Romance Was Born

 1. Installation by Pip and Pop (Tanya Schultz) made of sifted and dyed sugar 2. The set in a pre show neonglow 3. Finale

The Romance Was Born 'Mushroom Magic' SS14 show was phenomenal, it played out all my pastel-phsyc dream sequence fantasy's. Walking into the huge cavernous show space a glowing set of miniature sugar cities were set a glow and came to life as the lights went up and the show started from then on I was hypnotised with the grandiose spectrum of colour and and creativity shown. Hopefully this show proved even the slightest Romance Was Born critic wrong, Anna and Luke created a well rounded precise collection.

Top 3 Looks : Sequin Encrusted Babushka look, Caterpillar doona coat with chiffon bell sleeves, Tahlita Getty Kaftans Coat pant suit.

Exploring the realm of 70's psychedelia seemed to come very naturally to Romance Was Born, trippy tonal prints ranging from Moroccan colour palettes to pastels and some down the rabbit hole Cheshire cat references - it was a friendly high. Shapes mimicked some of my favourite fashion icons amazing Tahlita Getty Kaftan Coats and slim leg pant suits (MY FAVOURITE LOOK OF THE WHOLE SHOW!), Penelope Tree sheer chiffon bell sleeves nipped at the wrist, floaty tired dresses with pearl encrusted collars which I was absolutely obsessed with. This collection was brilliant, and I have a wish list a mile long for the pieces I am going to order.

BEAUTY

Hair: Alan White for ghd
A rainbow of pastel coloured mushroom pixie bob wigs the base and adornments such as sprouting flowers and martian antennas were added on top were created by Hair Stylist Alan White for ghd. Each wig was hand dyed, cut then styled to match the look the model was wearing - none two were the same. The hours of work would have gone into each wig and the finished result was impeccable and very very cute.

Makeup: Val Garland for M.A.C
Legendary Val Garland designed the makeup looks for Romance Was Born, previously known for the amazing makeup at Vivienne Westwood shows and also collaborating with Lady Gaga. Like the hair each model had a different makeup look designed around the outfit, although there were strong themes that did run through the makeup design:
-Bright opaque colours using pigments, creams and pencils to create opaque colour blocked areas of the face
- Appliques, pom poms attached to lashlines, sequins and heavy layers of glitter.
- Exaggerated features, over drawn larger than life eyes, stuck on lips using card and big pigmented yellow cheeks.
I was super excited about seeing the makeup up close and ran backstage afterwards to admire Val's work, it was a dream come true to see Val's visionary makeup looks and I couldn't think of a better fit than her working with Romance Was Born.

xxx Nella

COMING UP TOMORROW: Jayson Brundson & Alice McCall

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Beauté Profile : Romance Was Born's Anna Plunkett

Bumping into Anna on Oxford St below her studio, where we had arranged to meet I was super excited to see all the beauty favorites she had brought along to show me. But as we are waiting to get a fresh juice (beetroot, ginger and carrot) I notice she has barely anything on her face, her skin is glowing, her naturally blue eyes framed with a small amount of mascara and she has her signature bright lip on. Anna's style is usually what she is noticed for clashing silk prints from her own label Romance Was Born which she designs with business partner Luke Sales. Her hair is on a rainbow rotation at the moment changing every couple of weeks to which ever colour she feels like, with such intense colour and bleaching a treatment every 2 weeks at Oscar and Oscar salon keeps her hair as healthy as it can be. Monthly facials at Millk Studios would be ideal but it is more like 'Whenever I can get there'. The first time I saw OPI's Mod about you was on Anna's nails, which are rarely not painted and they have the distinct glossy top coat of a Sexy Nails devotee. Bikram yoga is very important to Anna - I wish it was more important to me, she practices 2-3 times a week at The center of Yoga sweatin' it out and staying centered.

Anna's Favorite Things:

Aesop Catherine Oil Burner Blend

'Burning this oil in the studio it has really soothing citrus smell that we have become fond of. Our friend Tess who works at Aesop got us onto it'

Aesop Rose Moisture Facial Hydrosol:

'We have this in the studio for whenever we need a pick me up!'

Aesop APC Poo Drops:

'Actually a close friend put me onto these after I was complaining about a certain person always doing #2's before I need to use the bathroom - Pretty funny!'

Aesop Fabulous Facial Oil

'My skin is combination and makeup dries it out, when it is feeling like it needs a lift I use a couple of drops of this in the morning or before I put a face on at night if I'm going somewhere.'

All Aesop available from www.aesop.com

Aveda Light The Way Candle

'This is a lavender soy wax candle, it's always nice to have a candle burning when we are working. As long as we remember to blow it out, there was a really close call unrelated to us down the road and we are super conscious of it now.'

www.aveda.com available from Aveda salons.

GHD Ultimate Hairspray

'Morning, noon or night, you never know when you will need to tame the fly aways. A little thing I do is spritz the end of a finally toothed comb to shape my thick eyebrows in place, works a treat for the Brooke Shields look! Ghd have nailed the Ultimate hairspray and they have ideally named it!'

Ghd available from www.ghdhair.com

Lavera Rose Body Spray

'I try to avoid aluminium based deodorant and I was really struggling with a tea tree oil one I used to get at the supermarket, but my book keeper put me onto this one. It's not a hardcore repellent but I think its a good alternative to regular deodorants.' 

www.lavera.com Lavera is available from health food stores.

Chanel Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum

'I like any Chanel fragrance really, and it's all I like to wear - I consider myself a Chanel girl. Since a very young age my Auntie always wore Chanel fragrances and she gave them to us for Christmas. My favorite is Allure but I have recently fallen in love with Beige.'

www.chanel.com

Chanel Mademoiselle and Allure fragrances available from Chanel counters.

Chanel Beige exclusively available at Chanel Boutiques.

MAC 

'My friend Tessy told me the other day she thought she was sitting next to a mermaid (me!) and that made me really happy. I love MAC makeup, the pigments are so super spot on for colours, recently been loving the moonlight Pink Opal iridescent pigment - it reminds me of the finish of white pearls. For the mermaid look I like to dab it on my finger (not sure if that's is the right way, but its my way!) and dab it on the high moons of my cheeks up to the brow bone. Glitter on your eyes is always a good quick effective trick. My favorite lippy is MAC's Dear Diary, it is the best party girl colour ever. Even in Winter I like to wear sunscreen so Mac's Studio Moisture Tint SPF 15 is good for a bit of coverage when the suns not too crazy. We all need to look after our skin now to avoid botox in the future, not that I ever would!'

pigment in Pink Opal and Pink Glitter, Studio Moisture Tint in Light, Dear Diary pro long wear creme lipstick from the Beth Ditto Collection.

All available at www.maccosmetics.com.au