Brunsdon model in cat's eye glasses by Renate Ruge

To celebrate this year’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia, we go backstage with top Australian designer Jayson Brunsdon to get his pick of spring summer 2012/2013 trends, the meaning of ‘Sydney style’ and his tips on the best places to shop in town.

Fabulous fashion labels Zimmermann, Lisa Ho, Ellery, Kirrily Johnston, Bec and Bridge and Romance Was Born paraded at Sydney’s fashion week. Jayson Brunsdon’s installation show reflected the classical yet sensual and easy elegance that is his signature style and the change from runway to ‘boudoir’ earned Jayson plus points for creativity and originality. Models sprawled over vintage chairs under spotlights eating grapes and cooling themselves with fans as the audience weaved its way in a queue through the collection of chiffon and lace, sequins and beading, splashes of jewel colours, tartan and animal print.

“A steamy, sultry summer collection, THE LADY IS A TRAMP is about the loss of control, falling in love, romance, passion and sensuality. I took my lady like aesthetic and infused it with a dose of Madonna, Marilyn and a dash of the tawdry romance of Blanch Dubois in a streetcar named desire,” says Brunsdon of the collection.

We caught up with the designer after the show…

Who inspires you?
My customers, my icons, inspiring women. I listen to my clients, as you need to know what she wants and where she’s wearing it. This season my inspiration was more about Madonna in Evita as I went a little sexier than usual.

What words sum up this season?
Sensuality, romance, passion.

At the Jayson Brunsdon installation show by Renate Ruge

How do you describe Sydney-style?
Sydney is a mix of glamour and grunge. It is sometimes achingly trendy and other times so dressed down and casual that it’s beachy. Women go for full on glamour for events in Sydney and often wear rubber thongs in the city streets in the summer with jeans. There’s an aesthetic to Sydney and it’s about, “the body”.

Where are the best areas for shopping in Sydney?
The Strand Arcade for its old world charm, George Street for Vuitton and Burberry, Market Street for vintage stores and Glenmore Road, Paddington for the best offering of Australian labels.

Who are your favourite Sydney labels?
Ellery, Nicola Finetti, Wayne Cooper and Leona Edmiston.

Name your favourite Sydney boutiques…
The Jayson Brunsdon store in the Strand Arcade, of course. I also love Grandma Takes a trip on Crown Street for amazing vintage, Route 66 for classic Americana denims and Miu Miu for cruisy girl’s stuff.

And finally, what pieces would you select to put together a polished Sydneysider look?
A Jayson Brunsdon dress with cat’s eye sunglasses, undone hair, high heels with a touch of glitter and some clashing colours.

Model with lace fan by Renate Ruge

Beach Life
Sydney’s beautiful people jog along the cliff walk from Bondi to Tamarama, enjoying gorgeous ocean views all year round. The surf crashes in as the Bondi Rescue surf lifesavers keep an eye on things and the natural pool at the north end provides sanctuary for swimmers from the big swell. At Bondi beach, the vibe is cool and walls are covered in graffiti art, which adds to its raffish charm.

Ice Cream
Bondi Beach has lots of gelato (sorbet) and super-chilled yogurt bars in Hall Street and along Campbell Parade for the figure-conscious body beautiful. Choose your favourite flavour and topping and wait for it to be swirled together. Hit Pompeii’s for an Italian cone with a double scoop of chocolate-flaked vanilla ice cream, “stracciatella”.
Pompeii’s, 126-130 Roscoe Street Sydney 2026 (02) 9365 1233

Beach-side Beers
The Bucket List is slap bang on the beach, its lime-coloured sofas and tables fashioned out of wooden palettes, crates and pin wheels sprawl outside The Pavilion. Decent Aussie beers are served on tap, along with chilled tunes and a mini bucket of spicy nuts. Brightly painted wall murals echo the graffiti art down on the beach. Try a Toasted Bikini with prosciutto, manchego and truffle for a tasty snack.
The Bucket List, Bondi Pavilion, Queen Elizabeth Drive, Bondi Beach, 2026 02 9365 4122

Sundowners
Drinks at icebergs can go two ways: business class or economy… One: flash the cash at the upscale Dining Room & Bar and crack open the champagne. Two: cheap date? Go for a lemon lime bitters at the RSL one floor down. Same spectacular view!
Bondi Icebergs, 1 Notts Avenue, Bondi Beach (02) 9365-6262 

Dinner & Drinks
“It’s the spice in Spice Islands. It’s Dutch courage. It’s the passion, the journey unleashed: it’s the kiss of night.” Just get the bar tender at Rum Diaries waxing lyrical about rum… It’s complex and so are the heady, exotic cocktails you’ll find here. Getting stuck into the list means starting with creations from the 1500s to classics and adventuring with rum every which way. Chandeliers, a moodily lit wood-paneled room with tables and chairs cosily jammed together make you feel welcomed into an intimate gathering. Musicians strum guitars and sing, filling the room with cool tunes and adding to the party atmosphere. Choose nibbles with friends and like the hip Bondi locals, share bulgur wheat Arancini balls with carrot hummus and tempura zucchini flowers, stuffed with pine nuts and haloumi, all served up on slates for plates. Doing dinner for two? Then go all out and try the five-course degustation menu wine and cocktail-matched to perfection. Highlights of this culinary journey start with seared scallops with zesty yuzu lemon puree, edamame beans and a refreshing nashi pear salad, and include “main” dishes like delicate rum-smoked barramundi with a genius vanilla and onion puree and roast chicken breast with sweet corn, asparagus and a popcorn praline. The sultry finish to the meal matches the Old Cane cocktail with a delicious chocolatey dessert, the chef’s chocolate marquise with rum and allspice Chantilly with bitter orange sherbet, which fizzes on your tongue. Delicious, and, the best place to be after-dark in Bondi.
Rum Diaries, 288 Bondi Road, Bondi NSW 2026 (02) 9300 0440

Dinner at Rum Diaries

Dunbar House at Watson's Bay by Renate Ruge

Fly across the harbour on the fast ferry with the wind in your hair on a trip to one of Sydney’s prettiest spots – Watson’s Bay. By Renate Ruge

Allow yourself a good half to a whole day for a trip here. Watson’s Bay is found on the southern head of the entrance to Sydney Harbour. To the east is the Tasman Sea and to the west is the Harbour with a glorious view of the city of Sydney in the distance. Yachts and fishing boats bob in the sparkling waters of the bay, which is surrounded by huge palm trees.

It was here that Governor Phillip first landed in Australia. It’s also recognised as Australia’s oldest fishing village, having been established in 1788. ‘Tinnies’ (small tin fishing boats) hapharzardly line up on the shore ready for impromptu fishing trips.

The view from The Dunbar

Long Lunch
The best place to dine is Dunbar House. Just a few metres from the water’s edge in the grounds of Robertson Park, the historic mansion built in the 1830s has recently been treated to a multi-million dollar restoration. It’s the kind of super-sophisticated place that make you breathe a long sigh of satisfaction on entry. Perhaps it’s the comfort
of brisk, welcoming service and relaxed vibe, coupled with luxe interiors: comfy whicker chairs set out around patio tables with killer views of the water, elegant colours of greys and silvers punctuated with pretty coloured stripes, walls with lower wood panelling and fancy wallpaper all lit up with crystal lighting. This place is swish and thankfully the luxury is not reflected in very reasonable prices.

Inside Dunbar House

On-the-menu highlights include ocean trout with a prawn crust served with kipfler potatoes and green leaves or perfectly-seared salmon salad with hot, salty shoe-string fries and tasty tomato bruschetta.

Breakfast means waffles with strawberries and cream, eggs in lots of ways with sides of roast tomato and vegetables washed down with freshly-squeezed juice. Then there’s afternoon tea served in dainty china cups (Royal Doulton of course), accompanied with tiered stands stacked with cucumber sandwiches, scones and mini lemon curd and fruit tarts.
Dunbar House, 9 Marine Parade, Sydney NSW 2030 (02) 9337 1226, www.dunbarhouse.com.au

Walks
There are two paths leading from the wharf, that both take around one hour for the round trip. From the wharf you can walk north past Lady Bay (see their nude beach) and on to South Head and see the Hornsby Lighthouse. Or you can walk south past The Gap and take in Signal Station and Macquarie Lighthouse. See the site of the wreck of the Dunbar.

Fish & Chips
The Bay is also famous for being the home
of the first Doyles restaurant. Grab a schooner in the pub or buy take-away fish and chips from the chippie on the wharf, and eat in the park. Just watch out for greedy seagulls.

Getting there
Ferry is the best way and the Eastern Suburbs service leaves from wharf 4. Otherwise you can go by car along Oxford Street (it changes to Enfield Drive) out of the City. Follow the road left into Old South Head Road and continue along this road to Watsons Bay. If you’re going by bus then catch the 324 from Circular Quay.

The sparkling shallows of Watson's Bay

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Manly Arts & Crafts Markets
Shop for pre-loved clothing and arts and crafts under beach brollies and then head for breakfast after. Jellyfish café is a Manly must-do for brunch. Skip parking and ferry in for a stress free Sunday.
The Corso, Sydney Road, Manly. (02) 9315 7011 www.manlymarkets.com.au

Sydney Flower Markets
Romantics will go wild here for the buckets of beautiful buds. Warehouses are packed every imaginable flower from lilies, chrysanthemums and carnations to David Austin Roses. Go early for $8 and the pick of the bunch or later for free to do a little flower dealing and good bargains before closing.
Building F, Austin Avenue, Flemington. (02) 9325 6228 www.sydneymarkets.com.au

Kirribilli Fashion Market
Get here on the second Sunday in the month to get down to the serious business of snagging the best vintage finds from over 90 stalls with Harbour views. Fashion items bought on a whim and never worn often end up here to be recycled by the next savvy fashionista.
Bradfield Park, Milsons Point (02) 9922 4428 www.kirribillimarkets.com

Bondi Beach Markets
Fashiony types in big sunnies compete for the best jewellery bargains at this beachside market. Close the deal on a silver chain or charm bracelet, pick up some decent swimmers and when you are all shopped out, head to Brown Sugar for coffee to find the Bondi locals.
Open 10am to 4pm. Bondi Beach Public School, Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach (02) 9315 8988 www.bondimarkets.com.au

The Rocks Weekend Markets
Tune into lots of different accents here as tourists galore bustle around to pick up Aussie paraphernalia. Think Ugg boots, photos of Sydney scenes and trinkets made out of wire and ceramics. Amid the model cockatoos, enjoy some warm honey roasted nuts and potter around the cobbled laneways. This place can feel pretty romantic as the sun sets and fairy lights glow under the umbrellas.
Level 6, 66 Harrington Street, The Rocks (02) 9240 8500 www.therocks.com

EQ (Entertainment Quarter) Village Market
This is a treasure trove of beautiful organic produce, artisan breads, locally sourced meat, wonderful cheese, jewellery, accessories and toys. Browse the stalls, fill your wicker basket and catch a movie after.
Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park (02) 8117 6700 www.eqmoorepark.com.au

Artisan ice lollies at Frenchs Forest Market by Renate Ruge

Frenchs Forest Organic Markets
Shop for organic fresh fruit, veggies, bread, meat and other gourmet goodies. There’s also Zen like natural therapies and crafty things as well as plants and blooms on offer. Open 8.30am-1pm.
Parkway Hotel, Frenchs Forest Rd East, Frenchs Forest (02) 9999 2227 www.organicfoodmarkets.com.au

Marking Time JimCampbell

Sail past on a Sydney ferry from Circular Quay and you’ll see the shiny new black cube that juts out from the beautiful heritage sandstone building that is the Museum of Contemporary Art. It’s glossy new exterior glints in the sunshine and queues snake around the block as it reopens for business.

After a $53 million refurb, the MCA is hosting an ‘extreme art event’ today to celebrate. The renovations have had Sydneysiders and international art fans in anticipation since 2009. The goal of the design, by highly-regarded architect Sam Marshall in partnership with the NSW Government Architect’s office, was to complement the existing heritage building and energise both The Rocks and Circular Quay.

The opening, which takes place on March 29, is a 24-hour art feast of talks by international artists and free exhibitions. The extra 700 square metres of space also makes room for a new and ongoing exhibition, Volume One: MCA Collection, that showcases Australian works from the gallery’s permanent collection curated by Glenn Barkley.

One of the biggest crowd pleasers will be, The Clock by Christian McClay, a 24-hour video consisting of thousands of short movie extracts each suggesting a different time of day and edited together to form a single film.

Don’t miss the spectacular new sculpture terrace overlooking the Harbour.

The new MCA is open from 29 March 2012

www.mca.com.au

Google harbor bridge-2012

It’s always nice when someone remembers your birthday. Today the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney’s grand lady and an iconic international symbol of our sunny city, celebrates her 80^th year.

Honoured by a party with bands and retro fashion parades as well as mentions in global news stories, Google has also paid Sydney the ultimate compliment with a “Google doodle” coloured sketch of the bridge on their local search engine homepage.

Today, March 19, is 80 years to the day since the “Coathanger,” as the bridge is affectionately known by locals, was opened by the then NSW Premier, Jack Lang.

The opening was famously interrupted by Francis de Groot of the paramilitary New Guard riding his horse in uniform and using his sword to slash the ceremonial ribbon before Lang could cut it in front of around a million onlookers.

As a thoroughfare from the north to the central, east and west of Sydney (and back), the bridge is an essential artery for traffic – around 160,000 vehicles cross it every weekday, as well as trains.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is probably best known as the centrepiece for a fantastic fireworks display that blasts over the Harbour every year on December 31 at 9pm and then again in a grand finale at midnight to celebrate New Year’s Eve – Sydney style!

Fast Bridge Facts

• It took six years to build
• It is the world’s largest steel arch bridge at 1149 metres long with an arch span of 503 metres and 143 metres high.
• Built by Dr John Job Crew Bradfield and a team of engineers and construction workers, Bradfield is often called, ‘The Father of The Bridge’ and the park at Milson’s Point at the foot of the bridge on the north side carries his name in honour.
• The approach spans were erected first, then specially-built ships and boats carried steel across the harbour to continue building as construction of the bridge inched its way to the middle from each side.
• If you want to find the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Google Earth, the coordinates are 33°51′08″S, 151°12′38″E.
• You can climb it and shout, “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie,” from the top and have your photo taken  after mastering the three hour climb up and back down, with Bridgeclimb. www.bridgeclimb.com

Picasso: Two women running on the beach, courtesy of AGNSW

There are only a few weeks left to experience the art of Pablo Picasso at the Art Gallery of NSW. The Masterpieces exhibition is on loan from the Musee National Picasso, Paris, curated by their Director Anne Baldassari.

It’s the biggest exhibition of its kind to visit Australia and the best part about it is that you’ll see Picasso’s Picasso’s – the collection of the artist’s favourite work that he kept for himself. Every period of Picasso’s long and incredibly prolific career is represented in ten rooms, from his teenage mastery of classical techniques to his ascension to the godfather of abstraction.

No other artist truly embodies the creative spirit or captured the turbulent times that were the 20th century.
Get to the AGNSW before the end of the month and see the world through Picasso’s eyes. You won’t be disappointed.

Note: On Saturdays 17 and 24 March, the Gallery will stay open until midnight to celebrate the final two weeks of the extraordinary Picasso: masterpieces from the Musée Picasso, Paris.

Collage of Public Art Forgotten Songs by Lightwell

Keen to get off the tourist track and explore some of Sydney’s hidden gems? Then venture down an alleyway near Angel Place to discover the quirky art installation that is bringing the streets alive with the sound of birds.

Just off Angel Place and one street back from George Street (near Martin Place in Sydney’s CBD) you round a corner to find the laneway where a canopy of 180 empty bird cages hang above the street making graphic shapes and shadows against blue Sydney skies. This permanent public art installation plays a soundscape of birdsong. The calls, tweets and twittering are from bird species that used to live in this area, before the city replaced their native habitats. The installation is known as ‘Forgotten Songs’ and is part of the Laneways: By George! Hidden Networks project.

During the day, you may hear the calls of the Eastern Whipbird, Rockwarbler, Regent Honeyeater, Grey Shrike-thrush, Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Spotted Pardalote, Brown Gerygone, Jacky Winter, Scarlet Robin and many more.

As twighlight draws in and the city workers leave their offices, the soundtrack switches to nocturnal birds like the Australian Owlet-nightjar, Powerful Owl, Southern Boobook, Barn Owl, Tawny Frogmouth, and White-throated Nightjar.

Following your new discovery, head around the corner to Ash Street and there you will find Ash Street Cellar (part of the Ivy complex) a cosy bar where Parisian boulevard-style chairs spill onto the cobbles of the laneway, tightly packed around round marble-topped tables and serving superb wines by the glass, boutique beers and satisfying nibbles and small plates like char-grilled chorizo, fried and spiced chick peas, oysters, cured meats and anchovies with toasted sourdough.

A perfect ending to a laneway adventure!

Ash Street Cellar at Ivy, street level, 330 George St, Sydney, NSW, (02) 9240 3000, merivale.com.

Come join the parade (image courtesy of Mardi Gras)

The countdown is on to Sydney’s spectacular parade, celebrating gay pride, politics and sexiness with a big serve of humour. Gay or straight, it will stop the city for a night on Saturday March 3 and everyone’s invited.

When the sun sets on parade night, Sydney’s streets will close down as the energy and anticipation of another year’s carnival builds. Hundreds of thousands of cheering spectators will line the streets, while thousands more in elaborate costumes and floats will parade down Sydney’s Oxford Street in an explosion of colour and sparkle.

Parade viewing hot spots

Grab a spot on the sidelines or watch the parade from the balcony of an Oxford Street bar. Cheer as ‘Dykes on Bikes’ rev their engines at the front of the parade and start the show. This year, the official Mardi Gras Parade viewing area will resemble a kitsch holiday caravan park known as Club Tropicana. A raised viewing platform on the Taylor Square forecourt will take advantage of parade route’s top vantage point, where you can relax away from the crowds with easy access to bars, food stands and toilet facilities (for the price of a ticket). Another VIP viewing option is the ‘Glamstand’, which has lots of amenities, glam bars and a resident DJ, which makes for a more comfortable experience than hopping on top of a milk crate on Oxford Street. It is also a ticketed area located in leafy Centennial Parklands, on the corner of Moore Park Road and Anzac Parade.

Queen Kylie
Of course the big news is the much anticipated appearance of Kylie Minogue. The pop princess will be scooting down to the parade and playing at the after party which adds to a stellar party line-up, with singer-songwriter Sam Sparro, RuPaul, Sneaky Sound System and Chicane.

Kylie is keen to celebrate her 25 years in the business – known as K25 – in her third appearance at Mardi Gras. She says, “Being part of Mardi Gras this year is so important to me because I know that so many of my fans make up the amazing community it represents.”

“Performing at the party is my way of saying thanks for 25 fabulous years together. It’s been a really beautiful relationship that has always been filled with overwhelming support and a lot of love.”

What not to miss
Other cool and camp things to do include a retro cabaret tea dance with Bob Downe, a sunset cruise on the Harbour and pop in performances in ‘The Laneway’ or drag races with the lifesaver queens on Bondi Beach.

Check out www.mardigras.org.au for tickets, maps and more info.