Shortly after our trip to Palm Springs, we sat down with Elle and asked some questions to get some more insight into the quintessential beach babe and girl boss. Although she has been part of the Billabong family for a number of years now, we still had a few things we wanted to know about her. A successful entrepreneur in the fashion and beauty world that is just full of surprises. Read on to find out more about why she makes our hearts throb.
Tell us a little bit about the Billabong collection and how it came about? The collab between myself and Billabong is actually a dream come true… I’ve been a fan of the brand since I was a child growing up by the sea. My sister actually had THE BEST Billabong backpack all through high school and I was so jealous of it ha ha ha. So, when I finally got to meet the team in Hawaii over three years ago it actually was just a natural progression… we got along so well and the sparks were flying. I have so much gratitude to the entire team for believing in this collaboration with me.
What’s your ultimate favourite piece if you had to pick one? How would you style it? Well that would be the ELLE DRESS! We did a preview of this dress earlier this year and it sold out in hours… this time its back in a different colour way (that we worked super hard on) and also available in a blouse. The best part about this dress is you can literally wear it anywhere with anything… it’s simply PERFECT.
Did you ever think you would have a collaboration with Billabong? What’s your earliest Billabong memory? Like I said above, on one hand it felt so natural but on the other it was the wildest dream. Billabong has been such a huge part of my family since my sis and I were babies. I remember our Billabong towels we got at Christmas and they would travel with us to Byron Bay and they were our treasure.
You shot the collection in Palm Springs, what’s so special about that place? For me I love a good challenge and I loved the idea of shooting such an iconic Australian brand not by water. I like being disruptive and thinking out of the norm and this is where I landed with Palm Springs. Also the fact Joel and I traveled there last year for the first time and fell in love with the landscape and just how different it was to anything we had experienced made it a pretty easy and EPIC decision to shoot there…This was our first time to Joshua Tree and it will be an experience that will stay with the entire team… That and I fell on a cactus and somehow ended up nude wrapped in a sarong on a giant rock. Those moments stay with you for life ha ha ha
Describe how you would spend a day in Palm Springs, when you aren’t shooting? Well ideally I’d be hitting the designer discount outlets on the drive into Palm Springs… then I would check into the hotel order some guacamole and chips and relax by the pool….I guess you can’t really take me away from the water for too long ha ha.
Who inspires you in the fashion world?? Where do I begin…? I would have to say every time I visit Billabong HQ I feel extremely inspired!!! Most of all it would have to be Instagram as you are exposed to the entire world… There is so much inspiration on there I have folders on my phone sorted into categories… I also LOVE people watching, from sitting at airports, to watching the world go by in Bondi Beach. Inspiration is all around!
What’s the one fashion item you just have an excessive amount of? You know the answer to this… DENIM SHORTS
Do you ever struggle to get dressed daily because you have too many options? Joel would say yes! I say yes because I never have anything to wear… Of course until this range launches. It’s been so hard not it wear it until it launches. I’m literally saving
You are very close to your sister Lucie, who founded the jewellery brand Baby Anything. Is there anything you two can’t do?! What’s your most special piece that she has made for you. We think we can guess…..Lu is amazing… She is a powerhouse and inspires me every single day… To be honest everything Lucie makes she makes with her whole heart and a real story behind the piece. My engagement ring would have to be my number one for so many reasons and just also somehow her and Joel made my dream ring without me actually knowing what that was… But also the fine heart ring Lu makes is very very special to us and one of her first pieces she ever made
Now….for a few favorites:
Fav food: potatoes
Fav travel destination: Byron or Hawaii
Fav musician: hmmm that’s hard. I’m going old school Madonna
Fav movie: ooooh I don’t have a fav but The Breakfast Club is up there, Troop Beverly Hills, Dirty Dancing… I’m old school
Fav hair product: The OAUI Volumizing Hair Spray
Fav skincare: Elle Effect
Fav tanning product: Elle Effect Tanning Mousse
Fav season: I LOVE summer but I appreciate the snow in NYC in the middle of winter
Fav beach: Either Wategos or the North Shore of Hawaii
Fav style of shoe: can I be barefoot?
Fav smell: mum
Fav TV series: Sex and the City or Entourage
Fav meal to cook: Syrian Chicken
Fav color: black or denim
