the best things in life are free.

at twenty-eight i still hold the strongest friendships with people i've known for twenty odd years. i still have the same interests and dreams as i did when i was a child. and i'm pretty sure i could pass as an adolescent if i tried. some thing's never change... 

my circles of friends just expanded a little, dreams got a lot bigger and i've become somewhat confident at twenty-eight. and that's thanks to a list of people in my life, past and present. in return i think i've brought out the creativity in alot of people, hence the choice of gifts.

Dion Lee cut outs, pizza and dead flowers. what more could a girl want.

maie xx

eventually it took the place of love.

David Jones Bridal Expo on Seven, 4th & 5th May.

(display work by Kirryn Ross, Maie Dionisio and Samantha Robertson 

for Lisa Gowings, Karen Willis Holmes, Lanvin and Oscar de la Renta)

preparing for twenty eight.

second week in and most of my boxes are unpacked. scribbles in sketchbooks are accumulating,  sewing machine plugged in, and studio set. we've befriended the locals on our strip and have become regulars at the cafe next door. the inner west has that sense of aspiration in the air that was lacking in the west. but don't get me wrong, i've been missing home like crazy. i am so far from my safety net and i feel people are already awaiting failure. it's this misconception of happiness and succes that baffles me with some people. i've been having alot of impromptu catch ups with friends, and their perceptions of my life and expectations of where i should be in life have been a little more than disheartening. here's the thing about me, i am a simple creature. the images i post don't portray a fancy life, they're my everyday objects in my everyday life. and you should already know that i see things differently. to me, the ugliest things in life have the most potential of being a work of art. take this as a metaphor or take it as it is. people need to analyse their own lives before they let me know how to live mine. i had an old man who i say hello to everyday at work ask me, "how do you keep a smile on your face everyday? you're always so happy."i actually don't know the answer to that question, it seems to be my only facial expression. even i don't know how i feel sometimes. but right now i'm happy daydreaming and getting back into the swing of things with my art and designing. so the moral of the story is, i've got 99 problems but a bitch ain't one. think about it.

the terror held in wedding bells.

our David Jones bridal and Mother's Day windows have launched. come take a peek at our display work. you literally have to look through peep holes. and fyi to those bride-to-be's, there's some sort of bridal expo happening soon, i don't care too much about it but perhaps you do. enjoy.

all the cards begin to stack up.

the truth is, i'm finally ready to move on. in every sense of the statement. life is traveling a hundred miles an hour right now and i'm overwhelmed and abit nervous. but more so excited. i've decided that i will have to pick up the bridal projects again if i want to live comfortably in the new chapter i'm beginning. but in saying that, i'm not going to say yes to clients with 'budgets'. bridal wear is strictly business and that's exactly how i'm going to treat it. 

these are exciting times ahead. wait for it to unfold.

the happiness machine.

i think i saw this written somewhere and archived it,

i'm pretty sure i didn't come up with it myself.

"i want to fall through the cracks of the earth so i can see it in all it's beauty, fall right in and be a witness to the truth."

whoever i was then, i can't ever be again.

this long weekend consisted of all the good things in life. long chats, furry friends, doodling, inner west living,

 communal catch ups, and excessive food and chocolate intake. i documented this in the form of photographs, as i do.

p.s the highlight of this Easter break was scoring a pair of second hand overalls during my stroll in Newtown. definitely winning this weekend! :)

Charlotte.

this is Charlotte, a beautiful waitress originally from Perth. 
she was nice enough to sit down and let me snap her while on her shift. 
a Maiden potential indeed.

swag is for boys. class is for men.

...and i could not agree more with that statement. 

there's this pilgrimage that happens twice a year in the fashion capital city of Florence, where the masses of stylish men flock to view the latest menswear collections, gadgets and gear. they call it Pitti Uomo. i have a huge appreciation for menswear, both street and formal, hence my 3:2 ratio of women's and men's clothing in my wardrobe. the craftsmanship is next to nothing when it comes to tailoring and detail with men's fashion. it's a well composed combination of structure, colour, texture, functionality, modernism and tradition. i'd easily choose to witness this trade show over a Celine parade any day. bucketlisted.

photo credits: I'M KOO, Becaria De La Moda, The Sartorialist.

a decade under the influence.

photography by Raelene Baget of RnR productions
styling & art direction by Maie Dionisio

the obsession i have with photographs is slightly similar to the one i have with people. i hoard them and won’t let them go until i decide they are not worth the space in my box. 

the title of this post suggests the time i have invested in building my signature style and direction. one that i have developed from personal interests and experiences. style is objective just like everything else that is put forth to the public eye for critique and scrutiny. i appreciate clever photography and digital manipulation because if you actually think about it, it’s really just a still image of someone’s dream or nightmare. i’d like to make clear that i don’t live and breath fashion. i hate who it speaks to, the vein and materialistic. but art; it ‘is the application of human skill and imagination’. it is not there to be liked or judged. it is one’s comprehension or misconception of the subject matter. and for people to say that they ‘do not understand art’, is like saying they have no conscious of anything other than what this consumed world feeds us. these photos were taken by one of my dearest friends whom i have known since we were nine. and today she turns twenty-eight. this is one friendship i'm archiving for a lifetime.

i’ll end this post with a line from What Dreams May Come: 

“thought is real. physical is the illusion…”

not the same.

this month i have not one but two up close and personal shoots lined up with a couple of dear photographer friends of mine. i have had my portraits taken before but i have never really liked them all that much. i find it strange to be directed by someone who doesn't know you, and therefore they portray you far from your true being. the difference in these shoots will be that i am art directing them. it will be interesting to see how it pans out. so for now i am practising my game face as i cannot pose or smile on cue. alot of hair, that is all i'm suggesting.