its pinnacle and the rest of the country makes its way to the cinema to cast their votes (not since the republic referendum has there been such a dichotomy of opinions), I thought it might be fitting to indulge in Harper's BAZAAR.Financed in part by Tourism Australia ("who generously helped us with planes, trains, automobiles and whatever else it took to get Team BAZAAR to the far-flung corners of Oz for our special See Australia issue"), the issue is quite the departure for BAZAAR, which usually has its snobby head turned in the direction of Europe. Still, what better publication than the ostentatious BAZAAR to dedicate much of its editorial to a film of equal theatrics?
Baz Lurhmann, it might be said, is the Australian film industry's equivalent of BAZAAR's editor Jamie Huckbody. Camp and visionary, with an international sensibility, I can see why Tourism Australia might find this relationship complementary.
The cover... Not being a fan of 'our Nicole', who looks rather sleepy (she finished filming Australia two days before the shoot), it's the hot pink masthead and coverlines, and whimsical use of illustration that draws me in. The airbrushing on the image is quite odd (she's smoother than a baby's bum – who needs Botox?) – and is one of her arms bigger than the other?
In the six-page cover feature (complemented by a big old Chanel No.5 ad starring Kidman),
Margaret Merten does double time with Kidman and Luhrmann (who share a "platonic and creative affinity"). We are reminded (as on the cover) that this is an exclusive and the accompanying shoot is "the only one they are doing together" to promote the film. And, in fact, it's "astonishing to get these two talents in the same room at the same time as they are both hugely busy". You, dear reader, should therefore feel like part of an exclusive club.During the interview Kidman and Luhrmann joke with each other and dote on each other. Luhrmann compares the film-making process to war ("because ultimately anything can happen") and his new film to Gone With the Wind ("it can switch from serious to entertaining"). Kidman says the film represents the end of an era for her: "I grew up wanting to make a film like this... to be given this chance now, that finishes something in my head, in my cycle of life."
The ed. says... Jamie Huckbody charts his cross-continent career trajectory, and the love/hate affair with the country he currently calls home: "It all started when I landed my very first postgraduate job, way back in 1997, running the London office of an Australian glossy... It wasn't long before then BAZAAR editor Alison Veness-McGourty seduced me over scrambled eggs at Claridge's hotel in London and persuaded me to move to Sydney as her fashion features director... I was never one of those Brits who dreamed of life on Bondi with a sunburn and a six pack of beer... I stayed for two years...". As the story goes, eight months later he was back in the country in the top job at BAZAAR vacated by Veness-McGourty. Huckbody goes on to say that Australia "is the modern definition of luxury". Just like BAZAAR, right? He finishes his letter with a cursory nod to the economic slump: "when the rest of the world is crashing around us, what could be more important than love, life's little Aussie luxuries and the dream of a homemade Yorkshire pud."
The story line-up:
• Australian BAZAAR serves up a sprawling five-page profile piece on Kirsten 'Kiki' Dunst from the October US edition (she made the cover). As we're told, she is all grown up. Out of Cirque Lodge rehab, Dunst says "I don't want to get into too much detail" but then gives us more than a few morsels to chew on:
"Everyone goes through a hard time in their life. They just don't have to do it in front of tons of people and with our media the way it is, I did, and I'm lucky that I had the resources and the money to take care of myself. I learned a lot... I wasn't taking care of myself emotionally. I wasn't expressing my anger. I was being nice all the time. When you spend your entire life as a child actor, being told where to go and where to stand, you're performing constantly for people. It definitely breeds the kind of person who's dependent on other people's approval."
Clearly, she's had some time for introspection. Her new philosophy? "Trust yourself first". Dunst wants to be "a good friend to people", start a grassroots organisation to "help women discuss their problems", says Lindsay and SamRon are "sweet girls" and paints and draws in her spare time. She's also working on a documentary (she founded Wooden Spoon Productions with two friends) called Why Tuesday? about the movement to shift election day to the weekend so more people can vote, and aspires to make feature films ("It's easier when you're famous. I've paid my dues and I get to do what I want to do."). She is "not someone who hires someone to do their houses for them", is considering moving to New York full-time: "There are so many interesting people doing more important things" and one day wants "kids and a farm". But, most importantly, she loves herself: "Everyone has to get to the point where they love themselves. Now I love me, so I'm OK." Gosh, why do I still feel like she's a disingenuous brat?
• Designers given page space include Michael Teperson (Nicole Richie, Thandie Newton and
Elle Macpherson are fans of his handbags); Gian Luca Lera, artistic director for Bulgari; and Rachael Ruddick (who gives us the stylish 411 on her home state of Tasmania).• Jane Jasper of new Sydney boutique Land’s End Store (formerly of Belinda Seper’s The Corner Shop) scores a one-page Q&A She says, “I always thought I would end up on a magazine. Yet when a friend suggested opening a store to me, it made perfect sense, plus to be your own boss is incredibly rewarding.”
• Flip over for another profile, this time of industry veteran Carla Zampatti who imparts the following wisdom: “Avoid partnerships - do it on your own” and “good grooming goes a long way”.
• Karl Lagerfeld is always good for a laugh. In response to the teddy bear made in his likeness: “I am only interested in myself and my own reflection.” And his love for animals? “I very much like animals. Above all, when they are stuffed with cotton or plastic. It is the best way to be sure that they do not bite, eat, smell badly or mess with your things. After all, I am here not only to save species but brands.”
• Margaret Mertin takes a Mercedes SL68 AMG V8 Roadster (“the motoring world’s Hermes Kelly Bag) for a spin a la Jeremy Clarkson. At just $401,235, it’s a steal!
• Frances Hibbard ventures into the outback BAZAAR-style (i.e. five-star accommodation) for her lifestyle feature ‘Born to be wild’. At Voyages Wrotham Park Lodge in Far North Queensland she dines on a candlelit terrace, avoids the cane toads (“not glamorous”), enjoys a deep slumber, starts the day with “great coffee and outback porridge served with bush honey, yoghurt and plums soaked in orange-flavoured tea, cinnamon and star anise” and watches as “elegant sarus cranes and brolgas strut like catwalk models through the paddocks”. In conclusion, she tells us that the Hermes Kelly Bag are made from the skins of Australian freshwater crocodiles.
• The ‘Culture’ section opens with The Cassette Kids (“the hardest working band in Sydney”) whose peroxide blonde lead singer Katrina Noorbergen lends the indie band an air of the Gwen Stefani No Doubts. Margaret Mertin gives us a short-list of must-read books for 2008 and we spend ‘5 minutes with MGMT’’.
• Part of the ‘See Australia’ special is an 18-page spread, ‘The Australian Style Portfolio’,
recognizing our fashion talents and iconic exports. Ignoring the fact that Lara Bingle is referred to as ‘Laura “So where the bloody hell are you?” Bingle’, Lee Roberts’ charts the country’s “extreme makeover” – as “global purveyors of cool”, no longer do we suffer the ‘cultural cringe’ of the Paul Hogan era. Celebrated in these pages are surf labels Billabong, Rip Curl and Mambo; R.M. Williams; the opal; designer exports Willow, Josh Goot, sass & bide, Maticevski and Alice McCall; Jennifer Hawkins; pearls; Aboriginal model Samantha Harris; ksubi; our leading ladies, Kylie, Nicole, Naomi, Cate, Elle and Teresa; MTV VJ Ruby Rose (‘Fashion’s New Eccentric’); fashion pioneers Linda Jackson and Jenny Kee; Australian Argyle diamonds; and Dame Edna. No Vegemite or pavlovas, possums. Fittingly, there are advertisements this issue for Cozi by Jennifer Hawkins, Paspaley pearls and, of course, Tourism Australia.The superficial:
• The 'BAZAAR Style' section opens with sparkling cocktail dresses and follows with Katrina
Israel's story 'The Glitterati'. Israel is embracing "all-over embellishment" this season. She suggests contrasting your sequined pieces with matt fabrics like chiffon, leather and cotton jersey, a dazzling jacket from Balmain (strictly no sequined capelets, please), and wearing your sparkle with "a little modesty for good measure".• Croc-inspired accessories take the shape of an actual crocodile. Luxury comes at a cost – for the poor crocs. Steve Irwin would be none to happy.
• Your new year's outfit is sorted: Medwin Couture dress ($2000); Lanvin necklace ($2750); Sergio Rossi shoes ($1650); and Jimmy Choo bag ($4200) (see 'Stroke of Midnight). Or there's always the $36,900 Dior dress on page 89 ('Party time'). Start saving, Cinderella.
• Rather than making me feel optimistic about being able to afford something featured in BAZAAR, 'The well spent dollar' page ("stylish buys for $499 or less") just reminds me of the things, other than fashion, that I should really be spending my money on/and or saving for.
• Beauty opens with a striking red and black bird-inspired visual and follows with ‘A Tad Embellished’, beauty director Eugenie Kelly’s party-season feature. Before reading I’m lusting after the Dior Rouge Dior lipstick in Rose Diorlywood ($48), a bright fuchsia pink shade pictured on the page of text. Kelly’s writing style is witty and her features often draw on pop cultural references, a wealth of beauty back-knowledge (she’s been working the beat for some time) and insider know-how. This story doesn’t disappoint. “Embellishment can be like cosmetic surgery,” she quips. “A slippery, slippery slope. A false lash turns into a bold lip turns into an up-‘do and before you know it, you’re having a drag-queen moment.” We’re given makeup tips by pros in the know (Mary Greenwall, who does Keira and Sienna, advises us to choose cheeks, brows eyes or lips: she likes a smoky eye on Keira but is more experimental with Sienna); an account of a colleague’s lash extension experience; a trivia fact about Elizabeth Taylor (“born with a double row of eyelashes”); the goss on Esthelis under-eye injections; and tanning/slimming tips by Charlize Theron’s go-to makeup artist, Shane Paish. Like a perfectly made-up face, this is beauty entertainment.
• After a story called ‘Armed Forces’ reminding us of the need for sun protection, is a five-page photographic beauty spread featuring a model in various states of undress with the kind of deep tan (and bikini strap marks) one cannot get from a bottle alone (it feels very RUSSH). I’m reminded of Ludivine Sagnier in Swimming Pool. The accompanying text tells us to "practise protection" before getting nostalgic about the sweet coconut smell of tanning oils, making mental notes to buy a protein hair mask, asking "what’s a butt facial?".
• Two fragrance features follow” ‘Scents and the City’, in which Emma Sloley meets Bond No.9 perfume creator Laurice Rahme; and ‘Catherine the Great’, in which Eugenie Kelly profiles Coty’s chief celebrity fragrance afficionado Catherine Walsh, who’s worked with Jennifer Lopez, Gwen Stefani and Sarah Jessica Parker on their scents.
• ‘Bright Young Things’, the first main fashion spread, urges us to swap out LBDs for “something more audacious” this season. I see a purple Dita Feather jacket ($300), bright pink Akira coat ($1870), yellow Givenchy heels ($848), a pink and orange Dior dress (POA) and green Hermes Birkin bag ($11,930).
• The second fashion spread, ‘Go Figure’, features sporty separates and full-piece swimsuits by Adidas, Dion Lee, Commes des Garcons for Speedo, Trust Fun for Josh Goot and American Apparel.
The glossy posse: Emma Watson, John Roca, Georgia Jagger, Louise Goldin…
The score
Overall excitement factor: 5/6
Feel-good factor: 5
Eye-candy rating: 4
The stats
Issue: December 2008
Book size: 236 pages
Cover price: $9.95
FOB ads: Paspaley, Estee Lauder, Ralph Lauren, Louis Vuitton, Gucci (starring Rihanna), Chanel, Cartier, Calvin Klein (Eva Mendes), Gucci by Gucci, Belvedere Vodka, Tourism Australia, Viktor & Rolf…
Editor: Jamie Huckbody
Publisher: ACP Magazines/PBL Media
Website: www.harpersbazaar.com.au
Yours truly,
Girl With a Satchel
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