We’re loving Mambo’s new summer campaign shot at Venice Beach – and we have exclusive interviews with their new spokesmodels, Ashley Hart and Barbara Palvin. (We wanted to ask the latter about whether THOSE rumours about dating Justin Bieber were true… but we didn’t.) Read on for all the gossip!
Mambo has just finished shooting their new summer campaign at Venice Beach in the US – and Rescu. got the chance to get in on the action.
We threw their new spokesmodels, Ashley Hart (sister of killer Aussie export Jessica) and Barbara Palvin (the hottest new Victoria’s Secret model), some questions about beauty, the red carpet and, of course, Mambo…
RESCU: What’s your go-to casual style?
Ashley: I love a boyfriend baggy jean with a white t-shirt and black and white converse, such a classic and cool look.
Barbara: Boots, skinny jeans, tank top, leather jacket and a beanie.
RESCU: What products will we always find in your make-up bag?
Barbara: L’Oreal BB cream and Lip Balm.
Ashley: I put Invisible Zinc on my face everyday because it’s tinted, so it’s like 2 in 1 and it’s perfect. I love bronzers – I use Lagoon’s Nara bronzes. I love a cream blush, like the Stila one, because you can put a cream blush on your eye, lip and cheek. And eyebrow gel! I don’t wear a lot of eye make up, but if I’m going out then a bit of mascara.
RESCU: How would you describe your red-carpet look?
Ashley: I love going all out and I love a long elegant look, because it’s the one time you can go all out. I love a real glitzy look.
Barbara: I never want to look too old. If my outfit is really elegant and feminine then I keep my make up and hair very youthful.
RESCU: How do you prepare for big shoots like the Mambo one?
Ashley: Light meal the night before, lots of water, and a really thick moisturiser on my face the night before and the morning of the shoot.
Barbara: Lots of sleep, water and moisturiser.
RESCU: Who are your fashion inspirations?
Barbara: I don’t really care about the brands, if I like it I buy it. Even if I didn’t know it was Mambo I would still buy clothes from the range because it’s just me and what I like, fun and flirty. I really like unique things that are one-offs as well.
Ashley: I love Australian designers; I think anyone looks great when they are comfortable, because it comes across on their face and they way they hold themselves. I think staying comfortable and true to your style always works, and when I see people who do it that way it inspires me.
RESCU: What do you love about Mambo style?
Ashley: Mambo for me is exactly what I like to wear. It’s beachy, it’s colourful, it’s fun and feminine. The bathers are not only cool, but they are comfortable and great for being active on the beach like yoga or surfing. So that’s a real bonus! I think that the brand just sums up my style, and I just love it.
Barbara: It’s sporty and hot and easy to wear – like me!
Image: Barbara and Ashley for Mambo Summer 2013 at Venice Beach. Visit mamboaustralia.com
The news broke last week that many designers are trying to help the Florida Everglades solve a particular environmental problem: too many Burmese pythons.
Florida’s wildlife is being overrun by the species, and designers are stepping in to cull the snakes and use their skins – all in the name of environmentalism. Now the quest for sustainable skins is spreading to our shores.
The hot new material? The skins of farmed Australian saltwater crocodiles.
You wouldn’t look at a 6-foot saltwater croc and necessarily think ‘handbag’, but that’s exactly what luxury houses the world over are doing – and they’re buying up big.
Louis Vuitton has snapped up a far north Queensland farm, while Hermes has gone further and purchased three.
Up to 10% of all crocodile goods are made using Australian farmed skins – and apparently the demand for them is rising every year.
So next time you get your hands on a crocodile Birkin, feel patriotic – the skin might hail from a farm in Cairns.
Image: The crocodile Hermes Birkin.
Move over, monochromes of the past. 2013’s versions are checker-boarded, simple-edged and all about minimalism.
The big inspiration? Louis Vuitton’s eminently wearable checkerboard print. We fell in love as soon as it walked down the runway – and when celebs including Kirsten Dunst, Jessica Alba, Kristen Stewart and Kerry Washington stepped out in the black-and-white sensation we knew we were onto a winner.
So how can you wear this season’s black-and-white? The trick is to think clean and simple. Winter whites are easier than you think.
If you want to get into the checks, Marni’s checked cotton-voile dress is stupendously flattering and chic – or there’s ASOS’s cut-price, shorter version, a skater dress for layering under long-sleeved shirts.
A plain black jeans-white top combo won’t cut it this season. Think in accents. For example: Zara’s white shirt with the black leather collar (still very in this season), paired with statement trousers like Haider Ackermann’s white-dots-on-black silk version, is a great outfit for a big occasion.
Find a great black tuxedo jacket – Lanvin, Mango and TheOutnet all do great versions – and layer it over black-and-white pieces like Each X Other’s paint-striped white leggings, or Stella McCartney’s printed dot T-shirt.
Futuristic is the way forward – we’re loving the sleek shapes of Junya Watanabe’s mesh-and-gauze white and black top, and Toga’s vinyl-trimmed black pencil skirt.
However, retro still has a strong presence. Missoni’s zigzag pants and Marni’s cotton and twill T-shirt, with its big half-circles in black, hark to the beginning of the 60s.
Want to do the two-tone on shoes only? Get into Marc Jacob’s striped flats, Miu-Miu’s white-toed slingbacks or Reed Krakoff’s two-tone Websters. Have fun with textures and experiment – and anchor with heavy eyeliner and a bare lip. You’re ready to storm the catwalk.
Image: Vuitton on the catwalk.
