Dead Space Living

Bored on a Saturday? Hate the second hand bazaar that litters Manly Public School once a month, and couldn't be bothered to shlep to Bondi or Surry Hills? From the same crew that runs the Fringe Bar markets which allows emerging artists to showcase their wears, come the Manly Fashion Market - a 'Dead Space Living Artists' Initiative - every Saturday from 10am to 5pm at Ivy’s Bar (The Steyne Hotel, 75 the Corso, Manly).

Seriously the best the Steyne has looked for years, the markets let kids drink, shop, listen to a sweet mix-mashed and check out some quality product fresh outta some little creatives' space. It's still growing and could do with a few more people partaking to bolster the numbers. Drop 'em a line if you're keen - steynemarkets@dialoguepr.com.au

::UGE does Manly / Freshie (Nov 1 from 12 -1 pm)

Get your pretty mug, this season Zimmerman and swim on @ Freshy / Manly this Sunday (Nov 1) for Eugine Tan (aka ::UGE. aka Aquabumps) and be a part of his aerial shoot on the Northside.

:: UGE takes beautiful shots that are delivered every single day to your mail box. If you aren't subbed, suggestion is you do it NOW, and bring a little bit of artistic beach wonder into the dreary 9 to 5 existence many of us live, Monday through Friday.

If you're looking for something tangible to remind you of your special airtime moment, or to deck out your abode with some Sydney special, check out The Aquabumps Gallery (:: 151 Curlewis Street, Bondi Beach NSW 2026).

Ducky

For whatever reason, duck reference have been popping up all over the place of yet. Juliette's little cockatiel, Ducky, was very naught last week, little Manon is learning animal noises in Danish and has been quacking "kvak-kvak" all over the place. And then today, WWW posted about Howard the Duck. Made me think of the Stonemen boxers that are equal parts smokin' to creepy.

Standard cuts with kick-arse (and v. random) visual prints - these bucks are Sydney made. Throw in some cotton socks and you've got your BF's Chrissie present made.

pretty julie

All stappled up.

OOOMS thinks, and I definitely concur, that a bland corporate environment can suck you dry of all creative notions and a boost in excitement (whether it be finding the secret stash of client-only chocolate biscuits, or receiving personal calls on your direct line/not your mobile) is always encouraged.

Welcome the 14Carat gold plated staples that might just turn up in unexpected places. For the sake of a little bit of buck-the-rules-feels-good, snap some of these up and punch away. Forget cufflinks, or keeping a mini sewing kit at work to stitch that button back on, the derelict cool of these little unassumed pieces will definitely make you feel like you’re stickin’ it to the man.

(en)Lightened

Considering the Sydney weather has been dreary-depresso for the last few days, making the indoors more than just a place to bide time is essential to keep the mind alive and in love.

To up the anti, and bring a little bit of affection into the indoor environment, The Classbulb Lights (by Dutch design company OOOMS) smothers you in atmospheric warmth and shine on for over 30,000 hours (that’s 10 years of sexy moodiness at night…).

Top it off with some Glasshouse candle light, a bottle of red, and a scruffy boy to smile at through sexy hazed eyes, and you’ve increased the reasons why being indoors is a lot more fun than being out.

Lost Vals - Cities of Gold (Do this shit!)

When you’ve seen the promotion material pumped out on some pretty cool websites and street mags, and heard the hype amongst those who count themselves as music aficionados, the expectation of an album release is often more than doubled. Sometimes this hype and PR spin is negligible, but in the case of Lost Valentinos Cities of Gold, it is more than warranted.

The debut album released by these Sydney boys is tight, and buzzing with pop punk-rock-pyscho fury that comes through in different forms as you journey through the twelve track album. Proving themselves worthy of claiming status in Euro over summer with Midnights, the album as a whole is unmistakably fantastic, with dirty vocals harmonically coating smooth electro production, with the bands original indie-rock edge still discernable (check Aussie single release, Thief). This is the same spectrum that major bands like Primal Scream have been judged on and conquered. To top it off, tracks like Happiness Made Easy and Great Leap Forward are almost White Lies ballard-esque, which means there is something here for everyone.

Pumped on repeat during a recent roady, Cities of Gold wreaks of Triple J Hottest 100 Australia Day dance moves (you could easily put money on Thief making it into the Top 10). Personal wish is that Francisco or Happiness Made Easy gets picked up by a rating bonanza reality TV show (think SYTYCD) so that these infectious tracks get a serious commercial look in. Forget all night long – this albums a definite pick for all-summer.

Buy Lost Valentinos Cities of Gold here.

All 'Crees'ed up!

We love when we discover something that’s pretty speech, and THEN realize that the mind behind the brilliance is local to our little part of the world. Shannon Crees is Manly based and we love her pretty feminine works. Having studied fashion design, computer graphics and illustration she’s pretty damn talented and we are excited that she left her fashion industry job to pursue her love of art.

Love these pieces – and also love this sweet little time-lapse vid that we found of her hard at work on YouTube. Boom-shaka this makes us esssited for the weekend at large!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUokpsN-2Ac

A Goot Bet.

Things that make us very happy: long days at the beach in the summer sun: berry nails: ciders: clashed up prints. Thank YOU Josh Goot for presenting a wonderful array of prints on prints that are mystical and clean and contemporary and boldly season bridging all at the same time.

Every range from Goot’s collections are streamline in tailored approach but push the boundaries with amazing graphics and spice. While we’ve been wearing neutral and flat shades for a while, the blinding and complex tones of these lovelies that were shown at London Fashion Week are fast turning us back to pretty color for summer.

You could always go black and white to tone down the in-your-face nature of Goot’s designs but, we think there is a million points of merit to take a step out approach and feel the vibe of his color.