Florals and Stripes

Courtesy of Late Afternoon

How awesome is the clash of the floral top with the stripe skirt!

This Weekends Fashion Festivities

The sound of champagne bottles popping around me is a key sign to a good night. I was lucky enough to go to Brisbane's Mercedes Benz Fashion Festival on Saturday night as a newly appointed intern for Assiere. We mingled with the who's who of Brisbane's fashion industry as they served cocktails and canapes in the Wintergarden Runway Lounge. After a few bright-pink cocktails we headed to the 7pm show which featured Easton Pearson, Francis Leon and Paul Hunt. I sat in the second row directly opposite Alex Perry, who had me star struck as I could feel myself looking at him from the corner of my eye every chance I had. The show escaped any controversial nude scenes or runway stacks but was entertaining just the same. I am still contemplating buying a few more tickets for the shows featuring throughout the week (depending on my bank balance) but here are my favourites so far from this weekends shows. 

 

I loved these Francis Leon pants, the fabric looked beautiful on the runway.

 This Camilla pantsuit is to die.

This amazing dress from Paul Hunt's collection stole the show.

For more information http://www.mbff.com.au/

Foodie Inspiration

There are times when I'm obsessively inspired by food and good-looking recipes, frantically clicking through foodie blogs, then there are times when I feel uninspired and prefer to turn to thai takeaway. After a Foxtel fix, hours and hours of trashy shows I had missed last week, I have reclaimed my foodie inspiration after seeing these tantalisingly simple recipes on Donna Hay's Fast, Fresh,  Simple. These are the two dishes that 

Ginger Poached Chicken with Coriander Dressing

Ultimate One-Bowl Chocolate Dessert Cake

Get the full recipe at

http://www.lifestyle.com.au/tv/donna-hay-fast-fresh-simple/recipes.aspx?p=3

The Lovely Liverpool

Liverpool is often mentioned as the home of the Beatles and a well adored football team, luckily there is more to this city than Beatles memorabilia and raging football fans. The city is filled with extravagantly decorated buildings showcasing classic georgian architecture which sit at the end of run down quiet back streets. 

An early-morning two hour train ride left us dying for a good coffee. We walked past a few potential coffee spots but Bold St Coffee won us over. Behind the counter they had an old-school record player and a shelf stacked with records. When we walked in they were playing the Wolfgang Amadeus record by Phoenix. Sitting down enjoying their coffee, listening to good music and looking at the street photography art on the walls was the perfect start to the day. 

A glimpse of the sea is a rare occasion in the UK so when we came across Liverpool's waterfront and ports we spent a minute or two to appreciate the sparkle in the sea. 

 Albert Dock 

Sugar Pit-Stop

We finally found flat whites in London

The epic adventures to find a flat white in London

The one thing I have missed about Australia is the strong coffee culture as in the UK It has proven a difficult task to find a decent cup of coffee. I have come to realise you don't just stumble upon good coffee shops, instead you have to search them out. We battled with long tube rides, walking tirelessly up and down streets but once we found these golden gems it was all worth it.   

1. St Ali 

Originating from Melbourne, St Ali brings the well loved Australian passion for a late brunch accompanied by good coffee to the London scene. Here you will find Aussie's hiding behind their London Times sipping their latte's, whilst waiting for their eggs benedict. I had a classic loud mouth Aussie serve me, as well as sitting at the table next to my QUT tutor I had a year ago. The interior is dark and dense with brick walls and hardwood floors all surrounding the coffee bar that sits in the middle of the floor space punching out amazing coffees. 

2. Lowry and Baker 

Tucked away at the very end of Portobello Road was this quaint cafe that served sensational coffees. It is small with few tables and chairs filling up the one room but the hum of the coffee machine turns this crammed space into a homely and cosy spot for good coffee. The daily menu is chalked up on boards, filled with simple home style foods such as poached eggs with avocado and salmon on sourdough which blew my mind.

3. Foxcroft & Ginger 

http://www.foxcroftandginger.com/home.php

As you walk through the door there is graffiti on the back wall which leads you to decide where to sit. There are stools against the front window watching the bustling soho crowds or there is the dark room downstairs filled with old couches and benches that look like horse-saddles. With mostly Aussies or New Zealanders at the counter, they have consistently served good flat whites, cutely poured into delicate china tea-cups. 

A little town called Saltaire

Just a step outside Leeds - Saltaire

Everyday we walk into town to get our daily dose of Opposite coffee, one of three good coffee shops in Leeds. Just the usual morning chit chat usually takes place but on this one occasion he tells us a visit to Saltaire must be done. Saltaire is a quaint village full of friendly locals who said 'hello' as you walked past them and seemed to love a good chat. 

Through the town runs a canal that is home to many ducks and swans that were fed very well by locals and tourists. 

Inside the once famous Salt Mill has been transformed into an amazing bookstore that takes up an entire level as well as a home wares store that kept us happily entertained.

Matt made friends with the swans.

This is the Congregational Church, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, looking very moody and mysterious on this drizzly day. 

It was originally built by Sir Titus Salt, a wealthy industrialist wanting an efficient village of workers without naughty temptations such as booze or gambling. This is no longer the case with the towns favourite pub ironically called 'Don't tell Titus' which we visited for an afternoon red. 

An Escape to the Seaside

"A skateboarder with boat shoes and ray bans personifies Brighton"

Brighton is edgy and cool and the epicentre of a flamboyant gay culture. Gorgeous Georgian townhouses line the seaside and magnify the rich artistic lifestyle behind the closed doors. 

A late start to the day and an hour on the tube left us only the afternoon to spend in Brighton. We had a few complications getting our road trip underway the fuel and toilet stops set us back slightly but just over an hour in the car and we arrived at the seaside escape. Unfortunately everyone else in London had the same idea, leaving Brighton Pier swarming with people. 

It is well known that Brighton is best enjoyed with fish and chips on the sand-free beach. We found a local fish and chip shop and hurried with our bundled paper parcels to the pebbled beach. I haven't had fish and chips since I have been in the UK so there was huge excitement for some salty chips smothered in sauce by the seaside. 

The lanes in Brighton showcase an eclectic array of shops from boutiques to maze like vintage stores. It is easy to get lost amongst the tangle of back streets that revealed this tiny jam packed candy store and amazing art stores. 

Behind some streets we found amazing street graffiti.

Sickies in San Sebastian

After a blissful first day in San Sebastian, we were looking forward to the relaxing days ahead. Little did we know the remainder of our holiday would be spent in bed feeling sicker than a teenage girl sculling a bottle of vodka before going on a roller-coaster - hell. 


Here are the three culprits, 


1. The tap water we drank in Barcelona had a very strange taste to it. In desperation after a night of many cocktails and jugs of sangria there were times when we had to drink out of our dodgy hostel's basin taps. 

2. After arriving in town late we went to a bar for a drink and some food. Starving we ate a few pinxtos made up of  a slice of bacon, chicken and aubergine on a slice of baguette. Unlike Barcelona where you grab the pinxtos you want, eat it and then take the toothpicks to the counter to pay, here as I picked up my chosen pinxtos the barman grabbed it out of my hand , cussing some sort of Spanish words, threw it in the microwave and then gave it back to me. I have a feeling it had been sitting there all day and the reheat clearly wasn't sufficient in killing the bacteria that invaded our bodies!

3. Rumour has it the mayonnaise in Spain can be a little funky. On our first, lovely beach day in San Sebastian we ordered a sandwich which in my poor attempt to translate the menu had hoped would be a ham and salad sandwich. It turned out to be ham, tuna, white asparagus, tomato, egg, mayonnaise and buttered white bread - not my cup of tea. This may not have been the source that made us awfully sick but the thought of it does make me sick, which is never a good sign. 

It was one of those nasty food groups that made us dreadfully ill for 5 days straight. We had terrible nausea and were forced to stay in bed, only able to drink powerade. NIL BY MOUTH was our motto as we felt so sick at the smell of Spanish food. After a few days we were getting our starve on and Matt did a dash to the McDonald's on the corner. All we craved was salty delicious chips. We had chips for dinner two night in a row - so so naughty. 

It took multiple packs of nurofen, powerade and foreign tummy tablets to convince us we could make it home. After a 30 minute walk to the bus station, missing our bus to Biarittz we had to get a cab to the train station followed by two trains to get us to the airport. By the time we got back to english speaking country, it was a sunday followed by a public holiday which meant doctor was out of the question so we just had to wait it out. Such a miserable end to our amazing Spanish fiesta.