10TH JUNE – 16TH JUNE
MONDAY JUNE 10TH Screen Sect presents: Dazed and Confused Start the week by mellowing out to a Monday movie sesh. This time leave behind mainstream cinemas, leave behind the independent, and join a film...
LITTLE BIG SUGAR SALT
Little Big Sugar Salt. What is in a name? Can a person look like a 'Terry'?, can Sue from marketing be just like the Sue from accounts? Well, where Little Big Sugar Salt is concerned, finding out what's in...
TOP PICKS FOR WINTER FLICKS
Winter is here and whether you're a born local or fresh off the tarmac, you're going to face the dilemma that is all too Melbourne: why would I leave the house on a night like this? It’s all too hard; the...
A WICKEDLY GOOD GIVEAWAY
Award-winning songstress, actress and Broadway star, Kristin Chenoweth will be appearing before her first Melbournian audience on the 12th of June. Best known for her iconic role as Glinda in Broadway’s...
WINTER WELLNESS
It’s safe to say that winter is here. We've swapped our sandals for boots, tanks for coats and bikinis for warm, wonderful scarves. To get ourselves through this change of season, we need to support...
BY THEIR OWN HANDS
It is not very often that independent theatre companies get full curatorial freedom to perform their work, their way, in a venue such as the MTC. As part of MTC’s Neon Festival of Independent Theatre,...
JUNE 3RD – JUNE 9TH
MONDAY JUNE 3RD Toff Talks: Fashion – More Than Runway and Frocks? Creation, innovation and the trends. The Toff in Town hosts a panel of designers and academics as they discuss the present role...
‘TRUE SELF’ AT MELBOURNE’S GPO
As the home for a totally unique retail and leisure experience, it only makes sense that Melbourne’s GPO would team up again with The Jacky Winter Group to host a fabulous charity exhibition that links...
SHATTERED: THE ALL AUSTRALIAN TERRORIST
After nine years and thirteen productions, Jessi Lewis takes to the stage once more with SHATTERED, a contemporary piece that hits all too close to home. Couturing took the opportunity to ask Lewis a few...
KWENCHER PALE ALE: THE REMEDY FOR WHAT ALES YOU
Hidden in the heart of the Moroccan Mountains, a couple connected over peach iced tea and local beer. They shared stories, shared sips and when they returned, they longed for that taste of escape. In true...
ADENEY MILK BAR
There are a couple of things that make up a great cafe in Melbourne. Location, atmosphere, good coffee and tasty food. The newest addition to Kew, has all these ticked, but in a slightly different...
MAY 27TH – JUNE 2ND
MONDAY MAY 27TH Like Someone in Love at ACMI Following the success of Certified Copy, master filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami returns with another alluring exploration of modern life and love....
BENJAMIN LAW
In light of the Emerging Writers Festival, Hannah Bambra caught up with Benjamin Law to...
ST KILDA FILM FESTIVAL’S OPENING NIGHT: LIGHTS… CAMERA…
Thursday night saw the opening of the 30th annual St Kilda Film Festival, where attendees saw auteurs flex their creativity muscles via nine bite-sized tastes of what the festival has to offer. The Palais...
NORTHCOTE: THE FINAL FRONTIER
Northcote: the final frontier of low-budget, high-culture, community living. They say it’s the new Fitzroy – a tag previously pinned to Clifton Hill before house prices boomed and the DINKS moved in. Yet...
EMERGING WRITERS’ FESTIVAL 2013
Melbourne has a plethora of different film, art and cultural festivals that celebrate the breadth of creative talent in our city. Although they all add to our artistic puzzle, the Emerging Writers'...
MONDAY 20TH- SUNDAY 26TH MAY
Monday May 20 Cheap Mondays at Cinema Nova Carlton Feel like a night out without three visits to the bar's ATM and an empty purse come morning? Mondays at Cinema Nova have you covered. With tickets...
THE PERFECT FIT(ZROY)
Now everyone likes to think they know Fitzroy and I'm sure you've has brunched at Breakfast Thieves and dined at Vegie Bar and think Naked in the Sky is totes magical at sunset, but if you're going to spend...
BAYTE – MIDDLE EASTERN BRUNCH IN MELBOURNE’S NORTH
Brunch in Melbourne, whilst delicious and one of the most important weekend meals, can get a tiny bit repetitive. If you're tired of your tomato baked eggs, french toast and eggs benedict, maybe it's time to...
INTERVIEW WITH MIKE GREY FROM PALM BEACH COLLECTION
I've always loved scented candles. Not only do they make your home smell amazing, but they double as a decorative item too. I was lucky enough to interview Mike Grey, one half of the talented duo behind...
CLINGING TO SANITY AND SURVIVING THROUGH STRESS
As winter closes in and university exams loom closer, I can almost feel an impending sense of doom as stress is sure to hit record levels soon. Uni student or not, I'll bet that most Melbournians are...
MULLED WINE GUIDE
With the mercury dropping, at a fairly rapid rate in Melbourne, it's time to say goodbye to peachy Pinot Gris and Rose on balmy summer afternoons. Instead, it would be far more appropriate to warm the soul...
ST KILDA FILM FESTIVAL 2013
The St Kilda Film Festival, big brother of all Australian short films festivals, is almost thirty and instead of settling down and thinking of white picket fences, it's preparing to roll out another red...
MONDAY 13TH- SUNDAY 18TH MAY
MONDAY 13TH Insomnia Cat Came To Stay Obsessive, poetic, lyrical and deeply funny, performer Joanne Sutton draws the audience into a tale of sleepless mania. Location: The Malthouse Tower Theatre,...
MOTHER’S DAY OUT
'Tis that time of year again, when we celebrate our mothers by treating them to breakfast in bed, a ladies lunch or a fine wine and dining experience. If you’re still unsure of where to take your mum this...
DUKES COFFEE ROASTERS AT ROSS HOUSE
Melbourne is littered with both large and hole-in-the-wall coffee shops; a cup of caffeine available at every corner. However, the question that plagues city wanderers is how to filter out the bad from...
MIZZ NINA
If the runways, the blogs and the streets are anything to go by, Asian pop-culture has its finger on the Western pulse. With infectious tunes and catchy beats - oppa gangnam style! - Asian pop stars are...
I AM ELEVEN DVD LAUNCH
Whether you were a brainy bookworm, a class clown or a solitary schoolyard curiosity, there’s a good chance that if you’re reading this, you were, at some stage, eleven. It is at this tender age that...
MONDAY 6TH- SUNDAY 12TH MAY
MONDAY 6TH Chapel off Chapel; An Afternoon With Ron Elisha Local artists, writers and creative thinkers gather to spend an afternoon with Melbourne playwright, author and general practitioner, Ron...
INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL MELBOURNE
Hungry for a taste of Indian culture? Well, you're only a $1100 ticket away from the next plane to Mumbai - either that, or you could head to Melbourne's Indian Film Festival between the 3rd and 15th of...
LUCY MCINTOSH
Lucy McIntosh, the girl with the world at her feet. During her most recent trip home to Melbourne, Lucy took a moment to talk travel, LA traffic and missing four seasons in one...
TONIC HOUSE CELLAR LAUNCH
The air grew a little cooler as Melbourne's Tonic House opened its cellar doors last week, the latest and last installation to this unique venue. Not only did this mark the launch of the cellar but also...
SI SENOR POP-UP TAQUERIA
Got a free Friday or Saturday night in the next couple of weeks? Well, grab a couple of friends and shimmy your way to Somerset Place, which becomes heavily doused in tequila and all things Mexican thanks...
MONDAY 29TH APRIL – SUNDAY 5TH MAY
MONDAY 29TH Victoria: On Record It's Public Record Office Victoria’s 40th anniversary and to celebrate they're opening their doors and archives, inviting the public to take a walk through history...
NEON FESTIVAL OF INDEPENDENT THEATRE
Melbourne’s inaugural NEON Festival of Independent Theatre begins in May. The Melbourne Theatre Company (MTC) has invited five of the city’s independent theatre companies to stage a work in...
SIMON GRIFFITH’S SHEBEEN
A few years back a couple of young volunteers sat on an African beach and sipped beer that tasted a lot richer than the economic climate. This disparity got Zanna Mccomish and Simon Griffiths talking and I...
MUSIC APPS; EVERYDAY THEY’RE SHUFFLIN’
Like most other people walking down the street, you’re listening to your favourite beats sounding from your headphones. But the likelihood that you’re listening to songs put together when you first began...
22ND – 28TH APRIL
MONDAY 22nd Art Deco Walking Tour Famous for its design in the 1940s and 50s, Robin Gow - author of the book ‘Art Deco In Melbourne’ - will take you on a journey through Melbourne’s history and...
THE READING ROOM AT CAFE BLAC
At face value Cafe Blac may come across as a fairly unassuming and typical suburban cafe but don't be so quick to judge, because like most good things, at Cafe Blac, it's the inside that counts. The new...
HEY KEW-TIE!
Nestled in the east, just a shy 15 minute drive from the city, is a gorgeous leafy suburb called Kew. Although it's easy to think that Kew is dominated by private schools and spotless Range Rovers, little by...
15TH – 21ST APRIL
MONDAY 15TH Peter Corrigan: Cities Of Hope Noted architect, artist and designer Peter Corrigan, famously known for designing RMIT’s Building 8, brings us another insight into his geometric world. In...
FIFTY ACRES
With a name that alludes to a rather large amount of space, Fifty Acres is a surprisingly cosy spot. Nick Gaoutsos and his team have settled in on the retail end of Bridge Road, providing shoppers the perfect...
THE REACH RULE
If you're sitting at a cafe sipping your coffee and want to read the Newspaper you have two choices, Fairfax or News limited. Regardless of whether you're reading The Age, The Australian, The Sydney...
BAR AMERICANO
After closing down the lauded Der Raum to start Gamsei, "a produce driven Der Raum 2.0" in Munich, Matt Bax has left Bar Americano (and soon to come Bar Economico) in its wake. But far from an ode to the...
KING OF THE NORTH: NORTH MELBOURNE
Only a short stroll from the CBD, North Melbourne was built by locals, for locals. Subsequently it's often overlooked by Melbournians, and travellers alike, for the busier haunts of Carlton, Fitzroy and...
DAVID O’DOHERTY’S ‘SEIZE THE DAVID O’DOHERTY’
Walking down Swanston Street, it's easy to see that the Melbourne International Comedy Festival is well and truly underway. The corner of Collins and Swanston is littered with people surrounding the...
8TH – 14TH APRIL
MONDAY 8TH Top Arts/Designs Top Arts showcases the ‘best’ work of VCE students, visit the NGV to see Victoria's finest emerging artists. Location: NGV Dates: 21st March- 6th June,...
ILLUSTRATOR JACQUELINE SMITH AKA AUF WIEDERSEHEN
Illustrator Jacqueline Smith aka Auf Wiedersehen is Melbourne's diamond in the rough, her charming illustrations have wowed us and many others over. Having her illustrations painted in Melbourne cafe...
HELL HATH NO FURY LIKE A HAW-THORNED
Private school girls, the football team, ageing population and expensive real-estate are all terms you may have associated with the suburb of Hawthorn. How rude! There is so much more to this Eastern beauty....
TO DO LIST: 1ST – 7TH APRIL
MONDAY 1ST Afghan: Hidden Treasures Unlock the rich and gold plated history of Afghanistan and their rivalled land in Central Asia. Melbourne Museum presents an inside look into one of the world's...
TIME-TRAVEL WRITING
A consistent theme at the Australian Festival of Travel Writing was, surprisingly, about how rapidly the world has changed and how this has affected the way we travel through it. I think that many Australians...
COBURG-EONING ON GREATNESS
Ah, Coburg. Famed for its density of kitschy bridal stores and Middle Eastern take-out shops, the sprawling, creek-side ‘hood' is frequently overlooked due to its perceived lack of viable entertainment...
GET MORE OUT OF YOUR TRAVEL
Over the course of last weekend, the travelled, well-written and young-at-heart gathered at the Kenneth Myer Building in the University of Melbourne, to listen and learn about the many facets of travel and...
AND ALL THINGS RETURN TO NATURE/ TOMORROW
Trying to describe being taken on an explorative journey through time, space and sound through movement to tomorrow’s utopia, proves to be quite difficult. The answer lies purely in the experience of it. I...
TO DO LIST: 25TH – 31ST MARCH
Monday 25th Dior & Yamamoto: The New Look 1947 was Christian Dior’s debut spring collection that shook fashion trends from then on, by introducing cinched waists and softer shapes for women...
NEW KUM DEN
Located just off China Town’s main strip, awaits Cantonese restaurant, New Kum Den. As I entered the venue, the resurgence of kitsch Chinese restaurants about town came to mind - which, for me, was...
MEERA SEETHI IS ‘FOREIGN RETURNED’
Canadian artist Meera Seethi has launched her first major solo exhibition at Melbourne's Sofitel as part of the L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival's Cultural Program. Seethi was born in India, grew up in...
AUSTRALIAN FESTIVAL OF TRAVEL WRITING
Perhaps you're one of those people, who should be busily working, but is instead daydreaming of travelling through South America, or Asia, or completely packing in your day job and selling your house to...
CONVERSATION PIECE
Presented as part of the Dance Massive Festival and showing at Arts House, Meat Market in North Melbourne, Conversation Piece is the epitome of hipster-cultural-must sees. We entered the Meat Market's...
SAN PELLIGRINO CAFE SOCIETY PHOTOEXHIBITION
With all the Fashion fanfare sweeping Melbourne during LMFF, San Pellegrino and RMIT offered up something a little different for the eyes to feast on. Commissioning final year photography students at RMIT to...
PRINT YOUR FUTURE IN 3D: THE ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING REVOLUTION
3D printing will be to the product industry what the internet was to information. It's the next step forward and it will revolutionise our lives by giving us a direct line to production. What would you do...
CHUNKY MOVE’S 247 DAYS: DANCE MASSIVE FESTIVAL
One should never enter the doors of the Malthouse Theatre expecting 'just dance'. The artistry and creative conception conducted by choreographer, Anouk Van Diyk, ensures that every audience member will...
L’OREAL MELBOURNE FASHION FESTIVAL CULTURAL PROGRAM
The 2013 L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival is in full swing, and the city’s most versatile venues have hit the ground running with a wave of exhibitions, talks, shows and gigs that pay homage to the...
18TH – 24TH MARCH
Monday 18th Truth Cinema Truth Cinema invites patrons to explore the ‘bigger picture’ as they showcase films that will provoke you, shock you and leave you feeling inspired. Location: John...
ALL THINGS RETURN TO NATURE/ TOMORROW
Taking you on an explorative journey through time and space, the double-bill show of And All Things Return To Nature/Tomorrow is a hybrid-performance piece by Phillip Adams...
HAS OUR FOOD OBSESSION GONE TOO FAR?
It's impossible to deny, we live in an era where cooking shows and restaurants pop up like daisies in Spring, celebrity chefs are as revered as actors and we find ourselves enthralled by some new grain or...
BEN DALTON OF HUNGRY KIDS OF HUNGARY
With their second album ‘You’re A Shadow’ playing on iPods and radio stations everywhere, the Hungry Kids of Hungary have been across Australia playing gig after gig and have just been announced to play...
THE URBAN COFFEE FARM & BREW BAR
Descriptions like 'smooth caramel texture' and 'zesty aftertaste' are the kind of uber-specific things baristas say or that you see written on single-origin coffee boards. Such recounts of subtle flavours...
TO DO LIST: 11TH – 17TH MARCH
Monday 11th Moomba: Parade Moomba is one of Victoria’s biggest and most creative festivals, it celebrates culture, community and of course, Melbourne. St Kilda road takes part in its annual tradition...
FLESH AND BONE; THE MEAT IN THE MFWF AND LMFF SANDWICH
Is gender becoming fluid? Or is it a sign that we are approaching equality? The changeability of gender now sits at the forefront of attraction, we don't pine for 'traditional' men and women anymore. Give me...
HONEYMOON DESTINATION: SRI LANKA, THE PEARL OF THE INDIAN OCEAN
An island in the shape of a teardrop, Sri Lanka has begun to prosper after the end of decades-old-war that once ravaged the country. Now at a time of peace, this local gem has thrived on the...
WEDDING PLANNERS AND DECOR
Planning a single wedding is said to take over two hundred hours, so it's easy to see why so many brides-to-be lose all focus and control. How does one decide what style will suit the wedding? Or more...
HERE COMES THE BRIDE; WEDDING TRANSPORT
They say life is all about the journey, and since your wedding is symbolic of married life, why not make your transport there symbolic too. Recently couples have been getting more and more creative with...
DIY: ALTERNATIVE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
As you flick through old photo albums, it's almost impossible to not feel that tug in your chest. Photos capture so much more than a frozen image, they capture memories, emotions and when done well, the...
POLICE VIOLENCE: AUSTRALIA’S PLEA FOR PROTECTION
With the recent surfacing of two separate videos showcasing an altercation, and subsequent arrest, of a young man participating in Sydney’s 2013 Mardi Gras Parade, the Australian community is once again...
YOUR DREAM WEDDING CAKE
One of the most important components to any wedding, would have to be the wedding cake. After all, the cutting of the cake photo is memory-box must have. The cake must look beautiful, and for anyone with a...
WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER LAURA MCGUIRE
For most couples, your wedding day will be the most memorable day of your lives. Having a wedding photographer attend your special day means that the tears, the kisses, the expected and the unexpected is all...
OPSM ACCUFIT
Life can get busy. Between work, family commitments, catching up with friends and exercise, the health of your eyes can often be neglected. Particularly in this day an age when most of us spend hours a day...
BIENVENIDA A MAMASITA; A MEXICAN TOUR
On the tail end of last week and at the top of a secret staircase, Mamasita played host to a Mexican tour as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. The six course tequila-paired feast, showcased...
CATER TO YOU; WEDDING SPECIALISTS
Food for your wedding ought to be delicious, detailed and not too difficult. Fortunately, you can enlist the aid of culinary event specialists. All of whom have a focus on delivering the best food and...
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
Deciding on a suitable venue for your special day can be one of the most stressful and daunting decisions you make. With so much to consider (like size, price, location and weather), you might find yourself...
AN ILLUSTRATED WEDDING
Melbourne designer Daniella Germain has a distinctively charming illustrative style that she has applied to books, stamps and artistic projects she has worked on. It was only natural that her latest...
FIVE INTERESTING WAYS TO PROPOSE
Your partner is the first person you want to see in the morning and the last person you want to kiss goodnight. They’re your everything and you want to spend the rest of your lives together. Congratulations,...
TO DO LIST: 4TH-11TH MARCH
Monday 4th La Boheme Have you always wanted to go to the Opera but have never known where to begin? La Boheme teams periodic detail with styles that will have you yearning for the days of culottes. La...
LMFF 2013 PREVIEW
With Fall/Winter fashion weeks wrapping up for another year and Sydney being the last leg of tour in April, Melbourne gets a chance to show off their wares. From the 18th of March until the 24th, Melbourne...
APPLY YOURSELF TO THE DATING WORLD
Ever considered dating online? Have a smart phone? Want to kill twenty minutes whilst waiting for your train? Then look no further because dating apps are here and they're thirty seconds away from nestling...
DONKEY SKIN COLLECTION LAUNCH PRESENTED BY JESS DEMPSEY
Melbourne Central’s fashion boutique, Fame Agenda, celebrates the launch of their 2013 Resort Collection Donkey Skin presented by guest Fashion Blogger, Jess Dempsey of locally renown, WHAT WOULD KARL...
SPEED DATING DO’s AND DON’Ts
When it comes to dating, both men and women can often be lost for what to do, let alone what to say. Sometimes you don’t even know where to go to meet that certain somebody. Here at Couturing, we’re...
DOMAINE CHANDON SECRET GARDEN PARTY
On a sunny Sunday afternoon, 200 wine aficionados gathered for a day of great wine, food and entertainment at the stunning Domaine Chandon in Melbourne's Yarra Valley. Guests were treated to a carefully...
COME ON GET HAPPY PALACE
Welcome to the Happy Palace, where a suspicious stairway leads to a hot pot that's boiling over with babes, cocktails, deep fried parcels of yummy goodness and the kitsch charm of old school...
ONLINE DATING
Online dating is not as scary, or as creepy as some may think. In a time where 'Googling' is a verb and adding people to Facebook the moment you meet them is considered the norm, it only seems natural that...
TO DO LIST – 25TH FEBRUARY- 3RD MARCH
Monday 25th Opera in the Market A night of shopping instantly turns into a night of musical splendour as Queen Victoria market transforms itself into a theatre unlike any other. Acts include Julia...
LIFE AND LEARNING IN THE CITY
Alongside the insurgence of people trawling the Internet for mindless, idiotic memes is an increase in individuals craving serious content and advice. Melbourne's answer has been a series of long and short...
JUDDY ROLLER: FITZROY’S COFFEE AND CULTURAL HUB
To most Melbournians wandering the backstreets of sunny Fitzroy, stumbling across a café that’s tucked in a nook beneath a stairway wouldn't be too much of a surprise. However, strike up a conversation...
THE WISE TAPAS AND WINE BAR
Sydney siders turned Melbournians, Jessica Dalziell and Gregory Young, have made themselves at home on High St in Prahran with their new tapas and wine bar, The Wise. Couturing attended the official opening...
OMBRA SALUMI BAR
Ombra Salumi Bar is a fresh seedling with roots that run deep in hospitality culture. Having opened in November by Guy Grossi and managed by his son Carlo, the salumi bar next to Grossi Florentino, began...
BECOME ONE HOT YOGI
I have always considered myself healthy. I eat well, maintain a fairly regular running regime and generally say ‘no’ to the third slice of cake. And yet, it wasn’t until Tuesday that I had ever...
FREE FOOD! (EVENTS) AT THE MELBOURNE FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL
Since 1993, the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival have hosted annual and year round events which cast the lime light on Victoria's disposition towards all things culinary. In 2013, the festival has reached the...
TO DO LIST: 18TH-24TH FEBRUARY
Monday 18th Dark Stars Dark Stars is a play that tells the story of two 19th century African-American performers, and the forgotten entertainer Irving Sayles, as they examine racist humour and the cost...
NBHD NEANDERTHAL GETTING BACK TO BASICS
Spurring on rumours of being a married couple, Nicholas and Dax Byrne have produced their first child in the form of NBHD (neighbourhood) Neanderthal. This cafe and bar off Chapel may be the product of...