Recipe: Blueberry and Lemon Gin & Tonic

Sunday afternoon heralded the onset of a new season: perhaps spring really will arrive some day soon.

I wasn't actually very well over the weekend, and feverishly slept through the second half of the AFL Grand Final. When I woke up, I couldn't believe that the game had ended in a draw. Who would have thought it?

But if I had been feeling better, on Sunday I would have celebrated the lovely warm weather by mixing up one of my recently invented concoctions: a blueberry gin and tonic, with a slice of lemon.

The photo doesn't do it justice.

Ingredients:

• 50mL (one standard measure) of Bombay Sapphire gin
• Tonic water
• Ice cubes
• Wedge of lemon
• Small handful of frozen blueberries (around 5 per glass)

Rub the wedge of lemon around the rim of your glass.
Pour your measure of gin over the ice cubes.
Drop in the frozen blueberries.
Top the glass up with tonic.
Add the wedge of lemon to the glass.
Don't stir: instead, let the mixture rest for a moment or two before serving. The blueberries will start to colour the water a muted purple.

Enjoy while sitting in the sunshine, planning your social calendar for the warmer months that are approaching.

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New discovery: 1000 Pound Bend

On Sunday I popped into The Milk Market to say hi to Jetsetting Joyce and introduce her to a girlfriend who is starting an online business. (Joyce also runs the very successful CycleStyle website.)

Joyce with her gear from CycleStyle

The Milk Market was a collection of market stalls housed in the slightly strange space that is 1000 Pound Bend.

I've actually been into 361 Little Lonsdale St before (it is just around the corner from my favourite brunch venue, Hardware Societe), but not really understood what it held. After a bit of research, I learned the following:

1000 Pound Bend holds a cafe that serves breakfast burritos, toasted sandwiches, soup, lasagne and pies every day of the week. Be warned though: this isn't the kind of place you'll find a decaf skinny soy latte.

The 450 sqm warehouse at the back is perfect for hosting exhibitions, and is one of the largest independent galleries in the CBD.

It has a cinema that hosts horror movie appreciation nights. Or, you could drop into the Melbourne Amateur Animation Festival, which was so popular last time they are organising another screening.

You can hire a vintage bike from the selection of vintage and classic racers, city bikes and lady's bikes on offer at The Humble Vintage outlet and set off to see the sights on Melbourne on two wheels.

Whatever takes your fancy really, 1000 Pound Bend has something for everyone. And on Sunday, that included impressive lighting installations, vintage clothing stalls, and "I think your bike is hot" tags.

1000 Pound Bend
361 Little Lonsdale St
Mon-Fri 8am-7pm, Sat-Sun 11am-7pm
Phone: n/a

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Organisation Tip: Porta-bag handbag insert

Ok, so this might seem like an overkill to some. But for those who share my slightly obsessive organisational tendencies, this invention will be like manna from heaven.

Let me introduce... (drum-roll, please): The Porta-Bag Handbag Insert.

This nifty invention, courtesy of Howards Storage World, is designed to drop into your handbag, whereupon it is ready to receive, house, store and organise all those vital essentials a woman needs to keep on her at all times. It comes in three different sizes, and starts at $19.95.

The purchase of my handbag insert came after a particularly trying week, where, for the umpteenth time I was caught in the pouring rain outside my apartment building, desperately rummaging through the dark depths of my handbag for my house keys.

My handbag insert now enables me to locate at a moment's notice those small, seemingly insignificant possessions that make my life easier.

And not only does the handbag insert keep important items ordered and neat, it also allows them to easily be moved from one handbag to another on nothing more than a whim.

Farewell, all those hours spent seeking your insistently ringing phone in the dark cavities of your bag!

Farewell, the time spend needlessly moving sunglasses, keys and lipstick from one handbag to another!

Farewell, the panicked moment when you are convinced you have lost your wallet, only to find it hidden under the plethora of crap you carry!

A brief inventory of inclusions to my handbag insert reveals:

• Housekeys
• Hands-free kit for iPhone
• Pocket mirror
• Bobby pins and hair ties
• Pocket pack of tissues
• Lipsticks (1 x Revlon in colour 626, 1 x hot pink lip crayon)
• Business cards (professional & blog)
• Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve
• Blistex
• Handbag Butler
• Eyedrops
• Painkillers
• Anti-bacterial hand gel
• Soft cloth for cleaning glasses
• Emergency food supply (toasted almonds in a zip lock bag)

I wonder what this list reveals about me. A hypochondriacal, appearance-conscious professional with overly sensitive blood-sugar levels? You can be the judge.

What essentials do you keep in your handbag?

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Beauty Tip: The best exfoliator in the world

I've enjoyed getting to grips with the cosmetics industry. I get to sample all manner of products - mainly high-end, premium goodies - and then impact on how they get sold.

One of my favourite self-indulgent beauty habits is exfoliating. I love scrubbing away in the shower to then be rewarded with sleek, soft, smooth skin.

During my time at the Cosmetics Company, I've tried a number of great exfoliators. Some imbue my skin with delightful fragrance, others simultaneously moisturise and seal the skin so that it feels as sleek and burnished as an otter.

But if I really want a product that will do exactly as the name suggests, I can't go past the $7.99 exfoliator gloves from the pharmacy or supermarket.

Nothing can beat their efficacy and ease of application. Some exfoliator scrubs require you to use all your might and muscle to get a smidgen of the same result, but applying minimal pressure will get great returns from these beauties. In fact, the delightfully coarse surface can encourage you to over-exfoliate, leaving enthusiastic converts sloughing away excessively at their elbows and knees.

So there you have it, from an industry insider. If you really want the smoothest skin around, just pop into your local pharmacy.


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Australia vs. the world (and, welcome Zara)

I love Australian fashion: Alice Euphemia's range, Ellery, Romance was Born, Gorman, Leonard St, plus high-street brands such as Cue and Sportsgirl, where I often get basics such as leggings and fluoro fancy dress outfits.

Leonard St Spring Summer 2011

But despite my love of local retailers, I have had wistful moments wishing we had access to the famous fast fashion labels TopShop, H&M and Zara. Imported fashion in Australia must cope with the fact that we are in a different hemisphere to the retail centres of London, New York and Paris.  Our seasons are out of sync and retailers often need to create entirely new ranges for our smaller market.

That being said, some retailers are making the plunge: to the excitement of fashionistas across the country, Zara is taking a triple story, 1830 square meter site in Westfield's new Pitt Street development, and there are reports that H&M is looking at the market more closely. Some believe that Zara's entry could precipitate the likes of Uniqluo, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Forever21 to head our way, domino-style.

By Malkav

Last year TopShop opened as part of Incu in Sydney. Have you visited? What did you think? After visiting TopShop and H&M while I was in Kuala Lumpur late last year my high expectations were somewhat dashed - they weren't nearly as incredible as my memories of the London stores. And even though Mango has been in Australia for ages, their range still lacks the vitality of the European stores.

One upside of our remoteness is the greater opportunity it affords our local brands. Sportsgirl is going from strength to strength, and Supre, Forever New and Dotti all fill the teenage and young professional market with a strong fast fashion offering. Australian women are also more likely to spend their money  supporting local up-and-coming designers rather than buying fast fashion "interpretations" (or cheap copies) of high-end luxury designs.

See by Chloé dress, left, Mini Dungaree Dress by TopShop, right 

(Courtesy of Searching for Style)

What do you think of Zara's imminent arrival? Do you try and buy local, or do you spend hours trawling the online stores of overseas retailers wishing they were available on your local high street?

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Melbourne Spring Fashion Designer Show 4

Dear blog,

How are you, my friend? I've been distant lately, and for that I apologise. But never fear: I am back, with tales from the front-line of Melbourne's fashion scene.

On Friday night Jetsetting Joyce and I caught up for dinner at Stellini Bar prior to Show 4 of the Melbourne Spring Fashion Week. Over a sumptuous pork and fennel lasagne and a chickpea salad, we discussed work, life, and blogging. After resting our full bellies, it was a hop, skip and a jump down to the corner of Collins and Swanston Street.

The Melbourne Town Hall was packed with young bright things: enormous quiffs, midriffs and leather spell the path into Spring / Summer. And that's just from scanning the festival guests.

We made a brief detour to check out the pamper room beforehand.

Show 4 of the Designer Series Runway consisted of the following labels:

above.
ALPHA60
Carly Hunter
Claude by Claude Maus
FAT
Jack London
Limedrop
Tesla
Trimapee

Clearly more of a focus on streetwear than some of the earlier shows, with the edgy Melbourne aesthetic  linking the collections.

Alpha60 started off the evening strongly with a set of patterned silk dresses occasionally overlaid with a simple cap sleeve silk tee. Necklines were modest, and midnight blue seemed to be the favoured colour of the collection.

above. used patterned cutouts to generate texture and interest across a number of their designs. Others projected sophistication and style through draped layers. A fabulous burnt orange injected some life into the colour pallet.

The Limedrop collection was flirty, fun and youthful. White pants for the boys, a shimmering metallic jacket, capes and oversized versions of the boyfriend shirt with an extended back panel resulted in one of the more interesting collections of the night.

Tesla kept the pallet simple: lots of black and pastels. More midriffs on show, with plenty of high-waisted shorts. An elegant dress with full skirt and cut out back panels offered a neat addition.

Jack London featured some of the only vibrant colour of the evening: dusty purple alternating with burgundy velveteen pants and slouchy blazers combined to create a sleek look. No socks anywhere to be seen, but hair straight from West Side Story. Think fauxhawk, but bigger and bolder.

FAT, one of the more established brands of the evening produced a bodice a la Madonna during her Material Girl era and more of the high waisted wide-cut shorts that look as though they'll be on every street corner come summer. Again, the pallet was muted in either black or nude. Although blue pastel did make an appearance. The excitement.

Claude Maus Denim featured lots of...  Greige. Beige + grey, combined to make the hottest colour of the season. Apparently. Cowl-neck tops for both men and women were paired with skinny black leggings.

Trimapee offered some unique designs, using long tassels to create movement and texture. Asymmetric cuts using black over white layering resulted in an intellectually satisfying collection.

Carly Hunter opened with a light show that lit up the room, and many of her designs were linked by a whimsical circle motif appearing over sheer muslin fabric. Colours included mustard orange, more ice blue, russet, charcoal and black. A number of dresses tended towards the mid-calf length: awkward to pull off if you aren't six foot or taller.

Sadly I organised my tickets at the last minute and hence don't have any close-up photos for you, but head over to Joyce's review, which has a neat slideshow.


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