Frugal Fashionistas

Check it out at Benedict House, Queanbeyan. Pre purchase your tickets.

Designer furniture in the park

If you spotted this at the beautiful Glebe park in the middle of the city, you may have been wondering...

It's Zenith Interiors (formerly Cite Office Design), celebrating spring with Canberra's Interior designer crowd, and a chance to show off their fabulous outdoor furniture collection at a delectable picnic lunch.

Each day a different design firm met the Zenith team in their local park and were greeted by the latest new “outdoor collection” from EMU, Enea, Allermuir chairs as they feted on a picnic lunch around the new Zenith Stiletto tables. A nice way to breathe some fresh air and sample some great new furniture!

Gorgeous!!! Personally, I'm DEEPLY in love with the Re-Trouve collection available here in Canberra at Zenith... better start saving up! Sigh...

Vintage treasures: Fashion fair

It’s time for eager vintage lovers to descend on the Albert Hall again. Wrapped in scaffolding it may be, but the doorways will be wide open to welcome you. Once again, dealers from around the country will be selling fabulous period, vintage and retro fashion and fashion collectibles. The fabulous exhibition this time round will be Undercover: a revealing look at lingerie through the ages.

Albert Hall, Commonwealth Avenue Friday 23rd October 6pm - 9pm, Saturday 24th October 10am - 5pm and Sunday 25th October 10am - 4pm. Tickets at the door $12

The best kind of retail therapy - recycling at its best in a fabulous venue with good coffee on site. A great day out.

CCAS: Exibition opening

Re-loved: re-fashion

Designers and avid recyclers Hanny Dewar and daughter Lee have once again joined forces under the project name Re-Loved Creations to host Re-Loved 2.

Highlighting the innovative concepts of recycling fabrics for fashion, Re-Loved 2 will showcase Spring/Summer 2009 collections from Hayley Wandelt-Smith (Hayley Caroline), Polly Stokes (Polbymade), Karen Lee (The Renlee Label), Georgina Edwards (George), Hanny Dewar (handmade by hanny), Lee Dewar (Craftilee).

Re-Loved Creations was formed after an overwhelming amount of positive feedback following the first Re-Loved parade held at designspace@CIT in March 2009 (images above). Hanny and Lee decided this was something that should be done more regularly, and started work for the next showing in time for Spring/Summer 2009. All designers involved in this current Re-Loved venture were given a brief to deconstruct, re work or re-imagine existing clothing and materials into new creations to promote a sustainable fashion culture.

Re-Loved 2 is on Thursday 22 October 2009 at 6.30 pm at Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre, London Cct, Civic.

I can't wait! Love Nina x

On show: Imaginary Fairytales

Loving the looks of this upcoming exhibition featuring Claire Cimbora of Schmooks (I blogged about here) with Lisa Falzon and Marion Jones...

Above: "Around her finger" by Lisa Falzon; "The Garden Chair" by Schmooks

Imaginary Fairytales opens on Thursday October 8 at The Front Gallery in Lyneham. Gorgeous!

Standing ovation: Viktoria Novak's official launch

Viktoria Novak showed us all how it's done when she officially launched her divine spring collection last week. Ahead of the spring racing season, Miss Novak has inspired Canberra's glamourati to rock the fascinator and hatinator (not quite a hat you know) with incredible style and sass.

Entirely styled by Novak, the looks were completed with her own amazing collection of vintage and fab retro wardrobe, showing us that she has an amazing eye for detail and colour - confirming her as a star on the rise.

L.O.V.E it too much! Check out Viktoria Novak Designs online for detailed images of her amazing handmade work... you go girl!!!

{sigh} Love Nina x

What about that market!!

Yowzahhh! If you missed it... - where the bloody hell were you??? Handmade Market was H-U-G-E, and with an estimated 12,000 Canberrans and style hunting tourists descending on the event at it's new location at Yarralumla Woolshed prooved it's position as Canberra's newest premier event.

Certainly well pleased were every stall holder I spoke with, and despite the apparent short comings in the parking department, all of the shoppers were extremely impressed with the quality of work on offer, not to mention the vast quantity of it. And while moments were pure mayhem, I did manage to slip away to do just a little bit of shopping... I couldn't leave without a gorgeous sequinned top by Chinchilla Creations (and I still covet the matching jacket... sigh), a name plaque for my little boy's room by Mooza Designs and some chai from the Chai girl (ooh yeah). I shall be eternally grateful for the happy mix-up which had my stall move a significant distance from Lindsay & Edmunds chocolaterie (instead of almost on top of it) my ass says thank you.

A big big thank you to my gorgeous Frenchy friend Odile who tirelessly helped me ALL DAY! Legend.

And a special thank you to people who deemed my goodies goergeous enough to bring home, and my gorgeous readers who stopped to say hello, your comments mean the world to me, so keep them coming!

Love Nina x
Were you there too... what did you think? what did you get?

We've all done it before... bought the jeans we thought we could squeeze into or the shoes too tight (but thought they would stretch) or the top that was so cute - but you'll actually never wear it! Well Riverside Plaza in Queanbeyan are giving you a golden opportunity to exchange your fashion faux pas for some shopping money! You get a $10 voucher and Anglicare get your as new piece.

Check out the Exchange booth until Sunday 20th September.

What's new pussy cat: Tango & James

Well, things have been quiet at Canberra's Got Style, and it's all to to with a few new goodies I've been creating especially to reveal at Handmade Market on this Saturday September 12th. New to my Tango & James collection are a range of new sassy jewellery pieces in colours set for spring and summer fun...

Dress up your casual best with some quirky fashion accessories in hot shades of pink yellow and green - wood filigree and sculptured ribbon jewels like you've never seen anywhere before.

For the home Tango & James is serving up unique clocks, cushions and re-vamped furniture pieces ready to add a splash of colour and zest to your fabulous nest. Everything is limited edition and handmade for you right here by me, and this collection will only be seen at Handmade Market this Spring, so don't miss out!

It's noice, it's unusual... so don't miss out!
Come and say hello to me - I'll be in the "Ball room" at the Yarralumla Woolshed 10-4 on Saturday September 12th, along with over 100 of Canberra's finest designers, makers and foodies for an awesome day of music, food and shop, shop, shopping! Oh yeah.

Find out more at Handmade Market's website and see you there,

Love Nina x