The Spy Who Loved Me was one of those definining moments in my life when I realized that skiing may not be such a bad thing to be into. The movie was 23 years old by that point, and it wasn’t James Bond’s epic skiing/ parachuting down the cliff scene that convinced me of the benefits of snow sports, it was the scene back at the chalet, the one snuggling with a gorgeous blonde on resplendent rugs by a roaring fire.  All of a sudden, skiing didn’t represent cold, snow and sweat, it meant warmth, luxury, mystique and all around sexiness. I cannot say I have made much headway into the sport since – my one and only attempt was a terrifying mulled wine fuelled snowplough down the Black Diamond run that could characteristically be labelled a complete fail. However , adapt at apres ski I most certainly am.

For this reason, when Shona Joy mentioned doing an apres ski story for the next installment of my Winter 15 edit of the collection, I jumped in wholeheartedly. And what better place to embrace the luxury of winter than the amazing One&Only Emirates Wolgan Valley resort?

For this edit, my heroine was Barbara Bach’s feisty 70s beauty playing a double agent in the beforementioned spy film – I wanted to connect the delicious tweed, sexy lame dresses and loose 70s suits with a powerful woman waiting for her spy, calculating her next move…

She spotted him skiing down the slope towards her. He is sure not to suspect anything whilst she wears trustworthy tweed

In retrospect, stealing the documents was easy when she looked so elegant in her neutrals doing it

Could she even trust him? At least her leather enveloped her with the sort of protection she always wanted from a man

Tonight is the night. She is sure to find out his deepest secrets when she slips him the truth serum at dinner

Is Is that right? She feigned surprise as the truth serum started to take hold

Was she right to betray him? Her mind was unwavering but her heart longed to see him again...

Photographed by Alice Wesley- Smith
With thanks to the One and Only Emirates Wolgan Valley resort

Catching the last bit of summer holidays in the gorgeous Jarvis Bay National park was enough of a joy, but shooting these vibrant Shona Joy dresses on it's Murray's beach was absolutely hilarious. My photographer Kasia Werstak and I got there early in the morning (my call time was 6am ) and arrived to the peninsula realizing that a dark cloud hung over the pristine white sand like a coal rag. This was in no way the shoot we imagined and we started to despair. Here we stood, two shipwrecked girls with many bags , colourful dresses and sharp Louboutin stiletto heels on the far side of the beach getting strange looks from rare passersby. We wanted to shoot early and get out before it got hot, hence we didn't eat breakfast, but now hours passed and the sun played tantalizing peekaboo behind the clouds, never quite peering out enough to shoot 1 picture.

Luckily, around 10am, it finally broke through the heavy clouds and we found ourselves in visual paradise. Apart from a snake slithering behind my photographer's legs, curious dolphins ,even curiouser children and the fact we nearly became cannibals and ate each other, the rest of the shoot was a dream.

For this story the vision was that of a 1950s inspired movie star; immaculate even though she is marooned and disoriented , holding on to her heels, thinking all the while that she will be rescued swiftly and needs to maintain her pristine composure at all times. I wanted to create a disjointed composition between the sexiness and urban feel of the clothes and the amazing, tropical background we were blessed to have for the shoot.

Shona Joy's clothes are so full of joie de vivre with their exuberant prints and punchy primary colors whilst remaining sexy in an understated manner. I am happy to announce I will be doing the edit of Shona Joy collections for the next few seasons - there are many great clothes coming your way yet and I will attempt to create a fun character for them all. For now, enjoy this fun autumn collection - it is perfect to dance the last of summer in. Hope you like ! xTG

Clothes by Shona Joy
Stilettos by Christian Louboutin
photographed by Kasia Werstak

Monochrome is a mainstay of most women's wardrobes and a clean,tidy and polished way to dress, especially for work. Best of all, everything can mix and match, eliminating the headache inducing need for making up outfit combinations in the rush of the morning. Sadly, monochrome can also sometimes mean boring, as in yawn inducing separates that go together, yet don't provide any inspiration, cool factor or most importantly - fun. They fill a need, yet don't possess originality or je ne sais quoi. Well, here at M.E.L ,we like to have fun with clothes, so for this story, I picked some sexy, awesome pieces that will work hard at having fun during holidays and beyond...

White doesn't have to mean pristine or virginal. Toughen up white with a leather skirt mixed with a cuddly angora sweater = a devilishly angelic look perfect for a hot date. (Above and here : MLM leather skirt, Life with Bird sweater, Gianvitto Rossi heels,Swarovski rings, by Charlotte diamond necklace )

Black doesn't need to spell s.i.m.p.l.e. This baby makes the best of curves and has cool details to boot ( Dion Lee dress, Christian Louboutin shoes)

Jump on the bandwagon of voluminous , wide legged pants that are all the rage now and next season. Choose flattering high waisted cuts paired with easy t-shirts for a 70s inspired summer ( Macgraw pants, Rag & Bone t-shirt, Gianvito Rossi shoes)

Feminine and polished yet vintage inspired and fun - culottes are the perfect mix of all of the above. Mix with a simple bra top and jacket for urban cool ( May The Label bra top, Shona Joy lace culottes, Christian Louboutin heels, vintage Lover jacket )

photographed by Ana Suntay-Toledo

This season , take a cue from the Royal British Navy and inject navy blues and crisp whites into your autumn. "Why"- you may ask?- "I am perfectly happy with my black and white instead thank you." Well, would it interest you to know that dark blues represent knowledge, power, integrity, and seriousness? That it is associated with trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence and intelligence? Or perhaps that French Vogue has dubbed navy the new black this season? Maybe you could be enticed by knowing that Celine, Dries Van Noten and Chloe sent out models in head to toe navy on their autumn 13/14 catwalks and they looked incredibly feminine and powerful at the same time?

Look, I'm not here to argue with you. Black is black and will always be black. And head to toe white has been THE combo for the last few seasons - I know you know that. But this season, black just might need to step aside a teeny weeny bit for navy, ok? Because navy looks heavenly with white, nudes, chestnuts, blacks and ochres. Because navy just looks so beautiful on coats, skirts and cosy sweaters. Ok, so I'm arguing, but let me tell you : navy feels oh so good! How do I know? Because I have been wearing it a LOT. Henceforth, to close my argument I present to you my favorite pieces ...

Create some relaxed elegance with a modern neoprene skirt mixed with the softest cashmere ( Toni Maticevski skirt, Banjo & Matilda cashmere sweater, Tiffany & Co bracelet, Amber Sceats ring, Christian Louboutin pumps )

Make like a Navy Admiral in head to toe white ( H&M jacket and belt, Toni Maticevski skirt, Gianvito Rossi pumps, Alexander Wang clutch)

Mix fluffy angora and mohair navy with smooth maroon leather and nudes for a new spin on autumn (Viktoria + Woods sweater, Eska Alikai skirt, Christian Louboutin pumps, Celine chain necklace,Pink Lou Lou necklace)

Mix luxe details with easy separates for a perfect mix of high + low ( Toni Maticevski top, Topshop shorts, Rag + Bone fedora )

Go luxe with a perfectly cut navy coat - even when you are just playing sailor ( coat by Bassike, push up bra and matching knickers Undressed by Marlies / Dekkers, ankle stockings by Levante, Casadei pumps )