Upmarket or Unwrapped?

I finally made it out shopping again. The prospects have been quite bleak lately - so many other things to occupy my time! These two markets however are ones that I only miss by being out of the state, and since I did not have that excuse...

First on the agenda was the Perth Upmarket. As much as I love the university and its grounds, I did rather prefer the Upmarket at its previous venue, the Perth Town Hall. I am not sure why, perhaps it has to do with my perception that there are too many people selling similar items now - you get a sense of deja vous and not so much of individuality.

They had changed a couple of things from the last Upmarket. First of all was to open it two hours earlier for "email subscribers". We did take advantage of that - just - and were there before 10am to see what we could see. This was much better and there were less people to fight through than when Mum and I went. The second thing that they had changed was to reduce the number of stalls in the Old Ref and Winthrop Hall. This was much better too and there seemed to be more space. This perception could have been skiewed by the fact that there were less people. By the time that we left the market felt as busy as it had the last time!

I did not find as many things to inspire me this time around (too focussed on the wedding I think!) and all I purchased was a block of chocolate. Woo. E was more productive and she bagged a range of goodies.

After the Upmarket we headed into the city for Unwrapped. This market is in a completely different direction! Upmarket is all about WA designed and (mostly) WA made. The Unwrapped market is more focussed on design (WA designed and made), and the styles on display are much more interesting and contemporary. There were a lot more Vendors selling clothes - or maybe it just seemed that way because the market was much smaller than the Upmarket! The stalls were out amongst the vegetable garden of the Urban Orchard, opposite the Perth Art Gallery. I am so glad that our city is starting to create these interesting spaces.

Checking out William Street

Elissa lured me out of the house today with the promise of markets. I have been feeling sorry for myself with a cold and chesty cough these last few days but I thought that a bit of sunshine and fresh (city??) air might be a good thing as the couch has moulded itself to me.

Unfortunately we were two weeks early for the markets but she did drag me from one end of William Street to another (the Northbridge section) and introduced me to a few shops I hadn't seen before.

The first was William Topp. Elissa was surprised when I told her that I had never been there before. They had lots of interesting items, and many artists and designers that I recognised including local artist Margali Dincher, Melbourne labels Otto & Spike and Mattt Bags. They had many goodies to tempt and probably it was a good thing for my wallet that I wasn't feeling too flash.


The second store was the newly opened Scraps. Their opening party was last night and Elissa was their first customer! They had some lovely Australian clothing labels as well as cool prints on their walls and it will be good to see how the shop evolves.

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Baby pretties

I finally got to give away some of the locally made pretties that I have been buying for my friends with, or in this case expecting, children.

What is in this simple package?

Eli the Elephant whose "Enormous Ears Eavesdrop for Entertaining Expose" by Inuk Designs and recycled birdies by Rubbergob.

Morrison Knitwear

A few weeks ago I met E in Fremantle for some shop browsing. My sister and I catch up usually over shopping and food, two of my favourite pastimes.

I am always on the search for woollen garments to wear. I have found that it is great, especially in winter, to be able to layer woollen tops! No acrylic for me thank you; I seem to have escaped the issue other people have of getting itchy when wearing wool.

I was happy to find a brown merino layer at Morrison (Made in Australia!) and I snapped it up to add to my collection of tops. My current work wardrobe is very bland, mostly blacks and charcoals so the brown changes it up slightly.

Other staple Fremantle haunts include:
- New Edition Bookshop
- Remedy
- Store
- The Home Provedore
- B&M Felt Pop-Up Store

Made on the Left - Sunday 18th July

I had intended going to Made on the Left yesterday, but in the end I had too many other things to do. Today however I had no excuses not to and E and I went to see the Sunday Vendors.

The market has moved from the Hyde Park Hotel to The Saint in Innaloo. Hint for parking for next time, there is a small shopping centre around the corner if the pub carpark is full!

The Made on the Left market is much smaller than the Perth Upmarket. I think it is a much nicer atmosphere. There were not as many people there but the numbers were steady and whenever I looked each stall had several people there looking interested.

I picked up some more Inuk Design pieces for my ever expanding group of friends! I love the simple shapes and fabrics and my favourite was a tip truck design.

Some gorgeous tags from Little Mo & Friends for using when I wrap up gifts for little people.

Beautiful and vibrant soaps by Soap Opera>.

Lovely children's tshirts and sets by Hem'd. Unfortunately the largest tshirt they had was 000 and I was in the market for something larger!

Hem'd images

Made on the Left

I am actually looking forward to attending the next handmade market on the Perth horizon. Made on the Left is on in a couple of weeks, and it is always great to see what is new on offer.

I have done an indifferent search and cannot seem to find a list of who will be there selling their wares, so I guess it will be a mystery and hopefully I can make it to both days!

If you are in Perth, head on down and have a look and support local handmade products.

Monster Alphabets on Etsy!

Mum and I admired the Monster Alphabets clothing at the Upmarket on Sunday, especially their capes! They were just a little bit different and I tried to think of excuses to wear one. It was just a little crowded at the market though and we moved on as they had many admirers.

Monster Alphabets now have an Etsy store where you can buy yourself a gorgeous cape. The fabric looks nice and heavy and they would be a lovely addition to the wardrobe. Monster Alphabets have only a few items up as yet and I am keen to see what the future holds.

The Monster Alphabet flower that I purchased was the only crafted item that I bought from the Upmarket this time. I thought it was so pretty that I had to buy it!

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Perth Upmarket - beautiful items

There were many beautiful and varied items for sale at the Perth Upmarket today. Here are some of my highlights from today.

Gorgeous clothing and this beautiful flower from Monster Alphabets

Awesome cards and tags from Huckleberry Hill. There's my friend MC manning the stall, and a sample of one of my favourite things, cupcakes!


I just had to try a Spirals Cinnamon cinnamon spiral. (?) My afternoon tea today.

Funky canvases from Splash Canvas. The canvases were abstract, contemporary, and could be made to order for your colour scheme.

Stylish and practical aprons for your children to wear to protect their clothes by Berry Cosy.

Cool and interesting removable wall decals by Wall Allure. These are actually made in Queensland!

Patterns and yarn for beautiful knitwear by Jo Sharp. I was eyeing off this particular garment at the market however I did not manage to convince my Mum that it could be her next project to make me one! I do love my woollen clothing so I might just have to learn, now that I know there are some non-granny styles out there...


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Perth Upmarket - the experience

Well, I managed to organise myself, my mother and two friends for my day today however I neglected to organise a pickup time for my sister for the Perth Upmarket. Mum and I got to her apartment and she was still in bed! Sorry E.

The market today was at UWA, spread out across Winthrop Hall, the Undercroft, the Old Ref and the walkways in between.

The Junior Upmarket was held in the Old Ref, and there were many different selections to choose from! The room was quite crowded and I kept feeling that we were going against the flow of traffic. Mum commented on the number of prams that were in evidence and helping to clog up the aisles.

It was a little roomier in the Undercroft, where there were more children's items and things for the grown ups too!

There was more room to move still again in Winthrop Hall. It was sad to see the stained glass windows that had broken during the storm. The pieces were still sitting in the windows, it looked like they had made them safe. The windows on the other side of the Hall were still intact so you could compare the two.

It is obviously a popular market. We were there at 10.30am and it was already very busy. I think it would be great if the Upmarket could happen more frequently. There are quite a few arts markets in Melbourne that occur regularly (The Esplanade Market, St Kilda, Sunday Arts Market, Rose Street Market) and it would be fantastic to have the opportunity to browse local WA talent more than four times a year!

Next Upmarket

I am excited, the Perth Upmarket is on this Sunday! I missed the last one due to being in Sydney (a tough life I know) and I am looking forward to seeing what is out there.

My good friend (and bridesmaid!) Michelle has let me know that she and her friend Cyndee are launching their card business Huckleberry Hill. I am definitely curious to see what goodies they have to offer!

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RIP Emporio

Emporio and their four floors of shoes shut down earlier this year. I am not often in the malls, and this afternoon I walked past and noticed that Dusk has set up shop. They proudly announce their status as a Temporary Factory Outlet.

I hope that an interesting store will take up residence soon. I look forward to seeing what shows up!

Perth CBD Guide

Form have put together a directory of businesses in the Perth CBD. Their scheme is called 15 blocks, after the number of city blocks encompassed in their net. The businesses listed are the more interesting and fashionable amongst the retail and food on offer.

Click here for a copy of the First Edition.

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Local designers

A shout out in The West this week about the local WA designers heading over to Sydney for the Australian Fashion Week!

According to the article they include:
- Aurelio Costarella by Ray Costarella
- Ae'lkemi by Alvin Fernandez
- Breathless by Robin Alexander
- Flannel by Kristy Lawrence
- Garth Cook
- Carly Hunter
- Kooey Swimwear

Perth boutiques

Last night I had a look in a couple of Perth boutiques, tu and Miin.

Tu is in Shafto Lane next to Pigeonhole. Last night I learnt that Tu is moving to 218A William Street, Northbridge shortly. They are currently having a sale at their store, and there are lots of interesting items in their store - clothes and accessories. They sell their own label Tu as well as lots of other Australian labels.

Miin is on Murray Street, closer to the malls. I have had a few Miin pieces in my wardrobe. They are locally designed and made, and I was also scouting out to see if they had any dresses that could be suitable for a bridesmaid or two! Miin are opening up a new store in Mount Lawley on Walcott Street.

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Stylish scarves

This stylish neck art is made by Perth seller PLUmFISh.

I do love the different textures and the variety of clours and shades that she uses. Winter is coming (according to my calendar) and these would pieces would stand out over the drab black that is so prevalent.

Photos from PLUmFISh' Etsy store

Precious Jewels

Local Perth seller Killer Jewels has some lovely pieces. Handmade resin flowers and Swarovski crystals are a theme through most of the collection and you can find many a striking pretty statement piece.

Photos from KillerJewell's Etsy store.

Inuk sneak preview

I ordered a couple of items from Inuk Designs and they arrived yesterday. I was so excited to receive them. They were both wrapped in tissue paper and placed into a lovely cloth bag! The items are organic cotton with a hand stitched detail.

Both items are gifts so I will post photos once they have been received. For now, enjoy the packaging.

The PostPak bag that they were posted in was made of 100% recycled paper, another nice touch.

Unwrapped South Perth

I was disappointed that I could not make the Unwrapped market in South Perth a few weekends ago, we were down south in Dunsborough for a wedding.

I did a search to see if anyone had written about the markets, and the only review that I could easily find was from Style Discovery.

It seems that everyone wanted to write that it was happening, and noone has taken the time to write about how good it was!!

My sister went along, and she has picked up some cards from Vendors who she thought I would like; I think that they are mainly wedding related.

According to their website, the next market is not until September!! So long to wait!!

Funky Jewellery and Prints

These funky pieces and prints are by adopted Perth artist lesadraws. I love the cassette earrings, and she also has a cassette necklace if you want to coordinate!

Fashion WA

I found a new local site, FashionWA.com, that showcases local WA designers! There is a blurb on each designer, many who are newly formed and working to establish their label.

There is also an online shop, and link to the designers website for more information on their collections.