Madison Sullivan (1:19)

She was booked and busy.

Annika Joshi Smith (1:20)

Yeah. I honestly, some of the like looks I had on my face were so stern. I was like, jeez, calm down, hun. Like, I took it very, very fashion serious. Serious it is. It's ser business, everybody.

Joanna Fleming (1:31)

Well, we're going to get a very special Australian Fashion Week trend report directly from you, which we promised last week when Rhea was here. So we're expecting big things. We had you on the ground in Sydney, so you've got all of the goss that we could potentially need. And we're actually going to be discussing some of the criticism around the vox pops that went on over the last week as well, because that's been very much in our algorithms. And then later we're going to get to an opinions please about packing for a Europe trip from our listener, Talia. But first, let's jump into the swap. Annika, do you wanna go first?

Annika Joshi Smith (2:02)

Sure. So mine is something a little less chic than Fashion Week, but honestly, I started going grey when I was like 23, so that was like a decade ago. And now it's at the point Where I have to have my hair redone like every four weeks. And whether that's like at home box, like treatment that I do myself, or a quick little touch up here and there, I have found what I think is the best hack ever. There is this thing called beauty dust and it's kind of like eyeshadow for your hair. I mean you could probably just use eyeshadow and you literally just pop it over your grays and. And Bish Bosh bash. She looks like so good.

Madison Sullivan (2:34)

Bish Bosh bash.

Annika Joshi Smith (2:36)

I know. I don't know who I am today.

Madison Sullivan (2:38)

I don't know either. But I'm loving it already.

Annika Joshi Smith (2:40)

I think I'm booming. Like I identify more as a boomer now.

Joanna Fleming (2:44)

That was a real indicator.

Annika Joshi Smith (2:45)

Yeah, yeah. But guys, beauty does get around. I mean, both. I can't see a gray in sight. But like any listeners out there, if you have grays like me and they're now in every part, honestly, where do.

Joanna Fleming (2:56)

You buy it from?

Annika Joshi Smith (2:56)

You can get it from David Jones.

Joanna Fleming (2:58)

Okay.

Annika Joshi Smith (2:58)

I think any like my hair warehouse situation will have something similar. But I just get it from DJs and it's the best. And you can chuck it in your handbag, easy touch up on the go. Just be careful at night time cuz it does transfer white pillows. Okay. Yeah. My hotel did not like that about me at Fashion Week.

Joanna Fleming (3:12)

Okay. Yeah, noted. So you would need to be washing your hair afterwards. Yeah.

Madison Sullivan (3:16)

And you wouldn't want to be like snuggling up to anyone in like a white shirt or anything. You're like giving them a hug hello. You're like, oh, no, no, no.

Annika Joshi Smith (3:23)

So sorry, I left my mark. He's taken.

Madison Sullivan (3:26)

I didn't mean like that. The five foot three in me was like, I've got a lot of tall girlfriends who like wearing white and cream.

Joanna Fleming (3:35)

That's. What's your swap today?

Madison Sullivan (3:36)

Mine is a pair of heels. Now I love a high heel, but I love a practical heel. I haven't bought these yet, but I am going to. It's the Tony Bianco cosmic heel. And they are in a satin, which I love a satin heel.

Joanna Fleming (3:49)

I've seen these.

Madison Sullivan (3:50)

Yeah, they come in a chocolate and they come in a black. I'm flirting with the idea of the chocolate. You'd be so proud. Look at the look on Jo's face. She's like, that's my girl, do it. But it's. I actually saw them on a girlfriend and I was like, I love those heels. And they look very similar to a pair that I'D bought that were a little bit more expensive that I'm like, just saving for special occasions because, as I've previously mentioned, quite heavy footed. But they're like 199, which is a lot of money for a heel. But she said that the heel's been wearing really well and they just look super chic. A slightly squared toe, which I like, but still a point. So I think a good one coming into winter. And as I'm mixing a little bit of, like, chocolate, dark denim, light denim, and going in between, I think that could be a good one.

Joanna Fleming (4:30)

Yes.

Madison Sullivan (4:30)

So that's mine.

Annika Joshi Smith (4:31)

Love it.

Madison Sullivan (4:32)

Jo, what have you got?

Joanna Fleming (4:33)

I have one today that was originally a PR gift that came in the mail, and Adrian and I decided to start using it. So let me sleep. Oh, how the hype is real. I have already repurchased Revolve. They knock Adrian out like anybody else.

Annika Joshi Smith (4:51)

Yeah.

Joanna Fleming (4:52)

So now we're gonna have to repurchase them every time.

Annika Joshi Smith (4:53)

I will get you some from New York when I go over next week.

Joanna Fleming (4:56)

Honestly. Thank you.

Annika Joshi Smith (4:57)

And you. Sorry.

Madison Sullivan (4:58)

And you were here.

Annika Joshi Smith (4:59)

They like, I don't know what the hell's in these things.

Joanna Fleming (5:01)

It's magnesium and melatonin. That's why they actually knock you out.

Madison Sullivan (5:04)

Say less.

Joanna Fleming (5:05)

That is a true story of a PR mailer really going the way that they wanted it to. I'm actually a customer.

Madison Sullivan (5:12)

Okay. Very good to know. Annika, as we've mentioned, you're back from Fashion Week, and in case our listeners missed it, last week was the AF Australian Fashion Week, and you were on the ground. We love eyes and ears on the ground.

Annika Joshi Smith (5:24)

I sure was.

Madison Sullivan (5:25)

So Annika is going to give us a trend report on everything she saw on and off the Runway. And for context, this year is the first ever year that AFW was actually ran by the Australian Fashion Council. So this was after the event's previous backer, img, pulled out last year, which we spoke about as a headline. God, it feels like months ago, we.

Joanna Fleming (5:46)

Didn'T know if it was going to go ahead this year.

Annika Joshi Smith (5:47)

Yeah, yeah.

Madison Sullivan (5:48)

And I mean, went ahead. It did. So, Annika, what we thought would be really great for you to do today is obviously being the authority on all things fashion. How does it feel? If you could give us a bit of a trend rundown, what were the standout trends? Because obviously there's a lot of different designers, a lot of different looks coming down the Runway. But what were the things that you really saw and what did you think was, like, the key difference that makes it Stand out for you.

Annika Joshi Smith (6:14)

Definitely. I feel very flattered. I'm blushing over here with my little. That's very kind. But I'll take you, I guess, behind the scenes first and just talk through what the differences were and then we'll kind of go into the fun, sexy stuff with the trend report. But obviously, following IMG's exit, no one knew what to expect. And I think as well, just from like an organizational standpoint, there was a lot of kind of what's going on, who's doing what, who's showing where. Like, I think just the logistics of the whole thing were quite up in the air. But I want to say that this event this year, obviously it's a week long and it went off with a bang. Like, I feel like the organizers, the afc, did such a great job at actually kind of looking at what was lacking from like the designer's standpoint. And I think that was more centric around business. Cause obviously the whole idea is we want to conceptualize and commercialize the Runway and make sure that all of the collections not only get incredible press exposure, but we get a lot of sales exposure as well. So that's through a lot of international, global, domestic, wholesale accounts. So that's kind of where I step in. So I think a really good quote that I read in Vogue was actually that Australia's fashion and textile sector currently contribute Australian 28 billion to the economy, with exports over 7.2 billion annually. So this is something we obviously want to keep driving. It's something we really want to keep focusing on and just making sure that Australian fashion is really kind of commercialized and really like the resort seasons, which is what we're showing, is kind of our best time of year to shine. So compared to previous years, I would say where it's a little bit more leaning into the event side and consumer driven. This was a lot about the business side of it.

Madison Sullivan (7:52)

Yeah.

Annika Joshi Smith (7:52)

So day one was all about Splash, which was like a trade show, very resort driven. Like, we're thinking brands like Bondi. I was showing Soleil, Soleil and a lot of my other really kind of really resort focused brands. And that was a trade show specifically to drive buyers and see the collections.

Madison Sullivan (8:08)

Yeah.

Annika Joshi Smith (8:09)

And that just alongside the runways, gives brands, like so many brands who aren't even on the Runway an opportunity to showcase their collections, which is so cool. So I think that was something for me this year that really stood out and really, really cool exposure for our brand partners.

Madison Sullivan (8:25)

Yeah, I feel like that's such great context for our listeners because Even me, you know, sitting at home on my couch, scrolling TikTok, looking on Instagram. It does look like a whole bunch of influences and media sitting and watching shows.

Annika Joshi Smith (8:39)

Yeah.

Madison Sullivan (8:39)

But there is this whole corner of Fashion Week we're not seeing totally.

Annika Joshi Smith (8:43)

And, like, even at some of the shows, I was lucky enough to sit next to one of the editors from Vogue usa, and I remember sitting next to her and was just gorgeous. And she was gushing over our collections. She was looking at all the designs, even the street style, and just commending Australian fashion as a whole. And I think you get, like, the warm fuzzies from those kind of things. Like, we are doing incredible things here in Australia, and our brands need to be showcased and given that exposure they deserve, whether it's press or whether it's like, you know, through retail partnerships.

Joanna Fleming (9:11)

But historically, Australian Fashion Week in Sydney is usually more industry led, and then the Melbourne one is usually more like consumer led.

Annika Joshi Smith (9:19)

I think that's fair to say something about a Sydney Fashion Week does feel a bit exclusive. So I definitely think, you know, a lot of the shows are invite only, and sometimes that can be if you're a loyal customer of a brand or if you kind of are a stylist or anyone kind of in the industry. But Melbourne does feel a bit more inclusive, I will say, in that way, because, you know, the general public can attend as well, which is incredible.

Joanna Fleming (9:40)

Yeah. And you can buy tickets and stuff for that. But, yeah, Sydney. You typically couldn't.

Annika Joshi Smith (9:45)

Not typically to the Sydney Runway shows, but I think at one point it was okay.

Joanna Fleming (9:49)

And the catwalks.

Annika Joshi Smith (9:51)

The catwalks. The fuck?

Joanna Fleming (9:52)

What did we see?

Annika Joshi Smith (9:53)

Okay, so when I look back on my week, it was honestly such a crazy week. It was such a fun week. But I think one word that kind of summed it up for me was the word opulent. And I feel like there was such a blurring kind of between, like, AM&PM dressing and outfits that could kind of transition seamlessly into both. And there really kind of felt like an overarching sense of effortless elegance, which we all love, especially around our summer months. So some of the biggest trends for me were definitely sheer dressing. Now, I know we've talked about this on the POD previously. I think we even talked about it in our Pinterest products kind of article as well. But sheer dressing was on huge display. I think Albus Lumen did an incredible job. They even integrated it into some of their prints, which are, like, beautiful, sexy polka dots, which we also saw in Bianca Spender, Courtney Zhang and Matin collections were also just so beautiful. Sheer and femme. Now, sequins had a total moment. I feel like there's now no occasion where sequins, like, are reserved strictly for evening wear.

Madison Sullivan (10:52)

Look out, Coles. I'm coming.

Annika Joshi Smith (10:54)

She's coming in a big, white oversized tee and sequins skirt. Like, I think sequins now can be at any time of year, any time of day, evening, whatever. We saw age do them in such a playful way. They had the cutest little mini dresses and rainbow sequins and, like, big cloud, like, clutches to match. They also just had these, like, big kind of clutches and sequin colors that were just so fun paired back with denim. So you can kind of play with sequins in that way. Paris, Georgia, had, like, the most insane halter dress, which I'm still dying over. It was just like, I've got a wedding, Italy in October. And I'm like, okay, that's the perfect dress for that event. But there was also so much texture. So I think texture can be feathers, it can be tassels, it can be fringing, which was across the runways. And then there was a lot of denim, which I love because it was a bit more practical. So we saw Courtney Zhang doing, like, the most insane denim. I think she actually outperformed in this category. She had, like, a mermaid like skirt. She had a big boiler suit. She had this, like, strapless buckle dress. There were so many different iterations of denim. Just like, even just straight skinny leg denim. We all a lot more of off the shoulder blazers. And also some really cool, like, little printed mini dresses, crop shirts, and just fun bubble denim hems as well.

Joanna Fleming (12:05)

Belts.

Annika Joshi Smith (12:07)

Belts were very much on the street style set. So we were saying, like, everyone's cinching their waist in, but actually stacking belts.

Joanna Fleming (12:14)

Yes. That's what I saw. Heaps of.

Annika Joshi Smith (12:15)

Yes. And I'm obsessed with this look because I think you can do it at home so easily. You don't have to go out and buy new belts. You can literally just layer up what you already own. But I think it's fun because it can take a really simple outfit to a whole new level.

Madison Sullivan (12:28)

Totally. And I think even if you're not as brave as doing, like, three or four different belts to layer, just having a coat or a blazer that you already own in your wardrobe and putting a belt around it is such a great way to level it up or to do it with two. Like, I think some of those street style images or catwalk looks, it can be hard to feel like, how am I going to adapt this into my everyday life?

Annika Joshi Smith (12:51)

Totally. It was so easy to kind of add something else. So, like, a really simple outfit. I actually did a TikTok. Are you surprised?

Madison Sullivan (12:58)

No. I feel like I've been liking, commenting and subscribing.

Annika Joshi Smith (13:01)

Oh, my God. I did a TikTok and I put a big bout over, like, this duster coat.

Madison Sullivan (13:06)

Yeah.

Annika Joshi Smith (13:06)

And the girls went wild.

Joanna Fleming (13:08)

Yeah.

Annika Joshi Smith (13:08)

Okay. I'm definitely gonna wear that outfit. Like, it's TikTok approved, but. Yeah. So easy. Easy way to kind of jazz up an outfit, which is so cool.

Joanna Fleming (13:15)

Isn't it so funny where we've landed at this point in 2025. When we first started this podcast, it was all about capsule wardrobes, neutrals, linen, and now we're here, and it just really. It just amazes me, the trend cycle, that now we're really leaning into color, we're really leaning into texture, and they're just not things that we were considering a year or two ago. It's so funny to me.

Annika Joshi Smith (13:38)

I know. It's so funny. It's so cyclical. But at the same time, I think as well, when we kind of start getting into winter, like, we get all our coats out, we get kind of those more opulent colors, those, like, burgundies, all of those really rich chocolates and things. We're saying I'm wearing tweety bird fur, faux fur. But, like, you know, you just kind of. I think once you kind of go through those months of playing it safe, you want to have a little bit more fun. And then coming into resort season as the ultimate time for party dresses, getting your legs out, sequins, tassels, the works, you name it.

Madison Sullivan (14:05)

It is funny, though, isn't it, Jo? Cause we've gone so far from clean girl.

Joanna Fleming (14:09)

Yeah.

Madison Sullivan (14:09)

I'm sensing people are gonna see shows like this or trends like this and panic that they've got nothing in their wardrobe like it. Annika, being on the ground seeing all these trends, what is, like, one or two things? If someone was like, I wanna integrate some of these things that we're seeing without going and buying the fringe jacket and six belts and a sequin dress and a sequin mini and a, you know, big fur coat. Like, what are two things? You're like, what did I say that you could integrate into, say, the wardrobe staples that maybe already exist?

Annika Joshi Smith (14:38)

Great question. I feel like the colors that I saw, colors are always kind of easy to layer in, and we've talked about it, doing it through nail polish, lipstick, Eyeshadow, makeup, anything like that. Or you could get something beautiful, like a new top. But powdery, kind of soft pinks were very evident. I saw a lot of teal. Now, teal was on full display in the Bianca Spender show, which was so stunning.

Madison Sullivan (14:59)

Oh, that wild polka dot with the.

Annika Joshi Smith (15:01)

Oh, my gosh, the polka dot and the. I mean, even polka dot, you guys. Polka dot was in so many of the shows as well. Even Albus Luhrmann did it in, like, a navy and a white base. Stunning. I feel like you can kind of dip your toe in just with those colors, and if you want to have a little bit more fun. Chartreuse. Chartreuse was very much in Bear park.

Madison Sullivan (15:18)

And she was like, I came around to Priestley.

Annika Joshi Smith (15:21)

I am her. You said I'm that yellow. It's kind of like a greeny yellowy, like, very bright. Yeah, she's bright, but I think in Be a Park, she offset it with some, like, really beautiful lace, like a gray kind of colored lace. It was stunning. Yeah. But I think you can play with those colors.

Madison Sullivan (15:37)

Yeah.

Annika Joshi Smith (15:37)

Even if you do like a denim. Denim was very evident. The denim you're wearing today, those Rosabellas. Very, very much in.

Madison Sullivan (15:43)

Yes. You wore some very similar in today. And I was like, okay, so today I've got a cool girl pair of jeans on.

Annika Joshi Smith (15:51)

You're the coolest.

Joanna Fleming (15:53)

Alrighty. Well, that is the trend report done. I think if Annika's got nothing further to add, we can always continue to pick her brain over coming weeks. She's to jet off to New York, so I'm sure she'll have more for us soon.

Annika Joshi Smith (16:02)

I will.

Joanna Fleming (16:03)

But up next, we're talking about the vox pops that were going on at Fashion Week. But first, we're going to hear from today's sponsor. Ask any makeup artist, dermatologist, or beauty fan, and they'll tell you the same thing. Nothing quite removes makeup like Bioderma's sensobio H2O micellar water. There truly is no product like it on the market. Even in the era of dupes, it's never been matched. In fact, it's so good, one bottle is sold every second around the world, and the formula hasn't been changed years. You know, we love a cool backstory. Well, this was the original Micellar water, first created in 1995 by Bioderma's founder, who is a biologist and pharmacist, by the way. After Parisian dermatologists noticed patients were struggling with sensitized skin from the hard water. So when they say this is more gentle than French tap water, they actually mean it. Not long after, it appeared in every Fashion Week makeup kit, becoming a backstage staple because it removed from my makeup easily without irritating even the most sensitive skin. Decades on, Bioderma is collaborating with the one and only Victoria Beckham, who swears by sense of IOH to wear Micellar water. And seriously, have you seen her skin? The limited edition bioderma sensor bio H2O micellar water is now available at Chemist's Warehouse while stocks last. You've been warned. Thank you so much to Bioderma for making this episode of Stylish possible. So one of the more surprising discussions that came out of Fashion Week this year has actually been about the Vox Pops that were going on outside in the middle of Carriage Works, where everyone arrives and takes their photos. If you're not familiar with what Vox Pops are, they're basically those short on camera interviews with an array of people at an event. So they're usually like chopped up and then shared on social media and they'll usually have like a mini mic in their hand and you know, they're asking people random questions. But a lot of influencers weren't happy with the types of questions that were being asked this year. And they were saying that they were invasive and they were deliberately trying to catch them off guard, all in hopes that they would say something controversial that would generate a viral moment online, which would be at their expense. And, you know, they might get hate comments as a result of that, but generate engagement for the brand or media company that was posting the content. So one of Australia's most successful influencers, Sofa Doefa, last week shared a video recounting her negative experience with Vox Pops at Fashion Week. And her perspective was shared by a lot of other local content creators who have been posting online about their experiences with Fashion Week media. We've actually got a snippet to play from her video here, but some of.

Sofa Doefa (18:32)

The questions I got asked just, I feel like weren't appropriate. I feel like the interviewer's sole purpose this year especially is just to catch people out with tricky questions that they know they're going to get like juicy answers from. Like, I feel like a lot of the questions they're trying to get tea, they're trying to get juicy answers and a lot of the questions you can see are visibly making the creators feel uncomfortable. I as an interviewer, not that I've ever done it, but I'd like to say that hopefully if I was interviewing people and they felt uncomfortable or clearly didn't want to answer a question. I'd be like, oh, let's, let's just scrap that. I'll ask you a different question. Guess they just like throw these questions at people, hoping that it'll stick and that someone will eventually answer and then they'll have a juicy video that they know will get views.

Joanna Fleming (19:12)

So viral Fox pops often generate a little bit of conversation online and controversial questions often do just that. But still, there are examples from this year's Fashion Week where publications struck that balance of interesting and unexpected but not rude or mean spirited. Questions like popsugar did this really well with their vox pop. They asked influencers whether or not they washed their legs in the shower, which I thought was actually a really funny way to create an engaging video without being controversial. So we've got a clip of that as well.

Annika Joshi Smith (19:40)

Yes.

Madison Sullivan (19:41)

Not every time.

Joanna Fleming (19:42)

I can't get all the way down.

Madison Sullivan (19:43)

My shower's tiny.

Unknown (19:45)

I do wash my legs in the shower.

Annika Joshi Smith (19:46)

I have a very tiny shower at.

Unknown (19:47)

Home with not much movement, but I get down there.

Madison Sullivan (19:50)

Yes, I do.

Joanna Fleming (19:50)

I wash top to body with an African sponge. Yeah, yeah. Whole body, absolutely. Scrub. Do you guys wash your legs in the shower?

Madison Sullivan (20:00)

Yes, I do.

Joanna Fleming (20:01)

Sometimes I don't. Sometimes I'm just let the water drip down. Is that weird?

Annika Joshi Smith (20:07)

See now I don't know. I'm like, is that gross?

Joanna Fleming (20:11)

Am I disgusting? I don't know.

Madison Sullivan (20:14)

Sitting on here talking clean talk.

Joanna Fleming (20:16)

I know, yeah. Oh my God, how embarrassing.

Madison Sullivan (20:20)

Forget the vinegar, just the soap on the legs. Jo.

Annika Joshi Smith (20:23)

I'd actually like to know what an African sponge is though, because I heard that come up quite a bit.

Joanna Fleming (20:27)

Yes. They're like nets you can buy and they've got little knots through them. Essentially it's like a way to exfoliate your body.

Annika Joshi Smith (20:34)

Oh, I would like one of those. Yeah, Sounds lush.

Madison Sullivan (20:37)

Sounds like lush.

Joanna Fleming (20:37)

You gotta buy the real thing online. There's a lot of dupes, apparently. So some context on how we got here is that this reflects the current state of the Australian media landscape. It's difficult to make money in the media industry in Australia, which makes these publications feel the pressure to create these viral moments. And that ends up influencing the journalists, the editors, the writers who come up with these questions and ask them at events like Fashion Week. So definitely something worth keeping in mind. But what do you guys think these negative leaning vox pops say more broadly about Australian culture? Is this like another version of Tall Poppy syndrome? We just want to tear people down. We want to tear women down because they're successful and we don't like to see people be successful. Like, what is this? Why was this the experience this year?

Madison Sullivan (21:25)

For sure, you've hit the nail on the head. There is without a doubt an undercurrent that is prevalent in Australia, more so than anywhere else, that is Tall Poppy syndrome. I think we culturally really celebrate humility. And I think the minute we get a whiff of someone succeeding just a little too much or becoming a little too confident with their success, we want to bring them right back down to reality. My strong view is that the influencer and content creator landscape is a really misunderstood one in Australia. And so to see influencers, young women, in the opinion of others gallivanting around, you know, going to shows and with phones in tow, shooting content feels offensive. There is an element of that, for sure, and I think that there is something in people that does not like it and does not like the idea that that is a job and that there's a Monet monetary exchange for that in some instances. But these vox pops, like, it's nasty, it's crude and it's crass and it's click baity.

Annika Joshi Smith (22:30)

Yeah, for sure. I feel like people also like to hate on what they don't understand. And so many people just don't understand these influences, how they've actually built a living out of creating content. And I think in that sense as well, like, vox pops can be great when they offer relatable and fresh perspectives, but I don't think it should should test people in a sense, to really kind of make them come across less authentic. I think it also needs to be a safe space for them to actually be able to be authentic because I think that's when the magic kind of happens.

Joanna Fleming (22:59)

Yeah. And look, a lot of these TikToks ended up getting taken down that I saw earlier in the week because there was so much backlash about it. And when Sofa Doher posted her video about it, there was a lot of talk online. I had also seen on TikTok as well that in a lot of these instances, they weren't asked the these questions beforehand, so they had no chance to prepare for answering those questions. They were just put on the spot and asked very invasive questions that really had nothing to do with their presence there. Like, why are we asking about income when that's not the reason they're at Fashion Week? Their niche is probably fashion. That doesn't mean they need to share every part of their personal life because a lot of these people don't. They're not lifestyle influencers. They're just posting their outfits. And so that's something to remember as well is that not every influencer shares every facet of their life.

Annika Joshi Smith (23:46)

Definitely.

Joanna Fleming (23:47)

So yeah, there was a really funny video that came out actually afterwards by Abby Butler. It was the first kind of comedic one that I saw come out of this. We've actually got a clip of that as well to play.

Madison Sullivan (23:58)

So just stay in here.

Annika Joshi Smith (23:58)

Who you think the fugliest bitches around anyone?

Madison Sullivan (24:02)

Sorry? If you could just say here, who you think has the worst relationship with their parents?

Joanna Fleming (24:06)

P you.

Madison Sullivan (24:08)

P you. Who's the stinkiest? Who's the stinkiest?

Annika Joshi Smith (24:12)

Oh my gosh, I love that so much. It's actually so funny, I think as well, like just from actually being interviewed on the ground. It is already a really overwhelming and quite intimidating experience. And you're kind of like you're not on the Runway, but it kind of feels like you know, you're making your grand entrance. And so when you come down these stairs into this open kind of paddock, you're literally just getting bombarded by people. People are watching, you're getting caught off guard. So it doesn't surprise me that already you're in kind of like a vulnerable situation and for someone to go and ask these invasive questions, you might trip, you might just answer because you're already overwhelmed. But sometimes it just does not land at all. And actually something so far, Dover said that really kind of make me go, oh. Like she was like she didn't have her mum there or her manager.

Joanna Fleming (24:57)

Yeah.

Annika Joshi Smith (24:58)

And it's like she is young. I think we're forgetting like these girls are young, they're not media trained necessarily.

Joanna Fleming (25:03)

Exactly.

Annika Joshi Smith (25:04)

I'm not even media trained. And I just say what I feel. But like, you know, I also know that I don't have to speak sometimes. These guys don't know that.

Madison Sullivan (25:12)

Totally.

Joanna Fleming (25:12)

That's a really great point.

Madison Sullivan (25:13)

And I don't want to diminish the media landscape as it currently stands at the moment because I don't want this to be a one sided conversation where we ignore the pressure that is on media businesses to be delivering content that is engaged with, that has ample likes, has commentary, is going viral. And I think the pressure now is at boiling point for a lot of these publications that are few and far in between. But there is a very fine line between engaging content and what is just rude and inappropriate. And the reality is these people are either being paid or invited to go and enjoy a fashion show. It does not mean that they have expertise in every field to do with fashion or beauty, I think it's eliciting hate and it's eliciting conversation. And there's gotta be a hard look at what are the conversations that are happening. And I want to be really clear. We also have had a team on the ground. We had our senior podcast producer, Kate Emma Burke. Sorry, I don't know if I give you your full name there. Kate's in the room with us, obviously being super formal. And we also had our head of socials, Nymar Naima. I actually don't know your surname, so you're just gonna get your first one today. But they were both on the ground capturing content. And we, as a media publication, also wanted to create vox pop content because it is engaging and it's snackable and it's entertaining when delivered right. When we were preparing this episode, we got some quotes from Kate just to read out on what the vibe on the ground was like and the thought process behind the questions that she and Naima came up with. And we're not by any means coming from this in an ivory tower of. We had the perfect formula of recipes, but we just want to kind of give you the context of where we come from. So Kate said our intention when brainstorming was to land on questions that had an element of intrigue and interest and wouldn't put someone on the spot. I think checking before you start filming that people are actually okay with what the questions are can save a lot of issues. The general vibe that we got was that people were feeling pretty guarded, probably after being caught by surprise by more invasive questions from previous years. One that comes to mind for me in terms of invasive questions from previous years, I don't know if either of you have seen it. There was a question last year which was, what was the most you've ever made on a brand deal?

Joanna Fleming (27:24)

Yeah, I remember that.

Madison Sullivan (27:26)

And there's this massive thing in the content space. I think we're all seeking to understand, myself included. I'm always intrigued by what rates are and, you know, what people are charging for what. But we have this culture of demanding to know and there's naturally a curiosity there. But I think with that curiosity and with those answers, then comes a lot of commentary. And more often than not, I think that's cues negatively because there's still so much that people don't understand. So to hear someone answer 20 or $30,000 for a brand deal to the average person on the average Australian wage, that is an enormous amount of money. And I'm not discounting that at all but we have no context of what a production shoot usually costs for a brand or what that image is or if they have a six month exclusivity or a twelve month exclusivity. So is it a thirty thousand dollar deal or is it over ten months and so it's three thousand dollars each month and what do they need to.

Joanna Fleming (28:19)

Deliver with usage included?

Madison Sullivan (28:20)

Yeah.

Joanna Fleming (28:21)

Yeah.

Madison Sullivan (28:22)

So again, we don't want to say we're coming from an ivory tower, but I think there's a very fine line between what's appropriate to be asking on the ground and to your point, Jo, what is someone's personal life and what is relevant to the field they're in.

Joanna Fleming (28:34)

Yeah. It just felt very much like it's easy to get people on board with hating someone. And let's go after that as our goal for engagement.

Madison Sullivan (28:43)

Yeah.

Joanna Fleming (28:43)

And there's just ways to engage an audience without needing to do this that be creative. Pull from, you know, Popsugar as an example. Do you wash your legs in the shower? That got us talking like come up with creative funny things that you can do that are going to make you want to go and read the comments.

Madison Sullivan (29:00)

Totally. Or things that are relevant to the publicational platform.

Joanna Fleming (29:04)

Yes.

Madison Sullivan (29:04)

There's a resale app, high end that we're going around and asking what people's favorite secondhand purchase was that is relevant to their platform. It's also interesting, Sophie Dover was talking about a pair of sunglasses that she'd bought in Texas that she loved and I was like great, like if I ever go to Texas I want to know what that vintage store is. But I think there's a lot for publications to answer for to be putting these influences such as sofa Dofa up on a pedestal and being the ones to kick that stool down.

Joanna Fleming (29:31)

Yeah.

Madison Sullivan (29:32)

And she's created some really hilarious content with her brand and she has this great guy who works in their social media team. I'm obsessed with him.

Joanna Fleming (29:40)

He's really funny.

Madison Sullivan (29:41)

And he did a full campaign to get that job. I feel like we could do a whole headline on that. But not everyone is going to be as resilient as she has been. And to find the hilarity in it because for someone who might have a more fragile self esteem or be more vulnerable in that position and really be sitting in the comments. That's a really dangerous game we're talking about too.

Joanna Fleming (30:04)

Yeah. And not to mention you don't know the way that those pieces of content are being cut up and how that's then gonna be perceived. You know Even when we post clips from these podcasts, you're not even getting the whole context of the episode when you see those clips. So sometimes those little things, things are missed. And it's the same situation when content is going out of these influences that has not been approved by them, it hasn't been seen by them prior so that they can go, hang on a second. I said this whole sentence beforehand.

Madison Sullivan (30:28)

Yeah.

Joanna Fleming (30:28)

That then wasn't used. That gave context to my answer.

Madison Sullivan (30:31)

It's kind of like reality tv.

Joanna Fleming (30:33)

Yeah.

Madison Sullivan (30:33)

You know, you watched half an hour of big brother. There's 24 hours that went into that. You've got no idea what the influencer was saying before or after that little 10 second clip that the media, a company's decided to grab.

Annika Joshi Smith (30:46)

Yeah.

Madison Sullivan (30:46)

Same as when you're reading a quote in a, you know, newspaper. Not just here to hate on the vox pop. That's a slippery debate to go down though there.

Joanna Fleming (30:55)

But it was a really interesting thing to come out of Fashion Week that that was what I saw spoken about most with this drama rather than it being focused around.

Annika Joshi Smith (31:03)

Yeah.

Joanna Fleming (31:04)

The actual shows.

Madison Sullivan (31:05)

And instead of who is the, you know, micro trend boss.

Annika Joshi Smith (31:09)

I had to Google this.

Joanna Fleming (31:10)

I was like, what?

Annika Joshi Smith (31:10)

How does that even mean I want to know?

Madison Sullivan (31:12)

Like, who do you want to. What street style with? Like, what designer did you see and what's the piece that you would most love to take home? Who surprised you the most? Who's your stand up? That's what I want to say personally. Someone, you know, who's not there, who wants to hear about it.

Joanna Fleming (31:25)

And it's also relevant to that person's attendance at Fashion Week, which their income has nothing to do with.

Madison Sullivan (31:33)

Well, I mean, I really did enjoy finding out who washed their legs though. So I'm excited.

Joanna Fleming (31:38)

Can I go next year and ask those weird questions, people? Because I'd enjoy that.

Annika Joshi Smith (31:41)

Oh my God, you can ask questions. Yeah, you would ask the best questions. I just. Yeah, I'll give you the money.

Madison Sullivan (31:47)

How often are you using an aha bha? Do you use a lip balm every night?

Joanna Fleming (31:53)

Let me just put a UV camera and see if you've got your sunscreen on today. Oh my God.

Annika Joshi Smith (31:56)

You should actually walk around with a UV camera. That'd be hilarious.

Joanna Fleming (31:58)

Imagine I'd have people running away from me.

Madison Sullivan (32:00)

Do you know what an ostell is?

Unknown (32:06)

If there's one piece I'd invest in for the new season to revive my wardrobe, it would have to be a great sneaker sneaker. Bonus points if it comes in a pop of Color. A fashion forward sneaker not only goes with everything you own, but it also has the power to make every outfit that little bit cooler. And right now there is no cooler sneaker than the Puma Speed Cap from JD Sports. It's more streamlined than other styles which is the direction we're heading. And it comes in a bunch of muted and bright tones. Choose the shade that suits your style or change pairs to match your outfit or your mood.

Joanna Fleming (32:38)

Mood.

Unknown (32:38)

The Puma Speed Cat Sneaker is available online and in store at JD Sports. Thank you so much to Puma and to JD Sports for making this episode of Stylish possible.

Madison Sullivan (32:53)

We have an opinions please to finish off today's episode and opinions please, as you can probably guess is where you, our lovely listeners ask us things and we try and bring our best opinion to the table. And today's is all about Euro Summer Jealous. But this is from our lovely listener Talia. Talia sent in. Hey stylish. I'm off on a Euro summer trip. I'll be away for six weeks. Oh Talia, my jealousy just absolutely intensified.

Joanna Fleming (33:19)

You're going to Greece?

Madison Sullivan (33:21)

Yes, I am going to Greece and I can't wait. But for one week Talia is going for six. Talia, I'd love you know if you're over there Talia, let's grab a drink. Talia has said I'll be away for six weeks and I'm stumped on how to effectively pack for such a long time away. Should I pre plan outfits and pack like that? What's the best suitcase and carry on bag for a long trip? Are there any packing hacks I should know? If anyone can help me out it will be you girls. Any advice is welcome. First of all Talia, I have heard a lot about how Annika packs and I don't think that she is going to help you lighten the load here. But she'll tell you how to serve a look. But thank you for writing in.

Joanna Fleming (34:01)

I do think she's come to the right girls.

Madison Sullivan (34:03)

Oh I really do.

Annika Joshi Smith (34:04)

I've got to agree.

Madison Sullivan (34:04)

I agree well on how to serve a look. Absolutely. I mean you in New York. But Jo, I also know you are like the most type a planner of anyone. So what are your go to packing hacks?

Joanna Fleming (34:15)

Oh packing cubes. Absolute. Must preach. Have to do a packing cube and put everything that makes sense to go together together. Like all underwear together, all tops together, all pants together or like all bottoms together? I put activewear with my pajamas cause that makes sense to me.

Madison Sullivan (34:32)

Yeah same weirdly Also at home in my drawers. Question for you though. Do you fold in your packing cube or do you do the rolling hack?

Joanna Fleming (34:38)

I fold.

Madison Sullivan (34:39)

Oh, controversial. I'm a roller.

Joanna Fleming (34:41)

I know it is controversial because a lot of people do roll but I just am more of a folder.

Annika Joshi Smith (34:45)

I've never used a packing cube. Where do you guys get them?

Joanna Fleming (34:48)

That doesn't surprise me. Packing cube, you could probably get them at.

Madison Sullivan (34:54)

I've bought them from Amazon before. They weren't great. I ended up investing in some from July.

Annika Joshi Smith (35:00)

Okay.

Joanna Fleming (35:00)

Ok.

Madison Sullivan (35:01)

The Amazon ones, like some of the zippers broken.

Annika Joshi Smith (35:03)

Yeah.

Madison Sullivan (35:03)

I was like, if I'm buying these every few trips, I'd rather just get a sturdy pair.

Annika Joshi Smith (35:07)

Yeah, yeah.

Madison Sullivan (35:08)

But love them. What else have you got? Outfit. Pre planning. Do you pre plan outfits?

Joanna Fleming (35:13)

I do pre plan outfits and I try to take photos in them before I leave.

Madison Sullivan (35:18)

Oh.

Joanna Fleming (35:19)

Just so that I've then got a visual reference of what I tried on. Because I get really frustrated then getting ready in the morning. Like what am I wearing today? Oh my God. What are we doing? What shoes am I to going to wear? So having a photo of it just allows me to go back through my camera roll.

Madison Sullivan (35:30)

Would you do that for a long trip? So Talia's going for six weeks.

Joanna Fleming (35:34)

Probably wouldn't do it for every outfit but I would put some combos together so that I know that that dress I can wear three ways. And these are the shoes that I put with it. These are the accessories. And then I can remember for when I'm over there.

Annika Joshi Smith (35:45)

I did this just last week for Sydney and I literally took polaroids of every single look and I had them styled different ways because there were days where I was gonna be going to different shows. So I instantly knew what I was wearing each day. I took out the fuss in the morning and I was getting up at like 6am in my mind I was like, I'm gonna go for like a hot girl Sydney walk. Didn't happen. But like I literally like took the fuss out every single day and then I knew my outfit formulas.

Madison Sullivan (36:08)

That is so Polaroid.

Annika Joshi Smith (36:11)

I know. I'm actually gonna show you guys my Polaroids. They are. Yeah, I'm gonna put them in my fridge. Put them everywhere in there. But it actually helped me to remember these are my go to looks. This is what I like pairing together. I've already worn that and actually just having those foundations like jeans plus cute top jeans plus date night top jeans plus blazer. It's already. You've re worn those pants and three different ways. So Just knowing what your hero pieces are. Lifesaver.

Madison Sullivan (36:34)

Yeah. Another hot tip. Check the weather. Oh yeah. Like if you're going somewhere, don't be like, I'm going to summer in New York, it's going to be warm. Look at long range forecast. Do you know what I mean? Like otherwise you're going to pack thinking what the weather's going to be.

Annika Joshi Smith (36:47)

Yeah.

Madison Sullivan (36:48)

Also, this is not something I've done, but a girlfriend showed me this recently and I'm absolutely copying her. Shout out to you, Mariah Miranda. She creates a Canva page for each day. If it's a short trip. So it'll be like, they're the jeans, that's the top, they're the shoes and she puts the weather in the corner.

Annika Joshi Smith (37:03)

I like that, Miranda.

Madison Sullivan (37:04)

And like seriously type A personality, but obsessed with that. On a short trip. I think on a long trip, absolutely not. You've got to be like, am I going to be walking everywhere? Am I traveling somewhere where there's a lot of transport? Am I in Ubers or am I walking 25000 steps a day?

Joanna Fleming (37:20)

And you also need to remember you can wash your clothes.

Annika Joshi Smith (37:22)

Clothes. You can.

Joanna Fleming (37:23)

That is a thing.

Annika Joshi Smith (37:24)

Find a laundromat. Find a laundromat.

Joanna Fleming (37:27)

You don't need to pack a new outfit for every single day of a six week trip. One thing that I must stress, you need to have air tags in your bags.

Madison Sullivan (37:34)

Yes.

Annika Joshi Smith (37:35)

Preach. That's pretty.

Joanna Fleming (37:35)

Every bag we have. Yeah, you need to have air tags. That is a must. I actually got a July set for my 30th and that's what I took to Europe with me in terms of like suitcase. Honestly, such great quality. I highly recommend July and also great colors.

Madison Sullivan (37:52)

I use my parents with a different surname on. So like when I'm there I look like a thief. I'm like, perfect. Yes, they're mine. Everyone's like, you've got two surnames. I'm like, that's not either of them.

Joanna Fleming (38:03)

I just thought it was a great 30th gift idea, to be honest. I asked my parents to buy it for me. I got the three suitcases and I use them so much.

Madison Sullivan (38:10)

Are you listening, Mum? You let me down.

Joanna Fleming (38:11)

Yeah, but hack for you, if you get July suitcases and you come home from your trip and they've got scuffs all over them. Magic eraser. Oh, where the magic eraser. There it is.

Annika Joshi Smith (38:21)

Cleaning tap.

Joanna Fleming (38:22)

There it is.

Madison Sullivan (38:23)

If you could wash your legs while using your magic eraser, even better.

Joanna Fleming (38:28)

The magic eraser. Honestly, it's so good for getting those scuffs out of your luggage if you've got the hard cases from July and it drives you nuts that they look kind of, you know, grungy when they get back.

Annika Joshi Smith (38:40)

Okay, one last tip from me then. My luggage has gone missing so many times on an international flight. Flight, like, it kills me. Like, literally kills me. So always pack a few cute outfits and you'll carry on and have those essentials, toiletries, underwear, just those things that you absolutely need, because you cannot show up somewhere without, like, those belongings.

Madison Sullivan (39:00)

Control C, control V. And if you are going away for a wedding or there's, like, a special occasion or a dinner that you've got, like, that one outfit plan for. When I went to Italy for a friend's wedding wedding, I had the dress for her welcome dinner and for her wedding in my bag.

Annika Joshi Smith (39:17)

Good girl.

Madison Sullivan (39:17)

And three pairs of knickers. Because I just thought if all else failed, at least I would have underwear that was mine. I don't know. I didn't know what the Italian underwear would be like.

Joanna Fleming (39:28)

Also, carry on bag recommendation for you. I have to give this one because it's just so good. I've used it on, like, every overseas trip I've been on recently. Lululemon City Adventurer bag, the carry on, it's got a separate compartment at the bottom that has a zip. So I like to take a pair of just really thin slippers, like, cheap slippers with me, and I put them in that compartment underneath so I can change into them in the flight.

Madison Sullivan (39:49)

Yeah.

Joanna Fleming (39:49)

And I can also use them in the hotel all throughout the trip as well. Because I hate having, like, you know, crumbs and stuff on my feet.

Annika Joshi Smith (39:55)

Yes.

Joanna Fleming (39:55)

It's just like, oh, I have to have little shoes on.

Annika Joshi Smith (39:58)

Yeah.

Joanna Fleming (39:59)

When I take my shoes, I like that one.

Annika Joshi Smith (40:02)

And then a cheeky little hack. Just steal the ones from the hotel on your way back.

Joanna Fleming (40:06)

But not all hotels have them. Not all. So you might get into an Airbnb when you get there. You know, you're kind of going between hotels and Airbnb and then you don't have it. I also like to take a little silky robe with me or, like, a lightweight robe that I can. Of course, you know. But when you're getting ready and you.

Madison Sullivan (40:20)

Just want a chocolate brow, I would like to bet that 50% of your luggage weight is just skin care.

Joanna Fleming (40:26)

You'd be right.

Madison Sullivan (40:26)

Yeah.

Joanna Fleming (40:27)

Yeah. But it all comes carry on with me. So I actually do also have a tip for you. There is to decant your bigger products like your cleanser into a smaller bottle. So you can get these little clear bottles from chemist, warehouse, Amazon and put your energy to them as well.

Madison Sullivan (40:43)

Yeah, yep.

Joanna Fleming (40:44)

You can put your cleansers, you can put your moisturizers in there. Like, you know those big pump body moisturizers, like, you can add into a smaller tube to save space. Only thing I wouldn't recommend decanting is your serums and your sunscreen because the integrity of the product is kind of packaging.

Madison Sullivan (40:58)

And you should be using an entire tube of sunscreen if you are going to Europe for that sake.

Joanna Fleming (41:02)

If not three, if not ten.

Annika Joshi Smith (41:04)

I literally got the cutest little packs from Somi and they are literally. You can, like, put little stickers and you can label them. So I do it always with like. Like my moisturiser, my shampoo, my conditioner, all of those big chunky things. And it's always in my carry on.

Joanna Fleming (41:16)

I did that with my shampoo, my conditioner, and my hair treatment for when I was away. And I was gone for like four weeks. And it lasted me the entire time. I still had a bit left at the bottom.

Annika Joshi Smith (41:26)

You missed. And those who don't know decant, like you would decant your wine.

Joanna Fleming (41:29)

Yeah, yeah. Just means transfer a bit of product into a separate little container.

Annika Joshi Smith (41:35)

Exactly that.

Madison Sullivan (41:36)

Okay, I've got two more that I think are important. One is that you should take more workhorses than show ponies. And I know we get excited on the trip and we're not going to that beautiful restaurant or, oh, my God, I'm gonna go to that, you know, beach. And I want my most fun bathers. But the reality is you probably will wear the lightweight linen dress.

Annika Joshi Smith (41:55)

Yeah.

Madison Sullivan (41:55)

And the denim shorts or skirt or the jeans a hell of a lot more than the show ponies.

Annika Joshi Smith (41:59)

Yeah.

Madison Sullivan (42:00)

So maybe like five to six workhorses for every show pony.

Annika Joshi Smith (42:04)

Yeah.

Madison Sullivan (42:04)

And you don't need more than five pairs of shoes. And I say that as a woman who has had many trips where she has taken a lot more than five pairs of sho. Talia, just also just a shit ton of Dettol. Just a shit ton of hand sanitizer. That's really. If everything else was gone. I've got my outfit for the special occasion. Three pairs of knickers and a shit ton of dead old.

Joanna Fleming (42:23)

Look, Talia, if you want my first aid carry on kit, let me know. I've actually done a full TikTok on it, so just DM me actually. Yeah. We can talk.

Madison Sullivan (42:31)

Joel, send you the link.

Annika Joshi Smith (42:33)

I actually need to get on your flo nasal spray. It's one thing that I like. I need to buy so many people.

Joanna Fleming (42:38)

DM me about that from this podcast. So flow nasal spray, everyone.

Madison Sullivan (42:42)

Fantastic. Well, I'm going on a holiday soon, so I'm hoping that I've got. I mean, Talia, hopefully you gained something from this, but I feel as though I have as well. That is all for this week's episode of Stylish. Thank you very much for joining us. We hope that you love Annika's trend report as much as we did, because I think Joe and I will be re listening to this come Wednesday and taking a hell of a lot of.

Joanna Fleming (43:05)

Notes and wearing several belts when I come in next week.

Annika Joshi Smith (43:07)

I can't wait to see you stack it up.

Madison Sullivan (43:09)

I just can't see myself doing more than two, but let's see where we go. Of course. Thank you so much to the both of you. Joanna Fleming, for all of your cleaning tips, and I really look forward to hearing your review of what it's like to wash your legs. Remember, you can drop us an email anytime@style-ishameless media.com or you can slide into our date DMs over at Stylish Pod. And we cannot forget to thank our audio engineer, Jonathan Last, and the Shameless Media team, head of podcast Lucy Hunt and our senior podcast producer, Kate Emmerburg. We'll be right back with you next Wednesday. See you then.

Annika Joshi Smith (43:46)

Bye bye. This podcast was recorded on Wurundjeri land. Always was, always will be, Aboriginal land. Hello, guys.

Ray (44:00)

Ray here, head of business development at Shameless Media. And you just listened to a full episode of Stylish, which we think and hope means you enjoyed what you heard. Since you're a fan, I wanted to tell you about our Stylish newsletter. Reading the Stylish newsletter, honestly feels like flicking through your favorite magazine, except it's all free and delivered straight to your inbox. Are you looking for the best bowl of pasta in Melbourne? Or maybe you need a new door shoe? Guys, if you know, you know, maybe you'd just like an exclusive peek in the Shameless Media offices shopping cart parts. I mean, you're only human. Or some styling and beauty tips from the professionals? Well, we've got all of that and more in the Stylish newsletter. If you scroll to the show notes in this episode, you'll find a link to subscribe to the Stylish newsletter. We'll be dropping it in your inbox very, very soon.