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Dress: Anthea Crawford chiffon, satin
Wedges: Jo Mercer leather, espadrille rope
Bag: Pigeonhole leather
Brooch: Gift, handmade leather, suede
Cuff: Wallace Bishop silver
Bracelet: Oxfam silver
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Finally sharing all the pictures from a day spent traipsing around my favourite local antique shops (an "antique crawl" if you will...) with my younger brother after months & months of social distancing/lockdown/isolation, stopping not only for brunch at Teneriffe's inimitable Brio Breakfast Cafe & a cheeky little afternoon treat at a newfound gastronomic treasure, wine & cheese bar The Old Seven at Camp Hill... It's safe to say that I'm going back ASAP to try one of their signature gourmet toasted sandwiches... For the occasion, I donned the new Lindsay Georgette Dress from Anthea Crawford with its floaty shape, black satin lining, elastic waistband & thin tie belt in a moody brown, tan & blush pink floral print reminiscent of the celebrated Australian artist himself. If you read this blog regularly or follow my Instagram, you'll probably already know how much I adore Norman Lindsay paintings & own quite a few of his prints including my all-time favourites, Atlantis (1925) & Spring (1926), so finding this gorgeous dress was quite a treat. I've styled it up for the weekend with a pair of black leather & natural rope espadrille wedges from Jo Mercer, a black leather handbag from Pigeonhole to carry all the essentials (hand sanitiser, face mask) with a beautiful handmade leather eucalyptus leaf brooch that my brother & sister in law brought back from a recent trip to South Australia, a silver cuff from Wallace Bishop on one arm & a thin, silver hinged bangle from Oxfam Shop on the other, purchased for my high school formal nearly twenty years ago & still very much loved & worn.
Scroll down for a peek at how the day unfolded...
Brio Breakfast Cafe has the best brunch menu in Brisbane, as far as I'm concerned!
This is the Aubergine Bruschetta which is paprika seasoned eggplant & avocado on rye bread with tomatoes, tahini dressing & sesame oil.. with a side of hash browns because, quite frankly, I just couldn't resist! Not pictured: Bananarama, the best banana smoothie in Brisbane - I think it's something to do with the combination of icy cold milk, honey & peanut paste in addition to the banana.
First Stop: New Farm Antique Centre
Under new management after the sale/retirement of what I always referred to as "the old guard" but still wonderful, if more clothing & accessories than there used to be. Literally THE BEST place to go for something completely eclectic, off-the-wall & unique. I once saw an antique ventrioloquist dummy there & for some ridiculous reason (probably price, if I'm honest) I didn't buy it... & regret it to this very day...
Second Stop: Southside Antiques
Parking can be a pain & there's no toilet if you're coming from far away (you can run across the road to the library or the pub if you're desperate, trust me) but it's worth it. Upstairs is extremely orderly, with everything crockery/ceramic in "alike" sections, behind glass & totally devoid of the usual layer of dust that often accompanies vintage shopping while downstairs is more of a hodge-podge of large pieces & cheaper items that require a rummage-through to find hidden treasures. Be sure to check out the comic book store just down the street for some amazing retro editions at great prices & also the Lifeline store next door, which has some awesome vintage clothing & costumes that you can't find many other places.
The Old Seven was a pleasant surprise - great food, great service. After filling up on brunch earlier, I wasn't able to try out the toasted sandwiches (opting instead for a Lemon Meringue Pie & Iced Coffee) but will be back...
Third Stop: Camp Hill Antique Centre
Seriously my happy place... even if the selfie above doesn't make it seem that way; I'd literally just walked up a steep hill from where we parked the car in the stifling Queensland heat... Yes, the parking situation is abysmal but if you don't mind driving around until a spot opens up or hiking for a bit after parking outside someone's house, it's definitely worth it. Row upon row of amazing vintage from a myriad of different sellers at all different price points. It's a vintage lover's browsing dream, particularly if you're into vinyl... it's a treasure trove of hard-to-find albums from the 60s, 70s & 80s.
