Culture Shock Couture scores our first FRONT COVER!

Wooo Hooo... Read all about it... CULTURE SHOCK COUTURE SCORES OUR FIRST FRONT COVER!

Beautifully shot by the fabulous photographer Peter Collie, this latest issue is jam-packed with gorgeous gowns, helpful articles and lots of real brides & grooms' weddings... plus the fashion shoot spreads include 4 Culture Shock gowns, and there's also some really interesting reading on "Eco-friendly weddings", for which i was interviewed. Our lovely ivory "Vintage Patchwork Gown" got the green-thumbs up, being made from recycled laces and fabric off-cuts, as did my work with antique or vintage fabrics such as Japanese obi's, kimonos & Indian saris, which are very environmentally-friendly.

Our "Mon Cherie" Couture gown, which is proudly featured on the front cover is custom-made from layers of dusty pink, latte and pale gold satins, silk organza's and tulles, and the rusched waist/hip section is made from a groovy new silk/metal fabric. The stunning pink pearl & Swarovski crystal necklace was custom-made to match the gown by Anna & Contessa at "Tessarella House" in Sydney's Paddington - http://www.tessarellahouse.com.au/

The lace bodice of the "Mon Cherie" gown is decorated with Swarovski crystal & pearl hand-beading, and lots of cute little hand-cut tulle flowers.... ALL expertly crafted right here in our Sydney studio , as is all our work. Of course, being a Couture design, this gown can be created in any colour, and adapted to suit each individual bride.

So for more info and even more beautiful photo's of our work - grab a copy of the latest Sydney BRIDE magazine, issue # 58... in newsagents around NSW now! Also available in Victoria (Melbourne BRIDE magazine) and throughout Australia (under the title Australian BRIDE magazine).

Ciao for now, xx Lisa

African Sewing Circle.... Multicultural fun!

Yesterday i had a richly rewarding & fun experience, which left me feeling very positive, happy & elated about the world we live in!



I joined a group of African refugee women in Coniston (Wollongong, 2 hours south of Sydney) for a community "sewing circle" to share my fashion knowledge and expertise, and to have a good old chat about the joys of sewing, pattern-making, fabrics, designing & making things with your hands! I have personally been sewing since i was 11 years old, when i took over my Mum's old Bernina sewing machine, & i find it very relaxing and soothing (unless i am in a crazy mad rush for a deadline- when it can be a little more stressful!!!)


The weekly community sewing group is organised by SCARF (strategic community assistance to refugee families) and run by a lovely friend of mine, Sarah Chisholm and a group of hard-working volunteers such as the wonderful Dot & Virginia. They use fabrics, patterns & sewing machines that are either donated, or purchased by the women or volunteers (for more info - email scarf.sarah@bigpond.com)

The refugee women, mainly from African countries such as Sudan, Liberia and The Congo, are encouraged to create their own simple designs for funky handbags, water bottle carriers, casual shirts and dresses, etc, made from groovy vintage or African print cotton fabrics. The idea is to build a sustainable micro-business for each participant of the project, in which the women can then continute their work and sell their products at local markets and festivals, to earn their own income and develop their sewing skills further. Currently their work is sold at the local South-Coast NSW Coledale Markets on Sundays... for more info, check out the website:-
http://www.scarf1.org.au/


Many thanks to Sarah & all the lovely ladies for inviting me to join their weekly sewing circle - i was in total admiration of ALL your work, your funky designs and your combined team effort to build an exciting future for these truly inspirational & hard-working individuals... hope to be back there again very soon!

KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!
xx Lisa

my latest photo shoot - Japanese Beauty!

I'm excited.... i always get excited after a photo shoot, knowing that we captured some GREAT new pix, & seeing my designs "come alive" on our models, plus having a fun day being imaginative with like-minded people, creating beautiful images together....it's definitely one of my favourite aspects of my job!

So check out these "sneak preview shots" from my latest "Japanese Beauty" shoot.... and these are just the images i took myself, on my little pocket-camera. When the official professional photos come thru, i will be adding them to my website gallery....VERY soon.

Both these one-off Oriental-themed Couture wedding gowns were custom-made from authentic vintage Japanese textiles, which i sourced direct from Japan. Can you imagine how divine this would look on a bride, on her wedding day, perhaps in a lush garden setting, or a sleek & stylish restaurant? Chic and elegant but at the same time, edgey and downright sexy.... and both these bridal gowns could easily be worn again afterwards, as eveningwear.

For this photo shoot, my model Eve had her customised make-up look specially designed by local make-up artist Simone Cozens, who did an amazing job... so if you're looking for a great make-up artist for your wedding, Simone can be contacted on ph 0424 948 593, and is available for weddings in Sydney and beyond, working with both hair and make-up... she comes highly recommended.

Stay tuned for more sneak previews coming up from another recent shoot i did up in the Hunter Valley of NSW... more NEW wedding gown designs, more exciting ideas, and more reasons to come & see me here in my Leichhardt studio!!!

Please feel free to email me via my website if you have any comments or queries, as you can tell from this blog - i love chatting about fashion and discussing my designs, and i feel very passionate about encouraging my brides to "think outside the square" and to be creative & ORIGINAL with their wedding gown ideas, to really express WHO YOU ARE and to celebrate your individuality!

cheers for now, xx Lisa

Bathing in the Golden Glow....

Happy "Australia Day" Long Weekend, everyone .... 2009 is already in full swing & the Culture Shock studio is a hive of activity, buzzing with energy & a bevy of smiling, happy brides-to-be!












In the past weeks i've met with lots of lovely new bridal clients, looking around for gorgeous gowns for their Spring/Summer 09-10 weddings. The Grecian-inspired look is still very popular, especially after the recent GOLDEN GLOBE awards, where we saw many stunning one-shouldered gowns and fabulous draped silk chiffon creations. Laura Linney's golden coloured Elie Saab Haute Couture gown was so beautifully fitted and expertly crafted, a joy to see.

It certainly was an entertaining night for fashionista's around the world to drool over....all those incredible Couture gowns were just breath-taking, i was glued to the TV for hours! The sexy Fishtail silhouette was seen in many fabulous versions on the red carpet, actually the DIVINE pale blue Dior gown worn by Drew Barrymore was surprisingly my favourite look of the night, big hair and all!!

I also loved Kate Beckinsale's fitted white J Mendel fishtail gown, which she wore so beautifully, and i can just imagine that on a bride - WOW! Slicked back hair, fab make-up, no necklace and big feature earrings... sleek, polished and just so elegant for a wedding day look.

Eva Mendes' funky Dior gown, again in white, also stood out as a potential bridal look, with that AWESOME necklace....the colours of those precious jewels against her tanned skin, exotic face & white gown was mesmerising!

Others worthy of a special mention from this designers' point of view were Elizabeth Banks' cleverly ruffled J Mendel gown, which was such a girly look but with a real vintage-lingerie look, and Maggie Gyllenhaal's blue leopard-spot Lanvin gown, which was a cool take on the one-shouldered approach.



And although i did think it made her look a tad too old and too sophisticated for her age, Rumer Willis's Reem Acra gown in Aubergine had a beautiful silhouette and the skirt section moved so well on stage. AND congrats to Salma Hayek, with those incredible womanly curves, who i thought looked pretty amazing in her Bottega Veneta gown, which fitted like a glove and was draped to perfection!


So now that we've got an appetitie for glamour....bring on the Oscars!! xx Lisa

BEST OF 2008 - Merry Christmas from Culture Shock!

How quickly has this year flown by?


As i recall all the wonderful "Culture Shock" brides that we have had the pleasure of dressing thru 2008, here are a few personal highlights (in no particular order...)


* A lovely Norwegian bride whose gown we decorated with a traditional Norwegian embroidered ribbon waistband (which she painstakingly hand-stitched herself), and finished with an antique brooch from her Grandmothers wedding....DIVINE!



* Our always-smiling, nature-loving & very funky client whose bridal corset-mini-dress we designed especially for her, in white silk, then dip-dyed in bright lime green and sunny yellow, so that she was like a little Aussie"bush-baby" for her garden wedding - the result was FUN, FLIRTY & FABULOUS - and it fitted her personality, setting & theme just perfectly!



* Our beautiful Tasmanian client whose wedding took place on her own organic farm in rural Tassie, by a small riverbed containing several platypus, who were seen by the guests playing in the water during the ceremony- aaawwwwww!!!! How very Australian is that?





* The highest number EVER of interstate & international clients who flew to Sydney especially for us - planning their flights to visit the Culture Shock studio for fittings with whatever other excuses to come to Sydney they could muster- shopping trips, business trips, visiting friends and family - or just solely to visit Culture Shock! A special thanks to all those globe-trotting, jet-setting brides, it's always a pleasure & we trust it was worth the early morning starts and extra travelling time! The world is definitely getting smaller...




* Our fun-loving, bold, curvaceous and retro-inspired bride who cleverly blended her love of the 40's AND 50's with her "victory-rolls" hair-do, funky Fifties Obi frock, red petticoat and fabulous red peep-toe shoes - you looked AWESOME, Miss N.....



* So many "East Meets West" inspired brides who embraced my love of Japan, and allowed me to mix splashes of RED amongst the ivory and whites, to create wedding gowns that celebrate Asian cultures as well as our own - and allowed me to delve deeply into my vintage Kimono & Obi collections.



* Likewise with my Indian-inspired bridal clients - we created some amazing & totally unique wedding gowns from rich, exquisitely-coloured Sari's this year, including bold purple, deep turquoise and brilliant aqua, plus the ever-popular reds, all mixed back with whites and ivories to stunning effect - and we hope these gowns will be worn again to Xmas/ NYE parties very soon!




* If there was one look that dominated my brides this year, despite the diverse range of styles we create - it would have to be the GRECIAN GODDESS look! And to make that happen - soooooo many never-ending hours of pinning, hand-rusching, draping, hand-stitching and french-seaming layer upon layer of sheer silk georgette and chiffon- thank goodness my beautiful & immensely talented & experienced staff ALL have such nimble fingers!


So as i wave goodbye to 2008, yet another creative, inspiring & rewarding year for Culture Shock, i now take my hat off to my FABULOUS, patient, caring and very dear team of expert staff, who work with me here in the studio, weaving their magic and making my crazy ideas come to life and look so good on each and every client - ladies, without you, there would be no gowns, no Culture Shock, and no fun ....A HEARTFELT THANK YOU SHERRY, JOAN, SABINA, EVE, POLI and LINDA, for a job VERY VERY WELL DONE!


AND a BIG, warm and very special thanks to all our beautiful brides ... here's to a SPLENDID year in 2009, have a magical Christmas,

love from Lisa xx

Soft and Flowy, Grecian Goddess RULES!

I've noticed so many more brides these days wanting "lighter" wedding gowns... made from fabrics that are lighter in weight, styling that's softer and more flowing than the traditional corsetry-style gowns, less restrictive construction, and of course - more COMFY!

I guess this need for wedding dresses that don't weigh more than the bride who wears them is due to several reasons:-

a)- Global warming! Who wants to be hot 'n' sweaty on their big day under multiple layers of thich, heavy fabric?

b)- "Bridget Jones" undies - whether we like them or not, the Nancy Ganz-type of super-stretchy shapewear and control lingerie (aka- "foundation lingerie") out on the market these days REALLY WORKS! So it now enables brides to rely less on corsetry in a wedding gown, and gives women the choice of having lighter-weight gowns and much more comfort in the lingerie dept, whilst still getting a great silhouette, flat tummy and nipped-in waist.

c)- Beautiful, soft, flowing gowns using sheer fabrics look SOOOOO romantic, whimsical, elegant and classic... the ethereal "Grecian Goddess" inspired look is definitely here to stay, as seen at every glamorous Awards ceremony this year... and you DON'T have to be a size 6 to rock this look!

I recently did a fabulous photo shoot to showcase my Grecian-inspired Couture bridal gowns... & as you can see, we created some beautiful looks on the day! Big thanks to the super-talented team that worked hard to create these images with me on a Sunday afternoon- Dario Gardiman the photographer, Simone and Claire the fab make-up artists, Jack the hair stylist and our gorgeous models Alicia and Zara - stay tuned as these images (and more) will shortly be appearing in more detail on my website, too!

ciao, xx lisa

White Ribbon Charity Fashion Parade

It was such a pleasure to be invited to show my gowns at the "White Ribbon Charity Fashion Parade" at the funky DOME venue in Surry Hills, Sydney, last week. There were loads of exciting local designers showcasing their work, some up-and-coming, and others more established, and the level of enthusiasm, excitement and energy on the night was AWESOME!

Organiser Sharon Garrard did an amazing job, co-ordinating and managing the whole event, and raising much needed funds AND awareness for this worthy charity, to help prevent domestic violence against women. The place was packed full of fun-loving fashionista's, and the parade ended on a high note with an Opera singer performing her aria as the Culture Shock Couture models glided down the catwalk for the grand finale - oooohhhhh, what a wonderful sight!

At the risk of sounding like a complete tosser - i felt very proud of my team, our work, the fabulous models, hair and make-up crew, and the great feedback we received on the night - so a very heartfelt THANK YOU to all involved!!!

And a very special merci beaucoup to the talented photography team at ModalSoul Photo, who captured these brilliant Culture Shock pics on the runway.... one word, guys - W O W !!

xx lisa