The Australian Edit-A Fashion Affair

I think it's safe to say that iv'e seen my fair share of fashion markets. From vintage clothes packed onto racks, scarves spilling out of suitcases in car parks and stalls crammed into halls, bars and hotels, I was starting to feel like my market experiences were blending into some kind of monotonous market mayhem. Turns out all I needed was a little breath of fresh air, which is exactly what I got last Sunday at this year's Winter Edition of The Australian Edit. 

Now in its second year, The Australian Edit-A Fashion Space features many of Australia's finest up-and-coming designers who are trying to wedge their, um, wedges, into the fashion industry door. In an effort to support these talented creatives, The Australian Edit nurtures new talent within the local fashion industry by providing an ideal platform to introduce their brands to an audience of receptive fashionistas...that is, suckers like me who will willingly spend a months paycheque on clothes (mock if you must, but we'll see who's laughing when I stumble upon a pair of second hand Monolos at 80% off!). Held in the beautiful and historic barn at Yering Station winery in the Yarra Valley, the day was a huge success with hundreds turning out to see what Australia's brightest new designers had to offer.

It was a beautiful day for a countryside drive and when we arrived at Yering Station the market was already flooded with enthusiastic buyers, designers and minglers. After a complimentary glass of Yering Station sparkling (oh yeah, we knew we were in for a good day) we began our happy browsing through the stalls. I have to say, i've never been quite so impressed with the quality of products produced by the designers as almost every stall had something that caught my eye. 

On the jewellery front, there was the new brand Silvarai that created jewellery which, quite frankly, I couldn't seem to take my eyes off (though I have recently been diagnosed with Magpieitis-an infliction that means i'm drawn into a deep hypnosis when I encounter shiny objects). Designed by Lisa Rai, each piece is intensely intricate and beautifully hand crafted. The highest quality materials are used to produce the silver-based collection which embraces unusual shapes, playing with textures and hints of colour. 

Collection by Silvarai

Also of great interest were the simple creations from the name-sake brand Kim Victoria, who creates rings and earrings which are delicate and feminine. Much of her inspiration is gained from a love of Australiana and ancient treasure, which I could see in her jewellery as most held stunning colourful semi-precious stones.  

Beautiful rings by Kim Victoria

Right: Designer Kim Victoria Wearne

Another jeweller who took my fancy (as, let's be honest, most of them do), was Melbourne-based label Pilkington Jewellers. Designer Lynn Pilkington comes from a long heritage of jewellery makers, which becomes apparent when one sees her amazing creations. When I spoke to Lynn she said much of her inspiration came from her overseas travel, which I found was reflected in her architectural, colourful and individual pieces. She also shared that her grandfather had been responsible for helping create the royal jewels...as in, for her Royal Highness! How freaking cool is that!

Of course not to be missed were the beautiful clothes. As well as some beautifully handwoven knitwear on display, there was the Melbourne label Aaizel, created by a former RMIT fashion graduate. The pieces were highly detailed and individual, focusing on the concept of juxtaposing femininity and masculinity in harmony. With stunning embellished lace, jacquard brocade, velvets and silk, this is a truly luxurious collection...hence the unfortunate price tag. My favourite items were the beautifully embellished lace jackets that hung straight to the floor.

 The designer wearing one of her pieces

Once again, my love of all things sparkly immediately drew me to the dresses from the brand Divya R, which all had a very on trend 20's appeal to them. Based in Melbourne, Indian Designer Diva Rao established her brand in 2012 and was inspired by her home country. She creates stunning pieces that hold an element of surprise that delivers effortless style-cred. In other words...mmm, shiny.

The day was a huge success, with many market-goers happily walking away with oodles of hand-crafted, Australian made creations. It was a market filled with talented emerging designers, amazing jewellery and original clothing...and hell, even if it wasn't any good, I still would have gotten a free glass of wine right!

A Day In The Countryside At Loam

Ahhh, the countryside-there's nothing quite like it. Fresh air, rain clouds hovering over a valley full of olive trees and that indescribable sense of freedom at being far removed from the hustle and bustle of the city...it really is enough to get anyone's appetite going. Which is a good thing too, because after a two hour drive and a few (aka many) mishaps with Google Maps, I was more than ready for the four course lunch that awaited me at my next culinary adventure: Loam. 

I had heard much about this petite farm restaurant, located on the Bellarine Penisular nestled in the back blocks of Drysdale, that serves up food with serious soul. As soon as you enter the restaurant you're immediately taken in by the ethos of Loam; simplicity, quality and locality. The unstuffy, mellow room is filled by a small number of tables (when I say small I mean, like, ten tables kinda small) and in the center sits a trolly laden with a natural Australian flower display, gleaming cutlery and wine glasses, baskets of bread and many silver ice buckets filled with people's half drunk bottles of sparkling. I have to say, the urge to casually grab one and start drinking it as though I had respectfully purchased said bottle was very, very great. I resisted however (though this may have had more to do with the great number of attentive waiters happily buzzing around the restaurant than my actual will power when it comes to resisting a good sparkling) which I was grateful for in the end, as I was unaware of the fan-fair-filled lunch that was about to occur. With the fire place warming us from the freezing cold day outside and the beautiful panorama view we were given by the completely glass covered side of the restaurant, we were perfectly happy to sit back, watch the haze of rain make it's way over the valley and let Loam work its magic.

Things work a little differently here. Rather than offering a set menu of sorts, you are given a list of ingredients that are being used that day, and from there the appropriate dishes for either your four, eight or ten course dining experience are selected. This means that each table will receive a different and completely tailored menu-how freaking cool is that?! We began with, no joke, the best bread I have ever eaten. Ever. Usually, when partaking in a degustation, I would say leave the bread, it just wastes space. At Loam however, I say gorge. Enjoy every mouthful of the sumptuous freshly baked olive bready goodness spread with ridiculous amounts of whipped butter. Have no shame when you reach for a fourth or fifth time into the basket loaded with steaming loaves.

And now my friends, to the main event. After we sampled a few little 'snacks' brought to our table, we moved on to the first course. Blue cod cooked in a light butter sauce with dill cucumber, purslane and rosemary flowers. For me, this was the dish of the day. The cod was cooked to flaky perfection with  buttery sauce adding a beautiful nuttiness without being too heavy. The dill cucumber added another element of texture to the dish and its slight tartness worked in perfect harmony with the silky fish. At this point, the waiter comes over with more bread...I shouldn't, but hell, I do! These fishy juices aren't going to mop up themselves!

From there it was onto a roasted cauliflower dish that had been aggressively baked sitting atop a l'etivaz gruyere (basically a wanky French name for a type of creamy puree that had been flavoured by three-year-aged gruyere rind) and kale. The cauliflower was charred and full of flavour which was balanced with the creaminess of the puree. Also delicious was the main course of squab perched happily on parsnip puree. The idea of squab always weirds me out a little bit, but this perfectly cooked breast made me just wish the god damn bird were bigger so I would never finish eating it.

The dessert, though beautiful in presentation was, unfortunately, not to my liking. But my dedicated driver for the day had no qualms about eating my share of the apple and burnt caramel pudding with rhubarb jelly and tart blueberries. What I did like was the mint eucalyptus meringues and earl grey jellies that ended the meal with a final flourish. And let's be honest, I think I probably ate an entire course-worth of bread alone, so the dessert was probably not really needed!

What a perfect day in the country it was...at this respected, sophisticated restaurant one could never guess that Geelong's bogans are just a 20 minute drive away. The produce is fantastically fresh and almost everything is sourced from local farmers or else from places known specifically for the quality of their produce. Before you get too excited and start booking your reservation, I do have the very sad job of informing you that Loam will be closing on the 30th of June this year (WHAT?! No more bread?!), but rest assured it had a good run of sending satisfied customers out of their doors. So, to Loam, I say thank you and goodbye. I feel as though I hardly knew you, but while our friendship was short and brief, my stomach will forever hold fond memories of you. I will never look at a bread basket in the same way again.

Winter Nail Art

Really, what could brighten a dreary rainy day more than a good dose of Winter-inspired nail art. Oh wait, that's right, FREE Winter-inspired nail art! This is not a drill people, I repeat, this is not a drill! But how and where does this most magical of events occur, you ask? Why, at the newly erected Hotham Head Quarters in Melbourne's QV of course.

Until Sunday the 30th of June a Winter Lodge of sorts (fully equipped with fireplace, ski gear and antler-inspired chandelier) has been set up in the heart of Melbourne to offer a little Winter warmth into what can otherwise be described as...well, a pretty drab season really. Filled with snowy charm and appeal Hotham HQ is a warm cosy space where you can snuggle up and get out of the cold. With events including fashion shows, yoga, massages and chocolate tastings provided by San Churro, there's something for everyone at this little slice of Winter Wonderland. What caught my eye was the nail painting hosted by Goddess of Nails & Beauty that happens each Saturday and Sunday between 11 and 12. Choose from a range of O.P.I.'s newest collection before having your nails filed, shaped and painted as you sit back and enjoy the roaring fireplace. Then select a feature Winter-inspired nail art design (think snowflakes and sparkles) and before you know if you'll be craving eggnog and humming Christmas tunes faster than you can say Deck The Halls. And the best part about it all? There's no need to make an appointment and it's absolutely free! Thats right, zilch, nada, zero, gratis, costless, zippo...ok, i'll stop. I don't know about you guys, but nothing brightens the prospects of a dull Winter Saturday for me than cool free shit. Get around it Melbourne!

Loving Lover's Lace

Sometimes, you can't help falling in love with a designers new collection. Something takes hold of you and you become obsessed with the idea of 'that' particular dress or 'this' specific handbag from the Spring/Summer collection 2014. I won't deny that I have spent countless hours flicking feverishly through online boutiques, scanning through Vogue articles and trawling across the internet looking at numerous pictures of collections that have caught my eye. Yes, usually I am restrained and manage not to purchase any of the beautiful pieces that make my heart race faster than it rightfully should...though this may have more to do with the fact that if I did purchase said item i'd be eating meegoreng for the next three months...and let's be honest, no one wants to submit themselves to that. But when I laid eyes on Lover The Label's newest collection 'White Magick', I made a pact with myself that I would eat an entire footballs team's weight in noodles if it meant I could get my hands on one of these dresses. Oh yes, challenge accepted.

After receiving countless requests from customers who were eager to lay their hands on out-of-stock dresses, Lover designers Susien Chong and Nic Briand decided to revive 15 of their most iconic designs in perfect white lace-and thus was borne Lover's first ever bridal collection. While targeted at brides to be, there's nothing to stop anyone buying one of these dresses (except maybe the $2000-$3000 dollar price tag) just because they're absolutely amazing. What draws women to Lover's pieces is the timeless classic appeal of the designs that embrace a delicacy and femininity that put horrible meringue monstrosities to shame. Each dress looks as though it was made for the etherial goddess who rides unicorns up and down the beach at sunset in their spare time before returning home to their crystal palace and having high tea with Ryan Reynolds...ahem, not that iv'e ever thought about doing this.

 

  

But let's face it, who wouldn't feel like some kind of Aphrodite in dresses that are so perfectly hand-crafted. Each piece is created from the most delicate fabric (hence the price tag...cue Jessie J) and made to last a lifetime. Sure, you may be reduced to eating packet noodles for longer than your liver can probably handle, and hell, you may even have to find yourself a fake last minute husband who doesn't actually look a thing like Ryan Reynolds just to justify the cost. But when we're talking about clothes this amazing, eating too much Asian food and holding a mock wedding seems completely suitable...necessary even.

Visible Ink And Spoken Words

I don't know about you guys, but whenever I think of poetry readings I think about a night spent standing around drinking bad red wine from a plastic cup while nodding in solemn agreement with a bunch of wankers wearing berets. Yeah, not exactly my idea of a rocking Friday evening either. Safe to say then that when a friend of mine asked me to join her at a reading in the wilds of Collingwood, I was a little dubious and unsure what to expect. Would I have to increase my IQ and study up on Chaucer and Proust? Luckily, not so much. The evening presented by Visible Ink, a yearly anthology of new writing and art, was a huge success and has completely changed the way I look at poetry readings. No beret necessary.

 

 Since its inception in 1989, Visible Ink has been showcasing emerging writers from all over Australia, featuring poetry, non-fiction, short stories, art, photography and comics. Their aim is to "charm and astonish" readers through supporting up-and-coming writers who bring fresh, creative new ideas to the written word melting pot. Friday evening saw their first fundraising event for 2013, featuring poetry readings from experienced spoken word readers, held at House of Bricks in Collingwood. 

Found in a tiny weeny space hidden behind a roller-door the venue was pumping when we arrived. Their was a great vibe in the room, filled with happy chatter, creative minds and (thankfully) no berets. There was cheap wine and beer however (also thankfully), which did exceed my expectations. And hell, I was in Collingwood for Christ's sake-when in Rome right?! The readings began with the inspiring Jacky T, who captured the audience immediately with his use of the harmonica and his casual colloquial style. The vivacious Bronwyn Lovell also caught my eye, with stories filled with nostalgia, beauty and insight, as well as words by the amazing Randall Stephens, whose passionate performance was more like watching an actor than a poet. Each speaker presented poems or short stories that beautifully captured a snippet of life, often portraying moments of love, death, joy and sadness that are relevant to all. There's something very special about hearing words spoken from the author themselves as opposed to simply reading them. You become fully emerged in the story and engaged with the characters in a way that's otherwise impossible.

Each performance was inspiring and I highly recommend that any budding writer should make their way to one of these reading nights. They allow you to expand on your own creativity and reflect on what inspires other people's words. As you can see i'm most definitely a convert, but don't worry, with poetry this cool I won't be preaching Proust any time soon. Cheap wine however, is always acceptable.

In Melbourne's Top Paddock

Iv'e decided that there's a basic equation behind every good Melbourne cafe. A kind of common recipe if you will, that makes each one worth going back to...even if it means taking two trains and three trams to get there. Now, I'm no mathematical genius, but through my powerful (and somewhat dubious) mathematical deductions I have concluded that: rocking coffee + amazeballs food + good service + sweet location = a great Melbourne cafe. This might sound simple enough, but I think we'd all be surprised how challenging this little algorithm (or should I say caforithm?) is to perfect. Particularly when cafe competition is so fierce in Melbourne that baristas from different cafes will practically spear tackle each other off their fixies. Oh yeah, it's a serious problem people. So, when I went for Saturday breakfast at Top Paddock, one of Melbourne's top cafe contenders, I was ready to be brutal in my critiquing. Man, I would be so picky they wouldn't stand a chance!

As it turns out, I loved it. Actually, that's a bit of an understatement because I really loved it. It's probably one of the best cafe experiences Iv'e had for quite some time. I just couldn't do it, I couldn't find fault no mater how hard I tried. This new Richmond cafe, located on 'I'm cooler than Chapel' Church Street, has certainly been making its fair share of noise, and now I know why. We were greeted by smiling wait staff as we entered the large, light filled cafe and were seated immediately despite it being packed. Perched upon bar stools I felt perfectly comfortable, surrounded by light timber, walls of windows perfect for people watching and the odd sprout of green to add vibrancy. Coffee, of the Five Sense variety, also arrived promptly and was delicately sweet and nicely drinkable. So far Top Paddock had ticked three out of the four criteria in my highly researched and completely Nobel Award-worthy equation. Surely they would fall short on the food right?

 

Err, no. When I looked at the menu I decided to give up all hope of attempting to be a hard arse as it became obvious that these guys know their stuff. An incredibly well designed all day menu that blends breakfast, brunch and lunch (blunch?) into one combined page of deliciousness. I don't know about you, but Iv'e never been to a cafe that has four different offerings of muesli and porridge. FOUR! Bircher muesli with natural yogurt and green tea poached fruit doesn't take your fancy? Well don't you worry because there's also polenta porridge with figs maple and currents! For a little twist on an old classic there's the purple potato and buffalo ash brie omelette with padron peppers on sourdough, or perhaps you'd like to be a little radical with some pan fried snapper with chilli fried egg, avocado salsa and lime and corn tortilla. 

Given the dreary weather (seriously Melbourne, 12 straight hours of rain...what's up with that?) I couldn't go past the local pine mushrooms with chilli scrambled eggs and boatshed feta on multigrain toast. The eggs were perfectly cooked with a good hit of chilli and I wish I had a never ending bowl of those mushrooms...but really. My pork procuring companion opted for the pulled pork on rye toast with prunes, leaves and boatshed goats curd. The meat was wonderfully soft with oozy goats curd finishing the dish perfectly. So, amazeballs food? Most definitely.

 

Despite my best efforts, I could do nothing but love Top Paddock. It did more than simply fulfil my equation, it took it out into the middle of the ocean, made like Kim Jong Un and exploded it with a nuclear bomb (maybe too soon for that one?). I think Melbourne has reached an all time high with its cafes at the moment and Top Paddock has certainly come out...well, on top.

The Unexpected JUNKEE Party

When I received and email inviting me to the JUNKEE launch party I wasn't quite sure what to think. Had my email been mysteriously hacked by a drug mule? Or perhaps someone had confused me with their friendly neighborhood rubbish collector? Given the somewhat shady-sounding nature of the event,   I wasn't surprised when we were directed down a suspicious looking lane way upon arrival. I was however, (happily) surprised when I turned the corner and was greeting by a massive warehouse party. Awesome.

 Welcome ladies and Gentlemen to the JUNKEE launch party. JUNKEE is Australia's newest pop culture website with a difference. The new website goes beyond celebrity gossip and  bloody Biber fever, to bring online viewers material that is intriguing, provocative and witty. Written by a team of Australian writers and industry insiders, including authors, poets, comedians and editors, that cover everything from music and culture to important stuff like politics and world events. There's no doubt these guys really 'get' pop culture and you can tell that they embrace our constantly shifting changing media world. Reader interaction is completely encouraged, so if you want to complement, comment or hell, just have an angry disagreement with an author, go nuts! This website really is your oyster...

If there's one thing the JUNKEE crew have learnt from pop-culture, it's how to throw a killer party. Located in the rear warehouse of Thousand Pound Bend on Little Lonsdale street, this launch was most definitely a spectacle. I felt like some VIP walking up the red carpet, to be accepted into a giant cavernous space complete with DJ, Photo Booth and yes, an open bar. Free flowing Miller's beer and Rekorderlig kept the hoards of hipsters adequately quenched so they could continue their discussions about favourite existential philosophers and how they're boycotting Luhrmann's Great Gatsby because "it will ruin Fitzgerald's vision". Ahh hipsters...where would unknown warehouse launch parties held by pop-culture websites be without you? The space was buzzing, kept alive by cool beats and the entertainment of the photo booth complete with giant cut out celebrities. Ever seen a crowd surfing cardboard Kim Kardashian? No? Then you clearly weren't at the JUNKEE launch party.

If you did miss out, don't freak. Just jump online to catch up with what's going on, whether you're interested in culture, politics or just want a bit of a chuckle. Given how cool the party was I think i'm going to be much more forthcoming when I receive surreptitious emails from now on...even if they are sent by drug mules.