Style Stories with Madeleine Park

The final episode of season 7 is a live broadcast of the season launch which I hosted at Dulcie’s Kings Cross in conjunction with the Potts Point Partnership and The Glittering Mile Festival. In keeping with the colourful, camp theme of the season, the night was a joyful celebration of self expression and included an interview with local drag queen, and wig & make-up artist extraordinaire, Mynx Moscato. While Mynx’s upbringing in suburban Diggers Rest may not have provided the colour they were seeking out, Sydney is where Mynx came to find their rainbow and earn their drag queen wings. Mynx not only gives us an entertaining encounter of their Style Story but some vivid tips on wig and make up trends to watch out for, some not for the faint-hearted!

I hope you can sit back, relax and enjoy listing to Mynx’s story.

If this season was about colourful, camp expressions of identity and the performative nature of fashion, the oncoming season will document my next bold performative venture into the Vivid Sydney festival. Listen out for Season 8 where I interview some of the creative talent that I am working with to produce my Vivid event titled, Fashion’s Flash: Back to the Future. This event will take place on the night of June 7th at the UTS Great Hall in Ultimo so if you’d like to join in the fun and find out more, please visit Vivid Sydney.

In episode 4 of season 7, I chat with Nikita Majajas, owner of Doodad and Fandango, the plastique fantastique jewel in the Australian wearable art crown. Nikita’s cult accessories label exudes the essence of camp, with witty quips and subversive icons perfectly placed in flamboyant forms adored by the most fanciful and fiercest of fashionistas. And while Doodad & Fandango may straddle the blurry lines between art, fashion and activism, it’s Nikita’s colourful sense of humour and kitsch sense of style that catches your eye and keeps you smiling.

Watch 'The Colours of Camp in Australia'.

In episode 3 of season 7, I chat with Kim Bishop, Costume Designer and relative royalty in the world of Australian theatre. Whilst Kim has worked behind the scenes on all the big shows to grace our stages, think The Boy From Oz, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Rocky Horror Show, it’s Kim’s attention to detail and careful consideration of the subject that makes him the star. When it comes to his characters, Kim wants his costumes to tell you the whole story and it’s his style to tell it with truth, passion and a little bit of pizazz. 

Watch 'The Colours of Camp in Australia'.

In episode 1 of season 7 I chat with Deborah Leser, Fabric Artist, Textile Designer and Printmaker. Despite being the daughter of Bernie Leser, the original founder of Vogue Australia, Deborah’s fashion influence stands in her own right with her acclaimed work widely exhibited across Australia, London and New York. Deborah likes to run to the beat of her drum and has a rebellious, full of life spirit and a colourful, multilayered attitude that perfectly paints a picture of the eye-catching spectrum that is her style.

Watch 'The Colours of Camp in Australia'.

As we step out of lockdown and isolation and we cast the athleisure wear aside, we come into a moment in fashion that celebrates colour and joy. It’s time to express ourselves, it’s time to be seen.

So this is Style Stories Series 7, a series which continues to share stories of creative people with a strong sense of style, but with a celebration of colourful and camp styles that asks bigger questions of our Australian identity.

And if expressing ourselves and being seen is important, I have also released a a mini-documentary on YouTube and Instagram which will coincide with this season and help answer these style questions and tell this story.

I hope these stories offer you some colour and joy and you can sit back, relax and enjoy listening to and watching The Colours of Camp in Australia.

This season as we were forced to sit still, I wanted to travel through the stories of people in other places and explore how they were stepping out with a renewed sense of style. But like everyone else I really wanted to step out too! After a difficult socially distanced year the natural extrovert in me was desperate to socialise, interact and experience life outside my own home.

In episode 12 of Style Stories: Stepping Out, I chat with Georgia Macmillan, an Australian Textile Designer living in Dubai. While Georgia’s roots in country Queensland remain proudly close to home, it’s taken a move to the Middle East to see her step into her mother’s footsteps and take her hand to art. Her career otherwise saw stints in news journalism and luxury PR and while she maintains she doesn’t have a mind for business, her curiosity, creativity and desire for a life well-travelled reflect heavily in her work. Whether she’s dwelling in a desert, basking on a Greek island or touring the weaving villages of India, Georgia is able to find inspiration however the thread of home is always sewn elegantly into her style and her story.

In episode 11 of Style Stories: Stepping Out, I chat with Anna-Lisa Yabsley, Global Digital Strategy Lead & Executive Director of Content Strategy for US Vogue. While Anna-Lisa grew up in Australia and is now based in New York, it’s her parent’s heritage that had the greatest impact on her style. From vintage concert tees to Cary Grant and Slim Aarons references, Anna-Lisa may have turned to her mum and dad for style cues however today it’s it’s her laid back, practical nature that makes her style succeed. Whether she’s impressing Anna Wintour, being a jack of all trades, or simply building great relationships, Anna-Lisa’s analytical mind and friendly determination are what makes her stand out from a crowd and like her love for pop art, she keeps her style simple, putting all the little dots together to make one compelling whole.