That Hosiery

WISH I WORE SOME on that bitter windy day. But obviously this post has nothing to do with socks or legwear. It does have to do with the hip Hosier Lane in Melbourne.

Considered to be the most popular and therefore introductory location for Melbourne street art, the cobbled laneway is a stone's throw from Federation Square and Flinders Street Station. Find yourself in the area and you can't miss the mayhem of painted and pasted creatures appearing to spill out on Flinders Street like mad characters from Cool World or Who Framed Roger Rabbit. How ancient are my references?

Check out the lightboxes that change every certain number of weeks. Have some tapas at MoVida. Drop by later in the day for more than just a photogenic stroll as resident Hosier Lane bar Misty opens for a good time amidst the artful anarchy.

For an even better time, in Hosier Lane and with the rest of the city, try to be dressed for unexpected drops in temperature. Like I said, I wish I had some legwear on.

Hosier Lane, Melbourne City Center, Melbourne. Photos by Lady San Pedro.

Those Girls-a-Swinging

THEY WEREN'T KIDDING WHEN THEY SAID you can get all four seasons in a single day in Melbourne. Must you have been so moody Melbourne? And must I have been so confident in my tolerance for cold?

So I shuddered in a sweetheart minidress at noon as we made our way through a suddenly chilly Elizabeth street and into the temperate interior of the beautiful GPO.

Inside are lovely shops and cafes, a wash of deceptively warm-toned natural light and currently, stunning holiday decor of glamorous girls-a-swinging amidst red-bowed bells and glittering numbers signifying what I still haven't figured out. Zero isn't counted in the 12 Days of Christmas is it?

A former post office built in Renaissance Revival style, the Melbourne General Post Office has, since 2004, functioned as a hub for premier fashion brands and boutiques while preserving its cultural significance as a city landmark and heritage site. Its location is considered to be especially important, with locals continuing to use the building as a measure of distance from the center of Melbourne.

Not that I intended to go very far. At least not on foot in fifteen-degree weather.

Melbourne's GPO holiday decor by Gloss Creative, www.glosscreative.com.au Illustration by Laura Laine, www.lauralaine.net Photos by Lady San Pedro.