The Little Black Dress

Every woman has one (and perhaps even some men-hey, it's cool, I don't judge) and I myself have at least ten. I'm talking about the ultimate wardrobe staple, the item of clothing that can get you out of any 'holy crap what am I going to wear?!' situation. The piece of clothing that can be made formal or casual, get you from point A to point B, take you from day to night and pretty much has the ability to cover the dress code for any event. WHAT'S THAT? THE ANNUAL PENCIL SHARPENERS CONVENTION IS ON?! WHY, I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT TO WEAR! And that, of course, would be the Little Black Dress (or LBD if your 'down with the lingo', as the kids are saying these days). The LBD truly is the champion of the wardrobe so I thought I would write this little post to show my respect...after all, it's gotten me out of more fashion conundrums than I care to think about.

Fashion historians will ascribe the origins of the Little Black Dress to the 1920's design by Coco Chanel, which was originally a dress that was created for it's simple, versatile, affordable and timeless appeal. True to it's origins, the Little Black Dress has indeed remained timeless for the past 95 years, and you know what? I can't see this as a trend that will ever disappear. So, the next time you slip into your little black number, say a little thank you because you know it's always got your back.

What I'm wearing
Dress: from H and M
Shoes: vintage from Amsterdam
Necklace: from designer ACHE
Chambray shirt: from an op shop in Paris

The Moroccan Soup Bar...and those sweet sweet baked chickpeas

When people told me to arrive at the all vegetarian Moroccan Soup Bar early, little did I know how precious this pearl of wisdom would be. I thought it's opening time of six pm would surely allow me to beat the rush, but apparently not so. When I arrived the restaurant was still closed, yet there was a queue of at least twenty people winding up St George's Road and when the doors finally opened to the eagerly awaiting crowd (including couples, hipsters, families and some seriously cute kids) I just managed to nab the final table. After my experience here, I can indeed concurr that it is most definitely worth the hype.

It doesn't look like much, from either inside or out, but from the moment you recieve your complimentary cup of steaming pepermint tea you know your stomach is going to be one happy chappy of an organ. My friend and I feasted (and I quite literally mean feasted) on the Standard Banquet which you get for one crisp 20 dollar note. Thats right, for just twenty bucks you too can eat so much you feel as though you have hommus coming out your eyeballs (Note To Self: See if this is actually scientifically possible...if so, consume eye dip). We began with a plate full of hommus, baba ganoush, spiced yogurt and pickled vegetables served with a basket of warmed flat bread. Good start, but don't overeat here (tis the fool who fills up on bread! curses to you delicious flatbread!), because next you'll be greeted by a plate of lentil dahl with two types of pilaf and more spiced yogurt, a delicously gooey vegetable tagine sweetly sitting in tomato sauce atop couscous and then, there's the baked chickpeas. Honestly, there is only one way to describe them, amazballs. perhaps even incrediballs (Note To Self Number Two: Ensure that 'incrediballs' makes it into the official Oxford English Dictionary). Covering wonderfully oiled and crispy shards of flatbread these chickpeas are ensconced  in a delectable hommus and sprinkled with spices. You'll laugh, you'll cry, they'll change your life. No jokes....trust me, I would never joke about chickpeas. Afterwards you'll be offered coffee and sweets but after so much kingly eating I would take my Mimco fascinator off to you if you could manage to fit in anything else.

So, for a great night of mass and cheap eating, a family friendly vibe with no pretention whatsever and dreams of chickpeas to haunt you through the night, then head to the Moroccan Soup Bar. It's well worth the wait...but better yet, get there early. Like, really early.

The Rose Street Artists Market

Ahh, the Rose Street Artists Market. It's like a faithful friend really. Open every weekend, rain or shine (though if we're talking about Melbourne Spring, lets face it, it's more likely to be rain), on both Saturday and Sunday for your happy convenience. Situated on graffiti covered Rose Street this market has a bit of Brunswick Street grunge, a friendly community vibe and more than a touch of talent on display. While not huge, there's pretty much everything you would ever want all in the one space; jewellery, clothes, cute quirky cards, random cool stuff (can't have a hipster market without that!), ceramics and delectable cupcakes...mmm, cupcakes. My top picks? Jewellery made from watch parts (radest cuff links ever. I wish I were a man just so I could buy them. That's normal, right?) from designer Alison St. James, the Able and Game crew selling their completely hysterical stationary and designer Call Me Ishmael, who produces little scenes in glass bottles as well as dinosaur cacti vases. This is the kind of stuff that you never knew you needed or wanted until you realised it existed. There's also the cafe, Kanteen, on site to provide hungry shoppers with sustenance.

What's really great about the Rose Street Market is that usually the people standing behind the counter are, in fact, the designers themselves, meaning you can find out exactly how they created that pattern, beaded that necklace or baked that cupcake. There's something very cool and real about being able to understand where and how the product you love was crafted and here you can do exactly that!

So if you've never had the pleasure of attending the ever so friendly Rose street Artists Market, I would highly recommend that it makes it on your To Do list. Guaranteed you'll leave with your heart, and not just your wallet, a little lighter.

Status Anxiety

Everyone knows the importance of the perfect bag. It's got to be the perfect size, shape, colour, style, quality and, lets face it, price. All of these factors can be a little daunting, particularly when your looking at spending hundreds on 'the' bag, because if you get it wrong you may end up feeling like a 'douche' bag. You know, that moment when the shopping high has ended and you're at home wondering why you thought beige was a better choice than black (always, always go black people).

So, when I walked into my second place of work (Five Boroughs at 345 Lygon Street, East Brunswick) and saw these gorgeous 'Some Secret Place' leather bags by Australian designer Status Anxiety, I knew that I would sell my grandmother just to get my hands on one (sorry nan, it's nothing personal). Made from a gorgeous buttery leather (really, they taste like butter! I know because I licked one...I mean, err), and lined with cotton they are of the very highest quality and they're the perfect size and shape. Not too small that you can only fit in one Paris Hilton sized Chiwawa but not so big that you feel like you're carrying a boom box. There's both a short strap for some hand held action but when you need your hands free there's a shoulder strap too! Wow, it's just the bag that keeps on giving...it's like it's practically begging me to buy it! To top it off, the bag comes in three beautiful colours, black, a dark tan and grey, so really you have all your bases covered. Size and shape? Check. Colour? Check. Style? Check. Quality? Check. And price? Well...I'm going to say that in terms of cost per wear I'll practically be paying nothing for it. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! The 'Some Secret Place' bag really sums up perfection. Guarenteed there will be no douche baggery with one of these babies hanging off your arm.

Check out more from Status anxiety on their website at www.statusanxiety.com.au

Breakfast With Monsieur Truff

I'm sure that most of you will agree with me when I say that there's nothing better than the smell of a freshly made hot chocolate in the morning...unless it's a 72% coco mass Ecuadorian hot chocolate that's served to you by a waiter with an incredibly cute French accent. This kind of perfect morning is indeed made a reality at Monsieur Truff, a cafe situated at the East Brunswick end of Lygon street where the coffee is great, the food is fantastic and the chocolate is, well, pure happiness in a cute little ceramic tea cup.

Monsieur Truff has all the aspects of a specialty chocolate cafe without being gimmicky and has maintained a sense of style within it's well thought out and completely and utterly delicious menu. I indulged in a plate of sourdough toast with smoked salmon, a poached egg and grated apple with a garnish of caper berries. A perfectly balanced dish with just the right amount of sweetness and acidity...I won't lie to you, I've actually had dreams about this breakfast since. No, really. My two lucky dinning companions melted into their own plates of sourdough toast with mushrooms, spinach and an incredibly creamy ashed goats cheese (which I may, or may not, have snuck off her plate when she absented herself to the bathroom), and a pretty little jumble of avocado, fresh tomatoes, basil and Yarra Valley Persian feta on toast. Needless to say we were completely stuffed and satisfied after our breakfast, however, if you felt so inclined as to have one of the scrumptious chocolate croissants or escargots from the sweets cabinet, they come highly recommended. Or perhaps if you're too full you can by yourself some take away chocolate from the little shop for the perfect afternoon treat. The whole space itself it very pleasant as well. It's large and open, light and spacious making it easy for the many mothers (note: This is the perfect cute baby watching location) to push their prams around in, and the plants sporadically dotted around are a lovely touch.

So, you've got cute babies, French accents, delectable food and the perfect hot chocolate...really, who needs to fly to Paris when we've got our own little slice right hear in Melbourne.

Five Boroughs Garage Sale

What a beautiful day we had today at the Five Boroughs garage sale! There was a fantastic array of vintage bric-a-brac available such as old cameras, furniture, hard cover books and beautiful tea cups and sauces. As well as these there were some gorgeous vintage clothes for sale (brought to you by my two red haired friends with a slight obsession for all things vintage-who can blame them really!) that were so cheap they were pretty much free. My own clothes didn't sell so well...as in, I earned enough to cover my two very necessary coffees for the day and the Myki fair that got me to East Brunswick (though this could have something to do with the expense of our public transportation system). Perhaps I should see this as some sort of sartorial sign? Maybe these clothes really do deserve another shot in my wardrobe. Despite my minimal monetary gains however, I still had a great day selling some fantastic items, chatting to the friendly locals and watching the cutest kids devour our homemade marshmallow covered cupcakes.

Alice McCall-ing me

Hi everyone, my name's Amelia and I'm a dressaholic *insert chorus if slightly slurred acknowledgements here*. I don't really know what happens to me, it's like when I see a beautiful dress I just can't control myself. no matter how much money (or lack thereof) I have in my wallet, all I can think about is buying that garment. I had a particularly bad reaction the other day when I saw the beautiful new Spring/Summer collection by Alice McCall...it was not just one of her dresses that I wanted, but all of them! My palms got sweaty, I began to shake, I'm having re-occurring dreams concerning the dresses in question...their beautiful pastel colours...gorgeous lace detailing...mmmm.

I digress!

My point is that Alice McCall has most definitely made it onto my fashion radar this season. With a unique blend of bohemian, rock and roll and feminine elements the charm of her label is in the detail-she is able to combine stylistic elements and trends for the season in such a way that appeals to a wide and varying audience (ie. she would never create a hat that looked like a huge fishbowl and call it 'street fashion'). McCall launched her own label at Australian Fashion Week in 2004 (after designing for brands such as Buddhist Punk and Australia's Sass and Bide) and calls it the 'springboard' to the labels success, as department stores such as David Jones, Barneys New York and Harrods London, all purchased her line shortly afterwards.

Call it what you will but McCall's 'Edith dress', 'Bernstein maxi dress', 'Cecile dress' and most of all her 'Clemence maxi dress' have me in a fit of shivers. I'm doing my best, I really am. That's why I'm here, talking to you all to try sort through these problems...guys?...guys? God, A A members are the worst listeners! Looks like I'll just have to get my therapy elsewhere...I hear window shopping works wonders...

From top to bottom:
Clemence Maxi Dress in lavender
Edith Dress in Blood Orange
Cecile dress in lavender
Bernstein maxi dress in peach

A Blender Bender

Sometimes I feel as though Melbourne is the city that just keeps giving. Honestly, You think you know a place and then BAM, you turn down a lane way that you never knew existed that's home to a market you'd never heard of that features all these great Melbourne designers you're now in love with! God I love this city! I am, in fact, referring to my recent run in with the Blender Lane Artists Market, nestled sneakily down Blender Lane (obviously) just off Franklin street (that's 110 Franklin Street to be precise). It's a very small space in comparison to it's obese cousin, the Queen Victoria Market just around the corner, but here I feel like quality and general atmosphere matters more than size. With it's graffitied walls, rickety stalls filled with wonderful creations and a live band hipstering things up while a traditional tea ceremony goes on in the corner (and this is in a lane way people-it doesn't get cooler than that!), the Blender Lane Market hits all the right notes.

I stumbled upon some fantastic artists I'd never heard of before like ADi and the amazing jewellery by Echoes of a Dream as well as designers who are staples in my wardrobe like Run Wild Horses, who continue to amaze me by transforming old watches into wearable art. Pair these with some brilliantly made Turkish treats (my companion inhaled one, pretty much proposed marriage to the stall holder and then promptly ordered another) and the cutest little cupcakes I've seen and you've got yourself one hellova market!

Blender Lane doesn't run every Saturday but do not despair my fellow Melburnian's as this market will be running every Wednesday night through summer from the 14th of November until the 27th of February. So make sure you get down there for an artsy bender at the Blender.

Dirty Dancing With The Devil

You know what? I feel a bit bad for poor old Satan really, he's got the worst reputation. People think he's all fire, brimstone and torturing souls after death (god, people can be so dramatic!), but I reckon he's not half bad. On Thursday night I had a wonderful dining experience with Lucifer himself (or 'Lucie', as I like to call him...we're on a first name basis you see), where I was tantalized by whimsy, great food and even better vodka.

I am, of course, talking about Brunswick Streets 'Naked For Satan', the Spanish style pintxos restaurant. Pintxos are delectable morsels of food usually served on bread with toothpicks available both hot and cold. It really is the perfect way to eat, you have one hand free for eating, one hand free for drinking and if you can resist either if those for a few minutes, a mouth free for happy chatter. Naked for Satan has a great fit out going on, with tables for groups, stools for couples, and couches and benches for everyone else in between. As well as this, the mood lighting, iron work surrounds and crazy chandeliers create a rather temptuous and seductive atmosphere. The name of this restaurant originates from the Russian Leon Satanovich who, during the depression, turned the Brunswick street warehouse into a place where he could create vodka stills. The story goes that during the scorching Melbourne summers he would work in just his underwear in order to keep cool and those who were endeavouring to assist him would use the code phrase 'lets get naked for Satan'. Naked for Satan definitely does justice to the old warehouse's history with vodka, producing scrumptious infusions like lychee and ginger, watermelon and mint, opium and rose and, perhaps for the not so faint hearted, the 'naked bitch chilli and cherry'. The food is also great, you may have things like cream cheese, beetroot and walnuts, baby potato and taleggio, traditional tortilla or capsicum, eggplant and coriander all stuffed on to a small mouth appropriate sized piece if bread. And as they're all only two dollars (or one dollar Sunday through to Wednesday-winning!) you can stuff your face until you feel like the epitome of a seven deadly sin-gluttony!

So go on, don't be shy. Take your clothes off and get Naked for Satan...I promise you, it's much more fun on the dark side.

A Few of My Favourite Things

Suffice to say that I have a lot of stuff crammed into my wardrobe...and chest of draws...and 

jewellery stand...cough. So when I decided to write this blog entry about a few of my most 

loved items (a little stock take if you will), I accepted the sad fact that that I may have to limit 

said items to my favourite accesseries that I reccently purchased overseas. A few of my 

dresses didn't take the news all that well and I was almost tackled by a particularly 

aggressive fur vest (perhaps a warewolf in a past life?), and then I remembered that my 

clothes can't actually talk or perform teakwondo...don't lie, I know you've all been there.

So without further ado (and to borrow the wise words of a certain Austrian musical) these are 

a few of my favourite things...

I almost died when I found these earrings in Amsterdam and though they cost me an arm and 

a leg (it's true, dressing myself is a real challenge now) they are most certainly worth the 

amputation.

From left to right: A beautiful handmade beaded clutch from Perugia (Italy), both silver earrings from Granada (Spain), a ring by the Spanish designers Banjo and Lola that I purchased in Paris (and if you don't know where Paris is then stop wasting your time reading my blog and study a map!) and this gorgeous handmade necklace made specially for me by a friend in Rome.

I have a bit of a thing for oversized earrings (it's something i'm working through with my therapist) and i'm pretty sure a vast majority of the extra weight in my suitcase on my return journey home was due to these pretty things. From top: gold wave earrings that I picked up at the Brick Lane Markets in London, a vintage green and orange pair bought at a market in Perugia and egyptian style earrings from our good old friend H and M.

I may also have a condition that renders me helpless when faced with the prospect of buying statement necklaces (these ones from a market in Paris), but they where only two euros each, I swear!

And last but not least, the shoes. I couldn't fit them all in the frame of the photo (ahem, six new pairs) but these two are my special little favourites. The black are vintage Italian leather from the coolest vintage shop in Amsterdam and the suede brown pair are by the brand Desigual that my good friend (thank god!) persuaded me to buy in Paris.

Coffee Snobbery

I'm a coffee snob. There, I said it. But as a Melburnian who serves coffee in what can now be described as one of the world's leading coffee capitals, I feel that I have a valid excuse. And yes, chances are that if you order a take away weak soy decaf latte with me in the morning I may have a tiny little sigh to myself and hope that one day you'll actually drink real coffee. But a little experience I recently had has made me ponder the question...has coffee snobbery gone too far?

Just the other day a woman came into the cafe where I work and ordered a regular latte, before muttering in an embarrassed undertone that she'd like two and a half sugars with that. I smiled politely and took her order without batting an eye lid. She rushed on to say that she knew it was a lot of sugar but that's just how she liked her coffee. "That's alright", I replied, "we don't judge here". She looked a little relieved at this and went on to say, "thank God, the last people I got a take away from refused to put any sugar in for me!". Now, when I said I don't judge, that may not have been entirely true (and personally I would never ruin my perfectly good coffee with two and a half sugars), but I found myself being outraged on this woman's behalf. I would never (NEVER!) refuse to add sugar to a customer's coffee. Who were these people to look down their noses at this woman? Were the gears wound so tightly on their customized fixies that they were too uptight to give the lady some god damn sugar? And what's more, what ever happened to the golden rule 'the customer is always right'?.

I'm more than happy to offer all the advice and recommendations I can to customers in order to help them navigate thought the minefield that Melbourne coffee can be (pour over, aeropress, siphon), but I will also recognize that each customer has a personal taste. So I am officially putting my foot down to coffee snobbery because I believe that you can have your extra hot weak soy decaf mocha and drink it too!

50 Shades of Grey

You've all heard about the book, but if terribly written, repetitive and plot-less erotic novels aren't so much your your thing then maybe this grey nail polish by Revlon (called 'Man Overboard) will tickle your fancy. Much more Spring appropriate than its black counterpart, but more grown up than a bright colour that screams 'I'M ON YOUR HAND!', I jumped at the opportunity to grab this little bottle of fluid goodness. It seems to go with just about everything I'm wearing right now, it adds a touch of toughness to Spring pastels and I was even more thrilled with the purchase when I got change from a tenner! Oh, and did I mention that it's touch dry in just one minute?

So if your looking for a new colour to add to your collection then I highly recommend this one...chances are you'll get much more pleasure out of it than reading that erotic S and M novel.

The Changing Wardrobe

In my last blog entry I wrote about how the global climate has an impact on what we eat. This got me pondering fashion trends and how they too seem to fluctuate based around what's going on in the world at that point in time.

Who would have thought that the discovery of the rotting mummified corpse of Tutankhamen in 1922 would result in Egyptian motifs exploding across runways, would see the 'it' colour palate tending towards browns, creams and golds as well as huge gold jewellery becoming the norm. Certainly not me! Lets be honest people, it's a little gross to think that a dead body dictated what people put on their backs...even if he was a King. Ew.

Oh yes, fashion follows global excitement and interest but it also follows in times of hardship and turmoil. During the Second World War female clothing became very tailored and practical with much more masculine shapes taking over. Fabrics moved from softer cottons and lace into hard starched linens which reflected the difficulty of sourcing good quality material during this time period.

So what now? What effect does our world have on what we wear? Was it the issue of global warming that saw the release of Eco friendly lines by brands such as Gorman, Limedrop, Thursday Sunday and Bassike? During times of economic struggle (you may all remember our good friend the Global Financial Crisis) lipstick sales sky rocketed as they are an affordable way to get that shopping high (you know the one I mean) without breaking the bank. And who could forget how fashion turned dark and mysterious, worshiping all things fanged, with the release of the Twilight series...yes yes, I read them, don't judge me and let's move on! Well, whatever the world throws at us next, I'm excited to discover how fashion will follow suit...as long as I don't have to look like a dead guy wrapped in toilet paper.

ACHEing For This Necklace

Walking through Melbourne central yesterday I stumbled upon a few pop up stalls (as one often does in this wonderful city) located just under the tower. One in particular caught my eye and you can imagine my delight and great pleasure (a happy dance of some form may or may not have occurred) when I noticed the most incredible necklace on display. I pretty much ran into the stall, possibly scaring the poor sales assistant, just to check out this bling. By the designer ACHE these necklaces are formed by joining links with varying colours of material woven through. My personal favourite is the blue, pink and orange style which reminds me of a summer sunset...quite appropriate for the warm weather we're experiencing. I took a deep sigh as I turned over the price tag, expecting to be greeted with the feeling of longing that comes with seeing something you really really want to buy but you know you can never afford, and almost had a stroke. Only 30 dollars! Run people. Don't walk.

Pop up stalls in Melbourne Central will remain there for the next month, get on it!