From the archive!

THURSDAY, JULY 05, 2012

Wow, another long time between drinks! It's interesting to look back over previous posts and see them as a kind of selective diary and personal aide memoire - of no great interest to anyone else, and I really don't care how few people read this blog.   So you can stop reading and go away now :-)

What has been happening since my last post? (composed a year ago but only published earlier today). Well the criticism of our first female Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, has continued unabated. I had high hopes for Prime Minister Gillard, but right from the start she has been subjected to a relentless barrage of biased and sexist media reporting, gossip and mud-slinging. She hasn’t always made wise choices and decisions but has shown enormous resilience under pressure, caught between a rock and a hard place, amidst some pretty awful and unsupportive colleagues. Who’d want to be a politician? What has been particularly disappointing to me is the criticism of her personal appearance and dress, especially from well-known feminists not widely renowned for their own fashion sense (shame Germaine shame). The level of debate has often been dragged away from the important issues down to trivia about the cut of the PM's jackets. I don't recall a similar obsession with male PMs' dress sense.

Media ownership and the future of Fairfax and The Age newspaper have been much in the news lately.  Gina Rinehart's bid to buy seats on the Fairfax board, presumably to influence the paper's editorial policy, has been hotly debated.  Like our PM, Mrs Rinehart too has been subjected to a lot of comment on her personal appearance, and again this is totally inappropriate and misogynist.  I most definitely don't support any of Mrs Rinehart's views, her political stance or her opposition to the mineral resources rent tax, but the debate should be based on facts, not physical attributes or (lack of) fashion sense.  It is so easy to disparage public figures, whether on the left or right of the political spectrum, for their physical shortcomings.  The good-looking among us rarely receive such scrutiny.  Having said that, many of our political, business and community leaders, both male and female, could spend a bit more time at the gym!


The much debated carbon tax has just been introduced, with little apparent impact so far, apart from the odd attempt to use it as an excuse for price gouging (shame on you Brumby's bakeries).  There's been a lot of disinformation and scare-mongering, and many people may actually find themselves better off financially through the compensation payments.  We're unlikely to see any real climate benefits in the short or medium term, and as economists love to say, in the long run we're all dead.  So this tax is really for the benefit of future generations, always a difficult selling proposition.

Not much to report on the fashion front lately, other than another lovely day at the Bendigo Art Gallery recently, this time to see the Grace Kelly: Style Icon exhibition, which ran from February to June 2012.  Seemingly Grace had it all - gorgeous looks, stunning tall slim figure, movie star, princess, wife and mother.  The media largely portrayed her life as the classic princess fairytale, but obviously she had her problems like everyone else.  Perhaps it's as well she didn't live to see all the mistakes and exploits of her children.  One of the most poignant photos in the exhibition was the one of Princess Grace with Prince Charles and the then Lady Diana Spencer, taken at their first official evening event after their engagement.  Diana was wearing the décolleté black dress designed for her by the Emanuels, who went on to design her wedding dress.  Very sad to reflect that both princesses in the photo would die in tragic car accidents.  As usual, the dresses in the exhibition were all beautifully displayed and reflected the classic quality of couture in the 1950s and 60s.  However not all of Grace's clothes were made by haute couturiers.  One dress was from a McCall's dressmaking pattern, demonstrating that women without a lot of money could still dress with style - provided they could sew.

On that note, it's time to sign off again, who knows or cares how long till the next post!  Two posts in one day, now that's a bit rash.

Pip pip, RoseRed

PS Melbourne's dams are now 70% full, West Barwon reservoir at Forrest in the Otways, is now reportedly 100% for the first time in many years.

Two more years between drinks!

Wow, doesn't time fly when you're having fun. Since I last posted on this blog more than two years ago, it's been taken over by Google, and I had to jump over several hoops just to access it again. Whether it was worth it remains to be seen!

It's interesting to read back over old postings and reflect on what has changed. The drought has certainly broken in eastern Australia, with devastating floods in Queensland and parts of rural NSW and Victoria. Here in Melbourne our water storages are now up over 50%, and the gardens are all looking much better. Still, June 2011 rainfall was well below average so I hope we're not heading back into a drought pattern again.

Climate change has become the 'issue de jour', with Prime Minister Julia Gillard staking her political future on a carbon tax, the details of which she will announce on 10 July 2011. Predictably there is a lot of opposition to the idea of any new tax, so it is a courageous move on the PM's part, and may well be her undoing. Julia originally favoured an Emissions Trading Scheme. The carbon tax was imposed on her by the Greens as a condition of their support in enabling Julia to form government, after the 2010 Federal Election resulted in a hung parliament. I feel strongly that the media have not given Julia a 'fair go' and have focussed on her personal qualities in a way that they don't do with male politicians. You go girl, don't let the bastards get you down!

Technology has certainly changed significantly since I first began this blog. Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have gained immense popularity and the development of mobile computing via phones, laptops and tablets has allowed us to connect to the digital online world pretty much whenever and wherever we want.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2009

Into the Red and back to Black!

It's been a very long time between posts! More than two years in fact, but at first glance not a great deal seems to have changed in the fashion world here in desperately parched Melbourne, Australia. Black is still very much in fashion. Sadly, black is also the predominant colour in large areas of our Garden State of Victoria, with the hottest day on record (46.3 c on 7th February 2009), Black Saturday, also resulting in the State's worst ever bushfires. More than 200 people have died in the fires, thousands are now homeless, countless livestock, native animals and birds have perished, and still there's no prospect of rain or an end to the drought. Combined with the Global Financial Crisis, it's no wonder that our mood here is sombre.

Which is perhaps all the more reason to reflect on happier times and the good things in life. Fashion is such a multi-faceted phenomenon - the pursuit of fashion may seem frivolous, but it's the means of survival for those who design, manufacture and sell clothing. The recent decision of Pacific Brands to lay off 1850 staff and relocate their manufacturing capacity offshore highlights the problems faced by the textile, clothing and foorwear industry here in Australia. The cost structure of the industry makes it difficult to compete with low-wage countries, so our favourite brands such as Bonds are now likely to be Australian in name only. Cottontails (huge, frumpy, cotton women's knickers) just won't be the same anymore!

On a brighter note, in recent times I visited two wonderful fashion exhibitions at the Bendigo Regional Art Gallery. Last year they had an interesting exhibition of Fashion in the Age of Queen Victoria. Many of the garments came from a collection by an Amish woman, who loved clothes but was not permitted to indulge this passion in her everyday life, so her collection remained private and in (relatively) good condition. There were some beautiful examples of hand-made dresses, from simple everyday frocks, to evening, wedding, maternity, and mourning wear. Interestingly, black was then generally only used for mourning wear, which was worn for up to 12 months (deep mourning) after which less sombre clothing was permitted. I had a lovely time exploring this exhibition, travelling to Bendigo and back by train - a relaxing and recommended way to travel.

More recently, we visited Bendigo gallery again to see the Golden Age of Couture exhibition, (open till 22 March 2009) which celebrates the decade from 1947 - 1957, when Christian Dior introduced his New Look to postwar Europe. It is a splendid exhibition from the V & A collection, with wonderful photographic and video displays accomanying the gowns. The catalogue provides interesting commentary, insights and beautiful images of the times. The changing silhouette of the female form, with nipped-in waists and fuller skirts is reminiscent of Edwardian fashions, and interestingly, there is not a female trouser anywhere to be seen in the exhibition - but of course this was haute couture at its very best. French fashion in the fifties was a major source of employment and export income - Dior alone was thought to generate 5% of revenue at this time. The growth in ready-to-wear couture, the mini skirt revolution of the sixties, the denim jeans of the seventies, and the power-dressing shoulder pads of the eighties were all yet to come!

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2006

Not the LBD again!

Very disappointed to read in the Melbourne Age recently that the Little Black Dress is being revived, 80 years after it was first designed by Coco Chanel for Vogue magazine in 1926. Myer fashion director Bob Boutin is quoted as saying that after three seasons on fashion's fringe, black was back, and winter would bring a lot of black and grey with a bit of beige and plum. Wow I can hardly wait! Hmmm, I wonder if there's a demonstrable link between prevailing fashion colours, the state of the economy, and our moods? Does the predominance of black reflect a more sombre conformist mindset, or an economic downturn, or does it actually contribute to occasional feelings of gloom? Perhaps not for nothing is depression commonly referred to as the black dog.

The popularity of the LBD is probably also a reflection of our continuing obsession with slimness and the need to disguise those extra kilos that are creeping on by way of cafe lattes and other treats. OK, I confess to having owned a few LBD's in my time, and yes I still wear black trousers and skirts occasionally, but I'm trying to break the habit, really. If only the forecast black and grey would come in the form of storm clouds filled with lots of rain for our parched and drought-ravaged land.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 04, 2006

RoseRed's World Fashion Tour (for fun and frivolity!)

Here in beautiful downtown Melbourne, Australia, it's Derby Day, traditionally the start of the Spring Racing Carnival Cup Week festivities. Lots of men and women are dressed to the nines in stylish hats, slinky outfits, suits and stilettos, ready to party at Flemington race course. So it seems timely to post a few images from our recent jaunt to Singapore, Paris, south of France, London, New York and Honolulu. What a fantastic holiday!

Please bear with me as I crawl on all fours into the digital imaging age. I only bought my first digital camera a few days before we left, don't yet have any proper image editing software, the dog ate my homework, and my suit's at the drycleaners .... To borrow a phrase from Jeremy Clarkson of TopGear, some of these pictures are rubbish. But what the heck!






A selection of shoes, Singapore style. Something for everyone here!







Some of the 6,500 hats from the Hat Industry Museum at Somail, near Narbonne in the south of France.







Some more French hats









French Provincial head gear








French Provincial underwear!







Australian Provincial underwear (not ours!) last seen floating down the Canal du Midi on a barge!







Parisian wedding frou-frou











Macy's windows say it all!
















Last but not least - here are my only two personal purchases for the entire trip (shopping is definitely not my forte). The T-shirt came from the Chateau de Ventenac on the Canal du Midi, where the grape harvest was in full swing, and we bought the swatch in - wait for it - Times Square, NY.

SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2006

Gray Skies

Well Easter and Anzac Day have long since been and gone, and now we're into the gray days of autumn, with just enough drizzle to dampen everything without really raining. We had a wonderful week of sunshine and warm weather up in Noosa recently, with lots of walking up and down Noosa Hill on the new path which runs from Laguna Lookout down to Hastings Street. Coffee at Aromas was obligatory of course - nothing quite like sipping a Betty Blue while watching the passing parade! Noosa seemed rather quiet, with a few businesses closed down and lots of vacant accommodation, which suggests that our economy is not travelling so well, particularly in some sectors. The resources boom may be fuelling the stockmarket but petrol is eating into disposable incomes. Which leads me onto cars. How long can we keep going with the ever-increasing number of cars clogging our roads, causing death and injury, diverting scarce resources away from other (arguably better) uses and polluting our air? At what point will our individual rights to drive be overruled by our collective needs for fresh air and a safer environment? At present Adam Smith's Invisible Hand of the market is probably curbing unnecessary travel through the mechanism of higher fuel costs. Bush's war against Iraq has destabilised oil supplies and cemented opposition in the middle east to America's foreign policy, so we will probably have to learn to live with higher petrol prices in the longer run. This will encourage the search for alternative energy sources and more efficient engines, but surely there will come a time in the not-too-distant future when the right to own and drive a car will have to be rationed in some way?

MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2006

The Wealth Games

Guess it's over, call it a day, sorry that it has to end at all. What a fantastic experience Melbourne achieved over the Commonwealth Games. The city fairly buzzed with excitement and activity, from the slightly obscure but dazzling Opening Ceremony on Wednesday 15 March (no dramas with the Ides of March for us!) to last night's party-like Closing Ceremony presided over from afar by our incomparable Dame Edna. The MCG looked magnificent as an athletics arena, it's hard to imagine it now for football and cricket. The new stand gives a superb view of the ground, though is perhaps not ideal for the less fit or those with a fear of heights! The Yarra river and the fish were a resounding success, attracting thousands of people each day and especially at night to see the hourly 'son et lumiere' display. Public transport worked extremely well, despite our doubts when so many trains were late or cancelled in the months leading up to the Games. The Cultural Festival events in the Alexandra Gardens and Arts Centre precinct were a wonderful addition to the sporting events, and showcased our many talents and wonderful facilities. Even the weather was brilliant! It really was Marvellous Melbourne at its very best. A highlight for us personally was the athletics program on Friday night at the G. There were several outstanding performances, records and gold medals to Aussies, but perhaps the greatest cheer was for the Papua New Guinea runner in the final of the Men's 3000 metre Steeplechase. Three Kenyans fairly quickly established their places for the medals out ahead of the pack, with the man from PNG bringing up the rear. By the end of the race, the winner had lapped the Papua New Guinean but he gamely continued on, finishing his race to a standing ovation from the whole stadium. It isn't always about winning.

But while the city basks in the undoubted popular success of the Games, perhaps its time to reflect on this supposed 'common wealth' of nations. It seems that we here in the Lucky Country have a disproportionate share of the wealth, with some of the participants from other less fortunate countries not even able to afford team tracksuits. Is the Commonwealth still relevant and worthwhile, or is it now an anacronism? The Queen certainly didn't win over many fans at the Opening Ceremony, with her glum expression and seeming lack of enjoyment. She smiled only once, but then after all for her it was just another day in the colonies, she is nearly 80 and it was well past her bedtime, so perhaps we need to make allowances.

So where to from here? We have the Grand Prix in Melbourne at Albert Park next weekend, then we'll segue into Easter in mid-April, followed shortly thereafter by Anzac Day on 25th April, before we really have to face the reality of gray skies, shorter days and the onset of winter. By then the Games will be just a memory, but for many of us, a wonderful one.

SATURDAY, MARCH 18, 2006

Port Fairy Folk Festival retrospect

Well the 30th Festival has come and gone and what a fantastic weekend of music it was! This year we weren't able to book accommodation, so dusted off the 30 year old tent and joined the many other hardy festival goers under canvas both day and night. After a very long and trying journey to Port Fairy on Victoria's south west coast, with a detour to Forrest in the Otways to collect our festival chairs, we finally arrived at the Gardens Caravan Park around 9:15 p.m. on Friday 10 March. Tempers became very frayed when Sir Sean (so-called because of an apparent resemblance to 007 Sean Connery!) discovered he'd left the mallet at home and had to hammer the tent pegs in with his boot, the car jack and any other implements he could find in the dark! The application of a hot baked potato soon restored blood sugar and tempers, and we enjoyed a late night concert with Graeme Connors.

The Festival is a very well-organised event, with so many musicians to see in a very wide range of venues, from the five stages in the Festival Arena to small church and school halls and the streets of Port Fairy. New musical highlights for us included The Wailin' Jennys, (a superb Canadian acoustic trio), Jez Lowe & the Bad Pennies (Northern England), Gerrry O'Connor & Gilles Le Bigot (amazing fiddler from Ireland and guitarist from Brittany), Chris While & Julie Matthews (England), David Francey (Canada), and Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion (USA, grand-daughter of Woody, daughter of Arlo Guthrie). Familiar favourites included Eric Bogle (an oldie but still a goodie), Paul Kelly & The Stormwater Boys, Bruce Mathiskeand The Bushwackers, with lead Dobe Newton being the PFFF Artist of the Year for 2006.

It was a weekend of total immersion in the music, with the biggest problem being the choice of what to see. The Festival organisers this year had some theme concerts showcasing several artists, which was a great way to sample their music. The one 'issue' for us is the continuing use of low beach chairs, which festival goers carry from venue to venue. In theory this allows everyone to have a good view of the musicians, in practice people spread out and actually take up more room than a normal height seat. Perhaps it's time to rethink this tradition and provide fixed seating in all the venues? Then we wouldn't all complain of PFA (Port Fairy Ar#e!).