Home Office: Gabrielle Adamidis of Hopeless Lingerie

The very lovely Gabby of Hopeless Lingerie kindly shared with me a few snaps of her work area..... I love all of her knick-knacks. She says that they help to cheer her up and keep her work area exciting! I can definitely relate to that ♥

Lola's Mood Board:March

So the other day I was feeling rather sluggish, a little lost about how I was going to approach a few projects and just generally like things were going over my little head. All in all, that morning I was very unproductive.

So I grabbed my empty pin board, a stack of Frankie, Shop til you drop and Vogue magazines and started cutting. It was very cathartic piecing together this fairy floss theme. It really helped me with Wikifashion and I had a very productive afternoon. What do you like to do when you have a brain block?

How to create a page for your blog on Wikifashion.....

The Wishing Jar

Sorry I know I haven't done a wishing jar for a few weeks... so for those of you who are new to this blog, all you have to do is pop in a few wishes for the week. Here are mine:

• To keep up with my exercise regime. Last week I went running five times, this week I'd like to do pilates twice as well.
• Find a way to stop stressing a little bit!
• Keep chipping away at Wikifashion and on my clients' campaigns.

What are yours?

Lola's Snail Mail & Wikifashion postcards....

Follow the Wikifashion twitter account....

If you'd like one of our Wikifashion postcards feel free to comment below and email

me your postal address.....

I am so in love with our Wikifashion tote bags, we've ordered a few more.

You'll soon be able to pick up a few for yourselves...(puppy not included).

Some new stationery and some other exciting news.....

I recently placed a small order on Vistaprint.com for business cards, compliment slips and tote bags for Wikifashion. The totes will be used to send a thank you gift to the lovely Keiko Lynn and Phyllis for all their help during New York Fashion Week...

Refinery 29: A Brave New Online World

This afternoon I attended Portable Presents Refinery 29, at The Edge in Brisbane, where the founder Philippe van Borries and style director, Piera Gelardi of the site, discussed the future of online retail, the role of social media and the new direction in fashion reporting and business.

Refinery 29 is one of New York's most forward thinking online fashion publication's, it's one part global fashion guide and two parts fashion editorial. With over one million unique visitors each month, the site is no small fry in the fashion world.

Listening to Philippe and Piera was so incredible, the way they dissected their business and carefully explained how they built their site to what it is today was so inspiring for me and has only fuelled me to work harder on Wikifashion.

With only $5000 to launch, they managed to introduce their site to the cream of the New York fashion world, interviewing Alexander Wang in his apartment and partnering with YSL and the Gilt Group.

They have managed to create a unique and dynamic dialogue with consumers and their audience, shaping their content to them and being able to envisage trends. Their out of the box approach to content and editorials have allowed them to forge an important place for themselves among online fashion publications.

They understood the way in which fashion is consumed was changing and designers would no longer have control over their brands if they didn't participate in the online conversation. Part of their success was their championing of independent stores and designers like Alexander Wang and Erin Fetherston, their ability to develop unique relationships allowed Refinery 29 to not only report on fashion but to allow designers to truly communicate and listen to their customers. In short, they created a higher level of personalisation and customisation.

Their discussion of upcoming trends in the online world was fascinating. Content, mobile, crowdsourcing and location based services are the next wave of technologies that brands and publications must come to grips with. It seems that fashion is only getting more fast paced and if you are not adapting you will miss the boat.

One of the most important pieces of advice I have taken from the night came from Philippe, all you need is one idea everyday and risk is more important than experience.

I'd urge anyone who is interested in social media and fashion reporting to snap up a ticket or two for the Sydney or Melbourne events, it's invaluable for brands and communicators alike.

edit: The above photo is actually of Piera and Philippe, it was used on their wedding invitations.

Office Space: Wikifashion

Part of the joy of working on your own business is having the freedom to decorate your own office. This is what my desk looks like at the moment. I can assure you it's not as neat as this, but it's pretty close to it. I believe that in order for me to be highly productive, I need an organised space with with a lot of natural light and paper to quickly jot things down. Here's a run down of my office essentials:

• Tea pot and cup
• Note pads
• Sticky notes
• Lots of pens and highlighters
• Diary
• A stack of fresh magazines
• Folders and clear document slips
• A white board and cork board
• Miss Mac

What are your office essentials?

Techno Vogue: Conde Nast to launch magazines for iPad

When the iPad was announced a short while ago, my interest in the device was certainly piqued. I had already convinced myself that I not only wanted this device but I needed it. Isn't it funny that before it came along I had no use or desire for a portable screen in which to read material from?

Maybe I just love Apple products, or the one and a half hour key note sucked me in and kindly spat me out? Either way I am giddy with excitement for the release of Apple's newest toy. Although being the sensible consumer that I am, you will not see me camped outside the Apple store to be one of the first to purchase the iPad. Even though those who do, have been promised a free "gift".

You might ask why someone who is *relatively technologically inept would want another electronic device? This brings me to my other insatiable love, magazines. I adore them, the first Monday of every month is denoted as "Magazine day" in my household. I love the glossy pages, fashion editorials and feature articles. When Conde Nast announced that they were developing versions of their magazines for iPad, I turned into kid in a candy store.

Can you imagine receiving all of your subscriptions every month on your iPad? You can forgo the unreliable postie and that knot in your back from carrying your stash out of Borders, nestle your iPad on your lap and literally flip through hundreds of pages, without so much as reaching over the coffee table for your next hit. That is unless of course you want another Tim Tam.

Up until yesterday, the majority of magazines to announce an iPad version have been relatively male orientated: GQ, Esquire and Wired. However, Conde Nast have announced that Glamour, Vanity Fair and The New Yorker have been added to the line up. Under Cindi Leive, Glamour has become a digital success story, with their blog driven approach, the magazine has seen a surge in traffic over the past year. This combined with their substantial, youthful print and online audience, Glamour has the potential to attract a large number of iPad users.

The only qualm that I have about this form of publication, is that it is creating an element of intangibility. I love the scent magazines have from the sample perfumes and the feeling of glossy paper between my fingertips. Will this factor in your decision to read magazines this way? Or will the convenience of the iPad triumph? I believe that there will always be a place for traditional media although online media can certainly provide added value to consumers as a whole. All in all it is an exciting time for the publishing industry.

* I say relatively because I live with a super computer genius. Obviously I run a website, blog and love social media, so I'm not completely befuddled by my computer.

The Wishing Jar

Welcome back to the Wishing Jar. How did your week's pan out? Did you work towards your bite-size goals? Here's how it works: Pop into the jar a few small wishes for the week. Nothing too big, something small that is achievable in seven days. Here's mine:

• Make time for having fun. This weekend I adventured out to the city for the first time in months, read magazines at Borders, found a new tea shop and an Italian restaurant and walked through my city's new tunnel. I had so much fun not doing any work.
• Finish the Oscar's page on Wikifashion...I'm attempting to create fashion galleries for as many years as I can find pictures for. Wish me luck, or better yet do you have any photos of the Oscars? Feel free to upload them on Wikifashion.
• Schedule featured articles on Wikifashion for everyone who has used one of our badges.
• Send out thank you gifts to the two lovely bloggers who tweeted for Wikifashion during New York Fashion Week.

your turn.....