Sydney
SOPHIE FALKINER'S EIGHTIES PARTY
TV presenter Sophie Falkiner has always loved the eighties, and for her 41 st birthday she brought them to life in all their lurid, fluoro, stonewashed, lycra, permed glory.
Lucy Zelic poses for a photo during the Sydney FC 10 Year Anniversary Lunch at Allianz Stadium. Photo: Brett Hemmings
birthday she brought them to life in all their lurid, fluoro, stonewashed, lycra, permed glory. Her bash at eighties-themed Bondy's in the CBD was a joint affair with mate Damon Downey , and highlights included a muscleman in teeny pants on the bar, flexing in time to a non-stop soundtrack of eighties hits. Spotted were TV vet Katrina Warren as one of Robert Palmer's Irresistible guitar girls, Falkiner as Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman , two Tom Cruises from Risky Business in just their Y-fronts, a Charlene from Neighbours in full wedding garb and Fitzy and Wippa in pleather, gold and dodgy wigs.
Party people
Here's a rundown of last week's events in and around Sydney and Melbourne. Photo: Kai Godeck
SPECTRUM NOW IN CONVERSATION WITH JEFFREY TAMBOR
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When Golden Globe winning Arrested Development and Transparent actor Jeffrey Tambor joined Spectrum Now creative director Richard Roxburgh for a chat, it was bound to be fascinating. The accomplished pair came together for Spectrum Now's In Conversation With event presented by ANZ in partnership with Stan, at City Recital Hall, Angel Place, providing a rare opportunity to see two immense talents exchange views.
LITTLE JEAN OPENING
Double Bay just keeps getting better. The invigorated suburb's latest foodie gem is Little Jean, from the team behind the nearby Golden Sheaf's bistro: chef Christopher Stockdale and manager Jeanette Woerner . Guests included My Kitchen Rules' Manu Feildel , Good Chef, Bad Chef's Zoe Bingley-Pullin and Woollahra Mayor Toni Zeltzer .
SYDNEY FC TENTH ANNIVERSARY LUNCH
A party on a football pitch ��� why not? After all, this was a grand occasion: ten years of Sydney FC, Sydney's original A League team. Their home ground, Allianz Stadium, was transformed by a 50m blue carpet across the turf to a banquet table stretching from penalty box to penalty box. Guests included FFA Chairman Frank Lowy , Sydney FC owner David Traktovenko , chairman Scott Barlow and his wife Alina , Destination NSW CEO Sandra Chipchase , Anthony Bell and Kelly Landry-Bell , plus Sydney FC head coach Graham Arnold and plenty of players old and new.
GANTRY BAR OPENING
This gorgeous new restaurant and bar at Pier One Sydney Harbour was filled with celebs for its opening night. Rachel Griffith was among more than 200 guests joining hotel owner Robert Magid for cocktails by bar manager Ben Taouss and sample dishes from executive chef Chris Irving .
Melbourne
TIFFANY & CO NATIONAL DESIGNER AWARD
What we fill our eyes with is what we fill our minds with; the images we allow to surround us reflecting both who we are and who we wish to become. On Monday at the Tiffany & Co National Designer Award, part of the Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival, we were intrigued to find out from finalists, from the women whose designs filled our eyes, Virginia Martin - bùl, Emma Mulholland , Beth and Tessa MacGraw ��� macgraw, Ingrid Verner - Verner, and the night's winners, Amanda Cumming and Kate Reynolds of PAGEANT, what pictures covered the walls of your bedroom growing up?
"Jonathan Taylor Thomas [ Home Improvement ] did star on my wall when I was a young teen," Cumming said. "But then as I got older I had pages torn out of fashion magazines and artwork, things I had created myself, and song lyrics and CD covers. I loved Bjork so much."
And for Reynolds? "A whole lot of hip-hop and rap lyrics from TV Hits magazine. I would cut out the lyrics from all the girl bands, TLC, Destiny's Child . . ." Salt-N-Pepa? "Yeah! I went to their concert when I was in grade four, my mum took me. There were these strippers on stage with elephant jocks. I was just like, this is amazing! That was my whole sex education - Salt-N-Pepa and 90s R&B music."
THE GRAND SHOWCASE FEATURING JOSH GOOT
On Thursday night at Central Pier at Docklands, part of VAMFF, it wasn't just any showcase it was The Grand Showcase featuring Josh Goot . As guests arrived we wanted to know, what did you think was impossibly grand when you were young?
"A dress that my mother had," Sevan Manjikian said. "It was puffy and bright pink and I thought it was so fancy and grand because it was so big. She got it made; I think it was her engagement dress."
Estelle Michaelides , too, needed to look no further than her mum: "My mother's wardrobe. I was so overwhelmed by all the colour and the sequins it just seemed so grand." Did you have a favourite piece? "Her fur coat, fox, I think, in a tan, full length. I would wear it and I would waltz around."
"My grandmother's satin duvet," said the festival's CEO Graeme Lewsey . "It was really pillowy and comfy and it was massive and it was very shiny and I just wanted to lie on it." What colour was it? "Maroon. Colour of the season!"
NATIONAL GRADUATE SHOWCASE REHEARSAL
In the beginning, in the middle and still at the end there is the way you see yourself and the way others perceive you . . . but it is perhaps most marked at the start. On Thursday at Central Pier we were privy to beginnings ��� the National Graduate Showcase rehearsal featuring the work of 12 gifted fashion graduates ��� and we wondered, how have other people described your work?
"That it's really bonkers and maybe too much," Sofie Teh said. How would you describe it? "Probably the same but I wouldn't say it that way. It's fun, over-the-top, a bit spontaneous, quirky. It's fun to wear."
"The weirdest thing someone said to me was that it was all about sex, which I don't get at all, but that was fine," said Megan McGrath . "To me it's really over-the-top and intense but it's also masculine and intimidating."
"Someone said mine was like giant mushrooms or toadstools, fantasy, and I was, like, 'Awesome!'" Vanessa Emirian replied. What is it to you? "Just, yeah, big balls of puffy pink; I think they kind of look like marshmallows."