Event: Stonefield at Dr Martens Pop-up

Having only recently returned from recording and touring around Manchester, Nottingham and Bristol in the UK, the four Findlay sisters (better known as Stonefield) had the honour of kicking off the first of a series of concerts supporting the Dr. Martens #STANDFORSOMETHING pop up store in St Kilda.

Set in the intimate venue of LuLu White’s dive bar, punters were granted access to the gig after entering a draw for tickets on the Dr. Martens Australia/New Zealand Facebook page.

Stonefield treated an enthusiastic crowd to a seven track set and the sister’s seventies inspired rock aesthetic was a perfect match for the interior of LuLu White’s; The gutted out dive bar  is located in the former home of the Tongue and Groove night club on Grey Street.

Hitting the stage at 8:30pm, Stonefield, along with their live drummer Manny Bourakis played a set that included both new and old releases,  including ‘Through The Clover’;  the single that had the band nominated for a Triple J unearthed award in 2010.

The #STANDFORSOMETHING pop up store runs from Thursday 19th through to Sunday 22nd of June with doors open to the public at 11am. Free coffee is being served by Code Black Coffee Roasters and complimentary hotdogs have been provided to the team at Massive Wieners. 

Event: Limedrop Store Launch

Limedrop's Clea Garrick

There’s been a lot of movement in Melbourne’s fashion and retail scene of late, much of it controversial: H&M’s big move in to the GPO that saw displacement of a host of independent retail brands, not to mention this week’s headlines focussed on fashion labour laws and wage debates.

But shifting landscapes also allow for new growth, and the opening of designer Clea Garrick’s first permanent retail space for her much-loved local label, Limedrop, at the base of the Nicholas Building certainly signifies the unfurling of a new frond.

Clea: “This is such an iconic Melbourne creative space because of its continuing history housing artists in its studios upstairs, and we really want to be part of that. It’s our flagship store and, with the big retailers moving in to the Melbourne market, you get this same-same of interiors that – while gorgeous and on trend – sometimes feel that they don’t contain the brand essence.  For us, it was important that the space could be a blank canvas for our collections while maintaining an openness to fun and colour and the idea that anything is possible: we wanted to make that the signature handwriting of Limedrop.”

The expression of Clea’s brand and retail philosophy has resulted in a design utilising the best of the building’s bones – the Art Deco balustrade, curved concrete walls and brass door hinges – while keeping the rest somewhat stripped back. Character is there, of course, in a softening vertical garden and the geometric shapes contained within racks that reach to the ceiling, drawing the eye up to lighten and expand the space.

It is indeed a backdrop well suited to showcase the designs characterised by Clea’s use of electric digital prints and silhouettes that communicate both Limedrop’s contemporary styling and strong sense of playful irreverence.

Clea: “The nice thing about having a retail store is having a sense of permanency. It’s taken a lot of thought, but the result has been well worth it.”

Event: Cherry Rock Festival

The Meat Puppets (USA) headline Cherry Rock 2014 

The crisp autumn weather couldn’t have been more perfect for Cherry Rock, although sadly 2014 marks the last year that this one day music festival is to be held in AC/DC Lane, thanks to inner city noise restrictions and a block of apartments currently under construction less than 20 metres away from local rock institution Cherry Bar.

Kicking off at the very civilised time of 12pm with a set by The Harlots, Cherry Rock 2014 promised 13 bands on 2 stages with no crossovers, making it easy to move from stage to stage and catch all of the bands on the bill.

The Nation Blue

Things really started picking up speed once mid afternoon hit and the hard rock loving audience was treated to performances by Bittersweet Kicks, The Nation Blue (replacing an absent Don Fernando) and one of Makers of Melbourne’s favourite local acts, Redcoats, who closed their set with the crowd favourite ‘Dreamshaker’.

Redcoats

The two international headliners didn’t disappoint, with the narrow CBD laneway filled to capacity to witness California based Brant Bjork and punk legends Meat Puppets, playing their first Australian gig in over 20 years. The Meat Puppets treated the well-behaved crowd to a setlist of classics, including ‘Plateau’ and ‘Lake of Fire’, famously covered by Nirvana during their 1993 MTV Unplugged special.

Brant Bjork

Both Cherry Bar and Cherry Rock festival have long supported local music and the 2014 lineup was no exception. With a majority of artists on the bill from Melbourne, the continued success of the event illustrates that with some careful planning and a team of organisers who have an obvious passion for live music, rock fans will continue to buy tickets to see live shows. It’s a blueprint that a few promoters in this country could learn from.

AC/DC Lane 

Drunk Mums

Child

Chris Russell's Chicken Walk

Meat Puppets

King of the North

Upcoming Event: Jenny Bannister Retrospective

Jenny Bannister is standing surrounded by racks of clothing in the front room of her St Kilda home. But what at first looks like a slightly over crowded sample room is anything but: hair is its customised tease, Jenny one by one picks out a host of outfits once worn by a who’s-who of ’80s and ‘90s pop stars.

There is the two-piece worn by Tina Turner with its fitted black jacket and matching kick-pleat skirt; the black collarless jacket Kylie Minogue donned for her I Should Be So Lucky single cover; the immediately recognisable velvet jacket worn by Australia’s late ‘80s answer to Bananarama, the Chantoozies.

And every piece comes with it’s own story.

Jenny Bannister Plastic Tutus, Big Top Sportsgirl Parade 1979. Photograph by Rennie Ellis

Jenny: “Helena (Christensen) used to stay at the Como with Michael Hutchence and used to love going up and down Chapel Street; I told her where to go when it came to all the vintage shops. Kylie Minogue turned up at my house in Port Melbourne to buy after finding my clothes through doing magazine shoots. Deborah Thomas was one of my customers. Kate Fitzpatrick when she was going out with Imran Khan came and bought a whole leather outfit. I think she did a vodka ad in it…”

But the walk down memory lane is more than just an indulgence for the designer who headed her own label from its launch in the mid-1970s to its wind up in 1996 – it is the prelude to this Tuesday night’s fashion retrospective, an event designed to showcase the pieces created by the designer over four decades.

'Untamed Creatures Run Amok' - Talisa Soto wears Jenny Bannister, Vogue Australia April 1984

Some 60 outfits will be paraded on the night in a charity event birthed by Jenny’s friend-in-fashion, the stylist Philip Boon.

For Philip, the event is an opportunity to bring to light a cannon of work significant enough to have found placement in museums both in Australia and overseas: as well as having pieces bought by Christies and The Victoria & Albert museums in London, Jenny lays claim to the title of most collected Australian fashion designer by our own National Gallery of Victoria.

For ticket buyers, it’s a chance to experience Jenny’s eclectic-punk fashion sensibility in all its eccentric glory. And it is eccentric, from the clear plastic punk rock ball gown that wouldn’t appear out of place in a Vivienne Westwood runway show, to the reef bikini pieced together with gold scallop shells worn by the 1978 Miss Universe finalist that wouldn’t seem out of place on a Bond girl.

Jenny: “The design, it comes straight from my imagination and in to my hands. For me it’s about creating something amazing that doesn’t look like anything else and that’s why I live on this planet.”

(L-R) Stylist Philip Boon & Jenny Bannister

But being an “art clothier” (“someone coined the term for me in 1980 when I showed at the gallery of NSW”) doesn’t always gel with the economic realities of commercial design. Though energised by fellow designers and customers who gave Chapel Street its title as Melbourne’s top retail shopping strip throughout the 1980s and in to the early ‘90s, changes to the industry meant Jenny – since shutting down her business – is more than happy to play her hand at more artistic design collaborations.

Jenny: “It was really good earlier but towards the end… The global fashion landscape has changed. It’s much more slick. Right up until the end I had customers who understood the cost of making a dress that was unique and flattering and different, but those sorts of customers are becoming fewer. Now I design for myself. The commercial Jenny Bannister is gone. I can go back to my early roots and be an artistic fashion designer.”

But first there is the retrospective. It will be, both Jenny and Philip agree, a huge night. Along with the clothing strutted to music will be an auction of one of Jenny’s one-off pieces, an art auction by venue hosts, Deutscher and Hackett, and a concert by – who else? – The Chantoozies.

Oh, and for the grand finale? Philip has made sure the runway is large enough that Jenny has space to shake her groove thing following the finale.

Philip Boon Presents… Jenny Bannister: A Retrospective Fashion Show held in conjunction with Prahran Mission and Deutscher & Hackett gallery. Held Tuesday, May 20, at 7pm. Tickets: $95. 

Tickets available through Try Booking

Event: Opening of Rue & Co.

The pristine 'Paris' end of Collins street is not typically a late night hot-spot, but Thursday night saw this usually quiet end of the CBD overrun by the bad and the beautiful, with the VIP opening of pop-up street-food quarter Rue & Co.

Jimmy Grants by George Calombaris, Kong BBQ by Chris Lucas, and St Ali by Salvatore Malatesta will now ply their own unique menus from sister shipping container kitchens based at 80 Collins street. The soiree took place in the fairy-light-decorated courtyard, where invited guests were plied with a delicious selection of food and champagne, topped off by killer espresso martinis designed by champion barista Matt Perger.

St Ali executive chef Andrew Gale sees the cult coffee institution's taking part in Rue & Co. as a great opportunity. 

“We’re rubbing shoulders with the high flyers on the restaurant scene. We’re a café, we’re a separate entity, but now [café’s] are starting to raise our game. The food is getting there."

For Kong BBQ, this pop-up gives Executive Chef Ben Cooper the first chance to introduce the soon-to-open restaurant's food to the public, while Jimmy Grants will bring the best souvas from the popular Fitzroy restaurant to Melbourne city's white collar set.  

Rue & Co. is now open to the public (Friday 2nd May) from 7am.

St Ali head chef Andrew Gale (R)

Celebrity Chef & owner of Jimmy Grants, George Calombaris with guests

Chicken wings from Kong BBQ

Kate Campbell Stone

Salvatore Malatesta & Manager of St Ali South, Joanne 

The 35 metre high artwork by renowned local street artist Rone at 80 Collins Street

Event: The Menske Project

Like all great ideas, Menske began with identification of a commercial niche that appears largely to have been ignored: that of male-focussed retail. The bloke-friendly pop up above Allpress’ Collingwood roasting house and cafe has been pulled together by men’s apparel designer Courtney Holm. The inspiration? A recent New York trip that saw Courtney stumble upon a space devoted entirely to collation of designs for men.

“I try really hard to avoid using words like ‘craft’ and ‘market’,” Courtney admits, explaining that even in creative Melbourne the majority of artisan-style pop ups focus on a more feminine aesthetic. “We just wanted to create a space where guys could come and find a whole group of brands that appeal to them.”

Certainly there is nothing of the cutesy about it. Instead the majority Melbourne-based brands run the gamut from cult wallet maker, Bellroy, to shoe designer &Attorney, men’s skincare product from boutique brand, lief, and striking haute sport-style apparel from Courtney’s own label, Article.

Coffee is plentiful and Gertrude Street menswear retailer Pickings & Parry has its barber on loan for the weekend.

But the pop up’s creation is not all about retail. For Sydneysider Courtney, the event is equally designed to cultivate relationships between makers, ‘Menske’ being a Nordic word with a textured meaning: a noun, if you like, to describe honourable and courteous intent among Mankind.

“There can be a kind of protectiveness around the fashion industry that I don’t really understand,” she says, explaining her approach while offering an insight behind the name. “I just think it’s better for everyone if we can get together and share our energy and our ideas.”

Menske is on at 84 Rupert Street in Collingwood this Saturday and Sunday, April 12 and 13. Open from 11am-8pm Saturday and 11am-6pm Sunday. The next series of Menske pop ups are scheduled in Melbourne this coming August and December.