FairyLuscious: Alternative Fashion for Curvy Goddesses

Here at FairyFloss, we've always been committed to making our clothes available to all women, regardless of dress size; when we order them in, every item is available from S to XL. The stitching and detailing is carefully crafted to create a range of flattering effects; to slim and streamline on some bodies, to enhance a curve on others. We noticed, however, that the larger sizes fit, but didn't quite sit right, on some women; they still looked good, but the effect just wasn't the same.

We believe that every woman deserves to be able to rock her style; that clothes designed for curvy women should celebrate and move with their body, rather than hiding it. Clothing styles that do this are fairly limited; the most easily available are definitely fifties pinup style or sixties chic (think Dangerfield, Modcloth, Mad Men), but not everyone wants to dress that way just to be able feel like their clothes are flattering their shape.

FairyLuscious has been a project that's been a while in the making, but this summer, we're finally doing a soft launch. We're offering a few pieces designed specifically with curves in mind; to flatter, to move, to fit like a glove. We've also taken FairyFloss items that have proven themselves perfect for curvy women and ensured they're available up to size 16 (most have enough stretch or adjustment capabilities to fit an 18). Given that most Australian women are size 14 or 16, this just seemed like common sense.

FairyLuscious is for daring roller derby girls, bodacious yoginis, curvy hoopstars, festival queens, all women wanting funky clothes that are made from the highest quality fabrics, in a range of amazing styles.

We'd be so grateful if you could share this with your friends, because the better the response, the more extensive the range will get. You can sign up to be one of the very first to try FairyLuscious here - no spam, just a head's up when we have something new to show you.

Supply and Demand: Bringing Back Your FairyFloss Favs

We get a lot of messages through our social media channels. Most of them are desperate pleas from customers who've seen a sold-out item at a festival or somewhere around the internet, and REALLY want us to bring it back.

Obviously, we can't bring every piece back; we need room in our shop for our gorgeous, new season designs! But if enough people ask, we do listen...so if you really, really love a piece, it's always worth sending us a message and letting us know, or liking every picture of it that you can find. Even if we don't plan to restock that particular item, we can usually recommend something that you'll love just as much (maybe more!). 

For example: since it went out of stock, we've had dozens of requests for the return of the Cosmic Lotus Vest (these are just the most recent few)...

So, we decided to bring it back just in time for this summer's festival season.

Or, check out how many likes these pictures of our Dreamcatcher Top got on Instagram...

With that many likes and our last lot having completely sold out, we decided to bring this one back too.

There's plenty more old favorites back for another round...check out our latest newsletter for more.

We Love Fashion Week

When the weather starts to warm up in the Southern Hemisphere and cool down in the north, models, fashionistas and designers everywhere start to get excited; it's time for Spring/Summer Fashion Week, where designers give the world a sneak peek at what they'll be wearing next year.

While different areas of the world have their own fashion festivals (for example, the Byron Bay International Fashion Festival, which we participated in earlier this year), the whole world looks to the big four: New York, Paris, Milan and London.

New York Fashion Week, the first of the fashion weeks, was pioneered during World War II when American fashion workers were unable to get to Paris due to Nazi occupation of the city. With the fashion capital of the world out of reach, publicist Eleanor Lambert (press director for the New York Dress Institute) organised a "press week" to show off the very best of American fashion design; celebrating designers who had previously been shunned or ignored by writers blinded by the bright light of Parisian fashion. The event was a huge success; Vogue began to feature more and more American designers in the magazine from that point, and it's grown bigger and bigger ever since. The spring/summer 2016 shows will take place from September 10–17, 2015 at two new locations, Skylight at Moynihan Station in Midtown and Skylight Clarkson Square in SoHo.

This short vlog captures one of the best parts of New York Fashion Week: getting to see all of your favorite designers, models and fashionistas out and about, and seeing what trends they're tapping into as they step off the runway. 

 

Milan Fashion Week, a celebration of the very best of Italian fashion, hit the scene in 1958. Women's fashion is at the forefront (the main showcases of Milan Fashion Week are Milano Moda Donna and shows featuring ready-to-wear women's fashion), but menswear gets to share the spotlight (Milano Moda Uomo).

To get a glimpse into the magic that is Milan Fashion Week, here's Vogue Magazine's recap from 2014; you'll spot some very, very familiar faces and get an insight into just how crazy and colourful this event is.

Paris Fashion Week started in 1973, and brings hundreds of people to the city every year. It's divided into three categories: Men's Fashion, Haute Couture, and Prêt-à-Porter (ready to wear). The term haute couture is taken very, very seriously in Paris; only members of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture can use the term (membership is very exclusive, and members must adhere to the society's rules). 

For a quick glimpse into Paris Fashion Week, supermodel Karlie Kloss has put together a sixty second video ("Paris Fashion Week in 60 Seconds") encompassing some of the madness and magnificence:

 

 London Fashion Week first took place in 1984; it's the youngest of the pack, but still very much a major player. London was the first to live stream its fashion week around the world, pioneering this trend in Spring 2010. It introduced mens' fashion into the mix in 2012, and since then more and more mens' shows have been included in the official roster (numbers are up 67%). Alongside "official" London fashion week, there's a strong tradition of off-schedule shows from private groups and up and coming designers. 

To see how people get the London look, here's a recap of London Fashion Week highlights from a few years back, featuring British favorites like Alexa Chung and Cara Delevingne. 

As the fashion capitals of the world get ready to showcase their latest designs in September, so do we; we're preparing for a soft launch for our brand new plus-size line Fairyluscious, and getting very excited about bringing back some summer favorites like the Cosmic Lotus Vest. To give you an insight into how FairyFloss does warmer weather fashion and fun, here's a peek behind the scenes of our Nature Punk photoshoot.

FairyFloss Around the World

 We asked some of our Instagram and Facebook friends to tell us where they're from, and the proof is in the map we made below: FairyFloss is a truly international brand, with customers and outlets everywhere from Brazil to London to our home in Byron Bay.

 Our customers take our clothes everywhere, to festivals and events all over the world; we've seen photos of them at Boom Festival in Portugal, a photoshoot in South America, a Grateful Dead concert in the US, and all of the major psytrance festivals in Australia.

We love our international friends and family! If you don't live in Byron and want to shop FairyFloss in person, there's places all over the world you can do so.

1. Delicious Boutique in Philadelphia, USA - a gorgeous little shop with beautiful clothes
2.  Toon'z Shop in France - a very popular shop selling music and apparel
3. Psy7 in Germany - selling pieces with gorgeous psychedelic patterns
4. Camden Market in London - a British icon
5. Happy High Herbs in Santa Cruz, California - the US branch of a popular Australian chain

Thank you for all the love, and we're sending it right back!

Spotlight on Steampunk

FairyFloss draws inspiration from a wide range of sources, from nature to sacred geometry to historical tribal wear; it's this fusion of ideas and styles which contributes to our signature Nature Punk style, and makes FairyFloss one of the most original designers on the market.

In this blog post, we're going to draw attention to one of our favourite sources of inspiration: steampunk fashion. We'll show you where steampunk came from and how we use it to infuse FairyFloss clothes with a dystopian flavour, to create pieces that are truly timeless.

(note: for the purposes of this blog post, we're just going to focus on clothes: for a truly excellent history of the steampunk movement more generally, check out this website)

What is Steampunk?

Steampunk is the science fiction of the Steam Age (Victorian Era), re-imagined from a modern perspective. It blends history, imagination and science into a wonderful world that might have been.

The invention of the steam engine made full scale industrialisation possible, and in turn, made authors and artists dream of a future where steam, not electricity, drove advances in technology and science. They dreamed of steam powered submarines, space travel, a mechanised life. 

Modern steampunk enthusiasts re-imagine the 19th century with steam-powered versions of modern technologies. In this way, it becomes the perfect blend of alternate history and science fiction.

What Does Steampunk Fashion Look Like?

Steampunk takes Victorian fashion as its base, and adds industrial, futuristic elements.  It aims to delight, entertain and engage. Popular features include corsetry, pinstripes, brass adornments, industrial machine parts (eg wheels and cogs), ruffles, frills and leather. 

Steampunk and Popular Culture

Steampunk couture continues to increase in popularity, as it allows for a lot of imagination and individuality. The films Sucker Punch and Sweeney Todd have a very strong steampunk aesthetic; Amy Lee from the band Evanescence brings steampunk influences to her gothic Lolita stage outfits. 

FairyFloss and Steampunk

Our unique Nature Punk style brings together patterns and hues from nature with the industrial features of steampunk; it takes two opposites, and fuses them into an original, sexy and stylish aesthetic.

We carry a number of steampunk-inspired neo-classical jackets. With lace-ups, frills, bustles, ruffles, and clockwork appliques, these jackets draw on industrial themes but provide a modern twist.

We create tough and strong vests and tops that combine sexy femininity with heavy-duty detailing like grommets, leather, studs and buckles. 

We have plenty of tough, tribal and embellished skirts, both long and short. Studs, buckles, gathers, ruffles, ruching, appliques and 100% leather accents give these skirts the perfect mix of feminine and heavy-duty. These skirts look great with tough boots and goggles if you're going full steampunk; pick a hi-lo style with ruffling bustles for neo-classical style.

​

Steampunk relies heavily on accessories and adornments like goggles,studded belts and cuffs to fuse the Victorian and the mechanical. We have some great accessories in stock, perfect to add something special to any outfit.

Birds of a Feather

 Left: The Feather Goddess Dress in Plum   Right: The Feather Goddess Dress in White

Women -

The Wild Feather top in Olive, Diesel Shorts, Warrior leggings & Interwind Bolero in Black 

Men -

The Bull Skull top in Light Khaki & Nature Punk Pants in Dark Olive

Left: Feather top in Brown & 2nd Skin skirt in Rust    

Right: Wildlife top in Rust & Huntress Pants in Brown  

The Reflection Bloomers in Burgundy

Left: The Nature Punk Vest in Black    Right: The Nature Punk Vest in Black, Frilly Love Skirt in Olive & Warrior Leggings in Black

Left: Nature Leather Top & Tribal Leather Belt in Olive & Wild Bird Tights in Brown

Right: Twin Soul Top in Brown, Warrior Lap Lap Skirt & Warrior Leggings in Olive 

Left: The Free Spirit Top in White & Wild Clubber Pants in Dark Denim     

Right: Wild Feather Top in Stone 

'Birds of a Feather' 

The plumage of a bird holds much to captivate ones eye, so no wonder we have become captivated!!! 

Our new summer range holds the essence of these creatures within their colours and cuts. 

Embrace a spirit that knows not of limitations, Feel its strength and soar high on the thermals.

Know what it is to feel WILD

We will show you the way.

www.fairyflossbyronbay.com

Nature Punk

Feather top in brown & 2nd Skin skirt in Rust 

Left: The Dreamflow dress in Red    Right: The Feather Goddess dress in White

The Skin top in Brown & the Diesel shorts in Red

The Feather Goddess dress in White

The Wildlife top in Rust & the Huntress pants in Black

Feel her pulse through the soles of your bare feet, absorb her warmth through the cells of your awakened body, see her beauty that surrounds us...see our Earth

Inspired by our beautiful mother Gaia, from her her un-tameable beauty, captivating patterns, forms and exquisite aura of colour, the Nature punk was born. 

Draw strength and power for her many aspects and experience the feel of the warrior that lies within our new Nature Punk summer collection @ FairyFloss Byron Bay 

www.fairyflossbyronbay.com