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?!

It isn’t often that I get to spend the day with some of the loveliest vintage ladies out there, but I had just that opportunity when the Lindy Charm School for Girls came to town again. This weekend was a whirlwind of rollers, corsets, tulle, photos, shopping and cocktails… pretty divine really.

Saturday was workshop day, with ladies coming in from all across the state to learn more about how to style their hair in the perfect vintage do, how to take inches off their waists in seconds and how to create the perfect eyelashes to bat. It is always such a pleasure to attend these afternoons and meet so many like minded gals as well as readers I haven’t met before. But the highlight of the weekend for me was getting to spend the evening in the company of all these lovely lasses, cocktails in hand, and enjoy some time at Polly Bar in Melbourne.

We know how to socialise with style!

Myself with Mistress Chrissy and Mistress Kim

Lovely readers and vintage aficionados (from left to right) Lisa, Donna and Kesenya.

Check out Kesenya’s blog here!

The Mistresses with the charming Simon Caterson, author of the new book Hoax Nation.

Mistress Chrissy in her rightful place

So after an evening of these shenanigans, we spent the whole next day vintage shopping, trying on dresses, dinning on Italian food, jumble saleing and enjoying a few lemon lime and bitters at the bar.

Now that is how you spend a weekend!

A BIG thank you to Alister from Image Asylum for this great outfit shot.

Outfit Details

Blue velvet Jacket – Cue Winter 09    Dress – Betsey Johnson circa 1980

Opaques – Voodoo   Shoes – Tony Bianco

Headband Bow – Birthday gift and made by Arielle Antionette

Clutch bag – Thomas Wylde

Melbourne Spring Fashion week is about more than just models in pretty frocks and the latest offerings from your favorite designers. It is about talent, innovation, inspiration and the chance to see art expressed as fashion.  Worn Wild is one of the best places to see this ethos at work, in a market meets catwalk environment, where you can shop AND stare!  Here is where you have a chance to see fashion at is rawest, its edgiest, and catch a glimpse of more mainstream designers looking for new inspirations.  Worn wild is also a great event for getting your hands on unique, hand crafted and LOCALLY MADE pieces; that with a little imagination, you can work back to create a wearable day to day look all of your own.

With the talented Hexotica

It also happens to be a great event for meeting some very stylish readers!

Worn Wild is where all the cool kids come out to play, bringing their cutting edge sense of style to the street and making no apologies for being fabulous. From Goths to Lolita’s, Punk’s to Princesses, Vamps and Vintage Vixen’s – it is entirely possible that this much style is too much for one day to hold!

Like all good catwalk shows, Worn Wild is two parts fantasy,two parts reality; it is all up to you what you see in each piece and how it translates to your life style. For instance, there was a killer pair of hot pants with pink six shooters screen printed on the rear, which although hot pants are on the “not for me” style list – they would make an excellent addition to my gym gear wardrobe. Break them up,wear them together, but whatever you do innovate!

One of the key factors that makes Worn Wild a success in my books, is that all the designers are present to meet you and talk about your needs.  They can custom make no matter your size, and within a price range that even a student (with a little saving) can afford.  Combine that with supporting the talents of local up and comers,and and you have yourself one unmissable event. Fortunately for you, Worn Wild is on twice a year and I’ll let you know the dates for the next one as soon as it is on the horizon.

It is not often that I find almost an entire collection from a single designer that I want to wear. I generally pick and choose pieces that make me happy and mix them up.  But Betsey Johnson’s A/W 09 collection has me waiting with baited breath to get my hands on these pretties.  Traditionally I don’t go in for the pink short and frothy party dress,  mainly as dressing like a Four year old when you have one tends not to be the most flattering choice. But this new collection is all me. Bright jewel colors, high contrast prints, solid coloured opaques and my current adoration-  sequins!

So until this collection is actually available to me, I am making do with trips to the  fabric store and using this amazing collection as inspiration for some new creations of my own.

Just click on the images to be taken to the full collection.  Make sure to hide your credit card first!