Forgive me for the excessive outfit posts in the last week and a bit, I’m currently snowed under with so much work that I haven’t been able to finish some of the things I wanted to bring you. I’m making up for it today with a huge recap on the weekend as well as all the outfit fun, so hold on for a huge selection of photos!

Anyway, my world is a whirlwind at present.  A mess of designing, writing, sewing, events and attempting to keep body and soul together for everyone in the household. It has meant a few 2am bedtimes, but I just can’t seem to ever tame my over achieving nature.  There was a small welcome break in one of these roles over the weekend however, as Mr. SKM took the girls on a trip to the country whilst I stayed in town for Fashion week events, parties and watching some very talented girls get their kit off!  Intriguing?

Saturday began with a quick trip in to to Circa Vintage Clothing, seeking out patterns for inspiration for my Friends of Couture collection as well as my own personal stash. Nicole at Circa has more patterns than you could possibly imagine and it is like a little piece of nirvana to sit there and search through for heartbreakingly beautiful gems. Yes, I found something amazing, but that will have to wait for another day when I can show you the finished product.

Then it was onto Worn Wild Alternative Designers Market as part of the LMFF calendar.  A great opportunity to check out lots of hand made and custom pieces as well as to meet and talk to the designers. So after a day of shopping and waltzing about looking at pretty things, it was off to see the amazing Sugar Blue Burlesque troop, over from Perth for one night only.  Oh, if only there were more shows! Sugar Blue were out of this world amazing!  The costumes, coreography, innovation and the downright cheekiness of it all. They really deserve their own post of highlights, so stay tuned.

So after all that shopping, socialising and sexy spangles, I finished off the night watching two beautiful friends perform at The Burlesque Bar here in Melbourne. The delightful Foxtrot India and the dark and devilishly good Miss Nic. What. A.Day!

And just what sort of outfit is going to tackle that kind of a schedule from 10am till 3am on a 30 degree day?  That would be this one!

Outfit Details

Leopard print shirt – Zara

Gothic lolita bustle skirt – Fanplus Friend from One Day in Paradise here in Melbourne

Shoes – “Japan” from Wittner

Over the knee stockings – I wish I could remember!!

Little Birdy – Harem on Brunswick street

All that and it was only Saturday!

Still to come.. A Vintage Afternoon Tea, all the fun of Sugar Blue Burlesque and hitting Loreal Melbourne Fashion Week.

I don’t often do short. I’m a little worried about coming off too “hoochie”, but this dress was one I couldn’t resist. It was all about which shoes I paired this with that made it work.  The needed a heel, but nothing too high, nothing too slick and nothing too Pretty Woman. My feature heels,  (found in Bangkok’s Paragon department store), came to the rescue with cute, solid and fun. But this dress has hidden powers.

Thanks to this fabulous Faux Pas dress by Friends of Couture, I did not get hit by a tram the other day!  I also managed to make it through a very crowded event without once being forced to say “excuse me”. Someone even gave me a hand getting my groceries to the car.

MAGIC!

Outfit Details:

Dress – Fabulous Faux Pas by Friends of Couture

Hair Bow – Sugar Doll Designs

Shoes – Paragon Department store, Bangkok

Earrings- Kawaii black bears by SIX

Nude Fishnets – Leg Avenue

Last Saturday was the day for the alternative fashion event of the year. Circa Nocturna is a yearly catwalk show held as part of LMFF that showcases goth, retro, rave, victoriana and all manner of alternative fashion.  It is a smorgasbord of black, lace, ruffles and plaid.  It has become one of my favorite LMFF events as it never fails to surprise with new talent as well as still having that raw, independent quality. Unlike almost everything else you’ll see as a part of fashion week, Circa Nocturna is far less trend driven, less seasonal and much more about fashion as a defining statement

This years line up included some old favorites as well as the launch of new ones, in particular my favorite Darling James by fellow Melbourne blogger HarbourMaster. Full of retro goodness but spiced up with shorter, flirty lengths and glimpses of neon tulle. Trashglam was another surprise that had old skool raver meets Harajuku Girl written all over it.

My perinial favorite Dolly Q did not disappoint with rococo looks, high fashion styling and delightful separates. Vanyanis showed an eclectic grouping of pieces than ran from the retro to the baroque with particularly dapper menswear so as not to be out done by blushing debutantes. Emilie Gray showed just what can be achieved with an update on simple vintage lines and produced a cohesive collection of highly wearable and affordable day wear. Beserk Clothing with their dark anime influences, lit up the catwalk with hot reds and electric blues, blinged out “Love &Hate” knuckle dusters, and the most awesome ‘maned’ legwarmers I’ve ever seen!

The evening was a showcase of paradox, defining what alternative fashion should be, what it should have left behind long before now and where it is headed. It seems that Circa Nocturna gets better with age, attracting more diverse designers, more polished collections and yet more things for me to covet.

If you’d like to find out more about any of the designs or designers seen in the gallery, check out the Official Circa Nocturna site.

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All the highlights of the evening are here for your viewing pleasure and inspiration. Just click on an image to see it enlarge and navigate from there. There are arrows at the bottom of the photos, but you need to change proof sheets from the main page.

Should you wish to use any of these images, please just email me for permission.

So many good things all in one month!  Some of you will just have to live vicariously through the blog for these events, but for those of you in Melbourne there are some treats in store!

The darling Rosy Rabbit is heading to London to shake a tail feather for Burlesque week and in order to get there she is throwing an evening of daring delights.  I will not be missing this one as not only will Rosy demonstrating her legendary techniques, but will be featuring the talents of my most favorite local performers too!

Music dancing and even door prizes will make this an evening to remember,  so if you are in Melbourne the make sure to pre purchase your tickets now as you won’t want to miss it!

Now… What will I wear this time?!

Outfit Details:

BOW – $2 Shop

Dress – Angel Sissi

Silver bat wing top – Tempt

Two tone fishnets – Columbine

Boots – Candy

Earrings – Equip

Total outfit cost – Less than $100.