A Port Douglas New Years Eve

Ahhh New Years Eve. The night that's supposed to determine how you spend the rest of your year. Lets be honest though, chances are you're going to be spending the evening stumbling around after having drunk too much goon and may even (how unfortunately for you) end up with your head in a toilet. I prefer to ignore the pressures of the party scene and instead follow my own New Years Eve rule...that the way you dress tonight will determine how you style yourself in the coming year. Now, I don't mean wearing exactly the same thing every day in 2014 because that would just be, well, gross. What I'm talking about is being true to your own style, dressing exactly how you want to, which will set you up for a year of just being your own fashionable self. Really, I think nothing's cooler! If you hate waddling around in too high heels then give them a miss tonight. If you're more into maxis instead of minis then hell, rock that maxi dress like its 2014!

For my NYE outfit I chose a black singlet (possibly my most worn item of clothing ever), a skirt with a modern twist on leopard print, which makes it edgy and different, massive gold earrings (a must in my view) and classic black heels. Simple but with some striking statements, comfortable, and most importantly, me! So whatever you're doing tonight, whether it's chillin with some girlfriends with a bottle of bubbly or dancing at a club until 4 am, make sure you stay true to your own style and have a Happy New Years!

What I Wore:

Top: Bardot

Skirt: Bardot

Heels: Target

Earrings: H&M Spain

Ring: Lovisa

New Bikini Bliss

Buying a new bikini each season can be about as pleasant as having teeth pulled. Without anaesthetic. While Rebecca Black's 'Friday' plays on repeat on the background.  What with all the awkward ducking between change rooms half naked so you can get your friend's opinion, full length mirrors in bad lighting and sales assistants telling you you'll "grow into" the bikini top (I'm 20, so this would be very wishful thinking) makes the whole situation, well, a bit shit really. However this year I had a rather unusual experience when it came to my annual bather shop...it was actually blissfully easy. 

I stumbled upon this pair of bikinis at Cotton On (I know, I was just as surprised as you) which this Summer is featuring a collection of bathers designed by Australian Model Lara Bingle. Fulfilling my desire for a basic pattern in pretty blues, these bathers were cheap and fitted like a glove, which meant I was in and out of those change rooms before a sales assistant could even pass judgement! Day two of my Port Douglas holiday and I decided to take my new bathers for a, err, swim.

A Sartorialist's Guide to Port Douglas

After a 2 am flight, crying babies and some soggy aeroplane sandwiches (I'm still trying to decide which was worse, the crying or the wet bread) Iv'e finally made it to my Port Douglas Holiday. That's right peeps, Samson Girl's gone beach! It promises to be a week filled with relaxation, recuperation and, almost certainly, some retail therapy. I pledge to post every day while here, bringing you the very best its of this lovely little town and the very best of my new Summer wardrobe, which still gives me a happy tingly feeling inside every time I think about it.  Yes, the Boxing Day sales may have cost me two weeks pay and taken 9 hours, but I still believe it was time and money well spent. 

The plane touched down at 4:30 this morning and it was still a balmy 24 degrees! Ya hear that Melbourne?! It's warm here ALL THE TIME! My hair might need to make some adjustments, let's just say humidity isn't it's best friend…but on the plus side you don't need to drink any water here, you simply breath in your daily dose of H2O from the air. We checked into our beautiful accommodation at Paradise Links Resort, situated in the middle of a tropical rainforest and a mere ten minutes out of town.

 I ummed and ahhed over my dresses for today's outfit before finally landing on this new number I scored from Myer at the Boxing Day sales (possibly-no definitely-my favourite part of Christmas) and a simple pair of black sandals. It was relaxed, comfortable and cool, capturing everything this wonderful holiday will be!

What I Wore:

Dress: Miss Shop

Sandals: Rubi Shoes

The Big Design Market

If there's one thing that a Melbourne Summer is full of (apart from old men wearing too tight budgie smugglers on St Kilda Beach and teeny boppers cramming up cinemas) it's design markets. And every year without fail the mother of all markets, The Big Design Market, graces us with its presence and fills us up with enough designy goodness to last a whole year. How considerate. And when we're all becoming desperate for those last minute Christmas pressies for Great Uncles who drink too much whisky and Aunties who have weird cat obsessions, this years Big Design Market's timing was quite impeccable.

Beginning on December 6th the Market ran across three huge days that brought together a massive collection of Australian an International designers crammed into the Royal Exhibition Building. Brimming with jewellery, ceramics, homewares, stationary, accessories and kid's products, this market is filled with more talent than you can poke a stick at. It's a great opportunity to pick up new products from established designers, such as the eclectic jewellery from Emily Green, and check out the great work being done by emerging artists, like the graphic contemporary clothing from Polli. There were glasses from Bailey Nelson (approved by Collingwood Hipsters), quirky terrariums from the Petite Green or, my personal favourite,  the distinctive feature jewellery from Stannard Inc. 

I myself managed to cross of most of my Christmas shopping in just one afternoon here, allowing me to avoid the crowds and faint sweaty smells that department stores get around this jolly season. Presents were sourced and purchased for the spoilt cousin who already has everything, the nerdy brother who has his eyes somehow superglued to the computer screen, the picky mother who enjoys gardening and the best friend who's present must be amazeness wrapped up. I have to say, I left licking my lips like a satisfied Cheshire Cat. And if all that shopping made you thirsty there were places to grab food, coffee and, to ease the pain of your credit card expenditure, alcohol!

If you missed it this year, don't stress too much, I'm sure your loved ones will pretend to enjoy your second rate gifts, but next year make sure you head down to what is Australia's biggest and best design market. There was something to satisfy everyone in this warehouse of awesomeness this year and I'm sure 2014 will be no different. It truly is everything I could hope and dream of in a market. Well, almost. To my deepest sorrow there were no unicorn rides available...but i'm sure next year they'll sort out that little issue.

Chin Chin To That

There are some things in life I'm happy to wait for. The release of a new Chanel nail polish, a parcel filled with wonderfulness from ASOS and, of course, a table at one of Melbourne's best restaurants. Sure, people may call it a wank and roll their eyes when you tell them you waited for 72 minutes just to sample some of Melbourne's best dumplings and ask sarcastically if the wait was really worth it. And was it? You bet your darn Xiao Long Bao it was! So, When the opportunity arose to eat at one of Melbourne's most popular restaurants, Chin Chin, I wasn't at all fazed by the prospect of a 90 minute wait. If feasting on some of Melbourne's finest food means wearing queue-appropriate heels for the evening, then that my friends, is a sacrifice I am willing to make.  

When it took up its position on Flinders Lane a few year back, Chin Chin quickly became the most talked about restaurant in the biz and, rather than the hype dying down, its popularity has only been on the rise. It's not really any wonder why either. Modelled on the bustling hawker-style dining halls of Bangkok, Chin Chin is a fun, modern and fresh take on traditional and delicious East-Asian street food. The menu offers a variety of small dishes such as dumplings, son in law eggs and DIY spring rolls (about the only kind of handiwork I can manage...particularly after two or three cocktails) which allow you to be adventurous with your choices. There are also larger dishes which comprise of the 'Scud City' jungle curry (if you enjoy the sensation of your cheeks being slowly and painfully melted away by chilli then this is your go to dish) and salmon wrapped in banana leaf.

I'm one of those people who doesn't regularly eat at the same restaurant twice. When I live in a city that's got more restaurants than Miley Cyrus has scandals, why would I waste my time eating somewhere twice? Chin Chin however, is one of my only exceptions. Here, it is like every dish could be a signature dish because the flavours are so extraordinary. There is one dish that I continuously crave  and that is the Kingfish sashimi. With it's perfect balance of lime juice for zing, chilli for heat, coconut for sweetness and Thai basil for freshness, I find this dish totally irresistible. In fact, it's kind of like getting a big plate of James Franco served up to you...though probably much cheaper. I also sampled the truly remarkable betel leaf of braised lamb neck with smoked eggplant and mint relish, topped with cashews and Thai basil. Who knew that so much flavour could be packed into three small mouthfuls. From the larger dish section, we enjoyed the Pad Kaphrao, stir fried minced chicken with silken tofu, baby corn, basil, oyster sauce and some of that spicy scud chilli, as well as the aromatic yellow curry of roast pumpkin, chargrilled tofu and green beans which was a personal favourite. As with every other dish at Chin Chin, the flavours were intense, yet not over-powering and perfectly balanced. There is also an all Australian wine list with a different region featured each week and a crazy cocktail list that will have you umming and ahhing for a good fifteen minutes. I, with my awesome cocktail-selecting ability, chose an amazing, an somewhat theatrical (frozen ball of rose petals, anyone?) lychee cocktail that complimented my meal perfectly.

 

So next time you're wondering if the wait is really worth it or, even worse, you start to feel yourself becoming one of those sarcastic eye-rollers (curse them!), then simply dine at Chin Chin. Sure you may have to wait for 90 minutes, but while you do you can enjoy a fantastic cocktail and be safe in the knowledge that you're about to taste some of the best food that Melbourne has to offer. Remember, good things come to those who wait.

Melbourne's Noodle Night Market

Well as far as night markets, Asian food frenzies, hipster trends and cool Melbourne scenes go, the Noodle Night Market will probably take the cake for 2013. If you're not from Melbourne then I can forgive you for not knowing what the hell I'm on about, but if you are blessed enough to frequent this wondrous city then the hype about the Noodle Night Market would have been impossible to ignore. In fact, the only way you could have no knowledge of this event is if you lived in some kind of cave (along with Tony Abbott) and had no kind clue about what was happening in the real world. In which case I pity you, not only as you have to live alongside our ridiculous Prime Minister, but also because you missed out on what will potentially be the most talked about event of the year.

 For two glorious weeks Alexandra Gardens was transformed into an Asian-style hawker street food market filled with more than 25 food stalls, entertainment and a range of bars that drew crowds by the thousands each and every night. This was not your usual Asian market (which usually entails un-identifiable meats and more OH&S hazards than the Bourke Street McDonald's), complete with fairy lights, free chop sticks and picnic tables. Some of Melbourne's finest eateries were working their magic each night to present a range of tantalising dishes to entice and excite the massive swarms of people. There were offerings from the likes of Chin Chin (pork or tofu sliders), Mamak (roti chanai), Dumplings Plus (steamed or fried dumplings) and Longrain (yellow curry) so, whether you wanted to dine in style or just gorge yourself on some good old fashioned dumplings, these guys had your back.

 

I gotta say, I went on a 32 degree day (probably not the best decision I've ever made) and I don't remember the last time I saw so many people in one place. Despite the fact that no queue was shorter than 50 minutes and there was the faint smell of sweat mingling with that of the tandoori, the exciting and bustling atmosphere was worth every second. There's almost nothing more satisfying than chilling out on a hot day with a bowl of pho in one hand, a Coopers beer in the other and watching the most talked about Melbourne event un-folding before you. With a Dj keeping things moving (unlike the queues), Melbourne's finest eateries present and bars spaced every 50 meters or so (which gave me just enough time to finish my drink before I needed a refill), there's no wonder that the Noodle Night Market was such a huge success. If you did miss it this time around then do not despair my friend, because I'm almost certain this monster of a market will be back with bells - or should I say Chinese gongs- on.

My 'Go For Green Smoothie'

Sure, I love quinoa as much as the next person and have been known to enjoy the addition of chia seeds to my morning cereal. But when people start talking about wheat germ shots and activated almonds (which, as I found out recently from a misty eyed and overly excited girl at Veggie Bar, is simply almonds soaked in water) I have to admit, I start to think this whole 'health food' thing is a bit of a gimmick. The caveman diet, the 5:2 ratio and the lemon detox have all had their time in the sun when it comes to health food trends and I have to say that these are band wagons I never chose to board (seriously, who wants to eat like a caveman?). However, recently I found myself rather intrigued by this whole 'green smoothie' thang, which has resulted in pressed juice bars popping up all over Melbourne. The idea of blending banana and spinach together was such an unusual one that I felt I had to discover  what all the fuss was about for myself.

After much googling and sifting my way through health and fitness blogs (apparently there's some berry from Venezuela that can melt fat off your thighs...and it's only $139.95 a kilo!)  I finally found a recipe that I felt wouldn't put me off eating vegetables for the rest of my life. Technically the colour itself is not actually green, which I feel makes the whole experience slightly less gag-worthy for a beginner, but there's no doubt that this drink is green in spirit -I like to call it the 'Go For Green Smoothie'.

Ingredients:

Juice of 1 orange

1 handful of spinach

1 banana

3/4 cup of frozen or fresh berries (I used a combination of fresh blueberries and some frozen raspberries)

1/2 a stick of celery

a few ice cubes

1 tsp of linseed

1 tsp of sunflower seeds

1 tsp of pumpkin seeds

Method:

Add juice and spinach to the blender and blend until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend the crap out of it.

E voila! My green smoothie. I have to say, I used a food processor which didn't make it as smooth as I would I have liked. In fact the texture was a cross between PVA glue and lumpy mucus...yes, it was somewhat off putting. But taste-wise this baby wasn't half bad! I'm not saying I'd have one every day, or that Iv'e suddenly decided to start eating soggy almonds, but if you want to give this trend a try then by all means, blend away. 

Gelato Messina

I'm going to let you guys in on a little secret. I'm not much of a sweet tooth. But before you scoff with disgust and pledge never to read my blog again, I should tell you that the one sweet thing that gets me every time is good ice cream. And I'm not talking about this pishy-poshy froyo shit, I'm talking about the real deal. Perfectly creamy, deliciously flavoured, wonderfully whipped ice cream. So when I heard that Gelato Messina was finally opening it's doors in Melbourne I was, well, lets just say I was pretty pumped. And, given the massive queues since it's opening, turns out the rest of Melbourne was just as excited as me.

Opening it's doors in Darlinghurst in 2002, Messina has now moved toMelbourne, alongside the dive bars and up and coming restaurants of Smith Street. It maintains 40 signature flavours that have all been perfected, including white chocolate and salted caramel (their biggest seller...gee, I wonder why), chocolate fondant, pear and rhubarb and the more adventurous chocolate and pandan. They also have weekly rotating specials that will delight and encourage you to step out of your comfort zone. I've always been a big chocolate ice cream fan, so I couldn't pass up the milk chocolate with peanut butter (try it or be a desperately sad, sorry person for the rest of your life) and a scoop of the special, 'cremino', which was vanilla ice cream with chocolate chunks, salted caramel and amaretto biscuits. Now, I'm not one to exaggerate, but this ice cream has literally, literally changed. My. Life. The flavours were rich and actually tasted like their ingredients, the chocolate was creamy, the peanut butter perfectly salty and the amaretto biscuits crunchy and delicious. From first bite you can tell that this ice cream is made with love. Everything is made from scratch at Messina, meaning that when you order a scoop of 'apple pie' ice cream you're eating home-baked pie, and don't even think of uttering the words 'preservatives', 'flavourings' or 'colourings' within earshot of this gelateria. When I questioned my ice cream companion about his flavour choices, he described it as (if I recall correctly) 'sex in my mouth'.

So if you're wondering if the hype about Messina is worth it. Stop wondering. It is. If you're thinking 'ppshh, it's just ice cream, what all the fuss about?!' then you must try it. The ice cream is so good in fact, that when I typed 'Messina' into Google Translate, it could not give me an english word to define it's excellence. Google Translate has spoken-this ice cream is literally indescribable. 

Chasing Skirt

As a someone who has a particular interest in fashion I'm supposed to love Winter Style with all it's layering, knee high boots and sharp tailoring. But to be honest with you, there's almost nothing I hate more than pulling on jeans so tight my bladder feels like it might explode (a pleasant sight for no one), strangling myself with a scarf and dragging on layer upon layer of jackets until I waddle out of the house looking like the Michelin Man. Which is why I love warm weather dressing. I can roll out of bed, not brush my hair and call it the 'beach wave' look, pull on a floaty Summer frock and a pretty pair of heels and finito! No hassle, no fuss and best of all, no exploding bladder.

When considering my Summer shopping list each year, skirts are almost always at the very top. Whether high waisted, floor length, mini or arse-huggingly tight, Iv'e found that a good skirt or two (or seven) help mix up simple basics that I keep on a high rotation and manage to keep me cool on those 39 degree days. Two skirts caught my eye early this season, which of course meant that I had to buy them (no seriously, I had no control over the situation) and I have to say that so far they've done my wardrobe proud. The first is this cute little skater skirt from Pare. It's navy colour makes it more interesting than black but means I can still wear it with any colour on top and the chord-like material makes it perfect for Winter when paired with stockings. The second is from Miss Selfridge (one of my new favourite labels stocked at Glue) and ticks the 'pencil skirt' category on my Summer shopping list. I fell in love with the maroon shade and the simple paisley pattern that adds the perfect amount of detail to the simple shape. I don't care what people say about paisley, it's totally rad.

Despite Melbourne's weather not getting the memo about it being mid-November, I have still found these skirts a worthy addition to my wardrobe and believe we will share a very happy Summer together. So say goodbye to bulky blazers, hair-hating beanies and super tight jeans and invest in some easy breezy skirts to see you through the warm weather. Trust me, your bladder will thank you.

Flipboard Cafe

It seems like there's no space in Melbourne these days thats not occupied by cafes. They tend to creep up on you when you least expect it, then BAM, you've consumed more than a weeks worth of long blacks in the time it took you to read Broadsheet cover to cover. Despite this, there are still a few coffee black spots on the East side of Melbourne CBD where tumbleweeds tumble at their own accord and finding a good long macchiato is harder than memorising the entire periodic table (which would also be incredibly pointless and dull), which is why I'm so excited about cafe newcomer, Flipboard.

Created by architect Martin Heide and interior designer Megg Evans, you can expect this place to deliver big in the looks department. Set in a three meter-wide gap on La Trobe Street and split between three levels the cafe is filled with clean lines, pale wood and large windows that can be folded back to let the Summer sun flood in. Grab one of the very few tables (and by very few I mean, err, one), settle yourself in the little window nook or else pull up at a bench with cleverly designed seats made from compacted old magazine collections. National Geographics have never looked so cool. Coffee is sourced from artisan roaster Josh bailey and put through its paces by the La Marzocco machine to create a sweet, creamy blend with just enough kick. The menu, much like the cafe itself, is pretty small-think ham and brie baguettes and egg-sandwhiches alongside a simple cake selection and daily juice.

Though small, Flipboard is the perfect example that size does not matter (gentlemen). It's a place to enjoy a little quirk with your coffee as you sit and watch the tumbleweeds of the Eastern CBD roll by. If you enjoy people watching, good coffee, impressing friends with your knowledge of great Melbourne cafes in random places, maliciously laughing at busy office-folk rushing to meetings, or even just hanging out with friends for a couple of hours in a beautifully designed space, then Flipboard is for you. And if none of these apply to you, then you obviously have no soul.