6 things you should get from Workshop's winter womens range

I really liked Workshop's winter collection - especially the complimentary mix of leather-clad sex kitten and denim tomboy. I first saw it last year at Fashion Week, in one of the best locations of the week - the town hall. Now that it's 2012 and Autumn wardrobe time, I had another look at the collection and it has so many pieces that are wardrobe mainstays (or need to be). 

Two things I love at the moment are in this one look; denim-on-denim and puffer outerwear. The traditional indigo blue of the shirt and jeans are so good - and a refreshing change to that washed out denim that's been so ubiquitous lately. The vest is a good tran-seasonal option; functional and a subtle dose of that great nylon sheen.

I think the hottest look from any show at NZFW, and the one that endured most in my mind until even now is the skinny leather trousers from Workshop paired with stilettos and a crisp white. This look proves you don't need to reveal any skin to create a strong, simple look that exudes sex-appeal.

Stella Tennant for Vogue Paris 1996

My favorite thing about autumn and winter is the knitwear. Sensible, functional knits, texture and colour and the sheer variety you can get - from super-lightweight cashmere to thick, chunky ribs and cables. The weather at the moment is the type where all you really need is to grab a jumper when leaving the house and you know you'll be okay. When it comes to buying knitwear; Karen Walker does that fine cashmere so well; Juliette Hogan has done some fantastic polo-necks; Country Road has a huge array of knitwear in great colourways this season; The Warehouse is as reliable as ever for those classic mens jumpers and beanies; and TwentySevenNames do some of the best simple, mid-weight cardigans and sweaters around.

This editorial from 1996 featuring Stella Tennant (who we incidentally had a long discussion about on the walk home last night) has me excited for the temperature to really drop.

Anticipating Autumn: With Megan Bedford

Megan Bedford is Features Editor at Fashion Quarterly magazine. She's one of my favorite people to talk fashion with become not only does she absolutely know her stuff both locally and overseas, she also approaches the topic with a sense of humor and realism.


What aesthetic are you being drawn to with regards to your own wardrobe and way of dressing now cold weather is imminent?
Since Fashion Week last year I've been waiting for the cold weather to arrive so I can get into all the leather we saw back then. In particular, the leather pants from Lonely Hearts, Juliette Hogan's black leather collar, and Workshop have done a really good version of a classic leather biker jacket with supple leather that's so soft.

Workshop

What pieces have you bought / want to buy for autumn/winter? (locally and internationally)
Becasue I'm obsessed I've also just bought some amazing leather leggings from Sabatini which I'm planning to wear with a oversized slouchy black knit sweater from Ruby, and theres a super-sheer shirt coming up from Moochi that i'm pretty tempted to pick up, unless I get an Equipment one first. Apart from all the black the other thing I'm super excited for is a red wool coat with gold stud buttons from Kate Sylvester, it's incredible. In, fact I really like the whole range from Kate this season, the femininty paired with hard stud detailing, it's so modern. If I could even remotely pull off a twin set, I'd be getting the lemon yellow one.

Kate Sylvester

Stolen Girlfriends Club "Me & Mrs Bones" Spring 12

Yesterday evening, Stolen Girlfriends Club presented their spring collection "Me & Mrs Bones" to a select group of press and media. It was a really great to have a concise audience, and placed the emphasis of the evening on the collection. My favorite pieces were the forest green dresses and the long shaggy knit cardigan, and the hair was fantastic - high, slick 90s-straight ponytails.

This post is a total iPhone edition as I ran out of time to duck home and get my camera yesterday - but there is a video of the final walk after the jump.

Outfit Documentation: Wednesday 28th March

I'm really pleased I found this skirt. Whilst it's not actual Burberry, it's still 100% wool and made in New Zealand (quite old by the looks of it but great condition). Not to mention there's impeccable check-matching on the side seams.

What I wore:

- Vintage skirt

- Comme des Garcons Play tshirt from Fabric

- Glassons jacket

- Converse

- Karen Walker sunglasses

What I did:
- Coffee at Kokako.
- Fabric hunting in Otara for this gallery project I'm helping Jack with.
- Lunch at Carl's Jnr.
- And then of course we had to go to Martha's Backyard around the corner and buy poptarts.
- Stolen Girlfriends Club's Spring 12 collection presentation - more on this soon.
- Maaike store opening in St Kevin's Arcade.
- Remix Magazines issue launch party at the awesome Imperial Lane on Fort Lane.
- Burritos!

Wednesday Warmers: Yellow

So this is something I'm doing for wednesdays for the next few months as the weather cools down and rain starts up (not that it ever stopped over summer here really). Pieces that have some point of functionality and purpose.

Hentsch Man Fisherman Jacket

My favorite part of wet weather is the iconic yellow rainjacket. So cheerful and also so sensible. This jacket by Hentsch Man from Mr Porter is the perfect incarnation of this traditional garment. I like the hidden placket, tortoiseshell buttoned cuffs and the the pockets that function as both flapped pockets and side pockets. £440

Father Rabbit Yellow Stripe Blanket

Although you can leave the house in bad weather and don some awesome, functional outerwear, you can also stay inside and curl up with a blanket. Like this from Father Rabbit. $119

Image sources: Father Rabbit & Mr Porter

Margaret Howell shirt factory in Edmonton, London

I feel like my week has been all about the shirt. Wearing them (new acquisitions from Sherie Muijs), writing about them, shooting them. This series of photos from Margaret Howell's shirt factory in London are so beautiful in their simplicity - and the backbone of her latest campaign imagery. I like how they travel right back to the pattern pieces and a cut bundle.

Words with Lisa Gorman + my 6 favorite pieces from Gorman (now with it's own New Zealand store!)

Over the weekend Australian label Gorman opened its very first New Zealand store on Auckland's Nuffield Street. Last week, I had the opportunity to interview designer Lisa Gorman about her range, label history and thoughts on design and print. I also tried on some of my favorite samples from the collection that is currently in stores. Although known for it's unique patterns, I found myself most drawn to the autumnal colours,  motif prints and scarves.

Gorman has such a recognisable aesthetic -- has that been something that was there from the very start or has it evolved with the business? 

I guess it's a lot easier to maintain a brand's aesthetic over 13 years when you're designing for yourself. It seems to come out naturally without having to over analyse it or explain it because it is basically my personal aesthetic, not something that is concocted purely for commercial purposes from trend reports or intense sales data. In saying this, as the brand has grown I have had more opportunity to customise my clothing so it's exactly what I want. In the beginning, the limitations of small runs and stock fabrics can mean that you need to get creative in a way that allows the brand to kick off. You can't get exactly what you want easily when you're small, but once the brand reaches a certain size it's easier to have your own colours, prints and fabrics produced just as you like. This has allowed the aesthetic to become more defined I think. I'm a true believer in sticking to your style, sometimes you're in fashion and some seasons you're not, but jumping around all over the place doesn't give your customers faith.
 Do you think people have more of a conscience these days with regards to their wardrobes? 
If you're talking about environmentally, then I believe some people do, a lot of people don't, but it's increasing. If you're talking about style, then yes I believe a lot more people are conscious of the way they are dressing because they now have so much choice, and many are obsessed about individuality and can express this instantly through their choice of clothing and the way they style themselves.

Allure 1993 - Lucie de la Falaise & Cecilia Chancellor

Now is  good time to be thinking about silhouettes. As we weather cools down (or warms up slightly, depending where in the globe you are) you have the option of committing to a slim, streamlined shape and relying on fabrics like merino and cashmere for warmth. Alternatively, you can start to play with texture and layers for more shape and volume - like a big jacket or wrap paired with bare legs. The examples in thisAllure editorial from 1993 are good because both silhouettes are accessible and complimentary. 

Margaret Howell's "Sea & Coastline" Calendar

This amazing calendar from Margaret Howell came into my possession on one of my recent trips to Fabric on High Street. Featuring work by British printmakers, it sits alongside that beloved and iconic Howell aesthetic perfectly. These are my favorites, and are all fantastic examples of printmaking from the sixties and seventies. 

Thanks Marty! Fabric has MH by Margaret Howell in now - very good shirts. Stay tuned.

6 things you should get from Karen Walker's winter collection

Spots on spots are a good thing. And this is one of the few fabrics that the very awesome Karen Walker boat-pant came in this season. The inky blue and small polka-dots are cute without being overwhelming. The shirt in particular is good to pair with a sharp pencil skirt for work or open over jeans and a tshirt on the weekend.

Film Love: Girl, Interrupted

Girl, Interrupted has hands down some of my favorite film wardrobe ever. The clothing quietly reflects the emotional turmoil of the institutionalized women and the context of the time and place. Winona Ryder's Susanna wears a timeless, boyish wardrobe wardrobe is a reaction to both the accepted notion of middle-class femininity in suburbia and the anti-war hippie movement. It's also at odds with her "symptoms" of promiscuity. Likewise Jolie's sociopathic Lisa has her turbulent unpredictability is reflected in her wardrobe of the same dirty white jeans, afghan coat and limited rotation of worn out singlets and a chopped off fringe.

Vogue Nippon - Suvi by Corinne

I've been a bad blogger this weekend. Sorry guys. Too much social interaction. And today was spent on the couch all day recovering from punch overload lastnight (apart from a break to go out for lunch and to The Department store for socks). I have spent a good deal of the past week trawling the depths of TFS though, hunting inspiration for this year now that summer is over. As much as I love the heat, it's so much more fun when you have multiple garments and layers to work with. 

Everything in this editorial is what I want for autumn - those days when you want to look put together. Pencil skirts, slim knits and turtlenecks. An solid dose of check - especially those trousers. I'm looking forward to using the great over-dyed tartan I got the other week for something - probably trousers and maybe even a matching jacket. I'm also really liking that shorter, pencil skirt silhouette at the moment - although it naturally requires more thought in balancing proportions when you get dressed. That Kate Sylvester skirt will be perfect for this, and I might hunt down a vintage pencil. Because I can't dress like a teenage boy all the time. 

Cecilia Chancellor by Grace Coddington 1986

That Miu Miu Eye

I still keep going back to that makeup at Miu Miu in all its lunar glory. I'll be rolling this look out next saturday night. Stay tuned.

Lou Doillon by Corinne Day

Another side of Lou Doillon to the achingly cool French tomboy thing. This is more sassy heiress, and it's awesome.

Cecilia Chancellor by Corinne Day

Since noticing Cecilia Chancellor in the Hermes show I've been trawling the internet for her archive of work in the nineties. So many iconic shoots - like these shots by Corinne Day (the editorial also featured Kate Moss amongst others) for British Vogue.

Pinstripe

I'm really into this at the moment - pin stripe and chalk stripe. So glad I picked up that half price Comme des Garcons jacket at the end of last year - pinstriped cotton and unlined so it's not corporate even though it's double breasted. Currently on the search for the perfect stripe for trousers. How do you feel about pinstripe?

Clockwise: Celine Pre-Fall 12, Maison Martin Margiela Spring 12, Tilda Swinton, Celine Pre-Fall 12, Alexander Wang Fall 10, chalkstripe fabric, Jil Sander Spring 12, Ralph Lauren trousers.

Image sources: Style.com, Mr Porter, Tumblr, 

Outfit Documentation: Wednesday 21st March

So rainy today. So so rainy. All week really. Negotiating the inner city and trying to find a park on High Street in pouring rain is not cute. Beanies and raincoats are cute though, and this is the perfect weather for those. 

What I wore:

- Sherie Muijs tshirt

- Coat from my graduate collection

- Country Road navy trousers

- Converse

- Gassons beanie

What I did:
- Emailed like a demon.
- Cut out trousers.
- Had coffee/lunch with Jack before he left town for a few days.
- Had a super-productive meeting with Oliver Rose and talked projects. Watch this space guys. There's cool things happening soon.

9 things you should get from TwentySevenNames' winter collection

TwentySevenNames has been a favorite local label of mine ever since they started (way back when they were called Love Lies Bleeding). Anjali and Rachel always produce collections that are cool, cute and that you really just want to wear - they've particularly got the dress market cornered. But their knitwear is awesome too. And every season their prints get better - just the right mix of weirdly cute and boyishly sensible.

You can't go past a good grey sweater. They literally go with everything. Everything. And TwentySevenNames do really fantastic pieces in their knitwear line "&Co". Just the right weight and shape. I'm pretty certain I pull this sweater for every shoot I do. It's that good. 

I'm all about checks at the moment, and these pants are a great example of a wearable check in a cool dark palette.

Yasmin Le Bon by Mikael Jansson

Pants are my go to garment - beating out dresses and skirts nearly every time. So practical. So useful. And always creates a great silhouette. I even make them. Here are some great trousers from 1993.

Dree for Dansk

I totally missed this editorial last year, probably when crazy and sleep deprived with study. I love Dree, and I love the combination of knits and prints here.

10 things you should get from Sylvester's winter collection

If you're going shopping today (and you probably are since it's sunny and new collections are in store and it's also Ponsonby Market Day) you should get into the new Kate Sylvester stores in Tyler Street downtown or the Ponsonby Road pop-up. As I mentioned the other day, I really like the new Sylvester collection. Particularly that striped look. But there's other great stuff too, like paisley - which I'm also really into right now, as is also clear by my Tumblr.

As seen in this first look. I've I had to choose I'd do the trousers, but the paisley-on-paisley looks great together. Pajama-dressing without looking like actual pajamas.

Anticipating Autumn: with Glen Prentice

Glen Prentice is a very good friend of mine and a very talented young designer with a thoughtful approach to dressing and the purpose and effect of clothing.


What aesthetic are you being drawn to with regards to your own wardrobe and way of dressing now cold weather is imminent? 
 As soon as the weather starts to become colder I've always jumped into layers and layers of clothing. I thoroughly enjoy the simple dress throughout summer but when autumn sets in, I'm ready to start piling some more on. There is something so comforting about wearing layers and autumn is fantastic because on those crisp days you can dress in your borderline winter gears but still have the enjoyment of sunny clear skies. This season, I'm looking to refine the way in which I work with layers, making a look more silhouette driven with a focus on bold clean shapes and then using colour to enhance this. I want everything to be somewhat simple, but not necessarily 'minimal'. I think adventuring into shapes and silhouette is most effective when kept simple.
What pieces have you bought / want to buy for autumn/winter? (locally and internationally) 
 Every year I want a good pair of gloves. I never find the pair I want, I really want a nice black leather pair a la Jil Sander menswear Fall 12. I'm also desperate for some new casual shoes, and am completely lost on that one. I wore a pair of work-style boots all last winter but now I can't put them on without feeling odd. The proportions are wrong now, they are just too heavy-looking. Also in the need for some new pants and possibly if I find the right one, a kilt. Does new music count too?

Jil Sander and Kris Van Assche

Wonderland "Fall Out"

Cool wintery, rural setting. Cool hair. Cool styling. 

Ps I've just been to see Taylor Swift (and was shooting all day) so too tired to write much more about anything tonight. x

Lingerie Dressing

I really like these at the moment. In an ideal world we'd all have spring Calvin, but in Real Life get yourself a vintage slip, or a new slip, or some Miss Crabb or something from the latest Lonely Hearts collection.

Clockwise: Jil Sander Fall 12, Calvin Klein Spring 12, Vogue Germany June 1999, Calvin Klein Spring 12, Harpers Bazaar 1949, Calvin Klein Spring 12, Gwyneth Paltrow as Margot in The Royal Tenenbaums
Image Sources: Style.com, The Fashion Spot, Tumblr

US Harper's Bazaar March 1999

Since the weathers been good today and we can hold on to a thread of summer (although it's now technically autumn) here is some 90s era Harper's Bazaar for your Thursday Evening.

Outfit Documentation: Thursday 15th March

 In the dying days of our lacklustre summer I finally caved and bought one of Miss Crabb's iconic silk slip dresses. Super-loose, simple and almost too revealing but in the best possible way (just wear great underwear). I love pieces you can just throw on and run out the door in. Maybe that's why I'm actually smiling for once?

What I wore:

- Miss Crabb dress

- Karen Walker sunglasses

- Converse

- Deadly Ponies bag

What I did today:
- Sewed some trousers.
- Picked some samples up from Karen Walker.
- Jack and I took Penelope to Mei Mei to look at the brand new Celine footwear. I die.
- Went to Fabric on High St and saw this amazing new A.P.C shirt.
- Then we had lunch with Areez and Duncan, followed by visits to the new World and Kate Sylvester stores on Tyler Street (great fit outs - go have a look).
- Checked out the new sample ranges from Ksubi and Vanishing Elephant (they do womenswear now!)

Anticipating Autumn: with Zoe Walker

Zoe Walker is not only the Fashion Features Editor of the NZ Herald's weekly Viva magazine - she really knows her stuff, is totally hilarious and has nailed that preppy-feminine dressing. No one pulls of a dress like she does.


What aesthetic are you being drawn to with regards to your own wardrobe and way of dressing now cold weather is imminent? 
My style is quite classic and doesn’t change much season to season. A newspaper newsroom isn’t exactly the most appropriate environment for being all 'fashion' either. Autumn and winter are definitely my favourite fashion seasons though. This year I’m really into matching, co-ordinated pieces – I like the primness of it, and the idea of a ‘look’ – and I hope this winter I’ll finally find a pair of trousers that suit. Every winter without fail I’m drawn to the preppy/1970s professor/ Love Story aesthetic - tweed, corduroy, big coats, knitwear, anything brown and dowdy. At the moment I’m also into the Marni art bitch look: massive earrings, ugly shoes, sweaters, prints. Basically whatever Consuelo Castiglioni wears to take her bow at the end of a show.

My favorite look from the Sylvester winter collection

I really really love this look from Sylvester. Though it appears to be a dress, it is in fact a two piece (skirt and top). I can channel my love for Margot Tenenbaum and it's just the right combination of sporty, preppy and classic. The top on its own would be great with trousers and the skirt is a great way to do the slim, pencil silhouette without looking too corporate. Though naturally I love them most together. I'm pretty much certain I'll buy myself these. Stay tuned.

Image source: Kate Sylvester

"Pop: Casting" by Emma Summerton

I just really like these shots. And I really like that Miu Miu in the second image.

10 things you should get from the Lonely Hearts winter collection

It is definitely getting colder. Which is exciting because it means more layers and pieces to work with. But still warm enough to wear some sheer layers or bare arms if you feel like it. Lonely Hearts has one of the coolest local collections this winter - with both sportswear and lingerie references (think grey marle, leather and slip dresses). Liv O'Driscoll does the honors for the Fall 12 lookbook.

I'm all about trousers whatever the time of year, and these leather pants are brilliant. Super hot and will look great with a simple sweater. Bonus points for the stretch panel in the inner leg - this solves the usual trauma that goes along with leather pants of getting them on and off.

This outfit is the perfect example of how to do the dress-with-trousers trend that has reappeared lately. Keep the trousers slip and a similar if not same print to the dress. This would also work great with a long sleeved skinny merino or turtleneck underneath.