Women's Wear

Yellow, yellow, yellow.

From the Women In This Town book.

Rainbow bright.

Style Matters

WITH ANDREW GEEVES

STYLE MATTERS WITH ANDREW GEEVES

Smells of patchouli oil, chai tea and sandalwood incense float through the air. I stand amongst gum trees, an aural healer to my left. For 50 dollars, he will let you sit in the middle of four glass cylinders that he then proceeds to beat the shit out of for about half an hour. They ring out with a noise that sits somewhere between the sounds of tortured wind chimes and taking advantage of human vulnerabilities. To my right is a self-proclaimed, rune-reading druid. Enough said.

I am in Victoria, visiting friends of mine, one of whom has a residency at Dunmoochin, an artists’ colony established by Clifton Pugh, an esteemed Australian portrait artist and winner of multiple Archibald Prizes. They have taken me to the St Andrews Community Market, a regular gathering of stallholders, visitors and those who live in and around St Andrews, a bush town nestled at the foot of the Yarra Ranges, an hour’s drive north-east of Melbourne.  

The market has taken place here every Saturday morning for more than 40 years. Fresh fruit and vegetables, recycled clothing, natural remedies, second-hand goods and homemade products are some of the wares on display. All around me, people are bumping into each other and exchanging news, live music is being enjoyed and families are lolling in the sunshine. As I wander around, I eavesdrop on snippets of conversation. These make clear that the market plays an integral role in consolidating the bonds that underpin this area’s strong sense of community.

As my burger-and-beer-built body enters superfood-induced shock over the vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, refined-sugar-free, tofu, kale and some-ancient-grain-that-sounds-very-different-to-how-it-is-spelled lunch to which I just subjected it, I step back and observe the crowd. Immediately, I am struck by how easy it is to identify the two main groups of people in attendance: the locals and the visiting inner-city dwellers. Clothing, accessories and hairstyles easily distinguish one group from the other. Locals are all about loose, flowing, colourful fabrics, tie-dye, dreadlocks, crystals hung on leather, dusty boots, East-Asian, African and South American prints, nose rings, colourful hats and tattoos of third-eyes and other mystic symbols. Visitors from the city favour black everything, slim-cut jeans, designer sunglasses, chunky jewellery of metal or resin, tailored leather jackets, sneakers, flats or loafers, asymmetry and impeccably maintained haircuts. 

The local aesthetic is hippie, earthy and rough around the edges, while the urban Melbourne look is sharp, streamlined and polished; but members of both groups have put time, effort and thought into their styling. Everyone has curated their look to signal membership of a particular group by closely matching its visual aesthetic. What comes first, people who dress similarly forming a group or people who form a group dressing similarly, is a chicken-or-egg question for another time. However, if even the local St Andrews population—a community that prides itself on consciously living a lifestyle that does not mindlessly follow mainstream trends or culture—follows a strict, largely implicit dress code, the human urge to belong to a group of people and to outwardly exhibit this membership to others must be pretty strong.

Many of us wore uniforms at school and must obey dress codes at our places of employment. Yet, almost without realizing it, most of us continue wearing a “uniform” even when we don’t have to. In our downtime, we dress in ways that strongly identify us with groups that share elements of our lives—geography, income bracket, sexuality, education level, political preference and lifestyle practices. We feel this when we travel and find others labelling us based on what we wear. When I visit my suburban hometown, I’m a city slicker. When I visit Perth, I’m an Eastern stater. When I visit the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, I’m an inner-eastern suburb dweller. 

We clad ourselves in items of clothing that signal our belonging, or our wish to belong, to particular groups and our distance from other groups from which we wish to remain separate. This behaviour makes sense given our evolutionary background—our chances of survival are increased if others are willing to offer you help, and looking alike increases this willingness. External appearance is a quick and effective way of signalling similarity. I would be more likely to rescue a Sydneysider from the jaws of a sabre-toothed tiger than a Melburnian because, based on their appearance, I would perceive the Sydneysider as more similar to me and, therefore, more worthy of receiving my help. (Also, Sydneysiders are better people and will always be more worth saving than Melburnians—just saying.) 

“You’re all individuals,” Brian says to his crowd of followers in Monty Python’s Life of Brian. “Yes, we’re all individuals,” chants the crowd. “You’re all different,” declares Brian. “Yes, we’re all different,” replies the crowd. There is a truth to the humour in these lines. Perhaps more than we would like, we all comply with certain unspoken rules when it comes to style, in order to show our allegiance to a particular group. Anyone disheartened by this realization should remember that they wouldn’t be here if their ancestors hadn’t demonstrated exactly this behaviour.

Based in Sydney, with a background in psychology, Andrew has written and interviewed people about music, theatre, film, art and fashion for a variety of popular publications and academic journals.

Tan.

Similar look: J.Crew Ludlow Suit.

Women's Wear

Women In This Town

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

WOMEN IN THIS TOWN

It’s so exciting to start seeing press on my new book, it makes everything seem real for some reason…the book is actually going to be out there in just a few days…AROUND THE WORLD! Thank you to GQ Australia for sharing the love!

If you’re in Sydney, I’m planning an exciting book launch and would love to have you their to help celebrate! Will be sharing details early next week…

Meanwhile, the Women In This Town book is available to pre-order now!

Women's Wear

Jump.

Head to toe.

Similar look: Comme des Garçons Play Trainers.

Rainer Andreesen in New York

Rainer Andreesen in New York

MITT MAGAZINE ISSUE Nº1

An excerpt from MITT magazine issue Nº1.

Growing up in a small fishing village off the coast of British Columbia, Rainer Andreesen knew catching fish wasn’t his calling. He soon found refuge in the arts. Graduating from art school in 1986 and not knowing how to turn his passion into a stable career, Rainer took work as a model and travelled the world, eventually settling in artist-mecca New York City. While he kept a sketchbook throughout his travels, it didn’t satisfy his love for painting portraiture. I met with Mr Andreesen in his Greenwich Village home to find out how the brush became his tool and why the male became his muse.

MITT: So tell me, when did you first pick up a paint brush?

Rainer Andreesen: I was about seven when I first started to paint and I just remember the feeling of being able to create anything I felt. I didn’t know what I could do with it but I knew it was my ticket to see the world beyond the small island where I grew up.

Can you tell me about some of your first paintings?

They were always portraits. I remember I became obsessed with the Marlboro Man images when I was around 16. There was something about his stance and his masculinity. I think that’s where my interest in painting men came from – the Marlboro Man was my first muse.

Is that what you seek in your subjects?

I’m looking for an air of confidence or a unique look, but I can be caught off guard by the inner beauty of anyone. It’s not necessarily about surface; it’s a little deeper than that. I need to have a connection with my subject. It’s hard to paint someone without one. 

Where do you usually like to work?

A few years ago my partner Victor and I bought a house in upstate New York as a getaway from the city and, over time, I converted the carriage house out back into a studio. It’s great to live in Manhattan with all its energy but then to have this retreat where I can let those experiences flow onto my paintings.

What else inspires you? Is there something you do to get the creative juices flowing?

Drink! Just kidding. The person I am painting provides inspiration, but music also plays a big part of it. It varies with each portrait, but anything from Pink Floyd to classical music. Sometimes I go through periods when I am having trouble with painting. Right now I’m working on three commissions for [actor] Kathy Bates. The first one I did was quite large and I literally cried when I finished it because it was such a great experience. It’s a really great painting – I love it. I’m going through a bit of a rebirth in enjoying commissions again.

I imagine it would be difficult?

Definitely. It’s always in the back of your mind, what they’re going to think, with every brush stroke.

What’s your end goal? What do you want to be known for?

My paintings! I feel like I’ll never have enough time to leave a legacy of what I want to paint, but I am sure that every artist feels that way.

Well, it seems to me that you already have some outstanding work. Would you mind walking me through some of your favourites?

I’d love to …

Continued in MITT magazine issue Nº1.

White.

Women's Wear

Only 1 more week until the Women In This Town book is out worldwide! Here’s the second last excerpt from the book, this time from Hayley Hughes’ profile in Melbourne.

PRE-ORDER THE BOOK ➝