Haut Boheme

I love the decore in this quirky boutique — from the gold painted walls, to the fluffy «clouds» on the ceiling (made from white tissue paper) to the huge, perspex tray in the middle of the room suspended from the ceiling (which contains all the jewellery) and the green, high-​backed cane chair outside the dressing room.
And the owner/​designers (Samantha and Chantelle) have put just as much care and attention into their clothing too. All handmade in Brisbane, it’s a small collection, but with serious attention to detail. My favourite dress was white, with both sleeves made of lots of small triangular pieces of fabric sewn together (the really lovely shop assistant — clearly an enormous fan of the brand — told me there was 72 on each sleeve).
I’ve noticed on their Facebook page that they’ve entered the Qantas Spirit of Youth Awards — they deserve to win.
Good luck ladies.

I frequent Winn Lane in Fortitude Valley often enough to notice that from the ashes of where Little Jane Street used to lie, a new store has risen. Ash to Gold is a womenswear boutique selling some of the most unique and beautiful clothing I have seen in a long time.
The shop itself is intimate but not claustrophobic and designed beautifully with an upturned glass pyramid as the focal point of the store. The clothing itself, though quite expensive, is all locally designed and made. Chantelle Cox, one of the masterminds behind Ash to Gold, was manning the store while I was browsing. She explained that everything was sown by her and her business partner. There’s something so charming about knowing the clothes on the rack in front of you were made by hand and with heart.
The skirts and dresses in particular are what caught my eye, not the average designs you would find elsewhere but delicate designs made with interesting fabrics. There’s not much stock in the store itself but it’s enough to give you an idea of what Ash to Gold is about.
If you’re interested in fashion and passionate about local design I highly recommend that you pop into Ash to Gold next time you’re around the Valley.