Pip Edwards at Home; Sydney

Yesterday I gave you a brief insight into the world of stylish sneakerlover Pip Edwards, well today we get up close and personal with this icon of Australian Fashion Royalty as she showcases some of the favourite pieces in her wardrobe.

She put together 3 looks, each based around a hot shoe from her stash, each with a different look and feel.

Look 1 is classic double denim outfit based around kicks from the hot Venice based label Golden Goose, and when I say hot, I mean SMOKING as this label is the must have ladies premium shoe right now.

The brand's signature sneakers offer the elegance and sophistication of Italian footwear design with some pre-designed wear and tear that makes the shoes look instantly full of character.

These shoes are killing it in LA right now, and you can see why as Pip shows off their effortless cool with her own effortless cool.

Every wardrobe needs at least one pair of Converse, and these all black Platform Wedge Hi's are surely a must have for any outfit.  

Whether you dress them up or dress them down they are versatile enough to go with any look, and you can pick up a pair of your own here at General Pants.

2 things to look out for in this set of shots; 1) the fantastic gardening work which Pip did herself, and 2) her bold and punchy Isabel Marant Bayley wedge sneakers.

Us blokes are missing out a bit with the phenomenon that is Isabel Marant sneakers, as for the past few years her distinctive wedges have become a stylish staple for many of the sneaker loving ladies out there, and Pip is no exception.

Isabel Marant's are arguably the shoe that helped define the 'wedge' trend that refuses to go away, and for Pip who is always on the go, Isabel Marant shoes constantly offer a great combination of style and comfort.  Although I'm guessing she didn't wear them to do the gardening in!

Pip's Kicks: Sydney

OK, so I've been sitting here working out how to start this article on Australian Fashion Queen Pip Edwards for about 20 minutes and I have severe writer's block as it's hard to know where to start when talking about such a multi-skilled icon.

In addition to being a Stylist, Designer and Creative Consultant she's also the Design Director at General Pants, and a Mum, so it's safe to say she's on the go all the time, and needs the shoes to keep up with her hectic & chic life.

Check out the above GIF of Pip teasing us with some of her amazing kicks collection, and stick around tomorrow as we get up close and personal with her fave shoes and looks.

Sophie x adidas Superstar 2 Platform Up; Sydney

Meet Sophie, an extremely talented Sydney based Dancer who I met through Instagram.  

She has a clear love of kicks that she displays on her feed (@sophraper) so I was delighted when she arranged to meet up to show off her adidas Originals Superstar 2 Platform Ups.

The shoes offer some old school adidas styling with a modern twist and in turn gave a real 'lift' to Sophie's feminine monochrome look that really takes a step up with these kicks, and gives another example of just why the brand with 3 stripes are killing it this year as they really do have something for everyone.

Isiah Thomas Lover, x ASICS Isiah Thomas shoes; Sydney

Detroit Pistons Point Guard Isiah Thomas was an NBA icon on the court for a number of reasons, but for this sneaker lover, the #1 reason was his kicks.
Back in the day Isiah wore both Puma and Converse before the ASICS Gel-Spotlyte become his signature shoe back in '92, and with a few other brands offering some retro basketball heat, ASICS have released some fire with this slam dunk of a silhouette.
A couple of colourways are available and this fan queued on release day to commemorate his favourite player and shoe in style.

New New Balance Lovers; Melbourne

Couple's sharing a visible mutual interest in brands is not something new for me to spot in Melbourne (see earlier this month), but for this couple their relationship with New Balance is at a very early stage.

Purchased only a few hours before this shot was taken the couple are seen wearing their first ever pairs of NB's and in this short period of time they had already become brand converts.

For him, some clean and simple 420's were an easy choice by fusing classic retro style with NB's trademark build quality, while for her it's pretty easy to see that her style is more colourful and eclectic (including that pink Polaroid-style camera as an accessory) so some more colourful Camo 501's make a bolder but equally comfortable statement.

Michelle x Puma Suede; Melbourne

Australian Hip Hop has a new Queen in photographer Michele Grace Hunder. 

Her fantastic work championing the style and swagger of the Aussie scene has seen her get some serious shine with some amazing work at gigs and portraiture of well known acts, and later this year you can (and SHOULD) check her work out as she's putting together a new book called 'Rise' which will celebrate the rise of the Australian scene and some of the countries biggest acts.

So it was no surprise to see her rocking some kicks that go down in history as iconic Hip Hop classics, some Puma Suedes.

While she captures the present of the scene, it's apt that her feet rep the hip hop world's past in shoes that look as good today as they did back in the early 80's.

Check out Michele's work here, and do check out Rise as she writes her own chapter in the game.

Robin x Clae Mills; Melbourne

The premium luggage brand Crumpler have been good to me over the years. 

No matter where I'm travelling or shooting their premium gear always gets my gear to the destination safely and stylishly, and someone hugely influential in the brands considered appearance is the fella in the above pics; Robin who is Crumplers' Senior Graphic Designer/Art Director.

We've become good mates, and I will be in no trouble at all for outlining some key facts about Robin;

1) Design filters through all aspects of his life, and his taste of clean, clinical design even lends itself to kicks, as the US brand Clae have become his brand of choice. 

In his Mills' Robin feels he has found a balanced union of function and form as their great style sits alongside supreme comfort.

2) They also match his Crumpler Outpost Squid bag.

3) He has a crush on Natalie Imbruglia.

4) He has a big thumb.

5) He won't be happy when he reads this.

Mafia x Visvim FBT; Melbourne

She is without doubt the undisputed Queen of Melbourne, and it's a real honour to say that through DJ Yo Mafia has become a good mate over the years.

We originally met back in the day when she worked at Sneaker Freaker and kindly ran a piece about me, and from then we've stayed in touch.

We don't get to see each other as much as we would like, partly because she has become a big name on the DJ scene, so it was great that we had a chance to catch up at Carbon.

The last time we met for an IDYSM shoot (see here) she was rocking some serious colour blocking with a huge nod to adidas Originals x Jeremy Scott, but this time was a more subdued, and dare I say mature look, punctuated with some Visvim FBT's.

Visvim got a lot of attention in 2013 when Kanye wore them for a while, and while a lot of the Hypebeast's will have moved on to follow whatever Kanye is into next a lot of quality shoe lovers (like Mafia) gave the Japanese label serious props before and after Yeezy's interest due to Visvim's acknowledged innovative and high quality product.  

Whether it's her music, or her taste in shoes, when it's Mafia you need to pay attention so check out Visvim, but not before you check out whether Mafia is playing near you any time soon (see here).

PS - Hope it's not 3 years before our next shoot M!

Pretty Puke x adidas ZX Flux; Melbourne

While some may find his work shocking, I find it intriguing and inspiring so I'm honoured to feature LA Photographer and Artist Pretty Puke today on IDYSM.
In Australia for the 2014 Carbon Forums as a Guest Speaker, he shared his story of how photographing the world around him in his hometown offered him artistic release, as well as an emotional and physical release as his raw work has seen him become a global phenomenon.
It's pretty safe to say that in Pretty Puke's world, pretty much anything goes as his work documents the lives of his mid-twenties friends and peers in LA, and it's a loose world where drugs, sex and hedonism are rampant.
He admits that he likes to shoot people without inhibitions, so I was intrigued that he was kind of shy when it came to taking his pics.  He had been rocking some fresh adidas ZX Flux's (owned by DJ Paul Devro apparently) and I was keen to get some shots to share his story, but when he came to shooting he was kind of aloof, which I loved as it's the complete opposite to the shots he gets (check out his work here).
He's quickly become a big fan of the Flux, and was rocking more pairs through the weekend, each with loud and bright colours, but I loved the understated nature of this silver/grey which seemed to sum up his reserved mood when the pic was taken.
A great talent and a great bloke - cheers Pretty Puke.

Sneaker Story; Ta-Ku/Team Cozy

What is Team Cozy?  Well, who better to ask than creator and music supremo Ta-Ku, a man who took a few minutes out of his busy schedule to talk sneakers, and all things #team_cozy.
Like most people, sneakers play a key part in Ta-Ku's life, but rather than just be interested in style, comfort is a huge factor for him.  He explains more in this raw, and revealing vid.

Instagram: @Team_Cozy, #team_cozy
Music: Drive Slow Homie Pt III, by Ta-Ku.

MBFWA Oyster 20th Anniversary Party; Sydney

I don't usually drink when I shoot at parties, but there were 2 great reasons to hydrate at last night's MBFWA Oyster party at Good God Small Club in Sydney.

Firstly, it was the 20th Anniversary of the acclaimed fashion mag, and secondly the drinks were supplied by Crystal Head vodka, which is coincidentally owned by Dan Ackroyd.  Not sure you needed to know that.  Maybe I'm still drunk?

Anyway, the shots are a bit random, but here are some images of some of the people, the outfits, the backpacks (yes backpacks, what was I thinking?) that caught my eye.

Was a fun night, and here's to another 20 years Oyster (he says holding aloft a glass of Berocca to toast with).