Rice Workshop Official Opening, Melbourne, VIC

When the invitation to the official opening of Rice Workshop landed in my inbox I was intrigued and more than a little bit excited. I was promised a new Japanese food concept along with an opening night dress theme of Harajuku. Having been to Japan a few years ago and immediately falling in love with its food and fashion I was looking forward to the evening- and it did not disappoint!

I've had a long time fascination with Harajuku style so I was happy for an excuse to go all out and aim for a super kawaii look to get into the spirit of the night. As a bonus Fashion Torque hosts Jenny Bannister and Phillip Boon were going to be awarding prizes for the best dressed. I plundered my wardrobe for all things bright, fun, sparkly and heaped everything on layer upon layer. Applying my makeup with a heavy hand it was time to brave the wet cold evening with my friend Anthony and find out what Rice Workshop was all about.Located at 238 Little Bourke St in the CBD Melbourne, Restaurateur David Loh and Chef Tomohiro Suzuki have brought the Japanese Donburi concept to the city. For those not familiar with Donburi it means 'bowl' and in food terms refers to a bowl of rice with toppings. Rice Workshop for a relatively small space has plenty of options on the menu and at very purse friendly prices. The restaurant is split over two levels and has a quirky and inviting interior with the upstairs being a bright open dining space. On offer at the launch was a delicious and delightful array of food with my favourite being the stewed beef bowl, which was so good I went back for a second helping (Known as Gyudon in Japan- Rice with beef and onion with a tasty broth).Plenty of guests had got into the theme of the evening with bright and colourful outfits lighting up a very grey evening. The fabulous Jenny Bannister as always was dressed to impress with a long blonde wig and big fuzzy spiders adorning her head. Jenny along with Philip selected me as the winner of the best costume with second place going to Milliner Richard Nylon. He went goth with flowers on his mustache providing a dash of pink. Third place went to his wonderfully fun assistant Kristine Live who had sequin eyebrows topping off her mad Harajuku, Kawaii look.

Given the great tasty food, excellent prices and central location, Rice Workshop is sure to be a hit- especially with workers in the CBD after a quick easy meal and students wanting to get some seriously yummy bang for their buck. I know next time I'm dashing around the city I'll be making a stop at Rice Workshop.By Angela Menz

Caulfield Guineas Wrap

The Chadstone Fashion Stakes at Caulfield Guineas got serious on the weekend with two of three categories in the competition holding their finals. The two finals with sashes and prizes awarded held were for the over 40 Stylish Ladies and the Stylish Gentleman categories. Three more finalists were also selected in the under 40 Stylish Ladies category with the grand final taking place next weekend at the Caulfield Cup. With heats and finals staggered throughout the afternoon it was a fashions on the field enthusiasts dream- made even better with plenty of seating and shade to watch the competition on stage and on the big screen. Not forgetting the event was held at the races, the competition was structured around the races with breaks for the races and coverage on the screens switching over the horses during the races. Melanie Villego from Winners & Losers was host for the afternoon and judges for the day included Designer Jenny Bannister, Stylist Phillip Boon, David Jones Ambassador Emma Freedman and Jess and Stef from How Two Live.For the over 40 Stylish Ladies section there were two heats held with three finalists selected from each heat to progress to the grand final. This section had quite a mix of looks moving from quirky through to classic racewear. I was extra excited to see this section as my mother was visiting me from Canberra and I had successfully convinced her to enter fashions on the field. Mum did this FOTF obsessed daughter proud and walked the stage with confidence. It was tough competition though and she didn't make the grand final, but I was very happy she had a go. In the grand final there were nine women with Amanda Macor from Cairns taking home the winners sash. Her outfit was a one off made by Michalenko by Appointment and a self made hat. She had her swagger on and owned her outfit with a fabulous pair of sunnies that made a statement! 

Whilst there wasn't much luck for myself or my parents at the fashion stage, I did manage to back a winner in the afternoon and had a great day out at Caulfield By Angela Menz

FAINT Magazine, Emerge Exhibition

FAINT magazine hosted it's first ever exhibition EMERGE, showcasing the work of designers across various creative fields. It was the perfect way to end the working week and start the weekend with the exhibition being held at Higher Ground an industrial creative space in Collingwood, Melbourne. Works on display included fashion, installation art, photography and sculpture all melting together to form EMERGE. Special guest speaker for the evening was renowned fashion designer Jenny Bannister who also had some of her archived work on display. Jenny was the perfect guest speaker for the evening as her enthusiasm for fashion and the arts is so obvious and she speaks with great passion on the subjects. 

For those of you not familiar with FAINT magazine it celebrates up and coming designers alongside established and international names. It pushes the boundaries and blurs the lines between fashion and art highlighting the avant-garde . FAINT launched initially online in September 2010 by fashion photographer Alexandre Dubois and later in print in November 2011. The evening was held to raise money to print the next issue of FAINT with the entry fee going to the cause. It was a one night only event, however given it's success I hope they host more events and exhibitions in the future. I would urge you to check out FAINT magazine and snap up a copy when the next issue goes to print.

[gallery columns="2" ids="523,524,525,526,527,528,529,530"]

The lighting was great to set the mood and see the works in the exhibition, but not so great for taking photos.

See www.faintmag.com for more details on the magazine.

By Angela Menz