NGV hangs

I took some cute photos at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) last weekend while hanging out with my boyfriend. I've definitely come to value time spent relaxing and away from doing strict work-related things. I should also point out that a number of the galleries are free to view and there are very few people around as well. It's a short walk from Flinders Street Station and curated in such a way that artwork from a specific region and point in time is carefully explained within the context of the values of ancient civilizations. If you're based in Melbourne or just visiting I would recommend visiting the gallery based on the free exhibits alone, but they also sell books on art and fashion (at exorbitant prices, but at least you can find out about them in the first place). Hopefully I'll have more posts about what I did on the weekend, where I shopped, what I ate coming up soon in time for Summer!

Unicorn Hair Braiding

I had the pleasure of attending another class hosted by the School of Fabulousness, an initiative sparked by Melbourne's own mermaid, Lady Petrova! I've visited Petrova's boutique a lot this year and am always welcomed by the most delicious assortment of tea and cupcakes. The classes are no different, but for two hours a group of women learn new skills such as how to start a fashion business, draping for design or how to make your own flower crown! This time I attended the Unicorn Hair Braiding class taught by the lovely Theresa Winters of Braidance where we learned to braid each others hair. I finally was able to master the fishtail braid but also learned how to rope braid (as seen on Lady Petrova) and create "the waterfall". It was so much fun- and at the end we used hair chalk and glitter as well as fake flowers to achieve the desired dreamy unicorn affect. If you live in Melbourne and are interested in attending the next School of Fabulousness class, I recommend you check them out on instagram. If you're really passionate about hair or are a mad Game of Thrones fan and want to recreate Daenerys Targaryen's hairdos visit the Braidiance website.  

Wearing: Vintage dress and coat, Disneyland sweater, Asos Heeled sandals (available here), Asos faux fur scarf.

Attending the School of Fabulousness I also got to debut my newest purchases from Asos! This outfit is my own homage to the wonderful women of Advanced Style who have shown the world that to age gracefully does not mean fading into obscurity. The scarf was on sale and has now sold out, but the shoes are new and all sizes are available now. This vintage dress and coat are my go to outfit but I cannot wait for the weather to get a little warmer and to be able to go outside without wearing multiple layers and thermal tops. 

Lady Petrova Valfre Launch

Last week I was lucky enough to attend the Valfre Launch at Lady Petrova in Melbourne! Specifically the 100% Boy Tears iPhone case which you've probably seen on Instagram and the mermaid shell phone case. Unfortunately I don't have any photos of my outfit from the night but I did wear something sequined and sparkly. The theme was of course all things mermaid, with Petrova herself dressed as the most sensational siren of the deep. She also concocted yummy mermaid drinks to go with a selection of delicious biscuits and seahorse shaped chocolates, all of which were delicious! While my phone doesn't fit any of the cute iPhone cases made by Valfre I did purchase the last Marina Fini piece in store! It's a plexiglass flower-shaped bangle which I can't wait to style in a number of ways. It was also really good to hang out with the amazing and inspiring women who shop at her store, as well as photograph a real life mermaid. If I could pop back in time to visit vintage Disneyland and the mermaids of Neverland I would, but that's simply not possible.

Lady Petrova Poetic Science

In the wake of Tim Hunt's awfully sexist comments (made in apparent jest) as well as sorry excuse for an apology/ fake apology I feel even more passionately about science. Contrary to popular belief scientists are not mindlessly slaving away at a task they don't care for. In fact, the best scientists and professionals I know are truly interested in science and discovery. It is this that motivates them, and it is this that motivates me to jump out of bed at 6am every morning and commence work as soon as possible. I've also come to the conclusion that if I were unable to successfully become an academic I would love to work in science communication and particularly encourage young girls and women towards this field. Lady Petrova's most recent collection, Poetic Science was based on Ada Lovelace who is attributed as the first computer programmer. But you've probably never heard of her unless you, yourself are a computer programmer. I know I certainly hadn't before catching wind of this spectacularly breath-taking collection but I can imagine why the achievements of a historical female scientist would be lessened in comparison to her male counterparts. Remember Ada Lovelace as a pioneer in her field, as well as amazingly gorgeous women who probably wore lovely tapestry capes, dresses and velvet.

*All images via Lady Petrova

Sale season

As you might have realised by now, if you're like me and your inbox is getting clogged full of emails from Browns, Net a Porter and House of Holland that it's sale season. On my way to photograph the Gun Shy installation at Rose Chong on Gertrude Street I walked past the Alice Euphemia sale by chance. Alice Euphemia closed down their store in the Cathedral Arcade, near Flinders Street last year but the owner Karen was at the store and mentioned creating a website for sustainable fashion sometime soon. Since I had my camera with me I was able to subsequently photograph the different colours and textures of the clothing. I also bought a Maison Michel black plastic rain hat, which I have sought literally for years for $35. THIRTY-FIVE-FUCKING DOLLARS. I mean the thing used to retail for $330 which is of course overpriced but really it represents that period of time when fashion bloggers were first sitting in the front row and editors were irked by their presence.