A Special Guest Appearance!

An Australian fashion blogger tell us how he got started!

 His mother was a pattern maker, and in result, he grew up around a constant love for fashion. Born in Brazil, traveled Europe, and now lives in Australia... Lee Oliveira is a well-known street fashion photographer that took time out of his day to tell us about his experiences.

Amanda: What does fashion mean to you?  

Fashion defines the person who you are. You can pass a message to other people without saying a word.  

Amanda: I agree with that too. I feel like your should say a lot about you? How would you describe your personal style?

My personal style is very clean. Depends on my mood and inspiration. Some days I feel like wearing very casual (jeans and t shirt) other days I want to accessories with skinny ties, rings and  a bag. My sunglasses are always with me no matter where I go. Probably need to stop buying so many. 

Amanda: What does your style say about you?

It says how confident, happy and comfortable I am about what I am wearing

Amanda: Who are some of your favorite designers?

 I could go on for days. But I do have some favourites. Brazilians: Alexandre Herchovitch, Forum, Colcci. Europeans: Gucci, Chanel, Balmain, Prada, Louis Vuitton. Australians: Alex Perry, Dion Lee, Bettina Liano, MLDenim. See, I told you I could go on for days.

Amanda: Are there any trends that you love right now?

It's summer here in Australia, so I am loving my denim shorts from MLDenim. I know its a bit crazy but I have a Mickey Mouse T that I wear to death right now. It gets me a lot of attention. 

Amanda: Hahaha I'm sure if I had a Mikey Mouse T, I would wear it all the time too. So Do you attend many gatherings with other fashion designers and artist as yourself? If so, could you describe them for me?

I get constantly invited to fashion launches but you can't attend them all. I do make to effort to attend the ones that I love to support. Australian Shoe designer, Antoine & Stanley and a new comer to Australia, Brazilian shoe brand Via Uno are a few of the recent ones I attended. 

Amanda: Wow! I have not been to fashion launches but I feel that would be really fascinating. So where are you from?

I am from a very small town in Brazil. Tiny in fact. Nothing much really goes on there. I love going back to visit from time to time to rejuvenate. I have also lived in London for few years and now I call Australia home.

Amanda: What started your love for photography?

It didn't... Photography came to me. Initially all I wanted it was to capture moments when I saw something fashionable that I like. My passion for photography grew from there. 

Amanda: How did you get started in the fashion business? 

My mother was a pattern maker so I watched her for so many years creating garments and selling them to our neighbors. I was very curious to understand why they were so happy to receive the garments. That started me on an interest in fashion and today understand why.

Amanda: Describe yourself. What do you think about yourself and do you think people perceive you in the same way? 

Energetic , friendly, humble and sometimes compulsive (ok.. that happens a lot to me). I am also continuously learning new things about photography (that never ends). I am very transparent so all these things I have pointed out you can see when you meet me and I believe everyone sees the same thing.

Amanda: Who is one celebrity that you would like to meet?

  Marc Jacobs. I find his journey to where is is today so fascinating and inspiring. I am always fascinated by successful people who didn't start with much. 

Amanda: What is your favorite quote?

"I belong in fashion" made by me.. (hahaha)

       I also like "Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening." by Coco Chanel.

Amanda: I love the Coco Chanel quote. Fashion is totally a lifestyle. 

Do you have any goals in your life you would like to meet?

Of course I have. We all must have. When you stop doing that you become stagnant. My goal this year is to meet more Australian designers and hit Europe, Asia and North America to see more street style.

Amanda: That would be great to travel more. Any opportunity you get, take it! 

What is the publicity like for you? Have you been recognized on other websites and such?

 ` Publicity has been good for me so far. I believe it is very important to have original content if you want to get recognized "Keep it real"  I have had "mentions" by a few other fashion bloggers and australian fashion designers who love and recognize the effort I put into my photography. I'm also a featured street style blogger for http://streetstylenews.com for Australia. 

Copyright 2011

I'd like to thank Lee for being apart of Topped off with a Red Hat!

And I would like to thank all of you for stopping by and reading.

xoxo, A...Archambault