Monthly Archives: October 2010

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The lady had purple hair

02/10/2010 10:06 am \ 18 Comments \ Carolyn

About my photos; I’ve been asked who takes the pictures I put in my blog; well 99% of the time the photos are taken by me with a self-timer. However for today my photo is taken by my lovely husband. We have been here in Melbourne for him to attend a medical conference, now that is finished and we have two lovely days further to enjoy each other’s company here in this exciting city.
Thankyou so much to purple who left a comment yesterday regarding the Alannah Hill fabric outlet; you can be sure we traipsed out there today!! (Later edit: 188 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy) And if it hadn’t been for my husband, well I’m quite the procrastinator, humming and haa-ing over whether I really need this or that particular thing; my husband always just says “You may as well get it since we’ve come all the way here”… what a wonderful husband. He really is a great enabler, the perfect shopping companion. So I bought more fabric! And I just had to take a photo of the bundles, see below. Funny! This is just how it was handed to me. I was served by a delightful young man, maybe in his early twenties or some such who obviously had no experience at fabric cutting, well, laugh! He hacked away at the silk charmeuses, laces and sequinned silk chiffons in great jagged sweeps of the scissors while I was torn between giggling or gasping in horror at this very rough treatment of all the delicates, but he was such a sweet guy and all the while chatting and joking away in a very charming manner… Then he just rolled it all randomly up, wrapped around a bit of paper and dabbed on a few sticky labels haphazardly in a vain attempt to hold it all together. Such finesse in the wrapping here, lol! Looks like fish n’ chips, or at least a bundle of old rubbish, no? And the little plastic bag; yes, that is 2.5m of the finest silk charmeuse, rolled up and bundled any-old-how and stuffed in to a sandwich bag! A sandwich bag!! This was achieved much the same way one might stuff a cushion… hilarious!
The skirt I’m wearing today is a new-ie for summer, made using a pattern from a Burdastyle magazine issue 8/2009 (I think). I’ll have to check for sure when I get home… it’s called a trench skirt. Like the photo in the magazine, I wanted for the final effect to be like as if I had bought a trench coat and just chopped the bottom off to get a skirt.. well this is the effect I think, but now I would like the skirt to be a bit more streamlined around the waist and not so “bunch-y”. I think I’m hippy enough without this “paper-bag waist”, I reckon this gathered excess of fabric at the waist just emphasises the lower half; so I will be doing some slight alterations on this one when I get home…

Details:
Skirt; Burdastyle 8/09 trench skirt, khaki cotton
Tshirt; Country Road
Cardigan and tights; Metalicus
Booties; Django and Juliette, from Zomp shoes
Bag; Gucci

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: Burda 8/09, skirt

Fabric and wool shopping, Melbourne

01/10/2010 2:28 pm \ 6 Comments \ Carolyn

Having a blast in Melbourne, thus the lateness of the post. Fabric-wise, twas another extremely successful day. So I thought it would be helpful to give for you today a list of highlights in my explorations here…

The first shop I visited yesterday was:
Cleggs,
60 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne
ph (03) 9654 7677
Verdict; small but varied range of all sorts of good; little bit of knitting yarns, little bit of embroidery and craft supplies, little bit of fabrics. The range of laces and lace borders was fabulous and had me hooning across the store as soon as I spotted the discreetly placed shelf of lacy treasures…! After much awed contemplation I bought a series of black lace borders to make a layered camisole… Also medium to good range of lace and sequinned fabrics on the bolt, some reasonably priced

Tessuti Fabrics
141 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
The verdict; not cheap, but a very good range of very yummy fabrics. Couldn’t decide what to get. Everywhere I looked new possibilities called their siren call out to me. I seriously spent a couple of very indecisive hours in here. Eventually bought a selection of muddy coloured summer weight fabrics for summer dresses but may have to visit again before I go back home… This place is well worth it.

Morris and sons
level 1, 234 Collins Street, Melbourne
ph (03) 9654 0888
Biggest range of knitting wool I’ve seen, like ever. Bought four colours of sock wool, muddy autumn-y solid colours as I crave these in my sock collection.

RetroStar Vintage Clothing Company
upstairs in the Cathedral Arcade, 37 Swanston Street, Melbourne
a collection of amazing and incredible secondhand clothes, lots of which are worthy of museum status. Nowhere else have I seen all in one place Texan cowboy boots, American college jackets, cheerleader jackets, an immense collection of band Tshirts, plaid flannel shirts, menswear including Lacoste sportswear, cashmere jumpers and cardigans, shirts galore, jackets, army disposal gear, womenswear from years and years back that will have you gasping in amazement at each new discovery; this place has to be seen to be believed. The decor alone is unique and real entertaining. Warning; not cheap though…

and today discovered The Fabric Store
184 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy (still within walking distance of central Melbourne)
ph 9416 4455
Verdict; a huge range of really good fabrics, all in a reasonable price range. Lots of end-of-bolts from designer ranges. This is well worth making the trip out to see it, it is within walking distance of central Melbourne but if you buy up big like I did you may find the walk back somewhat burdensome… just saying. Hard to leave this store without spending up some. As with Tessuti’s, indecisiveness also plagued me bigtime here (so much choice!! man…), but I had an appointment with the next very important stop so bought lots of fabrics as I don’t want to trudge back out there again. Oh, another plus point, the girls are very generous cutters.

Koko Black
Royal Arcade, Melbourne
No visit to Melbourne is complete without a visit to this cafe. I can’t remember the occasion I first discovered this little gem, but since it entered my radar I will go here once a day when in Melbourne. Sometimes twice a day. The Belgian hot chocolate is to die for. Seriously. This is divine stuff. One cup of this nectar of the gods and you will commence a lifelong love affair… Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Later edit: Alannah Hill fabric outlet, 188 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, is right next door to the Fabric Store. Well worth a visit too! Hint; bolts and bolts and bolts of Alannah Hill fabric are upstairs 🙂

My outfit today wasn’t very exciting, so I have no wish to bore you with a photo, but this will give you a chuckle… for wealthy parents who have furnished their own wardrobes to bursting point with ultra-expensive designer gear and need another spending outlet: (now we’ve seen everything…)