these communities and incite change now, as she continues to
cultivate safe spaces for queer self-expression more broadly. This is
part of her mission to foster a future where people’s identities are
nurtured and need not fit into a finite box. “There’s a joy in me
[knowing] that that happens,” she says. “I think somehow that
leaves more space for imagination and possibility.” ■

202
Picture

this FA S H O N E D TO R : K A L A M AT T H E W S W O R D S : A L I C E B I R R E L L
The top-billing accessories of
spring/summer ’20 were those that
showed a designer’s imagination
D E TA I L S AT V O G U E . CO M . A U/ W T B

running wild. In the same spirit,

collage artist Siduations recreates
the season’s best accoutrements
in a whole new context.
204
CAUGHT ON TAPE
Louis Vuitton spring/summer ’20 bags.
CASH OR CARD? Balenciaga spring/summer ’20 earrings.
CO L L A G E S : S I D U AT I O N S

HOLE LOTTA LOVE Off-White spring/summer ’20 boots.

MARCH 2020 207

 CO L L A G E S : S I D U AT I O N S

SHE SELLS SEA SHELLS Prada spring/summer ’20 shell earrings.

208
FLASH DANCE
HAVING A BALL Marine Serre spring/summer ’20 ball bag.
CO L L A G E S : S I D U AT I O N S

BUG-EYED Marc Jacobs spring/summer ’20 glasses.

MARCH 2020 211

 Faille bows on
an ivory Valentino
haute couture dress,
embroidered with
fuchsia velours, crêpe,
pearls and sequins
of rhinestones.

212
 Dream
weaver
Valentino creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli is responsible for bringing
an all-inclusive humanism back into fashion, doing it in large through
P O RT R A I T: I N E Z & V I N O O D H , CO U RT E S Y O F VA L E N T I N O S . P. A .

the unlikely, lofty world of haute couture. By Alice Birrell.

“Never.” Pierpaolo Piccioli is weighing in on whether an haute
couture idea is ever abandoned for being too difficult. “It is never too
much. Here, it was the idea of embroidering, not on the dress but so
it was floating around the dress so it’s like a dream, almost 3D. It
moves,” he says pulling a sprig of silver, atop which sits a tiny rose-
coloured flower. The gown in front of him jangles in response. The
delicate floret is one of hundreds springing from a look that is part
of a couture collection he is showing in Beijing the next day. En
masse, they complete the jaw-dropping effect of blurring the
silhouette. Like a cloud of flowers.
“Do you like it?” he asks, posing a question that seems too feeble for
such a design feat. Limits aren’t in the Valentino creative director’s
vocabulary, a fact underscored by each gown hanging around the
nondescript room where a makeshift atelier, including 45 workers,
has been transplanted from Piazza Mignanelli in Rome to the Sanlitun
shopping district. Final alterations are being made to each piece: hems
are finished, white sequins on guipure are being checked. “With
couture, even a little alteration takes time,” says the designer.
One dress, in cherry red gauze, has a multitude of bows covering
the surface that on closer inspection reveal themselves to be →

MARCH 2020 213

 Mood boards for the collection.
connected, folding into individual flourishes before climbing up the
skirt. “They’re made out of a single piece of fabric,” Piccioli points
out with a quiet satisfaction.
The designer’s serene manner belies the gyre of adoration that
surrounds him at present. It is true that women cry, both looking at
and wearing his clothes (multiple editors left in tears after one
show, while Naomi Campbell embraced Piccioli, tears streaming
down her face, after his lauded spring/summer ’19 couture
collection). Only four years into his solo tenure at the Italian house,
having previously been one half of a design duo with Maria Grazia
Chiuri before she left to head Dior in 2016, he is already
reprogramming the fashion system.
A model walks into view on a mini runway in front of him in a
sweeping cape. “Especially because we were in China, I felt that
I had to do a collection that was very Italian and about the grandness
of Italian culture,” he says, motioning to the Renaissance masters
Piero della Francesca and Fra Angelico, whose paintings of cherubim
in demure pink robe hang on a mood board behind him. He saw a
grandness in the location of the show – the Aman Summer Palace, a
resort within the historical holiday enclave of the Chinese Imperial
family – akin to the grandiose nature of the Italian Renaissance.
“I think it’s an encounter that can create an interesting connection.
It’s about underlining the diversity of the cultures, which is good,
because being different and being diverse is a value.”
214
It is not unusual for Piccioli to speak one minute about the intricacies
of a brocade acanthus leaf intarsia, made to mimic the furling leitmotif
of Renaissance art, and then comment on the way the world works.
“You have to be respectful to a different culture. I think this is
important – but not for fashion. I think it’s important for life.”
It’s an expansiveness that is coming to define him. Do some
detective work on collections created with Chiuri, who he had worked
alongside since beginning at Fendi in 1989 as graduates of the Istituto
Europeo di Design, and the Piccioli look delineates itself. Collections
adhering to obvious themes and girlish empire lines have been
replaced with heightened shapes, volume and a freedom of expression
that he doesn’t allow to be constrained by time or place.
“For me, I’m a designer. My job is creating images, and through
this people can feel emotions and can also reflect about something,”
he says. With political isolationism on the rise globally, Italy is
no different, with the divisive right-wing League party entering
the mainstream arena. In its face, Piccioli imagines togetherness,
then creates the image. “Inclusivity for me means embracing
a world, so it’s about living together in tolerance. To make inclusivity
happen – and not just thinking and talking about inclusivity,
because sometimes you talk about it, but you don’t act – I think
it’s [about] just acting.”
For his spring/summer ’19 couture show, Piccioli recast Cecil
Beaton’s oft-cited photograph of women, all white, wearing →
A tulle cape of 3D embroidery
pale rose gauze, on a dress.
embroidered in
feathers.

All looks from

Valentino’s
Daydream haute
couture collection.

A crystal
headpiece.

MARCH 2020 215

 Adut Akech
backstage.

216
gowns by Charles James – but instead pasted a picture of black step with the occasion he brought all his atelier workers out for the
models over the top on his mood board and cast the show with finale of couture autumn/winter ’19/’20.
almost three quarters black models. For autumn/winter ’19/’20 Piccioli knows how significant this might be to his staff to stand on
couture, Lauren Hutton, 76, and Cecilia Chancellor, 53, walked. such a stage. “I come from a small seaside place,” he says of the town
“I always encourage women to be themselves, because it is much an hour south of Rome, Nettuno, where he still lives with his wife
more interesting – a real woman – than the role she plays, because and three children. “When I was a kid, I was dreaming of fashion,
those are stereotypes, always,” he says. “That’s also the reason why but fashion was very far from me, from all my world. But I had
I don’t use models for two times in a show.” a kind of enchantment in my mind.”
The exception is 20-year-old Australian model Adut Akech, who For him, the act of imagining that a young man from a coastal
opens and closes Valentino shows regularly, becoming the first black town could move from his literature degree into the world of high
model to do so. A refugee from the war in Sudan, and now the face fashion, despite the discouragement of his peers, was the difference
of the house’s fragrance Born in Roma, Akech grew up in Adelaide between it becoming a reality or not. “I have to keep that
but saw few role models like herself. “Even back when I first started enchantment. I think it’s the sensibility and the imagination that you
there were a select few black models who were doing good, and you put into things that change the perception of things. I think that’s
know, nobody else was noticed,” she says. Since meeting Piccioli, the the most important part of our job.”
two have become close. “My biggest thing, that he’s told me, is to The following evening trailing capes and fête galante dresses show
always be myself,” she says. “Just knowing I have someone like to 600 guests. Many gowns are in a hue he has dubbed ‘daydream
Pierpaolo, who is always going to support me, and sees something pink’, that is somewhere between Caravaggio red, also the Chinese
special in me; it’s great motivation. colour for good luck, and a Fra Angelico dusty pastel.
“In Adut, I feel a fragility and her fears and her “It becomes just one thing,” he says. “I like that
strength, which are very interesting,” he says. Many colours are just projections of the eyes, so it’s kind of
of the assistants offering up different coloured “I think it’s time abstract. I feel that they can touch emotions. You
gloves, adjusting hems around him are not far off in to adjust the don’t know why, you can’t explain, but you can have
age to Akech. To him, they are as important for some stereotypes and cliché about colours: red is
couture as the older petit mains. “They’re used to
perspective, powerful, pink is pretty. I like to break the cliché,
seeing everything through flat screens. They want open the mind the roles.”
to get humanity. They want to get emotions, so
they’re probably more attentive to when they feel.
and the heart A tulle point d’esprit dress in punchy cerise is
hyper-romantic. A cape made from giant bows of
They feel couture more as an opportunity to express to an inclusive cyclamen, rose and blush taffeta is regal. He flips
themselves. Even if you don’t buy couture, they like conception of ideas and purposefully dismantles them: in
the idea of expression of the couture,” he says. Valentino you can be strong and romantic, whimsical
It might sound trite to say couture can enjoy
fashion. That’s but not mawkish. “When you break stereotypes, you
universal appeal, particularly when speaking of what I stand for” go deeper into the emotions I feel. You are open to
dresses with price tags the same as some house feel rather than just see things.”
deposits, but Piccioli is convinced. “I’m not saying It must be all-consuming to ponder emotions so
the craft, but I’m saying that idea of boldness, deeply. Does he ever want to disconnect? “I have
extravagance, care of couture, uniqueness …” he trails off. “Considering never wished I could take a break from it, as I would never take
fashion as something useful and merely pragmatic would mean a break from my whole life. Because that’s what my job is to me,” he
impoverishing it … I hope that people can feel the emotions, the says. A moment to pause then? “When I realise I need to rest and be
human beings of couture. It’s about craft and hands of people that quiet, I enjoy being at home with my loved ones, and look at the sea.”
feel something, so I feel that probably this is the most important He still dreams. “I think if you don’t dream, you can’t believe in
thing to connect people, to create one world. Because if you think of dreams,” he says. He imagines a fashion future with even less
emotions, you don’t think different worlds, you think just one.” boundaries. “[A] strict division has separated high and low,
A prolific Instagrammer, Piccioli recently posted a look from haute traditional and contemporary,” he reflects. “I think it’s time to adjust
couture spring/summer ’20. For the caption, he wrote: “A couture the perspective, open the mind and the heart to an inclusive
that comes from the conscious: individual – from who creates, and conception of fashion. That’s what I stand for.” Pablo Picasso once
collective – from the ateliers, because the dream of couture needs said: “Everything you can imagine is real” – a fact highlighted on
many different individualities to become real. Each step leaves another Piccioli Instagram post. The work is the message. “I love the
a unique imprint. After all, according to Carl Jung, uniqueness is idea of the daydream of one world made of different people living
what makes all human beings identical.” together with tolerance. I hope that. All of us hope.” And with that a
The designer also credited all those who worked on the garment: model in a pale rose hooded cape made of feathers floats into view,
Rita M, Salma, Stefano G, Rocco. It’s something he does regularly, in taking away the breath. We are in the room, in his dream. ■

MARCH 2020 217

Suits
you
The unexpected hero of the
new season? The lean 70s
suit in psychedelic colours
and graphic wallpaper
prints. Tailored with
precision, the elongated
lines are the antidote
to the glut of volume
elsewhere. Bianca would
approve. Styled by Aurora
Sansone. Photographed
by Giulio Rustichelli.
 Signs of
the times
In an age of increasing uncertainty, Millennials are turning to an unlikely source
of divine wisdom for comfort: the zodiac. Now worth an estimated $3 billion in
the tech sector, sassy one-line readings on mobile phones are helping to reassure
the youth of today, one notification at a time. By Natalie Reilly.
It was the second week of 2020 and a large portion of the Australian In my group chat, Sally said the worst was yet to come: the next
eastern seaboard was burning. Catastrophic fires covering more 9/11 – or something like it – was fast approaching. Her source? The
than 10 million hectares had devastated entire ecosystems and zodiac app on her phone. Sally, 30, is a senior member of staff at a
townships. Meanwhile, trapped families were huddling together, government agency. She holds a master’s degree. But the spirit of
holding vigil in the bays of beaches, waiting for the ash to stop Armageddon had taken hold. Clarity about our futures was as
falling like rain; for the sky to fade from its surreal, apocalyptic transparent as the smoke blanketing our country. A resolution, even
red. For help to come. a frightening one, was better than no resolution at all.
In capital cities on the east coast, the smoke was so strong people And if practical information regarding terrifying events like
slept with their windows shut. The air quality in Canberra peaked at climate change and the possibility of war was not being dispensed by
25 times above what is considered hazardous. our leaders, well then, the zodiac app would step up, and give us the
It was the same week that US President Donald Trump, in the truth, or some truth. Or, some sassy one-liner about the truth,
middle of an impeachment process, ordered the assassination of depending on where the fourth planet in our house was at the hour
Qassem Soleimani, a hugely popular military commander in Iran. we were born.
Serious discussions of World War III broke out like hives across So what if astrology has been proven time and again to be absolute
social media. garbage? We are living in a time of such frightening uncertainty;

226
a time when trust in politicians and the government is at an all-time Ask a 20-something woman why she had to pick a fight with her
low. What’s one more level of uncertainty? co-worker and she’ll tell you the honest truth: Mercury is in
People born in 1990 or later feel as if their Boomer parents created retrograde. And if you don’t believe her, that’s cool because her app
a world for one generation – theirs. Boomers seem to have no idea told her she’d have trouble with a stubborn Leo today.
how much the world has changed and how much harder it is for “Horoscopes offer relief,” says Ali, 24, a consultant at a law firm
their kids. and a self-confessed classic Gemini. She downloaded an app six
Home ownership, for example, for those aged between 18 and 34 months ago when the zodiac trend took off in her friendship circle
has dropped from 56 per cent in 1982 to 34 per cent in 2011. and she noticed it all over Instagram, where your taste in junk food
Generation Z have said that saving enough money for a deposit is a or cocktails could be discerned by your star sign.
major barrier to buying their own home, and, with the median cost And while she doesn’t take them too seriously herself, she puts
of a housing deposit inching ever higher, it’s little wonder Millennials their popularity down to Gen Z’s thirst for “divine insight” in an
are being referred to as ‘generation rent’. The main culprit: wage increasingly secularised world. Well, that and blame-shifting. “They
stagnation. Since 2001, growth in incomes has almost halved. And offer an opportunity to throw up your hands and say: ‘It’s not my
according to the Deloitte Global Millennial Survey, just eight per fault, it’s the moon!’”
cent of young Australians believe they’ll be better off financially Ali continues: “I’d love to say it doesn’t change my behaviour, but
than their parents. it definitely does. It would be difficult to read
Who will show us the way? something that is tailored to you and ignore it
That weird goat in the night sky that has the tail of completely, the same way that if someone passively
a fish but is also just a cluster of stars – that one we
“Horoscopes -aggressively insulted you, you would change your
call Capricorn, she is our leader now. It might seem offer relief. behaviour a little bit.”
ridiculous, but according to psychologist Samantha
Symes, there is a reason Gen Z is putting its faith in
They offer an Scoff if you will – you’re probably a Virgo – but
believing in something bigger than yourself, an
the stars. “Millennials have grown up uncertain opportunity to unseen force that doesn’t demand perfect saintly
about their financial future, their careers, the throw up your behaviour or church attendance, is a thoroughly
environment, the so-called ‘Aussie dream’ even. So refreshing concept.
why not turn to something that though just as
hands and say: Especially when, according to the last census, 35
uncertain, may feel like it has some certainty?” ‘It’s not my fault, per cent of people under 24 said they had no
It’s also, according to Symes, a convenient way to
derive meaning from what can feel like chaos. And
it’s the moon!’ religion. That’s up from 19 per cent in just over
a decade.
though the predictions appear convoluted, if that is I’d love to say it And while adherence to religion may have faded
how everything already feels, why not lean into it? doesn’t change away, fear about the future of the planet has only
“As a generation, our obsession with social media grown – and with good reason. The ticking of a
and the internet means we are consistently being
my behaviour, but literal Doomsday Clock (the end of the world as
bombarded with different opinions and options. We it definitely does” we know it) is reportedly seconds away from
need something to steer us and tell us what we midnight. The clock, set by the Bulletin of Atomic
should do, that’s where horoscopes come in,” says Scientists, is just 100 seconds away from
Margaux, 28, a public relations manager and Libran, who eight catastrophe. While nuclear threat via North Korea and US relations
months ago downloaded two zodiac apps: Co-Star, and the more with Iran pushed it to 11.58pm, climate change and its impact seen
analytical Pattern. They both deliver daily predictions to her phone in Australia’s fires have shortened the time we apparently
based on her birth chart, which maps the positions of planets around have left.
the sun depending on when you entered the world. In a world that is mere seconds away from total annihilation, what
“My friends and I usually compare our ‘day at a glance’ and often difference, in the end, does one funny pointer about your future
find that they do resonate with us to some degree, depending on make anyway? If we’re all going to hell in a hand basket, we might
what’s going on in our lives at the time,” she says. But it can be as well find comfort on the way down; a bit of flattery before we
difficult to take it too seriously, she adds, especially when, the app combust into flames.
tells you: ‘Go for a walk outside’ on the day when Sydney’s air But Symes says the appeal is not just about the uncertain times we
quality was worse than Mumbai.” are living in or the general lack of trust in authority figures, but the
Nonetheless, zodiac signs, crystals, cleansing with sage, moon nature of Millennials themselves. “I think it has more to do with
worship, aura readings and energy fields are lighting up lives and their openness to things uncertain or unknown,” she says. “They are
phones right now, and nobody appears more interested than used to uncertainty. This is a good quality in itself. If we choose to
Generation Z. The days of Athena Starwoman seem quaint in the live in certainty it is a set-up to fail because nothing is certain and
face of a $3 billion ‘mystical services’ tech sector, in which most users the result is only more anxiety. Being open to what comes, being
are female. Co-Star, for example, has gained more than five million open to uncertainty, is easier said than done,” she says. “But it’s
registered accounts since its creation in late 2017. something to aim for.” ■

MARCH 2020 227

 The Honorbread sourdough bakery in Bermagui.

Bangalay Dining, the

Glamping at
fine-dining restaurant
at Bangalay Villas in Tilba Lake SOUTH COAST, NSW
Shoalhaven Heads. Camp in The beaches and inland towns of the coast
Central Tilba.
stretching south from Sydney to the border of
New South Wales and Victoria have always
attracted urban dwellers seeking to get away
from it all for a week or two and blissfully sync in
to a relaxed local vibe.
The Shoalhaven region, the stretch of the South
Coast most accessible from Sydney, was badly hit
by this summer’s bushfires, although the
coastline from Wollongong to Jervis Bay was
fortunate to remain untouched. Base yourself at
Locally sourced Bangalay Villas, next to Seven Mile Beach
fare at Birch in
National Park at Shoalhaven Heads (www.
the Southern
Highlands town of bangalayvillas.com.au), for lazy days at the beach,
Robertson (www. fine dining and forays to the charming town of
birchrestaurant.
com.au). Berry and beyond to Kangaroo Valley, or at
Bannisters at Mollymook (www.bannisters.com.
au/mollymook), which offers a mix of hotel-style
rooms and luxurious beach houses on site. From
Sunrise over Tathra Beach in From Mollymook, which with neighbouring Ulladulla
Tathra, between Narooma and
Bermagui, on the New South Moruya to escaped the terrible destruction visited upon
Wales South Coast.
Eden, the adjacent areas, head to the tiny town of Milton,
home to Milk Haus (milkhaus.com.au),
coastline is a wholefood canteen with its own rustic
dotted with accommodation, the 1930s-era Dairy Fields
low-key (dairyfieldswoodstock.com.au). Also in Milton is
the highly recommended Small Town Food +
towns, Wine (smalltownmilton.com.au).
including From Moruya to Eden, the coastline is dotted
Moruya, with low-key towns, including Moruya, Narooma,
Central Tilba and Bermagui, all of which were
Narooma, thankfully spared from the fires inland. For a
Central stay with a difference, check out Tilba Lake Camp
Tilba and (www.tilbalakecamp.com.au), which offers luxe
Bermagui, camping and ‘pods’ (tiny homes). It’s a good base
for exploring the old dairy town of Central Tilba
all of which – be sure to visit the Tilba Real Dairy shop on the
were spared main street (tilbarealdairy.com). →

MARCH 2020 229

VOGUE VOYAGE

EAST GIPPSLAND, VICTORIA

The long beaches of Victoria’s Lakes
Entrance and the surrounding towns of
Bairnsdale and Lindenow were spared
from the firefronts that famously threatened
communities such as Mallacoota, further
along the coast. Stay at The Riversleigh in
Bairnsdale (www.riversleigh.com.au) and
pop next door to The Loft restaurant, which
champions East Gippsland produce, as
does the nearby Northern Ground
(northernground.com.au). Ferryman’s
Seafood Cafe, housed in an old car ferry on
the waterfront at Lakes Entrance (www.
ferrymans.com.au), showcases the coast’s
famous seafood. And Toms Cap Vineyard The Loft
Retreat in Willung South, Central Gippsland restaurant in
Bairnsdale, East
(www.tomscap.com.au) is also a great Gippsland.
option as a base for exploring the region.

Looking out over the Adelaide Hills

from Mount Lofty House’s Sequoia
private retreat, which is due to open
in June this year. Right: Fred Eatery
in Aldgate (fredeatery.com.au),
Mount Lofty House GM Jesse
Kornoff’s favourite local cafe.

ADELAIDE HILLS, SA
This wine region just outside the South
Australian capital was hit by a large
bushfire, and a number of wineries have
been destroyed or lost vineyards, however
Crafers, Mount Barker and Hahndorf were
untouched. Base yourself at Mount Lofty
House in Crafers (www.mtloftyhouse.com.
au) and the helpful staff can tell you which
cellar doors are open for business. (And
Penfolds Magill Estate, home of Grange, is
only 15 minutes from Mount Lofty House.)

230
 On January 3, Southern Ocean Lodge, on South Australia’s everywhere, from past guests and the media and people we’d
Kangaroo Island, was destroyed in a bushfire. Here, Hayley worked with on a day-to-day basis. It really touched us, and our
Baillie, who with her husband James owns this unique luxury team, and showed us just how the lodge had a special place in the
lodge, describes their loss and their intention to rebuild. hearts and memories of so many.
James and I immediately vowed to rebuild Southern Ocean Lodge.
IT ’ S B EEN T WO months now since James and I were at Capella Just a day after the fire, James visited the site with Kangaroo Island-
Lodge on Lord Howe Island, on holidays with our four boys, and born architect Max Pritchard, the original design mastermind of the
had the call from the managers at sister property Southern Ocean award-winning lodge. So we’re already excited about creating
Lodge that bushfires were fast approaching on three sides. That Southern Ocean Lodge 2.0!
evening we learnt that the lodge had been razed, but that everyone, We’re very conscious that this story is not all about us at Southern
including guests and some 50 staff, had been safely evacuated. Ocean Lodge, but about the KI community as a whole. We worked
The images of Southern Ocean Lodge – before and after the fires closely with many small businesses on KI, from the gin distillers at
– appeared in media reports here and around the world. For James KI Spirits and farmers at Southrock Lamb to the students at the
and I, and ultimately our team of staff, suppliers and trade partners, Parndana school, and each made the experience of Kangaroo
Southern Ocean Lodge was a very personal labour of love. We had Island a genuinely memorable one for our guests. In all, we worked
planned the property and guest experience from the ground up, with around 150 local businesses, from food and beverage
working with local designers, craftspeople and food and wine producers to artists, tour operators and local adventure specialists.
producers to offer a real taste of Kangaroo Island. Local mechanics, tradespeople and suppliers were often working
The award-winning lodge was really a dream realised and a life’s behind the scenes.
work for us. We’ll never forget the Kangaroo Island locals are a resilient bunch, and we feel genuinely
very first time we set foot on the site honoured to be part of this tight-knit, inclusive community. With
on Kangaroo Island’s wildly
beautiful southwest coast with our
We’re very much of Kangaroo Island unaffected by the fires, we’d like to
encourage people to plan a trip to KI, to visit all the key attractions
baby son Finn and imagined a luxury conscious that like the sea lion colony at Seal Bay, to see the eagles at Raptor Domain
lodge that would offer an experience this story is and swim with wild dolphins at KI Marine Adventures on the north
of the island to guests from Australia not all about coast. There are plenty of places to eat and drink, with Sunset Food
and around the world. We welcomed & Wine and the Cactus Cafe among the highlights. Visitors can try
three more sons over the journey,
us at Southern the wine at the Islander Estate cellar door or the world’s only pure
with our youngest, newborn son Ocean Lodge, Ligurian honey at Island Beehive.
Caz, very much part of the picture but about Southern Ocean Lodge will take some time to rebuild. In the
when we opened the lodge in 2008. meantime, we’ve dedicated the website home page to community
In the days and weeks after the fire
the KI news, so travellers can discover even more reasons to plan a trip,
we were overwhelmed with support community as have a great time on KI and support the locals – we think it’s
and well wishes from people a whole a win-win-win. See more at www.southernoceanlodge.com.au.

Kangaroo Island’s Kingscote

Jetty. Left: Sunset Food
& Wine at Kangaroo Head
(www.sunsetfoodandwine.com).
G R E G S N E L L / TO U R I S M A U S T R A L I A J O S I E W I T H E R S
A ARON C T T HE D L NEHAN K ANE OVER ALL

MARCH 2020 231

VOGUE PROMOTION
 VOGUE SOIREE

A glamorous crowd gathered under a custom marquee on the tarmac.

Sydney Symphony Orchestra and opera singer Taryn Fiebig.

From left: Neale Whitaker and Heather

and Catriona Rowntree.

In celebration of Sydney Airport’s centenary, esteemed

guests were invited to a lavish black-tie gala at what was
teased to be a top-secret location. Upon arrival, they were
transported to a custom marquee positioned on the
tarmac next to a vintage DC3 aircraft, where they toasted
the recent arrival of the airport’s one-billionth passenger.
Cassegrain Wines and Moët & Chandon champagne were
Tim Draxl served alongside a menu carefully curated by Mike
McEnearney of Kitchen by Mike fame, while performances
by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Taryn Fiebig and
Tim Draxl provided the evening’s entertainment.

Above: Melissa Doyle.

Below: Taryn Williams and guest.
P H OTO G R A P H S : B E L I N DA R O L L A N D
WORDS: ANJEL CA X D AS

Martin and Michelle Walsh. Indigenous dancers.

MARCH 2020 233

VOGUE SOIREE

The voguing dance mob event at Icebergs Bondi with Sydney-based dance troupe House of Slé.

Celeste Barber welcomed guests to Sydney’s Bondi in her role as acting

editor-in-chief of Vogue Australia for the day.

Gift bags contained a special edition

Vogue and a Frank Green reusable cup.

From left: Edwina McCann, Celeste Barber

and Edward Enninful. Below: Genevieve and
Alexandra Smart.

A fashionable crew aboard the Mischief superyacht by Ahoy Club.

Jessica Mauboy gave a special performance.

P H OTO G R A P H S : E S T E B A N L A T E S S A H U G H S T E WA RT R A C H E L YA B S L E Y
A flash mob made up of Vogue readers descended on
Sydney’s Bondi Beach to celebrate Vogue’s 60th
anniversary on December 12, 2019. Moonlighting as
Vogue’s editor-in-chief, comedian Celeste Barber gathered
guests to Bondi’s iconic Icebergs pool for a special WORDS: JEN NUR CK ANJEL CA X D AS

voguing performance led by House of Slé’s Bhenji Ra and

a supporting dance crew. The event concluded with an
intimate performance by Australian pop star Jessica
Mauboy. Afterwards, the festivities continued onboard
Ahoy Club’s Mischief superyacht, where Australia’s
pre-eminent designers, joined by special guest British
Vogue editor-in-chief, Edward Enninful, took in Sydney’s Ellie Malouf, left, and guests enjoyed
beautiful harbour. Moët & Chandon Ice Impérial.

234
Edwina McCann welcomes guests in front
of a floral sculpture by Tracey Deep.
Simone (left) and Nicky Zimmermann.
The Destination NSW team.
From left: Kate Miller-Heidke; DJ Flex Mami.
From left: Anna Plunkett, Charles
Dennington and Jenny Kee.
From left: Petta Chua, Andreja Pejić,
Rebecca Caratti, Kate Darvill and Lorde.
Thelma Plum
Hugh Stewart and Collette Dinnigan.
Adut Akech
An intimate supper hosted at the harbourside home of Justin
Hemmes in Sydney, New South Wales, concluded Vogue’s
60th anniversary celebrations. Guests including past cover
stars Lorde, Adut Akech and Gemma Ward, gathered at the
property reimagined by NIDA graduates who assisted in
the production design. Throughout the evening, attendees
enjoyed sets by DJ Flex Mami and Electric Fields, as well as
performances by Thelma Plum and Kate Miller-Heidke. As
Moët & Chandon flowed, the stylish set enjoyed canapés by
Danielle Alvarez, head chef of Merivale’s Fred’s, and were
lensed by photographer Hugh Stewart to commemorate
the night. The event was made possible by the New South
Wales Government and Destination NSW.
Brooke (left) and Maggie
Electric Fields’s Zaachariaha Fielding. Tabberer enjoy Moët & Chandon.
MARCH 2020 235
 ZANETTA
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 ARIES
21 MARCH–20 APRIL
You’re ready to dive into new plans
and rock a bolder look this month.
Explore a different approach
to health, too. Money comes in
abundantly but may go out just
as fast. With changes socially
and around your work, consider
involving friends with your career or
elevating a co-worker to BFF status.
STYLE ICON: Jessica Chastain
CANCER
22 JUNE–22 JULY
You might find yourself in a new
and more powerful role at work this
month, or seeking a career move
that puts you in that hot spot
elsewhere. A sense that you’ve done
all you can where you are could
even push you to start your own
side hustle. You’re open to learning
more and earning more now too.
STYLE ICON: Selena Gomez
LIBRA
23 SEPTEMBER–23 OCTOBER
Things could get intense with
a long-term love or with a new
connection. Romance is a serious
business for you from this month
on, and you’re prepared to work at
making things permanent. Don’t
neglect self-care, as some independent
pampering could be the glue that
holds a dynamic duo together.
STYLE ICON: Felicity Jones
CAPRICORN
22 DECEMBER–20 JANUARY
You’ve been surfing what feels like
a lucky streak so far in 2020. This
month life gets even better. Where
you might feel restricted is your
A S T R O LO G E R : S T E L L A N O VA
finances, but that’s a safeguard to
stop you going OTT. The sky’s the
limit with romance, and a burst of
whirlwind energy lets you lavish
love on your home now too.
STYLE ICON: Ellie Goulding
TAURUS
21 APRIL–21 MAY
A spot of clear thinking gets you into
the mindset to achieve anything you
want to this month. Your powers
of attraction are high now too, but
you’re in no mood for time-wasters
so, solo or spoken for, raise the bar
on romantic requirements. At work,
angle for extra study or training to
help you up the corporate ladder.
STYLE ICON: Behati Prinsloo
LEO
23 JULY–23 AUGUST
New discoveries light your fire this
month and it may be time to get off
the fence with an on-off relationship,
at least for a trial period. A trip away
could firm up a current romance or
open space for a new one. Your career
is set to stun, with your money mojo
working beautifully and a practical
side emerging to get you to save.
STYLE ICON: Cara Delevingne
SCORPIO
24 OCTOBER–22 NOVEMBER
Pump up the passion available to
you now to help you get through the
chores. Your body and soul craves
variety, magic and romance, but this
month all that, plus friends and big
dreams, may need to go on hold.
Instil a routine at home and stick
to it to give a clear base to launch
everything else you want to achieve.
STYLE ICON: Katy Perry
AQUARIUS
21 JANUARY–18 FEBRUARY
You’re a born rebel but you’ll be
inclined to conform to the norm
now. Turning the extraordinary into
the acceptable becomes your mission
in 2021, so this is a trial phase. Home
is where you’ll be at your best this
month, and the novelty of nesting
may also be a stark contrast to your
usual independent lifestyle.
STYLE ICON: Amal Clooney
GEMINI
HOROSCOPES
22 MAY–21 JUNE
Sticking to one thing is a big ask
since you’re so multi-faceted, but
if you focus on a single goal now
you’ll have more chance to achieve
fabulous results. Readjusting your
current work role will put you on
the right road, career-wise. Romance
is on your mind too but, for now, it’s
best kept away from public sight.
STYLE ICON: Awkwafina
VIRGO
24 AUGUST–22 SEPTEMBER
You may need to power down this
month, but it’s not like you haven’t
earned a little time for rest. Instead
of trying to please everyone at the
expense of your health, keep in mind
that wellbeing is the key to keeping
everything else harmonious. Get that
right and romance and your artistic
desires will soar beyond expectation.
STYLE ICON: Beyoncé
SAGITTARIUS
23 NOVEMBER–21 DECEMBER
New love or renewed love is in sight
now and an exciting creative idea
could also turn into a grand passion.
To avoid confusion over travel plans,
check schedules or your own vehicle
beforehand. You could need to rein
in your wide-ranging pursuits. Tough
as that may seem now, long-term
you’ll be so glad you did.
STYLE ICON: Taylor Swift
PISCES
19 FEBRUARY–20 MARCH
You could be undecided about a close
relationship this month. Take your
time on whether to hit play, pause
or stop, as there’s no turning back.
Money matters improve and you’re
more persuasive than usual about
getting what you want. Putting extra
effort into ambitions and friendships
now will reward you in every way.
STYLE ICON: Emily Blunt
MARCH 2020 239
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ST YLING K AI L A MAT TH E WS
PHOTOG R APH ARQ U E T TE CO O KE

MARCH 2020
WORDS: AL CE B RRELL
A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT V O G U E . CO M . A U/ W T B