My poor neglected blog... don't worry I am coming back

Ok, I am pulling my socks up... it is winter after all... and giving my blog some love and attention. I found this dreamy photo and just had to share it

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Mmmm Karen... it's perfect once again. I want to be this girl.

WIGHT LIVE FASHION

CHECK OUT http://www.wight.co.nz/ a brand new online designer store which offers so much more.

A beautiful layout... clean and simple, making it easy to shop for exactly what you want, and already with Cybele, Maurice and Eve, The Cassette Society, Pop Eyes and House of Harlow 1960 onboard, this little online shop has the potential to be huge!

But more than a shop... check out the style guide, a bit of a blog with musings on all things fashion.

This is girl is great.

Go visit. Support Kiwi stores... online.

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Something to add to the bucket list... WOW

It has been one of the biggest weeks on the fashion calendar in New Zealand. There have been double bookings, and busy yet beautifully dressed ladies rushing from one city to another. While ANZFW closed on Friday night, a whole other Fashion extravaganza begun: the 21st Montana World Of Wearableart™ (WOW®) Awards Show.

Once again Suzie Moncrieff and her team have created a Masterpiece. Every year, the Montana WOW® Awards Show never fails be anything other than utterly indescribable. WOW® is so much more than simply a competition, fashion show, or art exhibition. It transcends boundaries: a mix of art and sartorial styling all sewn together with a carefully selected soundtrack, incredible dancing and entertainment. 2009 was no exception, this year had the audience up and dancing in their seats with male dancers dressed in sequinned chaps and hot pants! Oh and I must mention the Topp Twins open the show with some comedy, and they do return with those sequinned cowboys!

Despite the spectacle and entertainment, it is the garments which shine through. How designers come up with such incredible ideas, and then manage to make them wearable leaves me lost for words. Each of the seven categories were breathtaking in their own unique way. For me, it was the first and last sections which blew me away: the Children’s Section ‘At the Bottom of the Garden’, and the Tourism New Zealand Avant Garde Section.

The Children’s Section, has always been a personal favourite of mine. Maybe it is a combination of the gorgeous little models and the themes... this year it was “At the bottom of the garden”. ‘The Dandelion Clock’ which won the section, stole the show, with its three little models replicating a dandelion blowing in the wind. And ‘The Daisy Chain’, which did not place, took my heart. I have a love affair with the hippie girl in me as soon as Spring hits, and this piece was so pretty and sweet.

The Avant Garde section is really where fashion and art collide. The pieces are revolutionary, extravagant and extrovert, but still stylish without the commercial reality and restrictions of fashion. This year there was a dress entitled ‘Afternoon Tea’ which had a cake trolley built into the skirt!! It really was a combination of the best things! Cupcakes and sweets in a gorgeous skirt! The Montana Supreme WOW® Award winner came from this category. ‘Lady of the Wood’, designed by David Walker a carpenter from Alaska, was a 17th century ball gown made entirely from wood. This dress was exceptional, looking so perfect, and as if made from some strong fabric from afar, yet up close the extreme skill and spectacle was clear: this really is a wooden dress.

While these categories made a mark on me, all seven were incredible, and each of the winners entirely deserving.

So although these garments were all on the catwalk, they won’t be making their way onto the streets as many of the fashion week trends will be. But as Annah Stretton, a judge this year mentioned in her prize giving speech, this is show that everyone should add to their bucket list.
WOW® runs until Sunday October 4th at the TSB Bank Arena in Wellington.
For more information and full results see: http://www.worldofwearableart.com/

ANZFW 2009 - MY PICK: TWENTY-SEVEN NAMES & JULIETTE HOGAN

The champagne is chilled.

The designers are making last minute decisions and cutting the loose threads.

The goodie bags are full.

Front Row invitees are perfecting their outfits.

The media are ready for the onslaught.
The countdown is over.

It is Air New Zealand Fashion Week 2009.

Welcome abroad.

There are high hopes for ANZFW 2009. It is to be the best yet. The line-up certainly excites those in the know. The invites are both alluring and intriguing, from doodles on lined refill, to dream catchers. Fashion Week 2009 is going to stand out. Here’s why.

Kicking off with, “What is Your Damage?” , an off-site film installation from Lonely Hearts the week promises to be both fashion forward and entertaining.

It is Day Two, Tuesday, however which I am shaking in my stupidly high heels for! Cybele, Sable & Minx, Twenty-Seven Names, Juliette Hogan, Basquesse, Annah Stretton, Alexandra Owen, and Zambesi!! Oh My!

I am picking the combined showing of Twenty-Seven Names and Juliette Hogan as the standout of the week. Both are fresh New Zealand labels which transverse boundaries and hold cult followings. It is going to be an unbeatable combination of Twenty-Seven Names part rebel part dancer style, and Juliette Hogan’s sexy contemporary fashion under toned with a classic femininity. Juliette Hogan swept so many of us off our feet with her latest collection, and Twenty-Seven Names has left its cult followers gagging for more. I seriously cannot wait. It promises to be a collision of the most beautiful kind.

And Basquesse, with their signature of daring styling, use of colour, texture, and superb finishing make them one label I will be keeping my eyes on this year! Of course, Zambesi cannot be forgotten. Although this year marks the labels 30th birthday, they are anything but middle aged as they go from strength to strength. They have shown at every ANZFW to huge acclaim, and this year promises to be no different with an off-site show to end the terrific Tuesday.

Day Three sees the dark intellectual style which has become synonymous with New Zealand fashion continue from the night before, as Nom*D show first on Wednesday. Yet colour is promised with Sera Lilly’s show. The rising star of New Zealand fashion has a love of fabric, and flattering feminine styles, but always puts her unique twist on garments. Wednesday also sees The Carpenters Daughter show the stick thin models that high fashion is for real women with curves too! Trelise Cooper promises an intriguing mix of luxurious fabrics, and the quirkiness we have come to know and love from a designer who loves living on the edge of the world here in NZ. Day three winds up with a firm favourite of mine – Kate Sylvester, whose shows always create a bit of hype – this year entitled ‘Diamond Dogs’ already has commentators guessing as to the inspiration coming from Bowie, bling or both!?.

Day Four has the ghd New Generation Group show. Always exciting, fresh and inspirational. I am especially excited for Emma Ford Swimwear... amazing prints, colours and cuts are promised, and I want it all – it will be a good summer when you are wearing one of these suits by the pool! Stolen Girlfriends Club will undoubtedly leave their own stamp on Fashion Week, as has come to be expected of the fresh but cheeky label! And it would not be ANZFW without the Westpac Red Collection – a show which is planned with utmost secrecy, and always delivers! Last year models walked on water – literally, and this year organisers are promising an ethereal and out of this world experience!

On Friday there really is a mixed goodie bag to round off the week, we get Stitch Ministry, Trelise Kids (which will be oh so gorgeous, and cute and will leave us all clucky for the little models!), Federation, A*Muse featuring Pamela Anderson (an animal friendly range of shoes and casual clothes), and of course, I can hear you all saying where’s Karen? ANZFW would not be complete without Karen Walker and Huffer. Karen will be fresh off the catwalk at New York Fashion Week, so we can expect BIG things! And there is no question; Huffer will close the week in style.

Oh I am sooooo excited! And you know what, the wait is over! I can hear the champagne corks popping in celebration already.

WORDS OF WISDOM

The 50th Anniversay edition of Australian Vogue has a collection of some of the best remarks by luminaries over the years...

Here are some of my favourites,

"I would say always match your clothes with your personality. Not with fashion trends. They'll pass, you'll stay." Valentino Garavani.

"Seasons. They go so fast, and designers have to create a collection four times a year, with never enough time. The dream of every designer is to skip a season. I have a love-hate relationship with fashion." Dries Van Noten.

MEN WHO SORT OUT YOUR LIFE WHILE TAKING EXCEPTIONAL CARE OF YOUR BELONGINGS... DEADLY PONIES BAGS

The average woman owns six handbags. I own far more. Bags have always had a special place in my heart, and wardrobe. Maybe it is the combination of fashion, art and sculpture which they embody. Handbags are much much more than an accessory, they are pieces of art which transcend seasons and provide women (and men) with incredible joy and functionality.

As a teenager, I made my own handbags, some carefully sewn from various material offcuts, and one sculpted from chicken wire, woven with newspaper. I was one creative kid. I wanted a bag which expressed my individuality and absolute LOVE of bags. Today, I covet the work of New Zealand designers Katie Smith and Liam Bowden, better known as Deadly Ponies.

Deadly Ponies came about through Katie and Liam's shared passions for sculptural arts, crafts and tactile design. Deadly Ponies delves into the well of childhood memories and fantasies, with the Enchanted Forest providing endless inspiration. Entirely designed and hand made in New Zealand each bag is individual, and reminds owners and onlookers alike of the joys and beauty of leather. The clever leather work and designs mean the bags and wallets blur the line between functionality and high fashion.

There are a huge variety of DP bags. From the quirky Mr Quack (with brass duck's feet hanging from the bottom), to the simple yet beautiful Mr Fill N Zip. Each bag has a fantastic name, Mr..., they are men who sort out your life while taking exceptional care of your belongings.

Never before have I found a description holding more truth than the labels which come with each DP bag: 'having a Deadly Ponies bag is more than having a place to put stuff we like to think of it as sharing a friend. Unite or you will not know.'

My first DP bag is a friend for life. I have united and found the joy. I now have four best friends, and one in law. (3 bags and 1 wallet of my own, and 1 bag I brought for my partner).

Seriously 'unite or you will not know'.

IF I COULD BE A LABEL I WOULD BE...

I love DAY Birger et Mikkelsen.

They make clothes which are so ME, they epitomise my style. I love the layers, the accessories and the way the models wear and sell the clothes - there is a sexy but uncaring rock n roll feel, but still gorgeous.

The look books on the website are so cool! And now they have a home collection... oh dear, I love linen and fabrics. And the menswear: that is my partner. This brand is my life. I think I need a lot of it. It is everything I ever wanted and more.

The home campaign is gorgeous, sooooo cute