Style Spotlight - Carolyn Bessette Kennedy

The first time I ever saw her was on tv. I was sitting on the couch surfing channels when I stop at a documentary all about JFK Jr.  And there she was. One of the most influential 'it girls' with her long blonde hair and blue eyes, of the 90's. She was married to one of the most handsome men alive (the headline featuring the fact that the worlds most eligible bachelor had been taken had every girl sighing in sadness). She was Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and her modern and modest style forever remains a legacy. Some called her a reluctant muse, the private princess, purely based on her shy behaviour and quiet life, but with paparazzi bombarding her and John, pictures of her and her outfits started a thousand trends - every woman wanted to be HER.

   

 The secret wedding - the slip dress - the simplicity. Oh, how the world went wild. 

Ok, now have a look at these shoes, and that dress. So modern, so chic. 

      

It was obvious that her street style was daring at times - white pants, white sneakers, an oversized jacket - yet delicate - flowing dresses, 

white tops, and heels, accompanied by her luscious blond locks - all accentuating her refreshing, unconventional beauty. 

     

So, she'll forever remain an eternal style icon from her early days as a publicist for Calvin Klein, to her rise of fame following her relationship and marriage to JFK Jr, Carolyn set the movement and legacy and all that we love and admire about '90s fashion, much like her mother-in-law Jackie O, the ultimate example of classic New York style.

xoxo, lots of love

Boyfriend or not, we love valentines day, cause its a day where extra love is celebrated and we love love, and we love you. So happy V day lovers. 

Lots and lots of love, 

M & S

dubai here i come...

EVERY FEW YEARS, DURING SUMMER HOLIDAY'S I TAKE A TRIP TO DUBAI to visit my dad since he's been living there since my parent's split. And this year I'm going again! Besides the fact that I'm going to be traveling ALONE in complete charge of taking care of my younger brother while we are in the airport and on the plane AND I'M FREAKING OUT, I am pretty excited. Excited of course because I'm going to be visiting my dad and also one of my best friends who recently moved there, but also super looking forward to all the shopping and walking around in the sun and all the glamorous places to dine. I'm leaving in 5 days and I obviously have to pack. It can be daunting but I thought this year, why not make it fun? In this post you're going to be seeing a whole bunch of items, some that I currently have, some that I don't, and some that I'm planning on going out to shop for before I leave. These few staple items are simple, fabulously chic when paired in a certain way, and are perfect for winter in Dubai - where it's still bright and sunny, but NOT as hot as Dubai in the summer. 

MY CARRY ON will probably have everything I need from toiletries, creams, sunglasses, my phone & charger & laptop & earphones (A MUST), a book, a magazine or two and anything that my brother might decide to throw in there since mum won't be travelling with us this time (again, I'm seriously freaking out). I love this tote. (Really, really want this). It's from Country Road and comes in a few other colours like rose gold and black, but I feel like the white is just so fresh and perfect for any summer outfit here, or winter outfit over there.  However, one of my favourite pieces in my wardrobe is my dark green, leather backpack from Sportsgirl that I've filled with a collection of my most treasured pins and badges, and I have a feeling that I'll be taking that through as my carry on because while it's pretty and all, it's probably more convenient in my case.

WHEN IT COMES TO TOPS AND T-SHIRTS, I'm a big graphics fan especially when it comes to band merch, but in this case I'm planning on packing a few basic tee's and tops that I can literally dress up or down. Great thing for me is the fact that I wear a scarf, so I can decide to wear a plain white top but with the magic of the perfect scarf choice I can switch up my look easily. Another thing is, I'm going to Dubai... so I'm probably going to come back with more clothes than I originally left Melbourne with!! So I'm not too worried about how many tops I take. The important thing for me is whether I will be able to dress my outfit up or down depending on where I'm going and what I'm going to do, and that can be easily done with layering up with either cardigans, coats or bomber jackets, along with accessories, makeup and of course, the right scarf! Kind of like what you'd see Alexa Chung, Gigi Hadid or even Kendall Jenner, or really any celeb or model out there, wearing on a normal day roaming the streets of a city on their way to a meeting or a catch up with friends. They always seem to be pairing simple items with eye catching accessories and that make the outfit suit the occasion. I went searching for basics and I found that H&M was a huge help - especially with all the crazy sales going on, I managed to get myself several items (t-shirts, nice tops for night outings, pants, scarves, everything really) with each one costing like $10 and under. Glassons, Sportsgirl and a whole range of other really affordable stores like Cotton On, are great spots when you're in need of some staple pieces for any outfit, so make a note of that!

I LOVE JEANS. Black jeans, navy blue jeans, denim jeans, I've got all three of them and I literally wear jeans all the time if I could. But I've always really wanted culottes. If I can get my hands on a pair of stripped culottes and some black ones before I leave, the possibilities of my outfit choices would be endless. I'd just have to be able to find ones that aren't too short or maybe right above the ankle since I am covered and have to dress modestly and in a particular way (luckily it's not as constricting as it may sound).  There's this one picture of Vanessa Hudgens and she's wearing this flowy white blouse paired with these long pants that run effortlessly in the most beautiful shade of orange, and it's just exactly the look I'm going for, so chic, so effortless, so comfortable. The perfect pair of pants or even skirts (skirts are a must for any holiday) along with the perfect top, scarf and accessories could create the perfect summer here/winter there outfit, especially for a place like Dubai. So out of this, I've learned that for any holiday outfit, Flowy-ness is key people, trust me.

NOW, WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO ACCESSORIES AND BEAUTY I'll be taking my Mimco purses of course, but I do plan on getting my hands on this pastel green-y kinda coloured one, I mean look at it, how cute is that? My Mimco watch is something I always have on me and honestly it pretty much goes with everything and just looks so good on any outfit, night and day. Lipsticks and nail polishes will vary depending on the outfit choice as well as the time of day but I'll be packing lots of pinks, mauves and reddish-orangey colours (for lips), along with dark blues and light purples (for nails) and whatever else I can find while strolling through what I like to call, the heaven of shopping, Dubai Mall. Jewellery for me is usually a stack of rings on my fingers, a silver necklace with a pendant or two, or even a long simple earring that dangles from my ear out the side of my scarf for a more elegant accessorised look. I don't go crazy with accessories because although I can't call myself a minimalist, I do love that clean, sleek look that can be achieved without going overboard with chunks and chunks of jewellery. Get what I mean? When it comes to shoes, I'll probably be packing a range of flats, my go-to Vans sneakers and for nights out.... well I'll just head over to Nasty Gal (my favourite online store ever, ever, ever, ever) to have a look because I'm in desperate need of a nice pair of shoes before I go.

In simpler terms, all I want is to feel comfortable, and look good. Something everyone wants, but with these pieces I have a feeling it can be easily done. Simple outfits with eye catching accessories are what I'm going for, especially during the day, and when it comes to night outings, something along the lines of silky tops with a pairing of either a long skirt or pants. And I'm off!

See you later lovelies, see ya next year x

Love Mayy

Meet Monica.

Meet Monica. Melbourne based fashion stylist and creative director. A visionary, a trendsetter, and a kind-hearted soul. Her talents will soon rise higher and higher as she is currently working hard to pursue what she describes to be her deepest passion, that is, the art of fashion. Her creativity is one of a kind, making it easier to see that she's got what it takes to make it to the big leagues of the fashion industry. Her bold, powerful and brave choices when styling bring life to each and every editorial she has taken part in with the combination of accessories upon accessories, vibrant, beautiful colours and the mix of a few different 'styles' within one outfit, prove that her talents are simply one-of-a-kind. 

We decided to ask Monica a few questions and here's what she had to say about pursuing her dream job:

GIVE US A BRIEF BACKGROUND ON WHO YOU ARE

My name is Monica Kabissios, I am a freelance fashion stylist and creative director based in Melbourne. I have always lived life on the more creative side and as I got into my late high school years I discovered what exactly a stylist does. It seemed like a perfect fit for what I loved to do. From a very young age I always found it so enjoyable to just draw, paint and wear cool outfits. I also loved acting and drama and only just temporarily stopped for the next couple of years. I knew that there was no way I could live my life following a robotic 9-5, Monday to Friday job. As human beings we are not designed for this kind of life, through our higher order of thinking we are capable of living our lives true to our spirit. It’s really the only way to become the best version of ourselves.

My favourite part of styling and creative directing is the fact that I can bring a whole bunch of elements together to create one big, epic scenario. For a basic editorial, you pull together models, photography, locations, moods and poses, backstory, hair and make-up and fashion. I don’t want to do basic editorials for much longer anymore, I plan to venture into creating fashion videos, music videos that all have some sort of depth to them, whether that be a personal experience where I came out on top or a social/political statement in the fight for equality and love in this 21^st century crap that’s still going on. 

My celebrity style icon would definitely have to be bad gal RiRi! It’s probably the closest to mine out of all the celebrities, only difference being the fact that I’m not a millionaire like her. I love the freedom she has with her fashion; it’s all self-expression and moods. She doesn’t care about gender roles and norms, she doesn’t care about fashion ‘rules’ and restrictions, and that’s how a real creative is. 

I wouldn’t be able to live without sneakers! They are literally the bee’s knee’s. A cool set of sneakers can make an outfit come to life. Their easy and comfortable (usually) to walk around in and they look dope, a perfect combination in my opinion.

STREET IN CHINA TOWN / Featuring Meaghan Kausman, shot by Rachel Webb, make-up by Morgan Stonebridge

HOW DO YOU GET THE CHANCE TO WORK ON ALL THESE PROJECTS?

I studied at Melbourne Fashion Institute, where I learnt how to go about creating concepts, planning shoots and shooting. Once I built my foundation there I ventured off into the underground creative scene in Melbourne and started working with new models, photographers and hair and make-up artists to start getting some experience, build my portfolio, network and pretty much trial and error my creativity so I can eventually get it right. I am super thankful that I have my parents behind me supporting me on this, If I didn’t have them I wouldn’t have been able to chase my dream at this age.

TEST SHOOT (EDITORIAL) / Featuring Leyla Cross, photographed by Dracaena Krstic, hair and make-up by Allie Barrett

DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS OR ADVICE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE OUT THERE JUST LIKE YOU, WHO WOULD LOVE TO DO WHAT YOU'RE DOING NOW (OR ANYTHING ELSE IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY)?

Go study it, don’t ever think you know how an industry works unless you have grown up in it. You must study it; learn from mentors who have been in the industry for years. With that being said, don’t forget who you are and what you stand for. You must push through boundaries of restriction in industries as soon as you start getting the chance to. For example, in the creative industry and in fashion particularly, there’s a lot of issues on models and representation of the people. At the moment and since the beginning of this industry the models have been tall, slender white women and men, poorly representing the actual culturally and ethnically diverse populations around the world. You don’t have to follow the set procedure of succeeding in an industry to the T, just take the best from it and learn from the worst of it. Eventually you will also get to a point where you must say ‘’no’’ to people and concepts offered to you. If they are not your cup of tea, if they don’t sit well with your values and morals or seems unethical, don’t do it. If you become a yes man then you will be seen as no different to the rest, own yourself and you as an artist. 

FEELIN' RED / Featured in Elements Magazine, shot by Drazena Krstic, featuring Leyla Cross. make-up by Allie Barrett & NEON NOIR EDITORIAL / Featuring Ally Mooney, shot by Dale Chynoweth, hair and make-up by Kristine Adriana

ASIDE FROM WORKING AS A STYLIST, DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER INTERESTS OR JOBS THAT YOU'D LOVE TO PURUSE ONE DAY?

There’s a few things I want to go and study when I am an adult, including philosophy, physics, meta-physics, environmental science and botany (study of plants). I‘m a little spiritual, highly intuitive soul so whenever I get the chance to I go on nature walks and contemplate the universe and me as a sentient being. Vinyasa yoga is also life. I am a humanitarian, and that will be evident in my work and business in the future. I want to do a lot for those who are less fortunate, homeless, for the beautiful animals who’s lives we destroy and mother earth who we have taken for granted. I plan on tackling all these issues with a fashion business or two in the future. I might go and work in reserves and forests with park rangers in my older years when I make the time to study environmental science and botany. There’s honestly a million and one things I would love to pursue so they will have to come slowly and all in good time.

DO YOU HAVE ANY FUTURE PLANS? HOW DO YOU PLAN ON TAKING YOUR CAREER TO THE NEXT LEVEL?

I plan to push creative boundaries and make fashion editorial like videos, instead of just photoshoots. I really want to create whole albums of these video editorial and I also want to do that with talented musicians. I need all the work I do to reflect the deepest parts of me, all of the struggles and wins, all of my philosophical opinion and way of living. I need the work I do to be of humanitarian nature, where I tackle social norms and boundaries for genders, ethnic groups etc. My work will have statements where the basis of it is the universal truth that unconditional love is the most important thing in this whole world. Hopefully once I start doing this I’ll also get noticed by organisations who will like to invest their money into my creativity. For example, record labels may hire me to style and creative direct music videos and albums for musicians they have.

RUG / Featuring Sara Liyanage, shot by Rachel Webb, hair and make-up by Madeleine Kean

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY WOULD BE THE BEST THING YOU'VE EVER EXPERIENCED WHILE ON THE JOB?

I think it would actually be the growing creativity within my mind. I am just continuously expanding my creative ideas and concepts in my mind and I am so excited to make them happen. After getting the ball rolling in this work I can finally let my energy run wild.

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR CONSTANT CREATIVITY AND INSPIRATION FROM?

My heart, a lot comes from my heart. I just create ideas by listening to my intuition and heart. Externally speaking, I love watching music videos, concerts and performances (Beyoncé especially) because I get super hyped up over the whole production of it. I love seeing the results of all the hard work and amazing ideas put together in these. Productions are hard, hard work and the idea of working that hard to create something so big and crazy gets my creative juices flowing. I draw a lot of inspiration from nature and my own philosophies on different areas of life too.

NEON NOIR EDITORIAL / Featuring Ally Mooney, shot by Dale Chynoweth, hair and make-up by Kristine Adriana

WHAT WOULD BE YOUR DREAM JOB? (STYLING FOR NYFW? STYLING FOR A CELEBRITY?)

My dream job would be working as an individual artist where I put out all my fashion and social statement videos and albums. I want to be an artist and seen as an individual where those who love my craft and work purchase it, similar to singers and film directors.

check Monica out and see what she's up to on all her social media platforms listed below:
+ website: Monica Kabissios
+ instagram: @monicakabstylist

+ polyvore: @styledbymonicakabissios

Thank you Monica for going ahead and answering all our questions, and we hope everyone enjoyed the read!

So, until next time, 

Love from The Misfits xx

October Faves

From the best brunch spot I managed to stumble upon, to accessories that are to die for for my new bedroom, this month has been pretty jam packed with little trinkets here and there of sparkly lip gloss bottles and delicate bow-shaped rings, delicious food and a whole lot of shopping to design my perfect little bedroom, a cozy, warm and twinkling space filled with candles and the most enchanting, yet dainty fairy lights, where I can feel at home. And so, it's these simple things that make up my October Favourites.

Brunch @ Hash Specialty Coffee & Roaster: As we were in search for food on a windy afternoon in the city, Sabrina and I, along with another friend, found ourselves in an alley that was PACKED. Long lines of people queuing up to experience some of the greatest brunch spots known in Melbourne filled up the spaces, and in the hunger, we decided to act fast. In annoyance and an extreme case of being tired, we decided to look around until we found the cafe with the least amount of people outside, but what seemed quite packed on the inside, and a few minutes later we were seated, only to have some of the most scrumptious and fabulous brunch that we'd ever had. To cut this short - it was pretty fantastic.

In search for the cutest bedroom pieces: Moving to a new house is pretty hard, and I don't think I ever realised that up until now at 16, because before when I was younger, my mum would pretty much do it all - the packing, the arranging and the moving. But I was determined that no matter what, no matter how messy the house would be for the first few months and no matter how many boxes were still left in the corner neglected, I would start working on my room to make it perfect. With all my furniture already bought and built, I was constantly out, looking for little knick-knack's and trinkets, bed covers and cushions with little embroideries and graphics filling up their spaces, flowers and plants to fill the vase's on my desk, the most gorgeous lamp pendant, and the sweetest scents to give my room that extra, magical touch that would keep me warm when the weather was downright crappy, and so far, I'm loving it.

The other little things here and there: I've always been a lover of sweet smelling beauty products, and I finally got my hands on Estée Lauder's Modern Muse, which is what's got to be my favourite perfume at the moment (and possibly forever). 

Reading has always been a hobby of mine, so of course I have chosen one of my top favourite reading materials for this month. As well as the novels and comics, magazines are always, and are obviously a great read. Harper Bazaar's October issue totally did it for me this month. Something about the featured celeb's, the dusty pink tones that flowed through the pages from front to back and the style tips and tricks really kept me flipping through the whole magazine without getting bored, not once ESPECIALLY because Spring Fashion has always been a fave of mine. 

Also above, how amazing was Dior at Paris Fashion Week showing off their newest SS17 pieces?? That skirt?? That t-shirt???!! I mean like, Amazing!!!????

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Well, it's already October and some of you might be getting ready for Halloween or even Christmas, or even exams, but here I am just going about my day thinking of the little things that have been a staple for this month. It's been a fun, yet a hard working month for me. With school and the exams that are coming up extremely soon my October Favourites put me at ease from the stress of assignments, tests and studying as I delve into my camera roll and memories and have a moment to think to myself about what has stood out to me this month... so here we go!

Hash Specialty Coffee & Roaster: As Mayy happened to mention up above, we found this amazing café in a lane way, in the city. While we love going out and in search for cute and quirky places to eat at, Hash Specialty Coffee and Roaster caught our eyes among the other cafés on that particular day. Even though we had to wait a bit for a seat, it was totally worth it because the food was AMAZING and I for sure, would definitely go back again. It's a discovery that I can't quite say I regret and I would love to go back there and try some more of the scrumptious food that they have to offer. So if you are stuck on where to eat here in Melbourne, go to Hash Specialty Coffee and Roaster, you won't regret it!

ToThe9s White Tee: Recently I purchased and received merchandise (a tee) by ToThe9s; youtubers that I happen to watch and take inspiration from, and I am very fond of their style. When I watched their video on their newly released merchandise line, I was ready to spend my money and support these amazing content creators, AND especially since their designs just looked so cute (you can see me rocking it on the last photo on this post or on my instgram). It's so simple, so minimal, so me, which is what I love when it comes to dressing up, it's just my style. Such a great purchase and amazing that it's supporting content creators who I dearly love and are SUCH an inspiration to me. To get a closer look, visit this link >>> tothe9s white tee. 

Other things that I've been loving: Recently Solange (aka Beyonce's sister) has come out with an album called "A Seat At The Table" which I have been listening to on a daily basis. It's such a stunning and very vibey album which is so calming and sweet to listen to and her voice is just amazing and I just can't get enough of it!!!! / I also rediscovered a perfume that I bought at the start of the year, 1969 by Gap. It has a few strong tones, but its the perfect summery fragrance, and I've been adoring it so much these past couple of weeks. 

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Well, that's a wrap! Those were our October Favourites, and we really hope that you enjoyed the read just as much as we enjoyed making this post for you, our lil' band of misfits. The continuous support from you guys has been amazing and we just want to put it out there and say that we are so grateful to have such a beautiful, diverse and magical audience and group of friends. We love doing what we do and we hope to progress in the future and build this blog up to become something more than just another site in the cluster of websites in the void we that call the internet. We want to make it something extra special, maybe turn it into a magazine one day or maybe a place where we can feature stories and creations made by you. To put it simply, we hope to make this blog mean something special to you and we strive to better it solely for YOU. So stick with us a little longer and don't lose hope, and hopefully you'll be around to watch something great grow. So from the two girls who have the dream of doing what they love to do, we just want to thank you again for you doing you and responding to what we put out there with such love and honesty.

So, with great amounts of hugs and endless appreciation, love, Mayy and Sabrina x