SJ + Hat

And to Ette!

2008-01-27T15:49:00.000-08:00

Where sj+ Hat first ventured, expert contributions of fellow "ette-ers" will continue to lead.

While at the Tarantino / Rodriguez double feature (final days of screening at Chauvel) last night I was charmed in recognising that the ice cream sandwiches we so lovingly introduced back in November are now available mainstream. Just one small example of our joy in noticing the finer things and sharing them with you all.

SJ + Hat have long held the belief it's the little pockets of awareness, response and inspiration that make a better dinner party (or impromptu picnic breakfast, pictured) and friend.

So to Hat - yes indeed what a soiree and very much looking forward to more wise lifestyle commentary and divine suggestions from Sydney-ette!

For 2008, I wish for you all to

Rediscover a glorious mid week moment at the communal table of Jones the Grocer and after...
...be brave with disposable finances and lucky enough to find joy in end of season sales particularly Orson and Blake and Nicola Finetti
Hope that Novak (although some congratulations deserved) matures into a less egotistical player
Follow the privatisation by James and Lachlan in the best interests of Australian news and entertainment
RIP Heath
Experience the heritage listing of Bondi vastly improving Campbell Parade and surrounding eateries
Make an effort for saving water and playing a small part in climate change

Most importantly, turn up the music LOUD and consider your ideas and concepts that might just go BIG to make each of your lives more rewarding, entrepreneurial work life family balancing and full of love.

Enjoy,

sj x

New year, new yearning

2008-01-25T00:41:00.000-08:00

Just shy of a year old, sj + hat is slowly but surely taking a graceful bow out of the blogging sphere.

But no arts & crafts leadlight window closes without something equally stylish opening, and I'm excited to notify you all of the soon-to-be Sydney-ette : a collaborative blog reviewing all things interesting and appealing in and of Sydney (the mandate is ever-developing).

So please bookmark the address despite its current vacancy, or send me your email addresses via comments or the email address under hat's profile , for further updates.

ps - sj : what a pleasure it's been!

Spiegeltent spectacular part one

2008-01-06T21:19:00.000-08:00

It doesn't get more stylish & Sydneyish than the Spiegeltent, a beer to cool down from the 35 degree heat and the looping sounds of Andrew Bird.

Bird opened his 3 night Sydney Festival tour last night with an astounding performance within the charmingly rickety confines of the famous Spiegeltent, at right.

As Bird's layered rock/folk/whathaveyou soared, it felt as though the tent roof was billowing in response.

For a more informative description and access to his music, see here. If you can get tickets tonight or tomorrow, GO.

Next stop at the tent is La Clique, which I am sure will also result in an awe-inspired Hat and accompanying esoteric review.

To all a good Christmas/ Holiday etc!

2007-12-23T22:03:00.000-08:00

May it be full of joy, as well as kookaburras, pimms and salt water.

Et Voila!

2007-12-20T20:32:00.000-08:00

Wrapping re-think

2007-12-18T22:07:00.000-08:00

For gift-wrapping this year, eschew snowmen & gold ribbon in favour of chic clippings from your favourite publications.

Rip out pages with joyous imagery and bold colour, and then choose each page for particular personalities (Gourmet Traveller's Spain issue for your foodie friend, for instance).

Your presents will not only reek of style & superiority but will also help save the planet!

Sydney-style sweets for Christmas

2007-12-13T20:43:00.000-08:00

The Sydney Eton Mess (or Kings School Mess, if we're switching cities):

- Make approx. 10 meringues or a medium sized pavlova (best to use a Delia or Nigella recipe) the day before serving.
-Place macadamia nuts (non-salted and/or caramelised) in a plastic bag and bash with a rolling-pin till crumbly.
-Toast some dessicated coconut on a tray under the grill till golden.
-Crumble meringues or tear-up the pav onto a broad platter, lined with banana leaves if you're into presentation.
-Slice up slivers of mango and pulp at least 6 passionfruits.
-Whip 2 punnets of fresh thickened cream with a few tablespoons of icing sugar and pour over the meringue-mess.
-Add the fruit, nuts and coconut (and fresh lychees if desired).

The Mum Mango Special:

-Allow good quality vanilla ice cream to soften, then add lime juice and zest to taste, as well as toasted coconut. Mix it up with a large metal spoon and place back in freezer.
-Choose perfect Kensington Prides and slice off cheeks.
-Use a clean (non-meat-smelly) griddle, place over heat and add a knob of butter.
-Place the mango cheeks face down and grill for only a few minutes, until caramelised.
-Serve warm mango with the ice-cream on top, as well as shaved white-chocolate if you're feeling indulgent
-Take to the table and act like Nigella.

I know all the classics have had a tropical face-lift in recent times (pannacotta, trifle, brulee) and we may be facing our limit, but when it's over 30 degrees on the 25th December, it'll all make sense.

Festive favours

2007-12-04T23:36:00.000-08:00

Christmas ideas this year are made easy by navigating through the sj + Hat blog tags. We're not sure if you've noticed, if you click on the titles below each post such as "shopping", "design", or "food" then all the posts that relate to that subject are returned in date order. To add to our past recomendations, some new design and shopping suggestions include:

For him:

M & Co. watch from Remo. Sold at the MoMa store and known as the designer's watch of choice, this is the parfait present for the minimalist-chic man in your life.

Photographs by Alex Davies from Chalk Horse Gallery. Davies is a oft-exhibited Sydney photographer/new media artist, whose work is selling for $50 for an unframed print. Until 15th December. Below.

Lomo camera. Rediscover the joys of film photography with the re-released 1960s plastic snapper. He'll be the most hipsterish hipster at the beach. For similar effect, go for a Holga via Amazon or ebay.

For her:

A subscription to Cuisine Magazine- voted best food magazine in the world by Cordon Bleu and myself, Cuisine is the ultimate foodie gift. It has the best cover images of any magazine in any industry and is only $AU48 for a yearly subscription!

Becca travel tote/brush set. Every girl who wears make up needs good quality brushes so this present is both cute and practical. Plus it comes with a free creme blush from AdoreBeauty.com

Papier mache bowls made by HIV-affected South African women as part of the Wola Nani foundation. Available in Sydney at Macleay on Manning.

Atelier R Bernier bags from Lola et Moi.

Decca: the letters of Jessica Mitford. My favourite Mitford - I plan on reading this on the beach this Summer.

Lucite ring, $10, from Shara Lambeth at Mintd (the Aussie version of Etsy).

A bit rich

2007-12-02T14:01:00.001-08:00

Bourke Street Bakery is not a food venue to be messed with. Most of Sydney is obsessed, and sj + hat are great fans, however the double takes of the staff as Amy Winehouse serving sourdough. Does anybody else think they're little indie scary?

Staff fashions aside, while recently cowering 'neath their alternative scowl as my latte was in preparation I noticed the trendy Christmas cakes for $40 a (tiny) pop.

Sure you get a BSB branded canvass tote and yes I can reuse that instead of plastic bags to help
save the environment... but $40 for a Christmas (cup) Cake? The Salvos is under $20, and you'll have to permit me to report back on Simon Johnson and Jones the Grocer (pictured) prices.... but be warned. $40 is steep. And normally for this kind of exchange, I'd expect the staff to be very lovely to and happy for you. The BSB Christmas Cake obviously at DINK sized, inner city rock star / artist couple prices.

Instead, take the time to make your own instead.
There's a gorgeous ritual that every person who'll you be sharing the cake with should have a turn stirring the dried fruit and sherry mix and then make a wish, before the flour and sugar for batter. Spend the extra cash on yummy figs, unsweetened cranberries, goji and blueberry instead of retail prices and enjoy a moment with your loved ones, baking together, rather than being terrified into designer bakery festive cake submission.

Swimming trunk show

2007-11-28T18:53:00.001-08:00

Swim? Yes please!

There are some good cossie (that's swimsuit for you Northern Hemisphere readers) choices around this Summer, what with Lover and Country Road releasing their swimwear range, and labels like Anna & Boy gathering momentum.

Said labels are providing us with the 'thinking woman's bikini' - less cheetah prints and jarring hues, and increased elegance & fashion-consciousness.

Lover's range is an extension of their 'Picnic at Hanging Rock meets Patti Smith' aesthetic. Gather front classic bra + trunk, below. Available at bloodorange.

Anna & Boy is a little sexier, but still sophisticated, and uses simple prints and flattering designs. Summer 07/08 backstage image, above right.

Or for some french flash, invest in one of Princesse Tam Tam's bikinis - they're my ultimate. Fish pattern in brassiere design, below.

Will keep you updated if we find any other bikini beauties...

African Frills

2007-11-28T18:35:00.001-08:00

They say it's who you know....

Lucky for charity and organisations, celebrities are increasingly focusing their default industry associations with international luxury fashion for cultural, humanitarian and environmental good.

Just As Cate Blanchett recently pulled a few Armani strings for the Sydney Theatre Company and Ali Mrs Bono Hewson runs her own eco friendly clothes range, Edun (as pictured here on Ben Affleck) Gucci have announced that Madonna and their creative director will host a fundraising event for Raising Malawi and UNICEF.

Ah, 07/08 - when, to adopt a child, you simply have to order multiples of sparkle leotards, leather jackets and pick a country?

To credit, Gucci have designed a Holiday Campaign to benefit UNICEF since 2005. However considering it was just seven years ago that (with her Music album) Madonna was robed entirely in Dolce and Gabbana, this is a very bold move that you hope she's not mistaking low profile African nations as mere fashion trend.

Beat Poet, thought and note artistry

2007-11-28T15:56:00.000-08:00

There's a lot more to say about small, monochromatic designer notebooks than just "the perrrrrrrfect little Christmas something, darling".

Anticipating the many '08 resolutions you may not keep, at least their storage in a worthy Beat Poet or Moleskine diary, you'll have a stylish record of your best intentions.

Complement to the classic Moleskine, the Oscar Wilde favoured range now includes City Notebooks featuring the famous black elastic strap, cream paper and back pocket with key maps, metro systems and an alphabetical street index additions.

Newcomers onto the stationery scene Beat Poet have branched their core menswear design towards publishing, to launch a notebook bundle of lined, grid, black and blank page options available at Sydney stores Dorby Den and Someones from this Saturday.

Which gives you exactly one month to consider how you're going to spend 2008 recording penned thought and illustrations.

PYD to the SYD & more emerging spaces

2007-11-26T00:43:00.000-08:00

The latest addition to the Waterloo revival: pyd (Phillip, Danks and Young Streets, marking the building's coordinates) is pitched as "good design meets fine food." Sound familiar? That's because the pioneering 2 Danks St complex around the corner is where art meets fine food. Oh well, more fineness and food is surely a good thing. pyd (lower case is back in, it seems) contains The Country Trader, the beautifully-named Mother of Pearl & Sons and numerous high end furniture stores and bathroom outfitters. As well as a bakery cafe.

And then there's William St. Once just a multi-lane behemoth that cut a swathe through the chic-icity of Potts Point and Darlo, it now hosts 2 reputable art galleries - King St Gallery on William and Birrung Gallery as well as a celebrity florist/cafe - Perry Madison.

There are still numerous car rental outlets but my inner Sydney property magnate tells me they'll be replaced by Potts Pointy boutiques in no time.

John Bokor's Clovelly, above, from King St Gallery on William.

And one of Perry Madison's posies.

Card craziness continues

2007-11-22T20:27:00.000-08:00

Moo.com and flickr have joined forces these holidays to present the People Powered Card Store. Images and designs are offered up by flickr members and you can have them printed on your own set of Christmas cards, with personalised message inside and all!

Being flickr, and therefore filled with photofile nutbags, you can even include the details of the snapshot on the back of the card (shutter speed, film used, time of day etc.) For those so inclined, add your images to the store and you could win $2000. Field87's Happy Birthday Jesus at right.

$1 from each pack goes to Medecins san Frontiers.

Or if you feel like sticking to graphics, you can choose from the many talented Moo-associated designers, such as Mark Johns (right).

Such online resources are essential as I've come to the sad conclusion that Sydney has a depressing dearth of interesting, quality card & stationery options, particularly for Christmas.

We all scream

2007-11-20T16:20:00.000-08:00

What happens, exactly, at 4pm on a weekend with your salty beach hair and that fabulous sun kissed exhaustion from spending all day surfing, that all you can think of is ice cream?

Bubble O Bill, Splice, Eskimo Pie, Calippo's or the 80's favourite Gaytime summer temptation there may be, but connoisseurs should venture further than the traditional milk bar as Sydney boasts some gourmet ice cream places where you can purchase many litres of frozen temptation.

The moo patterned Serendipity factory is hard to miss nor resist on Enmore Road Marrickville. Open for freezer door sales of ice cream, sorbets, frozen yoghurts and ice cream cakes.

In the back streets of Annandale, $1 Dairy Bell cones are piled high with generous scoops of childhood classics neapolitan and bubblegum - Dairy Bell 44 Australia St, Camperdown.

Closer to the surf is Wellington on Bondi Road, Bondi. Appearing from the street as an unassuming bagelry, their lemon meringue p-ice cream is of Willy Wonker calibre by the recreation of butter pastry, lemon curd and crispy egg whites. Their wonderfully intense coffee flavour is ice cream to that magical nth degree.

Pat and Stick's are two clever chaps devoted to handmade ice-cream sandwiches. Fantastic as cheat-desserts at dinner parties because they look so cute & taste even better. See here for market and some upmarket store stockists.

Christmas fun part one

2007-11-18T22:56:00.000-08:00

The glee with which I search for Christmas cards could be considered somewhat concerning. But with such a renaissance of letterpress printers and boutique paperies, how could you suppress such comfort and joy?

It may not yet be December, but my search has turned up some goodies.

The cutest prize goes to Fiddlesticks' Abominable! card (below).

And Hat favourite Hammerpress has a Bah Humbug card (below) that will stand out on the mantel.

For morally sound festive labels and more, see A Favourite.

And something for mum: Port 2 Port's pretty pine design (below).

But my favourite so far is Armato Design's Portable Mistletoe card (above). It suggests that you keep it in your pocket and "when the spirit moves you, hold it over that special someone's head and see what happens." (Sage) advice indeed.

To find out more about the bespoke revolution, see the letterpress guide at Design Sponge - that pinnacle of taste & temptation.

Films on tour

2007-11-18T20:01:00.000-08:00

Factor this in for upcoming summer weekends away - the Sydney Film Festival is on tour.

It is travelling to the gorgeous Avoca Beach Theatre from November 30 to December 2.

With further dates TBD for other weekender destinations such as Byron and the Gong, you can slip into air conditioned comfort, slop your lips around a choc top and slap along giggling to features such as Beauty in Trouble (pictured), just one of nine screenings at the beachside locale.

Spring 08 - Sydney Style

2007-11-14T13:31:00.001-08:00

The question of our times: what do the Northern Hemisphere Spring 08 ready-to-wear shows mean to Sydneysiders? Not many of us can afford or be bothered to brave the Castlereagh St boutiques, and if we do, they usually have the wrong season (ie- our season) and the range has a token feel to it (I can always imagine someone in Milan or Paris saying "oh yes, Asia Pacific, just send all the good stuff to Japan and whatever's left in the trunk to Australia". Which is understandable really, when you see the amount of exposed g-strings & bra straps in Castlereagh St).

So us Sydneysiders have to be far wilier than our Northern friends when it comes to incorporating trends (note the use of the word incorporate rather than follow):

Let's start with some of Style.com's top 10 trends. First off was 'heritage jewelry' - think Faberge, Nanna's animal brooches and loads of heavy colour and crystals at Marc Jacobs & Louis Vuitton. For this Summer and next Autumn, add some Chinatown crystal chic to your jacket lapel or crisp t-shirt. For something with less petroleum, try the Vintage Clothing Shop.

Next up: Mosaic madness. Patchwork leather bags and kaleidoscopic shoes peppered the runways of Marni, Fendi and co. In Sydney, wear Ked's mosaic slip-ons with your denims or tunic dress this Summer.

And finally: Bold & Painterly Floral. Sydney designer Sally Smith has a dress this season that nails this look. Or buy a bit of Liberty fabric (below) from Calico & Ivy and fashion a kerchief or cummerbund.

Gertrude and Alice

2007-11-13T14:14:00.000-08:00

I spent a load the other day on Amazon, thinking that just because it was AMAZON and I was after second hand books, I'd automatically be saving. By the time my 'old' purchases were shipping, sure I had the texts but there wasn't much enjoyment. What I could have done instead was visit one of Sydney's favourite independent bookshops, Gertrude and Alice to search for older books across all literature categories - fiction, design, travel and biography, enjoy a momentary cultural status upgrade by visiting somewhere arthouse and unique and savour stewed fruit bircher, fresh corn tortilla wraps and strong coffee (served in delicate tea cups).

Such venturing on literature expeditions further than Dymocks or Borders delivers a pocket of second hand pages and gorgeous foodie atmosphere. A bohemian reprieve from it's neighbouring Thai restaurants and cheap fashion concepts, you can sit on the Hall Stre et bar stools and peer into the bookshop, or dare step inside for outside world loss amongst the shelves for many browsing hours.

While you're exploring the neighbourhood, check out Captain Billy's Crab Shack (click the Crab shack at Bondi Part 1) for integrity to the coolest skate apparel ranges and great bamboo / ol skool fitout - it's on Gould Street, just up from One Teaspoon where I've often chanced on unexpected leather shoe finds. Also, the Hall Street fruit and vegetables is a place for the rarely stocked yet impossibly healthy Quinoa (rice or cous cous substitute as faved by Brit dietician Dr Gillian McKeith). Enjoy.

All Kylie delivered

2007-11-09T13:55:00.000-08:00

Loving a good business woman to capitalise on her strengths, we highly espouse Kylie's move this week into social networking online.

Alongside her recent DVD and leading into her (rumoured) world tour, the dot mobi enabled Kylie Konnect continues her multimedia exposure across all new technology, subculture, sound, fashion forms and guises.
It's far more savvy to be making online friends and influencing digital people than the only other so capable of reinvention - Madonna - chasing renewed significance via children's book and kabbalah rites.

Wait! There's more!

2007-11-07T14:55:00.000-08:00

To continue our celebration of the summer of (music) love... tickets for the 2008 St Jerome's Laneway Festival have just gone on sale so hop to.

Headlining at Reiby Place (near the Basement) in Sydney next year are Feist, Clap your hands say yeah & The Presets.

The D the I the D the D the Y did it all go so wrong?

2007-11-06T20:57:00.001-08:00

Happy to credit a fellow SJ where it's due, Sarah "sass" Jane Clarke from sass and bide comes to mind having ventured well with her recently launched lingerie and eyewear...

And P Diddy's Sean John label is normally clever, fashionable and achieves accolade hype for the models, styles and fabrics he sends down the runway.

However, Diddy has miserably erred with his new fragrance. No, I've not sampled the scent but now on high moral grounds, nor would I like to. The advertising campaign for Unforgivable Woman is purely offensive. The print and film components both appalling.

The poster has Puff slamming a disinterested woman against a wall. The commercial suggests he's only managed to wrangle her because she's so intoxicated - by champagne, certainly not his beguiling scent. Rookie error in story telling; unforgivable. Full stop.

New scene

2007-11-06T14:19:00.000-08:00

The Oxford Art Factory opened earlier this year, occupying the cavernous space that was Central Station Records, and has already changed the face of the Sydney arts/music scene.

The venue is a 'three-tiered enterprise': The Gallery (installations, artiness etc), The Art after Dark Bar (for sustenance) and The Live Art Space (live act site).

Up on stage/pedestal soon (Nov 24th) is Ohmega Watts - a lovely hip-hop/funk lad.

It's also been whispered that numerous big name acts have conducted impromptu concerts here whilst touring in Aus. Oooh.

A venue dedicated to visual & performing arts, but with alcohol & dancing to boot - It bodes well for us provincials.

For the working week

2007-11-04T13:50:00.000-08:00

During time abroad, I wondered why Australia didn't have the Pret A Manger chain of fast yet stylish and healthy food. The formula worked so well; catering to employees with more of a conscience than supporting Starbucks yet an urgency to get to business that means a wait time of negative minutes.

Here, a round of entrepreneurial applause for Santos - the Australian coffee, dried fruit and nut import company who have come up with a cool sandwich bar atmosphere serving a wide array of interesting breakfast, lunch and snack choices for Sydney city workers.

Providing a UK high street flavour to Clarence street and other CBD locations (albeit a game of where's the chain? - their website is down), the Clarence Street outpost I visited played cuban music and barista was an instant friend divine. Although the store a little dark and the coffee watery, the snackfood highlights hearkened to their food importing insight - showing off experience with organic pop corn, chocolate coated ginger and macadamia nuts and sesame seaweed rice crackers.

With all the Gloria Jeans, and ubiquitous CBD cafe competitors, sj + hat wish Santos all the best for this venture. To add to the mix, I hope someone else copies EAT : a rapidly expanding fresh fast and trendy chain.

However be warned - the stylish sandwich bar business model is a brave move - Pret website turn over roughly 150 million pounds a year and would like to make 9% profit but haven’t yet. They've been operating since 1986; Santos cafes for three years. We'll check back on profitability in another 21?

Sydney Festival frenzy: summer of (music) love

2007-11-03T20:06:00.000-07:00

November could well be my favourite time of year. Gardenias, spectacular thunderstorms, Pimms & the release of the Sydney Festival tickets.

Fergus Linehan has rounded out his stint as director with serious aplomb. The Summer 07 spell of M. Ward, Lou Reed, Kaki King (to name a few) was hard to beat, but he's managed with the likes of Andrew Bird, The National, Clogs, Sufjan Stevens, Bjork and La Clique.

My personal recommendation is The National (hear a live sample via All Songs Considered podcast here). Alongside Arcade Fire, this is the best band to emerge in years and I love them. Speaking of Arcade Fire, look out for an announcement of their Sydney side shows this Summer. Oh, and Kings of Leon & Built to Spill in January - I am counting the sleeps.