Fashion - David bowie

Pre trial jitters:

So im on the train to the city. Ive got my highheeled boots with me in a bag ( i know, deja right? not gonna let a repeat of that happen even if i have to stash them in a library locker for a few hours.) anyway, chose to bring them because i find something tacky about red heels and black stockings. To the job trial im wearing my ochre jacket, jewel tones wrap around dress (another great item picked out by my mother; see the trend here?) and my black riding boots. Doesn't matter too much since they're gonna change me into clothes from the collection but he first impressions.

Walking out to the train station i did stop and turn around and put a slip on since the dress was clinging to my stockings - which i took as a positive sign. Im not totally uncouth, i just need to channel my mother ;p

Post trial:

first thought? "Thank god i wore the boots", feet are feeling tender.....

Instead of doing a one hour trial (apparently it was supposed to be 2hrs) i was in dizingof from quarter till one until a quarter till 5. The newer girl that was there said that that was a good sign. I have a second trial next week and if that goes equally well as today then i start training the next day apparently. Hm.
As Im typing this the tram Im on has paused outside the Brunswick st location. Weird.

"His clothes are loud, but never square. It will make of break him so he's got to buy the best, cause he's a dedicated follower of fashion"

- The Kinks Dedicated Follower of Fashion


Suddenly the other day I felt like I was falling into an antipodean adaption of The Devil Wears Prada. In my effort to find employment I applied at the Dizingof boutique on Brunswick St. The sales girl was very eager about me applying for the position and getting me set up with an interview. Literally within a half hour of me leaving the store she had called me with an appointment for an interview. Sounds good right? Let's add to the action of the narrative, let's describe the mise-en-scene. 

Dizingof is posh. The capital of 'Swish'. It may not have a location on Collins St but if I remember correctly it's CBD location is a door down from Hugo Boss. I have walked by this store and admired the designs but not even let myself in because It wasn't going to be my price point. So, when I did walk in at Brunswick St location I had my 'A' game on right? No. I had been rained on, was carrying my Country Road carry all bag, had slept the previous night at my mate's, was wearing the same outfit as the day before and sporting day old makeup. What was I wearing? Oh the height of sophistication for me. I had on my nice brogues, tight jeans, a paisley blouse and grey V-neck jumper. No idea what my hair was doing. Apex of fabulous, right? I did get an interview though.

Yesterday was my "interview". I say "interview" because it ended up being a 6-8 minute discussion. The interview was supposed to take place at10am at their QV location but there was some sort of last minute change and they needed me to come back at 12.30. Of course I said that that would be fine. I went down the road to the State Library and flipped through a Lucien Freud exhibition catalogue.*

Nothing like flipping through an artist who's work you really admire to bring home the disappointment in yourself for being worked up over a retail position vs. at home painting. Anyway I grabbed a cappuccino at Mr.Tulk's to pep myself up and went back into the unknown.

I walked up in what I thought was an outfit that hip-ly mixed classic and avant-garde. I wore opaque black stockings with my chocolate suede high-heel ankle boots, had on my black turtlenecked long sleeve dress with my fancy asymmetrical top i picked up in Port Fairy. To top it all off I wore my ochre winter coat, which my immensely fashionable mother picked out for me. I suppose i was aiming for art gallery owner but a little less black? Less severe? Well, it felt a lot like this:

She assured me for the trial they'd have something for me to put on. My trial is on Thursday afternoon, must bring my heels and stockings. I either blow her away or get 2 more chances to do so or no go. Of course I'm hoping that ACMI or one of the other gallery opportunities I applied for will save me from my own public humiliation but I kinda like the challenge. Is it the job I would have picked or would expect people to associate with me? No, but I don't plan on failing either.

It's not that I have a problem with fashion, in fact one of the reasons I moved back to Melbourne is that people give a damn what they wear out in public (I have a physical revulsion to sweat shirts and sweat pants). I love fashion blogs, picking up a Vogue and buying a ridiculous fashion item every once in a while. However I just don't feel 'stylish'. Part of that is due to the fact that I literally think I could spend the rest of my life in one set of clothes. RM Williams Cuban heels, Black skinny jeans, a black v-neck t-shirt, a dark or tweed blazer and a jumper for when it's colder. maybe i'd shake it up with a grey t-shirt or a button up for special occasions but, seriously. I may like dressing up, doing my hair, etc but I never feel more myself or more confident then in the afore mentioned outfit.

So, the gauntlet has been thrown. Can the cruddy art student turned nomadic graduate pull off being a posh sales girl/stylist?

Stay tuned to hear about the trial and the training. Hiring would be a lot like this right? Hahaha.

*Will talk about the Lucien Freud catalogue in a later post, have a review on it since I read it all in the 2 hours I had to kill.

"I looked at the Rubens and Rembrandts. I liked the John Singer Sargents. He told me he liked Turner. Never have I turned since then"

- Rufus Wainwright, The Art Teacher


Yesterday was an ARTday, not a Friday for me.

It was pouring rain yesterday, all day, so I showed up to the Brunswick Street Gallery looking like a drowned rat. Yes, this is partially due to the fact that I refuse to buy an umbrella. However, I have never had an umbrella and not lost it, and frankly I'm convinced they don't do all that much good. If it's raining you will get wet.

Anywho- I arrived at BSG to help install their current exhibition, and they put me through my paces. I installed 4 artists' works, and I have to say I was pretty happy with the installations. The one artist I helped who was actually there was super sweet and I hope to remain in touch with her. I enjoyed her work and her company immensely. I also hope that in the near future I'll be helping install my own work at BSG. They have a small works competition coming up that I plan to submit to. The space is a residential building that the two top floors have become the art gallery (the ground floor is a shop and two restaurants). Windy steps, high ceilings, well lit, and there is even one room that is painted the same ox blood red that my bedroom was when I was in highschool. I love it. They get a wide variety of work and change it over frequently, which I think is a good practice to keep the space more vibrant and dynamic.

After helping with the installation I booked it down to Federation Square to hit the Ian Potter (the NGV Australiana collection). They were having a NGV Members free entry to the Fred Williams: Infinite Horizons exhibition, and I just had to see the Upwey Landscape and Silver and Grey again. I also did some sketching so I could better understand how Williams was abstracting the Australian landscape and basically distilling it down to its most powerful elements.

Fred Williams is an Australian born painter, from Melbourne actually. His works, in my opinion, are some of the most beautiful interpretations of the Australian landscape I've ever seen. Probably my favourite. You can read more about him here on wikipedia, but I think I'll write up a review of the exhibition as well in the near future.

Anyway, met up with e at Fed Square and headed to 1000£Bend for some mulled wine and dinner. I had the grilled roo burger of course. Then we headed up to Brunswick St to go to the BSG opening and then split a slice of 'death by chocolate' cake at Joe's Garage.

“I’ve got Friday on my mind, I’m gonna have fun in my city”

- The Easybeats*,  Friday On My Mind

I've been delayed in doing an update (how many times do I make that statement), however here is the entry for Friday 18th to Monday 21st:

On Friday A couple of friends and the mrs. had tea and a pint at Pugg Mahones in Carlton before heading to Tullamarine to pick up "A", a high school mate of hers (and I'd say a mate of mine too) who was coming in to visit us from Canberra and go to the Florence and the Machine show. It was a bit of an adventure that evening. Going to the airport and not flying anywhere or arriving is weird for me. It's also tempting, despite my love for Melbourne; to go off on and adventure. I'm always tempted to go off somewhere. Seriously - so many times I've just considered buying a V-line ticket and seeing how it goes. It seems so irresponsible though....

Saturday we took A down to Brunswick Street for a little shopping and exploring. I bought that ring at the artists' market I've been eyeing for the last two months and picked up a cup and saucer from T2 with a gold chrysanthemum pattern on it. It's lovely and reminds me of my mum. That evening we had tea at Thy Thy a... Vietnamese? restaurant the girls favour. It was good food at a good price and they had the footy on. I got bagged out a lot over the weekend for catch bits here and there of the footy. shrug. After dinner we headed over to d's (whom had crashed on the couch) housewarming/birthday party at his new place. I always enjoy a good house party where everyone knows everyone. I always found uni parties kind of.... awkward. Do you make new friends? Chat with the people you know? Should you chat up your acquaintances and or that person in your class? Anyways, it was a whole lot of fun. I considered staying out with the boys and going into the city late that night but decided against it - I'm not sure if I do or don't regret that decision.

Sunday morning we spent some time down at the Victoria Markets, then had a bite at the pub then went to.... Florence and the Machine at Rod Laver. Awesome show, Florence Welch has an incredible voice that's even more powerful in person. She also seems to have the most adorable personality, she reminds me of my mate j.

Monday before A had to catch a coach to Tullamarine I showed her around the CBD, mainly stuff on and around Swantson St in a whirlwind walking tour. I think she enjoyed our jaunt and got to see some of Melbourne she hadn't seen before, least I hope so.

"A" snapping a photo on Hosier Ln

Later that day I got into VicRoads (the Aus equivalent of DMV, etc) to sort out my paperwork and appointment time to get my full Victorian Drivers Licence. I'm going to say far less painful then teh DMV and the people working there are friendly and helpful - which not trying to over generalise but, I mean..... some could compare the DMV to one of Dante's circles or purgatory.


* The Easybeats are actually an Australian group from the 60s known for Friday On My Mind as well as Made My Bed Gonna Lie In It

"I want you to be free, Don't worry about me, And just like the movies- We play out our last scene"

- Alien Ant Farm Movies


I caught two films this week (May 15th & 16th that is), and oddly enough both involved vampires. Don't worry - neither involved anything that sparkled.

The first film I saw was chosen by my mate for CineCult. CineCult is... "More than just a once-a-month evening of obscure, obsessive cinema, CineCult@303 is a mad and groovy collision of styles, genres, place, time and everything! CineCult will go to the limits of sanity to bring you back the finest features imaginable in the sleek and sexy surrounds of Bar303."


The film she chose was a fairly obscure Australian flick called 'Outback Vampires' or 'The Wicked'. It wasn't over blown camp and the production wasn't blockbuster there was still heaps of attention to detail, it was well developed. I thought there were some great angles used and the film was upbeat and didn't allow romance or an overbearing backstory weight it down. The film was lots of fun with some great laughs. I fully enjoyed myself and the film and look forward to my future CineCult@303 experiences.

(If you think you might be interested in attending a CineCult at Bar 303 screening check out their facebook here. They meet one Tuesday a month at Bar 303 on High St. Screenings start at 7.30 but typically everyone has a drink before hand.)

The second film I saw was Tim Burton's latest collaboration with Johnny Depp and his wife, Helena Bonham-Carter. Dark Shadows wasn't horrible, but it lacked punch. I feel like the writing was tired and didn't take advantage of so many opportunities - that frankly felt like they were laid out on a silver platter, The time setting itself gave so many opportunities for jokes not only to compare 1800s to 1970s but also both time periods to current day, and it wasn't touched on at all. There was also a lot of poorly developed back story and unnecessary inclusions that just slowed the film down narratively and emotionally. Admitedbly I have never seen the TV show, but rather than try and re-create and condense the TV show, as I expect Burton attempted; I would've taken the premise and run with it.

On another yet related note - Does anyone feel like Johnny Depp needs a new 'role'?  Something he can really stretch in? This seemed like a melding of Edward Scissor hands and Jack Sparrow, the last re-visitation of Gonzo-ism was equally expected....

"And in the bottom of a concrete basement, Robin flies again"

- The Breeders Opened

the bar @ Bar Open

This last weekend (Fri - Monday really) was good, if not a bit exhausting. It started out with a Friday night meet up on Brunswick St. J and I had a few scotches at Bar Open before regrouping with the rest of the crew to go check out the opening at Brunswick Street Gallery. The work was quite nice and I'm impressed that they have such a quick turn around on shows since I was just at another opening there the other week. We then re-convened at Bar Open to celebrate b's last exam and upcoming job interview (fingers crossed!). There was also some late night munchies and quite the range of discussion topics that night between the jugs and the kebabs. After that j, f and I went round the corner to the Night Cat to dance up a storm. Plus who knew asking what brand of jeans a person is wearing would be such a successful pick up line? I know - right?

the GPO building

 J, f and I all got home pretty late and had a bit of a chat, which seemed to just continue on seamlessly in the morning. I proved to have magic panadol finding skills as well.

J and I then headed off to the city to see s before he caught his train back toward SA. We ended up having coffee at Southern Cross station and a great catch up with s before having to see him off at his platform. He'll be back next week though, so the good times will continue!

J and I then split ways, her to Footscray and me back to the Box. I had to get home and sort out a few things - including a MUCH NEEDED power nap before I headed back into the city at 5 ish.

I got my power nap and the mrs. was sweet enough to drive me into the city on her way to meet her cousin. Thank goodness because I needed the extra moments slugging it on the couch before standing up serving beer tastings all night as a volunteer at the Great Australasian Beer Spectapular!

a photo of the bar i worked, which was a
shipping container filled with kegs

60 different beers and one cider. 5.15-11.45pm. It was a long night of bar work but not un-enjoyable. I got to taste some good beers and some very unique beers, and some that were both - like a coconut infused stout. yummmy. A chilli pepper with chocolate porter and a watermelon warhead -lager? pilsner? also stick out in my mind. The White Rabbit ale made specifically for the event in collaboration with ... I want to say Little Creatures was also fantastic.

After I was done serving I headed out to meet some mates at The Aviary and on my way ran into one of my co-volunteers from the Bar 03. He was visiting from Brisbane apparently and I dragged him along.

the view from the bench out front the Library

Sunday was mostly spent feeling exhausted and run down with a bit of a cold, and a little home-sickness. It was Mother's Day.

Yesterday, Monday that is; I met up with e in the city for some mulled wine at Section 8 then went on a wander for food - got some tofu curry at 'Don Don' or  'Bento Don'? (Japanese place across form QV on Swantston St). It was a wet night but sat on the benches outside the front of the State Library and ate. The rain had pretty much stopped it was just a beautiful night. I love Melbourne after it's rained at night. It may be cold but the lights reflecting off the wet streets is just lovely.

soem of the seating @ E:fifty-five

Of course given that it was a wet, kinda cold night - sitting in a basement seemed ideal.


As such e and I headed off to  E: Fifty Five at 55 Elizabeth Street which is basically a cross between the cool basement all your friends hung out in high school (like that 70s Show - Eric's basement) and a Shag painting. They were also having a special on a 12yr old Yamakazi whiskey, so... YUM! It was a good night and while a little bit of a late one I woke up feeling refreshed and less sniffly.

"I never needed anybody's help in any way. But now these days are gone, I'm not so self assured, Now I find I've changed my mind and opened up the doors."

- The Beatles Help!

Yesterday I had a 'day at home' applying for what I think would be the perfect job for me, but ultimately I won't get it. Its to be a member of the Exhibition Team at the ACMI (movies and visual exhibition - drool!). My lack of ability to get a position in the art world just makes me think of a particular scene in Art School Confidential. Yeh, ya know - the one about getting ahead? right? Sigh I also skyped with someone in the same city as me for the first time ever. Not a bad thing really.

A Gum Tree I saw on my adventures today

Later in the evening I met up with f at the Provincial on the corner of Johnston and Brunswick Streets for a bit of tea and a few jugs. I'm not sold on having vanilla vodka in my Pimms Cup but I'm not a lover of Singapore slings either really. Frankly, but don't tell f; I think even canned pineapple juice makes my head feel a bit dodge. I'm deathly allergic to fresh pineapple by the way. Any who - the pizza was good nad though over priced the Guinness there isn't half bad.

The Provincial on Brunswick St

I crashed on f's pull-out couch to get a start out on the right side of town to cut down on some of my transport today, which was a failed attempt. Due to incidents involving myki and my sometimes lack of ability to rapidly get where I'm going ("Did you ride a camel into town?"), It might not have really helped. I did have a lovely breakfast on Brunswick St to keep me going through the day. Either way I've come to peace with the fact that I can not coordinate myself so nor could I troops and I would've struggled utterly in OCS. Thankfully my day was saved as was I when I was chivalrously rescued and my day salvaged.

My new favourite store 'Art Stretchers' on High St. There goes rent!

Then later in the evening the mrs. took me to Bunnings (Australian Home Depot) for a staple gun and some wood glue. I re-stretched "you talkin to me" this evening over a film viewing and an amazing roast chicken and avocado sandwich made for me by the mrs. What can I say life is good. d, the buyer came around in the evening and picked up the painting and had a bit of a chat and now I'm just debating going straight to bed or popping on a cheesy film to drift off too. In other words, not a bad 48 hrs. Have a few things that NEED to be done tomorrow but I look forward to a little induced productivity.

vice grip clamps form art stretchers on high st