Welcome to 'Hot Crosses', where we talk to killer collaborators, slashies, and other people who manage to be many things at once, brought to you by Hyundai. See our first interview, with Rankin, second with Ruby Rose, third with Tony Hawk and our fourth interview with Pip Edwards.

Michelle Jank is one of Australia's most impressive fashion exports. Turning her hand at everything from styling and creative direction to design and consulting, this visionary all-rounder has had her name in costume departments, jewellery shops, on runnways and in editorials. We chatted with the impeccably turned out slashie to find out more.
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Describe yourself…
Professionally; Creative Consultant in Fashion

Describe your style…
Over dressed mostly. I love dressing up, especially during the day. Almost certainly there will be some kind of big jewel, rings, neck pieces, bracelets; everything is usually big. At the moment I love covering all of my fingers with big rings, I love a feature shoe.

What influences your personal style?
Travel - I am really fortunate to have a life which is constantly on the move-staying in really interesting places, its nice to pick up things from different places I have been-as mementos and also something to add a highlight of something different. The weather. How I am feeling when I wake up-  some days I dress in a ball gown and other days I dress more androgynous. Iris Apfel, Wendy Marshall, books, Man Ray, Hana Wegner at East Sydney Tech where I studied.

When did your personal style ‘come of age’?
I think it always evolves…I am always searching for the next thing that will inspire me.…I never really regret anything that I have chosen to wear.

What do you love about fashion? 
 The constant evolution, the history, technological advances in fabrication, 

What would you change about fashion?
I appreciate how Azzedine Alaia works in Paris making his own rules, quietly producing beautiful timeless pieces not swayed by trends and the madness of having to design five collections a year.

When did you know you wanted to make a career out of fashion?
I am sure I knew that from very early on…I made paper dolls, and dressed my brother and I up, our dog, our duck….neighbourhood friends. After studying Fine Arts at university, I flew to Sydney with my best friend Anthony Kendal to study fashion design and never looked back.

Do you feel you have any particular responsibility to the industry?
I try to be positive and to project that into what I do…

Do you remember your first job interview? What was it and what were you wearing?
 I have always been self employed, freelance. There have been some interesting outfits.

Has anyone ever reacted to your styling choice, creative direction, or designs in a way that took you by surprise? 
 My personal styling….I think dressing in an unusual way is slightly akin to walking a dog…all sorts of people will talk to you or perhaps not talk to you in equal measures. I often have conversations with strangers about what I am wearing. A man rather urgently ran up to me at the markets in notting hill in London, said ”you look like a swan” and then he was gone.

For your first commission for a dance company you created the costumes for SDC’s Sid’s Waltzing Masquerade. What aspects differed in your design process when designing costumes for the ensemble, both for males and females? Was your goal to make a distinct visual impression with the costumes, or were you more focused on allowing for the dancers to move freely on stage?
 At the onset of any dance project, it’s about communicating with the choreographer. Its important to get an understanding of how he/she is feeling, if possible being there to witness what is being made. I have been fortunate to have worked on many new works from their inception with choreographer Aszure Barton. A highlight for me was working with her on a new work for the Netherlands Dance Company last year. I believe it is my role to enhance the piece which the choreographer is producing, how the dancers move and feel and the audience view the work. It always comes down to how do I create emotion out of fabric? Through restriction/freedom, masculinity/femininity, the color/tone, the presence or lack of movement.

Your jewellery collections have always been an impressive mix of skill, statement and innovation, and have certainly set you apart. When working with jewellery house Fairfax and Roberts, was there anything you learnt that has carried through to your current and future work? Or was there anything you brought to the collaboration that didn’t exist previously at the house?
The crafts people were amazing to work with. What honourable artisans. I admire people who have such an intimate knowledge of their craft, it is an honour to work beside them. I think you always learn from every project. We are the sum of all parts of what we do and learn a long the way.

Describe your favourite fashion shoot of all time?
Probably from Avedon or Stephen Meisel, it changes. I like looking back over the life’s work of luminaries like Grace Coddington and Carine Roitfeld.

What’s your all time favourite fashion trend?
Embracing individual style which I think this era is about, it’s not about slavishly following trends…anything is go. I admire people that take risks.

What do you find shocking?
Clothing made in poor, abusive circumstances….

What advice would you give to someone struggling with trying to build a name for themselves both in the main fashion arena, and as a costume designer?
Visualise what you want to achieve…..start anywhere, work damn hard, increase your knowledge as much as you can and keep positive. Have patience. People notice people that work hard and are dedicated. I don’t think things happen over night. I also think that nothing good comes easy…I always tell myself that, that keeps me going.

How would you describe the relationship between styling and designing?
I feel they are one and the same, though they utilise different base skills. They are symbiotic and something that I enjoy equally.

What was your favourite fashion moment of 2011?
Taking a break from it all in Perth, Western Australia….better still in Albany in the marshes in gum boots with the dogs. Refilling the well. Then its back home to New York. 




Feature image via news.com.au