We Live Like This

An old friend came visit from Melbourne last week, so I took her to Paddington, one of my favourite places in Brisbane. When we found out that the cafe which serves the best cuppacino in town was closing for the day, I wiped my tear and walked into the boutique next door (which I thought belongs to the same owner all along), We live like this.

Mekalie is one of the most enthusiastic shop owner I've met. She gave us the warmest welcome and naturally, we started chatting about the shop, the garments, and fashion. You can tell she has such a passion for local designs and art work by the way she talks about them. I like to see people who love what they do, they go to work everyday with a smile on their face.

It was a pity that I didn't go prepared, or I would have shown you more pictures of the garments and the shop. But you all know the best way to explore a shop is to go see it yourself.

special thanks to Yuky for the pictures

Fleet

If you have not been hiding in a hole for the past 3 months you should probably have heard of the Fleet Store. It is a pop up store in Wintergarden shopping mall in Brisbane City launched by QUT fashion discipline and Creative Enterprise of Australia.

To be completely honest (and not just because I am helping with their PR..), I think the Fleet Store is a kick ass project run mainly by students. From the garments to the layout of the shop, you can tell everything has been well planned and thought of, and not to mention most of the students organising the shop study full time and have a graduate collection to deal with (really, who are you people!?).


I went in today and had a browse around, and as you may have guessed, I didn't walk out empty handed.


When I first saw it, I thought "it will look perfect with my old levis cut-off! It is coming home with ME". And there it is, hanging beautifully in my closet along with her new boyfriend, Mr Levis.

Bang Doll Vintage

Located on 163 Boundary Street in West End, Bang Doll Vintage is the brainchild of founders Sonia and David. Hailing from humble beginnings at the back of a van parked every Saturday morning at the West End markets, and a little shop in Toogan; Sonia and David decided it was time to relocate and set up a more permanent shopfront - that was 3 years ago when they made that decision and haven't looked back eversince.

Bang Doll Vintage is the perfect place to go source for anything imaginable from the 50s - 80s. Be it leather jackets, fur vests or suede gloves, you'll surely find your perfect match. Invest in timeless pieces, as "trends change rapidly, so people tend to go back to the old stuff" reasons Sonia.

When V and I first stepped into BDV, I thought we'd stepped into OCD heaven. Every piece is handled and treated with the respect they deserve - every piece dry cleaned, mended, fumigated and comes with a declaration of hazmat clearance... Ok, you get my drift. You know you'll be getting your money's worth, without needing to worry if you'll smell of roadkill, or having an umcomfortably sticky situation (pun so intended).

New stocks come in flocks of 20 - 30 pieces every Saturday, with t-shirts mainly from Canada, military styled items from the Soviet Union and Cowboy boots from LA to name a few.

So, students, why not hop into BDV and take the full advantage of your 10% discount? You might just bump into the boys from Evermore or Cut Copy if they're in town and back to visit this little gem of a shop.

Images look familiar? They're for the Movember 2009 campaign, by Damien Bredberg Photography. Cool and awesome retro styling? Where did they get the pieces to put these looks together? You guessed it right - Bang Doll Vintage!

100 stars for customer service and entertainment value. Sonia and David, you guys are such an inspiration for putting aside your past jobs to go after your passion. I skidaddled out of BDV wanting to do a Hairspray or Grease number through West End.

Shh..don't tell fannie

The first thing I noticed when I stepped into Don't Tell Fannie, is that blue floral mini dress with lace straps, hanging in the center of the shop. Perfect for garden parties.

If you have been to the shop I Hate My Skirt in West End, you should be familiar with Paige. She used to do modeling in Singapore, then she came back to Brisbane and started a business in fashion retailing with her business partner. They focus on supporting local emerging young designers in Brisbane and Gold Coast.

There are lots of colours and patterns among the racks, which will give your mood a lift when you walk in. The clothes are neatly sorted by colours so you can always spot your favourite at first glance.

You will find the garments in Don't Tell Fannie are mainly one-off pieces, because they are all hand-made by the designers. They do take custom orders, but since the designers mostly use recycle fabrics for they clothes, it's unlikely that you will get the dress with the same pattern or fabrics. That means you will not walk down Queens Street finding a dozen girls wearing the same dress as you. That is also why the shop name was chosen - we all want that little exclusiveness in fashion, don't we? Don't tell those bitches/copycats that we found this fabulous shop which sells cute dresses.

Next time, when you just happen to be in West End for the awesome cafes, stop by Don't Tell Fannie, and maybe you'll find your signature piece. But shhhh.. Don't Tell Fannie!