MISTER MODE

Saturday night, what usually passes as a quiet space for hungry students i.e. Garage Cafe was transformed into a energetic, colourful display of creative and crafty people - otherwise known as the Mister Mode Night Market. For sale was everything from handmade cards, buttons and gluten-free cupcakes, to studded denim vintage, cheap second-hand buys and laser-cut accessories. I had a chat with the boys who create portable sound systems in the form of vintage suitcases, as well as the lovely Charmaine who owns online store Bias Supply and whose Romance was Born printed pants I am quite a fan of (refer to 8th pic). Amongst the stallholders were Sevan of Seven Autumn Leaves showcasing her unique laser-cut designs, and Anastasia of Stasia Fox who provided me with a delish peanut butter cupcake that was my sustenance for the night! Upon closer look I found myself a mesh + gold sequinned dress for 10 bucks, and if not for my lack of cash would have left with a whole new outfit (or two).

It was the last Mister Mode market of the year and I was pleased to have popped by. Fingers crossed for the next event to be even bigger and better.

On another note, I am looking forward to the Melbourne Zimmerman warehouse sale with much anticipation.. Yes it is a little messy and the reduced prices skew your judgement a little.. but we'll see x

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Peacock-Inspired

To be perfectly honest, I have never been very good at dressing up for themed parties. You know, the ones with creative costume ideas like 'something starting with P' or 'childhood heroes' or 'nursery rhymes'.. I can't even come up with that many themes. I once went for Red Riding Hood as my childhood hero (not sure if that even qualifies), started with a red blazer, couldn't find a dress to match, and ended up wearing these floral jeans.. I promise I tried..

 

Sportsgirl Maxi; Zara Glitter Heels; Assorted Wrist Stuff; MAC 'Prolong' Lipcreme

An event over the weekend went with 'Trapped in the Zoo' and called for 'elegance with a touch of wildness'. I left the outfit-brainstorming a little too late and wasn't about to turn up with a wildly-teased lioness hairdo, and couldn't find a dramatic black swan get-up.. For some reason then I turned to peacock feathers for inspiration, or at least the gorgeous mix of emerald greens I had in my mental image. Lo and behold, I walked right into the Sportsgirl sale and found this lovely maxi. Peacock-inspired, I say - score!

Slipped on some bracelets with hints of gold and turquoise, as well as my beloved Zara shoes. I love that these shoes have just the perfect amount of shimmer, without being too yellowy gold and in your face. They seem to be a little tricky to photograph though so I will try again, very soon!

Stay tuned for news about the ACTUAL event I was headed to! 

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PENGUIN ALLEY

One thing you should know, is that I love venturing into little hidden laneways and smaller streets where you might find anything from a cosy French creperie, to a quaint Japanese cafe, to an awesome store by a local label stocking beautiful printed jeans (I do speak of actual places). There are also a few in the city with brightly graffiti-ed walls that are essentially incredible pieces of street art - this one where I was is also home to much hyped-about Spanish restaurant Mo Vida!

Meet my new friend ;)

Wearing: Sportsgirl Knit; Ditsy Floral Print Jumpsuit c/o Motel Rocks; Boots from Japan

Brought out the bright colours on a gloomy day - I used to think that red could NEVER go with yellow, same for green and pink, purple and orange, but anyway that opinion has clearly changed. Motel Rocks has done a really cute little vintage-inspired jumpsuit in their latest collection, complete with floral prints and a collar. Paired it with a gorgeously bright yellow scoop-back knit (my colour of the moment) which brought out the little yellow floral accents pretty nicely. They've also done this ditsy print in shorts, skirt and camisole to keep you colour and print happy all winter (and summer) long!

While we're on the topic of brights and prints, remember these Motel Rocks razzle dazzle pants I fell in love with earlier? Here's another one of their Jordan Jeans in an amazing aztec print that's well and truly caught my attention.

Motel Rocks is stocked online at The Iconic, as well as Glue and David Jones stores.

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Wish - 'Raise the Roof' Preview

Last Thursday I was lucky enough to attend a preview of Wish's upcoming collection, 'Raise the Roof'. It was held at Hub Melbourne, a innovative workspace for collaborative work amongst a range of people. It was a beautiful set-up with splashes of colour throughout, including a huge fuchsia beanbag in the middle of the room which I just HAD to get cozy on.  

Trying on a couple of Wish pieces, loving the complementary mustard tones and soft drapes.

Tish of Mister Mode

Rachel and Ester

Miranda and Ester

Sevan and Twee

Double animal-print goodness

With the lovely Madeline of Wish

The collection features a good number of faux fur pieces - jackets, vests and scarves, as well as their signature silk pieces in healthy doses of bright colour and the occasional print (see second last pic above for my fave clash of the animal prints). 

It was a sweet coincidence that some familiar faces from the Nuffnang Fashionopolis were around when I dropped by, which meant a fun-filled hour of catch-ups and photo-taking! Miss Fox, Joolz and Occasional Sweets also contributed cute little gifts of their own to the afternoon. And a huge thank you to the Wish ladies for swinging by Melbourne, and graciously letting us turn the place into our personal dress-up closet!

p.s. There was a seemingly cool/quaint/nice-looking cafe downstairs that I didn't have time to stop by but have made a mental note of! 673 Bourke St, to be exact, if you're around the area looking for some munchies.

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Fashionopolis 2012

Boy am I glad I had a change of mind and bought myself a ticket to the Nuffnang Fashionopolis 2012, the first event of its kind in Australia. Imagine 150 fashion bloggers and industry people, lots of colour, loud prints, creative personalities, all under the one roof! 

It was a full day of informative talks and a chance to meet some highly-respected people in the fashion industry, as well as fellow bloggers from Melbourne and interstate. I had zoomed down the freeway right after teaching in the morning, only to be faced with slow city traffic and a couple of wrong turns, and made it there just before the start of the afternoon sessions!

Yellow tops + printed bottoms unite! With the lovely Chloe of Chloe Ting.

 Dasha of Trendspotter: pastel perfection on those legs, AND she's wearing one of her own shoe designs! (Pretty please do a pair just for me..?)

Sunglass Hut running giveaways throughout the day

Sisters Esther and Rachel, of Estelle la Mode. Droolworthy Zara shoes ;)

Sevan of 7 Autumn Leaves

Lovely ladies Sam, Sevan and Charmaine

Girls behind Lydra - note the printed leggings!

Miranda and her awesome hair 

It was definitely a pleasure to have met so many amazing people, including Phoebe of Lady Melbourne, and Emma of Spin Dizzy Fall! I clearly wasn't able to photograph everyone and everything that was there, but I left the place feeling just a little bit wiser and creatively inspired. 

One thing I took away from the arvo - give your social network channels lots of time and love. There, all the time I spend glued to my iPhone and MacBook, justified! 

x