Hat Affair Loves...Douglas & Hope

Douglas & Hope is a gorgeous store on Brunswick St, Fitzroy, Melbourne. It stocks an array of exquisite pieces. I loved the signature blankets and the quirky home wares.

Unfortunately Douglas & Hope is closing down. After so many years the owners have decided to only sell their products whole sale. This means you only have a short time to stop in and absorb the charm and ambiance of this beautiful store.

There is a closing down sale on some products so don't miss out!x

Take a walk with me down... Brunswick Street

Brunswick Street is the haunt of Melbourne's vintage lovers and art crowd. Unfortunately I hadn't figured on the public holiday. Some of the stores were open and those that weren't, well I still took pic's of the windows, so you'll just have to venture inside for yourself.

For Western Australian's Brunswick St is where you'll find the Melbourne 'Little Creatures'. It's not as good as the original Fremantle Brewery/Restaurant, for a start there are no Beer vats to look at in the next room (well I am bias). However if you are feeling home sick for Fremantle, then step through those doors and have a drink of a beer that only the West could create! While I was there, I simply had to take a photo of the amazing light fittings made out of empty beer bottles. I wonder, do they come in green?

Photos: I just had to take a picture of the laundrette sign, with a film by the same name 'My beautiful laundrette' it was just too good to pass up!

Melbourne... the city of surprises...

When visiting Melbourne the way to travel around the cbd is on foot. If you don't you could blink and miss some amazing places just tucked away out of sight.

In the lane ways of Melbourne you could be mistaken for stepping into another country, Paris, Berlin anyone? It is this lane way culture that makes Melbourne so different from any other city in Australia. In Perth we have only scratched the surface of what is possible, the vision is there and with time can be achieved.

Here is some pictures of some of the amazing places to see in the hidden Melbourne...

The Hopetoun Tea Rooms are located in the historic Royal Arcade. Hanging inside the Hopetoun Tea Rooms is the original mirror that graced the walls of the Royal Arcade when it first opened. The cakes looked amazing, but the queue outside was just too long to wait and we were running out of time! There were so many cafe's and restaurants to visit with quirky decor, I just had to take a few passing snaps.

After obtaining directions to a good chinese dumpling place from a lovely lady at the Royal Arcade Mimco store, we stumbled upon Section 8: Container Bar. It was in an ally way situated beside some large garbage bins and this amazing graffiti art. Unfortunately it was a bit early for a drink and the chinese dumplings were calling us. We eventually did find the dumpling place, it was so cheap and the dumplings were melt in your mouth good!

Graffiti Knitting Queenstown...

Queenstown...

If you've been following me on Twitter then you may have gathered that my trip didn't run as smoothly as it should have. For a start due to the ash cloud we almost didn't get there and secondly there was no snow, but we didn't let that cramp our style!

Queenstown is a party town and it didn't disappoint. Decked out in our gorgeous buys from Melbourne (which I will go into later), with red lipstick on every night (you can't do anything by half when your on holiday) we had an amazing time and made some great new friends from America and the UK.

Things you must do when visiting Queenstown...

Have a Fergburger.
These burgers are so good, you must try one before you die. Be warned they are huge and many men have struggled to finish one. So ladies half is more than enough (that is unless your hungover!).

Have a rich hot chocolate or Gelato at Patagonia Chocolates.
I know Gelato in winter? But this is worth it. I recommend the chocolate and caramel flavour. If it is just too cold for Gelato then their rich and creamy hot chocolate is for you. You can stick to the classic, or for an added twist try it with fresh ginger.

Visit the various night clubs on offer.
For a small place, there is quite a lot of them. Some are nicer than others, you must remember that the crowd is predominately backpackers so it can get rowdy. Most people usually end up at either World Bar or Buffalo by the end of the night. For those with more sophisticated taste I would recommend Sky Bar.

Photos: Fergburger at 10am on Sunday Morning and a Muriel by Perth artist Creepy at World Bar.

Melbourne Bound...

This Friday I am flying to Melbourne for 4 days and then I'm off to Queenstown for 10 days! I only hope that they get some snow or the plan to ski will remain a pipe dream. Check out this months Vogue Australia for a fabulous article on Queenstown and the new looks for Ski clothes. This also means you won't hear from me for a while, but I'm sure I'll have plenty to say when I get back! xxx

(Photo was taken in Jan 2009 from my balcony in Queenstown)