Q&A Ms Fitz | Stylist, Designer & Performer
Ms Fitz is pushing the boundaries of fashion, film and music. From collaboration with highly respected designer Tina Kalivas on a capsule collection of accessories to style hip hop looks on Channel 10’s television program So You Think You Can Dance 2008, she has also art directed and styled opening shows at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week to rave reviews, performed with internationally acclaimed artists including Peaches, The Chicks on Speed and Rye Rye plus styled artists such as Snob Scrilla, Catcall, RHYS, The Potbelleez, Expatriate and End of Fashion. Now, why don’t you push her buttons?
Name: Ms Fitz
Profession: Stylist/ Designer/ Performer
Location: Sydney, Australia though soon to be NY
Passion: Self Expression through style, art, design and dance
How I got my break:
I’ve had a few ‘breaks’- designing capsule collection for Tina Kalivas was pretty dope, also working on SYTYCD, and dancing with Peaches… Touring with catcall and the Gossip was great too. RAFW is also a great and hectic experience! I got started with a group of my friends- Elvis Di Fazio, Thom Kerr, Anna Marcella- just making it up as we went along.
My top tricks of the trade:
I like to think that I can reinterpret anything. In my eyes, nothing is too ugly, too cheap, too uncool – there is merit, possibility and art in all things.
My style in a sentence:
My personal style is anarchical!! I’ll wear a bowlers hat with snowboots, 80’s parrot earrings with short shorts and always a multi-patterned cropped vintage jacket of some description. (This is all at the same time mind you, haa!)
My work is a refined version of the same theory- anything goes- there are no rules. In fact, I bring it on myself to make a point of it.
Travel destination & tips:
I am re-locating to NY! The city is alive! I also LOVE hip hop so I just wanna hang out in Brooklyn and immerse myself in the music 
I bet you didn’t know I can: flip my eyelids inside out- eeeeeewwww!!
I get our inspirations from: Everywhere. But mostly through asking the question “Why follow the status quo?”
My latest project is about: High school jocks; The runway show for Maise RAFW. I customized 11 pairs of high heels with basketballs!! Hhaa! Check it out on my blog.
My latest purchase:
I bought a pair of skin tight shiny black sass n bide jeans. I used to be so anti sass n bide but I really like their more recent black rocker stuff
My current favourite mecho item:
Incase bamboo slider case for iPhone 3G – coz Pandas are my favourite animals
Psst… One time… :
I had a judge on So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) scream at me ‘WHY DOES OUR STAR LOOK LIKE A HOOKER???!!!” Hahahaha (I thought she looked really hot)
The mecho team invites you to continue the conversation below with Ms Fitz… Make it fun! Post comments with your own free personal Gravatar
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NOTE: ARCHIVE ONLY from MAY-09. You may leave a comment but please note Ms Fitz is no longer actively responding to any questions post 31 May-09.
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19 comments
19 Comments Add your own
1.
Gina | May 1st, 2009 at 3:31 pm
oh you go girl! you make me feel like anything is possible, you can be anyone and do anything and be good at it!! and gosh your stuff is hot hot hot hot. by the way, who did you style in SYTCD? i used to love that show but think this year was rather average compared to previous years….
2.
Josh | May 3rd, 2009 at 5:46 pm
Hi Ms Fitz,
Some of us are struggling to just get ONE career going. How do you manage to juggle professions as stylist but also designer and performer at the same time? What field excites you the most and do jobs automatically come to you or you are actively on the lookout?
Keep that mojo flowing!
Josh
3.
Owen | May 4th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
Ms Fitz, You def seem to be someone that would belong in a city like New York! Are you going to re-locate indefinately and will you be focusing on performing or keep doing everything? Sounds like Australia (once again) just lost a talent overseas!
4.
Ms Fitz | May 6th, 2009 at 4:31 am
Hey guys!!
Gina- Thanks babe. I I loved working on SYTYCD dance last year
I worked with all the contestants but mostly did the hip hop-y stuff. I have been working with RHYS on his solo projects since the show, check out his film clip for “Hot Summer”, I was head of wardrobe.for it, and worked with the help of a stylist called Vaughn Alexander who is indcredibly talented- he is also Peaches’ stylist.
Yo Josh- Mann, I guess its a blessing and a curse having so many options! I have always made jewellery and danced since I was a little girl, and through styling I got to meet people who I could dance with and design for. They’re all intertwined
I love them all, dancing is really good for my soul and design is very grounding. I’m an artist, and approach my styling in the same manner- I’m not about trends or knowing ALL the pieces from the latest “XXX” collection, its about the overall artistic vision and styling is just one factor.
Owen- who knows what will become of me?! I dunno, just here to test the waters for a few months. I’m gonna focus on performing and getting to know the city while I’m here.
xxx
5.
Owen | May 6th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
Nice! Look forward to hear what you get up to. Itching to get back to NYC myself one of these days and its always cool to see what happens with people taking the plunge there. Good luck!
6.
April | May 7th, 2009 at 9:10 pm
So are you loving NYC already??
7.
Scotty | May 7th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
Hey Ms.Fitz
can you give me any advice that can help me? am i trying to hard or not hard enough? HOW CAN I GET MY NAME OUT THERE???
im a fashion design student at Whitehouse in melbourne, i have been trying to break into the styling industry for a little bit now,(so giving fashion design a crack), having friends in the industry i see how awesome it is, and the opportunities that you get (eg, your jewellery for tina kavalis) but i just cant seem to get anywhere. i seem to go to all the right parties and talk to some of the ‘right’ people and i always get comments on my sense of style and how i put together my outfits from teachers and guest lecturers (charlie brown, akira isogowa, myer creative directors) but it just doesnt seem to happen any further than that
Thanks
scotty.
8.
Ms Fitz | May 9th, 2009 at 4:00 am
Hey Scotty,
Thanks for your question.. I totally see where you’re coming from- it can be a difficualt industry to ‘crack’.
I guess my best advice is to have a product that no-one else is providing, a niche style. I started doing my thing coz I was bored and frustrated at what I was seeing in Australian Fashion- it was all so… SERIOUS. So i created a niche for my work, which is fun, tounge in cheek, colourful and international. People come to me if they want the “Ms Fitz” treatment.
So my advice is to create a style that is YOUR OWN. Bring something to the table that people havent seen before.
You’ll find it!
And PS- most of those assholes at fashion parties are so worried about keeping their own jobs that their verrry hesitant to let in the new talent. If I’ve learnt anything, its that you can’t rely on having someone else offering you a job- you need to create the work yourself. Align yourself with a crew of artists at your level and rise WITH them.
Hope that helps
Best of luck!!
xxx
9.
Tash | May 11th, 2009 at 9:24 am
Actually I too want to know if can i make real $$$ in Fashion in Sydney… well can you? And do you feeling any of the recession in NYC? Good luck over there!
10.
Minty | May 11th, 2009 at 10:21 am
U are a breath of fresh air, Ms Fitz! Have u always been so colourful? xxx
11.
Danielle | May 13th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Hi Ms Fitz, where in NY did you end up or you are still looking for a place? Tell us more!
12.
Ms Fitz | May 14th, 2009 at 4:44 am
Hhahaha!! As one of the faces of the Sydney Creative Festival http://www.creativesydney.com.au I was asked to pose a question to the Australian creative industries. So I asked- “Can I make real $$$ in fashion in Sydey?”
So Tash- the reason I asked is becuase I was beginning to feel a leetle frustrated with my cash flow sitch in Sydney, I wanted to know if its possible to make REAL money, like, enough to buy a nice big house and a car (or two).
In my experience, there’s this pervading ethos in Australian fashion industry that you should be happy just to be working in the field, never mind about getting paid any decent amount, or in some cases, being paid at all.
Its coz the industry is so competitive, I think. But Fuck that! I wanna be rich!! And I dont think that its too much to ask to be paid your worth.
So to answer your question, I dunno babe, Thats why I asked.
I mean, I’m sure there’s SOME people making big bucks, but I havent met them yet.. ha
Minty- Thanks dollface!! hhaaa! Yeah I think so
I just love colour!! I remember as a little girl I was obsessed with grinding up coloured chalk and drawing on the street outside my house… I’ve always made jewellery and danced since I was about 6 years old. It just makes me happy.
Danielle- Yo babez, I’ve set up camp in the upper West side with my gorjuzzz boyf, hip hop/house producer Chew Fu http://www.myspace.com/chewfuphat
At the moment I’m just dancing and setting up meetings with creative agencies and magazines- plus a top secret project in the works
I’ll keep ya’ll posted.
Thanks for your questions.
loveloveee!!
Ms Fitz
xxx
13.
Maxine | May 19th, 2009 at 11:24 pm
Ms Fitz!!!! How I envy you! NYC?! Raaaahh! Luv your replies to the peeps, you seem to make things happen with the right attitude, heart and looks! Can’t wait for ur next update. Is it hard to get work permits in US btw or how does it works? Mxo
14.
Ms Fitz | May 23rd, 2009 at 10:42 am
Hmmm. Work permits… I’m still trying to get my head around it to be honest- but apparently there’s this amazing visa called the O1 Visa (??) especially for Australian artists which I think I’ll apply for
Otherwise you have to get a company to sponsor you.
xxx
15.
Kev | May 26th, 2009 at 11:08 am
Ms Fitz, you should add “Model” as your profession too
16.
Aisha | May 27th, 2009 at 9:09 am
When can we hear abou the top secret project? Good Luck!
17.
Ms Fitz | May 30th, 2009 at 2:53 am
Ahhwwww Kev, what a doll you are!! Hhha!
Aisha- Soon soon soon!! Signing off on it this week
Keep up to date via my blog http://www.themsfitz.blogspot.com
xxx
18.
Steve | June 9th, 2009 at 5:34 am
Hi Ms Fitz – I’m a jewerly designer and I’m trying to contact SYTYCD. Any idea how to contact Cat’s stylist? Every season I think my earring would look fantastic on her!
You’ve probably seen my designs, my jewelry was in the movie, Factory Girl.
http://www.SteveSascoDesigns.com
- Steve
19.
stylist | Armil | February 3rd, 2010 at 4:55 pm
“Start with knowing who you are on the inside. Know your own tastes and preferences as well as your positive and negative physical features. There is no time for being in denial.”
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