prim & proper

photos from all over the internet; sorry if I didn't credit you

party photo

Here is a photo from the party we held in conjunction with our friends Anjali and Rachel of Twenty-Seven Names at New Zealand Fashion Week. Thankyou so much to everyone who helped us put it on, we are so grateful for all your help, and thanks to our readers for coming, it was lovely to meet you. Our guests sipped on Whitecliff sparkling wine with rosewater, and Antipodes sparkling water too. They ate amazing cupcakes from The Caker, and pizza named after models from Gorgeous Pizza. We got to play with the new Polaroid 300 camera, get our tarot cards read and there was even a lucky dip at the end - treats courtesy of the wonderful Janina at Universal Music, Orly Nails, Bendon lingerie, Whittakers chocolate and Magnation. Phewf! Thankyou very much to Karel and Dan and Zoe's dad for all their help too.

angelic army

Photos: Michael Ng for NZFW / Olivia Hemus for Stephen Marr

I always compare a good fashion show as being a bit like a slap in the face: it wakes you up, stirs your emotions. The clothes, the hair, the makeup, the venue, the music, the atmosphere; it all comes together to make you feel like you're watching something special unfold right in front of you. That's how I felt about Salasai's NZFW show with designer Kirsha Whitcher's "angelic army" of androgynous boys and girls. I loved the gold leaf in the dead straight hair, the clean makeup, the classical Metallica track that opened the show, the eerie landscape print, and especially the kilts.
I've been watching Kirsha since she launched Salasai in 2006, and it's been so nice watching her evolve and 'find her voice' so to speak. This is the best part of my job as a fashion writer; witnessing designers go from newbie 'ones to watch' to standing strongly on their own - something that I've had the pleasure of seeing the likes of Lonely Hearts, Twenty-seven Names and Juliette Hogan do also. Congratulations Kirsha and team Salasai!

the fearsome five

'The Fearsome Five' by Twenty-seven Names

Photos: Guy Coombes

Here are the brand new campaign shots from Twenty-seven Names, for their autumn/winter 2011 collection called The Fearsome Five. Co-designer Anjali Stewart explains, "Rachel and I were in a band of girls at primary school dubbed that. It was 1996 and we were just about to go to high school, so we were looking at the pop culture of that time - books, movies, Full House - all those things that shaped our youth. And kind of the general feeling of dressing like a fruit and loving it!"

a magazine

Chelsea from the blog I Love Cat Party sent me a copy of her magazine Chelsea - and it's pretty much everything that I want in a mag, including an interview with Lover designers Susien Chong and Nic Braind, a Heathers inspired accessories shoot, a hilarious Q&A with a "fashion psychic" and illustrations of cats wearing Luella and Miu Miu. There are also some really pretty shoots, fashion horoscopes, and it comes with a selection badges too (I got Sweet Valley High twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield, Brooke Shields in Pretty Baby, and Stevie Nicks). I suggest buying a copy of your own, which you can get here.

ruby blue



I really liked Ruby's presentation at NZ Fashion Week, with their new autumn/winter 2011 collection called The Adventurers - here are some of my favourite looks from the lookbook.

well wishes

We are so proud of our friends Anjali and Rachel from Twenty-seven Names, who showed at NZ Fashion Week today. They played Shy Guy by Diana King and Veruca Salt during the show...their amazing taste in music is just one of the reasons why we think they're awesome.

we love j ho

We're at NZ Fashion Week this week, hence the delay in posting anything for a few days. But we do have some backstage photos from the lovely and talented team at Stephen Marr, shot by Olivia Hemus who is also lovely and talented. These are from Juliette Hogan's show yesterday, which featured models in beehives, eye flicks and garments named after characters in Mad Men - which are all some of our favourite things. We'll have more backstage photos from other shows that we love during the week - or you can see many more on the Stephen Marr website.

elsewhere: style like u

Despite the naff name, I really love Style Like U. It's far more comprehensive than a typical street style site, and the creative directors and founders, Elisa Goodkind and Lily Mandelbaum, have a wonderful eye for candidates who tend to be truly inspirational, rather than just 'girls who work at fashion magazines and fashion PR agencies and get clothes at cost', although the majority are in the fashion industry in some shape or form. It's also refreshing that they shoot people who are older and younger than most style insight fodder.

I am particularly partial to the wardrobes of writer and casting director Natalie Joos,  but a trawl through the archives is days of fun.

good hair

Rodarte's collection shown at NYFW was beautiful, but I'm especially obsessed with the messy side parts and handcarved barrettes. According to Vogue.com, it was inspired by seventies suburban sprawl and the awkward beauty of adolescence. "Hairstylist Odile Gilbert finished by pinning back one side with ornate wooden barrettes, 'the way young girls do,' she said. 'It's almost as if they're hiding behind their hair.'"

think tank

I have been thinking about (in no particular order): black suede, clutch purses, white silk shirts, Bohemian houses that don't have cleaners and are messy and dusty and full of love and old rugs, dogs, sixties eyeliner, Lover's lace things, glitter and party accessories, flowers and crafts and headbands and hearts especially The Vamoose, grey jumpers, the art I see on ROLU, 'only boring people get bored', Freud's couch with lots of Turkish rugs on it, Sofia Coppola's new film Somewhere, The Dreamers, tax, scented candles, heart-shaped presents from Kikki K, fashion week and tofu curry.

what a geek

Ooh pretty - these are the spring/summer campaign shots from a New Zealand designer called Lara Parker. Her collection is inspired by geeks like Rachel Berry from Glee, who I adore - much like those little frilled khaki shorts.

Photography: Stephen Tilley

Styling: Rachel Churchward

Hair: Lauren Gunn for Stephen Marr

Makeup: Joanna Chang for M.A.C

Model: Imogene from Red-11