Halloween at Fanantique!

 

It's almost the time of year again to celebrate Halloween! (how cute is the vintage Halloween image?!)

I think that it's a little disappointing that here in Melbourne we don't really make a big fuss over it. It always falls too close to Melbourne Cup that we are all a bit distracted . Also, Halloween in Spring doesn't quite have the same ambiance as Halloween in Autumn or 'Fall' with the misty nights and colored leaves and of course pumpkins in season! However, I have noticed that as each year goes by , Halloween does become a little bigger here. Last year at least four houses in my street put up some kind of decoration and we even had 'trick or treaters'!

I have always had a love of all things gothic (especially Transylvanians, but that's a story for another day) so naturally I adore Halloween. I love that a few doors down from the store we have a Party Shop. I love to pop in to check out their latest props. They have some great things that I couldn't resist.

I even found a gory severed ear that came along to a bohemian themed party with me, as Van Gogh's ear of course. (it was a hit) This year I have found some great pieces to compliment the vintage style Halloween decorations that we have in store.

 

I love these foam bones and skulls that I found, for something spooky yet tasteful, they look great in  interestingly shaped glass vessels.

Some of the vintage style ornaments we have here in store: A 'Spooky cat' treats bucket and jack-o-lantern sequined box.

Another thing that I always look forward to at this time of year is Martha Stewart's Fall issue of her 'Living' magazine.(I adore Martha) Each year the Halloween edition of the magazine is fabulous. Admittedly , her website very generously gives you a heap of great images and ideas...(if you haven't seen it you must click here click on' holidays'-'Halloween') but it's always nice to have these images, ideas, recipes etc in print.

Here are a few images from Martha Stewart's Halloween to give you some idea why I love it so much.... enjoy xx

Lady Bugs and Bees and Happy Champagne Friday!

This week at Fanantique we have had a very strange week indeed. Earlier in the week we had a swarm of bees (...yes bees!) decide to come and sit in front of the shop. They looked like they were waiting for coffee...or maybe they heard about Champagne Friday and wanted a free drink. They were out of luck as it was only Monday.....

As you can imagine, they scared away anyone wanting to visit Fanantique or Angelo at Il Caminetto next door. Thankfully, there is such a thing as an 'emergency bee service' (you learn something everyday) and the lovely Dr Nikolai came and rescued the bees. He was most impressed and said this was quite unusual. 

Amazing! The bees had a strange attraction to this chair, at first I though maybe the pattern. Emma of Fleurage had a much better explanation. She suspected that someone (not naming any names) may have spilled wine or Champagne on the chair causing the bees to be attracted to the sweet fruity aroma. This made much more sense......

 Dr Nikolai as he starts to relocate the bees. He is not even wearing any protective clothing!
(he did put on his special bee keeper hat later). He was such a lovely fellow, he even gave me a jar of honey! (I will make my Champagne Friday cocktail with it).

Inspired by my experience with bees, I thought I would share our insect inspired collection of vintage dresses with you today. These pieces are from the range we titled "Lady Bug"

And now for our Honey Bee Cocktail...

Honey Bee

2 oz dark rum
1/2 oz lemon juice
1/4 oz honey

pour the rum, honey and lemon juice into a cocktail shaker over ice cubes and shake well. Strain into a chilled glass and serve.

Come Fly with Me

Vintage Hot Air Balloons

 

With the Spring Racing season upon us here in Melbourne, I have been completely distracted by Spring fashion, especially all the gorgeous hats and fascinators that are exclusive to this time of year. So  I thought I'd take a little break from fashion to show you some of my other favourite things we have in the shop at the moment.

One theme in particular that I love is Vintage Hot Air Balloons, and I have been lucky enough to track down some gorgeous pieces. There is something whimsical about  hot air balloons and the thought of floating away in one. Imagine being high in the open sky without a sound as you sip a glass of Champagne. What better way is there to escape it all?

These gorgeous hot air balloon replicas come in a variety of colours and sizes and look so cute suspended from the ceiling.

 

This balloon basket is beautifully finished and a gorgeous way to store pillows and throws, I must admit that I couldn't resist the urge to climb in and imagine flying away

 

Handpainted balloon screen, a great space divider adding a touch of colour and whimsy to a room.

Ballooning over Paris. I adore this gorgeous print by Thomas Barbey. Entitled "Sewing the Seeds of Love" these enchanting characters float over Paris Sprinkling fairy dust on the city below.

Oleg Cassini and the Classic Little Black Dress

One of the extra special pieces that we have in store at the moment and featured in our show, is a classic black dress by designer, Oleg Cassini. (pictured above, worn with vintage silver pumps and silver purse) Cassini was best known for being one of the favorite designers of the first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy. Jackie will always remain one of history's greatest style icons. Cassini was also a favoured designer of Grace Kelley and Audrey Hepburn.

Jackie dressed in a Cassini formal gown

A Jackie Kennedy Barbie doll, dressed in a classic Cassini Design.

Alongside this gorgeous classic dress, we also have some other timeless little black dresses, a must for every wardrobe!

and being Champagne Friday, the post would not be complete without a cocktail. Today's has no real connection to the theme, I just saw it and it looked delicious so I had to share !

Chocolate and Chilli Martini

Martini glass

60ml vodka

30ml dark creme de cacoa

1 bird's eye chilli, sliced

1 extra chilli to granish

Combine all ingredients except for garnish then shake and double strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with extra chilli on the rim of glass. yum!

Hello Sailor (and Happy Champagne Friday!)

Spring Fashion Event- Part 2 "Hello Sailor"

Following on from my last post about our Spring fashion event and our delicious 'Ice- Cream Cake' section of the parade, we had some fun with our "Hello Sailor" theme. Here we featured navy, white and red pieces, cute, fun pieces that would be perfect to wear to catch a sailor's eye.

 

above: Caitlin wears a classic navy and cream linen 1960's dress. Shown with headpiece by Ann Shoebridge. below: The gorgeous Matilda in a classic polka dot dress, featuring 'Creme rose' vintage felt fascinator, also by Ann Shoebridge.

 

below: Annie wears a sweet 1950's navy and polka dot dress, featuring delicate lace trim.

 below: Juliette wears a siren red velvet wiggle dress and Matilda in classic polka dots again.

Being a 'Champagne Friday' of course we will need a cocktail. This week it's a 'Fat Sailor'.

Fat Sailor
highball glass

1 1/4 oz overproof gin
1 1/4 oz dark rum
3/4 oz white rum
1/4 oz coffee liquer
1 1/2 oz lime juice

shake all ingredients well over crushed ice in a cocktail shaker. Strain into highball glass over crushed ice. enjoy!

Spring Fashion Extravaganza, hosted by Fleurage Perfumery.

Part 1- "Ice Cream Cake"

My apologies for my long absence from the blog, but now I can finally share with you what I have been working on for the last month. Fanantique together with Fleurage presented our first Spring Fashion event, and what an event it was.
There are too many gorgeous images and too much to tell all at once, so over the next few posts I will show you everything. Firstly, I must credit Rob Luxford of Vivid Communications, for all of the professional photography. It's stunning! A big thank you also to our gorgeous models, Adrain of Delilah Hair studio (to find out more about Delilah click here) and to Rebecca of Beyond Andromeda for the beautiful make-up. The stylish hats are all by Ann Shoebridge (excluding a few pieces that are vintage)
To see more gorgeous images and a wonderful overview of the afternoon, please visit the Fleurage blog by clicking here . Emma, sums up the whole event wonderfully.
Set to the romantic sounds of Anna Boulic playing Harp and serenading the audience in French, our show commenced with our 'Ice Cream Cake' collection. Delicious shades of sorbet, the very essence of spring. To compliment this ,  Fleurage coordinated a signature fragrance to each ensemble.....Spring was definitely in the air!
Coming soon, our next collection, 'Hello Sailor'

Here are our gorgeous girls backstage before the show started, what a marvelous job they all did!

Welcome Spring

 Spring has Sprung!

After a really long Winter, Spring is finally here...although it doesn't really feel like it yet. I never thought I'd get sick of my favorite boots but I am. I'm ready for strappy shoes, longer nights, walks on the beach and of course refreshing cocktails.
With the arrival of Spring last week, things have really gotten busier, (hence the recent blog neglect) all of a sudden, so much has happened! Two of my dear friends have just become mothers for the first time. Welcome to the world, little Elle Angelina and little Elliot Joseph! Another dear friend, Emma of Fleurage Perfumery, has celebrated her fortieth birthday..in complete style I might add, with a 'Paris Bohemia' themed party (for more on that, and to visit a fabulous perfume blog click here)
And of course there was fashion week. A highlight of this was the fabulous Chitra's Spring Collection. This image from Style Melbourne, to see the full story click here.

Chitra is my favorite Melbourne Designer and I am lucky enough to have worked with her on several occasions....I am currently working on an illustration for another one of her upcoming shows.

Of course right now I am busily working away on Fanantique's Spring  Event which is coming up very soon, I am busily unpacking crinolines, organizing gloves, flowers shoes and more.
I am very lucky and excited to be working with a great team of creative people, hair stylists, make-up artists, musicians and performers who I look forward to telling you more about soon.

For now, here is a sneek peek at a few of the lovely vintage Spring dresses that will be featured in the show.

If you are in Melbourne and would like to attend our Spring Show please contact me via the contact form on the website www.fanantique.com.au and I will send you an invitation.