GaGa

I kind of hate myself for liking this. I'm still not sure if I love or hate her - I'm almost convinced that this Lady GaGa persona is soon going to be revealed to be an elaborate art project, and the lady will exclusively tell Perez Hilton that she is actually a dude. Or not. The whole thing just feels so contrived. But I do love that she says things like, "You know you're kindred spirits when you both arrive in pastels". I also like that GaGa seems self aware enough to completely take the piss out of herself and interviewers - she told The Guardian, "I used to make my boyfriend dinner in my stilettos, with my underwear on. And he used to be like, 'Baby, you're so sexy!' And I'd be like. 'Have some meatballs.'". When asked what her least favourite food was, she answered, "I'm a pop star. I don't like food at all", and this interview is just...hilarious. She wears some amazing, insane things too; see the metal leotard in the video above, the Nasir Mazhar orbit headpiece on Ellen, and these rad glasses.


What do you think of her? Love? Hate? Indifferent?

Photo: The New Yorker

likes and loves

My brain is entirely taken up with moving house and working. When I'm not thinking about those things, I'm thinking about perfectly worn in teeshirts, terrariums, receiving incredible packages in the mail (thankyou Nabil, I love your letter and mixtape more than anything and it's pride of place on my fridge), big warm jumpers, cold noses, the perfect sandwich, green tea with rose petals and Japanese sweets.

a nice cover

we love rachel and rachel loves...

We like the girls behind Wellington based design duo Twenty-seven Names very much. Two best friends, into old school hip hop, working on something creative together - they remind Natalie and I a little bit of us. Their clothes are rad too - check out their upcoming collection here. Rachel Easting is one half of the label (her other half is Anjali Stewart); she's also world famous because her photo has appeared on The Sartorialist. She's nice too: she once swapped shoes with me in a grungy Dunedin bar because I was complaining too much about my high heels hurting my feet. I asked her to send me a list of what she's into right now - here it is:

1. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
This film was so beautifully shot, I watched it with my sisters and I think I cried for nearly the entire second half.

2. On Beauty by Zadie Smith
I've read heaps of books in the last year, this one stands out to me as one that just really stayed with me. It's one of those books that for the week or so that I read it, I thought a lot about it when I wasn't reading it - some books the only time I think about what's happening in it is while I'm literally reading. On Beauty was something that stayed around in my mind long after I'd finished it, I highly recommend it.

3. Kathryn Wilson's 'Tanesya' flat
Pretty much wore these everyday since getting them, I also have them in cream. They go with everything, and I love them.4. Florence
Florence is so beautiful, and with such a overwhelmingly big history in terms of European Art. Most amazing things I saw there were Michelangelo's David, Botticelli's Venus, and the most glorious cake and pastry shop I've seen in my life!

5. Gillian Wearing
Gillian Wearing is definitely one of my top five artists; it's too hard to choose a definitive one. She is a comical and social genius.

6. Croissants and jam

Clearly I like croissants, I would eat them daily if I could afford to. In fact I do a lot of the time...

7. Black 'Keira' lace dress
This dress from our winter collection has had a lot of love. I have the black colourway of this dress, and I'm wearing it today. I think it's one of those garments you can put on and you always look and feel nice it it. And I love this shot of Lauren wearing it!

8. Brunching at L'affare with besties
There is nothing better than spending the morning at L'affare with my best friends on a Saturday. We always have a really good catch up and I love it there. I always get the same thing. But I figure if you like something then why not eat it every time?

9. Nice open air gig at Wellington Botanic Gardens Woolshed Sessions
During the summer I went one evening to a free concert in the Wellington Botanic Gardens Sound shell. It was packed and we took picnic stuff and sat and ate and drank and the band were awesome, the woman (second from the right) had the most amazing voice, she's beautiful.

10. d_luxe jewellery

I love my new dream catcher and crazyhorse silver necklaces that I got recently, I can tell I'll be wearing them everyday!

something pretty

On gloomy rainy days like today I just want to lie around drinking tea, eating cake, listening to girly music. Au Revoir Simone’s new album, Still Night, Still Light, fits the bill nicely. It was released last week, and I like it very much. I dig the cover art too; pretty and spooky. Pitchfork described the album as having the "earnest intimacy of a friend murmuring in your ear". Too cute.

no no no

"Whenever I'm in a room with a guy, no matter who it is - a date, my dentist, anybody - I think, If we were the last two people on Earth, would I puke if he kissed me?"

Um, they're remaking genius 80s film Girls Just Want To Have Fun. As a "potential star vehicle for Miley Cyrus". This makes me incredibly upset and mad. Cyrus ain't no SJP, and no one will be able to pull off plastic blue dinosaur barrettes and a bug beret as well as Helen Hunt.

the cardigans

"Cardigans are the comfort food of the fashion world: buttered crumpets in sartorial form."

Cardigans described as crumpets, Hadley Freeman, sarcasm: oh how I love The Guardian fashion section.

love this woman

"If you compare [fashion] with philosophy it is frivolous. But frivolity may be something good, something that is part of our lives. So I don’t dislike it. And what I like is the mix - that in your life you can have serious things, more frivolous ones. Fashion is about beauty and the search for beauty, I think it’s a fundamental thing. No one criticizes if you want to do beautiful homes. No one criticizes if you want to buy a beautiful chair. But so many intellectuals still criticize why you want to wear beautiful clothes, and it’s only our body, so it must be important in a way."

"I don't like things that are obvious. Just beauty by itself is too easy."

Being a writer, I love a good soundbyte - and Miuccia Prada gives a good one. She's amazing, as are these old Prada campaigns. CNN interviewed her, you should watch it here.

ingredients for a lovely day

a beautiful view

a bike ride in a pink dress

dancing in tulle and curls

cakes and sweet things

a pink party

pretty new perfume

balloons and lip synching


* This post is pretty pointless, but I have had these photos lying around for a while and just wanted to share

consolation for a broken heart

“Love don’t make things nice, it ruins everything, it breaks your heart, it makes things a mess.  We aren’t here to make things perfect.  Snowflakes are perfect.  The stars are perfect.  Not us.  Not us!  We are here to ruin ourselves and, to break our hearts and love the wrong people and die!  I mean, the storybooks are bullshit!  Now I want you to come upstairs with me, and get in my bed!” (Nicholas Cage in Moonstruck)

what a lovely sentiment

Come over to the window
My little darling
I’d like to try to read your palm.
I used to think I was some kind gypsy boy
Before I let you take me home

- So Long, Marianne, Leonard Cohen

I just adore this song. It makes me feel happy, gloomy, nostalgic and hopeful, all at once.

we love louise and louise loves...

Louise Cuckow is the designer and founder of Sweetpea Home - a label that Natalie and I are both rather fond of, despite not being particularly crafty ourselves. She makes adorable one-off handmade pieces out of cute fabrics, like owls, mice, apples and dolls, harking back to a time where people made-do with what they had and things were not as throwaway as they are today. She also works with Karen Walker to produce special pieces for specific collections, including dolls in mini Karen Walker outfits. I think Cuckow has fantastic taste - especially since she wrote a wee poem about high tea! Here are some of her favourite things right now.

1. high tea
I had a little tea party
This afternoon at three.
'Twas very small-
Three guest in all-
Just I, myself and me.
Myself ate all the sandwiches,
While I drank up the tea;
'Twas also I who ate the pie
And passed the cake to me.

While in England my friend and I made high tea our hobby and Claridges was the best I had.

2. Eley Kishimoto
Fun with prints!

3. Karen Walker everything
I have always loved Karen Walker designs, I purchased my first top when I was 13 before she had any stores from the little World store on High St in Auckland. I then worked in her stores while at University doing window displays and serving customers. Now all these years later I am lucky enough to have a label under her umbrella of brands and be her Design Assistant.

4. Handmade craft
Especially quilts and embroidery by Nana's and Mum's. My husband's mum has made us a traditional 'wedding rings' quilt which I can't wait for her to finish. I also have an embroidery my Mum did for me as a child of Peter Rabbit holding pink carrots on the wall in my workroom.

5. Vivienne Westwood pirate boots
The first thing I purchased in London and I still LOVE them (handmade in UK).

6. Jas m b bags
'wings' is next on my list, beautiful handmade bags which are really well designed. I purchased my first one while living in the UK and the leather has changed colour and improved with age (handmade in UK).

7. Eating veg I have grown
I have been growing my own vegetables and herbs on and off for around 10 years and I always get excited about cooking with fresh veg straight from the garden.

8. Cats
Especially my cat Rufus.

9. Hybrid cars
Good for the environment and my purse.

10. Modernism
I am crazy about mid-century architecture, interiors and, well, everything. While travelling I made a point of visiting all the mid-century buildings I could. I love LA for this reason. This is an example of Le Corbusier colour which will be the basis of my next kitchen:

the heart is a lonely hunter

But, not for long in these new knickers from Lonely Hearts. Too cute. Perfect for lolling about one's bedroom on a sunny winter day, pouting and preening on fresh white linen. Cause that's what girls do all the time...I want it all!

the simple life

Sometimes, I think it would be very nice to be a child again. Today, for instance. Today I thought about it a lot. 

stress less

Flying, money, work, family, deadlines, birds: all of these things make me nervous and stressed. Drinking copious amounts of coffee probably doesn't help with my neurotic sensibilities either. Yes, it is entirely possible that I need to learn how to relax and take a chill pill. What do you do to help you stress less?

we love lydia and lydia loves...

The lovely Lydia Cowpertwait is an Auckland based photographer, who recently launched her own street style website. The Flaneur chronicles the outfits of the stylish and interesting around Auckland and beyond - you should check it out here. Lydia tells us what some of her favourite things are right now.

1. Old Pentax Medium Format cameras

2. Being in bed with lots of blankets and hot tea on rainy days.

3. My favourite scent in the world is Chanel Coco Mademoiselle.

4. Piles of books

I have currently been enjoying the book ‘Gig’ filled with brilliant poems by English poet Roger McGough, the novel I am reading is Anita and Me by Meera Syal and writing by the sociologist Erving Goffman is of continual interest to me.

5. The artist I am currently inspired by is Lorna Simpson.

6. Beautiful vintage stores and vintage clothing - I have recently adopted a cobalt blue velveteen jacket with a cute hood and I can’t stop wearing it!

7. Going out for breakfast with my boyfriend and dinner parties with my friends

8. Alejandro Jodorowsky’s film The Holy Mountain.

9. Music!

Ahh, I could write so much on the music that I love. I have recently been enjoying music by the Icelandic female quartet Amiina (below), The Sugarcubes are an old favourite, Lily Allen's new album is fun! And I am permanently in love with the Jazz pianist Bill Evans. That really is a tiny tip of the iceberg.

10. Last but not least, Italian Vogue's are a guilty pleasure and they are worth every penny!