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Melbourne visit part 2 – Tim Burton exhibition, Sambal Kampung

July 1, 2010 by
So, the Tim Burton exhibition….a bit of drama getting there

We flew into Melbourne airport at 2.15 and were booked to enter the exhibition at 4.30. All we had to do was get to our hotel from the bus station, get changed, perhaps grab a snack, and wander down to the ACMI. Not a terribly tight schedule, except…

Just as we arrived at the Southern Cross bus station, the heavens opened up and it poured. This left the taxis in the position to be cuntish nazis to those of us waiting at the rank, and after THREE failed to take us because a) we were too close, b) it wasn’t on their way or c) they were finishing shift, we started walking.

This meant there was no time to change before the Tim Burton exhibition. Lucky I was wearing a suitably spooky dress and stripy tights anyway. Dom and I DID make it just on time (phew!) and here we are in front of the famous Batman car.

I’m wearing a Banana Fish dress and stripy tights, Cue jacket, Peace Now mini-bowler on headband, Yosuke boots and DestroyX skeleton necklace.
The beautiful car
For some great pics and a write-up of the opening night and Masterclass Tim held, see Sea of Ghosts, and Super Kawaii Mama.

I found the drawings and little figurines (called “maquettes”) absolutely enchanting, and it inspired me to get my drawing pencils out again! Anyone who is creative will love this, and especially those with dark sensibilities.

I appreciated his quirky sense of humour, and chuckled even at the bad puns.

Of course, seeing the visuals and movie clips brought back all the good memories from times past when the movies were first watched, and we promised ourselves we’d see this or that movie again soon.
One of the highlights for me was seeing the costumes by Colleen Atwood and the hats. Just breathtaking, the amount of work and attention to detail there was. I stared at the Mad Hatter’s top hat for ages, and saw to my surprise that it was not brocade but leather!

All the little designs, the swirly paisley shapes and lace effects, were tiny holes punched into the leather, and gold thread was sewn over the top in places, making it look like worn brocade. Stunning.

There’s a funny clip on Threadbanger right before their Mad Hatter costume how-to; it’s well worth a watch! (But that isn’t how the real hat was made).

Afterwards, we went to Sambal Kampung for dinner – yep, it’s Malaysian. At 234 Bourke Street in Chinatown, it was right near our Mercure Hotel.

I failed to get pics of the teh tarik and roti canai, but they were lovely. We had beef rendang with the roti, and it was absolutely gorgeous.

Here is the laksa and sambal veges (eggplant, okra and snowpeas). The laksa was very tasty and had all the fishballs, prawns, chicken, tofu, broccoli, egg, crispy onion etc you could wish for, but I’d have liked it sweeter. The sambal was delicious, but a little oily. You can see I’m not a food blogger 🙂

 

After a rest it was out to the Blue Velvet Room i
n Collingwood for goth club Heresy – I’d been to this venue last year, for the Circa Nocturna after party. That time it was packed; this time not that many people attended, possibly because Cabaret Nocturne had been on the week before. We did manage to see some bands, have beers and laughs and chat with a few people. 

And when we got home, we devoured the rest of the laksa we’d kept in the fridge. Boy did I sleep well after that!

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New hair & arvo tea with Violet & Jimmy

June 30, 2010 by

So sorry for my absence chickadees, but our wily plan to have internet access in our hotel room in Melbourne without the exorbitant fees, was made of fail ; (

I mentioned in my last post a hairdressing appointment I was off to. It didn’t quite go as planned and I ended up having to do the bottom myself, after major dramas saw me with Gaga-yellow hair which had to be stripped out again! It is now beige to lavender to dark purple, and with all those 3 month old extensions out I’m back to a long bob.

It’s not too soccer-mom-ish, is it? I’m getting a lot of comments on the colour, anyway 🙂 But I didn’t like the one where the cab-driver *cough* asked how people reacted to the grey colour *splutter*  Dom almost kicked him under the seat.

I also mentioned I’d be visiting the lovely VioletLebeaux and Jimmy America in their swanky new apartment – well, here’s the piccage! (Thanks Jimmy for taking the photos – check out his blog for photography how-to’s and tips).

My outfit
Red straw mini tophat – made by me
Striped ruffled jabot – Black Peace Now for men
Tiny striped hat worn at throat – Algonquins
Striped Skirt – Peace Now (current)
Striped Jacket – Cue
Black & white boots – Yosuke
Since I was there for the Tim Burton exhibition (more on this soon), I was decked out in a myriad of stripes, and my own quirky mini tophat in vintage straw braid. I’m in love with Violet’s Oxford stiletto booties 🙂
I was able to peek inside her confection-like clothes cupboard full of many coloured dresses – I told her to hit me on the nose with a newspaper like a naughty dog if I snooped too far!  It was also awesome to see her various sewing and deco projects on the go. This is one busy lady.

But then it was time for the main event – afternoon tea. There was a trifle-like concoction made of macarons which hadn’t passed their quality standard test, so they were squished between layers of custard and chocolate.

And I learned something I didn’t know before – Jimmy bakes! He made some adorable heart-shaped scones, with jam and cream!! It took me right back to England – I was in Devon last July/August and had the best Devonshire tea there (or Cream Tea as they themselves call it). Look at them! Aww…

So tea was drunk, jokes made, goodies gobbled and time flew. I had an absolute ball chatting with them, and was pleased to see that we had lots of similar values when it comes to blogging – integrity and sincerity being uppermost.
As for the Tim Burton Exhibiton, yummy food, clubs and gigs we went to in Melbourne – next post!
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PURPUR. Hot new Australian alternative fashion

November 5, 2009 by

My outfit for Halloween day, when I ventured down to Enmore and visited all the goth shops, was based around a gorgeous matching Purpur skirt and military cap I purchased recently. To the skirt I added a Lip Service top, a Surgeon-X claw-studded PVC collar, short tie, striped armwarmers and white and black Raben boots. The outfit:

In the store In Visible Light, one guy obviously thought I was going for an air-hostess look, as he said to me “I’d fly more often, if more of the hostesses looked like you!”. It took a few moments for me to get it, as I thought I was just dressing with military panache.

Purpur is a very exciting new label from Melbourne, that I first discovered at Circa Nocturna, the alternative fashion show. As I wrote in Fiend fashion news back in June:

“Purpur Fashion was one of the standout contenders at Circa Nocturna earlier in the year. Purpur is a custom dressmaking studio specialising in gothic and fetish clothing in PVC and textiles. The cyber-military and geisha looks are breathtaking, although there is a wide range of other styles available too, and customising means you can have something made that’s truly unique”.

Since then, there has been an underground swell and Purpur is becoming a sought after label. Now stocked in Sydney by House of Fetish and Cabinet des Curiosities, Purpur was seen on quite a few of the stylish guys and girls at Under the Blue Moon.

And some of the cyber Geisha styles:

And non-pvc items for non-goths and non-fetish people:

Kate Musina (the founder) began Purpur in Moscow in 2003, catering for actors, musicians, goths, fetish models, freaks, queers, flakes and many others. They spread the word about Kate and soon she became one of the well-known Russian alternative fashion creators.  She has now relocated to Melbourne, and her designs are available at Peril Underground and VNV Boutique.
Her latest collection “Total Control” is inspired by 1930s military propaganda films and Soviet science fiction, and items are in limited supply at the 4 stores mentioned. I’ve nabbed the skirt, jacket and hat, what about you?  Here’s a peek at what you’re missing:
EDIT:  I just bought the jacket from the first picture of the fashion show above – squeee! However, there will be no pics as yet, as I’m such a shortass, I have to get the sleeves shortened before I can wear it. Good things come to those who wait and all that…
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