One of the things I have been planing to do for AGES is visit the Titanic exhibition at the Melbourne Museum. Truth be told, myself and Miss K have wanted to visit the museum for years but it is one of those things that keeps getting put off in favour of work or family and the time to go never seems to come around.

The day finally arrived yesterday – with me being unemployed and Miss K being on a well deserved break – and we headed over to the Museum complex to get our dose of culture and education for the day.

The first thing you need to know is how popular the Titanic exhibition is. On an ordinary Thursday – no school holidays or public holiday or RDO – the place was still packed out. We bought tickets for the 12.15pm session (they only let 100 additional people into the exhibit every 15 minutes to ensure it is not overcrowded) and headed downstairs to collect our boarding passes.

Your boarding pass gives you a ‘character’ – a real life person who travelled on the Titanic, and you can view the exhibit imaging you are that guest, be it a first class jewellery heir or a third class runaway. I was a second class Indian mother, travelling with her 3 children to New York in search of a cure for an ill one year old. Miss K was in third class with her children.

The exhibit itself is a wonder, and kudos to Melbourne Museum and its associated curators and sponsors for such a wonderful experience. Those close to me will know I developed an (unhealthy?) obsession with the Titanic after the movie was released in 1997 and spent the next years collecting every piece of information or memorabilia I could find about Titanic – this exhibit is truly a testament to those around the world who continue this pursuit.

With artefacts from the ocean floor and recreated rooms, hallways, the grand staircase and an iceberg (yep, an iceberg. You can touch it and its cold!), the exhibit is the closest you will ever come to experiencing the excitement and sadness of the Titanic.

The extended season runs til November 7 and your ticket gives you access to the entire museum; Miss K and I spent hours visiting the various exhibits, feeling like schoolkids on a class excursion. There really is something for everyone, of all ages, at the museum.

No photography was allowed in the Titanic exhibition, so here is a shot of me with the T-Rex.
Image thanks to Miss K

In a world where everything old is new again, Melbourne has its fair share of vintage treasures, hidden down laneways and in underground arcades. Unless you have hours to wander aimlessly around the city, hoping you will chance upon one of these wonders, a new way of vintage shopping in Melbourne needed to be found. And so it came to be that Hidden Secrets Tours introduced A Vintage Outing tour; a walking tour of Melbourne designed for the scavenger in all of us.

A pleasant Thursday afternoon saw our small group meet at Self Preservation, a gallery come bakery come café bar. The space appears to be a quaint meeting spot from the shop front, but enter this hidden treasure and find bespoke jewellery on display and head upstairs to the unique private dining space with its own kitchen to enjoy the delectable treats whipped up here.

After filling up on blueberry and coconut cake, chocolate brownies and cups of tea, our group of eight, led by Hidden Secrets founder Fiona Sweetman, headed off up Bourke St to find more undiscovered treasure. Our first stop, Captains of Industry, is renowned for not only its coffee, but its bespoke men’s tailoring. A beautiful space filled with vintage furniture and natural light, this self-proclaimed ‘gentlemen’s outfitters’ has some clever and talented staff, Karlee Slater, who will be opening a similarly themed womenswear store in Melbourne’s GPO, The Golden Age.

The Golden Age plans to open mid-October and will tailor vintage patterns to suit today’s women, using fabrics, colours and techniques of a bygone era. Karlee can also restore vintage pieces to their original glory.   

As we farrewell the Captains and Karlee and continue on our tour, we head to Campbell Arcade under Flinders Street station where Subject to Change stocks unique jewellery and fabulous made in Melbourne new vintage. I loved a nautical inspired maxi dress by Temps Erdu, ‘All Tied Up’, for $135.

After a quick stop in at Speed on Degraves Street, one for the true vintage lover, we continued on to the Nicholson building – perhaps Melbourne’s vintage epicentre. A home to artisans and creative types from all walks of life, our tour started on the ground floor and worked its way up.

First stop, Melbourne’s newest vintage treasure, Harry Wragg. Located where Route 66 used to reside, Harry Wragg uses vintage fabrics to create new pieces, all reasonably priced and without that odd mothball smell. The wares are fantastic, as is the store’s décor, and the little anecdotes and stories written on the walls will keep you busy for ages while you browse. This is a store definitely worth a return visit!

We head up the ancient elevator to Serena Lindeman Millinery, the perfect place to plan your spring racing headwear. Start with your hat or take in your dress for a perfect match, Serena’s workspace is a treasure trove of unique bits and bobs to complete you look. From here we visit L’uccello, a vintage haberdashery and homewares store and another jewel in the Melbourne vintage crown. With buckets of buttons, bits and bobs to create your fashions, L’uccello is like finding your grandmothers stash.

Our tour comes to an end, but we sneak a peek in RetroStar Vintage on the way out of the building, the original home of vintage. You can visit any of these stores to find something unique, or take a tour to enjoy all that Melbourne has to offer.

Self Preservation: 70 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Subject To Change: Shop 8, Campbell Arcade, Degraves Street Subway, Melbourne
Serena Lindeman Millinery: Room 602, Nicholas Building, 37 Swanston Street, Melbourne
Captains of Industry: Level 1, 2 Somerset Place, Melbourne
l’uccello: Nicholas Building 205/37 Swanston Street, Melbourne
Harry Wragg: Ground Floor, Nicholas Building, 37 Swanston Street, Melbourne
The Golden Age (opening mid Oct): 2nd floor, Melbourne’s GPO, Cnr of Elizabeth & Bourke Streets, Melbourne

Hidden Secrets Tours: 03 9663 3358 www.hiddensecretstours.com 
That’s Melbourne: www.thatsmelbourne.com.au

Nothing to do on Saturday? Head to the Finders Keepers markets!

Note: As an experienced Docklands person (I spent three years working there), please note this event is NOT being held at Central Pier, where the L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival takes place. This shed is at the very end of Bourke Street (past Merchant Street where Safeway is) and out onto the ‘undeveloped’ area of Docklands. It is likely you will think you are going the wrong wrong but keep at it, the reward will be worth it!

Day 1, Week 6.

Remember back in July when I decided to do Dry July, but instead of giving up alcohol, I gave up shopping? Perhaps that was some kind of omen because it seems that has been great practise for being unemployed. When I sit down every few days at the moment to reassess my financial situation and see what else I can cut out in order to ‘survive’ a little bit longer, I think of my time during Dry July and remember I CAN get through this time without shopping.

At least that’s how I felt up until last Friday night. Day 5 of Week 5. After a whole Dry September; ironically Friday was October 1; I finally caved and made a purchase. While waiting for a girlfriend on Bourke Street, I wandered aimlessly into Cotton On and found a cute print dress, in blues and purples, reduced to $15. Little electrodes in my brain were having a party. Bargain!

So I bagged the dress. Then I spotted cardigans. As every girl will know, a humble black cardi is a staple. A basic that transitions from throwing over a sundress to pairing with black pants for work. Essential. And my black cardi’s are looking a bit worse for wear in recent months. They were only $30. Or two for $50. Perhaps I should get two, I think. Then I can put one away…

Reality stepped in and my need for one cardi and want for two came crashing down upon me. One bargain dress. One basic cardi. Done. LEAVE THE STORE. I did, confident with the knowledge that I had made the right decision and that my week temping had more than covered my little indulgence.

Saturday dawned sunny and brilliant and I couldn’t imagine sitting at home. A beautiful day for a drive, one might say, and that drive happened to take me right by the Collingwood Town Hall, where Sass and Bide were having their annual warehouse clearance.

Common sense would say stay away. Common sense would say don’t do that U-turn, keep on driving, get on the freeway and don’t look back. But I didn’t. Thankfully I couldn’t find any jeans in my size in the colour I wanted, a benefit (?) of coming to a clearance sale several days after it started – but I did find a little black dress (reduced from $190 to $30, will practically pay for itself!) and a cropped jacket (marked $150 from $250, scanned at $120, MEANT to be!).

My mood was buoyed; I had new threads, sunshine and a Sunday afternoon ahead of me. I headed to the local shopping complex in my parent’s home town, bargain hunting and trend spotting. It didn’t take long before I was in a change room.

But it was here, trying on jeans that I already own (cause they were only $19!) that I realised in buying 2 dresses, a jacket and a cardi in the prior 24 hours, I had already spent more thant some people spend in a whole year on clothes – and I don’t even have a job! It was time to put the jeans down, back slowly away from the clothes and leave the shopping centre in a calm and peaceful manner.

Ironically, I turned up to mum and dads to be distracted and was promptly sent back to the shopping centre to do the grocery shopping for dinner. Perhaps there is some kind of higher power drawing me to places to shop. I have always said I would rather buy clothes than food….

While there was frost on the cars and the mercury was barely scraping 6 degrees a third of the way into spring, the Fashion industry Forum, part of the Stonnington Spring Fashion Runway program, this morning took place at the Malvern Town Hall.  Several industry heavyweights were in attendance to put forward their views on the future of all things fashion, from marketing to manufacturing, media, finance, retail, design, government and everything in between.

All aspects of the industry were covered by the illustrious panellists – Martin Ginnane, Manager, General Manufacturing and Service Industries, Industry and Trade Division, Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development; Kevin Potter, State General Manager, nabbusiness Vic/Tas; Grant Pearce, Creative Director, L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival; Suzanne Carbone, Postcode 3000 Columnist, The Age; Teresa Liano, Designer, T.L.Wood; and Paris Kyne, Master Milliner.

With experts such as these, it was easy to be optimistic about the state of the fashion industry. Attending as a student of fashion, I found the forum was more targeted to those already in business but still provided valuable insights into the retail and online spaces.

After individual questions to the panellists, the topics that were broached to the whole panel included Fashion and Retail Marketing; Financial Strategy and Social Media. The discussions surrounding online were refreshing – it was great to hear individuals who are 100% behind the online space.
A significant amount of time was spent discussing the service offering of retail and the fashion industry as a whole. Several panellists highlighted the importance of having your service offering match your product offering – that spending millions of dollars on fitouts and the like is no good if your customers can’t find a staff member.

One of the more fascinating statistics highlighted at the event was the increase in retail in the Melbourne CBD. After the introduction of the Melbourne Retail Strategy in 2006, laneway activation has increased from 27 active spaces in 2000, to 50 in 2010 – an increase in stores from 150 to 280. As laneways are what Melbourne is best known for, this is a positive result.

Tonight the Stonnington Spring Fashion Runway will take place and the induction of two new members to the Hall of Fame. Limited tickets are still available!

Ever since my friend Miss J suggested Paris – truthfully since the subject was broached with Miss K at New Year – I can’t stop thinking about the city of love.

Images consume me, I watch movies set in Paris over and over and my inspiration board is becoming overrun with the Eiffel Tower.

Ah Paris. Un jour…

4 weeks, 2 days and 3 hours ago, I had a job.

Now I spend my days drinking tea (4 cups is my record), eating chocolate (6 rows today, eek) and looking at stuff on the internet I can no longer afford. I wish I was one of those people who turned to exercise to fill the time (although I am still getting up at 6am and going for a walk) but I’m not. I don’t even turn to cleaning or selling everything I haven’t touched in the past 12 months on ebay.

I spend my time worrying. Worrying about how I’m going to pay my next bill. About when I will get a job and if my ‘extended’ stay out of the workforce is starting to affect said ability to get a job.  Worrying about using the heater during the day and if the 6 rows of chocolate was cancelled out by the walk I went on this morning. Worrying if I will get home in time for the midday movie. You name it, I worry about it.

See by Chloe $274.00 by See by Chloe at Zappos Couture

Today I went to the interviews for the Westfield Insider at Westfield, Plenty Valley (more on this later). I worried about how long the queue would be (and left three hours early to accommodate), what others would be wearing (and nearly knocked myself out with falling shoe boxes last night deciding what I should wear) and whether I would say the right things.

All of this worrying isn’t getting me anywhere – except perhaps closer to a padded room in some sort of institution. I should be using this time to relax, rest and reflect on my career this far; remembering that my ambitions for said career will probably see me working 7 til 7, six days a week and I should take stock of this time while I can.

L.A.M.B. – Prissy $279.00 by L.A.M.B. at Zappos

So I am taking a step back and trying not to worry. Trying not to eat copious amounts of chocolate and spend more drinking copious amounts of tea. What are your thoughts on trying to relax? Any hints, tips, suggestions?

Images: Which imaginary purchase will I make this week? Oh, the WORRY!!

On a recent shopping trip, I discovered Lovisa. Seemingly more fabulous that Diva (although apparently owned by the same people), Lovisa is all your jewelery and accessories – on trend, on budget and honestly FABULOUS!

Lovisa has many different themes instore now, including Tribal, Vintage and Grey Magic – I want everything. There are Sex and the City inspired pieces, a bevy of beautiful rings and spring racing headpieces so affordable you can wear a different one everyday – to work, to school, to church.

One of my fave Aussie models, Samantha Harris, was recently named as the new face of Lovisa and the Lovisa website had a great blog, Style Box, detailing new trends and fashion happenings – two great reasons to visit.

 Find your nearest store here.

I’m not shy about promoting menswear on this blog. Especially when it involves scantily clad men. Much as I am not buying these products; I have no significant other and I think my brothers would find it wierd if I bought them underwear – I think they look fantastic. My totally unbiased opinion, of course.

Anyways, the gentleman pictured here, Dan Ewing (recently featured in the Mensfit campaign) is going to be appearing on Home and Away this coming summer. Summer Bay truly is a blessed place to live, isn’t it?

To see more of Dan, visit MensFit. To see your man looking like this, try MensFit.*

*But I’m not making any promises!