WHAT I SAW IN JULY | A Month of Food, Fashion, and Small Moments

July felt like a month that unfolded in moments. Some big, some small, all adding up to a month that felt unmistakably me.

It began with Gerald’s Bar. Adventure Friday took us there with our new rule: if we were to leave Melbourne tomorrow, where would we regret not going? Two seats at the bar, mussels spooned like soup, a delicious ginger cake. From there it was Etta, tofu and zongzi, champagne poured by Hannah, who floated through the room like she’d dreamed it into being. Then Mario’s, garlic bread and loyalty, David the waiter guiding the whole night like an old friend.

Between dinners came birthdays. Turning 40 with bows, bubbles, lists from friends, and the huge pink and red cake with the perfect bow Sam made. I asked everyone to bring me a list, they did, and I’ve been reading them like small love letters.

There were objects, too. A black GANNI Bou Bag debated all night at a styling event and finally brought home. Bow earrings spotted mid-conversation on Emma and hunted down ASAP. A foundation switch at Mecca. A croissant print framed at Candied Bakery, where it was first drawn. A baguette turned magnet. A champagne list turned sticker.

There were people. An interview with Sally Hillman about champagne that felt like a lesson in ritual and joy. A lunch with Kate Jinx that left me curious and buzzing for MIFF. Familiar faces in unexpected rooms, like sitting next to Colette Mann at MTC’s opening night and having her quietly explain things about theatre I’d never known.

And there was the city itself. MECCA Bourke Street readying to open in the same building where I had my first fashion job. Collingwood Yards glowing on a Friday night. The fridge at Stefanino, full of promise and picklebacks. The window at Pidapipo Lab, fruit piled like an art display.

It’s funny how much a month can hold. Big things and small ones. A wardrobe mindfully curated, a few more restaurants ticked off, a handful of moments worth pausing for and writing down.

July reminded me why I document these things, not just to remember them, but to see how they shape me, slowly, over time.

Here’s to more of it in August, more receipts, more wardrobe notes, more noticing.