Palo Alto.

I selected Palo Alto Stories off my bookshelf the other day for four reasons: 

1) It has some of the worst reviews ever (people actually hated this book) and I felt up for a challenge

2) It had an aesthetically pleasing front cover, so even if the book was bad I could just stare at the front and pretend I was reading.

3) There was a huge amount of hype about the movie adaptation, written and masterfully directed by Gia Coppola (and lord knows I love any movie directed by a Coppola)

4) I was super ill and needed to be entertained

Palo Alto is a series of short stories written and curated by James Franco. Many of the stories are loosely based around Franco's adolescence and his time at Palo Alto High School. 

Franco depicts the most unsettling portrait of his teenage hood, one that is still relevant, as each story realistically captures the detachment and indifference that teenagers use to approach and get through life. Each character lives only for the moment. The book portrays the unsettling feeling we get when we finally enter the adult world and realise how truly messed up adulthood is. Generations of us have experienced it and Franco suggests the staleness of it all. 

I read this book in the space of a day. I loved it and at the end of every story I was left staring at the page trying to recollect myself, because I related, in some way, to every short glimpse of those teenagers lives. If I and so many others I know loved it, why then did the book get such bad reviews? It was honest and shocking. I couldn't help but think that it was simply because it had been written by James Franco, the reviews weren't critiquing the stories, they were questioning his authenticity as an author. 

After finishing the book I watched Gia Coppola's movie, starring Emma Roberts, James Franco, Nat Wolff and Jack Kilmer. It was equally incredible to the book.

I was interested to see how Coppola would translate the short stories into a film and she did it effortlessly, carefully selecting and adapting them to create a continuum.  Coppola was chosen by Franco to direct the film after he saw a collection of her photography, and the collaboration resulted in a perfect nostalgic aesthetic. Wolff and Roberts characters stand out as their performances are unnerving and thought provoking.

Palo Alto allows you to enter into the complexities of life, not to part take, but to observe. It shocks you because you know it is real.

-A

Our Favourite Films, Part III.

There are so many movies that I’d consider my favourites, but when asked which movie is my number one, one springs to mind: The Help.

The Help (2010), directed by Tate Taylor is a hilarious and tear-jerking film based off #1 New York Times best seller by Kathryn Stockett. It tells the story of the complexities that those from the upper and lower class women had to deal with back in America in the 1960’s. Where segregation was still a major issue throughout the country, the Help presents a humorous and hopeful recount of empowering women who break the barriers of social acceptance to shed light upon the hardships that coloured people (nannies in general) had in the 60’s and how the friendships they encounter and stories they share help them to triumph through all of the negativity and gain hope.

The storyline and cast alone are enough to sell itself, featuring Emma Stone (Spiderman, Easy A) and Viola Davis (Doubt, Prisoners). The one thing that gets me on top of it all is the attention to fine detail though – the set, costumes, colours, framing, lighting and everything else in this film is just absolutely picture perfect! :) This is honestly one of the most tear-jerking, laugh-out-loud, pick-me-up movies ever and it always keeps me going back to pick it up out of our humongous movie pile at home! I’d recommend for anybody to watch it with a cup of tea on a lazy night (or any other time for that matter) – it will not disappoint! :) 

- C

Throughout my childhood I would constantly watch Studio Ghibli films, it would be a weekend ritual, and still remains one for myself. Within each film imagination and wonder flourishes, with exquisite animation and brilliant soundtracks, the films never get old, and would resonate to me in a different way, every time I watched them. They would be a release and something relaxing and great to watch when I felt uninspired or just feeling down. I began to write up my own studies and connections between the films and their messages in relation to circumstances happening within my life at the time. Since the beginning the one Studio Ghibli film, which for many reasons will always remain my favourite, is Hayao Miyazaki’s, Spirited Away (2001). The film follows the story of a young girl, Chihiro, who is like any young observant girl, anxious, scared and afraid, and when we first meet her she is to face the challenges of moving to a new town and life, a big step for a 10-year-old girl, you can just imagine. Yet a simple wrong turn on the way to there new home, leads Chihiro and her parents into a secluded and silent village. Confused and scared Chihiro soon finds out she has wondered into a strange world, where spirits and witches rule, humans are turned into pigs and a bathhouse sits on a cliff by an ocean, built to serve the spirits and run by an evil, manipulative, greedy and maniacal witch Zeniba and her beguiling henchman Haku.

The film explores the nature of growing up, as well as other underlying messages to do with the environment, the fight between good and evil, greed and the power that words and names have, especially in the quest for freedom. We see Chihiro taken into labour within the bathhouse, stripped of her name, (Chihiro is now Sen), ridiculed and discriminated against for being who she is, a human. That is when we see the sullen and timid girl changes into a strong and determined girl, able to stand up to anything in her way, and fights to prove she is worthy, all to save her parents from being the spirits food. She goes on a great adventure into the unknown world of the spirits, where she gains many friendships and teachings about the world she has entered, as well as heading on a great quest to discovering hidden secrets, to help her find her way out of this world and back to reality. Spirited Away taught me that with courage, loyalty and good judgement, it is easy to grasp what you want in life and to never be afraid to chase after your dreams.

-D

The Positives and Negatives of Judgement.

To me, questions have always been more important than answers. To have the ability to break down why things happen, or what has influenced something, instead of judging something on its face-value makes you a more curious and insightful person, I think. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Think about how many times you have judged a situation solely on what you have heard from others, or from what you have observed, without actually knowing the core of the situation. 

I strongly believe that you should judge a person not on what they tell you, but, instead, on what they show you. As much as I love story-telling, I know all too well the likelihood of fabrication throughout the process. Spending time with people, and experiencing things with them - getting to know them, and understanding their views of themselves and others - tells you so much more about who they are and their values. I judge people - in a positive light - on their actions more than anything.

On the contrary, I think that it is sometimes better to be naive in situations, because with naivety often comes open-mindedness. If we are too learned in a certain area and hold very strong opinions, our judgement may be influenced very easily. In some situations, making decisions based on feelings, as opposed to personal beliefs on what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, can be more beneficial. From personal experience, when I was in high school I had a very strong mentality whereby it did not matter what I heard about others, I would not take those second-hand views on board. I would very much judge someone’s character on little things such as kind gestures, whether they acknowledged me when I would pass them, or the way they treated people around them. I never put people in ‘boxes’ - ‘clique’ is a word I can’t stand. Cliques are a social divide, and they stop people from getting to know one another.  To be accepting and a little naive can often result in building relationships with different sorts of people. These people may challenge your views or see the world from a different perspective, but it is often associating with these people that teaches you a lot about yourself and your acceptance and tolerance of others. There are too many wonderful people in the world to confine yourself to just one group. Break the boundaries - speak to someone that you never thought you would ever speak to. Be the bigger person. Which brings me to my next point. 

No one is ‘bad’. Sure, people do silly things and make stupid decisions sometimes, but that is all a part of learning and searching for answers, and these actions are more often than not influenced by past experiences. I once read a quote by Oscar Wilde: “the only difference between the saint and the sinner is that every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future” - it is so important to remember that despite what you or anyone else has been through, there is always opportunity to change your path. You can not change where you have gone, but you can certainly change where you are going. 

What you say about others says a lot about yourself. Have an opinion - that makes conversation and interaction interesting - but constantly leave room to question and wonder. Things are always changing, and so too are people. I think that it is so important to constantly reflect on your views of yourself and others, because it makes you a curious and ever-changing person. These inevitable changes - good and bad - are moulding your judgements and decisions each and every day. 

-N. 

Sara Bareilles' Little Black Dress Tour.

One of the most under-rated artists, Sara Bareilles, on the final leg of her Little Black Dress tour, performed at the Athanaeum Theatre in Melbourne on September 20th. I am going to go as far to say it was the best concert I’ve attended. From beginning to end, I was in absolute awe.

Before I even begin talking about Bareilles, there’s reason to talk about her support act, Melbourne artist Ben Abraham. I’m a hard person to please when it comes to support acts - I always go in expecting something mediocre. Ben Abraham was incredible. The story behind how he was given the opportunity to perform with Bareilles is even more inspiring. Abraham created a video back in 2011, where he wrote and performed a song called To Sara, from Ben. His wish was to sing with Sara Bareilles when she supported Maroon 5 in Melbourne. Bareilles, after many fans sent Ben’s video to her on Twitter, got in contact with Ben and allowed him to sing with her at Rod Laver Arena. From there, the two became friends, and now Sara has even gone so far as to co-write and perform a duet with Ben on his debut album (which is yet to be released). How cool is that?! Back to the concert. Ben Abraham’s music is so soulful and raw, and there was not one song that I wasn’t blown away by. His lyrics were so meaningful, and the melodies were equally as moving. He has a pop-up show at the Gasometer Hotel on September 30, so I’d recommend seeing him live. 

Sara Bareilles came on at 9pm. A great ball of energy, Sara was so interactive with the crowd, telling personal stories about being nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammys, her battle with depression, and just providing a bit of banter here and there. Her signature use of the f-word made her stories that little bit more hilarious. 

Stories aside, her performance was amazing. I always enjoy and appreciate more intimate concerts where the artist can sit down with one instrument and truly showcase their voice. Bareilles did just this. She played guitar, ukulele, and piano at different points of the night. She played an equal balance of old and new songs, from a stripped-down version of Uncharted, to the up-beat King of Anything, to the sweet sound of I Choose You. She also covered Sia’s Chandelier, which was so incredible. Her vocal performance was flawless. She has such a clean and distinguished tone when she sings. It was so beautiful to listen to. If this doesn't sell Bareilles to you, she called Ben Abraham back onto the stage mid-concert and performed the duet he wrote with her (called This Is On Me), then kept him on stage and allowed him to sing December and Chasing the Sun with her. 

I absolutely love Sara Bareilles, and she is a musician who - in my opinion - is not as acknowledged as she should be. For all of you who have not yet listened to Bareilles’ music, here are a few of my personal favourite songs which I think you should check out:

• Uncharted 
• Gravity
• Beautiful Girl
• Manhattan

-N

Rejection.

Rejection, in any form, is one of the hardest feats we must face in life. It leaves you out of reach of a desire and lost in a world you don't want to face, but have to regardless. 

Rejection, however, only makes up part of our journey, a journey we don't know the path of but are forced to follow anyway.

Since I was 16 I have always wanted to study Textile design, it was the one thing that combined my love for art and fashion perfectly. So, for three years I worked towards that one goal, focusing on the bachelor course I so desperately wanted to get into. I planned the next three years of my life out. 

Then one day at the end of last year I came home from work and found a letter from the university I had applied for. I opened it up and my heart momentarily stopped beating as I read the words "we regret to inform you..." 

My entire future seemed to disappear somewhere among those five words.

Exhaustion and complete frustration took over and I spent the next two hours sobbing into a pillow before trying to make myself feel better by going down to the kitchen and putting on Adele full blast as I tried to bake a cake (a cake that ended up taking me four hours to make and many repeats of Rolling in the Deep.)

I kept the letter and I just found it recently and I read it again. As I read it properly for the first time I accepted its contents... I accepted its contents as a stroke of luck. Because looking back over the last seven months I am so happy with where I am and I didn't plan any of this. 

Rejection forces us to close doors, because they no longer lead anywhere, not because of failure or incapacity, but because this simply isn't your path and there is such a better one just waiting for exactly you!   

-A

Japan.

A few weeks ago, N and C embarked on a journey to the one place they had wanted to travel to for years: Japan. Journeying to a country in which they could not speak the language, teamed with a lack of experience travelling solo proved to make their trip even more memorable than expected. 

A country of undeniable beauty, both the traditional towns surrounding Osaka and the modern towns surrounding Tokyo brought something unique to the trip. Some of the most beautiful cities we visited were:

• Kyoto: A seemingly busy city full of skyscrapers, C and I decided to escape the chaos and instead walked along the backstreets, where we discovered the famous Nishiki Market, a traditional Japanese market filled with Japanese food, crafts, and art. From here, we walked to the Manga Museum (where Comicon, coincidentally, was running!) and the Imperial Palace. 

• Miyajima: Miyajima was by far my favourite place in Japan. C and I caught a ferry to Miyajima Island, a secluded little island with deer roaming around. Tori gates stood tall in the sand. At high tide, the tori gates looked as if they were floating in the water, and at low tide you could walk underneath them. C and I were fortunate enough to see the tori gates at both times. We hiked up the mountain on the island, which was lined with market stalls and little temples, and when we reached a high enough point we could overlook the island, which was so beautiful.

• Hiroshima: Such a chilling and beautiful experience seeing the Atomic Bomb Dome and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. What I loved most about Hiroshima was the fact that the city has been re-built to reflect a 'city of peace' after the Hiroshima bombings in 1945. The city was so picturesque, filled with a lot of greenery and sculptures to reflect the history. 

• Asakusa: We visited Senso-Ji Temple where we received our fortunes. We also had traditional Japanese food from the market which lined the pathway up to the temple. Japan's Okonomiyaki (vegetable pancakes) and green tea soft serves were incredible. We were walking toward Tokyo Skytree when Chrissie and I were stopped in our tracks as we discovered a bunny cafe, where we got to pet a bunny called Cookie for half an hour.

The people in Japan were the most beautiful, calm, and kind-hearted people ever. Despite the language barrier, we had absolutely no problems venturing out and exploring different cities. If we ever had problems, the Japanese were always willing to help. What I found so intriguing was their order - whenever we were at train stations (or anywhere for that matter), they would line up in single file. They were very much for being 'one of the crowd', and were always so considerate of one another. It was so fascinating to observe and, eventually, be a part of.

Food was amazing. The health standards are incredibly high in Japan, so it didn't matter where we ate, food was always so fresh and delicious. I'm a huge fan or sushi and sashimi, so I was absolutely in heaven over there. The quirky, traditional market food was also great. Japanese sweets are the best. We brought so many different flavoured kit-kats home; from green-tea, to bake-able kit-kats, to strawberry cheesecake.

Being a media student, I assumed that I would come home from the trip with hundreds of photos. This was not the case. After day one in Japan, I realised that I wanted to take in as much as I could, without hiding behind my lens. So, I left my camera in my suitcase for the rest of the journey. I still took a decent amount of photographs, but not too many. I don't regret this decision at all. The experiences and memories created over there live so poignantly in my mind today, and I believe that I gained so much more out of the trip by completely taking in - and being a part of - my surroundings.

I could not recommend Japan more highly. I could write about our trip for days and days, but I've decided to purposely leave a lot of details out so that you can visit Japan for yourself and experience the magic that I felt whilst I was over there. 

-N. 

Imperial Palace walls, Kyoto.

Tori gates, Miyajima.

Deer, Miyajima.

Street parade, Disneyland.

Atomic Bomb Dome, Hiroshima.

Senso-Ji Temple, Asakusa.

Crate Expectations.

I love nothing more then walking into a store and feeling truly inspired.
Stores that enthuse inspiration are normally hard to come by in a world that is so focused on consumerism and mass production that they have forgotten the value of design. But Crate Expectations is an exception. 
Crate Expectations felt more like a gallery then a shop as it felt like each piece had been curated specifically. 
I fell in love with the oversized woven cushions and rugs from Sasson Home and the artworks by Prudence Caroline and the beautiful Melbourne designed furniture from Middle of Nowhere.

Everything was a celebration of colour, aesthetic and quality of design...it was refreshing! 

-A

Crate Expectations, 1a Llaneast St, Malvern 03 9576 2717 
Crate Expectations, 313 Hampton St, Hampton 03 9598 5027

OPENING HOURS:
9:30am - 5:30pm Monday to Friday

9:30am - 4:30pm Saturday
Sundays CLOSED

  

(Thank you to Amalia for some of the pictures)

Confessions.

Secrets are a big part of our life, they are the stories, moments and problems we wish to hide from everyone. We would like to portray ourselves as nothing but perfect however we are not.  

Today to release the pain, I will share my most  inner thoughts and embarrassing confessions. Here they are:

1.  Nan, remember when you lent me your F.R.I.E.N.D.S DVD’s... I scratched them and lost some of them. Its been 4 years and every time you ask for them back it makes me feel sick. I have been looking everywhere for those particular DVDs so you would not know what I have done.  I'm sorry.

2.  Friends, remember that time I brought over those delicious cookies and everyone thought they were great, I bought them. I just wanted to get compliments.

3.  Dad when you went away I didn’t turn my car on and it died, now we have to re boot it. It will probably cost money and I will deny everything that I have done that has led up to such a tragedy.

4.  Mum, you said not to paint on my bed but I did anyway. Now I have a huge ink spot on my doona and I don’t know how to get rid of it. Every time you come into the room I put my hand over it.

5.    Customers at work, if you are rude to me, I will give your change back in small coins just so your wallet is heavy and uncomfortable. I haven’t run out of gold coins or 20’s, you just don’t deserve to live the comfortable life.

6.   My friend (who will not be named), once there was a cockroach in my locker and I didn’t know what to do. It was peek hour, where everyone was at their lockers and I didn’t want to make a big fuss, so I threw it backwards and it landed on your pants. I told you recently but it still haunts me all the time. Why did I pick up the cockroach with my bare hands?

7.   To the bully in year seven who ditched me as a food tech partner for her friend. We made rum balls that day and everyone had to share with their partners but because I had no partner I got to have all the rum balls to myself. Nothing tasted better. I hope that one long strip of blonde hair and shoelace head band are still working for ya.

8.   George Costanza, you are the most pathetic character out of any tv show ever and yet you are the one character that I most relate to.

-O

Melbourne Spring Fashion Week: Emerging Designer Runway 2

Emerging Designer Runway 2 showcased the astounding talents of 27 students from RMIT University. These students are the next forward thinkers the fashion industry craves and loves. They push the boundaries in new and innovative ways, taking fashion away from the trends and shopping centres, and into the realm of wearable art forms, with such uniqueness and meaning behind them.


All the collections were amazing, however there was a few highlights of the night that really stood out and caught my eye. Natalie Kieleithner’s collection was the opener, and it sure did set the standard. Her collection was bold, fierce, aggressive and passionate all in one; simply created through the use of only a fiery red as her colour palette, and strong, bold silhouettes of exaggerated shoulders and form fitting floor length garments.

Jessie Kiely had use a couch cover and a variety of home furnishing materials to create a collection of unorthodox floor length gowns. Similarly, Alexandra Hackett used materials associated with clothing in stores, such as a garment security tags and 25,000+ price tags to create two separate jackets within her collection.

Being a knitwear student, Grace Butterworth, Amanda Wong and Molly Dockra’s work definitely caught my eye. Grace’s 80’s and 90s inspired urban, sporty inspired jumpers were insane, with their fluorescent, dynamic colours and patterns. Jumpers created from tuck, bubbling fabrics and laddering created a unique texturized 3D look in Amanda’s collection, which was raw and organic . Molly’s uses of extremely thick yarns and oversized silhouettes alongside pastel hues created a surprisingly soft, beautiful collection with killer knitted shoes might I add.

Doan Nguyen's collection was the definition of contemporary sleek and sophistication. Her beautiful layering and draping of elegant silky fabrics have been combined with gorgeous neoprenes with detailed laser cuts and. It has created a unique juxtaposition between organic and geometric structures and forms.

While my own design aesthetics and practices are not quite like these, I could sit back and truly appreciate the garments that were on display before me. Understanding the ways in which garments are constructed is one thing but I was simply in awe of how these students used unconventional materials and distinctive silhouettes in all their garments. I always look forward to these shows, because unlike the traditional designers runways, these garments are one of works of art, that have hours of blood, sweat, love and tears just oozing from the attention to detail displayed in all. If you ever have the opportunity to attend a fashion show, I cannot highly recommended these shows enough.

-S.P.

Natalie Kieleithner

Jessie Kiely

Alexandra Hackett

                                     Amanda Wong                                                   Grace Butterworth

Doan Nguyen

Mosaik does not take credit for any of the images used in this article - Photograoher:Sarah Lay for Aevoe

Melbourne Spring Fashion Week: Emerging Designer Runway 1

Emerging Designer Runway 1 showcased the amazing talents of students in their final years from Kangan Institute, Melbourne School of Fashion, Box Hill Institute and Whitehouse Institute of Design.

With the right balance of street cred, on trend styles and their ability to push the boundaries, these garments could have passed as any ready-to-wear collection from around the world.  These students, as well as their fellow associates, will soon become the fore-front of the fashion industry; designing, producing and selling the seasonal trends for years to come. 

Alana Smith (Box Hill Institute)

Robin Kim (Box Hill Institute)

Jennifer Ho (Box Hill Institute)

Frank Bonacci (Box Hill Institute)

Rachel Mufale (Box Hill Institute)

Rachel Opolion (Box Hill Institute)

Harriet Doran (Box Hill Institute)

Stefania Zanon (Box Hill Institute)

Marine van Reesema (Whitehouse Institute of Design)

Elizabeth Barclay (Whitehouse Institute of Design)

Lidia Nardi (Whitehouse Institute of Design)

Nicholas Callus (Whitehouse Institute of Design)

Rochelle Gregory (Whitehouse Institute of Design)

Josh Norbury (Whitehouse Institute of Design)

Marc Hatherley (Whitehouse Institute of Design)

Jeremy Bailey-Smith (Whitehouse Institute of Design)

James Greenway (Whitehouse Institute of Design)

Annabelle Cunich (Whitehouse Institute of Design)

Grace Price (Kangan Institute)

Hannah Louise Colefax (Kangan Institute)

 Mille O'Toole (Kangan Institute)

Rebecca Waldmeyer (Kangan Institute)

Errick Kim (Kangan Institute)

Cassandra Sykes (Melbourne School of Fashion)

Brooke Ross (Melbourne School of Fashion)

Chin Yang Tan (Melbourne School of Fashion)

Young Jung (Melbourne School of Fashion)

Queeny Umboh (Melbourne School of Fashion)

Melissa Petts (Melbourne School of Fashion)

Tayla Baird (Melbourne School of Fashion)

-S.P.

Photos by S.C