We are women, hear us lose our rag
With one ear glued permanently to the sports radio station and one hand semi-stuck to a beer stubbie, Scottish-extracted husband to be (SHTB) - hereby known as Scottish-extracted husband in training (or SHIT for short) - is the self-anointed head of our home.
SHIT believes that by virtue of being born a card-carrying member of the male persuasion, he is entitled to behave like a silly little schoolboy each and every day for all eternity.
In its most mild form, this show of masculinity can be something as innocuous as SHIT leaving the toilet seat up after his morning ablutions or piling his stubble around the sink after his bi-weekly shave. In its more aggressive infestation it can involve a verbal - sometimes physical - confrontation over the television remote or, on occasion, mortal combat over the Barbie-mate.
While, technically speaking, Dog is more of an 'it' than a 'he', the mutt too believes his purpose in life is to create mess, chaos and disorder because someone of the fairer sex will always be around to clean up after him. And that, purportedly, is where I come in.
But after my recent run in with two gorgeous but commanding women at last month's Rosemount Australian Fashion Week, I reckon it's about time this gentle feline got in touch with her inner fishwife.
As far as I know neither knows the other, but for mine womenswear designers Annah Stretton and Andrea Cainero are two of the most inspirational women involved in the modern day fashion scene.
On the face of it, the "A-team" would appear to have little in common.
Twenty-something Andrea, a talented protégé of TAFE NSW Fashion Design Studio head Nicholas Huxley, was the first student in three years to be named student of the year when she graduated four years ago.
Launching her ready-to-wear and jewellery collections soon after, today Sydney-based Cainero sells her ready-to-wear line to a small number of boutiques including Ruby & Min and her applique necklaces to Orson & Blake. Two months ago she set up her first retail outlet as part of the TAFE's graduate store in Sydney's The Strand Arcade.
Forty-something Annah, on the other hand, is a mother of two who began designing 12 years ago after going tired of accountancy. With four labels under her belt, Stretton's apparel empire now boasts an annual turnover of more than $8 million, most of which is derived from her 30-plus Annah S retail stores dotted throughout New Zealand and 150 or so wholesale accounts scattered throughout the rest of the world.
But what makes these women so powerful is not so much what they have but who they are.
Upon making the decision to enter this extraordinarily unforgiving industry both women made huge personal, emotional and financial sacrifices not demanded of the opposite sex in order to boost their chances of success. Because they were born with both X & Y chromosomes these women had to work doubly hard just to prove they could foot it with the big boys of the business. Yet by insisting on being involved in every step of the design and manufacturing process and refusing to crumple into a crying mess when it all got "too hard", these women have set a shining example to those who follow in their footsteps.
Being the type of women they are, both have seen fit to give back to the industry with Cainero tutoring at her former school part time and Stretton staging mentoring workshops to assist other business women trying to make a go of it.
They are living proof that when the need arises a little estrogen can go a long way.