Chitra’s Closet Winter 2012 show

A fab little black dress takes a twirl

I love Chitra’s Closet.

Most days my outfit consists of Chitra’s Closet with a little Bento; or Bento with a little Chitra’s Closet. Except last night when I was in Bento with ECA approved Cue, and got in trouble from Chitra… whoops.

I’ve been shopping at Chitra’s for many years. Before everyone was on about shopping ‘experiences’ she was delivering them. The designer herself piling outfits into sympathetically lit change rooms, making adjustments and invariably, a chink in my bank account. If I don’t come in for a while I get a follow up call. If a sample collection is in sometimes I get to take a browse – it’s part of the experience of being one of Chitra’s regulars. And it’s lovely (albeit dangerous).

What’s fantastic about Chitra is that women of all ages and sizes enjoy her collections. In fact, probably ladies with a curvier chassis set off her silhouettes better, which is a huge relief to many I’m sure, when for seasons on end skinny this and low rider that threatened to swallow our pride.

I try not to covet model’s bodies usually, but Chitra’s ladies are always healthy sized and last night I found myself whispering, “I want her butt.” I’ve a great respect for all my pals (yes, some of my best friends are skinny people), but it is so lovely to see a range of sizes.

Years after their first wear my Chitra’s pieces are in good nic and regularly complimented. Here’s an iPhone’d peek at the collection… Now noone go and buy that shirt below, because I neeed it.

Designer Chitra Mangma and Lou Pardi

Lou and Cheryl Lin (Business Chic)

Friendly flight attendants for the ‘Leaving on a Jet Plane’ themed show

My future shirt

Back detail of my future shirt

Something Marilyn about this lass

Feather in your cap?

What women (well this one) want.

So you may have read I’ve been gifted with the wonder of a blank slate, and that recently, I jotted down 50 things I’d like to do this lifetime, in no particular order. They’re not required reading in the least. In fact they’re little more than boxes I stood on to get to this post (well this head space; it may surprise you to learn my life is not a series of blog posts).

I was a little surprised by my top 50 in that rather than describe exact events, it felt to me to indicate a certain way of living.

Having let my subconscious boil it down for a bit, four key points tumbled out whilst I was trying to write to-do lists.

Turns out this is what I want:

Pardi modus operandi

If you don’t read scribble, translated, that says:

1. Location independence

2. $ independence

3. Great work

4. The time to enjoy it. [Love]

Although these look terribly general, they’re actually an awesome structure for decision making. If any given option doesn’t add to achieving these things, I can discard it. Superb!

Drink of choice

The West Winds Gin and tonic at The Aylesbury, by candlelight

It’s hard to find a drink of choice. There are so many to choose from and it depends on your mood and a million other what-nots.

But at some stages in life there’s that drink you go to and it feels alright every time. Sometimes it’s a favourite bottle of wine to share with girlfriends, a special red you and a partner love, a go-to-celebratory sparkle for milestones.

I found a favourite tipple not so long ago and although I loved it I was a little sad it was in short supply. Times are changing though and now, when I scan the spirit bottles rising high behind the bar, I’ll settle upon a couple of towering bottles of Gin. West Winds they call it, and it’s divine.

Savoury without getting too involved, potent enough to make a point without pushing you over and flavoursome enough to cut through tonic and a slither of something (cucumber, if the bargods are generous), it’s my go-to tipple. If you’ve got an effusive palette you might pick up lemon myrtle, Wattle seed, coriander or native bush tomato too.

The handsome taller and younger playmate of my other pal, a squat and serious Hendricks, this gin, is remarkable.

I interviewed a bloke behind it not so long ago, Jeremy (Jezz to his mates). He’s a gin fan through and through, give him a minute and he’ll talk about it for hours.

Together with his compatriots, who he describes as “Doctor Paul White, Jackie Chan and Mayo Clarke,” (a fiction) he makes the good stuff in Western Australia’s Margaret River, but resides here in Melbourne.

The mission? “We want to show Australia and the world that we can distill and produce great spirits. We have been making great beer and wine in this country for over 200 years; it is time for hard liquor to stand up.” Indeed.

“We wanted to make a contemporary yet locally-flavoured gin. It is important for us to utilise as much local product as possible, whilst retaining a global feel. The coriander is from Margaret River and we only import a small amount of juniper. We used cinnamon myrtle and lemon myrtle for spice and Wattle seed for texture and mouthfeel, in our English dry style, The Sabre. For The Cutlass recipe we increased the coriander: both root and seed and then added our native bush tomato. This little berry-like matter delivers a savoury, vegetal tone unlike anything seen before. To compliment this we have used Margaret River water as most of us spent our teenage years kicking around the clean surf and rolling green hills down south.”

Try the two but for my vote, it’s The Cutlass (the green bottle), a good book and some sunshine.

 

Fifty things I would like to do this lifetime, in no particular order

View from my current thinking perch - awesome apartment for rent, Melbourne CBD

I hope your Easter is going hopping ace! I am in the process of considering what decisions to make and hopes to hold in light of a rapidly approaching crossroads. I thought I’d pen (keyboard) fifty things I would like to do this lifetime, then sort out a few life phases, then get into it. Easy, right?

Worth a go.

so,

1. write a book
2. write another book (and another etc)
3. be companion to a hound
4. be companion to a cat
5. be companion to a human (hey – turns out this is in order!)
6. travel – Africa
7. travel – Luxembourg
8. travel – somewhere random (okay, maybe not in order)
9. live out of a suitcase
10. live in the same place for five years
11. start and run a successful business
12. take six months off
13. holiday with my bros
14. live in the same city as my London bestie (hopefully she moves, huh?)
15. make new friends
16. seek out inspirational folk and experiences
17. help make animal’s lives better
18. read books (and more and more)
19. learn French (mostly just the food words)
20. do more video stuff
21. make a difference
22. retain integrity
23. travel – Broome/camel trek
24. live somewhere rural
25. stay in a shack by the beach
26. travel – Hong Kong/China
27. travel – India
28. travel – New York
29. work and live overseas (HK, NYNY, Luxembourg, anywhere really)
30. play a part in helping my friends achieve their goals
31. convince humans to be kinder
32. live someplace I’m allowed to wallpaper a wall
33. have a parlour and host excellent gatherings of intelligent types
34. write for a fantastic food mag
35. connect excellent people
36. keep writing for a living
37. empower passionate people
38. have enough runway to exhale ($, time, energy)
39. find exercise which I enjoy
40. always wonder, always grow, always learn
41. hold my bestie’s babies
42. spend time with people who I can let my guard down around
43. fall in love
44. plant a garden and share the fruits
45. live above a shop
46. have great human connections
47. forgive mediocre humans
48. plan incredible funeral with marching band
49. die with dignity
50. start again

Right, so that doesn’t so much give me a map for the next few months but it is interesting. You can do it too if you like. In the comments, or on that serviette, or wherever. I’d love to see it. Or it can be your secret.

Spoonbill at The Olsen Hotel

The Olsen, part of the arts series hotels is a special place. Imbued (a word I use when groggily content) with the art and soul (ditto last parenthesis but for puns) of artist John Olsen, it is a special sophisticated space with feeling*.

I do have images on my real camera, but for now, an iPhone pictorial journey…

*here I mean ‘soul’ but I used it last sentence.

Albert Street Food & Wine

Peeking into the kitchen from the food store

I’ve been to Albert Street Food & Wine on Sydney Road in Brunswick a few times and I’m a fan. In summary: haloumi, lemon tart, and whatever you’d like in between.

The produce at Albert Street is stand out, and now you can buy the incredible pickles, relish and other produce used in the dishes, in the food store. Not to mention a fantastic array of wine.

I was thrilled to check out the finished food store, especially when I found some of my favourite produce there. Old favourites like Monsuir Truffe and Melbourne City Rooftop bees together with new faves.

Camilo Olive Oil was there with samples of incredible olive salts including a lime salt number which I’d happily eat daily. I hovered next to Pyengana Dairy’s cheddar, and the incredible Camembert they import. Wash it down with a Brunswick bitter – excellent.

Camembert at room temperature. Deeelicious.

cookies!

A wall of wine with library ladder.

Melbourne City Rooftop Bees Honey - from Brunswick of course

Refillable Olive Oil - love love this

Fridge of opportunity

Si, Senoritas

Tonight I  had a lovely dinner at Senoritas, a new Mexican place on the quickly-populating Meyers Lane in Melbourne.

There has been a bit of an outbreak of Mexican in Melbourne of late, and much discussion about authenticity. Senoritas has it in spades.

Not just in the cuisine sense either.

Creator Ricardo Amare spoke (with a striking Aussie/Mexican combination accent) about what led him to open Senoritas (together with business partner Linda Temani). He spoke about how his first Mexican import to Australia was fashion – and he was wearing a sleekly cut black jacket over a pop pink shirt to illustrate it. He said he wanted to bring authentic Mexican culture to Australia.  The first step was the beautiful clothes, and the second embodiment is Senoritas. He mentioned that the idea Australians get of Mexico isn’t the contemporary Mexico he knows. I couldn’t help but think of how many times I’ve had that conversation.

First with people from overseas who ask me what the Aussie outback is like (I’ve never seen it). Then with Indian friends who get frantic calls from relatives to stay safe in Australia. What media and popular culture in each country choose to report, represent and dramatise has a huge effect on perceptions.

Ricardo spoke about finding a Mexican Chef, a lovely gent who looked seriously chuffed to be there. He highlighted particular staff and how much he appreciated their contributions. And it was authentic.

Truth be told, the menu is finding its way, experimenting with traditional and contemporary Mexican – and in a few months I imagine it will be an entirely different thing.

I’ll be back. Not just because of the Bunue Los a La Mexicana (Sweet tortilla Mexican style with cinnamon sugar, guava, cream cheese and piloncillo syrup). Or for the incredible tequila, but because Ricardo says he thinks a restaurant should feel like a second home. And he meant it.