STYLEAID BLOG

These are of friends who all came to enjoy the night…

Just a few pics to keep you coming back for more that were taken by my partner Trevor on the night…

There will be lots more to come in the next few days so keep coming back to see who was there, what they were wearing and some great backstage shots…

Mark xox

Just thought I would put a quick note on here following on from last night’s big event and what a night it was dear reader!

For those 660 of you who were there I hope that you had as good a time as I did and for those of you who missed out you will have to wait until this time next year for StyleAID 2007 which will be the 10th StyleAID!

The day was not without the usual event day tensions and dramas but if you were not part of the dramas you did not know what was going on.

I will do a more involved blog in the next couple of days to give you a full run down but I just wanted to let you all know that it was a sensational night and all the feedback that I have had so far has been fantastic!

Great performances lead by the amazing Hayden Tee who blew everyone away with his 2 opening numbers and looked sensational dressed in Preacher and his ever gracious, beautiful and truly delightful co-host Verity James weaved their magic on the crowd over the night…

 The rest will follow in the coming days as I process, catch up on sleep and count the dollars raised all of which I will keep you up on.

But let me just say that I am proud of what we acheived and hope any of you that attended really did have a heavenly night!

Mark xoxox

Just thought as there was a lull in my day…albiet a breif one that I would write what will be my last blog before the event.

I do not think, dear reader, that I will get a chance to put fingers on the keyboard after this morning.

Truck has collected from Aly’s place and delivered to the Convention Centre and we are transferring the rest of our stock down there this morning and early afternoon so all we have to concentrate on is the event tomorrow.

Will be heading out to the airport at 2.45pm to pick our co-host Hayden Tee up and then drop him at the Parmelia, where he will be staying for the next couple of nights.

Then back to WAAC and final bump in to the PCEC late afternoon and then we are all set for a full day tomorrow.

All sold out and just 2 payments outstanding make this one of the smoothest rides in terms of tickets that I have had. I think this says something about the event and the fact that we are one of the best options in terms of price and what we have on offer as a charity event. It seems everyone else has put their prices up and we have stayed at the same price as last year…it has always been important to me to make this event exclusive but still affordable for people and I think we have done that.

All is running well and I have been able to deal with those last minute calls from people wanting tickets…why do they leave it right up to the last minute to book…we had overbooked 3 weeks ago but with some last minute drop outs were still able to go over our initial 650 to 660…great for the AIDS Council and the amount of money we can raise on the night.

So I am feeling very excited and full of beans, had a great nights sleep and now looking forward to what will be the best StyleAID ever!

If you are going I look forward to seeing you tomorrow night and if not please check back at the start of next week for some updates and pics from the big night.

Thank you dear reader for coming on this journey and I look forward to continuing this blog next week!

Take care

Mark xoxox

A quick blog before going to bed……………………….
What a lovely day, things have settled down and I am once again under control. That nasty project the one that involves white paint is complete.  I also am covered in white paint and romantically thought I looked rather Narnian [the White witch] but no, Holly reckoned I looked more like a polar bear. Oh well.
The bathers were found and delivered safe and sound. The ballet is dressed. The fitting sheets are so nearly done I can’t believe it. The costumes for the first section are sewn up and delivered back……..let’s just hope they fit. 

Poor Holly will have to try them all on tomorrow, haven’t told her yet we’ll leave that until the morning. The dishes are done and my house is beginning to look normal.
My list for tomorrow is only a quarter of the page and it’s quite big writing.  Not quite over yet, there are bound to be a few wobbly moments but at least I will have time to sort them out without screaming.
Off to the chiro in the morning, I have sat at this laptop so much in the passed 2 weeks that I have done my back!!  The joys of getting older!!!

A quick fix at the hairdressers, some shopping for sundries such as hangers, elastic, safety pins for the tool kit, Then Garth is coming round to do a couple of late fittings wihile I go and install the nasty project that involves white paint at the Convention Centre.  A trip to Freo to go pick up some shoes and that will take me one more day closer to the big event….   I’ll just have a little listen to track number 18 and then off to bed………

All I can say is that I am so glad that every day brings new hope and a sense of everything being under control again. I can confidently say that yesterday was one of the most stressful I have ever experienced in the week leading up to Styleaid.
At 7 am I had no jewellery for one of the sections, the designer had not been able to deliver. By 9.30 I had jewellery and 2 very happy designers who will bend over backwards to deliver for Friday.

Many thanks to Lisa and Candice from Grace + Scarper and Penni for the contact.

I have no photographs for the first section, another let down. A quick think and I am on the phone to Ivan Shaw, photographer.  Not a problem Aly, thanks Ivan!

Now I faced the dreaded task [which involves white paint] my garden has been turned into a jungle and there is mess everywhere. It even sent my beloved John into a panic as we tried everything to make this project work. By nightfall the solution had been found and there was control again.

Thanks to Dragana for coming round and helping.  In amongst all of this there were phone calls and emails to deal with. I had also to find out where the other half of the bather section had disappeared to, I need to do the remainder of the fittings………where are they???

Anyone out there knows the whereabouts of 8 pairs of Lushlife bathers call me!!   Still waiting for designers to get back to me…. I thought we did the fittings 2 ½ weeks ago…hmmmm.

Then the dreaded phone call which sent us all into a spin, a designer has pulled out and I have to find 9 men’s outfits in amongst all this chaos…………I felt physically sick. Menswear designed in WA is not an easy one, I phoned a large surf wear company, just some boardies would do, I pleaded. Not their market was the reply, I couldn’t understand what irreparable damage this would do to their company, I was dumbfounded by the answer. Has fashion really got this serious?…….where’s the fun gone?

By nightfall we had found the answer, many thanks to Sean Lofts for his quiet and understanding response to my query. I think I may have been screaming at this point. Material Boy will now dress the WA Ballet.  Hooray!!

I listen to the parade music from time to time; this gives me the strength to carry on as when I hear track # 18 on Friday night it will all be over………..

Fittings went well with Material Boy, thanks Mark for helping at the last minute; I had 10 gorgeous boys in my lounge. I was beginning to feel better.  Satya [saviour to the Aly May] came round and helped me cut out the opening section pieces and the accessories for another section. 2 more ticks off the list!!! 

These will be delivered this morning to my friends the Swoops who are doing a bit of sewing for me.
Pia Bennett, designer, turned up amongst all of this to hand in her fitting sheets, I think she was a little shocked at all the madness and even she got stuck and helped cut out some of the fabric. Meanwhile my darling John is busy in the kitchen cooking a roast. God I love people……..

My house looks as if I have just had a really bad party, TRASHED!  So, up early this morning, get some more paperwork done and a few early emails and do the dishes.
My new ‘to do’ list is done for the day, only half a page, or is it more as I did it in tiny handwriting? Ever faithful daughter Holly has her ‘to do’ list as well.

Checked on the blog this morning to read Marks latest one. Surprise as I see some comments to read. My sisters in the UK, Lesley and Tig have sent in comments. Oh wow even my family so far away are involved…what is this thing called StyleAID that get’s into our lives?  Thanks guys and see you in October.

Better get on with it, who knows what today will bring………roll on Friday, only 2 more sleeps.

Well here we are with just 3 more sleeps and I thought in the few minutes that the phone has not rung that I would write a quick blog to keep you…dear reader…up to date with what is going on.

We are officially sold out and the numbers have been sent off to the Convention Centre…659 guests will all be enjoying an amazing night on Friday! I started off with wanting to sell 650 but it has turned out that I have had some tables of 11 and 12 so that had taken us up a little bit.

I am starting to really get excited about what Friday will hold for all of the guests attending.  I have great feelings about the event this year!

Off to Aly’s tonight to do the last fitting for the parade.  The amazing new label Material Boy are showing as part of the event and it will be great!  It is always so good to have such innovative design talent as part of StyleAID and the buzz from these guys from MAFW was huge.  Should really have people entranced on the catwalk.

Just waiting for the final payments for a few tickets…which is always the way but know that these are all for people who will come through in the next day with their payments.

The table plan is done, the menus are printed, the auction presentation is completed, the model call times have all been done, Aly has done a simply amazing job as always coordinating the hair, makeup, walk through and model call times.  I do not think that this event would be what it is today without her.  She really is a shining example of a heavenly woman who gives 500% all the time.  I am blessed to be able to work next to her and hopefully have some of that brilliance rub off.

The tombola is moving along well, all thanks to the amazing Steph Patniotis who has worked with Annette, Penni and Emily to nail those prizes down.  She is another shining star who gives so much and whom I really treasure as part of the StyleAID team.

I should also mention Penni Towner here who has also done a superb job, liasing, running around, phoning, planning, table planning and being an amazing assistant and help to me over the past few weeks.  She is just fantastic!

All in all the main team that I work with on a day to day basis have all again stepped up to the mark and really excelled in getting this event ready for Friday night.

I hope those of you who will be attending will see all of that hard work borne out on the night!

I will again attempt to do some more updates as the night approaches but they may become briefer as we move towards Friday night, although I have to say I am well and truly a head of schedule and that is good as it means that little things like the designer who agreed to dress the Ballet deciding that he could no longer do it 3 days before the event can get some attention in seeking a solution.

Nearly all the stock for the gift bags has arrived as well…it will be amazing this year.  European Foods have created a special Braziliano coffee pack for our guests this year that they will get in their gift bags along with a range of other fantastic things, making it another amazing gift bag again this year.

That is enough, the phone has just started ringing again.

So dear reader, chat with you soon.

Mark xoxo