Prologue

“How about ...umm... Something to do with a floordrobe, everyone has a floordrobe?”
“I don’t really have one, I’m pretty tidy...”
“Oh, ok well, it has to be something witty, but not too witty, something you’ve obviously come up with...”
“Don’t put fashion in the title, everyone does that, it’s stupid, no one will read it.”
“I don’t think anyone but you guys will read it anyways”
Cue drunken laughter... and so it went on, I had formally decided in my head and now admitted out loud that I wanted to be a fashion blogger.
“Well I always have something to say, and I’m always doing stuff, so it would be a good way for me to get myself out there, you know? Show off the label and my writing and styling and whatever else I come up with.”
Unfortunately I was missing the first and most crucial part of this so called blog, it was beginning to fail before it had begun.
“I need a really good name guys, what do you think?”
After about 4 hours of going around and around AND around we had a short list. Two bottles of vodka and 2’oclock in the morning revealed that Take Off My Dress would be ranked as quirky and satirical enough without sounding like I had paid someone else to come up with it for me, and besides it had been my suggestion in the first place, so I felt attached to it.
“Yer that’s kinda good, like that girls copying your style so she should (drunken hand quotation marks signed) “Take Off Your Dress””
“Hahahahahaha”
“Yer, and well, it works for the white box theory too”
Cue more drunken laughter
“Yer, this is good”
“Do you think so? Maybe people will think I’m being mean if I start the white box theory, what if someone white boxes me!?!”
“Well at least you know people are reading you”
This conversation was between two of my good guy friends and I, they just happened to be avid blog readers and male fashion slaves, so they seemed the perfect choice to brainstorm ideas for my newest venture – the fashion blog. They’re always at my shows and despite my degree in fashion, they seem to constantly teach me new things about this crazy world of fashion that we all know and love. So now I had a name, a few concepts, it was time to begin...
I am the designer for an upcoming label Evelyn Curtis, I’m not sure label is even appropriate considering I usually just design for the newest show I’ve been asked to do, but I am trying to fit more design time into my everyday life. I work retail to pay my bills, volunteer at every fashion thing I can squeeze in; I style shoots, drink a lot of coffee, am a work experience girl with one of Brisbane’s best fashion boutiques and generally can’t sit still. I read Vogue religiously and love trawling through op shops, I’m also a bit of an eBay addict and love discovering quirky jewellery laced with sparkles. I love working with silks, satins, lace and cute buttons, I suppose my design aesthetic is pin-up 50’s style lingerie and the occasional sexy party frock, but really, I just make things because I like making them. I pretty much belt every outfit I wear and am completely obsessed with bows and now I’m a fashion blogger.
This blog won’t be all about who’s doing what on the catwalk and what I think about it, because honestly I think there are enough bloggers giving their opinions on what they think the great fashion houses must have been thinking, and I’m not sure I feel entirely qualified to be giving my opinion on something I don’t have enough skill to do. This blog will be dedicated to my experience in the fashion industry. It will cover so many different things from what I love in street style and catwalk, to what I think people should not be caught dead wearing (stay tuned for the white box theory coming soon), to what I’ve been up to; what I’m designing, where I’m getting inspiration from, what I wish I could be buying, what I’m confused about (Matt Prestons cow shoes) and the occasional rant when something stupid pops up into my fashion realm. I do read other blogs, and I know there is no point in me saying this is a blog like no other, but it’s about me, my style and my life in the industry. So feel free to have a read, laugh at my misfortunes, and rejoice when everything goes well, or use my boring stories to put your children to sleep. Enjoy.
<3 EC <3

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