[MODEL MADHUSE] Something Borrowed, This Is Nice

As a kid I’m sure you remember raiding your mums wardrobe, stumbling about in her high heels and drowning yourself in her jewels. Dreaming of the day when those jackets, dresses and boots would finally fit. I remember my mum dedicating a room in our family home to all her amazing, vintage, university clothes. Think pillar box red blazer with gold tassel shoulders pads, a floor length, purple diamante dress with a low, exposed back, a mint green, ruffled dress with billowing sleeves, waterfalls of pearls, black curly wigs, shiny gold stilettos, the list is endless. Things you can’t buy at your local shopping centre, things you can’t even imagine! However, this story does not have a happy ending. When my parents separated and we moved house all of my mums priceless pieces vanished, along with my hopes and dreams of becoming the most envied fifteen year old fashionista. Now with two little girls of my own I have vowed to hold on tight to those timeless wardrobe staples and extravagant, once-in-a-lifetime garments. However, until that day comes, today Valentina got a taste of what her fashion future (hopefully) holds. Thanks to ‘this is nice’, she got to live out every little girls fantasy.

Our shoot, aptly named Something Borrowed, draws on the concept of little girls delving into the Narnia of their mamas wardrobe and dressing themselves like the lady they one day hope to be. Wrapped in a powder blue, Christopher Esber blazer, draped in a fusia pink, Matteau dress and enswathed in an oversized, pastel blue, Venroy shirt. Sadly she won’t understand the privilege of wearing such beautiful and esteemed brands until she’s a little older but in the eyes of a 3 year old girl getting to dress like her mama was the biggest gift and excitement of all.

Scroll down for the final images and link to the full editorial.

Between face painting, hair changes, coffee and colouring, I got the opportunity to chat with ‘this is nice’ co-founder Jax Raynor about her decision to launch ‘this is nice’ during fairly turbulent times, how her career as a successful model impacts her creative process and what long term boyfriend Hayden Quinn needs to cook to get in her good books.

I love the name of your magazine. Tell me how the name came about?
Thank you! My Co-founder Ali and I speak pretty much everyday throughout the day and a good portion of that is through Instagram, sending each other images of clothing, food, models, photographers etc. One of the most common responses from both of us would be ‘this is nice’, just as you’d say to a friend while shopping as you hold up a dress and say ‘oh, this is nice!’. We immediately knew it was the right name for us- it’s fun, it’s conversational and reflects our overall appreciation for nice things.

Is starting a magazine something you’ve always wanted to do or did it come as a result of working as a fashion model?
It’s definitely a result of working as a model. As a model our job is generally limited to showing up on set, being photographed in the clothes for the client and heading home. Being in front of the camera for so long I always wanted to experience what it would be like to be on the other side. Choosing the concept, team, location, final layout etc feels like a dream for someone who has been watching silently as everyone else gets to bring their creative dreams to life. I did feel more creatively satisfied when I was modeling editorially but since I’ve made the switch to commercial modeling I have been itching to feel creative again and ‘this is nice’ has turned into an even better creative outlet than I could have dreamed of. I feel like I’ve found what I’m meant to do and it is the coolest feeling in the world.

What do you hope to bring from your experience as a model to the magazine now you’re behind the lens?
I think having modeled for so many years I have a bit of a unique perspective as Creative Director. I’m very aware of how the model we’re shooting is feeling in the clothes, if they like their makeup, if the way we’re shooting them is flattering...I think being aware of those things makes the models feel like they’re a real part of the shoot and not just a mannequin. If we book a model with a bigger bust we don’t want to try and hide it or make her chest look smaller, if we book someone who is shorter we aren’t going to try and make them look crazy tall. We want to work with people for who they are and that’s something I wish I experienced more of in my modelling career. I’m also very big on set snacks because my favourite clients over the years are always the ones that properly feed the team!!

Speaking of snacks, we know you’re a bit of a foodie so dating a chef was a pretty clever idea! If Hayden is looking to get in your good books, what three course meal would he need to cook to impress you? 
This is such a tricky question, there are so many things that I love that Hayden cooks. We love having a wine and cheese before dinner, then maybe a good steak with potato gratin. If we we’re still hungry there’s this dessert from The River Cafe in London called the Chocolate Nemesis that is that best chocolate cake ever and I would happily eat a large piece of that with a bit of creme fraiche or vanilla ice cream. It’s a rich meal but it’s the best when you want something a bit extra without too much effort.

As a result of Covid the Australian fashion industry sadly lost several publications. Some would say it’s a tricky time to launch a magazine, why did you decide to launch in September 2020?
When we started talking about creating ‘this is nice’ it was around April of 2020. My modeling work had gone completely silent and Ali was in a similar situation with her styling. I think we viewed the downtime as an opportunity that we would likely not have again, a bit of a now or never situation and trying to find the silver lining in a very difficult time globally. The closure of the major fashion publications is of course devastating to the creative community but I don’t think it weighed much on our decisions regarding starting ‘this is nice’. Since we’re mainly a digital publication, we will only print twice a year, and as Ali and I own the business we feel very lucky to be in control of the future of ‘this is nice’.

Speaking of Covid, your cofounder is currently stuck in America. How are you finding working transatlantically on the magazine?
I think Ali and I would both agree the situation is not ideal but we have made it work really well. We do full fittings with the model ahead of the shoot with Ali on facetime, I photograph each loan as they arrive so Ali can see everything and plan out looks and we have at least one meeting a week to check in. Amazingly we have never been on set together for any of our shoots and I know we’re both very proud of everything we’ve been able to create together while we’re physically so far apart. I cannot wait to see what we do when we’re able to be in the same space.

I love the concept of our shoot, Something Borrowed, what are some things you've snatched from your mums wardrobe over the years?
Thank you! I think it’s a concept most of us can relate to, borrowing an item from our moms, sisters or friends wardrobe- bit cheeky, bit fun. I’m very lucky that my mom was big into designer shoes in the 90’s and we’re the same size! I’ve got quite a few pairs of shoes from when Tom Ford was at Gucci, a simple Fendi Baguette bag, a sheer pink Fendi top (that I think is way too cool for me and I’m also a bit nervous to wear) and a few very special pieces of jewellery that I wear everyday from her. I think it’s really special to have pieces in my wardrobe that she wore and loved. Especially with my parents being back in America my mom always says it makes her feel like she’s with me when I’m wearing something of hers.

Sum up This Is Nice in 3 words?
Fresh, fun and chic.

Photographer: @daniel_nadel_photography
Assistant: Matteo Macrii
Hair a& Make Up: @katieangusmakeupartist
Fashion Direction: @alejandra_garran
Fashion Assistant: @_lucyscutts
Creative Direction: @jax_raynor

Click here for full editorial