I had never seen Cats The Musical. Even though it seems everyone else in the civilised world has, the show had never really been on my agenda.
Considering that I’m a musical theatre graduate from way back, this is one of those oversights that you don’t readily admit. I enjoyed Andrew Lloyd Webber’s much lesser known Aspects of Love so much that I still recall the words to almost every number, and may even be known to perform these in an unprompted karaoke fashion. But no Cats.
Now, following its triumphant season in London’s West End, the revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical CATS has come to Australia for a strictly limited season.
Our big night out in Melbourne was a wonderful opportunity to take my two girls to their first Red Carpet premiere, and what an occasion it was! It required an entire day of outfit planning, shoe shopping (and subsequent bedazzlement), many snacks and an explanation of the cues for the ladies room in theatres.
I was impressed with the number of children attending the opening, all wide eyed and excited.
Here is what my two thought of their big night out-
“I loved the costumes, they clearly spent a lot of time getting ready. When they came out into the aisles I felt more involved in the story and it was funny. I liked Delta Goodrem (Grizabella) when she sang ‘Memories’, that was my favourite part of the whole act. There was lots of different cats, Magician Cats, Pirate Cats, black and white cats, fat cats….. I had trouble following the story but it was fun to watch”. – Miss 11
“I really liked the girl big fat cat and it was really funny because she kept on walking around but her belly kept on going up and down! The Magician Cat was cool because it did really cool tricks. Then the beautiful white fluffy cat had all the pirate cat type guys followed her around everywhere, but she kept on moving away. The best part was when the old grey girl cat had all the cats trusting her and they hugged her. Because before they were scared to touch her and now they all became friends.
And the best bit was when the robber cats came and scared all the other ones away and one cat had to sit on the other cat in a box. Oh and then the gold bits that shooted down on everyone out of a cannon!!”– Miss 8
All in all, Cats The Musical is an excellent first show to introduce your kids to the joys of musical theatre.
For me the highlight of the show was Delta Goodrem as Grizabella. The moment she lifted her voice the entire audience was entranced. Her vocal power and clarity transcended the rest of the score, bringing the audience to its feet and uproarious applause.
After in Melbourne on 18 December 2015, the show then tours to Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. Dates and ticket information for Cats The Musical can be found here
The Dressmaker costume exhibition at Barwon Park Mansion is a must see for anyone with an appreciation for couture fashion.
Love, Revenge and Haute Couture
– an utterly intriguing and accurate synopsis of this visually stunning film.
Adapted from Rosalie Ham’s bestselling book and featuring over 50 pieces of the costume design work of Marion Boyce and Margot Wilson, this exhibition is a stand-alone highlight of Australian design talent.
Featuring a hand picked wardrobe of pieces worn by Kate Winslet and the cast, this showcase shines a spotlight on the transformative power of fashion as well as the integral process of costume design in character development.
Stepping onto the pebbled driveway, the vision of Barwon Park Manor instantly transports you to another world. Set amongst a golden pastoral landscape and cushioned by elderly pines, the bluestone walls open into a vision of Tilly Dunnage’s country Australia.
Behind it’s double doors, the residents of 1950’s Dungatar come alive in each flutter of chiffon and rustle of moiré silk. We are treated to an up close and personal experience with the fabrics, the processes, the sheer magic of these costumes and their secrets.
Both the film and the exhibition take you on a transformative journey, setting the luxurious designs and opulent fabrics against the dusty Australian landscape.
Artfully staged, the story line of each character can be seen in every stitch, letting you lose yourself in the world of Parisian glamour and dream of what such garments might do for your own story.
Vintage Current talked to costume designer Marion Boyce about her challenges and triumphs working on The Dressmaker.
Starring Kate Winslet and Liam Hemsworth, The Dressmaker Costume Exhibition hosted by the National Trust, is on now at the Barwon Park Mansion in Winchelsea, Victoria.
Make a day of it and treat your friends to a mini road trip of fabulous fashion and style inspiration. Imogen, Anne and I had the most fantastic day complete with Devonshire tea in the converted stables.
Keep an eye out for the Sunday Style session, a 1950s style garden party day, (details TBA) and the perfect opportunity to frock up!
Only 40 minutes from Geelong or1 hr 20 mins from Melbourne, Barwon Park’s 42 room heritage beauty is the perfect setting to truly experience this remarkable showcase of re-created 1950’s Parisian influenced couture.
The Dressmaker costume exhibition is not to be missed!
It’s one of the biggest days of your life. You’ve found the dress, now all you need is the perfect pair of vintage wedding shoes to go with it.
Each bride who comes through our door has tales of shoe sourcing woes. Finding the right pair to dance in, to match her 1950s wedding dress, to show her personality and to keep her walking on air … you get the picture.
As a certified shoeaholic, I have ever-growing pages of inspiration, ranging from the simple to the sublime.
Here’s my list of the 20 vintage wedding shoes I love most (right now*) …
18. Chanel Audrey Hepburn in these pearly bridal flats perfect for the chic 60s bride.
19. For 1940s red carpet worthy glamour, these Badgley Mischka champagne heels are ideal.
20. The ultimate in 1950s style stiletto glamour. Christian Louboton creations in a sheer mesh with crystal embellishments (pictured below).
* Here’s how we handle the “right now” part …
Who knows, by the time you’re reading this, we may have found 10 or 20 new favorites. And no matter what, we’ll keep adding to our collection of dazzling, divine shoe styles for brides and their parties.
Want to keep up with us? Let us know what you think of our picks?
Follow our new Bridal Shoes Board on Pinterest here — and build your own virtual dream shoes rack!
We wanted something intimate and warm with a truly vintage heart. Simple shop fronts felt to cold, or too busy, we needed to find a place where you can truly relax and enjoy the whole experience of a vintage styling day.
Years of collecting skills, stories and vintage beauty ephemera, meant I had a wonderful stash of pieces that needed to be both showcased and shared. Now we can.
With wedding season in full swing and holidays just around the corner, our salon is a hive of glamorous activity. The sounds of Billie Holiday and Nat King Cole accompany the golden bubbles of Proseco and the sparkles of special occasion bling. There is a wonderful sense of memory making as we go about our work.
If you’ve been meaning to book in for your holiday looks or treat someone special to a vintage makeover gift voucher, now is the time to catch me before we head off for our Thanksgiving jaunt. Simply pop me an email and we’ll make some magic together!
Walking through a home wares store the other day, I was struck by the “Spring Sale” banner and the Christmas tree in the background. Where did this year go?
Only a short time ago I was in the USA, then moving back to find a new place in Melbourne, now I’m watching the blossoms come out and planning what the holidays will bring.
A large part of my seasonal excitement comes from having a new vintage home to play with. Its charms and quirks are many, causing us both delight and frustration, but always filled with the pleasure of making a house a home.
I returned to Melbourne in the depths of Winter, and while it doesn’t snow here, it is cold. As in, you can see your breath in the air while still in bed, cold.
After spending three months in the USA where they have a much better handle on interior climate control, it was a shock to our systems.
We first started looking for a new place to live around the city in Melbourne, but all the apartments and town houses seemed so small and devoid of romance. I had a hard time envisaging them as our new home.
As luck and a little Googling would have it, we stumbled across a small three bedroom house just a few blocks from where we’d been staying. A short walk later and we knew, this place had our names written all over it.
I could barely wait to get inside.
There is a wonderful feeling that comes over you when you just know something is right. That’s the kind of joy we felt walking through the light filled rooms.
Priority number one on moving day was having the heating turned on, so we knew that even while we waited for the furniture to arrive, we could sit like happy polar bears on the ducted heating.
Every day here has brought new ideas and surprises, simple things like how great the old-fashioned window sills are, the perfect height for Lola to stand at and watch visitors on approach.
We’ve watched the garden turn from what appeared to be a lot of sticks and overgrowth, into stunning plumes of wisteria and lilac bushes.
As the sun has now finally started to come out with regularity, I’ve been extremely glad to turn off the heating, (a bit of nasty bill shock there). Unlike the majority of the world, and certainly the wonderful hydronic radiator heating we’d had in Philadelphia, the gas ducted is a bit vintage technology I can live without.
According to the team at Bosch, Australia and California are the only two places that still predominantly use gas ducted heating, while the rest of the world has figured out the comfort and health benefits of hydronic heat systems.
Hydronic heating provides a lovely, unobtrusive form of heating by channelling heated water through either pipes in the floor slab or through radiator panels on the wall. The heat from the water radiates through the room space creating a warm and cosy feeling.
Having a few lovely hydronic radiators installed under our windows might have taken up a little more space than simple vents in the floor, but I would like to be consistently warm instead of alternating blasts of hot air and dust then going back to freezing in various rooms.
Nana rugs are nice, but having to wear them in my ‘work from home’ office isn’t the most motivating situation.
Weekend trips to the Camberwell market have yielded some fantastic treasures including a wonderful set of vintage china for my regular coffee treats. Touches like these in regular rotation go a long way to making our guests feel special and add something memorable to a simple afternoon tea.
I’ve also taken this opportunity to look at investing in my home wares more wisely, finding things that not only serve a purpose but require little maintenance and save me more money in the long run. I’ve even tired to pick more hardy plants in an effort to waste less money with my “thumb of death”.
Once the next few weeks calendar has settled, I plan to get out the sewing machine again and knock up some new insulating curtains to keep the summer heat out.
This time I’ll be ready for the season and can save my money for a little more Christmas cheer.
Hydronic Heating is a method of heating utilising heated water to distribute warmth throughout a building. It offers superior comfort, operational efficiency and silent operation and is also known to minimise the negative effects to allergy sufferers caused by circulation of airborne particles, such as pollen or dust, that occur in ducted heating systems.
Walking through a home wares store the other day, I was struck by the “Spring Sale” banner and the Christmas tree in the background. Where did this year go?
