My first visit to the KIT store on Chapel Street presented me with an old fashioned apothecary style shop fitout with raw boards, wooden cabinets, beakers and glass measuring implements. While the gorgeous décor was a nod to the past, the staff were definitely a thing of the future – super attentive and friendly, not to mention helpful and people who knew their product.

The purpose of my visit was to preview the newest collection in KIT stores, Too Faced, to be presented this particular evening by Kalina Fernandez, International make-up artist for Too Faced. Kalina has been in the fashion and beauty industry for over 17 years, with 5 years as Artistic Director of New York Fashion Week and the past two years working on the Too Faced collection.

With cult products such as the Lip Injection (actually the first ever lip plumping product!), Lash Injection mascara and Shadow Insurance, the Too Faced line is a welcome addition to the KIT stable. Kalina talked us through the growth of the Too Faced brand and how packaging, product assortment and the introduction of ‘kits’ has bought the brand into the new century.

With two very keen models from the crowd, Kalina talked us through creating a smokey eye and an evening look. I was amazed how when you only do make-up on one eye, the difference you can see between make-up and no make-up. Seriously, if you think your make-up isn’t doing anything for you, just do one eye and you can definitely appreciate the difference!

When asked about the hottest new trends from New York – both in make-up and fashion – the key tips from the international expert are khaki and army colours in clothing, bold colours and red lips in make-up and an overall 50s, girly, Mad Men influence.

But when it comes to make up – here are a few foolproof tricks to get you through the new season.

– Place eyeshadow on the lid, rather than sweeping, as you can over sweep.
– Avoid blacks for liners, try browns, blues, greys etc.
– If you are in a hurry, do eyes first, then foundation.
– Use your liner pencil on a brush, then line the eye rather than the harshness of the pencil.
– Add your mascara before adding extra shadow if you are wanting a darker look. You will then be able to see if extra shadow is required.

In a world where make up has become something ‘everyday’, a visit to KIT and the products and service takes you back to a time when make-up was for special occasions and dressing up. Visit the team at Chapel Street KIT where you are welcomed as a friend, offered consultation and samples (and the opportunity to return products if they don’t suit!) and will leave feeling a million dollars.

For another opportunity to meet the team and experience the KIT hospitality, Chapel Street are hosting the Shop Til You Drop team on Wednesday 22 September (6.30 – 8.30) for a ‘Shop Loves’ event. Beauty Trends and Styling Tips will be discussed, plus the KIT creative team will be on hand for all your expert advice. Phone 9827 5988 to book, places are limited.

Image One: Damien (2IC) and Helen (Store Manager) with Kalina
Image Two: Kalina explains the new trends for Too Faced at KIT

200,000 applications. One handy dandy little device to play with them on. Or two if you have an ipad. Three if you have a blackberry. Four if you have an… well, you get the idea.

The itunes apps store is filled with endless possibilities; apps to help, inspire and test even the most frugal fashionista. After hours spent ‘researching’ the best fashion apps, it’s safe to say these little programs will do all these things and more – and then when you are done playing, I’d recommend downloading a budgeting app. You’ll see why. Your daily commute on the train has never been so much fun.

ishoes
Burberry and Fendi and Blahnik, oh my! From Anne Klein to Yves Saint Laurent, ishoes has more than 50,000 pairs of everyone’s favourite accessory at your fingertips. Browse randomly or narrow it down by label and style. Pick your favourite, check out the important details and find out where those pink patent pumps can be yours. ishoes will even forward your browser to the online buying page of the retailer where available. Share the love on facebook or just favourite the style til payday.

LMFF
It might be a few months since Melbourne’s premier fashion event took place, but you can relive every minute with the LMFF official iphone app. The gallery features hundreds of shots from the runway shows while LMFF TV will let you watch behind the scenes fun from the comfort and quiet of your lounge room. Search by your favourite Aussie designer; see what the buzz about LMFF is on Twitter or keep up to date with fashion happenings on the regularly updated blog. Just 6 months til LMFF 2011 ramps up so best to keep your finger on the phone…er, pulse.

Sartorialist
Scott Schumann was the original and the best street snapper and while thousands have followed in his footsteps, the Sartorialist is still number one in my book. Full screen photos are available on this app but they do take a few moments to load. Study the detail of an embroidered coat or the authenticity of an old black and white shot up close and personal instead of hoisting your laptop to the park. Sit in the sun and pick out your own style icons. Cameras at the ready.

Net-A-Porter
Your favourite online shopping destination for all things fabulous just got a little harder to avoid. Net-A-Porter.com in your palm allows you to buy designer threads and shop new arrivals as they arrive in store. Always up to date, use Net-A-Porter.com to plan your next outfit, study styles or read the magazine, On The Go, for the latest in fashion news. Create wish lists (and share them with your boyfriend) or simply dream the day away with Chloe, Stella and co.

Tiffany and Co Ring Finder
Ever since Audrey Hepburn munched on a bagel outside Tiffany and Co New York, women the world over have coveted the precious gems inside. From classic Tiffany to Tiffany legacy and Tiffany embrace, there are 44 diamonds to drool over – no boyfriend necessary. While these babies are designed as engagement rings, who says you can’t wear it on another finger and buy it yourself? The app will even help you find your correct ring size.

Chanel
The name is enough to make you swoon – do you really need any more reasons to download this application? The Ready-to-Wear shows streamed, still shots of looks and accessories, Chanel News and a store locator. It’s a fashionista dream. The app is large and you will need to download it on a computer or wi-fi network, but worth the extra effort just to have those interlocking C’s on your screen. It’s couture technology, darling.

(All apps listed here are free and available for iphone at the apps store on itunes.)

Melbourne certainly has a way of turning on the taps when I venture out umbrella-less.  It’s almost like the big man is sitting upstairs, having watched me straighten my hair, primp and preen, then said to his mate, ‘wanna see something funny?’ and turned it on just enough to get to watch me run helplessly down St Kilda Road – right before I am about to meet someone for a job interview.

Clearly my afternoon was a success (thankfully the interviewer was most understanding!) and in light of the weather events of the day, it seemed only appropriate that the evening I had planned would contain hot chocolate, desserts and cocktails.

After grabbing a bargain on the Scoupon website weeks ago, fellow fashionista, Style Melbourne’s Sarah, her hubby and I skipped dinner and took the opportunity to indulge in a chocolate appreciation evening at Schocolate, Fitzroy – apt after a week of basically starving ourselves for Melbourne Spring Fashion Week.

French chef Damien, who had the most divine accent, took us through the Schocolate story. After his arrival in Australian just 18 months ago (when he didn’t speak any English!) Damien has created a chocolate sanctuary, nominated for many awards and listed as one of the best in Australia.

We started with a glass of wine then dived straight into the good stuff – white, milk and dark hot chocolate, served in shot glasses. The white was my favourite, perhaps because it was the sweetest and this is simply what we are used to, while the milk had a coconut taste from the Malibu that was incorporated. The dark was equally heavenly.

Following this we enjoyed a dessert – a small cake which although it looked heavy, was light as air. It was also Gluten Free, and was sort of a wafer and custard delicacy. YUM.

Starting to feel full and ill, the next serving was a dish of 5 individual chocolates, of which I only managed 2 (but took the others home). The chocolate that seemed the most popular around the table was a pistachio flavoured one which I wasn’t able to test because of its gluten content, however the ‘oddest’ flavour was Vegemite – who would have thought it!

Just when you thought you couldn’t eat any more chocolate, out came three single origin varieties, in button form. With my parking expiring on the street, I was torn between the final tastings and the threat of a parking ticket, but with chocolate in the mix, how could I go past the final treat?

A chocolate cocktail with Baileys, Kalahua, coffee, chocolate and cream was decadent and strong – not everyone’s cup of tea but certainly a pleasure to try. By now we were all chocolate-ed out, a sensation I never thought I would feel!

Shocolate run chocolate appreciation evenings regularly. Visit the website, or call to book.

Today is technically my first day of unemployment. How do I feel? Honestly? I feel sick. Yes, it’s exciting to plan coffee dates and lunches and catch ups but at the same time my head is saying – and how do you intend to pay for all these dates?

Fashion Week was a blast, but it was also a welcome distraction. I didn’t have time to dwell on the fact that I no longer have a job or an income. There wasn’t the luxury of feeling sorry for myself. Today feels like that day. Yesterday it was funny. Today, it’s real.

I couldn’t sleep in – I felt like I was doing something wrong. So I got up, did a few loads of washing, changed the sheets and vaccuumed, then started on the computer, writing, applying for jobs and following up emails. It’s only 11.30am and I already feel like I have run out of things to do.

I desperately feel like watching DVDs, and I am wearing trackies (shh, don’t tell anyone in fashion!) but I feel a bit like I am cheating myself if I do. I should be calling everyone I have ever met in my entire life, asking for contacts and referrals, praying I will find a job that I love soon.

Then there is the fear of actually finding that job. What if I am no good at it? What if they don’t like me? What if, What if, What if? I know the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach is simply anxiety, desperate to be fed with my overactive imagination and the fear of the unknown but I have to remember why I decided to leave my job in the first place and what my ultimate goals are.

In case you didn’t see it, the article below is why. I wrote this shortly after I resigned and when I reread it, I remember why I am doing this. I remember the excitement I felt and the fear of the unknown being a good thing. So i’ll read it again. And maybe you will too.

This article first appeared for Onya Magazine.

Crunch time.

I hand over the letter, slightly shaking, terrified. The person across the table opens it with a knowing look on their face, reads the content and smiles a funny little smile, a knowing smile but a smile with disappointment behind it.

I have just quit my job. My steady, stable, well paid, close to home, flexible, source of main income, job. And I don’t have a job to go to.

I’ll pause here while you decide what to say. Do you cringe inside, smile and say, ‘Wow, that’s really brave!’ Or maybe I sense that hint of ‘Oh my god, what have you done?!’ Perhaps you know me well and your first reaction is to say ‘Congratulations!’

So, now that you have decided how you feel about my life changing decision, I have one question to ask you before I tell my story. Would you do it? Would you quit your job, with no job to go to, when you still have a mortgage, and rent, and bills and unexpected expenses? Think about that now, then assess it again after you finish reading. I wonder if you will feel the same way.

Three years ago I was eighteen months out of University, desperate to make my mark in the world and chomping at the bit to find a place to work that would provide me opportunities, support my beliefs and put an expensive education to good use. I applied for many, interviewed for few and finally was offered my current position.

I remember the interview well – my future boss said she liked my shoes and I knew I was in. I remember sitting in the interview, nervous beyond belief, telling her that I was looking for a company where I could move up, spend many years learning and grow with the business. It wasn’t until two years later she told me that she didn’t believe a word of it.

As a part of Generation Y, we don’t tend to stay in jobs the way our Baby Boomer parents did. My father has worked for the same company since he was 17, with the exception of a midlife crisis of about 12 months where he decided to be a builder – this was something that I aspired to do, (stay in a company for a long time, not be a builder) but have discovered is not the way my generation does business.

We like to be challenged, motivated and offered tasks with responsibility, encouraged and given opportunities to be creative.  Generation Y doesn’t care, to a point, how much they are paid. We want to make a contribution. We want to change the world.

After three years in my role, I feel I have learnt all there is to learn. I have tried different things and decided the things I don’t want for my future. Now I have an opportunity to explore new territory, learn more and discover what I am really passionate about and what I do want for my future.

The saddest part of leaving your job is most often losing the friendships you have formed in the workplace. Often, you spend more time with the people in your team at work than with your family, and I won’t deny that the thought of not seeing some of these people every day nearly brings me to tears.

As someone who lives alone, the people I work with are my family. They know my quirks and nuances, laugh at my jokes and share my stories and successes. I recall starting at this company and feeling like I didn’t fit in. It took me a good six months to feel like I belonged but I imagine it will take much longer to feel okay with not seeing them every day.

It’s my second last day today and I am nervous about finishing up, but excited about all the opportunities that lay before me. The decision to quit without a job to go to was not made lightly and I still question it four weeks after it was made, but I am confident that I have a strong support network in place and should things go pear shaped, my family will be there to help me pick up the pieces.

At the end of the day, I have decided to leave to try new things, explore opportunities and discover where my passions lie. I want to know what I am good at, what I enjoy and what I can be happy doing eight hours a day, five days a week. If that means less money, then that’s ok. If it means a longer commute, that’s ok too. I’ll make new friends and learn new things – and scary as that might be, it’s the right thing to do for me.

So I ask you again – would you quit your job with no job to go to? Would you do it for less money if it meant your personal happiness? What would you sacrifice to be challenged and motivated? I may be the Girl Without a Platinum Card – I may not even have a card after this decision – but I know my happiness is worth more than anything plastic can buy.

I went into day seven of Melbourne Spring Fashion Week prepared. Bags of party mix lollies at the ready, I arrived for the last shift sad that we were nearly at the end but glad to know there was rest and a decent meal waiting at the end of the day.

The sun came out, then disappeared again. It rained, then cleared up. There was no way to know how the day would go weatherwise so we started by bringing over giftbags aplenty – stocked up with additional product for the last day, a result of over ordering and leftovers from the evening parades.

     
 
The last lunchtime parades, Generation Next, featured Supre, Bardot, Dotti and James Marlon. Lots of pretty things for me to ogle – that I will not be able to buy given my current status of employment – were seen on the catwalk and there was the ever present eye candy. But the last day was far from over.

Ruby Rose’s collection, Milk and Honey, was scheduled for a special parade at 4.30 and though we had been told earlier in the week there would be no gift bags, the leftover product changed that and we spent the afternoon stocking up more bags and eating lollies. The whole team were supremely grateful for the sugar fix and it made the bag packing and long day all the more bearable.

By 3.30, people were starting to arrive for Ruby’s show, queuing in the rain for the chance to see their idol. An hour later, the people waiting stretched across City Square and over towards the Kevin Murphy tent. It rained and the wind blew, but they waited.

I was moved from the VIP area to the door, where there was a concern the people would surge once the doors were opened. Little me; in my red knit and bubble skirt; doing crowd control. Seriously, for those who have met me, have a laugh – for those who haven’t, I’m about 5 foot nothing in flats and couldn’t stop a fly if it flew at me!

The crowd was very well behaved, considering the cold and masses of people, and I only had to tell off one couple who thought using the tent as a support while the girl climbed atop the guy’s shoulders was a good idea.

Ruby’s show was a hive of activity – I honestly couldn’t tell you that much about the clothes but the energy, excitement and music was enough to keep us going for the last few hours of our shift. The models – all volunteering their time – strutted their stuff and had some fun with the final show of the week, which included dancers, drag queens and cutting up clothes on stage.

Funniest moment of the day was the guy standing outside the tent, getting his groove on in the rain on the grassed area. I love that it was a ‘dance like no one is watching’ moment – while at least a dozen people saw and smiled.

And then it was over. The tent was cleared, we packed up and it was done. Hugs were exchanged by our team who had worked together for seven days to bring you two shows a day – and three on Sunday – in a venue plagued by wind, rain and the burden of Melbourne’s unexpected weather.

This also brings to an end my volunteering days. After five fashion festivals – two at MSFW, two at LMFF and one at RSFW – I have done my time taping shoes, steaming garments, carting giftbags, setting and resetting rooms and cleaning up all the stuff people leave behind. Having finishing up at my ‘real’ job the Friday before fashion week, now is my time to chase the dream and put all those hours of volunteering to good use, to find the job that means as much to me as volunteering does.

So happy end of Fashion Week. I hope you found something you loved, got a laugh out of me vacuuming, washing the catwalk or participating in crowd control or were inspired to follow your dreams. Keep visiting the Style Emporium for all the happenings in my life as I find new (paid!) employment and keep you up to date with what the cool kids are doing.

Image One and Two: Generation Next show
Image Three: Crowds for Ruby Rose
Image Four: Models for Ruby Rose
Image Five: Ruby Rose and her dog
Image Six: ‘Frog’, the show caller (who is fabulously eccentric and brilliant fun to work with)
Image Seven: The City of Melbourne team with Ruby Rose
Image Eight: The Town Hall after the seating was removed 

In less than 24 hours, Melbourne Spring Fashion Week will be over. I have ten working hours to go, have attended my final runway show and am looking forward to a HUGE glass of wine and a decent sleep in. This week I have worked 50 hours as a volunteer, attended 19 parades, written 4 in depth runway reviews, posted blogs every day and averaged 6 hours of sleep a night. Cheese and Vegemite sandwiches have been my staple diet for a week, berocca my beverage of choice, coffee my drug of preference. 

Super sports Saturday at the lunch series was scheduled to run in the middle of the massive weather event Melbourne has been waiting for since it was first predicted earlier this week. Heavy rains, wild winds and damaging hail – possibly the most rain we had seen since 1994 – certainly put a bit of a kick in our step as we went about setting up for the noon show.  The drizzle held off while we carted gift bags and by the time the show started, the wind and rain seemed to have died off.

AFL label Final 18 and Under Armour provided the clothing for the parade, an eclectic mix of sportswear, AFL team merchandise and athletic gear. Colours provided a great talking point on a drab and grey day while dancers ripped up the runway with some creative and clever moves. Essendon footballer Andrew someone or other (no idea who he was, I’m a Hawthorn girl!) was also in the parade, much to the delight of the audience.

Final 18 is a collection of ‘vintage’ AFL merchandise using the original logos (circa 1970s) of the 18 football clubs. The front of house volunteers were asked to wear the gear while working to promote it and I was lucky enough to score a hoodie with the hawks logo – small compensation for a week of hard work!

While the massive weather event never arrived today, the rain did set in last night after the 8.30pm parade when we attempted to make our way to The Galley for the official after party. A run in the rain, a quick trip on a tram and a dash across the road and we managed to make it in one piece despite the best efforts of taxi’s driving past. The Galley, upstairs from the Waterside Hotel on Flinders Street, was a nice spot, however it did take nearly an hour to bring cocktails we had ordered. Once they arrived, they were delicious! Another surprise was running into a group of people from work – or my previous work, the one I finished up at last week!  
 
   

Last night I also attended the David Jones Primped Look Book event, but I’ll blog more about this next week. Similarly, I called into the Stylist Says workshop today, hosted by Philip Boon  and you should all look forward to a guest post reviewing the session by What Would Karl Do blogger, Jess.

The RMIT show tonight was brilliant and a fantastic finale to a wonderful week of parades. I elected to opt out of the final after party, preferring instead to get an early night before heading to the last shift tomorrow, featuring Generation Next and Ruby Rose’s label, Milk and Honey.

Image One: Ruby Rose and Lucy McIntosh at the RMIT Student Parade.
Image Two and Three: Final 18 by AFL.
Image Four and Five: Urban Armour.
Image Six and Seven: More boys with no clothes on. Just cause.

Coffee, champagne and chocolate are the key ingredients to a successful fashion week.

You also need Berocca, Panadol, Party Feet, Dimetapp and Bandaids. After five days of fashion fun, I am going to own shares in a pharmacy and have lost 2kgs, but know that in just 3 more sleeps it will all be over, I’ll probably get sick and the 2kg I lost will turn into 4kg gained.

Friday started in a rush – the Commonwealth Games uniform media launch was being held in our tent from 10am so vacuuming and cleaning needed to be done prior to that, but we wouldn’t be able to set the room until they were done at 11. Gift bags were stacked to the side while the uniforms were showcased and we waited patiently for our cue to start setting the room.

When 11am hit, it seemed only moments later it was 2pm and the shows were over. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly time goes when you are busy and having fun.

Today’s show, ‘It’s a Man’s World’, was all about the boys, and as I have mentioned earlier this week, they are not half bad to look at! Leopold, Tarocash, yd, Dom Bagnato and Antoine Stanley dressed the boys up and down in looks suitable for the races, Saturday BBQs, the office or an afternoon at home.

Rhys Ulrich, MSFW male ambassador opened the show and Nick Bracks was a notable inclusion in the model lineup. So enjoy a few more pics of the beautiful ones – tomorrow is Sports Saturday and includes AFL stars so should be a great show if you are able to get down to City Square at 12pm or 1pm – just make sure you bring a brolly!!

In other highlights of the past 24 hours, last night I attended the GPO style session – definitely a highlight of the week – and designer parade three featuring a Gorman dress I may have to forgo food for.  The official after party was held at Campari House, where we popped in for a drink before dragging ourselves to bed – fashionistas do need their beauty sleep!!

Ladies. Welcome. This post is for you. Mostly the single ladies, but also the ones who just like to peek at what they are missing out on. Today’s lunchtime series parade at City Square, Beauty and the Beach, was a smorgasbord of washboard stomachs and ripped arms. Heaven. And it’s free.

Thursday at Melbourne Spring Fashion Week was cool, but the sun finally decided to shine on us and a perfect spring day welcomed us to the city. After a fairly early night (11pm, I’m such a party pooper!), it was a pleasant surprise to be walking to the tram and soaking up some rays.

The designer series parade yesterday was just beautiful, hailed as one of the highlights of the week, and it did not disappoint. Dinner before ended up at Chocolate Buddha, one of my favourites, with a quick drink afterwards at the Westin. Midweek at the festival and the late nights are starting to hit hard.

Presented by Target, Beauty and the Beach was full of colour and life – I think the pics speak for themselves. It’s always nice to see the models smiling, a stark contrast to the evening parades where serious stares rule the runway.

Everything ran super smoothly today – three days of practise and we are a well oiled machine! Tomorrow’s lunchtime parade is It’s a Mans World – get along to see more of these gorgeous boys in action!

Tonight is designer series 3 featuring Arabella Ramsay, Gorman, Leopold and Wayne Cooper and I am also attending the GPO style session – just another night in the life of Sarah!

Day three – the first day of spring – and it hasn’t stopped raining. All day.

It’s hard to imagine wearing the gorgeous pieces on the runway when outside is grey and bleak, but the energy levels remain high and I’m still managing to function. Even on just a few hours’ sleep.
Today, Wonderful Wednesday, kicked off at 6am when I banged the alarm in an effort to grasp at the last few moments of sleep. There was writing to be done – a review of last nights’ show for Onya Magazine – and my shift started at 9am. Up and at ‘em! Last night had ended up finishing rather late. Having worked til 7pm, I grabbed a cab home, made a super quick change into the Gary Bigeni dress and Ansdorf leather jacket – Tony Bianco nude heels – and hightailed it back to the Town Hall (must stop catching cabs when unemployed!) for the 8.30pm Designer Series show.

A quick drink in the VIP bar, a fabulous show and then off to the after party at 24 Moons on AC/DC lane. More champagne and an interview with MSFW TV (when I find the footage, I’ll post it!), I got home close to midnight and was very ready for bed. In an attempt to blog in the middle of the night, I dropped my laptop off the bed – oops! Laptop is ok, mobile broadband key was not. Shattered to nothingness. Not a good time to lose internet access!

But back to today and our Wet Wednesday. Womens Wonderland was the theme of the day (all clearly bought to you by the letter W) and was a show featuring Supre, Jacqui E, i.d.s, TS 14+, and Leonard St.

We carted gift bags from the Town Hall to City Square in the rain, vacuumed, buffed and shivered our way through the morning. By 11am, my hair had taken on Kate Winslet type proportions, just as curly and big as the starlet’s hair in Titanic. If only it was that colour. No celebs came out to see the shows today – not that I blame them – but Emily Power (Herald Sun) and Janice Breen Burns (The Age) came to the 1pm. If only I had the nerve to go and say hello!

As for the clothes, all totally wearable and affordable, although the TS 14+ stuff really took layering to a whole new level considering all the other labels were scantily clad. There were some great shoes by RMK and I can confirm nude shoes are the BIG thing for spring. If you don’t have any now, you will have by October – if not more than one!

After the fun and frivolity of the shows concluded, I looked outside to see a mini photoshoot with three models holding umbrellas taking place in the rain. But wait… that was MY umbrella! My clear, brightly polka dotted umbrella was centre stage for this shoot (which I am hoping will be in the either The Age or the Herald Sun tomorrow)! I’m just a little excited about this!

On tonight’s agenda? Dinner at The Mill restaurant; official dining venue of the evening; the 8.30 designer parade and a quick drink later this evening at Charlie’s Bar. Then its home for some much needed rest before it all starts again tomorrow!

What shows have you made it to, and what have been your favourites? Share them with me!

Image One: Models pose in the rain for a shoot
Image Two: The media riser photographers
Image Three: Four & Five: From the Womens Wonderland parade
Image Six: Models pose in the rain for a shoot with my polka dot umbrella!

In the past, everyone has wanted to be in bed with Peter Alexander. Today, everyone wanted to be in bed with his models. I think I have decided that quite possibly, the highlight of fashion week is seeing the most divine boys – men – walking the runway in little more than their underwear. Today was no exception.

I arrived for my first lunch series shift at 9am, bright, bubbly and ready to go. Assigned to work with the Front of House Manager (someone I have worked with in the past and am thrilled to be working with this year) I started my day vacuuming. I had to laugh, I don’t even vacuum my own house – but I did it (three times by the end of the day!) and I smiled. I washed the catwalk Cinderella style. I fetched coffee. But it didn’t matter because when it counted today, I was important.

I was stationed by the VIP seating – the 12pm show bought Ruby Rose, Lucy McIntosh and DJ Poet, Lauren Phillips and the Lord Mayor, while Janice Breen Burns made an appearance at the 1pm. On a day that was meant to be the nicest (weatherwise) of the week, we filled both shows with people on their lunchbreak cramming into the marquee in City Square to catch a glimpse of the latest pyjamas. Paris, pink and phwoarrr! come to mind when talking about Peter Alexander’s latest – dressing up for bed seems to be the newest trend on the catwalk.
 

Lace, colour and a touch of Aussie patriotism dictated the first three segments of the show before icons Vegemite and Bananas In Pyjamas closed in humorous fashion, with Peter himself gracing the catwalk in his PJ’s for the finale. While my shift was scheduled to end at 3pm and I had planned an afternoon of work before prepping for the designers show, it seems my efforts and hard work have not gone unappreciated and I ended up hanging around til 7pm to manage the area and close up shop.

On the plus side, I got to see Super Kawaii Mama herself, Candice DeVille present her vintage glamour workshop and as I write this via iPhone, Nikon are presenting a surprisingly popular fashion photography workshop. I’m counting on RedBull, coffee and champagne to get me through to this evening – and the hope that I can get away with wearing something simple tonight now I won’t have time to change!!

Image One: Australiana by Peter Alexander
Image Two: Lace trend by Peter Alexander
Image Three: Peter Alexander and the Bananas In Pyjamas in the finale
Image Four: Super Kawaii Mama shows us vintage styling