Australians have often been known for their casual yet stylish choices in clothing, accessories and shoes, however if you’re privileged enough to be surrounded by the glitz and glamour of Hollywood you can choose whatever you want really.  So when Australian actor and expat Sophie Monk chose Kustom Footwear as her kicks of choice for the latest Dolly Mag shoot, we were all giving Sophie the nod of approval for leading the way to comfortable and stylish footwear this winter. 

Sophie Monk has taken Hollywood by storm and established herself as a real contender amongst the world of movies, music and fashion; so we’re wrapped Sophie has chosen to wear Australian shoes by Kustom Footwear.

Rock Sophie’s street chic look and grab yourself a pair of ‘Frankie Hi-Tops’ by visiting www.kustomfootwear.com.au while you’re on-line visit  www.dollymag.com.au for info on the latest issue.

Lyn x

The Betties were lucky enough to get in on the Day 1 action at the Mavi photo shoot.  After ascending some thigh tightening flights of stairs and navigating the corridors of a slightly dingy looking building, we found ourselves in a spacious, New Yorkesqe apartment taken over by models, photographers and lots of denim.  With eye candy, amazing jeans and a bottle of champagne, it was our kind of shoot!

The campaign is designed to introduce Mavi’s range of women’s and men’s denim with personal, laid-back photos. Looking decidedly unplanned, the models lounged around the charismatic apartment leaning on piano’s, sifting through CD collections and stretched out on vintage lounges.

With a denim crush on the high-waisted, light wash jeans worn by the leggy lady model and a boy crush on the gorgeous man specimen – it was very easy viewing on a Monday morning.

xx Alena

It’s your weekly dinner date with the girlfriends, and as you’re all watching your weight the venue of choice is Japanese. But wait! What you regard as ‘healthy’ might be quite the opposite…

Leading nutritionist Susie Burrell recommends Japanese as a much healthier option than Thai or Chinese, and has given us a great nutritional breakdown of the most popular dishes:-

California rolls all round then! And we always thought we were being super-healthy ordering Edamame Beans – turns out they are quite high in fat! And we’ll definitely be steering clear of the Udon Beef noodles!

Remember though, everything in moderation – if you’re planning a yummy takeaway night, have a large breakfast that day and skip lunch, or munch on some raw veggies beforehand to fill you up so you don’t pig out too much!

You can get healthy tips and advice every week with ‘Susie’s Updates’ – visit http://susieburrell.com.au/ to sign up.

Amy xx

Who’d have thought the meeting of technical sports gear and glamour could manage to be quite so slick?! Well, the Betties have just come across British designer Julien Macdonald who has mastered this look to an absolute tee !

After graduating from The University of Brighton studying knitwear Macdonald received his MA at The Royal College of Art, where he graduated in 1996. Julien was then appointed Head –Designer of knitwear at Chanel and Lagerfeld by Karl Lagerfeld between 1996-1998. Macdonald then went onto  become the Creative Director at French fashion house Givenchy, where he designed 6 collections a year.

In 2004 Julien left Paris to concentrate on his eponymous label. Julien’s atelier is now based in Mayfair, London and his collection manufactured in Italy.

His fabulous collection of scuba-influenced, modern-looking pieces are limited to a palette of red, black, beige, and white, pared back with his statement cutting and piecing jersey, and splicing in sheer inserts. There are others working around the same sort of ideas this season (lace-sided leggings are everywhere, for instance), but Macdonald, with his experience in Parisian haute couture, has a head start on them.

The Betties are, to say the least OBESSESED with Julien’s work and can’t wait to get our hands on a piece of his collection to sport this season!! We are sure you’ll feel the same way after looking at his Summer 2010 collection!

You can find Julien Macdonald’s work on Net-A-Porter, Matches, and The Corner amongst other boutiques worldwide.

Mon xxx

Besides a leading watch maker that impresses the world with innovative designs,  Hublot is also an excellent magic master of colors and materials. The Big Bang King All Black features the elegant combination of matte black on black.

And now Hublot has teed up with the instituto Ayrton Senna, which contributes to the education of young poor Brazillians by paying their tuitions fees throughout the whole of their schooling. Over 7 million children have thus been able to benefit from this help. The “Ayrton Senna Big Bang Black” foudroyante chronograph in matt black ceramics is the result of this partnership.

As the Betties are big fans of matte black accessories (watches, cars, nail polish) this watch is a definite winner!!

Mon X

(Courtesy of http://www.autoblog.com/gallery/royal-falcon-fleet-135-by-porsche-design/#3)

Sure, cars like the Cayenne and even the Panamera are enormous in comparison to the 911. But there’s still only so big Porsche can go. That is, on land at least. Not one to be told to stick to its core business, Porsche’s design arm has teamed up with a Singapore shipyard to design a state-of-the-art catamaran megayacht and the Betties would do almost ANYTHING to go for a spin on this baby!!

Worlds apart from the speedboat which Porsche Design penned for Fearless, the RFF135 is a massive twin-hull design measuring 135 feet in length (hence the name) with a 41-foot beam. That’s enough space to accommodate 10 guests and 10 crew members below decks in 472 square meters of area, with another 208 square meters of deck space up top.

That’s almost unfathomably large, and to propel the vessel up 35 knots (about 40 mph), the catamaran will be equipped with twin V16 turbodiesel engines, each producing a massive 4,600 horsepower. This puppy will drink down 750 liters of diesel every hour, but at least you’re bound to look damned good doing it, right?

The launch of this first Royal Falcon Fleet power catamaran designed by Porsche Design is planned for the fourth quarter of 2010.

Mon xxx

Just when you thought things were winding down in Sydney, the festivals are coming to an end, the temperatures are dropping and we’re all back into the daily routine – Sydney throws another event to keep us all busy!

To kick start the Autumn season and give us all a hit of culture, the whole month of March is dedicated to ‘Art Month Sydney’, a project which unites the various elements of the city’s art world under one umbrella. A diverse cross-section of art will be showcased with more than 70 of Sydney’s leading commercial galleries, artist-run initiatives, public art museums and auction houses hosting exhibitions, talks, behind-the-scenes tours and special events across the city – so even the most amateur art critic can get involved and view the wealth of creative talent within Sydney.

Having lived in Sydney for two years and attended pretty much every festival/gig/exhibition that’s been held here, I promise that this is one of those events that the city does SO well – pulling together all the creative forces and laying on a range of diverse events to encourage the public to experience something out of their comfort zone.

Our top picks for the month:-

Art & Fashion: Romance Was Born talks with Del Kathryn Barton – see acclaimed designers Anna and Luke of RWB and Archibald Prize-winning artist Del Kathryn Barton discuss their recent collaborative projects (Friday 5 March, Surry Hills Library)

21^st Century Design Talk by Andrew Shapiro – Andrew Shapiro is the founder and director of Shapiro Auctioneers. At the forefront of promoting progressive design in Australia, Andrew will give a talk about his current exhibition.

Inspiring Collecting: Supporting Emerging Art: Oliver Watts, an artist and Director of Chalk Horse, will talk on the subject of ‘Supporting Emerging Art: Why you should buy from young artists rather than IKEA prints’.

Get your art on this March with Art Month Sydney!

Amy xx

US songstress and former Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland has a reputation as a bit of a diva – and today in Bondi Junction she proved that when Kelly wants something bad, she makes sure she gets it!

 An unsuspecting shopper sporting a pair of ZU Shoes ‘Studley’ heels was happily browsing in Bondi Junction’s Westfield, when superstar Kelly raced up to her and offered to buy her shoes off her feet for 300 US dollars (three times the retail price!)

After negotiating the deal and whipping the shoes away, Kelly hot-footed it to ZU Shoes’ Bondi Junction store and snapped up no fewer than five pairs of ZU heels, including the Ibiza, Bondage Black, and another pair of the faithful Studleys (we assume she loved them so much she had to buy a back-up pair!)

And all within a matter of minutes…Kelly shows Sydneysiders how to shop in style, and we’re betting her ZU purchases make an appearance at this weekend’s Future Music Festival when she performs alongside DJ David Guetta.

(image courtesy of aceshowbiz.com)

Get yourself a pair of Studley’s by visiting your nearest ZU Shoe store or shopping on-line at www.zushoe.com.au

As February has just rolled on by, we are gripping ever so tightly to these last weeks of summer! Just because our days are gradually becoming cooler it certainly does not mean we have to wave goodbye to the delicious treats that make up a nutritious summer menu. All hail the Queen of healthy eating and better living, Teresa Cutter.

As so many Australians have caught on to the craze of Teresa’s cuisine bible 80/20 Diet, here at Sweaty Betty the girls decided investigate what all the fuss is all about! Case conclusion. A-MAZING. The book not only shares a selection of Teresa’s hand-picked recipes for a fitter body, she also teaches us the essential hush- hush secrets behind vitamins, minerals and super foods that apply to both DIY cooking and eating out. And as Teresa’s philosophy stands firmly behind the combination of eating well and living well, she personally plans some important (and very simple) exercises that can be done on a regular basis in conjunction with her healthy diet.

These recipes range from breakfast to dinner, with ideas for your go-between light snacks as well as a sneaky little guilt-free treat. Our bookmark is tagged at page 103 for the Spinach and Ricotta Mushroom Pizza. An easy-peasy meal that indulges on the goodness of pine nuts, cherry tomatoes and spinach, this meal is a favourite for any night of the week, with the girlies, or simply just to impress your beau…

80/20 Diet is no doubt a gift sent from above. Thank you very much, shall we call you… Mother Teresa.

PS – and if you really can’t face cooking, check out Teresa’s divine cafe at Avalon on Sydney’s Northern Beaches xx