Kathryn Elliott – Miss Rosanna

Death by a thousand carbs

It’s been an intense year and I’m not sure if it’s just because we’re all exhausted post-pandemic or because I’ve had a lot going on – at home, at work and in my personal life. It’s not going to end anytime soon and some of it is my choosing (to do certain things) and some of it is out of my hands. I’ve learnt you can only control your own actions and reactions, and not worry too much if it’s not something you can influence as an individual, but it will be a big three months until Christmas across a number of different fronts.

I’ve made time this week to catch up with some current and ex-La Trobe colleagues and we had a rollicking dinner out last week at Capitano in Carlton. It’s been on my radar for a while now as a local work-wise and if you’re into your pizza and pasta then this is the place for you. Ordering is done by QR code menu selection and four of us shared a salciccia (Italian sausage) square pizza and bread with fresh burrata cheese. Before we’d had time to order pasta, the waitress informed us that another table had double ordered and they had two hot dishes that would go to waste so we kindly helped them out! To finish, we shared the tiramasu with a twist (hazelnuts) which was delicious. Highly recommended and it was bustling inside on a rainy Thursday night.

After nearly six months in Ivanhoe, I’ve finally start to enjoy my local environs visiting the Eaglemont Village Market last Sunday and dropping into the Ivanhoe Library and Cultural Hub last week to see the Banyule Art Salon exhibition (which has been extended) on the ground floor Art Gallery 275. It was great to see some of my favourite local artists and friends’ work on display including Lene Kuhl-Jakobsen, Irianna Kanellopoulou and Louise Kyriakou. There’s a people’s choice award to vote for and the Children’s Library, social enterprise cafe Whispers and quiet area upstairs were all full of people of different ages from children with parents and grandparents to school and university students.

Having a local place to go (whatever it may be) in your community is a real treasure and something we can only sometimes see in the eyes of a visitor to the area. I’ve noticed that the Eaglemont Cellars Eagle Bar is always packed with locals and that The Post Inn (behind Mario’s cafe) at 1041 Heidelberg Road near Darebin station has recently opened.

I found myself in Hawthorn today eating more pizza at Santoni Pizza and Bar‘s rooftop which is a pretty cool space if you’re happy to dine al fresco (they do have heaters) and I know Whiplash cafe had a recent write up in Broadsheet along with the award-winning barista from Axil Coffee so a few places to go if you’re in the area.

Lastly, a shout out for my friend Kathryn Elliott who is speaking as a BCNA Ambassador for the Reduce booze for boobs event on 15 October at non-alcoholic venue Sip & Enjoy at 281 Johnston Street in Abbotsford. As a non-drinker, it’s great to see businesses like these now open and I have managed to go for a run this weekend along the (almost flooded) Yarra trail to work off some of those carbs – my highlight was meeting a small, lone kangaroo at dusk who I spied hopping along on my right before we stopped to have look at each other.

She’ll be apples

I mentioned green being the new black a while ago fashion-wise and it’s a particular shade called Bottega green. I’m more of an emerald girl myself but I’m loving all the colour. It was interesting too to read about P.E. Nation’s collaboration with Virgin Australia – I’ve got a lilac sweat top that I’ve worn to death and know their activewear is very popular.

Speaking of style, after a two year hiatus the Banyule Women in Business lunch event is back with a vengeance on Friday 15 July at The Centre Ivanhoe and I’ll be attending as a guest this year sitting at local influencer, trainer and speaker Nikki Ellis‘ power table of 10. This year’s keynote speaker is celebrity stylist and entrepreneur Lana Wilkinson and I love that you can recycle old clothes with Upparel – who Banyule has partnered with for this event.

I’m so excited that I’ve already hired my outfit (with a back up outfit in a smaller size) from Glam Corner and have some vintage and other accessories to match it up. All will be revealed if you’re coming along! It’s been a long time since I’ve worked in fashion but I thought you might like this 90s throwback photo of me (above – check out the fringe and dark matte lipstick) as Daimaru house model in Kenzo long before the days of Instagram and Tik Tok.

I worked in the international designer area selling Armani, Max Mara, Kenzo and other labels in the Valentino boutique while studying Public Relations at RMIT. Some of my fellow staff alumni from the time include Jacqui Bonnett Hoppe – the current owner of Chapter One in East Ivanhoe, my New York-based friend and stylist turned sustainability warrior Susan Joy as well as my former Divisional Manager Leigh Forster (who happens to be singer Chrissie Amphlett’s sister – a coincidence I discovered later as I am named after Chrissie, which is another story all together). I am still in touch with all of them and they were heady days indeed.

From my time there I ended up moving into fashion PR with my first career job at AMPR (Ann Morrison Public Relations) working with the inimitable Ann and her daughter Catherine Hancock (Ab Fab eat your heart out!). I then went on to work as beauty PR for Aveda (around the same time as Aesop with both companies being started by hairdresser entrepreneurs) prior to the company being bought out globally by Estee Lauder, before ending up as PR for David Jones in the days of the travelling European and Australian Designer Collection fashion parades up and down the eastern seaboard.

While I am now in a more serious stage of life – I do think it’s possible to be a woman of both style and substance. I’ll forever be grateful for my early years in the creative industries surrounded by creative people. It has given me an edge in my professional career with the ability to think laterally and add a different string to my bow – no experience is ever wasted.

I hope you’re coping OK with the onset of winter – it’s got very cold very quickly. A quick shout out for my friend Alcohol Mindset Coach Kathryn Elliott who is running a free Living Well conversation with Holly Ransom (above) this coming Tuesday night at Be Well in Hawthorn. You will need to register on Eventbrite if you’re going along.

As an arts lover, it’s been great to see the Rising Festival also resurrected – The Wilds at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl looks like a lot of fun if you’re brave enough to venture out in the elements.

Nb. Miss Rosanna is attending the Banyule Women in Business event as a guest of Banyule Business.