Sunday 12 May 2013

Events: Fashionista // ShopLate

My, what a busy weekend.  Other than a ridiculous amount of baking, I managed to squeeze in a Fashionista event, dinner at The Tippler’s Tap, desert at Freestyles, an engagement party, more baking and just a couple hours of decent R&R before falling asleep/dying of exhaustion on the couch at 8pm on Sunday night.

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To kick off the weekend, a girlfriend (in all her gorgeous glory, pictured below) and I headed over to ShopLate at The Studio at Park in Newstead

ShopLate is an event hosted by Fashionista, bringing together a wonderful mini market of Brisbane designers and retailers.


Boutique beers and ciders from McLaren Vale Beer and champagne from Vinaceous flowed freely and added a bit of sparkle to the night.   The atmosphere was set to an upbeat, jazzy tone by a lovely singer/guitarist duo - Phoenix.
(I'm still unsure what is more refreshing - this delighfully crisp, easy to down "Miracle Cider," or the very notion that there is a cider out there, that isn't repugnantly sweet and merely riding off the success of its' label's full product lineWhichever the reality, rest assured, this is a cider to try)


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Of the 12 vendors at the event, here are my personal favourites: 

** Sistaco // www.SistaCo.com **
A unique jewellery store run by women, for women.  Not only do Sistaco offer beautiful, affordable statement pieces to women across Australia, they actively support the Awaken Mozambique organisation in Africa.  Learn more about Sistaco's involvement with Awaken Mozambique here.
I absolutely loved all of the pieces Sistaco had on display.  From shiny silvers and glimmering golds, to amazingly vibrant coloured beads; every piece was beautifully eye-catching.



The beaded items were the most impressive to me.  Every single bead is hand sewn with such intricate detail and design.  If it weren’t for my orange bank account (i.e. not quite in the red just yet, but so far away from being comfortably green), I would have easily been tempted to part with one or two of these gorgeous necklaces.
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** Natalie // www.nataliewear.com **

Natalie Wear is a Brisbane based, online boutique that sources talented, up and coming, high-end designers from Australia and around the world.  Their online collection features one-of-a-kind, eclectic designs that, once sold, are not reproduced any more.  Thus enabling the promise of individual uniqueness to Natalie customers, from anyone else.

This, completely sequined, low neck-line, long-sleeved dress caught my eye in particular.  I just wish my camera could capture the opulence this dress radiated, with every shimmy in the showroom light.  Coupled with a similarly sequined, feather headpiece, a few finger curls and pearls for days, I'm sure even Gatsby would be in awe.




** Style Cult // www.StyleCult.com.au **

StyleCult provides an online boutique-type platform, bringing together a range of up and coming Australian designers and their unique, affordable collections.  Wagering against mediocrity, StyleCult avoids mass produced, commercial designs and only takes on board carefully selected, exclusive pieces.

Their online store offers a range of products, including clothing, swimwear, jewellery and accessories.
Here are a few of my favourites from the night:




** Avoir Luxury Vintage // www.facebook.com/avoirvintage **

Evoking dreams of luxury and decadence, Avoir offers a spectacular selection of timeless vintage jewellery and accessories.  

With a repertoire including Chanel, Valentino, Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton, Avoir boasts enough extravagance to even make Holly Golightly blush.


Just look at this gorgeous shawl, made of thousands of hand threaded Murano glass beads.  Decadence is clearly an understatement when it comes to Avoir.


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All in all, Fashionista's ShopLate event was a wonderful way to spend a Friday evening.  Not only was it a great way to be exposed to new and unique, up and coming labels, the event enabled guests to meet and greet with the many of the designers themselves.  Each of the designers or shop owners I met on the night were incredibly friendly and welcoming, each boasting such earnest pride in their designs and labels.  

I am looking forward to possibly featuring some of their items more exclusively, here on my blog.  Please comment below if you want to find out more about any of the designers I've talked about.  I'll see what I can do about answering any questions you may have!

For more information about Fashionista events and/or to keep up to date with similar upcoming events, be sure to Like Fashionista's Facebook page @ https://www.facebook.com/BrisbaneFashionista

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Links and details.

Sistaco
Brisbane // https://www.facebook.com/sistaco // www.sistaco.com

Natalie
Brisbane // https://www.facebook.com/nataliewearcom // www.nataliewear.com

Style Cult
Brisbane // www.facebook.com/stylecultboutique // www.stylecult.com.au

Avoir Vintage
Newstead, Brisbane // www.facebook.com/avoirvintage // www.avoir.com.au // 0413 881 613