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It's another rainy weekend in Melbourne but I don't mind because Suki and I have had to stay indoors to style the looks for the Fair@Square fashion show.
I really did intend to do a blog about Jakarta Fashion Week with some pictures of amazing stuff as worn by Lady Gaga (yes, pretty exciting, sorry to keep you in suspense!), but that might have to wait until things have calmed down a bit. In the mean time here are a few more things that will be in the show on Friday.
Detail of a dress by Georgia McCorkill for The Red Carpet Project...
I'm pairing each of the 11 garment designers with an accessories label, and using my Fourth Daughter label with Georgia's dresses, not that I feel that my creations are worthy of her beautiful gowns! I'd show you the things that are going to be on the catwalk, except that I haven't actually made them yet. Um. Yeah. So that's tonight's effort, I suppose...
Meanwhile, someone who's a little bit more organised than me and very inventive is Dearne from Mainichi. What do you think these beads are made from?
Let's just say Dearne must LOVE sushi... the beads are made from the little fish-shaped bottles that takeaway soy sauce comes in! It's a bit more obvious here:
Anyway, I better get back to work or the models won't have any earrings to wear with Georgia's dresses! It's not like I can afford to sleep on the job, unlike certain stylist's assistants I could name... 
I'm back! Did you miss me? (Did you even notice I wasn't around?) Sorry I didn't tell you where I was going but things were crazy before I left and then I forgot my camera cable so couldn't put up any pics while I was away - in Indonesia! I was invited there to take in some Jakarta Fashion Week shows and see the sights, along with Thom from Couturing.com, Monica from Fame Agenda and designer Steven Boon. I will get around to putting up some proper fashion photos soon, hopefully (after a considerable amount of editing, as I took a LOT of photos), but for now, indulge me by letting me share these happy snaps with you instead.
Thom and I were lucky enough to be chauffeured around in airconditioned comfort (otherwise we would have melted within about 5 seconds). One of the first places we went was Cafe Batavia which I think was once a Dutch official's house but is now an amazing Deco-esque cafe filled with photos of all kinds.
Somehow I managed not to buy even ONE thing at the flea market, although I was tempted by this marble (?) statue which seems to be holding a banana aloft...
Loved this retro-kitsch portrait of an Asian lady too, but it would have been a bit hard to stuff into my luggage.
Likewise these chandeliers!
Not sure how much protection these hats would provide in an accident... stack hats, Jakarta style.
We visited the world-exclusive Magnum cafe in Grand Indonesia shopping centre. This is its philosophy, which I have to say I agree with.
The menu is based around Magnum icecreams in sundaes, parfaits, and lots of other desserts, and you can also customise your Magnum at the dipping station. 
I was too full from a massive lunch to order anything, but I had a few bites of this Magnum parfait which was made from three Magnum bars, cream, fruit, wafers and chocolate sauce.
No wonder our guide, Agung, looks so delighted.
Agung also assured us that "Kenny Rogers chicken" was delicious, but oh, what a shame, we never got around to trying it...
Poor Agung had to put up with us shopping for hours on end at the gem market and Munga Dua, a big shopping centre full of parts for bags and accessories.
I bought some amethysts, green dyed coral (hoping it's mountain coral??), turquoise, more coral, this time in red, and green agate... not sure what I'm going to make yet but couldn't resist!
I also got all these rings for a tiny $36... little amethyst from Borneo, lapis lazuli from Africa probably, and some local gem called yakut (agate? crystal?) from Sumatra. I had to get the ring resized of course... the hassle of having skinny fingers!
After the bustle of Jakarta, Thom, Steve and I headed to Bali for an all-too-short two days of doing nothing much... we got less time than we bargained for thanks to the ASEAN summit being in Bali and our plane being rerouted to the island of Lombok, meaning we got in after midnight instead of at 6.30pm! The beach the next morning helped us to get over that though.
Look how happy this dog is, having a good old scratch on the beach at Legian.
I preferred the hotel pool to the beach, to tell the truth, and I think Thom did too.
Here I am, post-swim on the balcony of my room...
...and doing a spot of posing in the beautiful grounds of the hotel (Three Brothers Bungalow).
I didn't exactly love Legian, so was happy to leave for Ubud, although would have been even happier if I could have taken this little one with me...
She made a decent attempt to stow away in my bag and the staff said we should take her with us but we decided to leave her at the hotel.
Ubud was gorgeous, and the hotel (Sri Ratih Cottages) was fabulous value for $39! (And seeing as he hadn't booked, Thom ended up sharing with me, so it was even cheaper! Oh, and before you get any ideas, Thom has a boyfriend!)
This is the view from outside our room.
... the flowers on the statues in the grounds are replaced every day...
We had a good old gossip over a fabulous Balinese banquet at Cafe Wayan...
... to fortify us for browsing at the market on our last day.
We both bought beautiful batik...
This is the house behind the batik shop. Amazing.
Kids getting a roadside snack. Check out the school uniforms - tartan!
Well, I think I'll leave you with this shot from the hotel, with me working the Frida Kahlo look yet again (it's very handy for bad hair days, which, due to the humidity in Bali, are all too common). I'm quite tired after the flight and a day of catching up on emails and organising the Fair@Square fashion show so it's time to head off to bed.
By the way, don't forget to enter my giveaway!!
When you think about Australian souvenirs, what comes to mind? Mass produced, made-in-China crap? It doesn't have to be that way any more - at least, not if you know where to look.
For the next few weeks in the lead up to Christmas, there are four Melbournalia pop-up shops opening in the city, stocking (in order of appearance) homewares, gentlemanly goods, lady things and (inevitably) coffee-related paraphernalia. I went to the opening of the first shop, Home, the other night, and highly recommend a trip if you are looking for locally made gifts with a Melbourne theme.Stationery with trams on it - how much more Melbourne could you get?
Oslo Davis' observations are hilarious sometimes... 
Here's his cartoon of a guy on his mobile on Swanston Street saying "Can I call you back? I'm in a meeting"...
Some more items including jewellery from Emily Green...
This cushion is based on an old tram roll... although I have a feeling that the last stop is just a cheeky joke...
There are tea towel versions too!
Soap wrapped in Melways maps...
I only found out the other day that MacRob Girls' High School was named after (and built with the funds of) the MacRobertson confectionary company...
Organic cotton bags with cockies and koalas printed on them...
"I'd go to Zone 2 for you"... going to Frankston for someone really is a big sacrifice, haha...
"Nothing to declare, Officer, except my love"
Bike-themed scarves by Otto and Spike, a firm that makes knitwear the old fashioned way. 
A bit of bling from Obus...
Whimsical art...
Sweet pink BYO coffee cups...
... and a display on a ladder...
... and two more artworks for good luck... 
Have I inspired you to go and have a little look for yourselves?
Oh, and if you want a FREE gift, don't forget to enter my giveaway...
