Shall we talk about bras?

We totally should. Because I know you probably wear one a lot of the time (assuming you are female). And everyone can generally appreciate nice lingerie in one way or another.

New Triumph lingerie I received the other day.

What I'm Wearing This Winter: with Elizabeth McPherson

Elizabeth is a good friend of mine and was the year below me at University. She's currently in her final year of Fashion Design at AUT and divides her time between that and her part time job at Zambesi. Not only does Liz always look fantastic and well dressed - but she's funny, honest and is always down for a Toto's meter pizza if you need one. 

Liz is wearing a jacket from the Army Surplus store, an old slip dress by Kate Sylvester, sunglasses by Glassons, and scarf from the Glenfield night markets with a vintage bag, Converse sneakers and socks from the AUT markets.

Lipstick I can't live without #1 - MAC Lady Danger

It was super early when I took this last week, as you can tell by the painfully pretty sunrise behind the blinds. This was the day I went on a day trip to Paeroa with Pebbles (you may have followed our adventures on Instagram). Somehow I still managed to put on red lipstick at 6:30am. Good thing that Lady Danger by MAC is foolproof and long-wearing. This shade is my go-to red and one of the most popular lipsticks in the New Zealand market (something to do with our light and skin tones). It not only looks good in person but really pops in photos because of the matte finish and dense pigment, making it perfect for special events. It's also a younger, brighter take on the traditional vampy red - especially for daytime wear. If you don't own this already, you really need to get down to a MAC Store and get it in your life. Trust me, you will soon be unable to comprehend how you ever functioned without it.

Ingrid Starnes + Tessuti now in Newmarket! And I'm doing a giveaway!

The Ingrid Starnes collections have had a home for a while in the beautiful Tessuti store in Herne Bay - so successfully in fact that they have now opened a second store at 13-15 Kent Street, Newmarket. The pop-up store will be around for three months, so definitely get in and enjoy it while it's around! The beautiful light interior is the perfect home for Ingrid's elegant collections and Tessuti's beautiful homeware.

To celebrate the new store, I have a giveaway to run! The prize is an awesome Ingrid Starnes and Tessuti gift pack featuring including a $150 Ingrid Starnes Voucher and a Herve Intense of Bois de Cashmere candle by Herve Gambs.

To win, simply comment and tell me what your favorite piece from Ingrid's winter collection is (check out her awesome new website and online store) and your favorite thing from Tessuti (personally, I'm very partial to the Missoni range and all the candles). Make sure you include both  and don't forget to leave your full name! The winner will be drawn next monday. Good luck. x

Makeup is a great reason to get up in the morning.

If you follow me on any of the numerous and ever breeding social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram (follow me! "EmmaGleason") or Tumblr you will know that a good deal of my time is spent obsessing about the important things in life like bold lips, liquid eyeliner and the best tools to do a Strong Brow (a phrase best said aloud, in a voice imitating Alan Rickman). Or my successful mission to find the perfect purple lipstick.

Aline Weber for Vogue Paris

Roxy Giveaway Winner!

I was meant to draw this competition yesterday, but things got in the way so I did it today!
I'm happy to announce that Imogen has won the cute and so cosy beanie and sweater. Imogen you didn't leave your surname or email, but you said your favorite part of winter was layering merino dresses with coats and scarves. Email me your details!!
Thanks to everyone who entered! And thankyou Roxy!
xx

Widika, looking cute.

Chanel: When great beauty looks happen to questionable collections

Although I'm admittedly not a huge fan of the majority of Karl's messy 1990s-Versaille, bastardized cargo tweed ensembles and Rococco denim capri suits in the latest Cruise collection (bar a handful of looks and pieces) the beauty look was fantastic. Blunt, jagged and super short bobs in a spectrum of pastel hues sat over beribboned ponytails and were paired with soft, tonal makeup in shades of rose pink on both eyes and lips. Not to mention the velvet beauty spots of the Chanel logo.

Today I had a look at Lonely Hearts' Spring collection

In between about four coffee meetings today, I made a trip over the shore today to check out the new spring collection at Lonely Hearts. Full of classic Lonely Hearts pieces plus new additions like an awesome turtleneck crop top (I need it!!) Great prints too - I particularly love the daisy print and the gingham, I clearly have some latent childhood obsessions.  Honorable mentions also go to the jacquard-knit sweaters with and original fish print as part of their artist-collaboration pieces. Seriously cute. The new Lonely lingerie range also looks really beautiful (as always) and it's definitely designed to be seen. Ideally under something like the great sandwashed-silk camisoles in this spring range. I'll post the lookbook in the next week or two.

Outfit Documentation: Wednesday 23rd May

I somewhat foolishly braved bare legs today, but it went okay with plenty layering on top. And the bird print shorts and yellow knit were cheerfully upbeat for such a beautiful, sunny autumn day. From behind I looked suspiciously like I had forgotten to wear pants.

What I wore today:
- Juliette Hogan mock-turtleneck sweater.
- Karen Walker shorts.
- Parka that I borrowed/stole from mum.
- Loafers I bought in Melbourne and can't remember where from.
- Karen Walker sunglasses

What I'm Wearing This Winter: with Areez Katki

It's just over a week until it's officially winter, so I think it's the perfect time to launch into my new winter blog series. Called "What I'm Wearing This Winter" I'll be focusing on friends and peers and their favorite (or comfortable and warm default) outfit for winter - new coats, old sweaters and those personal touches. I'm always interested in the clothing choices made by others, particularly those with a distinct or admirable style of their own and I have so many well dressed friends that I want to share them with you - some you may recognise, some you may not. Hopefully this will also serve as a little sartorial inspiration for your cold winter mornings too.

First up to the plate is a good friend of mine, writer and knitwear designer Areez Katki. He and I met through mutual friends a few years ago and soon realised we both hailed from the same sheltered, waterfront suburb in Auckland. We caught up today over coffee and a light lunch whilst discussing knitwear, J. D. Salinger (one of Katki's favorite authors) and Carl's Junior.

Areez is wearing a jacket from Jil Sander that features a beautiful hidden button placket and hook and eye collar closure, a handkitted cardigan made by his mother, a merino sweater by Maison Martin Margiela with a Dries Van Noten polo shirt and wool trousers he had made by his grandfathers tailor. His shoes (seen below) are Dr Martens, his wallet by Comme des Garcons. His subtle pieces of jewellery are his grandfathers wedding band and a ring from Wundekammer.

Old Favorites: Karen Walker "Victory Garden" Spring 07

This collection came out when I was in my last year of high school. I loved it at the time and I've loved it ever since. Victory Garden references wartime, the 1940s and Land Girls (all with Walker's signature sense of humour, pop culture and girls-dressed-as-boys aesthetic) all noticeable in the loose menswear shapes, tshirt prints (I'm still hunting for a version of that vegetable face print), liberty florals and sensible anoraks. Spring 07 was Karen Walker's first season showing in New York after eight seasons in London. A key silhouette in the collection was the many pairs of the loose trousers (a Karen Walker staple for a few years). Reminiscent of Oxford Bags and mens suiting of the period, Walker's pairs look achingly cool on women - their elegant swagger and mannish appeal never better than when in full stride. This collection also features some of my favorite prints. The ever so British micro florals in subdued browns and berry reds are so good that I actually have two pieces in my wardrobe - a pair of the knickerbocker-esque shorts and the floral cotton bodysuit (a sample that I managed to get my hands on). Who else has pieces from this collection in their closet? Is there anything you wish you had goten?

Four coats I would buy right now

Outerwear is one of my favorite categories of clothing. So purposeful, so functionally adult, so sensible. And a good piece of outwear immediately makes an outfit look finished - regardless of whether it's a parka or a woolen coat. With the current erratic weather here and the imminent winter, a coat is always some I grab before I head out the door. I have about five on regular rotation (the navy trench, a beige anorak, a yellow, a pink, and a long unlined wool coat) but I always seem to find myself wanting a new one. Here are four somewhat-transeasonal coats that I would buy right now if I could. Although coat pricing can be painfully high, these are all pretty reasonable considering the quality and cost per wear. Most of these retail for $500 New Zealand or less. Coats are generally worth spending more on as they hang around your wardrobe longer and actually have a functional purpose - not to mention a good coat makes you look awesome. 

A.P.C Camouflage Parka

Camo is definitely a thing right now. Between Workshop's winter collection that was full of it, the abundance of Army Surplus gear I've seen on people around town, and the upcoming spring collections I've seen so far - it's definitely a thing right now. I like this incarnation in this A.P.C parka, available at Fabric Teed Street. Although technically a parka rather than a long coat, it's still a heavy duty option compared to just a jacket.

NZ$535

This one time, I had my portrait drawn.

Other than a few times when I was at art school, I've never sat for a portrait before. This changed a couple of weeks ago when the gorgeous and talented illustrator Nadeesha Godamunne asked if she could draw me. I stopped by to see her later that week and catch up and do a sitting. I know Nadeesha from fashion school where she was a few years above me while we were studying, and we talked about study, life and what all our friends were up to at the moment. I was having a frantically busy day so having a peaceful pause while I was drawn was lovely.

The finished piece was sent through to me tonight and I really love it. Godamunne captures the nuances of her subjects appearance, gestures and body language so well. I'm wearing my new-ish polo and skirt set by Kate Sylvester. Thanks Nadeesha!! xx

My favorite looks from Kate Sylvester's spring collection

Winter's not even here yet (although only ten days away) and I'm already getting excited about the spring collections.  One of my favorites so far from Kate Sylvester. Loosely inspired by Jane Eyre but treated as a lighter, more playful interpretation of what is admittedly a dark, dour tale. This reference popped up in accessories, laser-cut leather, lace pieces and beautiful cut-work embroidery trimmings on collars and hems. 

As mentioned earlier this week, I had a look at the collection last friday. The first thing that noticed my eye (from across the room in fact) were the fantastic paisley prints. I've always loved this particular print but I've been especially obsessed with paisley for the past year since it popped up repeatedly at some of my favorite designers like Jil Sander, J.W Anderson and Stella McCartney. Kate Sylvester's spring paisley offerings come in a cool grey/blue and a fantastic red and cream. The latter I will absolutely be getting. In fact I play to commit to the print-on-print look of trousers with a matching tshirt. It's one of my favorite ways to wear a print (in fact it works equally well with tones of colour or neutrals too). Yeah, so I'm pretty obsessed with the image below and can't wait until this whole look is in my wardrobe come July/August.

Prada Spring 1998 Campaign

I've already posted one of these this week, but here is another Amber Valletta for Prada. I really love this campaign. So icy blonde and so 90s. I also love the cold back-lighting and the illuminated rain - everything comes together to remind me of that fantastic final scene in Bladerunner.

Win some winter warmers with Roxy

It's getting legitimately cold out now, and is a great excuse to layer up in knitwear, coats and beanies. The latter in particular is my favorite way to finish off an outfit - just grab a beanie as you head out the door. Warm, cute and a great way to hide a bad hair day. To help you get some new knitwear in your life for winter, the lovely team at Roxy have given me the opportunity to to a giveaway. I personally selected this cheery red beanie and classic cream cable-knit sweater because they are great additions to the cupboard for winter. I had coffee with Widika today and she road-tested the goods.

To win these two Roxy pieces, simply tell me your favorite thing about winter in the comments (including your full name).

Competition will be drawn next friday afternoon.

Outfit Documentation: Thursday 17th May

Friends, family and regular readers will know I hardly ever wear black - tending to opt for a lighter palette and more neutrals. Black can be harsh when you're a fair skinned blonde, sometimes it's just not your friend. But for some reason today I piled on the blacks and added a navy coat. Maybe it was the horrendous rain this morning. Or maybe I was trying to offset my indecently short skirt with some sartorial sobriety like a sensible black sweater and a trench coat.

What I'm wearing:

- Three Over One mens trenchcoat from Fabric

- Standard Issue mens sweatshirt

- Country Road skirt

- Beanie from Ssur

- Spotty pantyhose from Glassons

- Dr Martens

What I did:
- Coffee at Alleluya with Widika.
- Stopped by the N Model Management office.
- Had a look at Black Box and a chat to Scarlet.
- Afternoon coffee at Kokako with Glen and made plans for this this year and next.

Prada Fall 1997 Campaign

Pretty obsessed with this Prada campaign starring Amber Valletta right now. Sexy, grown up and super noir. Also love the brow and lip with the severe hair. 

Hair and beauty at Showroom 22's Spring Media Open Day

The lovely Widika from Red 11 does the honors here of showcasing the particularly good beauty look from this seasons Media Open Day at Showroom 22. With a soft, low, elegant bun by Stephen Marr and classic winged liner with a cute pop of white created by MAC Cosmetics, this look is cute, chic and wearable - and pretty easy to achieve yourself. If you've nailed liquid liner and have a hair-tie and some bobby pins you're good to go.

Dasha looking cute in a skatepark in the spring Sylvester collection

Last friday I saw the new spring collections from Kate Sylvester and Sylvester whilst enjoying some treats from The Caker. Both ranges have that great Sylvester look and sit well alongside eachother even though they draw from quite different references. Cute, but not saccharine - mixing the girly and more womanly pieces with more tomboyish element. The prints in particular are my favorites - with paisleys, ginghams and beachy prints in both collections. The latter is a key element in the beachy and nostalgic Sylvester range (think a little bit of Gidget).

The Sylvester imagery sees the amazing Dasha (still one of my favorite faces) looking cute and effortlessly cool in a skatepark - styled and shot by longtime Kate Sylvester collaborators Karen Inderibitzen-Waller and Avril Planqueel. Dasha also did the honors for the awesome winter lookbook.

In related news, how awesome is that cardigan?

Outfit Documentation: Wednesday 16th May

Yesterday afternoon was spent at Showroom 22 for their biannual and always great Media Open Day, this time for the spring collections (some of which we saw at Blue Sky a few weeks ago). I'm standing in front of TwentySevenNames' awesome spring collection.

What I wore yesterday:

- Lonely Hearts leather trousers

- Mens fairisle sweater from Country Road

- Topshop heels

- Deadly Ponies bag

What I did:
- Brisk, cold 6km run.
- Post office and bank errands.
- Starbucks for pseudo-lunch with Pebbles, Jack and Duncan.
- Showroom 22's Media Open Day.
- Went out west with Pebbles to see the amazing Leah Light for nail art.

UK Vogue May 2012 "Rave New World"

One of the very rare Vogue editorials that's actually pretty doable in real life. I also tend to approach this as floor-drobe dressing; those pants on the floor, that sweatshirt on the end of the bed and "oh shit my hair is a mess and it's windy - where's a hat."

Fresh hair, new sweatshirt

You know how your hair will be fine for months, and then "okay whatever I have some roots showing but lets roll with it" until all of a sudden you realize "holy shit it's been over three months and I should have got my hair done yesterday if not three weeks ago." Yeah so, that was me on Monday. Luckily enough I managed to get a last minute appointment with my amazing hairdresser Jason at Stephen Marr to get rid of my skanky roots. I spent most of the day ensconced in the Newmarket salon while a storm raged outside and I read all about Gwyneth Paltrow's latest cleanse (god I love her). Because Jason is pretty awesome, I made him this denim apron. 

Another bright point in todays grey, rainy day was this awesome new sweatshirt that AS Colour kindly sent me. The two-tone raglan style fits perfectly with that athletic/jock thing I like. The lightweight sweatshirting is great because it has less bulk (kind to females) and lends itself kindly to layering. Sweatshirts with a nice woolen coat says "Hey, I'm down to earth but totally reliable okay." Get yours here!

"England's Dreaming" by Corinne Day and Melanie Ward

More archival 90s goodness. This time that iconic editorial from The Face by Corinne Day and Melanie Ward. Also, I just really like PVC pants.

Some nudity after the jump, so obv NSFW.

Match your lips with your nails like a functional adult female.

When it comes to beauty, I'm a die hard lip-girl and nail-girl. So I'm not sure why I didn't think to match the two sooner. It's a very traditional beauty look, back when the only shades of anything were red and pink. Although traditional and nostalgic it's also refreshing and pulled together. Perfect for presenting yourself as a pseudo balanced and stable adult woman. MAC Cosmetics are bringing this look back with their new Fashion Sets range of matching lipsticks, glosses and nailpolishes with tailored colour ranges for each part of the world. New Zealand gets the Asia Pacific range which hits counters Monday morning and featuring classics like Saint Germain and Impassioned. I was lucky enough to go to make yesterday evening to have my makeup done by the lovely James Molloy (Mac's Director of Makeup Artistry for Asia/Pacific) and try out this matchy-matchy thing. Naturally I chose Morange.

Wearing Comme des Garcons Play tshirt from Fabric and a vintage oxford shirt from Savemart.

What I tried on and loved from the Miss Crabb winter collection

I've been looking forward to the winter Miss Crabb collection for weeks now - it always hits stores after the other designers, which is a good thing. So when my good friend Georgia in the Crabb workroom sent me the lookbook and told me to come in and look at the pieces that were ready I headed straight over. The two pieces I had my eye on were a slinky, bias cut slip dress and a silk robe - both of which absolutely exceeded my expectations. Regular readers know I've been transfixed with slip dresses and lingerie elements for a while now. The beauty of Crabb pieces is there transformative nature, by which I mean as soon as you put them on you feel like another person - elegant, womanly, romantic. If you haven't yet experienced this, you really should. Both my favorite pieces should be in store today, ready for the weekend. The Miss Crabb store also has the new Penny Sage collection in, so it's worth stopping by for a look - especially on Sunday when Areez serves tea and treats.

Silk Turncoat & Diamonda Dress

Karlie: An American in Paris

Because she's just so cute. And we all need name-embroidered pyjamas and some Valentino couture.

Outfit Documentation: Thursday 10th May

Lack of posting this week sorry! Had a long but totally awesome two day shoot. My day off today ended up being ridiculously busy with a very early (but very lovely start).

What I wore today:

- Sylvester by Kate Sylvester polo-shirt with matching skirt as mentioned previously. Pseudo Margot Tenenbaum. 

- Sherie Muijs jacket.

- Witner heels.

- Deadly Ponies bag.

What I did:

- 7:30am StyleTread's New Zealand launch and breakfast at Mollies hotel. That meant I had to leave the house at 6:30am to get there on time. Definitely worth it.

- Dropped some samples off.

- Bought some things at Pencil Boutique.

- Tried on some of the new Miss Crab winter collection (more on that soon).

- Coffee at the amazing Kokako with Jack and Duncan

- Starbucks and Scotties Recycle with Pebbles.

- Had my portrait drawn by the gorgeous and talented Nadeesha Godamunne.

- Picked up my brand new (and totally amazing) leather pants from Lonely Hearts.

UK Vogue "The White Album"

I'm still all about crisp, clinical white. Still obsessed with those pieces from the Jil Sander and Celine spring collections. Still wish they were easier to integrate into real life with regards to coffee, red wine, soy sauce and pizza. Sometimes you totally need to make sacrifices though right? 

Anticipating Autumn: with Anna-Lise Sharma

This is probably the last of these posts, for this season - since Autumn is drawing to an end now. Doing the honors is the lovely and talented Anna-Lise Sharma from Showroom 22 PR. Anna-Lise is always fantastically dressed, especially when it comes to bold colours and prints which make up a large part of her wardrobe.


What aesthetic are you being drawn to with regards to your own wardrobe and way of dressing now cold weather is imminent? 
 I'm a huge fan of winter fashion as it means you get to layer up pieces to create a stronger overall look. This season you'll see me in my wardrobe staple, shirts as well as printed pants, lots of leather and I'll be steering clear of the usual winter black.
What pieces have you bought / want to buy for autumn/winter? 
Locally, I thought the A/W '12 collections from Juliette Hogan, Liam, RUBY, twenty-seven names, Helen Cherry and Workshop were really strong! In particular, I'm in love with my Juliette Hogan Tweed Jacket, Liam Orange Coat and RUBY Stadium Boot. My lovely friends gave me a Neon Green Cambridge Satchel for my birthday which won't be coming off my shoulder, too.

Ruby and Liam Winter 12 at The Department Store Show (worn by Elena and Ngahuia)

Bruce Weber for UK Vogue April 2012

Bruce Weber doing what he does best - the young and carefree through a lens of nostalgic Americana.

School Spirit

I know that watered down versions of this collegiate Americana thing are starting to pop up everywhere, but go back to the originals for inspiration. You don't necessarily need a letterman jacket (or a bastardized version thereof c/o some chainstore) but totally do a fair-isle sweater, a throwback, some lumberjack plaid or a Celine tshirt. There's also this awesome A.P.C sweatshirt at Made right now.

Wellesley College by Nina Leen

Outfit Documentation: Wednesday 2nd May

Haven't really blogged today, so here is a shot from something I did this afternoon. Clearly being outshone by my fellow blonde, Penelope the pug. Readers who follow me on Instagram will recognise the famous Penelope (she loves accessorizing and nail art) who belongs to my friend Duncan.

What I wore:

- Bassike tshirt from Black Box

- Humble Trousers

- Maroon Converse from Qubic

[was also wearing a trenchcoat from Fabric and faithful old Standard Issue jumper today but I'd strewn them on a couch whilst this was shot).

What I did:
- Checked out the winter collection from Penny Sage
- Had a meeting with Oliver at the soon-to-close Mr Morning (soon to be a wine bar apparently!)
- Caught up with Maddy, Liz and Widika for coffee and Vitamin Water
- Picked up my obscenely overdue layby from Kate Sylvester.
- Had my photo taken for something that will be out in the next week or so.

In Store Now: Angora at Karen Walker

Remember those amazing angora sweaters from Karen Walker's New York show? The ones that weren't going to be produced for the southern hemisphere? Well there's been a turn of events and a very limited range are in store now! Available in navy and sunshine yellow angora, these will sell out super quick. There's also a limited advance range of cashmere cardigans and sweaters worth checking out.