Eustratia winter collection part 1

Sometimes as an independent brand, it’s difficult to produce enough garments for a new collection all in one go. I always struggle to find the balance between making enough money to stay afloat, preserving my artistic integrity and learning new skills, all of which I consider integral parts of running my business. This means that sometimes, I have to prioritise things that break up the flow of creativity and not create as many new items as I planned.

This happened during the creation of my winter collection and I decided to photograph and share what I had and add to it at a later date, instead of risking it looking rushed or producing items I didn’t love.

I was initially afraid there weren’t enough similar items for it to seem like a collection but ater looking at the images, I think the mood comes across, despite the fact that it is incomplete.

4w

55w

27w

50w

36w

1w

2w

13w

3w

Images by Toria Brightside

Models: Myself and Jessica @Vauhaus

Featuring the beautiful Tara

Some of the items have already been listed on my website, where you can also get 20% off or about another hour with the code: ENDOFYEAR20

Winter fantasy shoot

Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate! It’s finally time to share the annual Eustratia winter photoshoot images.

We had a great team this time, working with Toria Brightside, who has been by my side throughout the creation of this latest collection and has a great understanding of the pieces and reuniting with Victoria who has been part of 4 previous collection shoots and has just returned to modelling after a break to start a family. The makeup was provided by Faye Aydin.

 

44w

24w

33w

25w

21w

2w

4w

19w

5w

1w

8w

We shot this set in my house, I love shooting at home because we have the freedom to shoot for as long as we like and move everything around to fit the scene.

The new items will be added to the website in the next few days.

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Shooting for Coco and Max Melbourne

In January, I was sent a selection of wonderful garments to shoot by my friends at Coco and Max and with the weather finally starting to warm up over here, I thought it was the perfect time to share with you all.

coco 1

coco 3My first set featured the Geo pop leggings in white/pink.  I paired them with a floaty open shoulder top from my own label, Eustratia and some gemstone necklaces. Anyone who reads this blog can probably guess I don’t wear much pink and I don’t usually go for these shiny looking leggings but the quality and fit on these are amazing, they feel cool rather than sweaty and the waistband and seams are super comfortable.

coco light 1

 

For my second look, I wore the Geo skull bather. This has recently been reduced on the website as it’s now winter in Australia, giving all you northern hemisphere readers the perfect chance to snap one up. The print is so detailed and magical and despite it being white, it will not become see-though when wet due to the amazing pink lining (though it also comes in black). A close up of the print can be found on my instagram, here.

coco light 2

I paired the bathers with the dragonfly poncho in white. Beautifully draped, it provides the right amount of protection from the sun, while still keeping you cool.

coco light 3

I love dragonflies so the print is an added bonus for me and will definitely be debuting this at the beach very soon!

coco silver 1

 

For the final part of the shoot, I wore my absolute favourite piece from the range, the crystal leggings. I love knee pad details and these lightly padded, crystal heart shaped ones are so unique! The leggings are made of liquid foil effect 4 way stretch fabric and offer a comfortable fit with just the right amount of support.

odin 1For this look, I also enlisted the help of some furry friends. This is Odin, my favourite puppy from our litter. My scale headpiece is by Richard Ayres.

coco doggies 1

I also tried the leggings with a more casual look, pairing them with my limited edition crystal heart t-shirt and some large headphones.

headphones2

Charlie and I rocking our Coco crystal hearts!

headphones 3

 

I had loads of fun shooting these and am glad to have found another great indie label with high quality, original and ethical products. Every garment is proudly 100% manufactured in Melbourne, to support fair local trade.

Supporting smaller labels is great for the economy and means more people can survive doing what they love. I always believe it’s better to have an eclectic selection of special items that you enjoy wearing than a sea of generic mass produced garments that make you feel like you have nothing to wear.

All images by Richard Ayres photography, styling and retouch by me.

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Winter project

Every so often, I feel compelled to create some images of my own. It could be to experiment with a new hair or makeup look, find the right setting for a new product I’ve created, or bring to life an image that popped into my head.

winter moth 1b

 

This time it was “all of the above” and I shot a couple of images featuring my “Freya” crop top, moth necklace and butterfly head piece.
winter moth 2bI also shot a new image for the “moth girl” t-shirt, as the previous one didn’t really inspire me.

mothgirlnew copy

I continued the set with a set featuring my dog, Charlie, which I will post next time.

Photography by Richard Ayres.

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