“Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.”

Oscar Wilde

Last Thursday evening I was lucky enough to be a guest at the launch of Fluoro magazine, a new generation version of an old favourite with lots to offer. Held in the atrium at Federation Square, designer types, trendy techs and fashionistas turned out to celebrate a labour of love by editor Nancy Bugeja and the housemouse team.

The magazine itself is a designers dream. Different paper stocks, foils, embossing and every typefont you can think of. There are interviews printed upside down, stitching through the centre of a page and spectacular artwork. It really is the product of imagination and best of all, its Melbourne based and Melbourne content.

Nancy spoke briefly about the magazine and her dream for the future of the publication, and all guests were presented with a copy to take home (or show off around the office that we were the first ones with copies, hot off the press!).

The drinks flowed and canapés moved through the crowd – rice paper rolls, rice balls, risotto servings and beef casserole were all very good, while the people mingled and chatted about the visionary magazine.

To round out the night perfectly, gift bags with goodies from Breadwell, Raleigh Paper, The Chocolate Box and Wrapped by housemouse were presented and I’m not ashamed to admit the edible goodies didn’t make it home. Yum!

Congrats to all involved in the magazine; the magazine is a work of art and the content engaging and appealing.

http://fluoromag.com to subscribe to this bi-annual publication (next edition due in March) and to grab your current copy now!

The year I started primary school, a uniform was introduced. Black tracksuit pants and a red tracksuit top was all I ever knew in my formative years, changing to a blue shirt and navy slacks as I moved into high school. This soon became a white shirt and navy skirt which as a rebellious 16 year old was quite brilliant because it was easy to wear a black bra underneath and fold the top of your skirt over to shorten the hem. Teaming this with knee high white socks for the trashy school girl look was always a winner. As I neared the end of high school I found myself in the standard school dress most days, then back into the black pants and red shirt for my after school job at the local cinema. My uniform story, and colours, had come full circle and I thought I was done.

Now, nearly 10 years after I finished high school (gosh, could I really be that old already?!), my creative freedom on dressing has had plenty of time to be unleashed. I dress for the job I want, not the job I have. I spend my weekends in heels and dresses while others enjoy the comfort of jeans and hoodies. Sometimes I change outfits three times a day, and I definitely change shoes more than that. Accessories, scarves, jewellery and hats adorn my boudoir while my closet is fit to bursting with clothes from the spectrum of cheap and cheerful to high end extravagance.

So what if, after 10 years of ‘expressing yourself’ through dress, you were forced back to the days of your schooling where the uniform was the outfit du jour? The reason for this sudden dilemma is that today, I am wearing a uniform. Black polo shirt with company logo. Black pants. Flat black shoes. Standard issue. Boring.

I’ve added a hair bow for flair and a trench to give it an edge, but underneath it all I am just another person on the street in a uniform. My outfit doesn’t express my personality, my ambition, my creativity or my ability to put together an outfit from scratch. It doesn’t say ‘hey, today I’m in yellow because I’m happy’, or ‘today I’m in red because I feel passionate’, or ‘blue today cause I feel sad’.

Uniforms suppress our feelings and don’t give us the chance to convey anything – be it favourite colours, favourite styles or favourite pieces. Uniforms create an aura of nothingness – and generally group a lot of people together that have nothing in common except what they are wearing. A uniform is constricting and for the most part, unflattering. The only thing (okay, 2 things) uniforms have going for them and that they can make you feel like you belong to something.

The second thing that is good about uniforms? Everyone loves a man in a uniform! Women are different – our shapes and sizes don’t fit the ‘one size fits all’ mould (with perhaps the exception of the French maid uniform but that is a blog post for another time) and most of the ‘sexy’ uniforms are male dominated professions. Bring on the firefighters and boys in their army greens any day!

Meanwhile, I’m grateful that my uniform experience is only a one day affair. Tomorrow I’ll be back in frocks and sky high heels, expressing myself and standing proud, showing the world what I am made of, perfectly accessorised all the way.

Today I watched Sex and the City for the billionth time. Every time I watch it I recite the lines and analyse the outfits and every time I see something new – something that wasn’t there before or something I haven’t noticed previously. Today it was a realisation. Carrie has bought a vintage ‘label-less’ dress for her wedding. She is confident with her purchase until a ‘label’ is thrust at her, and just like that her label-less dress is thrust to the back of the closest in favour of Vivienne Westwood couture. I’m not saying given the choice I would forgo Vivienne Westwood either, but Carrie forgot the reason why she bought the label-less vintage dress in the first place – simple and classic.

I am a bit of a label lover. What fashionista isn’t? I would love to live in a world where I can afford Prada, Burberry and Dior, but my salary doesn’t stretch that far. Some days it barely stretches to Target, but this is where ‘simple and classic’ are your keywords when shopping. For the most part, who knows what label you are wearing? I recently wore a Target dress to work, and was thrilled when someone who does know labels thought I was wearing Wayne Cooper.

And so to the point of today’s blog and the subject of sparkles. Sparkles of all kinds are going to be big this summer. Sequins, diamantes and metallics will be on every second lady and today I started to embrace this trend. Yes, I found my sparkle and I went label-less to do it.

The South Melbourne Market has become a bit of a treasure trove for me – I look forward to warmer weather where I can venture further to the Prahran and Queen Victoria Markets, but for now, South Melbourne provides plenty of inspiration for label-less fashion.

In a little boutique whose name is unknown, I today uncovered sequined ballet flats in silver and gold for $20 a pair. Among these shoes, there were others with bows (bows will also be massive this season), brilliant black pumps and end of season boots. All label-less, all cheap and all ready for you to take home today. I took home the silver flats, but I won’t lie when I considered getting both for that price.

These shoes are simple and classic – I could have paid up to $900 for the branded versions, but in a fashion world where the trends change from week to week (or at least season to season), $20 for the cheap and cheerful ones is not a big ask. And who is to know? (Besides all of you reading this now while I let you in on this little secret.)

So next time you are faced with the choice of a luxe label or label-less luxe, consider the latter and remember – simple and classic. It’ll be our little secret.

Stonnington Spring Fashion Runway

Stonnington Spring Fashion Runway
Wednesday 7 October at 7pm
& encore Thursday 8 October 2009 at 1pm
Malvern Town Hall

Find out what’s hot in the spring/summer 09/10 collections with the best of Stonnington designers from the precincts of Chapel Street, High Street Armadale, Toorak Road, South Yarra and Toorak Village.  The spectacular runway presentations will showcase over 50 of Stonnington’s favourite designers and brands at the Malvern Town Hall.

Tickets $20 (+booking fee) for each show from the Chapel Off Chapel box office Telephone 8290 7000 www.chapeloffchapel.com.au

Stonnington Fashion Industry Forum
Wednesday 7 October 2009 at 1pm

Hear successful and iconic members reveal the secrets behind their success, explore innovative and emerging retail trends and impart their insights into survival in the business of fashion.  For more information please go to Fashion Industry Forum.

This is a special event for the fashion industry and entry is free but bookings are essential at Chapel Off Chapel box office Telephone 8290 7000 www.chapeloffchapel.com.au

I sometimes wonder, if I hadn’t been bought up to be so sensible (thanks mum) what my addiction of choice might be. Alcohol? Gambling perhaps? Petty theft? I’m fairly addicted to shopping if we really think about it. I know I have an obsessive compulsive personality, and an addictive one, so I guess it’s good that it’s channelled into other areas of my life, like work and writing. An addiction by any other name is really just ‘dedication to the cause’.

As I sat down tonight to write my blog and do other various bits and bobs on the computer, I automatically raided the pantry for something to snack on while working. I’d had dinner. It’s not like I was hungry. But the bag of Cadbury Milk Bottles hiding on the top shelf were on the menu. Now, if you haven’t tried Cadbury milk bottles, please do so. As far as milk bottles go, they are the best you can get and it might help you understand what I am up against here. They are creamy, not too hard or too small – kinda firm on the outside but smooth chewiness in the centre. I know that sounds like a bit of an oxymoron, but trust me when I tell you they are to die for. Anyways, I had one. Then three. Then ten. Then when half the bag was gone, I chastised myself, folded the bag over and put it out of arms reach.

And this is where my addiction, my obsessive compulsive personality takes over. Finish the bag, it says. You don’t like to leave things unfinished! That’s not how you were bought up! If you finish it now, then you won’t buy anymore lollies, or chocolates, or chips etc next time you are at the shops, and it will all be gone! You can start that diet tomorrow! And look at the calories, only 1600 for the whole bag? That’s not so bad! You’ll go for a walk tomorrow, or go to the gym and maybe on the weekend you can walk around the lake…

Before I know it the bag is empty. Then the guilt sets in. So I tell myself I won’t buy anymore sugary snacks, treats or sweets. I figure, if it’s not in the cupboard, I can’t eat it and it will be just as easy as that! But those in the same boat as me know its not and come shopping day next week, those sneaky bags of goodness will find themselves back in the trolley.

If I was a gambler, or an alcoholic, I could seek professional help for my addictions. If my shopping ever got out of control, I am pretty sure there are support groups I could join. But what support group is there for eating whole bags of lollies? Sugar Addicts Anonymous? Hi, my name is Sarah and I can’t stop at one milk bottle. Or a handful of peanut butter m and m’s. Or a row of Cadbury chocolate. It’s definitely an illness I need to combat – or at the very least I will acquire an different type of illness (like diabetes!) if I don’t learn to stop at one.

What can’t you stop at one with? Share with me! (It will make me feel better!)

Grab a copy of Grazia this week with Nicole Ritchie on the cover – I’m featured on the Fashion Jury on page 104!
Do you agree with my comments?

As the weather gets nicer, my move to the city is ever affirmed. I love it here. The sunshine and breeze (ok, strong winds at times) only serve to show me how our fabulous city lights up in the glow of the spring sun and shines like a diamond at night. Waking up to the rays coming in the window and knowing that everything you could possibly want to do on a sunny Sunday is just a short walk away is a most amazing feeling, and one that I was pleased to have yesterday. Expecting a pleasant 21 degrees, I donned Capri pants and a ¾ sleeve top, a scarf for colour and headed out with my tote bag, sunglasses and flats.

My first stop was the South Melbourne Market (www.southmelbournemarket.com.au). This place is brilliant just for a wander or to do your weekly grocery shop. I love people watching here, and I swear every second woman yesterday was pregnant.  You can find fruits and vegetables, deli’s and butchers, bakeries, cheese specialists and seafood for the masses. Coffee was first on my list to help combat the mild hangover, but the sunshine and atmosphere did more for that than the caffeine did. Shoes, clothes, homewares and flowers, the South Melbourne Market has all of this – and then some. Apparently they are also famous for their dimsims, but being a Celiac, I’m not able to try them!

I ventured further along Clarendon Street, heading for Crown. Strolling Crown promenade along the river, I watched families and couples enjoying the day and headed for Southbank. Here, under the Arts Centre, is the Sunday Makers Market. Lot’s of homemade wares line the pathways under Hamer Hall, and wind their way up to St Kilda Road. The stalls lead back into the glorious sunshine where I took a break on the stone wall of the National Gallery, watching the tourists and visitors and the water fountain. Someone had dumped a packet of coloured plastic knives into the fountain – and although I realise this is trash, the colour and abstract nature of it amuses and surprises me.

The National Gallery of Victoria (www.ngv.vic.gov.au) is a wonderful place to spend 15 minutes or a few hours. I considered visiting Salvador Dali, but the queue for tickets was prohibitive and I elected instead to view the free exhibits. Persuasion – Fashion in the age of Jane Austen was still on show and although I had already been twice, you can still find things you missed. The European paintings and sculptures exhibit was fairly phenomenal – Picasso and Monet included – then the beautiful Wedgewood display. Time spent in the NGV shop is never a waste; they have amazing books and gifts for the hard to buy for person and then as I left, grabbed my free copy of the Age.

Back to Southgate for lunch, I selected a table at EQ Café Bar (www.eqcafebar.com.au) on the second level right on the walkway. Café garden chairs with cushions in the full sun, I ordered juice and the roast pumpkin and baby spinach salad and watched the world go by for the next few hours. A good dose of news and culture reading the Age and then I could have easily fallen asleep basking in the warmth. A quick look at the shops inside and then downstairs to Trampoline Ice Creamery for a spot of dessert. White chocolate with raspberries and macadamias; peanut butter with peanut brittle and stock standard strawberry made a great combination and was the perfect finish to a perfect afternoon. I stood overlooking the river, watching a man with his ipod headphones in sing at the top of his lungs – the epitome of the ‘dance like no ones watching’ phrase.

I grabbed the number 1 tram back to South Melbourne, stopped off for groceries and wandered back home again, tired and full, but happy with a fabulous day spent on the town, exploring and enjoying. I look forward to more spring days and summer sunshine to discover St Kilda, Albert Park and the city centre, led only by my imagination and the comfort of my shoes.

I am sure most of you have been on a shopping tour before. You know the deal – a fundraising effort by schools, kindergartens or sports teams – a bus is hired, women of all ages flock and you spend the day getting driven to various outlets around the Melbourne area, finding bargains along the way. The hostess gives you regular updates on how much you have spent and the more you spend, the more goes to your local school, kindergarten or sports team. Somewhere along the way you stop to refuel at a pub for lunch and when 6pm rolls around all you can think about is lying on the couch with a cold compress and a glass of wine. Shopping tours are not for the faint hearted. They are 10 hours of hardcore spending, and you need to be in your best form – flat shoes, easy to change clothes and most importantly, a signature ready hand for all those credit card transactions.

Our shopping tour this past Saturday was hosted by Jackie’s shopping tours, but there are many that operate in the Melbourne area. Host Felicity was very helpful, especially as I was meeting the group at the first outlet rather than being picked up by the bus and needed a few directions. Beaches Clothing in Brunswick East was our first stop, and whether I wasn’t quite awake yet or too busy hankering after that first coffee of the morning, I wasn’t too thrilled by what was on offer. Heaps of kids clothing lined the racks, with men’s and women’s gear right up the back. Most of the stock was ex Target merchandise and for the group we were supporting – a local kindergarten – Mums and Grandmas were crazy for the stuff. Once back on the bus 30 minutes later, Felicity informed us that the total spend was over $1,000 – a great way to start the day. Second on the agenda was Holeproof where I again didn’t think the outlet was anything worth writing home about. Bonds gear sold for the RRP while Sachi shoes were barely discounted. It’s been a while since I have been to individual outlets (regular readers will know I frequent DFO) but ‘back in the day’, the factories were significantly cheaper than the retail outlets. Is this a product of the recession? I picked up some Leona Edminston tights here for $12 but the day stretched before me and I was already feeling that I might come home disappointed.

Finally our third outlet struck gold – Sweet Success, a chocolate fundraising outlet. You will all know what a fan I am of Peanut Butter M and Ms – this place had them for $2 a bag! Not to mention the samples here were amazing. In an era where most places won’t even let you smell a product, Sweet Success has buckets on offer for you to try. Before 10am and before I had even had a coffee I enjoyed coconut rough, raspberry bullets, chocolate covered bananas and peppermint creams. A sugar high rather than a coffee boost kept me going for the next outlet, Toyworx, in Reservoir. As a single girl with more interest in footwear than fairy costumes, I did a lap and took the opportunity to take a powernap on the bus. I could have done some Christmas shopping but I was ill prepared without a list and reports from the educated toy-shoppers advised Big W provided better value.

A homewares outlet was next and considering I had just moved from a house sized kitchen to an apartment sized one, I didn’t think Corningware and Pyrex should be on my must-have list. I will concede that this place was cheap though – 3 heavy glass mixing bowls of various for $10 and roasting dishes for under $20. Perhaps we should have bought some gear here and cooked our own lunch as the pub lunch we received was beyond below average. Croxton Park in Thornbury appeared to be the shopping tour lunch hub at 12pm on a Saturday and they were clearly pumping the meals out of the kitchen to accommodate. Roast Lamb with vegies alternated with a Parma and chips but everything was dry and poorly presented. Dessert of individual Pavlova topped with fruit came straight from the freezer; the plates were still cold and the fruit (from a can) overly chilled. Nevertheless, cookies baked by one of the girls and a selection of lollies on the bus kept our energy levels up and we hit the afternoon running.

Finally we were headed to some outlets I could get my hopes up about – Diana Ferrari and the handbag warehouse among them. Diana was first and as soon as I walked in I spotted sunglasses reduced by 25%. As we are actually coming into summer, I don’t see any reason to discount sunglasses so was quite happy with this as my first real purchase of the day. This was quickly followed by a discovery that the store had a special on – Buy one item and get 50% off the second. I scoured the racks and found a few frocks to try on – totally spring and totally appropriate for the races. The first dress I decided on is a white satin with hand painted purple flowers, black Grecian inspired straps and a black empire line tie. The second is a combination of reds, oranges, pinks and creams with ruffle v neck and wrap around tie belt. It’s very pretty but very hard to describe, and this image, nor the purple dress, does either justice. Hold out for the races when I will have pics wearing them! Just next door at the handbag outlet I scored a Jag clutch that matches the second dress and within half an hour of arriving at Fairfield I had given my card a good workout.

Back to the bus and onto bigger and better outlets, we arrived at 1999 in Collingwood, an outlet with apparel and nothing over $20. This one had been built up on the bus – I only hoped it lived up to its reputation. Similar to Beaches, 1999 stocks ex Target, Kmart, Big W, Sportsgirl, Forever New, Sussan and Witchery among others. This was the only outlet where I wished we had more time – after collecting about 15 dresses and starting trying them on, there wasn’t time to return to the store to try on sizes one smaller or one larger – a result of the lack of sizing standards in Australia. I picked up a Witchery one shoulder dress in cream, a flowing Sussan dress in navy that will be great with a brown belt and heels, and a Sportsgirl skirt for the office. At this stage I was starting to get credit card guilt but at the same time thinking how thrilled I was with everything I had found thus far. I was however placated by the summaries given by Felicity each time we returned to the bus – at this stage we were somewhere around the $4000 mark for total spend for the day and we still had several outlets to go.

At Natio in Abbotsford I got some primer and under make up sunscreen (a reaction to Friday nights PRIMPED forum where I learnt about the importance of sun protection for the skin) and tested the lipbalms on offer before we headed to the Breville outlet in Collingwood. With no need for electrical appliances, a few of us wandered away from the group and checked out Dejcuba, Pumpkin Patch and Barkins. Barkins turned out to be a winner, I picked up some purple peeptoe pumps and when I went to the register to pay, received the matching clutch and a corsage for free as part of a special offer they are running at the moment! Together with the purple dress from Diana Ferrari, I have at least one complete outfit for the spring racing carnival for under $200.

The final outlet was Carters Jewellery and they proved an unimpressive end to the day. I was at the point where my main concern was getting home before the rain hit and thinking about what my cocktail of choice would be upon getting there. I am a seasoned shopper and can seriously say that shopping tours are a lot of fun – but also a lot of hard work. You will come home tired and broke but if you are lucky you found a few bargains and maybe a few gifts in the process.

Jackie’s Shopping Tours can be contacted on 9852 0499 or visit www.jackiesshoppingtours.com.au

My favourite outlets of the day were:
Diana Ferrari, 262 Darebin Road Fairfield
1999, 96 Rokeby Street Collingwood
Sweet Success, 23 Colebrook Street Brunswick

Just when I thought life couldn’t get more exciting after Fashion Week, another 7 days has passed and I find myself so busy I don’t know where the time has gone! ‘So what has been happening?’ I hear you ask…so read on and hear all about another wonderful week!

After Miss Greens Garden Party last Sunday, I ventured out to the suburbs to celebrate Fathers Day at the Kilsyth Club with my parents, brothers and brothers girlfriend’s family. Frocked up as I was for the Garden Party, I did look slightly out of place at the local bistro but a few glasses of wine and lot’s of laughs made for a wonderful evening, and a really good way to thank Dad for being the best father around!

Monday bought back my ‘real life’ of work and school and all the dreariness that follows the excitement of Fashion Week. Luckily for me, class finished early and I took up an invitation to listen to a friends partner play in an unsigned band competition at Revolver Upstairs on Chapel Street. A folksy Alanis Morisette type kicked the night off before The Chochies took the stage. A great band with well written original songs, you would never have known this was their first gig playing to a live audience. Although a relatively early night, it was a thrill for me to go out on a school night and meet new people, visit a new venue and hear some local talent!

Wednesday night was again an opportunity to be out on the town and I attended the latest event hosted by Escapade Events, a screening of ‘The September Issue’ with a fashion parade and an opportunity to mix and mingle with new people. You will remember I attended the launch of Escapade Events some weeks back, and this event was just as much fun as the first. Held at the Kino cinema on Collins Street, we were greeted by Kimberley Smith, event extraordinaire, and treated to a sumptuous array of finger foods, cupcakes, and Brown Brothers wines, before heading to the cinema for the fashion parade, put on by students at the Melbourne School of Fashion. If the RMIT students at MSFW were into differentiation and creativeness, then the Melbourne School of Fashion students were all about elegance and bespoke couture. Lots of strapless numbers with corset style tie up backs in complimentary colours, an amazing backless jacket, fur and sparkles. There were long trains and short skirts; 80s shoulder detailing and amazing fabrics. Make up by Linvia and jewellery by MicoMico Jewellery complemented the outfits. The movie was just as amazing as my first screening at the Melbourne Film Festival – a real life version of The Devil Wears Prada.

Rounding out the week on Friday night I attended the David Jones PRIMPED lookbook event, hosted by Zoe Foster. Zoe talked us through the trends for Spring Summer in makeup and hair, and the best ways to look after your skin. A brief tour of the David Jones cosmetics area highlighted key brands and the best products. Champagne and sushi were served, and we finished our session with questions and an amazing David Jones gift bag. I attended with Kimberley of Escapade Events and following the event, we hit Ella Bache for a skin consultation. We were photographed under UV lights and the damage of 20+ years of sun exposure could already been seen on close inspection. Although I was told I have fairly fabulous skin, apparently it could be really, really fabulous with a bit of upkeep and maintenance. The most important thing I learned on Friday night was that it only takes 8 minutes of being outside for sun damage to occur, even when it’s overcast. In essence – unless you need a torch to see, you should be wearing sunscreen!!
Kimberley and I continued our night by downing shots and cocktails at Tony Starr’s Kitten Club on Little Collins Street – the scene of the launch for Escapade Events was so wonderful that we just had to go back. The place was packed and the perfect spot to have some laughs and hang out on a Friday night.

So all in all, my first week back ‘in my real life’ ended up being pretty awesome. Coming up to one month of living in the city, I can safely say I truly love it here and every second is a new experience and reason to smile. There are so many places in Melbourne to see and explore – come to an Escapade Events night out and meet some new people or visit one of the great little bars and try a cocktail. You won’t regret it!

Escapade Events has an 80s movie double and cocktails night on September 25 – details and tickets at www.escapadeevents.com.au
Revolver Upstairs Melbourne Fresh Tuesday Nights – www.revolverupstairs.com.au
Tony Starr’s Kitten Club – For fab cocktails and fab atmosphere! www.kittenclub.com.au