Retro meets the rock star

Chic can't be taught. You've either got it or you haven't. If you had to qualify it, you might say it is individuality layered over classic references. But above all, it's an expression of self-confidence. Sally Bloomfield is the epitome of its innateness and the designer, former magazine design editor and social doyenne of the Victorian capital since the 1980s has stamped her southern style on an old Toorak Road motel to produce a place where resting your head is as fashionable a pastime as a stroll down Flinders Lane.A little bit rock'n'roll, a smidgen Parisian, a whole heap funky and a big helping of comfortable, the Albany and Bloomfield are two sides of the same coin, conjoined hotels offering both a budget and a more boutique experience through the one reception area. UGG Argyle Knit BootsEach, however, is amazing value for money. You'd expect to pay a lot more than you do for some of the Bloomfield's big, unique rooms. Be warned, however - some of the services you might expect to go with such loveliness are not necessarily on offer here.Just don't come to the Bloomfield expecting InterContinental service and everything will work out fine.As soon as you enter, you get the idea of what sort of a place this is. A huge portrait of a strutting, eye-shadow-wearing 1970s Mick Jagger in a baby-blue jumpsuit greets you, as do classic 1950s cane chairs upholstered in red and piped in white, and other cheery touches such as bowls of fresh fruit and vases of flowers.Exposed plumbing pipes and original chipped tiles give a deliberately deconstructed edge to things: the message is this is not your schmick five-star experience.It's shabby chic meets rock-star glam meets French boarding house and if you like your hotel experiences a little bit eccentric, certainly character-filled, then the Albany and Bloomfield are worth consideration.Most days you'll even find stylish Bloomfield and her adorable children having a meal or, as we did one night, having a small impromptu disco in the restaurant. How very European.The Albany is a classic 1960s motel with a parking lot out the front with three floors of small, stylishly fitted-out rooms opening on to a covered outdoor walkway. You've seen the layout at a million drive-in inns around the world. Bloomfield has worked with the era's style, rather than trying to disguise it. The result is a Get Smart grooviness combined with great workability and comfort. UGG Classic Short The Bloomfield is a collection of bespoke spaces housed in a Victorian mansion looking out to Fawkner Park, one of the prettiest green spaces in the city.The properties were once under the one banner of the Albany but Sally decided to split them off, so clients know exactly which experience they are booking.The motel rooms are small and functional but comfort and style are not forsaken. Quirky touches like wooden floors and squishy throw cushions add warmth to the white spaces.Like their more grown-up cousins in the Bloomfield, the rooms boast five-star comfort-level beds with crisp, fine linen and excellent quality pillows.It's in the Bloomfield that you start to feel like you might be one of Andy Warhol's entourage at the Chelsea in New York. Dimly lit hallways in black and red are papered with classic photo portraits of 1970s and '80s rock stars, models, artists and other fashionable types. The motif continues inside the mansion suites, where some have bedheads plastered with black and white photo montages. There are fireplaces, chandeliers and brocade-covered armchairs in buttery yellow and cream, or sofas with throw rugs softening the continuing black and white palette.High ceilings, original sash windows and casual touches like venetian blinds and billowy cotton curtains keep things soft and playful.The Bloomfield Suite, the property's top-of-the-range accommodation, is like having your own two-bedroom apartment.It's got a big dining table, comfy sofas, a massive bathroom that does double time as a dressing room and a master bedroom with a bay window overlooking the park and Toorak Road. The palette is black, white and red and it's an ideal space for a small gathering of friends and a big case of champagne.And if you're starting to believe you may actually be one of the beautiful people, the hotel offers, for a fee, a Rolls-Royce chauffeur service to get you into the city on Fridays and Saturday nights.The Bloomfield Bar & Bistro serves a delightful breakfast menu featuring eggs, porridge, fruits and pastries, as well as that Melbourne must-have, fabulous coffee. The space is sunny and cheery and walls are covered in signed posters and photos of the stars Bloomfield and her husband, a former nightclub owner, have met over the years. Cheap Ugg Boots You can sit outside during the day, behind little clipped hedges and under shady umbrellas.Dinner is served from 6pm to 10pm Thursday, Friday and Saturday and there is a limited room-service menu.It can get a little rowdy, obviously, given its hipster vibe and young appeal. But the excellent front-of-house staff members are more than willing to handle any noise issues and guests here are usually a good-humoured bunch who will keep it down when asked.I have seen all age groups and types as guests at the Bloomfield, though, in my repeat visits. Value transcends those kinds of boundaries.The new rooftop pool affords amazing city views and a splendid place to unwind after a day watching the tennis or cricket at very nearby Rod Laver Arena and the MCG.