Silent Night....

Joy...

Last week, despite the rain, Wellingtonians turned out en masse to show the enormous love felt by the nation for a small group of men.  Both old & young, whether hanging out windows, from balconies or in trees, they waited patiently for our world champions.....

And were ultimately in raptures when they finally appeared, driving slowly through the throngs of fans who reached out to give their congratulations, get their autographs.......or simply to see and touch their heroes! 

And who are they?  They are the All Blacks, of course...... :-) 

xxo

RWC 2011

So, on sunday night the All Blacks claimed the Rugby World Cup for New Zealand over an extremely challenging french side!  And while it was a nail-biting 80 minutes, during which my poor mothers heart almost stopped beating at no point was it a certain thing either way, the joy that all Kiwi's felt when the whistle blew full-time was almost palpable!!  The people across the road let off fireworks, and you could hear whoops of elation echoing around the neighborhood for hours afterwards!  

 I won't pretend to be a rugby fan myself, it was a joy to celebrate the country's (temporary) ownership of this sporting Holy Grail with the rest of my (rugger-mad) family!  GO THE ALL BLACKS!!!

Big hugs to all!
xxo

Next stop.......

SUMMER! 


xxo

Winter warmers....

There is something I really love about women wrapped up for autumn weather.  The smart coats, the knee-high boots.......  Like the sight of smoke beginning to curl from chimneys, the first appearances of winter wardrobes on the street is somewhat comforting - heartwarming even.

And believe me, that's about all that is feeling warm lately!

xxo

Seasonal blues......

There's a strange feel that the city gets in winter.......it happens all over the world.  The air alters slightly.....it becomes much darker, tinged with a blueish tone; the neon shop lights meet street lights across a rain-slicked footpath; everyone's bundled in clothes, dark shapes hunkered down inside their jackets to ensure the minimum amount of skin is exposed.

And in the magazine shops, the covers of the Vogues and assorted international fashion tomes proclaim the latest summer looks........................(big sigh).............

xxo

Letterman.....

"Hey you guuuuuuuuys!"

One of the little trends that seem to have popped up this year is the classic old Varsity 'Letterman' jacket.  Bringing to mind american college, 'jocks', and all those old shows I used to love as a youngster:  Happy Days (where I have a sneaking suspicion even the Fonz donned one once), Grease, Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop, Michael J Fox in Teen Wolf, and the list goes on!

Aaaaahhhhhhhh, the memories*!

Oh, and of course how could I forget - The Electric Company:  "Faster than a rolling "O", stronger than silent "E", able to leap capital "T" in a single bound!  It's a word.  It's a plan.  It's LETTERMAN!"

xxo

* It's not all nostalgia of course.  If you're looking for more up-to-date letterman-lovers then you're quite spoilt for choice, with fans such as Gossip Girls Vanessa Abrahms (Jessica Szohr), or even Lady Gaga, who of course put her own spiky style-spin on this iconic jacket.

They're here........

Great news for Wellington!

xxo

How to be your Super-self.....

The annual Armageddon Expo rolled into town recently, giving fanboys, geek-girls, (and my nephew), agreat day out*.  The timing was somewhat ironic too, as I have recently rediscovered something of a passion for 'Wonder Woman'!

Yes, Wonder Woman....you remember her, don't you?  The femme fatale of superheroes, that goddess in red white and blue, the 'X' chromosome to Superman's 'Y'.  With her boomerang headwear and bullet foiling bracelets, she gave young girls like myself something to live up to, (and young boys something to live for)!

But she shared more than her super powers with stars such as Superman - they also shared an incredible  knowledge of what a change of clothes can achieve!  Indeed, if you were looking for evidence of the transformative power of clothing you need look no further than Wonder Woman......   Depending on her clothing choices she was either a meek and mild "everywoman" or a Superhero with crime-stopping powers!  Not only that, but she could render herself virtually unrecognizable with each whirlwind wardrobe visit!!

So there you have it - dress this way and you are just an average soul,  but dress this way** and there will be little that can stand in your way!

*  (Not such a great day out for the wallet!)

**NB:  You should probably be aware, this will likely entail wearing something super-short and super-tight!  Oh, and you better hope that you suit the colours red, white, and blue!

Little Brown Bag.....

This bag reminds me of the case my grandfather kept his binoculars in.  Oh, how many happy hours I used to while away, this bag lying at my feet, the binoculars it housed pressed to my eyes, spying on the neighbours and any innocent passers-by!  I loved the smell of the old leather, the feel of its soft, aged leather, the red lining.......

The only trouble I have with this type of bag is that, sadly, it's really only large enough to carry a pair of binoculars!!  Like most women, I need something roughly the size of a rubbish sack to tote my 'essential' worldly goods around, (note that the person carrying this one is a man.....note also that men seem to have no need to take anything with them when they leave the house, unlike us females who invariably need everything, up to (and frequently including) the kitchen sink!  As you can see, you won't find many plumbers carrying their goods in a bag of these dimensions!!  Pity really - it would drastically raise the "style" of plumbers everywhere!

(Must fly - I'm off to Summerset Festival at the Basin Reserve;  a field normally home to cricket and its fans will, for one day only, be taken over by dozens of bands and their loving fans!)

xxo

Grab it while you can.....

Wellingtonians, grab the last days of summer while it's here!  The days are getting shorter, the weather's getting colder (yep, it did get warm there for a time), and the colder months are on their way.  The good thing, of course, is that this is the time of year when you get to greet winter wardrobe staples like old friends.....

Hah! - what am I talking about!  Get out the bathing suit*, get to the beach, and grab that sunshine.......while you still can.  And, if you choose to brave the waters .....weeeeeeeeell.....I'll be the one cheering you on from the warmth of dry land  ;-) !

xxo

*  I am loving lowcut swimsuits - I think they have the great benefit of making everyone who dons one suddenly appear as though they are a 50's pin-up, with the womanly curves that are so attractive in real life!  

Trilogy Red....

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love nail-polish - and here's why......

I'll let you in on a little secret:  I used to bite my nails furiously, ferociously, relentlessly!  And I didn't stop at the nail.....oh no........I kept right on going, gnawing my nails to the (figurative) bone!  I tell you, it got to the point where I would hide my hands, dreading the looks of horror that they invariably elicited from anyone who caught a glimpse.  But THEN............

I painted my nails!  That was all it took to cure me of my cannibalistic* habits!  I took one look at my pretty nails and simply couldn't bear to hurt them - I was cured, forever!!

Anyway, getting back to the point - today I was presented with a fabulous free gift - a glorious red nail-polish, and interestingly, it is a collaboration between nail-care giants Orly, and Trilogy, that ever-so-popular beauty brand from Down Under!  I am a HUGE fan of collaborations - indeed, following the enormous success of the recent pairing of Karen Walker and Beau Coops, I wait with anticipation to see who will combine their talents next!  Hmmmmm........."Cybele for Glassons" perhaps
xxo

* Apparently, (according to Answers.com), it is not actually called 'cannibalism' if you eat yourself!  No, it is referred to as 'autophagia'!  Now you know.


UPDATE:  I thought it worth letting you know that amazingly, this nailpolish stayed put for over two weeks - two weeks, it should be mentioned, during which I did the gardening, sans gloves, and mowed the lawns!  
My verdict?  I am fairly impressed!!!! 

Are we really here again?

Man, it feels like nowhere near enough time has passed since I was last here saying how shocked and saddened I was by one tragedy - now here we are again!  And this time it's even worse, if that's possible!  At times like this I think we cease to be 'Japanese', New Zealander, Australian, etc - we just become 'citizens of planet earth', and if nothing else, it is truly heartwarming to see how swiftly people from around the globe mobilize to come to the aid of those in need!  My best wishes go out to those in Japan, and around the world, who will be touched by this new disaster.


xxo

The long and short of it.....

As a young girl growing up, I made the same huge mistake that so many young girls make - I believed that, basically, to be sexy, it had to be short!  I rolled the top of my school uniform over to shorten hemline, (deliberately failing to notice the way it now gathered and puckered ridiculously round the waistline); I placated my parents by leaving the house in 'sensible' skirts, only to disappear into public toilets, reappearing seconds later (a la Wonder Woman) in a skirt so short that.....well, you get the idea!

Moving forward through life has taught me many things, but one particular important sartorial lesson has been the allure of length!  I see now the error of my young selfs ways: how gorgeously feminine, and downright sexy, a long flowing skirt can be!  They flatter so many more people than their shorter versions, and there is a fabulous sensation of fabric flowing around you when you walk.  Wellington, in particular, is perfectly suited to the long skirt - the wind here allowing passers-by to fully appreciate the effect!

Oh, and length is everywhere for the coming seasons, so there'll be something for everyone............and for those among us who simply can not accept that "sexy" can be anything but revealing, there are the see-thru chiffon versions - romantic and sexy ;-) !

xxo

This ones for you.....

There are lots of styles I (secretly) remember fondly from the 80's.......tube skirts, double belts worn low on the hips and oh so many more.  But one of my favourites from the era that taste forgot 'temporarily misplaced' is was the chunky knit/drop-shouldered/vest-type-thing!  You know the one?  It has perhaps been buried under the memories of frill-necked blouses and bubblegum jeans, but seeing this girl in her top the other day brought the recollections flooding back.

I love the wide armholes, the wide stripes, but mostly I love the Canterbury colours!  It couldn't be a more appropriate top to wear at this time.......so, this ones for you Christchurch!!!!

xxo

(PS. What I love more than anything is to see how the citizens of New Zealand band together when it's needed!!  We may clash on the sports fields occasionally, but when the chips are down we more than pull together!  Nice one NZ....)

Round the outside....

It's not just the outside of our selves we like to "dress up" - we also like to have some say in the decorating of our homes.  And if we happen to live and work at the same place, well.....all the better!
Wellington Tattoo studio Underground Arts has found a new home, right on the corner of Vivian and Victoria Streets, and owner Steve Maddock has set about ensuring that his building is "dressed" to his taste.  The results are going to be spectacular when finished, but already this is one place that is hard to miss!

I must add too, that I am insanely jealous of anyone who can say "I'd like a dragon on the outside of my place", and then has the ability to realize that dream!  I myself, was someone who:

a)    dreamed of being a famous guitarist………………..but never quite got   round to learning how to play guitar…..something my dream required, and
b)  yearned to be a prima ballerina....................but had terminally flat feet, and

c)   always wanted to express my deepest thoughts, to lay all my feelings out in paint on canvas………………but didn’t have the ability to draw a convincing stickman, let alone a vase of sunflowers!

Thus thwarted in my own ambitions, I have to settle with appreciating....and sharing....the work of other, more talented, people.  Hello Steve..................

xxo

(PS. How strange it was to finish this post, only to find a "Learn to Play Guitar Now" advertisement flashing up on my Google Dashboard  ;-)  ........)

Fluoro DIY....

I always love to observe the little ways in which people care about their appearance....the small things they do that make such a difference......

Like.....if you want fluorescent shoes then just go ahead and make them!

xxo

PS - Note what this young man is carrying in his hands, too.  Are books becoming the new "must have" accessory??  ;-)

Blue by you.....

Aaaaah, how wonderful to see someone carrying a real-life book......not a Kindle.....not an iPad or a laptop, but a genuine, 100% old-school type, book!  

Personally, I refuse to believe that there will come a time when people will no longer appreciate - or indeed even know - the joys of holding a book in their hands......smelling it's smell and feeling the weight and texture of the paper.  

Long live the humble book!

xxo

Colour crazy.....

The international runways have spoken, and 'colour' is what we will all be wearing next season* - colour......crazy, delightful colour;

Hopefully, along with this colour will also come the innate ability to get our pant up to our waists?  Surely not too much to hope for ;-) ?)

xxo

*(although we all know that kiwis don't roll like that....  No - kiwis wear what they want, when they want!  But still.....colour - that's what we should all want to wear!)

At the fair....

There seem to be a lot of fairs on at the moment .....not that I'm complaining, mind you!  I love being able to revisit this element from way back in my history.

(Looking around me today, I had a feeling that a many of those old rides from my childhood are still alive and well, and entertaining the youth of today with the same style they did me all those many years ago!)

Another thing that's also very much alive and well is the denim cut-off, in all its various shapes and sizes!

xxo

Le Sac....

I happened to pass this bag today, and it caught my eye.....I haven't seen anything like it before.  It's an original idea, anyway, and I quite like it.  Of course, anything with the words ECO written on it will be fairly popular....... I wonder if he 'designed' it himself, or bought it?

I have a feeling that we are going to be seeing a great many more items made from hessian coming out over the next few years.....it would be a great fabric, as long as you fixed the itchiness!

xxo

Frills round Oriental Bay......

This is when Wellington, or any city in the world for that matter, is at its best: the sun is shining, your skin in soaking it all up, and you feel happy and healthy!  Aaaahhhhhh, if only it was always this way......

I'm not normally a huge fan of frills, but I loved these.  They look perfectly 'bohemian-with-an-edge' I think (particularly with the choice of jewelry), and the swirling frills must feel lovely to wear in the seaside breeze.......oh alright, what am I talking about....this is Wellington - it's called a "wind"!

xxo

Tragic.....

I lived in Christchurch for 4 years and they were very happy years providing cherished memories!  It is a beautiful, friendly, unique and wonderful city, and to witness these scenes of devastation and catastrophe is painful indeed!!  It is not only buildings that have crumbled in this shocking event - hopes, dreams, and lives have also been shattered, and my very best wishes and greatest sympathy go out to all those touched by this tragedy.

xxxo

Events Centre....

The other night, Nas and Damian Marley played at the Wellington Events Centre, and people queued for ages to get inside....

Can I just say that, while the music inside sounded great, the wonderful evening outside was truly a spectacle!

xxo

Blue on a rainy day.....

Because it decided to rain today, I have decided to share this picture of the perfect footwear for such weather.  Over the years Kate Moss has been held responsible for starting many a trend, and sure enough, her sanction of the humble Wellington boot (gumboot to us Kiwis), elevated it to the status of "fashion item with lightning speed!  Recently the 'Hunter' brand became available in Australia, and have now begun to appear on the streets of (appropriately) Wellington.  Until now, you had to have been lucky enough to have travelled to the Northern Hemisphere to sport these beauties!

Anyway, thanks to Kate, Wellington/gumboots are a viable daytime footwear option, and are are being embraced in all the colours of the rainbow.

xxo

.....& again.....

What did I say about Country Road bags?  Everywhere!!!

xxo

It's summer.....YeeeeeHaaaaa......

Wellington's waterfront on a glorious summers day is a fun place - heaps happening, and loads of smiling faces, which is just what we like to see!!!

And while I have never been, and never WILL be bold enough to brave the freezing waters of the harbour myself, I certainly don't mind watching others indulging......  I can't imagine how wonderful, how refreshing, it must feel after a day of sitting in a stuffy classroom, in a stifling uniform, to just cut loose and JUMP!!!!

xxo

Petone Street Fair....

Yellow fever....

I have been noticing a LOT of yellow around me on the streets of late.  Mainly displayed in the area of footwear, it has also been seen as far north as the t-shirt, and it never fails to make the wearer appear bright, sunny and summery!  Not a colour that wall-flowers should attempt, it certainly rewards those brave enough to try it - whether they just put a toe in the sandal water, or go for the full effect!

xxo

New Zealand....

Aaahhhhh - New Zealand!

xxo

Happy days....

Big smiles all round when I discovered that you can now get free WiFi down at the beautiful Wellington waterfront!

xxo

Freedom of style....

When I was much younger I used to love dressing up in an old shawl of my grandmothers - I loved the feeling of the tassles swirling around me......

Tassles are able to evoke so many moods - to accommodate so many styles.......  They can take on the spirit of the heady days of 70's disco, al la Studio 54; they can conjure up images of american Indian, riding free across the plains of the wild west; they can bring to mind the bohemian style of the wandering gypsy...... But one thing that all these have in common is a sense of freedom - whether the freedom of 70's excess, untamed lands, or nomadic roaming.  And freedom is always attractive, no? Freedom is always stylish!

I love people who dress up in their everyday life....who put some art and imagination into their presentation!  Who embrace the freedom of style!

xxo

Better late than never....

Because I was....um.....busy on the day - happy valentines to all!  Hope you had a lovely day, wherever you where, and whoever whatever you did! ;-)

And for those of us who are single, this heart is all yours!  Embrace the freedom you have!  Love yourself.....and never compromise!

xxo

Backup....

I love backpacks - always have, ever since high school, (when I passed my army-style backpack around for all my friends to sign).  I mean, which other bag allows you to to carry so much stuff around (and no matter how much I try to streamline, still I find myself carrying SO MUCH 'stuff'!!!!!!!) and yet still gives you the freedom to use both hands!

xxo

Bright skies.....

....burning like fire...

Now this is more like it!   It's not only the shepherds that find delight in a stunning sky at night..........

Indeed, I will happily forgo the bright dress for a bit more of the bright sky!

xxo

Wherefore art thou summer?

Once again (thanks La Nina) we are having a somewhat sub-standard summer.....  But this is what these warmer months should look like.........

Sun, sand, surf....a colourful dress.......and walking the dogs on the beach.  Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah..........

(I'm reaching the point where I think I may have to start travelling TO summer, rather than waiting for it to come to me.......Mohammed and the mountain kinda' thing.....)
xxo

Neon now...

I am truly a Wellingtonian, thus black is my standard "go-to" colour - with shades of black thrown in for good measure!  There's a change in the air though.....

Some of my fellow Wellingtonians seem to be breaking free from the (black) chains that bind them, and are daring to take to the streets in bright, vibrant shades of colour!  And it looks like this new, bold mood in colour is not about to fade in a hurry.

In the latest edition of British Vogue, Christopher Kane talks of his love of neon...

















...while Proenza Schouler (in American Vogue) have also embraced the brightest of colours.  Indeed, magazines are positively bursting with neon!

To me, neon = bravery, but in two distinct ways.....
Firstly, you need a level of bravery to wear such loud, eye-catching  shades; but I also find that there is an enormous amount of bravery gained from the life-affirming, skin enhancing vibrancy of neon.....

xxo