Book- Milan: Discovering Food, Fashion and Family in a Private City by Robyn Lea

As a great lover and collector of books I was very grateful to my lovely friend Anthony who gave me a heads up on a book signing at Madam Virtue & Co (5 Crossley St, Melbourne) with New York based author and photographer Robyn Lea. The fabulous hosts for the afternoon JC Lloyd-Southwell d'Anvers, Dean Hewitt and Maude from Madam Virtue had cupcakes and couture on hand to make the afternoon a beautiful and delicious event.  Robyn's first book- Milan: Discovering Food Fashion and Family in a Private City is a stunning visual feast inviting the reader into a mostly hidden side of Milan. Although I just got my copy, already I have been absorbing the fashion, art, architecture and delicious recipes that the city has to offer though Robyn's lens and hand written notes scattered throughout the pages. I have never been to Milan before although I have wanted to for a long time and flicking through this book has made me determined to put some pennies aside and make it happen!I got my copy signed by Robyn and the inscription was perfect as it's books like this that I pull out when I need help to create and be inspired. 

For more information about Robyn Lea and to purchase a book or invest in couture visit  Madam Virtue &CoBy 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.

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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

Walter Van Beirendonck- Dream the World Awake

Walter Van Beirendonck: Dream the World Awake is an exhibition being held at the RMIT Design Hub in Melbourne. I finally had a chance to go and see the exhibition for myself and I was not disappointed. For those of you not familiar with Walter Van Beirendonck he is a designer who graduated from the Royal Academy of Arts in Antwerp in 1980. He started a label under his own name in 1983 then in 1986 showed in London with five other fellow graduates. They became known as 'The Antwerp Six' after showing Belgian fashion as something to be taken notice of with their avant-garde fresh perspective on fashion. Walter Van Beirendonck continues to design his own collections and show his menswear collection on schedule at Paris fashion week and is also the current head of fashion at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. He also has an impressive list of design collaborations over his extensive career- notably he made costumes for U2 some which can be seen on level three of the design hub.The exhibition is a retrospective spanning 30 years of work divided into six main themes. Each is explored through fashion, audio and a huge 'Wonder Wall' as a backdrop full of images, objects, and key words. There are over 80 outfits displayed on revolving stands so you can fully appreciate and see all of the details in the clothing. It was the details that had me so intrigued as you can get very close to many of the garments and see the intense attention to detail. Although you can't touch anything the space is quite intimate and it was the space that enhanced the experience of the exhibition as it allows you to fully immerse yourself in a riot of colour, pattern texture and sound. As a lover of slightly mad headwear and shoes there was also plenty to be seen in both areas. Walter Van Beirendonck has used the medium of fashion to explore some confronting themes but in such a way I left feeling happy and inspired. I wanted to dash home and throw on more colour and clashing textures as the exhibition shows a very playful side too.Photos simply cannot do justice to the works, but i hope they inspire you to make the effort if you're in Melbourne to pop in. The exhibition is a free event and a must see for any fashion enthusiast. It runs until October 5 2013 and I know I'll be making another visit before it closes. For further details go to www.designhub.rmit.edu.au    By Angela Menz