Like the seasons, fashion has its cycles, so with the close of the Spring Carnival chapter, I set out to uncover what’s hot for the party-set this summer – especially those wanting to up the ante at a special ball or festive occasion. Evening wear, I thought, visions of flowing gowns glistening with sequins springing to mind. Things that I used to wear but no longer fit into… But I’m happy to be a fashion voyeur on behalf of others, so I rang Carmel Busacca at Caval Fashion Agency for the low-down on what’s trending right now.
Carmel Busacca: Owner and Manager of Caval Fashion Agency
One of Melbourne’s top fashion agencies, Caval, supplies retailers such as La Bella Donna (Collins Place), Gowns (Brunswick), Archies (Richmond), Aspirations (Brighton) and Swish (Bentleigh, Port Melbourne, South Yarra) with evening collections, mostly from the label George. ‘The George label is very popular with bridesmaids,’ said Carmel. ‘Not only are they very reasonably priced, we’ve got a point of difference for our customers to other evening-wear labels in that a lot of the range is made in Australia. It’s owned by George Spiro who has owned the label for forty years.’
Summer deliveries are being made right now – specifically for the party season. ‘That seems to be our main focus,’ says Carmel. ‘As well as bridesmaids and that’s an area where George definitely has a niche market. With all the beautiful beading and quality fabrics, the gowns are excellent value. They’re also made in a really good range of sizes from six to sixteen which is a rare thing.’
Most of the George samples at Caval are in a size 10, so luckily my wonderful friend Rochelle agreed to come along and model for this shoot before she starts a new television production job this week. Got her just in time! (Maybe if the Cool-Sculpting works, I can give it a shot down the track….) Here’s some of our favourites from the day.
I asked Carmel whether the dramatic rise in internet shopping had affected business. ‘It has affected the industry for daywear, but as far as we’re concerned, the George label stands strongly in the community and we do have brand followers. Especially from bridesmaids who want to try the dresses on. We’ve heard lots of horror stories about people buying off the internet! This is event shopping. They need to feel they’ve got the right garment and it looks fabulous on them.’
‘Plus George has a great website which is used a lot. Girls can pick a dress, using size, colour and measurements. Then they give us a call and as an agent, we can guide them in the direction of which stores stock that particular style.’
Caval also represents interstate labels such as Matthew Eager, Wayne Cooper and Banana Blue which it sells to clients mostly from Victoria and Tasmania. ‘We’re not just employed by the manufacturer,’ said Carmel. ‘We’re an agent so it’s in our best interests to look after clients and give them the best service possible. We also guide them in terms of what is selling well here, which is different to other states.’
So I guess we sell more black in Melbourne, I ask? ‘Overall we do,’ says Carmel, smiling, ‘but we are moving more towards colour. Particularly this season. Especially with evening wear, people are really wanting colour like oranges, emerald greens and cobalt blues. They’re really focusing on that – to make a statement.’
But as we chatted, our conversation veered down a more serious path as we started discussing the demise of our favourite Melbourne shoppings trips. You know, Bridge Road in Richmond, Toorak Road in South Yarra and pretty much any local retail street where more shops seem to be flashing a CLOSED sign, rather than open.
‘We really want people to support our retailers. Because if they don’t , the local strip shops and local designers will go out of business. People really need to reassess and look at what they’re buying. We’ve lost a lot of accounts. So many shops have closed with owners saying it’s all too hard. The business is just not out there.’
‘It’s really sad,’ lamented Carmel. ‘What’s going to happen to the days when we could have a shopping trip with our girlfriends and make a day of it? You won’t be able to do it for much longer.’
What better excuse do you need to get a group of friends together and plan a shopping day? Get to it guys – let’s save our local retailers and designers from extinction!
(For more information, contact Caval Fashion Agency on 0401 502 356 )
This is a charity spilling over with stories that will break your heart… a charity that is fighting to put an end to child trafficking and to give women and children at risk in Cambodia some hope for the future. Two Melbourne women started up Connecting Hands nearly two years ago and their work is starting to make a difference. But did anyone from the media turn up to hear about what they have done when they held an important event ten days ago? Not one. I’ll say it again – NOT ONE. I’ve been waiting and hoping to see if something would appear in the papers, but no – nothing.
If we heard that a 6-year-old Melbourne girl was being sold as a sex slave, don’t you think there’d be a bit of a fuss? Aren’t we a close enough global community that we SHOULD care when we hear this is happening to hundreds of children in Cambodia?
I love my daily news fix from both newspapers and TV and have enormous respect and admiration for my journalist friends. I also know the media is trying to survive in the toughest of times as we all try to adapt to this fast-changing world, affected so dramatically by the internet. The staff that are left are over-stretched, trying to cover the most basic of stories. I know. I get it. I just wish someone had been there ten days ago to show they cared.
Food for Hope book launch at Bopha Devi Cambodian Restaurant
Connecting Hands has put together an extraordinary cookbook with recipes donated by our country’s most famous and talented chefs, in a bid to raise funds for their cause. Called Food For Hope, it’s a brilliant book with beautiful pictures and recipes, and I hope you all buy it -and the story behind the book is WHY you should.
I first heard about Connecting Hands when we were invited to a dinner for the launch of the charity back in February, 2011. It was there we heard an incredibly moving speech from human rights advocate and trafficking survivor, Somaly Mam. She was sold to a brothel and forced into prostitution at just 14-years old. After surviving rape, torture and and abusive marriage for many years, she eventually escaped to France with the help of an aid worker.
Since that event, the Directors and Co-Founders of Connecting Hands, Kate Hutchinson and Deb Dorn, have achieved remarkable progress. I caught up with Kate at their book launch to find out what they’ve done.
Kate Hutchinson and Deb Dorn: Directors and Co-Founders of Connecting Hands
Kate says she and her sister came up with the concept of starting the charity after a trip to Cambodia in 2009. They came across children in such dire circumstances they found it impossible to do nothing.
Unlike most people who see, are moved and then forget, they made a promise to make a difference. They kept their promise too.
The Connecting Hands message – excerpt from Food For Hope cookbook
‘We saw the poverty and especially the way it affected women and their desperate situation. We just wanted to make a real difference and work out a way to do that. It was the child trafficking that really affected us because the kids are in such a vulnerable situation and with the poverty, they’re at high risk,’ said Kate.
Kate had previously worked with another non-for-profit organisation and had visited several projects in Cambodia. This time she saw a definite gap that needed addressing. ‘There’s a lot of work to do, just in raising awareness. So many people are naive and don’t understand what’s really going on. A lot of people also find it just “too hard” so they close up and walk away. For us, it’s about raising awareness but also finding a creative way to engage people without putting it in their face too much – because it is a very sensitive topic.’
One way they’ve helped raise awareness is through enlisting Neighbours actor Tom Oliver as an ambassador. Tom has also travelled with them to Cambodia, visiting several of the centres which house young girls who have been rescued from sex trafficking. For Oliver, it was a heart-wrenching but rewarding experience. Connecting Hands passed on gifts to the girls – care packages and small amounts of clothing – that were gratefully received.
Tom Oliver in Cambodia, working with Connecting Hands. The girl’s faces have been obscured for their protection.
Kate says their next project is to build a teaching cafe in Cambodia to give the girls training for jobs that will lead to employment. ‘Already I think we’ve made a huge difference. I think the fact that they know we are there to assist them and support them long term. They know we’re in it for the long-haul – not just short-term. They’re really excited about some of the projects, especially the cafe.’
‘The cafe will be built for the young women who have been rescued from slavery. They’ve been rehabilitated and now they’re looking for something to sustain their lives with. Obviously we don’t want them to enter the sex trade again so we’re looking at ways to educate them. Some of them love cooking but to work in the hospitality industry, they need to have knowledge at a higher level. We’re going to provide them with the skills that will lead to paid employment, so they’re no longer at high risk. A lot of them have children and their children are also at high risk if their mothers don’t have employment,’ she said.
Much more about the work Kate and Deb have done can be read about on their website. (see below) But while they’ve achieved a LOT, Kate feels like they’re only just starting to scratch the surface. ‘There’s still such a long way to go. We’ve come a long way in the two years since we’ve started and I think the cookbook is a testament to that.’
Yes, the cookbook! That’s why Kate and Deb organised this function and invited patrons, supporters and the media to the Bopha Devi Cambodian restaurant at the Docklands. Celebrity chef Ian Curley not only provided a recipe for the book, he came along as a speaker and to sign books.
So who came up with the idea for a cookbook? Kate credits her sister, Deb. ‘She wanted to connect the cafe with something that also involved fund-raising and getting celebrities involved through endorsement. So in the book, a lot of the celebrity chefs talk about why they are passionate about Connecting Hands, so that elevates the book as well and that helps us to reach out to the wider community.’
Chef Maggie Beer contributed a recipe to the Food for Hope Cookbook
Renowned chefs such as Maggie Beer, Neil Perry, Poh Ling Yeow, Pete Evans and Marion Gasby have all donated wonderful recipes, as well as comments about why they are lending their support. At $35 each, it’s a great Christmas present, so get on the Connecting Hands website now and buy up. It will save you heaps of time with your Christmas shopping!
Kate and Deb also heaped praise on the book’s designer, Adrian La Pira (Hush Logos) who donated his own time to make the Food For Hope the special book that it is – with mouth-watering photographs and easy to read recipes.
Just so you know, these muffin-top updates about the medical procedure I underwent – called Cool Sculpting – will be kept brief as I explained the process in detail in the Blog titled ‘How to Lose Your Muffin Top’ which was posted last Wednesday. So if you do want more information, just go back to that story.
Well, here’s how I’ve fared in the past week. I can report the skin on the tummy region became even itchier – at times a little uncomfortable. Fabrics that were quite tight on the skin were irritating and as for my skinny jeans… well, I know I’m a bit chubby right now, but half the time I wore long tops last week so no one could tell I had the top button undone…
And it wasn’t the best week for me in terms of food and alcohol consumption. As with any treatment or diet, the medical advice is to also eat sensibly and exercise. But before the Spring Racing Carnival, there’s a plethora of events serving lovely champagne and canapes and well, hell, what’s a girl to do? Wear a maxi dress is the best solution…
Opening of the Mumm Champagne bar at Crown with Fletch
And then there was Derby Day on Saturday – again more bubbly and canapés. Not that I’m complaining – I’m extremely grateful to be invited to these events and I very much like to show my gratitude by enjoying the hospitality on offer. After spending about twenty years trackside either reporting or reading the news on course and hosting Fashions on the Field, it’s fabulous to finally go as a guest and have fun.
Not much exercise was done on the weekend but I did manage to squeeze in a spin class yesterday morning!! Go me.
Because of Cup Day, I went to Dr Chris Moss’ consulting rooms yesterday for a staff member to take my weekly tummy shot, because obviously, they’ll be closed today. Some clients have said they can see a difference in their bulges after two weeks – but having come a day early, I tell myself not to expect too much of an advance.
Let’s compare pics from Day One to just under Two weeks:
Wow. I’m pleasantly surprised. There does seem to be an improvement! The indentation at the waist line does seem marginally better. Let’s check the side view…
To be honest, this is much better than I was expecting. It even looks like the ‘back fat’ crease has lessened and I wasn’t treated in that region. Maybe champagne is good for losing weight!!! No, of course it’s not. It’s early days, but already I’d say it looks like the Cool Sculpting is working. But don’t get your hopes up for a big improvement next week. I’ve got a friends BBQ for Cup day today, an Oaks Day Ladies lunch at Crown tomorrow, Oaks Day at Flemington on Thursday AND I ate meatballs stuffed with mozarella on pasta for dinner last night. Damn good recipe that one – I should share it with you.
Stay tuned till next week’s Muffin Top update – and remember, the best results are predicted at six to twelve weeks.
(For further enquiries, contact the Liberty Belle Skin Centre on 9826 9988 Address: 504 – 506 Toorak Road, Toorak)
Here’s the second interview in a series of stories I’ve prepared called ‘Inspirational Life Changes’. Given we’re all living longer, it’s highly likely we’ll all take on more than one career in our lifetime. Sometimes this can be a dramatic jump – sometimes a dainty side step. Whatever the change, it’s a leap of faith into the future. I’m curious as to why and how people make this happen.
Now on the verge of the Melbourne Cup Carnival, I thought something racy would be topical, so I caught up with a man who made a huge impact in the Birdcage last year.
INTERVIEW (2) : Mitch Catlin – Journalist turned Marketing Machine (Head of Partnerships, Community and Media: Swisse)
I was able to pick Mitch Catlin’s voice even before I met him in person. I was listening to the news on 3AW when I first heard it – that striking, baritone vocal – and made sure I remembered his name because I was convinced, with a voice like that, he was certain to become a famous radio or TV presenter.
Several years later, after Catlin finished a stint as LA correspondent for Seven News, we ended up working together at Network Ten. But surprisingly Catlin moved behind the scenes, away from the microphone, to fill the position of Chief-of-Staff. Which he did extremely well. (Apart from occasionally forgetting to put a newspaper on my desk, which we often joked about.)
Then in October 2005, he announced he was leaving. And not just leaving Ten. He was leaving the media. Hanging up his boots as a journalist for good.
Mitch Catlin: Head of Partnerships, Community and Media – Swisse
And he hasn’t looked back. From Ten, Catlin worked for PR company Haystac, then quickly shot up the radar by shifting to Myer where his efforts made people sit up and start to take notice. Now he’s ruffling feathers among the marquee set at Flemington with his ability to grab headlines after a sensational debut in the Birdcage last year with the new company he now represents – Swisse Vitamins.
But what happened to make him want to leave the media? Was I too hard on him about failing to deliver my newspaper? I took him out for coffee to find out. Catlin laughs, remembering our verbal jousting, but says, no, that he probably started questioning his future a few years before he left Ten.
‘It was about the time I turned thirty. Like for many people, it’s a milestone year in your life, which gives you reason to think about where you’re heading. I decided I should try something else, because if you leave it too late and then try to jump in another direction, you become a bit pigeon-holed. I thought now is the time to have a crack.’ he says.
So why marketing? Catlin says originally he was planning to work in PR. Generally speaking, most journalists don’t want to work in PR. Public relations people are the ones trying to sell us the stories. We want to write the stories and are often skeptical about those doing the selling. So in a way, Catlin has gone to the ‘other side.’ But when he explains, it makes sense – his theory being that he was capitalizing on his knowledge base.
‘Because I had the knowledge of dealing with the media and for many companies, that’s gold. Because many people don’t actually understand how it works. I’m not for one second suggesting I’m an expert but the knowledge is there – regardless or not as to whether you are deemed to be an expert – you have a knowledge base, which a lot of people simply don’t have. If someone said to me, we’re putting you in I.T. tomorrow, I’d freak out because I don’t know anything about I.T. but I do know a bit about the media. And for many people, that’s a great benefit in this day and age.’
The turning point came when one of the companies Catlin dealt with as Chief-of-Staff – Haystac – offered him a job. ‘At that point in time, they were certainly the most ‘it’ brand as far as PR was concerned,’ he says. ‘They said we don’t necessarily need someone with PR skills but we do need somebody with media skills. So they created a role which was about getting media and PR for their clients which were the likes of Toyota, ANZ, Myer and David Jones.’
But surely it couldn’t have been easy, leaving a long career in the media? Wasn’t the switchover difficult? ‘Oh, at first I didn’t like it at all!’ Catlin says adamantly, shaking his head. ‘I thought, “Oh my God, What have I done? This is not for me!” And I think it’s because I really struggled with the concept of journalists not necessarily liking PR people and me making that transition. It was a challenge. But then I found that the journalists liked that I was able to provide what they needed for a story. I ‘got it’. So there was a connection I developed with them. And that’s because of the knowledge base I had from the media. Anybody who has been a journalist has a skill set that other people simply don’t have.’
It wasn’t until six months later that Catlin really found his feet. Once he started getting coverage in the newspapers, something clicked. ‘For example, I’d open up page five of The Australian and there was a story that I’d worked on. So it was like, “Wow, I’ve done this.” It took me a few months to feel like I could do it, but it’s the same with anyone starting a new job. Initially you have a sense of vulnerability and insecurity. For me, this was a COMPLETE change. So when I got a couple of runs on the board, your insecurity goes down a bit and things start to happen for you. You probably don’t judge yourself as harshly as you had.’
I’m guessing other corporate bigwigs were reading the papers too, because in a blink, Catlin was suddenly flying the PR flag for Myer, taking on board a high-profile PR role. Again, another transition, but he’d have to agree, a step up – yes? Catlin looks thoughtful and pauses. ‘Well, I guess so, I mean in Melbourne there are only a handful of brands that stand out and as they say, Myer is Melbourne. So as far as Melbourne goes, Myer is up there as one of the most famous of the city’s brands. So it was a great opportunity. It gave me a great belief in myself that I could really do this job.’
‘I have a great deal of respect for Bernie Brookes, the CEO of Myer, who took me under his wing and taught me a lot about business,’ says Catlin. ‘I might have had a fair bit of media knowledge but not necessarily a whole lot of business knowledge, so he did teach me a lot.’
Mitch Catlin with the ‘other’ Jen: Myer marquee, Oaks Day, 2009
Catlin was obviously a good student. You only have to Google his name to gauge an idea of his success. Articles about his publicity coups and prowess are everywhere, littered with words like ‘publicity guru’. His flair for PR came to the fore during his time at Myer when Jen Hawkins seemed to feature on the front page of the Herald Sun every week.
So does he regard himself as successful? ‘People have a perception that if you’re publicly visible, you are a success and I don’t think that is necessarily what success is.’
For a man who deals so much with celebrity, his answer is surprising. ‘I think success is about being good at what you do. I look back at people who inspired me when I was young, like school teachers, who to me were so successful at what they did because they shaped the things that I believe in. My Mum was a full-time Mum her entire life and has been a wonderfully successful mother – raising myself and my brother – we were very much cared for at home. So the word success for me is difficult – it’s very subjective. I like to think I have achieved well in what I have done, but how you talk about that in terms of success – that’s for others to decide, not me.’
Catlin is way too modest to blow his own trumpet. In fact, it took a lot of arm-twisting for him to agree to this interview. His preference is for the focus to be on the product, not himself – that his job is about delivering results for the brand. ‘I am more focused on promoting the product or brand – it is not about me,’ he says.
But if he won’t acknowledge his own success, can he explain how it has happened? ‘I always try to put myself in the shoes of someone else and think, what is it these people will want? And then manage to think that through and come up with concepts. It’s about having a strategy and a plan, then you deliver. It’s not about responding or reacting to events. It’s about having a clear long-term strategy and plan,’ he says.
Mitch Catlin, Kate Arnott and a photo-bombing Jess McNamee
So with everything going so swimmingly at Myer, why then did he jump ship and take up the PR reins at vitamin giant Swisse? ‘Oh, I think it was time for a change,’ says Catlin, after pausing for consideration. ‘I was looking for something in my life that was worthwhile and what Swisse represents, in terms of health and happiness, well-being and looking after friends, family and yourself – is all true. To be able to work in an industry that really does strive to make people happier and healthier is an important thing to do.’ He sits back in his chair and seriously, he really does look happy.
But there’s always critics. What about the vitamin-skeptics who say vitamins are rubbish – merely a product that makes for expensive urine?
‘Well everyone has an opinion on every single industry,’ says Catlin, sighing. He’s obviously dealt with this one many times before. ‘Look at the health industry in general. There’s always speculation about pills and potions – do they work – all of that. The biggest thing about Swisse is how much money they invest in research and supporting their products. You only have to ask anyone who takes them if they support them and of course they do, otherwise they wouldn’t buy them.’
Alan Fletcher chats with “Kim Kardashian” at the Swisse Stakes Day After Party, 2011
I’m sure Swisse must be mighty pleased with Catlin’s efforts. His work has raised the profile of the vitamin brand to dizzying heights. Celebrity ambassadors include the cream of the crop from high-profile industries – sport, television and music. Catlin was also behind a move to push Swisse into the spotlight at the Spring Racing Carnival last year. And even when a star appearance on Stakes Day went down the toilet, with the non-appearance of Kim Kardashian, Catlin turned that into a coup, gaining almost more publicity for the reality star’s NO-SHOW by using a cardboard cut-out in the marquee and after-party. Almost every guest wanted their photo taken with Kim and then dutifully posted it on Twitter or Facebook.
Again Catlin is modest, saying Swisse’s marketing strategy was already in place when he joined the brand. ‘What our CEO and the board have set up is a massively successful marketing campaign of integrating ambassadors into existing programs.’
Of Swisse’s ambassador family, the celebrity line-up seems heavily skewed towards sport. Is Swisse neglecting the arts, I ask? Catlin shakes his head, smiling. ‘No, it’s more about looking at people who are the best in their field. And that could be anyone from an actor like Nicole Kidman through to a TV presenter like Sonia Kruger or a cricketer like Ricky Ponting. And the way our marketing strategy has been successful is that we integrate with our retailers, so the likes of Coles, Woolworths, Priceline and Chemist Warehouse are the ones who really dictate to us what they want to achieve.’
And we’ll see more celebrities during the races. Nicole Kidman is making an appearance on Derby Day, Kim Cattrall on Oaks Day and singer Rick Astley on Stakes Day. How does he manage to attract such a star-studded line-up? Catlin credits his team. ‘With Swisse, what’s going to happen in the lead-up to the races, during the races and post the races, is a team effort. It’s not about me, Mitch Catlin, it’s about the Swisse team who have built this plan together. That’s why we’re confident about our outcomes as a business. I might do a few media interviews here and there but it’s very much about the team strategy.’
When you hear about how Swisse treats its staff, it’s easy to understand why Catlin appears so content. ‘We get 3-day weekends. We get breakfast and lunch provided every day. We get massages every Wednesday. There’s no doubt I wake up every day and feel blessed I’ve found a company like that who actually make a difference to people’s lives,’ he says. (I’m applying for a job tomorrow!!)
Aside from the professional work, Catlin says his time at Swisse has changed the person he is. ‘I’m a much more contented, happy person. More interested in helping others and what’s going on in the community. There’s a real focus on what’s happening around you which is a wonderful change.’
As for future plans, Catlin says he has a few ‘secret squirrel’ projects under his belt that he can’t discuss. But his focus next year will be a major push by Swisse into the global market, the face of Nicole Kidman leading the way. ‘My mission is to share the health and happiness story of Swisse around the world,’ he says.
Watch out world!
Looking back, Catlin credits three men for helping him get to where he is today. ‘They’d be 3AW broadcaster Neil Mitchell, when I started as a journo, ‘ says Catlin, ‘And Anton Staindl, the MD of Haystac who taught me when I first started in PR. And of course, Swisse CEO Radek Sali who constantly inspires me.’
It’s now seven years since Catlin left Ten. Would he say his decision to leave the media and head in a new direction was the right one? His smile says it all. ‘When you look at how life has panned out, it’s very different to what I imagined it would be, but I feel that I’ve achieved a lot and am really happy with where I am right now.’
