Valentino, Douglas Kirkland, Max Brenner + the Golden Age of Couture...

I don't know about the rest of the country, but Brisbane's weather has been decidedly grizzly this weekend. It's dare I say cold, in Spring... so instead of being cooped up in our house. C and I joined a few of our friends at GOMA and visited the Valentino exhibition.

I'm kicking myself for not attending the media event I was invited to. Mainly because then I could have taken some photos for you. It was gorgeous, I had so much fun spotting Oscar dresses and who wore them. The guys I was with looked at me like I was some kind of dress whisperer. Well I couldn't very well call myself the founder of Wikifashion without knowing a dress or three could I?

Although it was a really lovely exhibit, I was very taken by the Douglas Kirkland exhibit on level 3. Everyone in Brisbane should take the time and go and have a snoop. I'd never heard of him until yesterday, but I knew most of his photographs. I've linked a few of my favourites below. Although there was a three-part series of Elizabeth Taylor with her maltese that I adored, unfortunately google has me stumped.

After making our way out of the exhibits, we made a quick detour through the gift shop (who am I kidding, I dragged C in there. I was like a kid in a candy store, so many fashion coffee table books!). I purchased the Golden Age of Couture: Paris and London, 1947-57 (the cover dress is by Balmain, 1957).

After GOMA, we wandered through Southbank and stumbled upon the heaven that is Max Brenner! The line was so so long, but my soy coconut hot chocolate was worth it. Run don't walk! I later found out that it had just opened that morning. Good bye bikini!

It's rainy again this morning, so far I've made banana, coconut and buttermilk pancakes served with raspberries and japanese lime tea (purchased from the Tea Centre yesteryday). Not doing much else today, except doing wiki work and baking. How about you?

Cupcakes and Birthdays ♥

Last night Coen and I held a small dinner party at the lovely Vapiano in Brisbane's CBD to celebrate my 24th birthday and Wikifashion's first birthday....my time flies when you're having fun! I snapped a few photos for you and decided to post them here at the request of the gorgeous Coral and Grace.

The above photo is our take on the Wikifashion badges. Unfortunately the cupcake girls didn't use white writing and it didn't have the effect I was going for, but hey they tasted delicious, so they did the job.

My very lovely boyfriend gifted me with a pink rose necklace from Make Believe ♥ I've been drooling over this piece for months. I was quite taken aback when I gave it to me early so I could wear to my party! Best boyfriend ever or what?

Here is a quick snap of my outfit for the night. Don't mind the silly pose, I was attempting to block out the moon shine.

What did everyone else get up to on the weekend? Did anyone go to the farmer's markets? As FF would say, I always find produce shopping "soothing".

My Weekend....

Weekends at my abode are usually spent whiling hours away on Wikifashion. The wiki geek is currently working on a forum for the site and I am fielding photos from lovely bloggers who are reporting on behalf of Wikifashion from both New York and London Fashion Weeks. Sometimes I have to stop and remind myself that one day this might technically be "work".

On Sunday morning we met up with the lovely Joelle from Hello,Lovely who will be working on Wikifashion's redesign!

So excited.....and if that wasn't enough, I arrived home from our soy chai latte filled gathering to find that none other than Jimmy Wales (founder of Wikipedia) had contacted me to say he loved the site! This completely boggled my mind. If it weren't for Jimmy's work on Mediawiki and Wikipedia, Wikifashion simply wouldn't exist. So to have him stumble across my site and be kind enough to let me know that he liked it, makes the many hours (and 29,000 + edits) all worth it.

If you could peak inside my head right now, the above picture would best describe what it looked like. Suffice to say that email will never be deleted.

Delilah

Here is my puppy in all her fluffy glory. She sure does look happy. I probably hadn't given her adequate belly tickles that day!

Seven things about me...thanks une belle fille ♥

The very lovely Une Belle Fille has nominated me for a Kreative Blogger Award (thank you!)....I am now obliged to tell you seven things about me...

Number 1. I love my puppy Delilah; Number 2. I adore Audrey Hepburn...

Ever since I was a little girl, I have adored Audrey Hepburn films, there is just something so utterly beautiful about her. I don't think she ever realised just how lovely she was, perhaps that's why she was so gorgeous?
My puppy Delilah is the light of my life, she is almost two years old and has made me laugh everyday since she came into my home...although a lot of pretty defenceless shoes have since departed!
Number 3. I love love love strawberries....
In fact I eat so many of them, my boyfriend thinks this is what will happen to me... From as long as I can remember, I've had at least a punnet a week. At the height of my obsession, two punnets a day! Glutenous? Of course not. In love? Without a doubt! There is nothing better than a fresh strawberry. I prefer mine completely plain, non of this chocolate coated rubbish. Although from time to time, that is nice. Some people dust sugar on theirs, I think that's sacrilege!
Estimated cost of strawberry obsession...
Length of strawberry obession- 20 years.Weeks- 1040.Punnets on average- I'm guessing probably 1.5, this is taking into consideration the months of having two per day.
Total punnets-1560.$Average Unit Cost- 4
$6240 (Holy guacamole batman, that's where my Chanel bag went! Oh well all in the name of love).
Number 4. I love geeks...

It's just my personal opinion, but I think geeks are the cutest kind of boyfriends to have. I have been dating my geek for over five years. Here are my reasons:

• Not only is he the love of my life, but he is also very smart. Whenever I don't know something, I ask him and he just knows the answer. Like a walking google search I tell you.
• He was kind enough to spend many many hours of his free time creating a wiki for me (very geeky).
• He finds the best Gossip Girl torrents around! His private torrent club thing has saved me from my Gossip Girl download delay many a time. Although I think my uploading of Gossip Girl horrifies him.
• He can teach me things, more often than not he tries to impart his wisdom of programming onto me. A little bit has stuck, as evidenced by my wiki editing skills.
• He accepts me for my geekiness. Although I love fashion, my profession is more than a little nerdy! And afterall we did meet in a macroeconomics lecture ♥

Number 5. I love 80s movies...

I don't know what it is about Molly Ringwald and John Hughes, but I find these movies so cathartic. They instantly make me feel calm. I don't know how, they're aesthetically very tacky and over the top. But at the same time very pretty to watch. I guess I am just an 80s baby through and through..
My top picks:

• Pretty in Pink- the scene where Ducky sings in the record store is so cute! Blane is also very cute, I love the scene where he tampers with the computer (he's a geek, therefore I love him).
• Ferris Bueller's Day Off
• Sixteen Candles
• The Breakfast Club
• Back to the Future trilogy (I know this isn't John Hughes, but this series is one of my favourites, I can watch these over and over again).

Number 6. I love my computer and am a little too obsessed with the internet...

Maybe it's what happens when you spend too much time with a computer programmer? Or maybe it was what fate had in store for me? Either way I love Miss Mac and the internet. Without either I think I might be a little lost. I do love reading, however there is something so lovely about searching for something and always being able to find it, to learn something new and to create something for others to contribute to.

Number 7. I sleep on 1200 thread count sheets...

Yes it does sound a little indulgent, but let me explain... up until a year ago I have never had my own bed, I have always slept on a hand me down from somebody else. My last bed was gifted to me by my Denmark bound little brother. It had a dent in the middle from where he used to sleep. It was so lumpy and uncomfortable, however my student induced povness forced me to endure this sleep torture for five years. Then I got a "real job" and bought the best bed and sheets I could afford. Why buy 1000 thread counts when I could get 1200 threads? I reasoned...

In my defence I purchased them online for the bargain price of $100 for a fitted sheet, top sheet and two pillow cases!

Thank you for reading, sorry this post was extremely long...I would like to nominate these lovely ladies for a Kreative Blogger Award:

• Ashleigh from Rantings of a Fashion Addict
• Nikki from A Flair to Remember

My fear of driving...

I have a slightly embarrassing confession to make...I am 23 years old and do not have my drivers license. For the past six years I have renewed my learners three times and have had four driving instructors, each ending in disaster. The worst telling my that my driving would surely kill someone. My little heart sank to the peddle and the small amount of confidence I did have was completely quashed.

That happened eighteen months ago, I have decided to fix this situation and get my license this year. Usually nothing gets the better of me and driving certainly has. It's just something I do not have an affinity for, I forget which is the accelerator and brake, sweat so much my palms can hardly grip the wheel and dread my next lesson.

This year, it's going to happen, I will get my license!

If any of you have an tips for me to overcome this fear, please do share ♥

Travel Bug...

So my baby brother is leaving today, he's going to live in Denmark for seven months. To say I'll miss him is an understatement. We haven't always seen eye to eye, most of the time I think he loathes me, but deep down I know he loves me ♥ Here's hoping he has the time of his life.

If there are any Danish readers out there, do you have any advice you'd like to give to my little brother? Best nightlife in Copenhagen? Eateries?

edit: Just spoke to my brother, who is currently waiting to board his flight. He has agreed to act as my "European correspondent" for the next seven months. Look forward to some gorgeous snaps of cobbled Copenhagen streets and European fashion. So excited for him!

Why Lola?

I should probably explain why I have called my blog Lola, as it's not actually my real name. When I was born my mum couldn't decided between calling me Lola and Madeline. Unfortunately Lola didn't make the cut. So I thought it would be nice to have a space where I could show the other side of my personality. The more girly, feminine side of me with a dash of the nerdy Maddy for good measure.

Table for one please?

I don't know what it is about dining alone or even attending a movie by oneself, but most people seem to avoid these types of occasions, for fear of what others will think. Seeing a movie by myself or sitting for hours in a local cafe while I pour over the latest Frankie magazine is something that I relish in. Perhaps it's because I'm an introvert and I need alone time? I don't know, either way I find it utterly relaxing to do things by myself. It feels almost like a treat.

Tell me lovely readers, what is your favourite thing to do by yourself? You can call it your secret single behaviour (Sex and the City quote).....