by Candice DeVille | May 24, 2016 | Events, sponsors
Brought to you by Nuffnang and The Sound of Music
There is a warm feeling that happens somewhere inside you when you know that everyone around you is in the same delightful moment.
The Sound of Music has been a part of so many childhood memories for generations. The iconic image of Maria, arms flung wide, atop a mountain with a look of pure joy on her face. It has been the cornerstone of many a classic movie channel, the songs part of many bedtime routines and it even makes an appearance in memes every now and again.
I finally saw The Sound of Music live on stage for the first time, under the twinkling chandeliers of the Regent Theatre in Melbourne, and it filled me with happiness.
The familiarity of the story makes this production a wonderful way to introduce newbies to musical theatre, the words want to trip of your tongue as you find yourself rooting once again for Maria to succeed in her quest.
Superbly played by Amy Lehpalmer, Maria is already a friend with a witty sense of humour and playfulness that sits perfectly in the role. Amy inhabits the character with exceptional style, the lilt of her voice striking just the right chord in so many familiar tunes.
The operatic power of Jacqui Dark in the role of Mother Abbess is sensational. Intense and moving, her performance built a connection I’d never experienced with this role, always having seen the Mother Abbess as a minor role. Instead Jacqui’s portrayal gave me a much greater sympathy for Maria’s story.
It was the beautiful 1930’s frock that first caught my eye when Baroness Von Schrader made her appearance. Bias cut coral crepe with ecru piping, it took me a moment to realise that the figure wearing the ensemble was Melbourne theatre royalty, Marina Prior.
The score for this production of Sound of Music is more than you expect, elegantly weaving lesser-known pieces through the narrative to give a greater spotlight to each performer. Bolstered by these numbers this production has a full and rich sense that makes this an unmissable event, one that for novice theatre-goers, will leave you feeling its familiar warmth.
The audience on opening night was exceptional, laughing, singing and even dressing up for the occasion as I saw a few fabulous dirndls and petticoats around us.
Now playing at The Regent Theatre in Melbourne, The Sound of Music is the show to make a real family outing of. I’m already planning matching alpine outfits for my girls and I!
by Candice DeVille | Apr 14, 2016 | Books, Music & Art, competitions, sponsors, Workshops and Events
Brought to you by Nuffnang & Dream Lover
David Campbell as Bobby Darin and Hannah Fredricksen as Sandra Dee in Dream Lover – The Bobby Darin Musical.
I cannot imagine my world without Bobby Darin.
You may not know the name, you aren’t likely to know his story, but you will without a doubt know his sound.
It is in no small part that I owe my passion for vintage to the works of this man and his incredible talent, providing the sound track to so many of my most memorable moments. I can just close my eyes and drift away..
With great anticipation and excitement I’m thrilled to announce that in an all-new Australian musical, the life and works of this legendary man are being brought to life by David Campbell in Dream Lover.
In a goose bump inducing performance, David and his 18-piece big band knocked my socks off with his medley of Bobby Darin classics.
Staged by acclaimed director Simon Phillips, well known for Priscilla Queen of the Desert, and costumed by Tim Chappell, this production is set to become a huge hit.
Newcomer Hannah Fredricksen plays Bobby’s love Sandra Dee. Dressed in stunning 60s Hollywood style, Hannah radiates old school glamour.
Bobby Darin was a man of rare and incredible talent who’s star burned brightly and all too shortly. Composer, singer, actor, producer, Bobby’s contribution to the biggest hits of the 20th century cannot be overstated.
You may have heard many of his hits including Mack the Knife, Dream Lover and Beyond the Sea, but did you know he wrote and composed them?
Here’s a little something to paint the picture and get you in the mood. We’ve put together a special playlist – Listen Here
Wanting to be like his idol Frank Sinatra, Bobby eclipsed all expectations, having his songs recorded by multiple musical legends including Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Julie London, Ricky Nelson and Cliff Richard.
1960s Las Vegas and indeed Hollywood, proved to be an enraptured audience for Bobby as he became an iconic performer both on and off screen.
In 1961 he starred in the romantic comedy Come September with Rock Hudson, Gina Lollobrigida and Sandra Dee. Bobby and Sandra became a real life couple, eloping in an intense whirlwind romance.
Beautiful, tragic, thrilling and glamorous, Dream Lover is set to be a Must See show.
So crank up the tunes and start planning for an epic vintage lovers weekend this Spring!
Dream Lover opens in Sydney in September 2016, tickets on sale now.
GIVEAWAY TIME!
We’re giving away 3x double passes to a preview showing of Dream Lover in Sydney, in September 2016.
To enter you need to leave us a comment telling us which Bobby Darin song is your favourite and in what scenario you’d most like to hear it. E.G: Dream Lover on your wedding day.
Be as descriptive as you can and paint us a picture of your perfect Bobby Darin serenade moment.
Entries close May 5th. Terms and conditions here.
by Candice DeVille | Apr 6, 2016 | Accessories, Interviews & Features, sponsors
Brought to you by Nuffnang, The National Trust & Miss Fisher Collection
Stepping into the sultry, glamorous world of lady detective Phryne Fisher has just become one step closer to reality.
Phryne’s own award winning costume designer Marion Boyce has just announced the release of an exclusive, limited edition line of Miss Fisher accessories to charm and delight.
“Golden hour” was the perfect time to visit Marion at the historical Labassa Mansion, the stately home where episode 6 of the latest series 3 was filmed.
Including scarves, wraps, handbags and jewellery, each piece in this range has been lovingly created to exceptional quality standards.
The collection was designed to reflect Miss Fisher’s sense of irreverent elegance, taking cues from the colour palette and luxury of her 1920’s look rather than being overtly art deco influenced.
“These [fashion] pieces are all made in Melbourne, by the same team I use to make Phryne’s costumes.
Finding the fabrics was one of my greatest challenges, as in Australia it is just very limited, so I need to go back to one of my favourite places – the Shanghai fabric markets. I’ve been collecting trim for months and months.. it is all hand sewn.”
Cloth is very much a part of Phryne’s style, I use cloth as a character for her. She has this quite volcanic nature so fabric needs to announce itself into the room with Phryne. I’ve tried to incorporate that, fabrics with beautiful sounds.”
The jewellery collection, sourced from around the world, is all hand made in sterling silver with touches of marcasite, green agate and freshwater pearls.
These are timeless pieces that can be worn in a classic or cutting edge modern way. What we like to call Future Vintage – pieces you’ll keep forever.
There is a distinct hallmark of quality in all of these pieces evidenced by the drape, the weight and the finish. The shawls swing with purpose, hems weighted with superb trims. There is no “nasty Nylon” in this range.
“All of these pieces can transform what you’re wearing very simply. I wanted them to be devices so that if you need to dress up quite quickly for dinner, you can just have simple black dress or little top, then wrap yourself in this…. It has a great silhouette. You don’t need 65 new pieces of clothing, just one beautiful piece that can completely transform and make you feel a million dollars.”
It is no overstatement to say that with a few pieces of simple black in your wardrobe, this collection could enhance their beauty and purpose to an entirely luxurious ensemble. They make the concept of keeping a minimal wardrobe with exceptional accessories incredibly appealing.
Regardless of age or your existing closet, there is something in this range to suit every taste, from the extravagant to the understated.
The Miss Fisher Collection is available online now (yes, with international shipping) just in time for Mother’s Day. The range is also available in the National Trust retail stores as part of the travelling Miss Fisher’s costume exhibition.
For even more Miss Fisher glamour to add to your look, check out our Phyrne inspired 1920s hair and makeup tutorial!
by Candice DeVille | Dec 23, 2015 | Events, sponsors
This post is brought to you by Nuffnang and Transition Films
It’s one thing to be entertained, another to be educated, and something entirely different to have your world perspective altered.
Suffragette hit such a sharp and painful note with me, my heart lurched and tears immediately sprang to my eyes.
In a society where so many young women spend their time competing with one another, forming their sense of self worth on social media and counting their personal value in likes, Suffragette is more than an historical film, it’s a wake up call.
The sense of utter powerlessness, of servitude and anger felt by women in a world dominated and controlled by men, is one that we have but a very small understanding of.
Across the most of the Western world, women have held the right to vote for less than 100 years.
Here in Australia, as white (Anglo) women, we’ve had the right to vote since 1902. Sadly this didn’t extend to our indigenous population till as recently as 1962.
Worldwide, these rights we hold as fundamental, are still not the norm. With many women (too many) still facing a future that does not include education, where they can be sold into marriage as children and their bodies used as instruments of retribution, how is it that more of us don’t make our voices heard?
There is a lack of awareness I see around me of our rights as women, and how those we now take for granted, were won.
How fragile is our position when even here in Australia we still don’t receive equal pay for equal work or even hold complete rights over our own bodies in 2015?
The Suffragette shatters any sense of complacency or entitlement you may have felt.
“All my life I’ve done what men have told me. Well I can’t have that anymore”
Opening in early 20th-century England, the story of the suffragette movement is told with the kind of raw humanity that let’s you feel the personal torture of it’s central characters.
Maud Watts (played by Carey Mulligan) is young, poor and voiceless; living with her young family in Edwardian England. Becoming swept up in the suffrage movement, we are confronted with the reality life as a second-class citizen, marginalised and forced to turn to violence as the only means of being heard.
Under the wing of a group of women fighting for equality and the right to vote, Watts and her compatriots become increasingly radicalised in their struggle. Risking their families and their lives, these tenacious women put everything on the line to fight the brutal State.
In 2015, when as a group our voices have never been so prolific or broadcast to a wider audience, there is a shameful lack of conversation, of information and of action.
Suffragette is not just an entertaining piece of cinema; it is a vital work of political and personal awakening.
#IAmSuffragette
by Candice DeVille | Nov 2, 2015 | Home & Garden, Money, sponsors
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.
This post is part of a Nuffnang native advertising series.
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.
by Candice DeVille | Jul 27, 2015 | Community, sponsors, Travel
Thanks to Nuffnang, Destination NSW, Qantas and Rydges
Planning a holiday to Australia is something I don’t really think about; living here and all that is. You become very used to your own backyard and take it too much for granted. Want great fashion shopping in Australia? Well I live in Melbourne, but I’ve done all that a thousand times. Sydney however, has a whole fresh face for me to explore and relax while exercising my bag lifting biceps.
I used to live in Sydney for a bit and you know what that means?
That’s right, I missed all the cool things that tourists get to see.
I never took a ferry, shopped Surry Hills (I need to go back all cashed up just for this), went to see an opera at the Sydney Opera House or even dined in the best restaurants. I just worked. Even when I’ve had the chance to visit the city it’s been a whirlwind and I haven’t given myself time to rest, relax and enjoy; something we remedied this weekend past.
I don’t often get to travel with friends, but when I do, it’s quite the production. All the prep that goes into thinking about our outfits, what tech we should take and just how much we can pack into the agenda. Early meetings at the gate for our Qantas flight become a major reunion, with other passengers politely reading their papers while we all hug and kiss and generally make a racket.
My agency Nuffnang, has just launched an office in Sydney and invited myself and the other Bloggerati to come and celebrate with them. Champagne in hand we overlooked the sparkling harbour from ECQ Bar at The Pullman Quay Grand. Destination NSW helped us select this stunning venue, taking keen advantage of the night views of the bridge, the lights rippling over the water and the all round glamour factor of Sydney in it’s evening best.
Credit – Alexander Kesselaar of alexkess photography (my crazy eyes courtesy of too much excitement!)
Before heading out for the big event, I was able to take a little time to relax in my room and watch the twilight dip over the cityscape. Being based at Rydges North Sydney made it exceptionally easy to get into the CBD for events, and visa versa, to have my friend come and meet me for brunch the next morning.
The friendships I’ve made through this blog are the things I treasure most about this opportunity. My friend Jaede, originally a Sydney girl, has been living is Las Vegas for years. I was fortunate enough to get a chance for the two of us to meet face to face over there in May and now on home turf. Nutella doughnuts and fruit salad at the breakfast buffet were the perfect way to catch up on all the gossip and plan our next meet up event.
Even though I’d eaten first and second breakfast, I had a special lunch date to get to; so it was off to Burger Project!
A little known fact about me is that I love to eat. I truly dislike eating simply to keep the body going; I much prefer the endorphin inducing experiences you seek out of pure pleasure. Hamburgers haven’t sprung to mind for me in this category, until I visited Neil Perry’s Burger Project
You may remember the carefully hand made hamburgers of your childhood, those prepared by the couple who owned the local corner store. They have remained a distant memory and something no burger has ever matched for me, until now. I’m not exactly sure what the key differences are; the fresh produce, the way the beef is ground, perhaps it is the beetroot in the Aussie burger?
Whatever it is, Burger Project is the kind of place you feel like you should have made a reservation for.
Don’t rush this one; make it a highlight of your day.
Image by my buddy and fellow Bloggerati Rachel Devine
If this heavenly moment wasn’t foodie enough, Qantas had a real treat organised for our group; an evening with Neil Perry at the justifiably famous Spice Temple! Once I heard this I simply had to change my outfit plans for the evening, a simple black dress wasn’t going to cut it, so I hot footed (Uber’ed) it down to Surry Hills and popped into Hola Chica where I picked up a “spicy” leopard print number.
Feeling suitably sultry for the scarlet glow of Spice Temple, we began our evening with Chinese Zodiac cocktails (mine was a ‘pig’) and marvelled as the menu unfolded.
A 7am start on conference day is never my favourite thing, but in spite of that I have an amazing ability to get myself together when I have to. A hot cup of tea in the room and Croc Wrestlers on T.V work wonders to motivate you out of bed and out the door!
By 8am, and in the golden light of morning winter sun, the Bloggerati had descended on the Macquarie Room at the Pullman. Sitting in a room filled with the best and brightest of the Australian blogging sense is an incredible privilege. Having everyone share their tips, tricks and experiences provides the kind of community that enables us to be that much better at what we do.
As I packed my bags, the scent of jasmine rice and chilli still infused in my Spice Temple outfit, I made a mental list of all the things I wanted to come back and experience. The days went far too quickly and even though we packed so much in, we could have easily filled another week. Sydney really is a fabulously exciting destination all year round.
