If you follow me on Twitter, you will know that I recently adopted a stray kitten. If you don’t, here’s what happened: after having a lazy brunch with Lucinda last week, we came across this tiny creature huddling in the rain as we walked to Central Station. He was scared, and initially very unfriendly, but I persisted with him until he let me pat his soggy and bedraggled fur. After seducing him with a piece of salmon (and some avocado) from a sushi roll, I bundled him up in my scarf and whisked him home.

His name is Jedi.

On another note: this is my last post before Rosemount Australian Fashion Week begins. I will try to blog and tweet us much as possible, but keep in mind I am attending courtesy of the magazine I work for, not as a blogger. I will be pretty tied up with “official” coverage, so please forgive me if I neglect The Animal Orchestra.

Wearing: top by ecco, vintage skirt, belt by Zambesi.

Some of you may not have seen my tattoo – booked in February 2009, done in July the same year, and now about 15 months old. I had it done by the incredibly talented Rob Abell at Dynamic Tattoo (hence the 6-month wait between booking and execution) who not only understood my vision but also worked with me on improving it.

The piece is inspired by the work of Audrey Kawasaki, whose delicate, haunting paintings have captivated me for years. Audrey’s work is beautiful, tinged with darkness and charged with eroticism. Stylistically, it marries elements of manga and art nouveau, fluid and lyrical and organic. It was these elements I wanted to capture in my tattoo – curving lines, organic shapes, harmonious colour. Working with Rob, I chose some floral elements from a number of Audrey’s paintings and he combined them into a piece that would start at my shoulder and curl around my upper arm.

I’ve been waiting for Outré Gallery’s Audrey Kawasaki solo show since February 2009, when Audrey mentioned it on her blog. You can imagine my excitement when I found out that Audrey herself would be in attendance. I’m counting down the days until the opening night at Outré Sydney, slightly breathless at the possibility of meeting her. Will she like this city? I get the feeling she will fall in love with it when she realises just how many fans she has here, so far away from home.

If you’re in Australia, I highly recommend you check out the exhibition. Details below:

MELBOURNE OPENING: Friday 22th October 2010.  The Melbourne exhibition runs until 10 November at 249 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, VIC.

SYDNEY OPENING: Friday 29th October 2010. The Sydney exhibition runs until 15 November at Shop 7, 285A Crown Street, Surry Hills, NSW.

PERTH OPENING: Friday 5th November 2010. The Perth exhibition runs until 20 November at 260 William Street, Northbridge, WA.

Happy birthday to me.

Now seems as good a time as any to announce that I am no longer an intern. I am officially an employee of an Australian fashion magazine.

Frockshop is an online retailer specialising in Australian and international designers, and they’re pretty brilliant when it comes to social media. They have a very active blog, and I was lucky enough to be asked to do a guest post on San Francisco’s street style – it’s just gone live and you can read it here.

As an added bonus, they’ve offered readers of The Animal Orchestra a 10% discount off any stock available at Frockshop (including sale items!) – just enter animalorchestra when making a purchase to redeem it! The code is valid until September 16th, and apparently they’re just about to get some very exciting new stock in from the likes of Ellery, ManiaMania and Arnsdorf (hands off the Ellery x Graz sunglasses, they’re mine).

(mini goldengate panorama by Casey Holford)

Exactly one month from today, I will be boarding a plane to San Francisco.

I’ve been working up a lengthy to-do list, filled with vegetarian restaurants, taxidermy specialists and well-edited boutiques. I’m going to be staying in the Haight Ashbury (that centre of eccentricity), next door to a comic book shop and a couple of blocks away from what is reputedly the greatest record store in the world.

If you have any tips or advice on what to do, where to shop and the like, do please let me know.