How they do it in Finland… Whacky Xmas fun around the world

Xmas is tomorrow, so here are some fun facts from around the globe, including a variety of unpronounceable ways to say ‘Happy Xmas’!

Happy Christmas! (Britain)

Christmas was once illegal in Britain! In 1647, English military and political leader Oliver Cromwell considered feasting and general merry-making (getting drunk) on a holy day was inappropriate and immoral. It remained illegal for 13 years, until his party lost power in 1660.

Medieval Britain’s gluttony is well known. One celebration featured a nine-foot pie, with filling that included four geese, two rabbits, four wild ducks, two woodcocks, six snipes, four partridges, two neats' tongues, two curlews, six pigeons, and seven blackbirds. Yummy?

Srozhdestvom Kristovym! (The Ukraine)

The Ukrainian Christmas Eve dinner table is set with two tablecloths: one for the living members of the family, and one for ancestors who have passed. It is believed that if ancestors are acknowledged and shown respect, they will bring good fortune to the family.

Christmas trees in the Ukraine are traditionally decorated with an artificial spider and web, as a spider web found on Christmas morning is believed to bring good luck.

Kala Christouyenna! (Greece)

At Christmas time, according to Greek legend, creatures called Kallikantzaroi sometimes come out and wreak havoc around town. It is said they are apparently repelled by the stench of a burning shoe or salt. Other traditions to keep the Kallikantzaroi at bay include hanging a pig's jawbone by the door, and maintaining a fire to stop them sneaking down the chimney. On a larger scale, the local priest may go from home to home, sprinkling holy water, or he may throw a cross into water.

Some Greeks do not use Christmas trees or give presents at Christmas.

Hyvaa joulua! (Finland) and God Jul! (Sweden)

The twelve days of Christmas are decreed by law to be days of civil peace in Finland and Sweden. Crimes committed during this time may be punished with a harsher sentence than normal.

Nollaig chridheil huibh! (Scotland)

Christmas can be a sombre time in some Scottish homes. Historians theorise that this is because Christmas is considered to be a Catholic celebration. Scottish Presbyterians tend to reserve their celebration for New Years, which is known as Hogmanay.

Gledelig Jul or God Jul! (Norway)

After the Christmas Eve dinner and gift-giving in Norway, all the brooms in the house are hidden, as it was once believed that witches and mischievous spirits would steal them to ride.

Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! (The Netherlands)

Before bed on Christmas eve in the Netherlands, children leave out their shoes, hoping Saint Nicholas will fill them with candy.

Buone Feste Natalizie (Italy)

Italian legend says a nice witch named La Befana was sweeping her floors when the Three Wise Men stopped in and asked her to come and see the baby Jesus. She said, ‘No I’m too busy.’ Later, she changed her mind but it was too late. It’s now said that every Christmas Eve, she rides on her broomstick looking for the holy child. On the way, she pops down chimneys to deliver toys to children.

Gr8 Xpect8ions

After an afternoon of Christmas pressie snatch-and-grab on the weekend, I got to thinking about presents and our expectations.

I’ve asked around, and can confirm that I’m not the only one who whimpers a succession of ‘oh…wow. Thanks…’ as I open my gifts. From the ball of string I once received from my father to the Décor storage containers I received from my partner last year, it seems like Christmas-gift-receiving is fraught with disappointment.

We can’t hold it against the present buyer though. It’s hard to find a unique and special present for someone year after year. Of course, there is a solution *blatant product plug*! If you need a fun and practical present for the chick in your life, GRLmobile has a really cool range of phones, broadband and fashmo to check out. Most of our products come with an included gift, like full-sized perfumes, hair stylers and other neat stuff, making them the perfect gift for Xmas, birthdays, Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day. Best thing is that nearly all of them are under $100.

We sell our phones, broadband and prepaid top-ups at stacks of retailers, including Australia Post, Myer, Target, Dick Smith, Crazy John’s or GRLmobile.com, and we’ve just discounted a bunch of products just in time for Xmas.

Xpect8ions met, Xcitement guaranteed!

(Pictured is GRLmobile's Style+Dial: Nokia 2680 + FREE Hair Styler ONLY $79! and TxTribe: One Touch Tribe + FREE GRLmobile reusable foldable shopper bag, notebook with phone pocket & txting Chick-tionary ONLY $149!)

Kid Sister: Ain't so little no more.

Growing up in suburban Chicago, Melissa Young lived through the financial struggle so common in the American ghettos. To help her get through the hard times, she wrote raps. In October 2005, she began performing at local dance parties under the alias Kid Sister and was quickly signed to Kanye West’s DJ’s record label.

Kanye featured on her first single, Pro Nails, which met with rave reviews. In 2008, this gorgeous African American, Native American, and Caucasian rapper was nominated for Best Female Hip Hop Artist at the prestigious B.E.T. Awards. That’s no small feat for someone who’s only been on the scene for three years!

Kid Sister’s freaky-fresh sound is born from an inherent confidence. Classed alongside Janelle Monae and Santogold as the new wave of female hip hop, she understands that the key to musical innovation is to be unique. ‘It’s okay to be weird’ she says. ‘It’s okay to be smart and strong, and decisive, I think that’s how we look at things.’

With big, fat beats plus weird electro sounds, her rhymes are melodic and off-beat, laid over a bed of deep bass lines. But there is an element of fun in all her songs. ‘I’m trying to take the cheesiness out of professional music. Everyone is so full of themselves, with the egos, and it’s so silly! I think only a woman can do that! A woman is going to be the one to put a new face to things because with you men – and I love you all, so much – but with all the egos, come on! It kinda has to be a woman to make that pivotal change.’

Despite her tough upbringing, she’s a big fashion fan. She says, ‘I’m a tomboy that loves to shop.’ And what store does she love the most? GRLmobile’s original retailer, Target! ‘[It’s] my favorite place!’ she says, ‘You can find me here several days out of the week. Target is so addictive!

GRLinsider Xclusiv! If you’ve got a GRLmobile Prepaid mobile phone account, you can download Kid Sister’s hot hit Right Hand Hi now from GRLmobile.com/Insider. Just enter the promo code we texted you. Or call 1300 GRL GRL if you’ve lost it. For more info, or to hear some of Kid Sister’s killer tracks, check out http://www.myspace.com/kidsister.

Mwah mwah

From MissGRLmo

Xx

Is Miss GRLmo the next Layne Beachley? Um… no.

The GRLmobile team drove down to Torquay on the weekend to join the fun at Play It Safe By The Water Surfing For Girls presented by GRLmobile and Oakley.

Threatened with a dark and stormy day, we were stoked to find sunshine beaming down from a blue sky. There were stacks of girls already there, and the music was pumping thanks to the Oakley Rolling O Lab’s massive sound system. But I was not there to dance. Ever-ready to give anything a go in the name of a good story, I was there to surf!

Having never surfed before, I was told with almost a laugh that the GRLmobile surfboard – a DHD Steph Gilmore Pro design – was totally inappropriate for my skill level. It was suggested I start out on a “G board”, which turned out to be a foamy beginners’ longboard. I asked for a pink one and renamed it the “GRL board”. Close enough.

Far from my city-wardrobe staples of silk dresses and pencil skirts, wetsuits are like something from another world. I pulled a muscle in my behind trying to put it on. Once in, I slipped my GRLmobile rashie over the top, grabbed my board and made down to the beach to join the beginners’ group. We learned the basics of surfing, including water safety and rescues. Then we had a few practice runs of how to stand up on your board. It all seemed very achievable, but I knew once we hit the waves, it would all go out the window.

To my surprise, I actually stood up on the first wave I caught! It was a great feeling. With the wind blowing past me, I declared myself a professional surfer. I bounced through the breaks to catch my second thrill. Turns out my glory was short lived. On my second wave, my arms were too weak to lift me into a stand. Too many warm-ups perhaps? I did manage to stand up a second time. But I ate wave more times than I’d like to admit.

Out of the water, we met up with our GRLmobile Ambassador, Nikki Van Dijk (pictured). She was fresh from winning 2nd place in the Arnette Australian Junior Surfing Titles. She was such an awesome chick, and we were in awe of her surf-star physique! Seven-time world champ Layne Beachley was also there (she's pictured above, surfing in the dark wetsuit), and she signed some t-shirts just for us! We interviewed both girls for GRLtv – keep a lookout for the video, which will be uploaded soon!

I went home rather salty, crusty and rusty, but with a smile on my face. Although the fitness level required to surf is perhaps slightly beyond my capabilities, the rush you get when you’re cruising on a wave makes it 100% worthwhile. I’ll be surfing again at the earliest possible opportunity and I’d encourage any GRL to give it a go.

Thanks to the Play It Safe By The Water Surfing for Girls team especially Max, Liam and Girv from Surfing Victoria for the sweet experience.

Lots of Red Bulls and Lots of smiles :: Managing Fashion Week with Miro Kubicek

If you’ve got enough acclaim or the right accreditation, you’ll have no problem getting into the right shows at fashion week. If you don’t, you have absolutely no chance …unless you know Miro.

Dressed in his signature silver suit, kitted with a Secret Service headset and armed with a troop of impeccably polished minions, Miro Kubicek is ready to take a fashion bullet for anyone important enough. Just ask Anna Wintour, the notoriously supercilious editor of American Vogue, who he saved from an increasingly aggressive legion of paparazzi at the last New York Fashion Week. ‘She joked with me and she smiled a lot… maybe she liked what she saw’, comments Miro with a charming lack of modesty.

Russian-born Miro grew up in socialist Czechoslovakia, but fled to West Germany at the age of 14 where he slept under a bridge by night and studied during the day (he now has a Masters in Economics). He started modelling – underwear – part-time, before six months of compulsory military training lead him into personal security. He immigrated to Australia with $1,000 in his pocket and no English. These experiences set him on course for his career in high-end security and VIP wrangling, an area he is beginning to monopolise in the Australian fashion scene.

Miro’s company, MIRo HoUSE is the guest management agency of choice for many Australian and international designers including Toni Maticevski, Collette Dinnigan, Max Azria and Calvin Klein. From greeting guests and ushering the right butts to the right seats, to consoling the damaged egos of those condemned to the back bleachers, Miro is fast becoming the undisputed king of fashion’s front-of-house.

Our own Fashion Maverick caught up with Miro backstage at the Collette Dinnigan SS10 show in Paris, where he posed for photos and filled her in on what he’s been doing lately.

Mwah mwah

From MissGRLmo

Xx

Vote #1 Aussie GRLs 4 the shiny, pointy doorstop :: Powerful chicks all over the ARIAs

Any chick who’s had a go at becoming a ‘somebody’ in the music biz will appreciate the hard work and dedication required to make it there. It’s a really, really hard slog for anybody but it can be harder for a girl to break into this male-centric world. Echoes of ‘boys’ club’ would be heard amidst any group of female musos discussing the industry.

Perhaps the times are a-changin’. As although the majority of ARIA nominations are still given to guys and guy bands, 2009 has seen a wave of women come onto the list. And we’re not talking pop fluff here. These chicks are strong songwriters and performers, confident musicians and savvy business women.

Sarah Blasko, who has admitted to using her ARIA as a doorstop, is nominated for the big one, Album of the Year for As Day Follows Night. She’s also been nominated for Best Female Artist, alongside Kate Miller-Heidke (yay!), Jessica Mauboy, Ladyhawke and Lisa Mitchell. A little more underground, SIA, Little Birdy and Bertie Blackman are also nominated for Best Breakthrough Artist, Best Adult Contemporary and Best Independent New Release respectively.

These chicks are full of substance, offering us powerful lyrics and stuck-in-your-head melodies. It’s refreshing to see these genuinely brilliant songwriters and vibrant performers up for the honours. Good luck to all these beautiful chicks for the awards tomorrow night!

CHICKS IN TUNE :: ARIA 2009 NOMINATIONS

Sarah Blasko (Album of the year, Best pop release and Best female artist for As Day Follows Night)

Kate Miller-Heidke (Single of the year for The Last Day on Earth and Best pop release and Best female artist for Curiouser)

Jessica Mauboy (Highest-selling single for Burn, Highest-selling single and Best breakthrough artist – single for Running Back, Highest-selling album, Best pop release,Best breakthrough artist – album and Best female artist for Been Waiting,)

Ladyhawke (Single of the year and Best breakthrough artist – single for Delirium and Best pop release, Best breakthrough artist – album and Best female artist for Ladyhawke)

Lisa Mitchell (Best breakthrough artist – single for Coin Laundry, Best breakthrough artist – album and Best female artist for Wonder,)

SIA (Best breakthrough artist – album for Some People Have Real Problems, Best music DVD for TV is My Parent)

Little Birdy (Best adult contemporary album for Confetti)

Bertie Blackman (Best independent new release for Secrets and Lies)

Bindi Irwin (Best children’s album for Bindi Kidfitness 2)

Georgie Parker (Best children’s album for Here Comes The Sun)

Zoe Badwi (Best dance release for Release Me)

Felicity Urquhart (Best country album for Landing Lights)

Jasmine Rae (Best country album for Look It Up)

The ARIAs are broadcast at 8:30pm tomorrow night, Thursday 26 November on the Nine Network.

Are you a Fauxgan, Nogan or flat-out Boganista? Celebrating your inner bogan (or not)

Slide into your Havvies, pull on your trackies and tie that tangled hair up in a saggy bun. It’s time to pick up a DVD from the local vid store and maybe grab a choc top too.

Most Aussie chicks have headed down to Bogan Town at least once. So are you a proud Boganista or a secret Fauxgan who appears normal, but secretly indulges in bogan delights? Or are you a Nogan who would rather lock yourself in a cupboard than leave the house in sneakers? Take our easy quiz to find out!

1. Your favourite lunch is:

a. Sushi

b. Chiko Roll

c. Chicken and Vegie traveller’s pie

2. For a haircut and colour, you normally pay:

a. $150 - $300

b. $15 at Just Cuts

c. Your hairdresser friend does it for you for $50

3. You are currently reading:

a. Bringing Home the Birkin

b. Instructions on the Easy Mac packet

c. MX magazine

4. The song that best describes you is:

a. Marci X’s Power in My Purse

b. Men At Work’s I Come From a Land Down Under

c. Vanessa Amarossi’s This is Who I am

5. Your drink:

a. Vodka martini

b. Rum and Coke

c. Pure Blonde

Mostly As: NOGAN

Trackies – are you kidding? You’re in the latest Ksubi’s with a Chanel over your shoulder. The closest you’ll ever come to being a bogan is catching the train when you’re on the way to Flemington.

Mostly Bs: BOGANISTA

Babe, you are SO BO, and fully proud of it. You like drivin’ fast and muckin’ about with the boys. You’ll stick up for what you believe, and you believe that boganism is the ultimate girl-power. WHOOO!!

Mostly Cs: FAUXGAN

It’s not that you’re living in denial, you just like to select your style according to your environment. Sure, you’d potentially melt in shame if a colleague spotted you at the supermarket with no make-up, but then again, whatever. You’d rather be comfy.

Letter to the blogger, in response to our last post, txting: the gr8 db8

Dear blogger

I read your piece on texting, which drew from the work of the renowned grammarian David Crystal. But he is not the only older person who supports texting. I am 68, and my job has included copyediting school examination papers and government reports.

People have always used abbreviations, acronyms and initialisms when they needed to save space or time in communications. Our elders in World War One coined “anzac” from “Australian and New Zealand Army Corps” and “ack-ack” from “anti-aircraft” — and “awol” for “absent without leave” dates back to the 1800s. The mothers and fathers of World War Two invented and constantly used “UXB” for “unexploded bomb” and “ARP” for “air-raid precautions” — and don’t forget that “TTFN” (“ta-ta for now”) first appeared in a British radio show in the late forties. Oh, yes, and what about our current leaders who, among other things, find “24/7” and 9/11” quite acceptable?

If your elders complain again, ask them to read this txt and T+ B4 they condemn SMS txting as a CWOT.

txting: the gr8 db8... Studies from renowned linguist, David Crystal

David Crystal, Honorary Professor of Linguistics at the University of Wales, Bangor, is fascinated by the debate on whether using text slang is leading to the degradation of the English language and stunting young people’s literacy skills. He’s written a book tackling the subject, with the aim of opening the minds of txting-naysayers.

So next time your mum / dad / teacher / colleague tries to diss txtspeak, hit ‘em with some of this info taken from Crystal’s book, txting: the gr8 db8…

Y ‘Texting actually improves your literacy, as it gives you more practice in reading and writing.’ David Crystal.

Y Crystal’s research shows that 90% of SMSs are written in normal, standard English.

Y Crystal and other linguists believe textspeak adds dimension and new dynamics to the English language, and suggest that it encourages creativity and wordplay.

Y Crystal also reminds us that abbreviating words has been around for centuries, and that poor literacy has been reported throughout the ages, and pre-dates texting.

Y ‘Emoticons allow another layer of expression, making the message more conversation-like.’ Dr Jean Mulder, linguist and senior lecturer at Melbourne University.

Y In studies from 2006-7 by Coventry University, pre-teenage children who were better at spelling and writing were found to use the most texting abbreviations.

Y The study also found that the younger the children received their first phone, the higher their literacy scores.

Wh@ r yr thoughts? WeRex txtspeak is c%L, coz it’s phun 2 play w/ words!

From Crystal, D. txting: the gr8 db8 New York, Oxford University Press 2008

Coco Cocoon + Lily Allen... Bring on the billboards.

We are jumping with joy about Lily Allen being the new face of Chanel.

Lily has wowed us since releasing her explosive debut album Alright, Still in 2006. A perfect mixture of glamour, humour and street-smarts, Lily has enamoured us with her cheekiness and I’m-just-a-normal-girl insecurities about body-image. She’s rejected the plastic pop world, instead focussing on developing as a strong songwriter and unassuming fashion icon.

‘I love Lily Allen’, said Karl Lagerfeld on his shoot for the new Chanel Coco Cocoon range, comparing her to Gabrielle Chanel. ‘She is a self-made woman. She is cool, young and extremely witty.’ She’s been an unofficial advocate for the brand forever, always toting around the latest quilted must-have, but now it’s official and we couldn’t think of anyone better suited.

The Coco Cocoon range was developed by Lagerfeld for Fall/Winter 2010. The bags are designed to transition seamlessly from city to weekend getaway, with some styles being reversible. Made from nylon or washed lambskin, the puffy style defines quintessentially-relaxed chic.

Check out Lily, the range and photo shoot at ChanelCocoCocoon.com.

Mwah mwah,

MissGRLmo

Xx

Alex Box :: Fashion + Nature + Illustration = This is 2010

The international fashion circle has been resonating with one name since Paris Fashion Week. Alex Box. She is the new make-up artist of choice for a range of designers including Gareth Pugh, Collette Dinnigan, Karl Lagerfeld, Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney and has been named the new Pat McGrath.

Alex uses pens, brushes, pigment, paint and pencils to create precise sculptures and designs on the face. Her signature style is a mash of fantasy, gothic, vintage and magic – a far cry from the naked and natural look of many recent shows.

She liberates the viewer from reality with her fantastical and surreal make-up, which often challenges conventional concepts of beauty. She believes in magnifying the essence of each model, stating ‘the minute you obliterate somebody’s spirit, you’re abusive’. Her creations are vivacious, sometimes disturbing and absolutely arresting.

Check out some of her work at the Collette Dinnigan Printemps/Ete 2010 Paris Fashion Week show and check out the GRLtv video, featuring Alex and her spunky-famous skeleton hairclip.

Mwah mwah

From MissGRLmo

Xx

Real Life of a Fashionista Part 3... Words We Heard

There were a bunch of buzz words, phrases and trends that have come out of Paris Fashion Week’s Spring / Summer 2010 shows. Here are a few of the faves that we heard:

1. Ruffles, feathers and frills (think Collette Dinnigan)

2. The super shoulder

3. The new shoe (think Alexander McQueen, Vuitton, Givenchy)

4. Post-recession ostentation

5. Cyber-gothic (think Gareth Pugh, Rick Owens)

6. Ladylike leather

7. Rustic Fantastic (think Chanel, Prada)

The Real Life of a Fashionista Part Two... Top 5 Things To Do With Your Mobile Phone At Fashion Week

1. Put the show details in your phone’s organiser to make sure you get to the right hall at the right time!

2. MMS your BFF for outfit approval before you leave the house

3. Snap the models with your phone’s camera as they arrive for the show to steal their street style

4. Tweet your favourite outfits as you watch the show

5. Call your besties to gush about the unbelievably good-looking male models

Madeleine Vionnet, puriste de la mode

In 1952, French couturier Madeleine Vionnet donated 125 dresses, 750 patterns and 13,000 photographs from 1912 to 1939 to Les Arts Decoratifs museum in Paris, to educate future generations about her work. The museum is currently exhibiting this legacy and proving the enduring influence this pioneering designer has had on the world of couture.


The House of Vionnet opened on the Rue de Rivoli in 1912. Inspired by the draping cloth of Greek art and the fluid, modern movement of dancer Isadora Duncan, Madeleine Vionnet was dedicated to the liberation of the female body through design. She turned her back on buttons, zips and corsetry, instead designing garments to float around a woman’s body, exuding a femininity that was strong and unconfined.


Her designs were a rigorous study of circles, squares and triangles. She was fascinated by the Grecian formation of clothes, knotting square fabric at the shoulder or tying the waist with cord and has been credited as the creator of the modern Grecian dress, the bias-cut, handkerchief dress, single-seam dress and the cowl neck. She did not use sketches to design, but would drape live models or a 2ft wooden mannequin with luxurious and sensual materials, which she twisted, knotted, pleated gathered and slashed to explore ways to best accentuate the natural beauty of the female form. These stylistic principles have become an intrinsic staple in fashion as we turn into the new generation, post millennium and post GFC.


At the approach of World War Two, she chose to close her fashion house and held her final showing in August 1939. But her influence is as long-lasting as the architecture of her designs. ‘Like it or not, everyone is under the influence’, admitted Karl Lagerfeld on the effect Vionnet has had on generations of modern couturiers. High-end names such as Gaultier, Galliano, Chanel, Valentino and Balenciaga are all recognisably influenced by Vionnet’s timeless designs. And the dresses in the collection at Les Arts Decoratifs could easily be walked down a 2010 runway without a flutter of an eyelash.


As she clearly stated herself, "what I do is not fashion - it was designed to last forever".

The Real Life of a Fashionista Part One...Top 10 Fashionista Injuries for Spring/Summer 2010

After two weeks swanning about in eight-inch platform pumps, wearing skinny jeans so tight they’d make a straight-jacket jealous, GRLmobile’s Fashion Maverick has confessed that coping with the numerous injuries sustained while being a fashionista-en-Paris can prove to be a genuine battle of wits and grace. We’ve realised that there’s a gap in the safety protocol and hereby declare that the status of ‘fashionista’ should come with its own OH&S manual. To get the ball rolling, here are our Top 10 Fashionista Injuries for Spring/Summer 2010, how to avoid them, and how to handle them if they happen:

Injury #1 The sky-high heel fall	How to avoid it… When descending stairs, think Princess. One hand lightly resting along the balustrade will guide you down safely. If you’re simply walking along, just be confident! And there’s nothing wrong with a bit of practice at home before you leave the house.	How to handle it… Grace and humour. A coquettish blush and gracious smile will excuse even the clumsiest collapse.
Injury #2 The push and shove at colette in Rue St Honore	How to avoid it… If you’re agoraphobic, shop from colette online.	How to handle it… Just enjoy it – you know we’re all jealous back home!
Injury #3 The bruised and bashed mid-calf, arm-band rings and welts from carrying too many large designer shopping bags.	How to avoid it… Buy less. Um, are we serious? Of course not. Hire a driver for the day, you silly girl!	How to handle it… Hemorrhoid cream will relieve the bruising fast enough to get you off to the front row without too much evidence.
Injury #4 The power-shopping amnesia, when you forget what you bought the day before.	How to avoid it… Use your phone to make a list of what you’re looking for and cross things out as you go.	How to handle it… That extra pair of Chanel clogs will make a valuable vintage hand-me-down for your daughter / niece / protégé in years to come.
Injury #5 The super-skinny jean suffocation	How to avoid it… Couple relaxed fit jeans with a t-shirt and tailored jacket and fedora for a real supermodel look.	How to handle it… Just deal with it. You look hot.
Injury #6 The short black coffees at the original Rue Cambon Chanel store for ‘the special clients’ (served by the Moroccan Chanel-clad waiter) that blows out your brain and you spend more.	How to avoid it… Don’t ask for decaf, as you may be shunned. Just drink half of it.	How to handle it… Handle that gorgeous waiter with the classic sideways glance from smoky eyes and a slight pout of muted, red lips. And hey, if you’re buzzing on caffeine, and spend more than you planned to, well, remember that Chanel will always increase in value (asset / investment / nest-egg)!
Injury #7 The arctic nest – suffering from heat exhaustion and severe sweat slick by wearing your bespoke Maticevski plumage jacket and knee-high Miu Miu boots du jour in unseasonably warm weather.	How to avoid it… Check the weather report before you plan your WHAM BAM POW outfit.	How to handle it… A handbag-sized baby powder is your BFF for absorbing moisture and creating a silky-smooth feeling throughout the day.
Injury #8 The paparazzi blinding as you arrive at the show	How to avoid it… Whip out your oversized sunglasses before you run the gauntlet.	How to handle it… You can’t avoid it, especially as long as you’re carrying that Chanel Cocoon puffy bag. Anyway, you’re a fashionista, dahhling. Your public needs you.
Injury #9 The ‘I just nearly dropped my…’ technology heart attack – when juggling the BlackBerry, phone, camera, handycam, iPod, notebook etc.	How to avoid it… Combine, combine, combine! Most devices now can to all those things in one package. But far be it for us to discourage you from using technology… we say BRING IT ON!	How to handle it… Oh, this is so easy. Dropped your phone? Your dongle? Your iPod? Log on to GRLmobile.com. We’ve got ‘em all at rad prices. And if you’re a GRLinsider, you get free P&H within Oz. Sweet!!
Injury #10 The credit card statement aneurysm	How to avoid it… Set your credit card limit to a level that you can afford if you max out.	How to handle it… VAT (value added tax) justification. The more you spend, the more you save. It’s simple mathematics. Don’t question it. Just go with it.

Bonjour, mes amies! ... Living vicariously through GRLmobile’s Fashion Maverick

We’re all aspiring fashionistas. Some of us are just starting out, some of us are well on the way there. And then there are the few who have actually made it. Full-blown, unadulterated, style-saturated fashionistas. The women who evoke fascinated stares and double-takes as they waltz by. Are they wearing that the Prada jacket I just wet my pants over in that magazine? Yes. Have they already bought the cuff that you just gushed over on the UK Vogue site. Uhuh. How do they do it? How do they stay so fresh? So evergreen…

Over the coming months, we’ve got exclusive footage, photos and competitions from Paris Fashion Week Spring Summer 2010, courtesy of our incognito fashionista, Fashion Maverick. Sure, she was papped by hungry photographers when she exited the Hotel Costes in Paris. Yep, she left the Rue Cambon Chanel boutique with a big camellia bag. To her, fashion jet lag is just part of life. Not that she shows it!

Our first instalment is an exclusive video from backstage at Collette Dinnigan’s Paris Fashion Week show. Exclusive footage? You know we’ve got it! Check it out at http://grlmobile.com/GRLtv/ and keep checking this blog and GRLmobile.com for more!!

Mwahs

From MissGRLmo

Xx

It’s not what u kno, but who u kno.

We’ve all had a friend who got us backstage to THAT show, or the pal who knew the band. That friend who makes you feel glamorous and special coz they seem to have a connection to everyone who’s anyone.

Well, we’re gonna be that friend. GRLmobile Insider is an exclusive club for every fashionista on the GRLmobile network, to reward them for using Australia’s Mobile Phone Service for Chicks. But GRLinsider is a far cry from your standard loyalty clubs. Yep, forget pointless point systems and disappointing discounts.

We’re all about LOTS of BIG benefits. So we offer you 20% bonus credit on every 3^rd top-up, and 10% bonus credit for online credit card top-ups. And coz we’ve got such a sweet range of goodies online, we also give you free postage & handling on all online purchases. We also have regular exclusive comps for you to enter.

But the hottest thing about GRLinsider is that we give you money-can’t-buy content. Yep, we’re talking backstage access to fashion, music, film and sporting events. Secret fashion info and tip-offs from our Fashion Maverick. She’s on the scene, not only from around Oz, but around the world! When it’s happening, she’ll be there. And what she finds, she shares with you. What are GRLfrnds for?

So if you’re not already on the GRLmobile Prepaid mobile phone network, it’s time you were.

GRLmobile Insider. Be part of the in-crowd.

Click here for more details.

No, seriously. Just get on the network!

Love from MissGRLmo

Xx

Rain, rain GO AWAY! ...My fake-tanned pins are going to waste.

Now I do know it’s been sunny in Queensland (my home town) for a couple of months now. I’m not sure about other cities in Oz, but I tell you what – it’s still bleak, wet and windy in good old Melbourne. Don’t get me wrong. I love wet weather, AND as long as I have a big scarf, two pairs of gloves, woollen socks, leggings, a jumper, a trench and beret, I also like the cold. But come on, it’s October.

I went and bought a new tube of fakey fakey last weekend, ready to bronze up for the summer I’m expecting will hit any day now… I only did my top half, knowing that I’m not going out in bare legs yet, coz honestly, it’s still chilly here. But last weekend actually brought out two days of glorious, glorious sun! And that was it. Off we cycled to our closest rooftop bar, where we swanned about, for no less than four hours, and lay back in deck chairs listening to Calypso music. The boots came off, the jacket came off, and (god forbid) the leggings even came off! It was like a dream. Except that I looked like a Top Deck chocolate bar.

I was rather embarrassed, but left my legs exposed to absorb as much vitamin D as possible. Suffice it to say as soon as I got home, I slathered two palms-full of fakey fakey onto my fluorescent white pins to ensure that the curse of the Top Deck did not recur next weekend! And since? Rain. Cold. Wind. Clouds. You wanna know the temp for this Sat? Yep, all of 17 degrees. That’ll be fun for the music festival I’m going to. So my stunningly Monacan-brown legs, thinner by that beautiful illusion of being TAN, are again swathed in woollen socks and leggings, shrouded by a cashmere blanket as I sit with a heater on under my desk.

Four seasons in one day? Um, no. More like two weeks of summer, two months of Autumn and ten months of winter. (:-<

Collette Dinnigan Paris Printemps / Ete 2010

An Alice in Wonderland mood

Our queen fashionista reports from the inner sanctum, backstage at Collette Dinnigan’s Paris fashion week show. In a gorgeously appointed salon of a Parisian hotel, artists pulled models’ hair into smooth and tight sculptures and painted faces with strong eyebrows, lightly smoked eyes and nude lips.

Collette herself, coping with a back injury sustained while disembarking from her flight, looked eternally graceful and relaxed. ‘I wanted the collection to be unexpected, to be playful. I wanted to play with colour, to play with prints and stripes and I want the evening wear to look nonchalant’, she said. ‘There is this Alice in Wonderland mood.’

The show was a stunning melange of fresh citrus chiffon, gothic romantic and summery, off-the-shoulder tiered floor-lengths. The clothes seemed to whisper to you, call you over to slip into them and wander into the daisy fields.

GRLmobile says merci to Collette for the invitation and félicitations for such a sublime showing. For exclusive behind-the-scenes pix, check out http://twitpic.com/photos/grlmobile and http://www.facebook.com/grlmobile, with more on the way.

À bientôt,

MadamoiselleGRLmo

Mois mois

XX

Do we still want it all?

In a recent survey, Marie Claire (our fave for style + substance) has found that the old adage of ‘I want it all and I want it now’ has lost its weight with modern Aussie chicks.

With only 9% saying they want it all and now, a whopping 64% have admitted that they would like it all, but understand that they simply can’t have it all NOW. This is definitely a far cry from the super women of the 80s and early 90s who were struggling to fit career, family, beauty, sparkling social calendar and Mr Right into one sharp-shouldered power suit.

Women who chose to have kids then were expected to work a full time job as well. These days, maternity leave is giving us the security that we can go off and be mothers, knowing that there’ll still be a job waiting for us when we’re ready to return. So although most of us still do want it all, we’ve finally got the freedom to take it when it suits us, and not have to fit it in all at once.

Yours,

MissGRLmo

XX

London Fashion Week SS10 - Embellishments. Bouffant. Sequins. Short, short, short!

September 30, 2009

London Fashion Week finished off last week with a puff of chiffon and a glitter of sequins. Yep, Spring / Summer 2010 is all about detail, embellishment, decoration, statement shoes, midriffs, tribal and short, short dresses. The eyebrows were thick and dark (finally!) and hair is big and teased. We tip our Headonistic hats to:

Y Jeremy Scott’s leather-jacket-clad tribute to the caveman

Y Paul Smith’s bright PINK suit for man with red hat, shoes and kerchief

Y Burberry Prorsum’s draped, ruched, bubbly neutrals

Y Sass & Bide’s tasselled geometric black & whites

Y Luella and Mulberry’s cute, girly love

Y Roksanda Ilincic, Kinder Aggugini & Danielle Scutt’s tribal cutaways and patterns

Y John Rocha, Louise Goldin & Jenny Packham’s textures and detailing.

Our ultimate best in show? Ashish’s full-sequinned pants and over-sized tees in 80s statement patterns and colours. Yes, I AM ready to wear balloon pants sequinned with palm trees on a bright blue background. I’m serious!

The A-list was represented brilliantly by Liv Tyler, Donatella Versace, Victoria Beckham, Anna Wintour (no surprises there), one of the Olsen twins (no idea which) and Joan Collins. Very exciting to see Pixie Geldof and Daisy Lowe walking for Vivenne Westwood and Naomi Campbell looking ten million dollars walking for Issa London. I think she’s still 25. Then they all got down to Massive Attack who were DJing at the event. Sounds like a regular party at my place.

Fashion is certainly a lot of fun and very feminine at the moment. And London certainly did not disappoint.

Mwah Mwah

From MissGRLmo

Xx