Prosecco Is Sparkling This Summer

I won’t lie to you, I am a Prosecco novice. I recall trying this light sparkling drop a couple of years ago by chance and being impressed, yet I haven’t ordered it since. I have recently read a number of references to Prosecco being the next big thing so I decided to educate myself in ways of this Italian varietal and discover what the fuss is all about. 

The King Valley region of north east Victoria is the predominant region in Australia for growing and producing Prosecco. While the grapes have only been growing for a few years, the producers were lucky in planting Prosecco where they did. The fresh alpine air and mountainous conditions are perfect for the grape.

But the Italian wine industry got wind of the Prosecco coming out of regions like the King Valley and questioned whether people outside Italy have the right to call their Prosecco Prosecco, similar to the Champagne industry in France. Unfortunately for the Italian producers, prosecco is a grape as opposed to a region, so the Australian examples are allowed to call themselves by the traditional name.

Taking it one step further, the King Valley producers – Chrismont, Brown Brothers, Dal Zotto and Sam Miranda have collaborated to develop a regionally branded bottle to use for their own bottling. Keep your eyes out for some wonderful King Valley branded Prosecco releases coming soon, as well as some exciting cellar door activities to celebrate the launch of the collaborative project.

So what does it taste like? Well, very similar to Champagne in a basic sense but has lighter bubbles with apple and pear tones. The standout favourite of all the Prosecco I tried was Chrismont 2008 La Zona Prosecco ($26). Delicate bubbles, very clean and crisp taste with a dry finish, I just wanted more of this delight. So much so, that I bought a bottle then and there and shared it with friends at the very first opportunity.

A very close second was the Dal Zotto 2008 L’Immigrante Prosecco Sparkling ($36).  Interestingly, Dal Zotto produce their Prosecco using the champenoise method rather than the traditional Italian charmat method. This makes the bubbles slightly less delicate but the apple and pear flavour shines through reinstating any lightness it may have lost.

Just to make sure I was comparing apples with apples (or grapes with grapes!) I decided I had to reacquaint myself with the original Italian Prosecco. I decided the Bele Casel 2008 Prosecco ($26) was the one for me and I loved it! Bele Casel is a small winery and is renowned as the best source of Prosecco in the Valdobbiadene region. At $26, it is a great value sparkling for any occasion.

This summer, whichever Prosecco you choose, make sure you enjoy it with good friends and family and it will taste even better! 


Image courtesy Sam Miranda Wines. 

Is fast fashion killing your world?

When was the last time you stopped to think about where your $29.95 t-shirt came from? Or perhaps thought about what happens to your $40 shoes when you turf them out after a few trots around the block?

In the past women bought shoes and clothing to last, paying a little more for longer lasting quality. Now in our current retail environment we are increasingly being encouraged to purchase items to only wear once or twice before turfing them into the fashion abyss. It’s very easy to block from your consciousness thinking about where this fashion abyss may be, but it’s closer than you think - it’s landfill filling up your local tip and having a devastating effect on the environment. 

The environment is the hot topic of the moment, it’s hip to be green - the celebs are paying big bucks for specialists to eco-makeover their lives and websites such as ecorazzi.com are popping up as  gossip sites documenting celebrity green habits. Ironically it’s fashionable to be an environmentalist but fast fashion is currently not even close to being an environmentally friendly endeavour.  Retailers such as Primark and H&M in the UK, Gap in the US and closer to home low price retailers such as Sportsgirl and Supre all encourage women to purchase more than they need and promote a high turnover in both a woman’s wardrobe and their coffers. 

Lets start at the beginning of the production process. Inspiration is drawn from the catwalks of Europe and quickly reinterpreted by buyers and designers working for the high turnover retailers. Production is a fast affair, time is of the essence to beat their fellow retailers in getting their  version in store. Cheaper materials are sourced with cost being the primary focus, not the environment. Fabric may have been woven in substandard factories, transported by older trucks with fuel inefficiencies and via ships or planes damaging our atmosphere through high carbon emissions. Once the clothing reaches the store, the focus is on volume, moving as much stock as possible. Buy one get one free, second pair half price, 50% off…all familiar chants bombarding us as we move through the stores. 

We have all been there, bought three tops in three different colours, worn them a few times and then relegated them to ‘back of the wardrobe’ status. Value isn’t placed on the items making them easily forgettable. More expensive clothing however has a greater decision making buy in…how many times have you calculated the cost per wear before stepping to the register? The value is there, you treasure the item and have a connection with it and the designer it has come from. 

So what is the answer? Although our dream wardrobes may perhaps have less clothes but of greater quality, in reality it is a woman’s prerogative to want to be a fashion chameleon – sharp suiting one day, casual comfort the next. In the future we will be seeing a greater emphasis placed on green clothing, not just in the materials used but the production processes that are followed. There will be even more focus on re-use and recycling of clothing, particularly the low-cost high-volume gear that is clogging up our garbage tips. 

And what can you do? Be more strategic with your wardrobe, plan your purchases and put a little more thought into buying a couple of great tailored shirts and dresses that turn heads due to their quality and cut, rather than 5 cheaper alternatives that don’t have that classic staying power. And when you get bored, swap with your girlfriends. The environment will thank you for it! 

Deluxe: How luxury lost its lustre

Bernard Arnault meet LVMH, LVMH meet....your future. Luxury was the bastion of the wealthy and the famous, built up over time from the traditional French and Italian artisan families of the 17th and 18th centuries. Until Arnault. He singlehandedly orchestrated the purchase of one of the grandaddies of them all, Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey and has since transformed it into a shareholders dream, enveloping some of the big players into the house along the way. Exploring behind the scenes at Chanel, Hermes, LVMH, Fendi, Celine, Marc Jacobs...Dana Thomas takes the reader on a journey through the industry and leaves no stone unturned.  

Thomas' access to luxury is astounding and the interviews and commentary provided in this book is an education. Thomas explores everything from the production of luxury goods through to the psychology behind why consumers are so driven to own even a small piece of the dream. Be careful though, Thomas will change the way you yearn after a Chanel tote or Fendi baguette, or a spray of your favourite designer perfume. It won't quite have the same shiny appeal again. 

DO: To Bogan Or Not To Bogan?

I have a confession to make. Not like the confession I made last month when I let you all into my cheap fashion secrets, namely that I love a good Sussan sale rack. This is far worse. Far, far worse!

I recently nicked one of my Mum’s nighties, pale pink with flowers embroidered across the chest, a billowing expanse of cotton resting just below the knee. Now that may not sound so bad but I have taken to wearing it with my ankle high ugg boots and a long cream cardigan, looking exactly like I have been reincarnated as bogan version of Madge from Neighbours circa 1987. All I need are the Winnie Blues and some rollers in my hair.

So I began thinking, am I the only one that feels like this, the only one who takes comfort in wearing the clothes of bygone bogans? Apparently not. After chatting with my girlfriends over the weekend, they all agreed there is nothing more satisfying that putting on the Bonds singy, slipping into the faded navy trackies and slumming it at home. One girlfriend went so far as to tell me she even wears a big flannie around the house, sans knickers but that’s another column!

Now up until this point there is nothing wrong with donning a bluey, some tight jeans and cracking open a Veebs after work, but some people have decided that their guilty pleasure need no longer be so guilty and they are unleashing it on the streets of Australia with a vengeance.

About two years ago we began to see flannelettes trickling in to the high street stores and at first I thought they were a bit cool. A hark back to my childhood. But this simple item has now evolved into a whole fashion subculture of it’s own…. it’s a classic look I like to call vintage bogan.

High waisted stonewashed jeans carefully selected from the range at Salvos coupled with a loose white manstyle shirt and vintage 80’s style glasses complete the look for women. For men, it’s ridiculously tight black jeans and flannelette shirts. I am just waiting to see a pair of Tencel jeans about on the streets and then I know I will have seen it all….in fact I overheard a friend mentioning the denim party she wants to hold, laying down the challenge to her guests to find the most hideous illustration of denim possible. My Tencel’s might get a run again!

But in all of this satire, there is a real trend here, but as the mantra goes “not all at once”! Nudie are producing fantastic examples of high waisted denim jeans at the moment, but rather than a tucked in flannie, why not try an American Apparel white tee or a little stripey boatneck and some strong geometric beads. For guys, the flannie is ok, but maybe try a fitted version with a sneaky little waistcoat and tan laceups to add a bit of class.

My final piece of advice….if you must get into bringing out your inner bogan, I give 10 points to the person that purchases and finishes a carton of West Coast Coolers, in my eyes you are a God!

Geoffrey J. Finch Has Flown the Coop

Toowoomba is not the most likely place to start a fashion career, but it’s not surprising given the dominant theme running through Geoffrey J. Finch’s life seems to be embracing the offbeat and breaking the mould. As the son of a farmer and a dressmaker, 25 year old Finch recognised early on that boys in country Queensland are definitely not brought up to be fashion designers and cites his childhood as one that has developed a great sense of determination. ‘In a design sense I’m so glad I grew up in Australia – it brings a unique irreverence, pragmatism and casual elegance to my work.’

Finch’s label Ant!podium, of which he is Creative Director, began it’s life in 2003 as a London based retail store, PR and wholesale agency for Australian and New Zealand fashion and has now evolved into a stand alone womenswear label with over 100 stockists in 11 countries...pretty good for a boy from the bush. Ant!podium’s first collection raised the eyebrows of British Vogue and his team decided to get serious about their leap into designing their own line for both an overseas audience as well as back home in Australia.

Aiming to crack the Australian market as an ex-pat has not been without its critics. Finch says it had been hard trying to get his buyers to understand what Ant!podium was aiming to achieve by being abroad, but the market has warmed to his deceptively simple aesthetic, obsessive attention to detail and a eye for quirk, particularly evident in product names such as ‘No Romance Without Finance’, ‘Frilled To Meet You’ and the latest collection ‘Beyond the Pleasuredome’. When asked about his unofficial status as an Australian fashion ambassador in London he responds, ‘We seem to have developed this reputation – we really just like to support friends who are doing great things’, not without it’s pitfalls though he goes on to say, ‘this can result in my flat being a half way house from time to time!’

Like most creatives, Finch draws inspiration from a wide variety of sources but his constant inspiration is his friends. ‘My friends are my biggest inspiration – they are always so thoroughly modern! I love creating clothes for them and their lifestyles whether they are in Melbourne, New York, London, Tokyo, Paris etc.’

And what of the future for Finch and Ant!podium? Already he is branching out into different realms such as the famous East London ‘No Romance’ club nights, The Ant!podium magazine and a few other as yet unmentionable collaborations on the boil. Personally, Finch would like to branch into menswear and accessories and put together a novelty underwear range, no doubt with all the cheekiness he can muster. In any case, the future is looking as bright as can be for this young Australian designer as he literally takes on the world.

Fauxhemian – the wrath of the leather headband and other questionable trends

Sienna Miller has a whole lot to answer for. One minute she is a messy looking blonde hanging about with Jude Law, the next she is bohemian style icon, successfully illustrating that gladiator sandals and leather headbands can only look good on about 1% of the population. Had Sienna chosen to date the rough loking guy from Notting Hill earlier in her career (read: had Sienna chosen not to take the high profile boyfriend fast track to fame and gone the artsy low road) then we may have been saved from her inspiring the rest of the female population to load up on full length peasant skirts and low slung belts.

A few years down the track this style has now taken on a life of it’s own and morphed into what I like to call the fauxhemian…you know the type, she’s about, like, 17 and, like, Sportsgirl is like, awesome, that’s where I got my new leather headband, like, like yours? The hair is long and messy but coiffed, the skin is tanned, the friends are many and the clothes are boho, everything about them says they are on the express route to Nimbin but the reality is that you know they will be heading straight home to their public servant non-boho parents in Farrer, told to put a brush through their hair and get some homework done so they can eventually get into uni and become a responsible pen-pusher.

Although it would be easy to blame Sienna for the rise in fauxhoism and leave it at that, your chains like Sportsgirl, Supre and Just Jeans are currently jampacked with all your faux-ho needs – leather head bands, gladiator sandals, floaty summer singlets and slouchy bags.

So you are probably wondering what does this woman have against faux-hos? Nothing. In fact, I think what they are doing is on the right track but perhaps just wearing one or two of the pieces not the whole gamut might serve these ladies better. Imagine this on a summer night – a great pair of dark denim jeans, a colourful floaty top showing off a great faux tan, metallic leather flats and great pair of sparkly earrings to top it all off. Or perhaps my favourite faux-ho item put to good use witnessed last week in Melbourne, black ankle high gladiator sandals with black toeless tights underneath, all covered with a long sleeve black shift dress. Great look.

And this summer you will also start to see the faux-ho look progress into American Indian influenced jewellery and accessories – think turquoise and coral earrings, large statement necklaces and plenty of fringing. As we begin to move into winter this trend will continue with moccasin fringed booties and heavy alpaca knits teamed with tights or skinny jeans. But I want you to promise me one thing….please don’t bring back your poncho!