It has been such a huge weekend here, and it began for me on Friday with the Victorian heat of Miss Burlesque Australia where I was privileged to be a part of the judging panel. It was a night to see some of the up and coming Burlesque performers of Victoria work their shimmy and vie for the crown of Miss Burlesque Australia.
I did take a few photos at the event, (not many though as I was pretty busy), but I shot them on my new secret camera. I’m saving them to reveal all those details at the same time.
Given that I was there to specifically assess the entrants based on their styling criteria (amongst other things), it was only fitting that I wore something rather special myself. The evening’s gown is a 1930′s bias cut velvet gown, courtesy of Circa Vintage Clothing here in Melbourne.
I just adore this dress. I’ve been fortunate enough to model it a few times for different parades so I already knew that it fit like a glove. So much so that I’m planning to take a pattern from it and have it made up in several shades… too divine not to!
Some days are unforgettable. Unforgettable in the sense that you know you’ll be talking about them for years to come and that little snippets of that moment will colour decisions you make in the future. Last Thursday was one of those days.
Thanks to Nuffnang and Federation Square, I was given the opportunity to experience the Tim Burton Exhibition at ACMI. When they emailed to ask if I’d like to go, my response was only one word; “yes!” followed by many gratuitous exclamation marks. Since my very first Beetlejuice Burton moment, I’ve been hooked on the colour, the style, the twisted carnival sensibilities of his productions.
So I raced around prepping up for the big night and (sadly) can only tell you what I wore as the greatest tragedy of the evening was only to be discovered the next day. Alicia and I had the unique opportunity to photograph some of the exhibition including posing with our favourite pieces, only to find that every single image was corrupted on the card! (One of those moments when you want to stab yourself in the eye with a fork.) So for those of you that care, I wore a black and charcoal striped hobble skirt over a tightly laced corset, black silk chiffon blouse and a midnight blue velvet tailcoat with silver buttons. Please engage imagination here.
Arriving at Federation Square as dusk becomes dark was an experience to behold. The pink cobbled pavement wends beneath your heels and carries you into the centre . There are students sitting close, chatting in plumes of smoke. Suit clad lads laughing over beer as a tall blonde flicks her hair and takes their order. A crowd begins to gather in the shadow on the big screen with lap rugs and steaming coffee in paper cups, awaiting the upcoming streaming of Tim Burton’s Materslass. During Winter they are hosting a Solar Equation; a huge representation of a glowing pulsing sun, hovering in the darkness. I stood beneath it feeling like an extra in Dr. Who and wondering at the instant sense of community it created, as a crowd gathered beneath to take pictures and talk about the warm orange glow. I even videoed a little bit Fed Square Solar Equation
I had a quick jaunt around the ACMI store prior to meeting our chaperone, and found some serious reasons to take your credit card along, as they had a fantastic collection of Burton books and toys including Oyster Boy and Stainboy!
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Upon meeting our delightful ACMI host we were invited to one of the most coveted and thrilling highlights of the exhibition – The Masterclass with Tim Burton! I don’t think I’ve ever sat so close to the edge of my seat for a full hour and a half. It was a moment where I tried to force my brain into record mode and hung on to every word, in spite of the waves of goose bumps threatening to topple me from my chair.
Heading into the exhibition in a haze of post-Burton chat honeymoon, gave the whole experience the sense of the historical and I knew then that this was something I’d never forget. Descending the stair case in a wash of scarlet lights, I turned to see one of the first things that had my heart in a handgrip. The full sized garden topiary from Edward Scissor hands. I was glad to be there in company and half dark or otherwise the tear that sprang to my eye would have made it into a complete stream. For me, Edward Scissor Hands was a particularly powerful film, so to come face to face with such a stunning and beautiful symbol was almost a bit much. However, being the professional I am, I composed myself and went about the business of taking it all in so I can tell you about it now.
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I don’t wish to spoil the magic of the exhibition so I won’t tell you all the surprises and highlights, but I have to tell you that there is something so extraordinarily inspiring about this exhibition. Seeing the evolution not only of Tim’s work, but of the man himself- his life, his journey both emotionally and professionally, leaves you wanting to sketch till daybreak. You don’t need to have an artistic bone in your body to appreciate Tim’s work, he’ll provide plenty of bones for you! (Ha!) It is music, song, touch, tears, dreams and nightmares. It is all those parts of yourself that exist to give you a unique sense of self, and as such you’ll each take something different away from your experience.
Overwhelmingly, the first thing I wanted to do was arrange a date to take my daughters back to see it for themselves. At nearly three and just turned six, they already appreciate the humour, the dark and light, the love and tragedy of a Burton film. (Nightmare before Christmas gets great airplay at my house). It may be difficult to stop them from wanting to touch and feel, but the pay off in feeding their imaginations and letting them walk into a living fantasy is too great to deny them that opportunity.
To top off this amazing experience was a moment in which many of you will kick me over. Actually meeting Tim Burton and having not one memorable thing to say! I don’t often have fan girl moments, but this was something else. Other than saying something like, “I’m honoured”, was about as far as I got, as my brain lit up like a firecracker at the momentousness of it all. In fact, I am going in again tomorrow! I took a little video snippet inside the Burton club to share with you, (it seems to be the only image of mine that survived!)
Both ACMI and MoMa have done such an outstanding job putting this exhibition together that you MUST go and see it. And like I said on Twitter, even if you have to sell a kidney to get there – go and see this! After all, that would be a rather Burton-esque way to do it!
Awesome stuff-
Do you want to go to ACMI and see the Tim Burton Exhibition for yourself? Of course you do!!
I have 2 for 1 passes to give away! Just leave me a comment telling me why you need to go and see this for yourself – the best entries will get a 2 for 1 pass. ( Open to Australian Residents only)
It is not often I wish I was somewhere other than Melbourne, but the incredible Sugar Blue Burlesque troop have made me entirely jealous of the people of Perth. Based over on the west coast of Australia (yes a very long way from here), Sugar Blue are Perth’s own burlesque beauties and what a talent! Thankfully for me, they made a cameo appearance here at The Order of Melbourne last Saturday night, and it was a truly world class evening. In fact, I am so disappointed that I cannot give you dates for a big Australian tour, because they certainly should do a country wide extravaganza. I’m thinking of organising a petition to talk them into it.
And here is why. I don’t want to give you any spoilers of their delicious acts, so I’ve chosen some pics that should give you a taste of their talent without giving too much away. The costumes were particularly superior and the narratives both surprising and delightful. There was not a moments pause as thesladies took the evening up a notch with each performance. You know that feeling when you are watching something and think to yourself, “It can’t get any better than this.” and then it does?! Yep, that is the feeling I had as I stood stage side, snapping away in the hope of capturing the thrill that is Sugar Blue Burlesque.
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.
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!
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