Lena Hoschek

My Leena introduced me this afternoon to another Lena - Lena Hoschek, fashion designer from Austria. It's one of Leena's favourite places to buy sexy, feminine, original, rockabilly inspired clothing with a touch of fetish to them. This gorgeously decorated boutique is for women who want to be seen and admired in all their glory! Think Betty Page - she is all over the walls, and is an obvious muse to the talented designer. It was sooo delightful to step into the dressing room which is an exquisite boudoir of sassy and feminine luxury. YUM. Think I'd better to hint to my husband that we pay a visit for my 40th birthday this year!!

Olafur Eliasson fog rooms

Yesterday I finished my little cultural catch-up with the Frida Kahlo retrospective and Olafur Eliasson's first Berlin solo show at the Martin Gropius Bau.

I was moved most by Olafur Eliasson's fog rooms which need to be experienced for their pure foggy joy. Always one for a sensory adventure, they were the works that I enjoyed due to their interactive nature - to bathe in coloured fog felt beautiful to me.

Frida Kahlo's work has always interested me for its symbolism and strong female honesty and vulnerability. To see so much of it in one place was a treat indeed! The heaviness of her story was palpable and I admit, I was relieved to have left the Eliasson work until last on my long afternoon at the museum.

Dysfashional

On Thursday night I went to the opening of the Dysfashional exhibition, formerly shown in Luxembourg and Paris, at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt in the beautiful Tiergarten of Berlin. It showcases non-clothing and conceptual work from such big names in fashion as Maison Martin Margiela, Bless, Bernard Wilhelm, Hussein Chalayan, amongst several others, and then a special installation Bodies in Motion by students from fashion schools in Paris (Institut Français de la Mode) and Berlin (ESMOD).

I loved the installations by Bernard Willhelm & Christophe Hamaide-Pierson (very cheeky penis pictures as fashion magazine covers) and the artificial hair totems called "Babylone" by Justin Morin & Billie Mertens. I am so excited at the moment by work that makes me laugh out loud and is full of fun and cheek!

Salonkatzen

The other day I was showing my mother and aunt around my old 'hood of Prenzlauerberg, and I finally (after 2 years of eyeing it!) went into a cute little boudoir of lingerie delights for the inner sex kitten... Called Miau Miau (dessous) and Chat Noir (Mode), it is beautifully decked out inside to make you feel like a pampered queen. Sexy lingerie, slips and accessories abound - definitely worth a peep.

Feather Fascinators with Ruby Rouge

Today I met a gorgeous British girl who goes by the name Ruby Rouge. She was teaching me and another lovely artist Leena how to make our first feather fascinator. Ruby had a very successful London business for Burlesque accessories and has now relocated to Berlin to pursue other creative interests. We had great fun rummaging in her vast treasure box to create a little bit of fantasy, me for my upcoming wedding and Leena for use in her painting work.

Next on the list is how to make Nippel Tassels!

Prudence Murphy

My longtime friend Prue Murphy has finally launched her website - hooray! Lovely to see her work all in one place. Over the early years I assisted with her work often and performed with her in The Love Nest. And my French father (above) also makes an appearance, along with her own father, in her Male Grooming series - bless them.

I am loving her recent work for all those closet and not-so-closet (like me) LEGO fans!
Bravo girl, good to see your work up and about.

Hopeless Lingerie

Continuing the Aussie special feature, Melbourne based Hopeless vintage-inspired lingerie is divine... and I discovered it on Etsy where I also have a boutique (currently selling my handknit pocket tees and cute woollen hoods).

Hopeless is designed and made by sisters Gabrielle and Dominique Adamidis. Their feminine, bold collections feature pure silk and other natural fibres in the cutest shapes and colours. I love their current The Voyage range inspired by what looks to me like Jerry the Sailor tattoo looking pin-up girls. Cheeky and fun and positively flattering!

Deep Living

Oh it can't be December already can it? I've been away a bit again with my partner, doing a wonderful workshop called Deep Living with James and Sarah Swank, bringing consciousness into the blocks which keep me from flowering into my full potential! It's intense and inspiring to go deep into this stuff.

Our teacher James speaks of Courage, Honesty and Consciousness as the 3 necessary skills to cultivate in order to live the life you want to live, being true to yourself. We "play" with these concepts in the context of people's deepest issues and I've been inspired to do trainings in this area. My partner also works with this. It's life-changing! Look out world, here I come : D