BusyBee

BB hopped along tonight as the guest of Festival Sponsor Gage Roads Brewing Co. ( very nice beer!) to the PFF Next Generation Parade, which showcased some of WA’s finest new designers - ‘the future of fashion’ as MC Patti Chong called them. I would have to say that if they are the future of fashion, we could be in for an interesting ride. I will give some leniency to the designer from Paper, Scissors, Frock who showcased some beautiful shirts, with intricate detail, which were obviously made for the catwalk, not real life, as they were made of a very fine paper. You wouldn’t want to spill a mouthful of the wagamama noodles on offer tonight on those outfits! Can’t wait until she moves from paper to frocks!

For those sun-conscious, fashion loving beach babes, I saw the sexiest, most wearable and practical rashie ever in the collection from Jungle Mama. I gotta get me one of those!

Silk en Silk offered beautiful gossamer numbers that looked too fragile and delicate to wear for anything but an uber-special occasion, they were just so gorgeous and light.

I had a very nervous moment when models dressed in black, full body lycra leotards strode down the catwalk. Surely this was not a trend that modern women would seriously entertain? Even in black, they are incredibly unforgiving. Thank goodness I realised ( and not a moment too soon) that they were actually modelling Jewellery by Shattered! It is a shame I was so overcome with horror at the thought that lycra catsuits were back in, that I couldn’t focus on the apparently gorgeous necklaces the models were sporting!

The parade was opened by fashion from Follow Me Menswear, and the trend here was definitely retro. Beige sportscoat with dark pants, Scuffs (my Dad will be really happy!), Duran Duran/romantic hairstyles and pretty boy looks. A lot of serious pouting. Somehow, I can’t see the high-bouffant-long-hair-pulled-in-at-the-ears-with-a-bobby-pin look being a HUGE hit with the fella’s this summer, but what would I know?

Patti Chong, who is now a well-known fashion icon, was dressed by tonight’s showcase young designer Katya. To be perfectly honest, Patti is about half-an-hour too old to wear the see-through dress with a plunging neckline that threatened a ‘wardrobe malfunction’ of the worst kind at any moment . The thigh-high lining  of the skirt, together with that much back lighting on the stage left little to the imagination. Still, I am sure it sent hearts racing in some sectors of the crowd…  However, the rest of the collection from Katya was very impressive, and I am sure we will see a lot more from this label in the years ahead.

Most popular item on the night? The cute little wagamama noodle boxes filled with delicious morsels. The crowd were throwing themselves at the waitstaff to get them. Thank God lycra catsuits aren’t really in…

On Friday night, BB went to The Sapphire Bar in Subiaco for the launch of their new Friday night gig “Fridays are Superfly”, with DJ’s Andy Milne and Rough Soul playing funk and soul music from 8.00 pm. Now, I am the first to admit that my best clubbing days are probably behind me, but next time I want to go out with my girlfirends and have a good boogie in a circle around our handbags, this is where I will be heading. The music was great, you couldn’t help but boogie on the spot if you were taking a break from the dance floor, and there was a big crowd for a Friday night. I can see Friday nights at the ‘Saph’ really taking off! And now that nightclubs are cigarette smoke free inside, you can dance your night away without coughing up a lung. It’s all good.

BB went out for dinner last night with some friends to celebrate a birthday. We thought we would try out Mosman Park’s best kept secret - Twisted Fork on Glyde Street. This cosy little cafe/bistro was packed full, and it would seem from looking around that everyone there knew they were onto a good thing. The menu is short, but not intimidating, and the specials were very enticing. There was a mixture of seafood, game and more traditional fare on offer, and at our table we had just about everything on the menu between us. Entree highlights were the split grilled prawns with Greek salsa from the specials menu, although a few on our table felt the garlic prawns rivalled if not bettered the Gold Standard of Garlic Prawns - those offered at the Witches Cauldron in Subiaco. So that is pretty high praise!

Main course selections were tough, too many good options. BB went with the seared scallops with rosti and beetroot jus. This would have been amazing if not for the fact that the roe was left on the scallops, which I do not enjoy at all. There were superlatives all round for the duck and the fillet of beef with yorkshire pudding.

I do have to say though that we were quite disappointed with the desserts. They sounded great on the menu, but the Jaffa profiteroles on hazelnut ganache were quite dry and were improved by drowning them in the chocolate sauce we took from the rice pudding dish one of our party had ordered. Similarly, the Choc-Vanilla Parfait was heavy and lacklustre.

Having said all that, we had a great night, and would definitely go there again. The atmoshpere is great, the staff were very friendly, food service was prompt without being intrusive, and our bill came to $65 / head, which included three courses, beer, corkage and a tip, which we all deemed good value. Try it yourself and let me know what you think.

For goodness sake Victoria, put some clothes on, lay off the botox, smile for once in your life and put something containing calories into that pouty mouth of yours - you look like a cheap plastic doll, and not in a good way….

Well, they tried to deny it when the story first broke, but it seems that when it comes to the Kate Hudson/Owen Wilson romance rumours, where there was smoke there was a raging inferno.

Hudson, who separated from Chris Robinson in August, and Wilson are keeping a relatively low profile – but are spending more time together in the public eye, PEOPLE reports in its new issue.

On Sunday, Wilson visited Hudson and pals at her Pacific Palisades, Calif. house. Then, later that evening, the two shared a patio booth at the Polo Lounge in the Beverly Hills Hotel, where they ordered drinks and, at one point, requested that a bamboo divider be placed around their table for privacy.

The You, Me and Dupree costars had also been spotted the week before in Hawaii, where Hudson, 27, was vacationing with son Ryder, 2. Wilson, 37, stayed at a home nearby, and the pair shared a dinner on Sept. 7 with friends at Longhi’s restaurant.

“The chemistry between (Hudson and Wilson), the electricity, was palpable,” an onlooker tells PEOPLE. “They really looked into each other, despite the fact that they were among other people.”

If LaToya Jackson is Australia’s hottest new celebrity, we are in a lot of trouble. So too are the advertising geniuses who created this particular campaign I suspect.

Well Daahhlings, it is going to be air-kisses all round in the next 10 days as the Perth Fashion Festival kicks off tomorrow. BB will be out and about looking for gossip, but if you have anything juicy to report, please do not hesitate to send it on to me busybee@perthnorg.com.au and I promise I won’t tell anyone…except, well, you know, you guys…

I just read this tasty tidbit here:

What pop star that recently gave birth is in pain apparently after having a mini tummy tuck after her c-section? Sources say she could only have a quarter of an inch taken in because of the danger of having an actual tummy tuck, but she is still in tremendous pain. The new mom is hoping to recover fast and get her bod back in shape ASAP.

Who do you think it could be?!

I was slightly addicted to the American version of ‘the Biggest Loser’ when it aired last year ( mainly because I wanted to see what my trainer would have in store for me next time I went to the gym - he stole lots of ideas from the show). I remember how much Matt Hoover and Suzy Preston hated each other. But after she cut his hair and he saw another side of himself (like his toes, or anything from the gut down - he was a very large lad) romance blossomed. He went on to win ‘the Biggest Loser’, Suzy was runner up.

Now, People magazine reports that the couple got married on Tuesday in Jamaica.

The couple lost a combined 252 pounds while on the show. Hoover thinks their shared experiences on Loser (he won the $250,000 grand prize, and she took home $25,000 as second runner-up) gave their romance a unique foundation.

“We have a lot in common. Going through something like we went through is life-changing,” she said. “We are not the same people we were before all this and we are both at a point in our lives where we know what it’s like to be fat and miserable – and what it’s like to be happy and healthy.”
I hope this ‘made in Hollywood’ romance is the real deal and they live the fairytale.

Did anyone else find it a little mawkish and icky watching people tonight on the news celebrating being one of the 3000 who received tickets in a frenzied 15 minutes to Steve Irwin’s memorial next week, like they were off to Melbourne for the AFL Grand Final?!!! I heard one woman who was interviewed say ” I am just so excited and happy to get a ticket. Steve is my Hero”. From her tone,she could have easily been talking about a football player. It just seems a little inappropriate and crass to me. I know the intention of the service is to be a celebration of the life of an extraordinary man who obviously meant a lot to so many people, but you have to feel for his poor wife and her children. They aren’t feeling too happy and excited right now. There was one moment of sanity in the whole proceedings though, when ticketholder Brad Dionysius gave his 4 tickets to a 10 year-old boy who had missed out and was taking it pretty hard. Do you think I am being a little oversensitive about all this? Let me know…