I remember signing up for the Michi Girl newsletter. Entering a little competition she had running for the L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival in 2009, inviting her readers to come to a gallery opening. I raced out and bought her book, thinking that if I had the good fortune to meet Michi, at least I would know what I was talking about.
I read Like I Give A Frock, the first Michi book, in one sitting and went along to that gallery opening, armed with the knowledge and humour to take on the fashion world. Unfortunately for me, Michi couldn’t make it to that party but her influence was there for all to see. That event was one of the very first I put pen to paper for.
Michi is after all, the thinking girl’s fashionista.
Michi is the brainchild of Chloe Quigley and Daniel Pollock, bought to life everyday through a series of newsletter emails to subscribers offering thoughts on the weather and fabulous fashionable finds. Her thoughts and imagination come to life though illustrations by Kat McLeod and bring inspiration to thousands daily, just about the time that 3pmitis hits.
Like I Give A Frock was such a resounding success in 2008, of course Michi was encouraged to pen another fashion bible and the result of this is What On Earth Are You Wearing?, a ‘michipedia’ of fashion for those less ‘in the know’ than you and I.
Printed on beautiful recycled paper and with a fabric cover What On Earth Are You Wearing? is a humorous and tongue in cheek look at the common – and not so common – fashion terms popular among industry peeps, or should I say people.
What On Earth Are You Wearing? is clever, quirky and a welcome change from some of the more stuffy (read: coffee table books you peruse with gloves on) fashion books around today. Kat McLeod’s beautiful watercolour drawings are so divine you will want to rip pages out and frame them.
A lighter side to a usually dark industry (I mean, we all wear so much black, what do we expect?), Michi Girl is the perfect excuse to pour a Chai tea, break open the Tim Tams and spend some time learning about the finer points of fashion.
A must this Christmas for pretty much anyone. Your dad will love it.
What On Earth Are You Wearing? is available in all good book stores now (Penguin, RRP $29.95)
