Paris Rendezvous and Beyond

Monday, 31 August 2015

Paint it Black....

melbourne - rm

I love Melbourne…..its Art scene, its fashion, its architecture, its fabulous restaurants, its caffeine addiction, its trams….even its weather. I love it all!

awash - rm.

pure gold - rm

patina - rm

It's often said that Melbournians always wear 'black'....and that's certainly seems to be true when you look around the streets of this city....but then, so does Brisbane.....and probably the rest of the world! Paris, London, Antwerp, Amsterdam, Berlin....they, too, 'paint it black' beautifully.

Wasn't it Yohyi Yamamoto who said, "Black is modest and arrogant at the same time. Black is lazy and easy - but mysterious. But above all black says this: "I don't bother you - don't bother me"."

Anyway, for whatever reason, black seems to be the colour of choice for many of us.

But who cares.....wear red and yellow and pink and green, purple and orange and green....if that's your choice.

It's not all 'painted black' however. Melbourne's laneways are awash with a kaleidoscope of colour….with street artists, buskers, tour guides, tourists and the odd local taking a short route to somewhere fast!

hosier lane 1 - rm

hosier lane 2 - rm

Keep on painting it black Melbourne….with splashes of colour on the side!

Ciao

Robyn

Monday, 24 August 2015

Gorgeous Adornments & Chic Bolt Holes

Past the iconic Pellegrinis, I headed down a hidden laneway to my favourite, ever so chic Melbournian bolt hole....Blonde Venus.

Hayden was there...charming as ever.

I remarked on the colours, the textures, the designs, the beauty….a row of the blackest of blacks, punctuated with saturated colour….vivid fuchsia + vermillion stripes on black wool + a single jonquil yellow sleeve on black wool jersey + midnight lace + some splendid refashioning of vintage Japanese silks.

Swoonful….in the extreme!

The designs were pure and flattering.....the cut, sharp and seductive….but as Hayden reminded me…."It's all about the fabric….it all starts with the fabric". Indeed!

Who said Melbourne was all black?

Pure gorgeousness at Blonde Venus, Melbourne

It was all exceedingly gorgeous so it was easy to succumb…..in fact, the 40th anniversary made it essential!

And then next door….to another chic 'hole in the wall', Gallery Funaki….exhibiting "PRIME", Warwick Freeman's sculptural adornments.

Angled stone slices, spheres, cubes and delicate discs of jasper, lapis lazuli, and other ancient stones….solid stone chokers + 'painted' brooches + blackened silver cuffs coated with precious stone dust were displayed on a central white bench. Textural/smooth/spare/elegant….that was "PRIME".

Pure gorgeousness....Warwick Freeman's "PRIME" at Gallery Funaki

I think Peggy (G) would certainly have approved.... "painted" cuffs of ancient stone and silver!

It was a day worth celebrating….and so after a slow stroll under those Melbournian cumulous clouds....we sat back and let the beautiful Cumulus Inc. people delight us!

Yes, it was a very fine day....under cumulus clouds et al.

Chic bolt holes + gorgeous adornments + Melbourne…..just fabulous!

Ciao

Robyn

Thursday, 30 July 2015

sticks & stones + stalks & stems

We're so lucky here in Brisbane…. winter is just a slight chill in the air, tempered by the 'toasty' warmth of the sun.

It's the time of year when those winter white orchids bloom beautifully.

I knew my local florists, James and Phil....nestled in a quaint timber cottage down by the river....would stock them.

Their 'blossom abode' (http://stalksandstems.com.au/) is filled with fragrance, colour, texture and cosiness.....branch adornments et al dangle from the ceiling, shelves are packed with aromatic potions and treats, and exotic and native blooms are piled high in one corner. I love the place!

I watch as much care is taken to position the smooth, delicate winter whites into textured, concrete vessels.....and then, over on a hidden shelf, apple-green lacy leaves, dangling on fine black stalks, take my fancy.

She's a little maidenhair fern....and we place her ever so carefully into a perfectly shaped natural bark cup!

James conjuring up his magical blossom creations.

Phil about to 'vessel up' those winter white beauties.

So next time you're down by the jetty.....go in for a floral dose of gorgeousness.....massively beautiful sticks, stones + perfumed stalks and stems!

Back at home....nestled in their textured vessels, these beauties are on an orbital path….searching for their own 'toasty' spot of winter sun. Position, position, position….James and Phil remind me.

Sticks & stones....and stalks & stems....I'm mad about them!

Ciao

Robyn

stalks & stems.....oxford street....bulimba....botanical perfection!

You may also like:
http://parisallons-y.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/summer-dahlias.html

Friday, 24 July 2015

At Last!

At last we're in!!

There was a lot of this….squeezing big through small….around corners....up stairwells….up and over balconies….and then the inevitable "it won't fit so it has to go!" And believe me, lots went.

And now 'the light and lightness'.

Cold misty light streaming into windows up high….borrowed tropical light from the neighbour's garden enhances our view….and a lightness of possessions….yes, I'm liking this new chapter.

Xiu Xiu loves his new abode too…..and has already taken his place in the sun.

Such a spoilt little chap….but how can I deny him?

Off to Melbourne soon….looking forward to that.

A special date to see Warwick Freeman's new jewellery exhibition at Gallery Funaki…..the "David Bowie is" exhibition is also showing….and a few of Catherine the Great's trinkets, "Masterpieces from the Hermitage" are on show at the National Gallery of Victoria. I reckon I won't see a 'lightness of possessions' in that exhibition!

Ciao

Robyn

You may also like my post on:
http://parisallons-y.blogspot.com.au/2014/12/melbourne-bunnies-et-al.html