Around town
Newcastle Herald
Thursday March 31, 2011
FROM RECYCLED CLOTHING SALES TO NEW FASHION OUTLETS,PARADES AND MATERNITY WEAR, THERE'S NO SHORTAGE OFFASHION NEWS FROM AROUND THE HUNTERhere comes the brideNEWCASTLE'S new bridal precinct- in Hunter St between Union and Auckland streets ‚€ś is looking forbusinesses such as shoe shops andevent planners to help bolster itsappeal to brides to be.Part of the Hunter Streetrevitalisation project, the bridalprecinct on a strip fl ush withwedding wares was launched onSunday, February 13, with goodcrowds with some shops havingcustomers 20-deep in waves whileone had at least 100 people passthrough.Newcastle City Council‚„s placemakingfacilitator, Susan Denholm,hopes the creation of the bridalprecinct will attract other weddingthemedbusinesses to the area andsays the council will continue towork with the traders in the area,where the council has already donesome street beautifi cation.Workshops and paradesWESTFIELD Kotara is continuing a series offashion workshops and runway parades comingup in May.Events were held earlier this month and will beback on May 14 and 15 from 11.30 am to 1.30 pm.Westfi eld Kotara‚„s marketing manager, SarahSylvester, said the centre‚„s two stylists, KristyPryjma and Sam Woods, would attend theparades which would feature trends for autumnand winter and how to make them work withitems already in wardrobes.The stylists would mix and match clothing onmodels to make the shows more interactive.Time to Raid the WardrobeTHE Newcastle-born concept Raid My Wardrobewill celebrate its fi rst birthday with an event at theNewcastle Basketball Stadium, Broadmeadow, onSunday, May 22.A year ago Broadmeadow mum Rachel Prestcame up with the recycled clothing concept thattargets high-end, vintage fashion, when she realisedhow much great clothing was languishing in hercupboards and those of her friends.The fi rst event attracted 40 stall holders sellingtheir recycled clothing and drew about 1200shoppers. Since then there have been four moreRaid My Wardrobes, including one at Maitland, thathave attracted more than 1000 customers eachwith 40 to 50 stall holders.Prest says every event is now booked out monthsahead and the concept is proving so successful sheis looking at taking it to Sydney this year.Various styles, sizes and designer brands areavailable at each event including Cooper Street,Mimco, Morrissey, Lisa Ho, Sass & Bide, Bardot, Cue,One Teaspoon, Saba, Guess and Charlie Brown.Sizes range from six to 20-plus and shoes from sizefive to 10.‚ś‚śIt is the perfect way to recycle quality clothingand enjoy great fashion w ith no guilt,‚„‚„ Prest says.At the end of each event a nominated charitycollects donations of any unsold items.>> 21 >>Jean Bas in Darby StreetLONG-TIME Newcastle fashion designer Jean Bas hasopened a new fl agship store in Darby St, Newcastle.After making her name in high-end fashion 30years ago in stores like David Jones, Bas went intodesigning corporate wear from a studio in Hamiltonso she could spend more time raising her threechildren.Now she is relaunching her label via two ranges‚€ś couture fashion under the label Jean Bas andaffordable streetwear under the label Freelance (byJean Bas) ‚€ś from a shop at 144 Darby St.The shop opened with an outdoor fashion paradeearlier this month.Big on fashion, small on budgetTHE Red Cross‚„s new fl agship fashion store inCharlestown Square is proving a destinationfor those big on fashion, but small on budget.Red Threads is located in a prime locationin the shopping complex, opposite theMyers entrance with high-end stores such asWitchery and Country Road close-by.The shop is one of Red Cross‚„s new fashionforwardboutiques which aim to freshen upthe image of a ‚ś‚śtraditional‚„‚„ charity shopwith up-to-the-minute stock, professionalmerchandising and a commitment to ensureevery item sold is of quality. The store willalso include some big brands and labelswithout the hefty price tag.Red Cross retail area manager LynneStockdate says the store has received strongsupport from the local community and will beoperated predominantly by volunteers.‚“This store has a unique, specifi callydesigned shop fi t out, sure to impress anyshopper,‚„‚„ she says. ‚ś‚śIt‚„s a great place toshop and also will stock quality new and usedclothing and accessories that are in line withcurrent trends and available at reasonableprices.‚ťOver-the-counter donations of good qualityclothing, handbags, shoes and accessoriesare encouraged as Red Cross is committedto the environmental mandate, reduce, reuseand recycle.Face up, frock onTHE fact that last year‚„s Face of Frock On,Tegan Martin, has been talked about as acontestant in TV‚„s Australia‚„s Next Top Modelwill almost certainly mean more interest in thecompetition to be the face of the Newcastlefashion fundraiser this year.Frock On, which raised $40,000 for theAutism Spectrum Australia (Aspect) HunterSchool last year, is set down for NewcastleCity Hall on September 3, but judging for thisyear‚„s ‚ś‚śface‚„‚„ will be held on May 14 and 15, withentries closing the week before.The winner of the Face of Frock On is used inadvertising for the big event, which showcasesthe work of up-and-coming designers.Audrey Hepburn rememberedAUDREY Hepburn has been responsible for manyfashion trends, but it is doubtful if she ever thoughta motor scooter and fashion accessories shop inNewcastle would be named after her.Open since December, Greg and Audrey‚„sGarage, on the corner of King and Bolton streets,is named after the iconic stars of the 1953 movieRoman Holiday, Hepburn and Gregory Peck, theinspiration for shop owner Kristin Whitney.The fi lm featured motor scooters, which Whitneyis selling outside the traditional masculine bikeshop setting in a manner more interesting towomen.As well as four motor scooters on show there‚„splenty of clothing and accessories, local andimported, with many carrying a European theme.There‚„s cool shoes - ‚ś‚śwe sell more of them thananything else‚„‚„ - satchel-style bags, lunch boxes,scooter trench coats, helmets, giftware, locallyhand-made cushions, hand-made rain hats andhankerchiefs, scarves, gloves, necklaces, rings andbangles.‚ś‚śSome items are scooter inspired and some havenothing to do with scooters,‚„‚„ says Whitney, herselfa scooter rider.Whitney says the shop has been going well sinceopening with a number of scooters, which sell foraround $3500 on road, having sold.In keeping with the Hepburn theme, Whitneyplans for the shop to celebrate Hepburn‚„s birthdayon May 4 with a showing of Roman Holiday,accompanied by ‚ś‚śa little champagne and a bit ofshopping‚„‚„.>. 22 >.Around townCiao Meow doing wellTHE Ciao Meow boutique is doing well since its shift fromthe Hunter St Mall to King St near the Tower Cinema.Ciao Meow began in the mall two years ago as part ofthe Renew Newcastle project when its director, Newcastleartist Robyn Nunan, described it as an ‚ś‚śalternative retailshop‚„‚„ because ‚ś‚śeverything is original, creative andhandmade, not mass-produced items‚„‚„.Last year Nunan decided to move into the King Stpremises where similar goods are on sale except in abigger variety and with more artists involved.‚ś‚śIt‚„s going really well,‚„‚„ she says of the move. ‚ś‚śIt‚„s all verypositive‚„‚„.The shop sells lines including jewellery, clothing,handbags and accessories, including Nunan‚„s owncontribution, stylish jewellery created from recycled bottletops.Fashion trends with friendsCHARLESTOWN Square is giving customers the chanceto enjoy a bite to eat while previewing the latest stylesat a series of Fashion Trends With Friends events nextmonth. The square‚„s professional stylist will mix andmatch fashions from the centre‚„s retailers to fi nd thebest looks of the season, topping it off with prizes andgiftbag giveaways.The fi rst event, featuring fashions for those in theirtwenties and thirties, will be on Friday from 6 pm to 7.30pm at Absolute Thai in the South Plaza. The event will berepeated on Saturday, April 9, from 10.30 am to 12 pm.Fashion for those in their forties and fi fties will featureon Wednesday at Reading Cinema‚„s Gold Loungefrom 10.30 am to 12 pm, and this will be repeated onSaturday, April 9.Fashion for those in their teens and twenties will befeatured on Thursday, April 7, from 7 pm to 8.30 pm atStrike Bowl in the South Piazza, and this will be repeatedon Thursday, April 14.Tickets are $10 per person and are available at thecentre‚„s customer service desk.Clothing to dye forWHEN he had to pay $65 for a popular tie-dye shirt, high school studentNicholas Barlow had an idea, one that has turned into a boomingbusiness over the last two years.Barlow began making his own tie-dye shirts for family and friendsbefore deciding to make it into a small business, initially selling his shirtsthrough Hunter markets and events like the Newcastle Show. After thatcame renting a shopfront in Charlestown Square, and since August lastyear, Dye Groovin‚„ has had its own retail shop on the Pacifi c Highway atBelmont.Now 18 and doing his Higher School Certifi cate, Barlow, his youngerbrother and two mates who completed their HSC last year, work asthe company‚„s designers ‚€ś Barlow is doing art as a HSC subject ‚€ś whileBarlow‚„s mother, Bernadette, helps out with the business side of things.‚ś‚śIt‚„s going well,‚„‚„ says Bernadette Barlow of the fl edgling business.‚ś‚śChristmas blew us away. People were coming from everywhere.‚„‚„The company has expanded from t-shirts into a wide range of productswith quilt covers being particularly popular. There‚„s now babywear andclothes up to men‚„s and women‚„s, swimwear, manchester includingtowels, quilts andsheet sets, anditems such as backpacks, bags andwall hangings.Nearly all ofthe goods aremanufactured inNewcastle andalthough there aresome online sales,Bernadette Barlowsays most of thesales come throughword of mouth.Bold, brassyfashion funUK fashion guru Gok Wan will visit Westfi eldKotara on Sunday as part of a style tour across thecountry.Wan‚„s free in-centre makeover shows at Westfi eldwill reveal to shoppers how to maximise their bodyshape with this season‚„s hottest trends from thebest Australian retailers.Fashion stylist to the stars, author and host ofTV shows How To Look Good Naked and FashionFix, Wan will take Aussie women under his wing toshare his style tips.He will bring his brand of bold, brassy andinteractive fashion fun to Kotara, translating thelatest autumn/winter trends into real fashion fordifferent body shapes.>> 23 >>Diva goes royalTHE Hunter‚„s Diva stores ‚€ś at Westfi eldKotara, Charlestown Square, GreenhillsMaitland and Hunter Street ‚€ś will be gettingKate Middleton rings in time for the royalwedding.Probably the most famous engagementringin the world, its design has a prong-setoval sapphire clustered with 14 brilliantdiamonds. It‚„s worth 85,000 pounds,although the Diva version won‚„t bebreaking the bank at only $12.99.The brand is not stopping at onedesigner accessory as it has just broughtoutits fi rst autumn/winter Alex Perry forDiva collection.Inspired by his own winter 2011Tzarina collection, Perry‚„s jewelleryrange presents a chic compilation ofluxury glass beads and glamorouslace. Focusing on detailing and richembellishment, the new accessoriesinclude feathers, tassels andcrystals. Key pieces are a featherand-lace headpiece, a glam glassbead bib necklace, drop earringswith subtle black feathers, adiamante and jewel encrusted ringbracelet, perspex scalloped neck piecesand an oversized glass jewel bracelet.Prices are under $30.FrocktoberplanningunderwayTHE Junction Business Groupis already planning a monthof activities for Frocktoberthis year.Emma-Jane Bertoncellosaid a number of smallevents would be held at TheJunction ‚ś‚śnow and then‚„‚„during the year, but mostwork would be towardsmaking Frocktober biggerand better, with eventsculminating with a fair onOctober 23 with Union andKenrick streets closed toallow for fashion parades,stalls and eating on thestreets.Events will centre aroundThe Junction Village.Styles for mothers to be‚ś‚śI KNOW there are plenty of pregnant women out there, I just need to letthem know I am here,‚„‚„ says Jodie Morris, owner of probably Newcastle‚„s onlydedicated maternity wear boutique, Mummalicious.In fact Morris believes Mummalicious, in Wolfe St, Newcastle, just around thecorner from the mall opposite the former David Jones side entrance, may bethe only specialist maternity boutique between Nelson Bay and the CentralCoast.Mummalicious had its birth when Morris, herself a mother of one, took over aformer maternity wear shop in The Junction and made it into a children‚„s shopcalled Sparkle Kids.‚ś‚śPeople kept coming in asking where the maternity shop had gone,‚„‚„ Morrissays. ‚ś‚ś I ended up putting maternity wear out the back of the kids shop.‚„‚„Eventually she decided maternity wear was the way to go and a year agoopened Mummalicious in Beaumont St, Hamilton, but a lease problem led tothat shop‚„s closure.In late December Mummalicious reopened at its present site.Mummalicious specialises in event and evening wear, corporate, underwearand sleepwear, dressy casual wear and pregnancy accessories. Top brandsinclude Ripe, Hotmilk and Fertile Mind. There is also an exclusive baby andchildren‚„s range from Spain called Tuc Tuc.Retirement no moreNOT long ago Jeanette Evans, fromCentre Body Fashions at Warners Bay,was thinking of retiring, but realisedthat if she did she would go ‚ś‚śstircrazy‚„‚„.The trained corsetiere had alreadyput in plenty of years, starting sellingbras at 15, opening a shop in Cardiff in1979, then having 16 years in a shop atStockland Mall, Jesmond, six years atGarden City and 10 years at RaymondTerrace, at one stage running the lastthree shops at the same time.In 1997 Evans opened Centre BodyFashions at Warners Bay where sheremains, no longer contemplatingretirement.‚ś‚śI was going to retire but I wanted todo something worthwhile,‚„‚„ she says.She turned to fi tting breast prostheses,something she had learnt to do whileworking for David Jones when she wasin her mid-20s. She stopped doing itin the ‚ś70s but returned to it about ayear ago, and believes she is now oneof only two people in the Hunter fi ttingprostheses.Unfortunately, with the incidenceof breast cancer increasing, businessis strong. ‚ś‚śI sometimes get up to 10customers a week, sometimes down tofour,‚„‚„ she says. ‚ś‚śI do get satisfactionfrom helping people.‚„‚„Evans does most of the prostheseswork herself, but her staff is trainingto do it.‚ś‚śI used to do it all by appointments,but now I am happy if people just walkin,‚„‚„ she says.As well as having a wide range oflingerie, Centre Body Fashions has arange of breast prostheses productsfor full or partial mastectomies and arange of mastectomy bras.Evans was recognised last year witha plaque from Stanford Who‚„s Who,which recognises successful individualsin multiple industries.
© 2011 Newcastle Herald
