Magic and Mystery in Sydney

Source: All photos in this blog entry comes courtesy of Steven Miller, CEO of http://www.orendacreations.com.au/ I thank Steven for the use of his photography. 

Dear Fellow Blogger:

I hope this blog finds you well.

Online, I met some great people from the around the world this past year. One of them is Steven Miller from Sydney, Australia. He is a wonderful friend, who always takes time out of his busy schedule to answer my many questions about fashion and fashion photography. Steven, who is the founder of  www.orendacreations.com.au , told me he keeps  a couple of quotes in mind when entering the creative realm of fashion: First: “Don't be like others, be yourself and be remembered;” Secondly: “To be the same as others is boring, to be different is unique. Keep it alive, fresh & new....breathe creativity.” In Steven’s case, his creative focal point is the spider web. I felt like I was reading something out of E.B White’s Charlotte’s Web when my friend notes quite well  “the way the web” sparkles “from [the] morning dew …”  Steven used this image as a source of inspiration, when he designed his “Spider web collection.” It includes an eveningwear made of “super velvet or Silk with clear crystal web” and a wedding dress made of  “Clear Crystal Web and detachable train.” These and other examples of his fashion line are included in the photos below.

"Jet Black Evening Dress in Super Velvet or Silk with Clear Crystal Web"

"Jet Black Evening Dress in Super Velvet or Silk with Clear Crystal Web"

Steven’s creative spunk can be seen in his working relationship with Orenda’s many models and photographers. Words like “happy” and “confident” describe well those Steven employs to model his fashion line. Steven would like for his models  to feel free to “speak up about”  their  “likes/dislikes” when it comes to his many gowns and dresses.  Steven also says that he want his models to feel that they are “a part of the 'team' when on board with [Orenda] or it doesn't work.” As to the  photographer, Steven believes he should able to "think outside the box.” Steven’s photographers should be creative, and to be able to “get into my head [and] think what I'm thinking or beyond” that. “I love,” Steven also notes, to know “what” his photographers are “are seeing/thinking” Steven likes to give them “free range.”  Finally, Steven comments:

“In a great sense the photographer and model 'sell' the fashion but my expectations are not that demanding at all. We all have a job to do together, be open about it all, have an opinion, respect and trust each other to the point of what is/was said to all as a 'team'... One more thing...if you have a happy photographer and model that love what they do and the fashion working with then that will come across everything and the public will see it.”

"Pure White Wedding Gown in Silk with Clear Crystal Web and detachable train"

"Pure White Wedding Gown in Silk with Clear Crystal Web and detachable train"

Steven’s remarks reminded me of something that Karen Graham – a model from the 1980s -- said when asked: “How much do you actually have to learn about posing when working with a photographer.” Graham asserts that  she “always liked to know as much as possible about the job.” That means making inquiries, for example, regarding “what the clothes are, or the cosmetics, etc.” Like Steven, Karen believes that “…[I]f you know the whole story, … [t]hen you can come up with ideas of your own …” (See Robert Farber and Donald Goddard, The Fashion Photographer (New York: Ampoto, 1984), pp. 87-89.).

"‘Black Pearl’ – Evening Dress"

I cannot end this blog entry without providing a thought or two about the name of Steven’s fashion venture:  Orenda. I consulted the  Oxford English Dictionary (2^nd Edition) to look this word up. Its entry provides a quote from the Encyclopedia Britannica (1911): "Everything in nature, and particularly all animate objects, has their Orenda, so have gods and spirits."  Orenda, which Steven tells me “is a native Indian word,” is all about “Mystery and Magic.” When he talks about “Mystery” Steven means it as “not knowing what I'll ever think up at any one time/even I don't at times.” When he talks about “Magic” Steven means it as “what a lady should feel when wearing [an Orneda] dress/gown or for that matter from any designer.” I asked him where he sees his business five years from now. “When a lady is 

" ‘Black Rain’ – Bridal Gown/Evening Dress"

wearing” Orenda fashion, Steven responds, “anyone anywhere will identify it straight away because it's different and unique. That [Orenda] still has the mystery to what it does and never conform to normality...mystery and magic is where it's at and always hope to keep it alive and burning.”

On that happy note, I hope you will take a moment to look at Steven’s fantastic website. Enjoy, dear Fellow Blogger.