This article first appeared for Onya Magazine

I often read dating stories in magazines and wonder how many of them are made up. Horror dating stories, coupled with the ‘once in a million years’ fairytales are enough to make any self-respecting girl choose a life of singledom, and for a cynical girl like me? Why would I want to even try?

This Five in Five deal was supposed to ‘break me’, in a sense, and prove that my cynicism wasn’t warranted. That my previous experiences (usually falling into the horror category) were bad timing, bad luck or just those ‘once in a million years’ examples.

Halfway through this social experiment in dating, I don’t feel like I have been swayed to a life of romance and happiness. A number of events have led me to believe that my cynicism is warranted and that without it, I may very well end up ‘in a freezer’ (according to my very, very cynical friend).

This is a special edition column about Ryan Gosling. If you read my column last week, you will know that just over week ago (while I was still open minded), my friend Lola had given my phone number to a guy at a BBQ by the Yarra and that after a shaky start, many text messages had been exchanged and we had plans to catch up for a drink this week.

All sounding okay so far, right?

The day of the date rolled around. While we had made plans to meet at his place for a drink (don’t judge me yet!), I did have my reservations – where was the effort? The tradition? Any semblance of romance?

Now, I’m a modern day girl who is prepared to go to a guy (three whole suburbs over!), however my better judgement eventually got the better of me and the going to the house of someone I didn’t know seemed like a not very bright thing to do (and the very, very cynical friend made the freezer comment).
I requested a change of venue, being completely honest about the fact that I didn’t know Ryan and it really wasn’t a smart thing for a girl to do, to go to the house of a man she didn’t know.

And he understood – that’s fine – he said, before confessing that in the interests of full disclosure (and since I was being honest), he wasn’t actually the guy my friend had given my phone number to the week before. He had been at the same event, yes, but essentially he was the friend of a friend of the actual phone number recipient.

Pause for reaction.

Yep, no longer are girls being openly rejected by someone they have got up the guts to talk to (and yes, I realise I didn’t do the talking at the time, but I was there at least) but they are being bandied about among friends – possibly some kind of amusing yet cruel joke among the males of the world.
So, Ryan Gosling’s ‘friend of a friend’ – let’s call him Steve Carrell (this has a bit of the Crazy Stupid Love thing going on), asked if I still wanted to go for a drink. Last chance to back out, he said.

While I did feel a little out of my comfort zone – ok, a lot – I had to figure, nothing ventured, nothing gained, and so with a pub selected (no way was I doing a house visit now!), I went out for a drink in the interests of Five in Five in mind.

It would seem that this would make an excellent ‘how I met your mother’ story, the kind of tale you tell your grandkids about the quirks and calamities of the dating game. I had a lovely night out with Steve, however I don’t think this will be a story we will be telling anyone in years to come.

Three dates down (speed dating totally counts as a date night), two to go. Stay tuned.

To support Sarah, and raise funds for Concern Australia, visit her fundraising page here.

As LMFF kicks off, Penthouse Mouse will host an independent fashion show where it is most at home with Mid Mouse Runway 2012.

Labels including Where Lovers Lie, Neo Dia, Di$count, Trimapee, Bento & Upper Left Arm will come together to present two exciting runway productions styled by the imitable Connel Chiang.

Tunes will be supplied by DJ Kiti along with a live performance by Forces. The Sapporo Bar will operate throughout the entire event with the party carrying on well into the night.  

Penthouse Mouse? 221 Kerr Street Fitzroy, March 9th 2012 (over 18 event)

MID MOUSE RUNWAY ONE feat. Leonard Street, Autonomy, The Social Studio, Kings of Carnaby, Bento, Upper Left Arm  $15 plus booking fee 7.30pm

MID MOUSE RUNWAY TWO feat. Alistair Trung, Di$count, Trimapee, Where Lovers Lie, Raggatt, Neo Dia, above.$15 plus booking fee 9.30pm

Image credits
Model dressed by: Raggatt
Stylist: Connell Chiang
Photographer: Peter Ryle
Model: Ellie Lemons from Vivians

This article first appeared for Onya Magazine.

How quickly time flies when you are having fun. Or when you are not.

On Tuesday, it was St Valentine’s Day – the traditional day when lovers share with each other their undying passion and desire to spend the rest of their lives together.

I just heated up a microwave meal for one.

But all is not lost, because after much soul searching – well, actually, not much – I am finding that I am quite enjoying the Five in Five concept and the way it is actually expanding my horizons and introducing me to new people. It feels okay to take a risk, to jump in the deep end or take a leap of faith. Who knows what might happen? Perhaps next year I’ll have someone to share my microwave dinner with.

Unfortunately though, in terms of dates, I don’t have too much new information to share with you. Officially, I haven’t been on another date, however, I have had much interaction and the prospects are definitely there.  Come to think of it – perhaps I do have a bit to share.

One of the best parts about the Five in Five concept is that is provides a talking point, not only with those people you have just met, but also with those whom you spend a lot of time with. It seems everyone knows someone single once you start chatting about it; all you need is a conversation starter.

While chatting with the people you know is a great – and easy – start, finding ones you don’t is a little harder. However, if you have a confident friend, she (or he) is the perfect wingman. For example, last weekend while crashing a friends barbeque by the Yarra on a Sunday morning, my confident friend, let’s call her Lola, decided to randomly approach the guys at the BBQ pit next to us.

A simple smile and a handwritten phone number later, Miss Lola and I were giggling like we were in high school. And, after a minor false start (boys who have been drinking all day can be excused) a date was set and a string of text messages with Ryan Gosling followed. Stay tuned for the date.

Meanwhile, the power of Twitter saw me set up a lunch date and I was actually feeling pretty good about the Five in Five deal. While the date with Kevin Rudd didn’t go ahead (the guy cancelled but he had good reason – massive respect to Kev for giving me the truth straight up) I hit Valentine’s Day with a massive case of the singles.

The speed-dating event I had so been looking forward to seemed like a pain the butt: time when I could be reading Vogue, eating Thai or simply having an early night. The persistence of a certain barman and friends (yes, Lola was there) encouraged me to come out and I headed to the event despite my own reluctance.

And this is what I learnt. I love meeting new people. It doesn’t matter where or how, I just love new people. And if it so happens that I am in a room full of them who are single? All the better for me.
If you are open to the idea of meeting new people, then almost like magic, opportunities present themselves – be it because you strike up a conversation with friends, or because your wingman decides to take matters into her own hands.

Speed dating was fun – Come back next week to read the next instalment of my Five in Five experiences to see how many matches there were, how the catch ups went and whether Ryan Gosling was as good in real life as he was via text.

NB: Brad Pitt finally got back to me. Two weeks to the day after saying he would call next week. His excuse? He did text – I didn’t get it. Should I follow up? Vote now.

To support Sarah, and raise funds for Concern Australia, visit her fundraising page here.

Leading online store All About Fashion is holding a $99 and under sale, from now until 9th March. Receive up to 90% off summer stock from labels including White Suede, Uscari, Shona Joy, Nicola Finetti, Nookie, Love & Anarchy and Miss Unkon. Happy Shopping!

This article first appeared for Onya Magazine

Coming in to week two of Five in Five, I was feeling good. My date with Brad Pitt had gone well and as Carrie Bradshaw always says, ‘the only thing you need to get a date, is another date’.

But perhaps I was too early in feeling confident. The dating game seems to be a minefield of talking with little action, mind games and hundreds of years of speculation, Chinese whispers and opinions.

When you think about everything you talk about in your inner circle of friends, the ‘rules’ that apply to men and women are almost hard wired – we believe the most ridiculous things about the opposite sex because someone had an experience once and we feel this taints every man or woman with the same brush.

The book and film He’s Just Not That Into You, tried to teach us about the ‘rules’, but still gave the leading lady a happy ending – ultimately making her the exception to the rule after telling us for two hours that very rarely are we the exception to the rule.

A dating ‘textbook’ I flicked through this week (purely for research purposes) advised that women should never, ever, hit on men – apparently they like the thrill of the chase, a caveman inspired theory relating to the whole hunter/gatherer/ego/superior sex thing.

It seems the only thing women are supposed to do, is ignore men. To be fabulous all by themselves – wear that brilliant dress for you. Make sure your underwear matches – for you. Put on heels, lipstick, earrings. Shine. And don’t think about boys. Sounds easy right? This leads to the one key component essential for those on the dating circuit.

I have a very close friend who has pretty much had a boyfriend since we were 15. Even when a relationship ended, she would be out soon after, and while she would sit in a bar talking to her girlfriends, it was always her who managed to come home with phone numbers. She is the most amazing and confident person I know.

And herein lies the key to dating. Confidence. Believing you are amazing and fabulous and worthy of any boy who glances your way. Accepting a compliment with a smile and not justifying it to yourself or anyone else. Looking in the mirror and knowing you are AMAZING.

Last week, while walking to work; headphones in, sunglasses on; I was stopped by a man in his car – I assumed for directions. When he apologised for stopping me and continued on that he had to simply to tell me how beautiful he thought I was, my first reaction was to smile – then immediately wonder what was wrong with all the other girls on the street that morning – what was so special about me?

Why don’t we ever have confidence in ourselves? And to those who have it – how do the rest of us get it?

Perhaps this lack of confidence comes from the very general lack of action on the part of the male species (see how all this ties in?) because guess what? Brad Pitt never phoned (if you are thinking ‘as if Brad Pitt would phone her’, refer to last week’s article) even after saying twice (once at date end, once via text the next day) that he would.

How do you think that makes a girl feel? We wonder what we said, what we did (or didn’t do) and so on and so forth. Right back to square one where we lack the confidence to approach anyone.

Dating isn’t easy – I never (or anyone else for that matter) said it was. I truly believe that to win at any game takes work, patience, dedication and a want to succeed. But, this assumes both teams are playing by the same rules and when it comes to dating, this doesn’t seem to be the case.

My five dates in five weeks may need to stretch to six (weeks that is, not dates) but this week taught me a few lessons about the game I am playing. I’ll go into week three feeling more fabulous about me and less reliant on the actions of others.

You can raise funds for Concern Australia by contributing here.

Readers and fans of this blog will know I have a long association with LMFF. After attempting to volunteer about five years ago and buying tickets to the Target shows, to attending most events and working for the festival in a contracting capacity, every year my time and role with the festival grows and changes.This year is no different.

The 2012 L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival has made many changes, not the least of which is the dates, this year running Thursday 8 to Thursday 15 March and incorporating the Labour Day long weekend.

The nightly L’Oreal Paris runways remain, and a number of independent parades have beenadded. Last year’s opening night extravaganza has evolved and will now take the form of a spectacular outdoor party at Central Pier, while the business events have established a hub at the Sofitel Melbourne.

And this is where you will be able to find me. Unfortunately this year some work commitments make it unlikely I will get to the evening parades or weekend events taking place at Central Pier or in the City of Stonnington. Yes, I am shattered but if things change, I will be there in a heartbeat!

The one shining light in this scenario is that I have again been asked to contract for the festival and my role will involve working at the business events at the Sofitel Melbourne from the 13th to 15th of March.

The Business events hold a special place in my heart; the Marketing Breakfast has always been one of my favourite events and I’ve always loved following the days’ activities at the Business Seminar – an event I have always wanted to attend.

Image thanks to StyleMelbourne

Further, my experiences working at the Fashion Industry Forums last year showed that the intellectual side of fashion can be just as fascinating as the parades and workshops.

Kicking off on Tuesday 13 March, the Fashion Industry Forums will take place at 10.30am and 4pm. Hosted by Glynis Traill-Nash, Forum 1 will cover ‘What’s The Industry Verdict?’, while Forum 2 explores ‘The New Consumer’.

Guest panellists and speakers for the day include Adam Ferrier (Naked Communications), Howard Parry-Husband (Pollinate & Soup AUS), Lorna Hall (WGSN London), Andreas Kligner (Lookk.com UK) and a number of local experts including Kirrily Johnston.

On Wednesday March 14, the fashionistas will have an early start at the Herald Sun Marketing Breakfast, this year hearing from Chris Clark (LBi UK) and Kevin Panozza (Engage P/L AUS) on topics such as building meaning relationships between brands and their customers, engaging the technology empowered consumer, strategies for marketing to multi-channel communities and transforming customer experience in the multi-channel marketplace.

Finally the Business Seminar on Thursday 15 March will round out a week of events by bringing together speakers who define the business of fashion and can impart their wisdom on a room of weary fashionistas.

This years’ speakers, Mike Shearwood (Aurora Fashions UK), Julia Fowler & Geoff Watts (Editd UK) and Alan Treadgold (Leo Burnett Group USA & UK), will explore the areas of fashion that don’t involve hemlines or fabrics, rather focussing on topics more relevant to the business landscape as a whole.

Topics include the democratisation of fashion, the transformative retail environment, using web-based data for analytics, research and trend forecasting, leveraging both digital and physical channels, building customers strategies that generate conversion and build loyalty, and seamless service – providing quality service online, in-store and via mobile.

Westfield are also hosting a luncheon during the business seminar where you can take a breather and discuss the days’ events with fellow delegates.

While the fashion is truly the visual aspect of the festival I get excited about, I can’t deny that I am looking forward to hearing these amazing speakers, working closely with Glynis Traill-Nash and learning more about the business side of fashion.

Less than a month to go – get your tickets today – they ALWAYS sell out!

As one who is always working of late (you guys know how manic I am!), I was thrilled to find the time to pop into the Fashion Torque 2012 launch this week.

Melbourne fashion royalty Philip Boon and Jenny Bannister started Fashion Torque in 2010 as a way to connect the fashion community and bring every element of the industry together in a common forum where bloggers could mingle with stylists and insiders could share their retail secrets with up and comers.

The monthly forum and live chat show in Prahran drew a huge following and celebrated it’s first birthday in 2011. Now, in 2012, Philip and Jenny are making some changes in an effort to bring Fashion Torque to even more people.

The day, the time, the place – everything is new and exciting! And I for one am thrilled about the changes – it will mean I might actually make it to a few more sessions this year!

Philip and Jenny unveil their 2012 poster shot at the Fashion Torque Media Launch.
Image thanks to Take 2 Markets

Kicking off on Wednesday February 29, Fashion Torque will now take place on the last Wednesday of the month, commencing at 7pm (rather than the earlier time of 6.30). This change gives more students and those with day jobs the chance to make it to the sessions and allows for greater audience participation.

The next, and perhaps most major change, is the location. Globe Cafe in Prahran has been good to us, but the Hasti Bala Bar at The Carlton on Bourke Street is a spot too good to pass up. Not officially opening til February 25, The Hasti Bala Bar is a vision of purple velour and pink, blue and purple wallpaper in an electric leopard print – the large elephant on the wall and greenery that surrounds the bar make it the most perfect fusion of fashion and fun.

The elephant in the room – Fashion Torque’s new home at the Hasti Bala Bar

Acqua Panna – fashion water – will be an official supporter of Fashion Torque in 2012 together with Hannah and her team at The Carlton.

Each month, Fashion Torque will bring us four guests (up from two last year) and under five subtopics – FT recommends; Debates; Fans; Films; and Community – covering internships, past fashion stars, digital fashion, the vintage boom and so, so much more.

Fashion friend James Banham at the launch with me. Image thanks to Take 2 Markets.

‘Predictions for 2012 in the Australian Fashion Industry‘ will be the first topic of the year, featuring Fashion Torque favourites Sarah Gale, Jc Lloyd-Southwell d’Anvers, Anthony Capon and Sarah Willcocks – with a special appearance from Dean Drieberg.

Can’t wait to kick off Fashion Torque 2012 with the gang and the new venue – see you on the 29th!

Guest Post

They say ‘love is blind’, so why then is lingerie so popular?’ Well dear reader, as today is Valentine’s Day and the annual feast of love, let us try to answer this question.

Women love lingerie because it is pretty, yes,but also for the way it makes us feel. Firstly and most literally, beyond being a feast for the eyes, lingerie is tactile.

Take the latest Bellechasse collection designed by the fabulous Jane Carrodus.

ANGEL SILK BRA & FEATHER KNICKER SET (Ivory)
Be inspired by the Angel within with this seductive silk contour bra, accented with luxurious French lace and fabulous feathers. For the perfect angelic finale our Angel feather knicker will send you straight to heaven. RRP $159.90 (set)

While there may be a bit of Black Swan going on, who would not want to emulate the delicate Natalie Portman or sultry Mina Kunis any day of the year? Inspired by angels wings, these feathered frillies are sure to bring out the devil in any woman.

ANGEL FEATHER BRA & BRIEF (Black)
This sexy bra is designed as a boudoir piece & is all about showing off.Underbust & back straps are made from stretch silk. Underwire is lined with a trim of sexy black feathers with no other support or lining. Bra RRP $79.95/Brief RRP $59.95

From the heavenly bodies to science of the heavens, Amoena Mia lingerie uses NASA developed fabric to elevate the tried and tested Valentine’s Day gift to an out of this world ‘lust have’. Beyond being beautiful, these bras provide point number two for lingerie’s popularity: it’s a secret weapon, which makes us feel supported.

For you – the Amelia
Why  shouldn’t you spoil yourself this Valentine’s Day?  Fitting like a glove, the Amelia  bra combines the practical comfort of cotton with delicate lace to create a  casual yet elegant look. Great support  as you carry on with your day. Bra RRP $89.95/ Brief from RRP $28.95

The fabric regulates body temperature – cooling you before you even start to sweat – allowing you remain cool , while your Valentine’s prey gets all hot under the collar.

So even if you forgo the long stemmed roses or candle lit dinner – by choice or otherwise – you can still make an occasion of this Valentine’s Day. Even if it is just you this year, celebrate love – Whitney would be proud.

Image thanks to http://www.facebook.com/stylehunter

Yesterday I had the pleasure of celebrating my birthday at the Couturing.com launch party – a fabulous extravaganza held at Melbourne’s GPO with everyone I know and love.

There were cocktails, polaroids and the most gorgeous array of outfits I have seen in quite some time. Given it was my birthday (and I’d had the day off), I frocked up – nothing but couture for a party of this nature.

Me and Sandi Sieger, Editor of Onya Magazine (and fantastic friend!)
Image thanks to Styled By Sally

Following an epic day – I visited the Body Freedom Day Spa and gave my credit card a bit of a workout on Bourke Street – I was really looking forward to a night with my fashion friends.

Couturing.com is bringing together the best of everything in fashion and have even created a window display at the iconic GPO to showcase Australia’s finest. Akira, Lisa Ho, Willow, Manning Cartell and Anaessia are all featured and will be on display for two weeks.

Couturing Creators: Thom and Lisa
Image thanks to Couturing.com

I had a brilliant time at the function, then continued on at the Money Order Office with Sandi and Dan (have you heard what Dan is doing? You won’t believe it. Check out of Feast of Dan here…) to sip Laurent Perrier and feel wonderful.

Thank you to Lisa and Thom for having their party on my birthday and to everyone who wished me well!

I don’t look a day over 21… right? Image thanks to Meagan Harding of StyleFarm

Fashion Note: Top by Zara, Skirt by Rodarte, Shoes by Wittner, Vintage Bag