I entered a whole new, sparkly world of luxury shopping that had my heart skipping a beat. It wasn’t just because of the familiar names like Prada, Coach, French Sole, Burberry and Mui Mui; but it was the price tags attached to them! Up to 80% off! “Reebonz is about transporting you into a world of pleasant surprises. A place where discounted luxury is not an oxymoron.”

The team at Reebonz had sent me an invitation to join their exclusive, members only shopping events. It works like this..  Each week the team at Reebonz have special shopping events for their different items including, fashion, accessories, shoes, travel, spa packages and the list goes on.  They also guarantee that all their goods, however amazingly discounted, are brand spanking new and genuine. The events are by invitation only, and run for limited, real time periods allowing you to browse the amazing deals on offer for that selected time. As I write this I am watching a live count down to the end of a sale on this gorgeous piece which is $137 off the original price, one of the many Charles Winston pieces that is up to 60% off on the site!

Yes, there are some very flash pieces here… but there are also some super cute and super cheap ones to fancy up your wardrobe in a hurry.  I think this little Scottie Dog purse would make a great Christmas gift…or perhaps one for me too… we could be twins! Ha

But they don’t just want to tell you what is good, they want you to be involved, so they’ve set up a whole section for you to recommend labels you love and they’ll go out and find them. They are presently working on events with Australian labels too, and I’ve already suggested a few I have my eye on like Romance Was Born, Shakuhachi and Peep Toe Shoes. There is a calendar of upcoming events so you can plan what you’d like to see and even plan for things like Birthday’s, Christmas or even what to do with that bonus cheque you’re expecting.  Of course this is perfect for me as it appeals to both my highly systemized side and my investment dressing mentality. Win Win. Check out some of the new events coming up….

Reebonz have been around for a little while in Asia, but are only just now opening their Aladdins Cave to the rest of us.  I talked to them to find out a bit more about Reebonz and the team behind the site.

Where did the idea for Reebonz come from?
We saw the convergence of several trends such as the increase in online shopping as well as a new group of customers that were looking for luxury.  It led us to our vision of providing “Luxury you can afford” which eventually led to the founding of Reebonz.
What was the inspiration for the name?
The name Reebonz came from the word Ribbons.  We wanted to create this image of people untying the ribbons to unveil the surprise in their present. [You'll see] this idea also reflected in our Logo which resembles a ribbon.
How long have you been around?
Reebonz started its first sale in March 2009.  Relatively young, but the press in Singapore has been kind enough to cover us a few times in different magazines.

What makes Reebonz stand out from other online premiere shopping services? We bring together a wide range of products from all over the world.   Also, we pride ourselves as providing the best price possible for our members, adhering to our vision of providing “Luxury you can afford”.
Is the Reebonz office full of tech savvy fashionistas?
Of course it is! At Reebonz, we keep ourselves up to date with the latest fashion so that we will know what to offer to our members. Also, we don’t have a strict dress code at work so everyone in the office is allowed to showcase their very own unique sense of style. Lastly, you can find us all on Facebook and Twitter.. so that makes us tech savvy right? LOL
Is it hard to focus on work when surrounded by so many beautiful products?
Not so much for myself but I can’t say that for my female colleagues!  Tweets and Facebook updates like: “The leather smell of the bags, so tempting!”, “I want that Coach bag!” are a common sight.
What are some of the labels Reebonz is most excited to be presenting?
We carry a number of popular labels from Europe such as Prada and Miu Miu and from the US, Kate Spade and Coach.
In addition, Reebonz will also be showcasing local designers from all over.
Why should all fashionable Australian’s take advantage of Reebonz’s invitation now?
We have lined up a number of exciting sale events in this month especially for our Australian members.  Further to that, anyone who signs up through Super Kawaii Mama, will receive 10 Reebonz credits (about $8 AUD) upfront to kick start the shopping!

For me it is the little things that make the difference with Reebonz. The attention to detail to make sure that you get just what you expect, by providing excellent images, zoom tools and sizing charts. I hate thinking I’ve bought the perfect bag only to discover that the strap isn’t even long enough to wear it over my shoulder! Add their great customer service, extensive shipping locations and fast turn around times to the incredible designer discounts; and you have the formula for fashion nirvana.

Hurrah! Now that is the way to shop. At your leisure, at great prices and with free money to start you off! Your invitation awaits..

As a rule I wouldn’t give you two cracking interviews in the space of one week…. but this is an extra special one. Today I spoke with the author of the new Australian book about to be launched tomorrow - Our Girls. Our Girls looks at the unique and poignant stories of Australian Pin Up girls from the 1940’s – 1950’s.  These women and their stories are unique to our country, our history and sense of who we are.

Meet Madeleine Hamilton Phd. – The Dr.of Dames!

Tell us a little about yourself. When did you first become interested in Pin Up culture and the stories behind it?
I guess I first caught the pin-up bug when I got short bangs cut 10 or so years ago. A work colleague said I looked like Bettie Page. I didn’t know who she was, so looked her up. From that point I was hooked on 50s pin-up queens. At the same time I was doing my Masters thesis on the Melbourne Truth newspaper in the 50s and it was chock-full of Australian swimsuit models. I thought, ‘Who were these women; what happened to them after they appeared in a major tabloid in their bathers; what did their families and friends think?’ When casting around for a PhD thesis topic, I decided to track down some of Australia’s forgotten pin-up babes and tell their stories.

Is it a purely academic interest or the more personal passion of a vintage-o-phile?
A combination, I’d say. I’ve long had such an intense yearning to just be able to step back into the 1950s. For a period I wanted to open my own vintage homewares store and started acquiring stock, but then I did a business plan and rapidly lost interest (hehehe). I am a devotee of vintage fashion, but a bit too lazy to search for it, care for it, do the grooming, etc. To have the discipline to complete a PhD thesis you have to have a strong emotional attachment to the topic, so I’m definitely passionate in terms of the looks, characters, style and ideas of mid-century Australia. Taking an academic approach also enabled me to investigate some of the complexities of pin-up culture – such as the idealisation of whiteness in Australian popular culture, Australian-American relations, and how men have historically used sexualised images of women to bond with one another.

Adelie Hurley (sitting with legs displayed gorgeously), early 1940s

What prompted you to focus on Australia’s early pin up culture as opposed to the better publicised American version?
For my PhD – on which ‘Our Girls’ is extracted – I needed an original research topic. American pin-ups have already been covered thoroughly and, as you say, very well publicised. Much to my surprise, no historian had researched or written about Australian 40s and 50s pin-up girls. I originally wanted to do a comparative study of American and Australian pin-ups, but quickly gathered enough fascinating material to be able to focus on the Australian side alone.

When you first began advertising for anyone with contacts or stories about Australia’s pin up girls, what was the initial reaction?
I got a very good response from the Australian media and did lots of radio and newspaper interviews. So it was obvious very early on that there was widespread interest in the topic.
About 30 people responded to my requests for interview participants, including former models, relatives of pin-up girls, and former servicemen. To my disappointment, I didn’t get any responses from men who photographed pin-ups.
Of course, as probably anyone doing a PhD thesis will find, there are always people who are bamboozled as to why you are spending 4 years researching such a narrow topic. Then there were people who didn’t like the approach I was taking, particularly some feminist historians who thought I should be more critical of mid-century pin-up culture. But generally I got lots of support and interest.

You mention in your book that upon meeting your contacts you became aware that the journey in writing this book was to be more emotional than you first anticipated.  How have these encounters moved or changed you?
The main thing, which I wasn’t expecting, was that my affection and respect for Australian men increased greatly. The wonderfully warm and polite tone of Australian diggers’ letters to pin-ups was just delightful. I was expecting them to be suggestive and explicit, but they showed great vulnerability. It was just heartbreaking – as I checked their service records in the National Archives – that so many subsequently died. It really was a great honour to Australian pin-up girls that their pictures were so treasured by men enduring such dangerous circumstances.

Linda Browne (standing in lovely white swimsuit with matching high heels) photograph by Reg Johnson, c. 1943-4

What were some of the common qualities and traits you encountered when meeting the various “girls”?
From when they were little girls they were performers and exhibitionists. They loved the attention their performing talents and looks brought them. They danced and sang, and loved showing off their figures in swimsuits at the beach. As older women, they were still immaculately groomed. For many of them, having to give up performing, modelling and travelling to start their families at usually very young ages was a source of some regret. Motherhood and marriage, while they had their pleasures, were hard work and lacked the glamour and excitement of their earlier years.

Pin up culture has become much more wide spread and acceptable these days, however it seems that things considered controversial in the modelling industry now, were less so then. For example, your book talks about two young pin ups, the youngest of whom was eleven years old and gracing the cover of PIX, yet these days models as young as 15 are being turned away from catwalk work at Fashion Week.  How and why do you believe these standards have changed?
I think once advertising became overtly sexy after WWII, both fashion and pin-up models were read as representing sex and thus as promiscuous. Now there is the idea of protecting teenage models from what is understood as an adult industry revolving around sexual fantasy and desires. During WWII, these concerns don’t seem to have existed, so PIX could un-self-consciously present a pin-up pictorial featuring an 11 year old who looked older, and a respectable mother could encourage her 15 year old daughter to be a mascot for a group of older men.

Today’s pinup culture has moved past simply sexualising the culture (as we saw happen in the 1950’s) and into a darker territory with the invention of websites like Suicide Girls.  With the benefit of having studied society’s values / zeitgeist reflected at the time through pin up culture, what do you believe this trend says about us in the now?
I do find some borderline imagery, such as the Suicide Girls, somewhat disturbing because these models – often no older than 18 – don’t seem to have a good understanding of how their images will be received. They also don’t seem to comprehend that once their frankly soft-porn photograph is published and disseminated on the internet, they have no control how it will be read/received by the audience. Some then express horror/surprise when their image is altered or used for an unintended purpose. I’m thinking of Lara Bingle’s attempt to sue Zoo Weekly for adding a speech bubble reading ‘I’ll make you come’ to one of her early sexy photos which she didn’t given permission for them to use. So I’d say that while we all think we know all about sexuality and fantasy, there is really a great amount of ignorance.

Joy Power - promotional pin-up for Perth Tivoli c. 1946-7

The pin ups of the past evoked a more romantic and glamorous notion of womanhood. Do you believe that these qualities have been lost in the modern version of the pin up – and what lessons can we learn from “Our Girls” to help every woman rediscover her inner pin up?
Yes – modern pin-ups are so hard! Really – they look like adolescent boys with huge artificial pumped up tits. It really worries me that boys and men’s definition of sexy femininity is the Ralph centrefold – who is definitely not the ‘girl-next-door’ of the 40s and 50s. Women and girls (and men!) would greatly benefit look back to this earlier era for a more realistic and achievable version of Australian femininity. The emphasis then was on healthy, wholesome womanhood. Beaches rather than stripper poles; bare feet rather than hooker heels; flattering two- or one-piece swimsuits rather micro-bikinis, and natural hair colour, not bleached extensions.

Congratulations on creating an enlightening, entertaining and engaging read. This is one I’ll be keeping for my daughters to help keep the spirit alive. Oh, lovely! They were – and are – amazing Australian women.

*****

Our Girls is an extraordinary work, both for the heritage and for the amazing pictures of our very own, original pin up girls. You’ll love their stories and if you are anything like me, will greatly appreciate the gorgeous, un-retouched women they are! Buy it, read it, share it with your friends and show your daughters – Our Girl’s brings home what it is to be beautiful, glamorous and real!

I’m also very excited to tell you that I have a special interest in this publication as I have the opportunity to attend the launch tonight… as a pin up girl myself! I’ll be walking the catwalk in swimwear from the 1950’s and actually getting to meet some of these amazing people. Yes I’ll be taking loads of photos and will have a choice selection of shots of all the fun and frivolity of the evening!

So once again… stay tuned for more adventures!

*Please Note: All images used in this story have been used with the permission of the models and the author of the book. Please do not use, or reproduce in any part, these photographs or interview, without express written permission from the appropriate parties.*

It is suddenly hot here. Scorching, pre summer sizzling days that come on with a vengeance. I’ve spent the past few days in doors writing, tidying and finding lots of excuses not to go out until evening rolls around. Last night I headed into Longrain Melbourne for dinner with my family, (oh the salt and pepper tofu!) but had a pre-dinner snack that always spells the beginning of summer for me. Oysters!

I love those lazy summer afternoons with plates and plates of natural oysters and a few bottles of wine, so in honor of the heat we cracked open the first dozen oysters of the season.  The other reason I so love this food is that is no challenge for my (limited) cooking skills! Just shuck, wash and yum…!

Outfit Details:

Dress: Raw Silk 1960’s vintage dress

Earrings: 1960’s white beaded clip on’s

Headband: Arielle Antoinette

Shoes – Wittner

Yumm….

With Xia Xue and Ming – all catching up in the Green Room with a cup of Milo to settle any nerves.

So what did I wear when getting up at 5.30 in the morning to be ready for this breakfast appointment?  Well, I was told last minute that I needed to wear something “plain” for T.V, and of course it was then I discovered just how little in the way of  “plain” I own these days! I used to have a wardrobe filled with black, but in the last few years I’ve developed a wardrobe that could rival Cindy Lauper’s!  I’d thown my only plain summer black dress into the suitcase last minute, and it certainly came in handy.

Outfit Details:

Dress – Cooper St Clothing  Cardigan – Katies

Stockings- Skin tone Fishnets     Shoes – Luca & Marc

Bow – Arielle Antionette    Braclet – Diva

Bag – Sexy But Cute (! Amazing Thai designer brand I found in Bangkok)

The outfit stood me in good stead as not only was it comfortable and slick, but it then went on to handle and entire day of shopping, eating, touring and more drinks. Which gave me a moments giggle when at about 1am the next morning sitting in a bar with friends, someone said to me, “OMG I saw you on TV this morning!” and all I could think to say was, “Thank you… I can’t believe I’m still wearing the same outfit!”

Here is a look at the Morning Show interview.

Meet Miss Kika – the Sweetest of the Sweet!

Liz Lorini is the talent behind popular design and illustration creation Miss Kika. You may have seen her work around the web, in magazines and books – my favorite, Little Book of Kawaii. In fact it isn’t possible to call yourself an Afficionado of the Kawaii and not have seen her work! From Fashion to Freelance, Gallery Pieces to Vinyl Toys- Liz Lorini is a Queen of Cute - You can even have Miss Kika grace your iPhone! But there is more to this sugar sweet artist than meets the eye. Liz kindly took time away from her coloured pencils and strawberry tea to share a little more about herself with you all.

 You’re a woman after my own heart, inspired by pop imagery and Japanese cartoons. When do you recall as first feeling the strong pull towards this style of illustration and how did that come about?
I think I always was pulled to it, it was what I enjoyed, admired,  and just ended up drawing when I had the choice to do what I wanted!  As young as I can remember I was doodling around sparkle girls like lady lovely locks and what-not, so  it never really popped into my mind to draw anything else.  My 3rd year of college I had a bit of an “ah-hah!” moment and realized just what direction to take it to on a professional level though…what clients to pursue and such.

Were you a hoarder as a child, collecting packages, catalogues and the like?
Haha yes! I held on to lots of little scraps and tidbits with things I liked, also had way too many stickers that I just HAD to keep, but did not want to use!

Miss Macaroon - a glice print created for her solo show

How you do manage your collection of inspirational pieces?
Right now I am trying to work in sets, so I will go with a theme and inspiration and base a collection around that.  Its nice because it makes me feel like I have these little worlds of colors and themes I have planned out and can jump back into at any time. 

How did you make the transition from formal study to a business in illustration? Was this a daunting process?
It was a little confusing at first, and in a way just kind of happened and I embraced  and ran with it!  When you draw in school it can be a very controlled environment, so once I was finished I sat down and had to kind of retrain my brain to just go for whatever the heck I felt like….the result of which was a set of uber saturated  candy girl pinups!  I had a lot of fun just letting go and doing whatever I wanted, and when I posted them online the response was so warm that I just kept on doing it. 

Victoria

Does the aesthetic displayed in your work carry over to your personal sense of style?
I guess, I like a lot of color and everyone that knows me can usually guess pretty quickly what item in a store I am going to race over and ogle at!  I wish I was a little more ambitious with my personal style though, crazy color overload fruits fashion or rainbow hair with 100 cute hair clips! Haha!!  Sadly I’m a little more on the boring side I suppose!

Do you feel an affinity for any popular anime character on a personal level?
I have always loved Makino from Hana yori dango!  Since I was 13 she has always been my favorite character~  that could have something to do with her being the first character I ever saw flip the middle finger at another. lol

Is there any part of your daily life you’d like to see more creative flare in but just haven’t managed it yet?
Cooking and baking for sure!  I would love to be able to make lovely cakes or homemade cookies and decorate them Martha style!  I have been meaning to take some cake decorating classes to learn how to do icing things like flowers…. I should make that my new year’s resolution…..right after buying an electric mixer. Hehe.

Dottie Domestic

What is your cure all for a “blue day”? Strawberry tea and window shopping

Is there a talent you wish you had?  I wish I could sing well!!!  I wish that almost every day, because I sing almost every day in the car or shower off-tune!

With the demands of your various projects, professional and personal, do you ever find yourself getting “creative burn out” and how do you deal with this? I do get like that sometimes, usually after doing a bunch of pieces or projects in a row that I really did not enjoy or feel like working on… and in freelance you always have a few projects that are boring, but you must press through.  Sometimes to bring myself out of it I will try and work on some new sets of work, maybe plan them out and get excited and pumped.  Other times when I am just totally 100% burnt out with art I will try and take a week or two to step away…. Maybe go get a haircut, watch some shows I like, just kind of get out of the office and do something nice for me.  That usually snaps me out of it pretty good as well!

Hail Rainbow

 

 

 

If you could give three pieces of advice to your future 40 year old self, what would you say to her?

1. Don’t forget how to enjoy quiet moments by yourself drawing and dreaming
2. Get more sleep!  I don’t sleep enough now…and Im sure I will not at 40 as well!
3. Take care of yourself…. No more cake at 1am while you are working!

Sweet Rococo

And if all that isn’t enough eye candy for one day, you can visit Miss Kika for free downloadable Wallpapers, icons and all kinds of goodies… but beware once you find her shop your new cuteness factor should come with a warning label!

Usually Melbourne Cup Day rolls around for me in a flurry of tulle skirts and frippery. It is a day filled with sun, champagne and far too much food. However, this year I skipped the formal festivities in favour of a very quiet day spent with my family. I’m still recovering from a lack of sleep and too many parties in the last few weeks, and am dragging myself around with a head cold and a strong desire not to change out of my pajamas. But being the girl I am, going to lunch in my pajamas just wouldn’t do, so instead I opted for an incredibly simple, comfortable outfit that was the next best thing.

Outfit Details:

Shirt -super soft cotton from Traceinny.com blog shop         Wide Leg Pants – Living Doll

Summer Wedges – Wittner    Swarovski Bracelet

Hat – vintage 1950’s Men’s straw fedora

It certainly didn’t have the usual fanciness quotient, but it was great for napping on the couch!

Yep – It was THAT MUCH FUN!

In Australia we don’t really “do” Halloween. But with our T.V channels filled with entertainment from the USA, the girls have well and truly developed an expectation of carved pumpkins on every corner.  I had big plans this year and lots of parties to attend, but in the end I opted to help make them some magic at home instead. So we delved into the dress up box and created something for each of us. Yep, that’s right – we can knock together a Halloween outfit with no planning in ten minutes in this family!!

Happy Halloween All!

Half the fun of traveling is who you travel with, so hanging out with bloggers the entire time gave the weekend a completely different vibe.  It isn’t just about what you see, but how you see it – and we all ‘get’ each other. We ‘get’ that you have to stop for ten minutes while one of the group gets the perfect light to photograph the paint peeling off the building. We ‘get’ that there will be conversational references to Tweeting at least every five minutes. And we ‘get’ that everything from the curl of a lettuce leaf to hotel slippers is the chance for a photo op!

Above- Posing it up with Violet Le Beaux and Erica from Girl With a Satchel

Going to the Mint Museum of Toys saw me rekindle many an old love. From my first boyfriend (oh Astro – how I love you!) to reminiscences over Strawberry Shortcake, Bonzo the Dog, Snow White and a host of other childhood heros.

The historical architecture really captures the imagination, and I found myself imagining midnight assignations on dark street corners, James Bond style. Dark glasses and shifty looks are about all you’ll get though as Singapore is one of the safest cities I’ve ever been too! I had no hesitation wandering the streets well passed midnight in a city where people were honest, helpful and incredibly orderly. Even queuing for a taxi was an exercise in efficiency!

You know I don’t go in for typical tourist attire, and the key to success in dressing well for any trip is in the planning. The days were hot and humid, neither friendly to the hair nor the skin tone – so measures must be taken. I picked light, breathable dresses; cute and comfortable walking shoes; and of course the all important parasol! Not only to keep cool but also I find that wearing sunscreen when it is really humid makes you hotter and stickier. So I stuck to sunscreen on the face only and relied on the parasol and a beautiful vintage fan to keep the ‘glow’ under control.

It wouldn’t have been a visit to Singapore without a visit to Dr Fish – the Pedicure and Massage all in one!  These guys are amazing. After having the days dust washed from your feet, they are plunged into what amounts to a large aquarium, only to be voraciously descended upon by hundreds of hungry fish mouths! Seriously, these little guys go nuts. The water froths and bubbles as they fight for a space on your skin and start nibbling away! It wasn’t nearly as scary as it sounds and to me it felt like one of those little electric pulse massages… but there was one male blogger (who shall remain nameless) whom I heard tell “squealed like a girl” the whole time! Personally, I’d love to have a tank of these at home for relief after those long days, but the temptation would be to leave my legs in half the night and possibly remove only stumps later on! *joking!*

It was all good clean fun, especially sneaking out after the Blog Awards to Clinic – a hospital themed bar – where the Australian bloggers showed the rest just how a celebration is done! I’m keeping this post PG 13 – So no more pics on that one! But check out the link to see just how awesome this place is!

The food was altogether great. Diverse, fast, inexpensive and an adventure all in one! Even though there is just so much to eat and try, I think if I lived in Singapore I’d still end up loosing weight, as the humidity doesn’t encourage you to eat heavy sweets or desserts. Perhaps that is why so much of the fashion is not built for my.. well let’s call it “bone structure”!  But it has put me in the perfect mood for summer fruit plates, fresh juices and balmy evening walks. Did I have a favorite? Well I made short work of the steamed dumplings, lost count of how many young coconut milks I drank, and anything with red beans and shaved ice was a winner!

Going to dinner with bloggers is an exercise in patience and restraint. If you think you can eat when your food arrives, you have another thing coming. Better not dive right in or you might loose an arm as a food blogger vies for photo perfect position!As Mr.SKM laughed at the time, “you have food bloggers photographing the food, tech bloggers photographing their cameras and fashion bloggers photographing what they are wearing!”

Above left to right – Mr Gadget, Michael Aulia and Chocolate Suze.

Even in amongst the 48 hour schedules, the tours and shopping – Singapore was still a relaxing and romantic getaway.  Who would have thought that you could be ensconced in a hotel with over 90 bloggers from different countries and still have the time and privacy to make eyes at each other? ^-^

Stay tuned for even more fun and frivolity coming your way in the next episode of Super Kawaii Mama takes Singapore!

A huge THANK YOU to Nuffnang and Uniquely Singapore for making this happen!

Official photos courtesy of Mike Yip

As most of you will know by now, I headed off to Singapore last Thursday as a guest of Nuffnang and a finalist in the Best Fashion Blog category.  The finalist were chosen by a panel of industry judges from 13,000 nominees, so needless to say, being one of the five finalists was a HUGE honor!

The Asia Pacific region is comprised of bloggers from all across Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines and Australia. It was a great thrill to see Australia so well represented in the categories as compared to the population of bloggers in the other countries, we are tiny in comparison. But even in a crowd that big, it was easy to pick the Australian’s – we were the ones that kept partying all night!

After reaching Singapore at 1am Friday, we hit the hay in the hope of getting a little beauty sleep before the big night. I have to say, that with all the excitement, sleep was not an easy thing to get for the entire trip and I subsequently handled Friday and Saturday as a 48 hour straight adventure!

Getting ready for these events is half the fun, and even more fun when you get to do it with a friend. I was thrilled to finally meet up in person with Erica Bartle from Girl With a Satchel and Violet Le Beaux, so after a big breakfast we hit the shops to warm up the credit cards and indulge in a relaxing pedicure. These girls are just so much fun, and we really hit it off. Running around Zara, finding the perfect pieces for one another and making a significant dent in the budget in the first half hour! (See the evidence here!)Then it was back to the rooms for naps, facials, hair and makeup.

With Violet Le Beaux and Erica from Girl With a Satchel

Putting an outfit together for the night required a lot of planning.  Not only in deciding what to wear in such a hot and humid climate, but how to handle the frizz factor of the humidity.  I’d planned to set my hair and had come prepared with all the rollers, pins and lotion.  But after stepping out of the plane that first night, I realized that unless I planned to go with a wild a crazy look, the humidity was not going to be my friend.  So I quickly changed that plan and opted for a sleek French roll with a ton of spray to keep it together.

I have to say a huge thank you to Circa Vintage Clothing for my amazing shell pink, duchess satin earl 1940’s gown and Mr SKM’s delicious cravat. It certainly helped to amp up the glam factor of the evening, and you know me, I couldn’t possibly just go for a little black dress for such an occasion! I paired it with my Great Grandmother’s necklace, and a 1960’s silver lame evening bag – so it was a total mix of eras but I think it was a success.

Arriving at the awards was a somewhat humbling moment. Entering a throng of bloggers and guests over 400 strong, via the red carpet was both exhilarating and surreal. I don’t think I’ve ever had my photo taken so much in my life and after about five minutes was beginning to feel just how big the scale of this event was. Coming from Australia where blogging is not yet the widely recognized phenomenon that it is in other parts of the world, it was overwhelming to meet so many people who knew us and what we did. If you tell most people here in Australia that you are a blogger you’ll most likely be met with a quizzical look, or in one case a response of, “Is that like someone who cuts down trees dear?” So yes, wow…!

The night went off with a bang. Delicious dinners, local celebrities, bands, magicians, T.V crews; the works. And then we reached the part of the night that everyone was itching to get to – the Final Announcements! This is the part of the evening in which I couldn’t stop beaming. As the winners were announced, it became clear that the Australian bloggers were punching above their weight, taking out awards in three categories! The Best Parenting Blog Award went to Childhood 101 from Perth, The Best Tech Blog went to Mr Gadget from Melbourne, and the Best Fashion Blog went to none other than Lady Melbourne from right here in my own city!

I also want to give a special congratulations to my lovely Singaporean friend Xia Xue who took out not one but Three awards – for Most Original Blog Design, Most Influential Blogger and Region’s Best Blogger! Truly, the whole thing was amazing, and as was said many times during the evening, everyone came away a winner. When you consider just how many blogs were nominated by readers (over 13,000), to make it to the finals in each category was no mean feat.

For me the memorable moments of the evening were meeting some of my favorite international bloggers, being able to represent Australia with such a talented and delightful group of bloggers, and… being able to pose for photos with MR SKM in a suit! I haven’t seen him in a suit since our wedding day so this was indeed a night to remember!

I have so many pictures and so much to share with you about this trip that I’m going to break it up into a little series of travel log posts.  I had hoped to do this along the way in real time, but doing it from home now means I have much more to show and tell.

So stick with me, tell a friend and enjoy a bloggers adventures in the East!