Last night I was lucky enough to be invited to the opening ceremony of the Rugby World Cup.  Now, no one could accuse me of being an avid rugby fan but I do recognise it as being part of our kiwi culture and am quietly proud of it.
It was one of those magic Auckland days - cool, crisp and gorgeously sunny.  There was such a buzz about the city, you could feel the excitement as everyone planned what they would do and where they would be.
The biggest question I had is what you wear to the corporate box at opening night of one of the biggest sporting tournaments that has ever been in this country.
From my informal survey - black, jeans, something warm, black, something 'nice', black...hmmm black was a bit of a 'no-brainer' and I'm sure no one struggled to find something in their wardrobes knowing how fond Kiwi's are of the colour.
But what if black is not one's best colour and you want to mark the occasion and invitation to a corporate box in more than just jeans and trainers?  Well I settled for something black printed and pretty over grey skinny jeans (a nod to the casual) and a trench over top to keep out the chill.  It felt right, not to 'fashiony' and warm, more than I could say for the young-thing wearing a skin-tight scarlett bondage dress and matching heels who shivered her way through the evening (please someone give that girl a cardi!)
The crowds energy was amazing and the visual effects of the opening piece were absolutely jaw-dropping.  It was an evening we could all be proud of.  Go All Blacks!



Heading out to the opening ceremony



A pop of red (Tonga supporters) in a sea of black

Til next time
Jody

There is something so pleasing about warm weather, it puts a smile on my face and a spring in my step.  And what better way to make a fabulous step into Summer - ok Spring :-) then with some deliciously decorated wedges on your perfectly pedicured feet. 

Think fruit salad, vibrant brights for both toes and feet.  For the vertically challenged like myself, wedges are a prayer answered, they give me some extra height, feel so comfortable and look fantastic!  And to go with, OPI have a brilliant range of brights from Need Sunglasses (a striking yellow) to Ladies & Magenta Men (a vivacious pink).

Yes the looks out there are bold and bright but even the most toned down fashionista can work her neutrals with a pop of colour whether its just with well placed bright accessories like a punchy clutch or a statement shoe.

Jody and I have taken a look at some of the new trends coming in for the warmer weather and we like what we see!  Without spoiling the fun too much check out some of the eye catching shoe candy that is available to you right now:

Now I just need to work on my tan - tan in a can, hmm well it may have to do for now!

Until next time...

 

Source: Shoes (clockwise L - R): Lyla from Overland, Dina from Scarpa, Dusty Springfield from Number One Shoes and Hippy from Mi Piaci

Yesterday was actually my final day of NZ Fashion Week - today is all about those last minute "before you race off on holiday" tasks. I'd have to say; it was a really great final day. My day started with the MisteR show, which was absolutely one of my weeks highlight shows. How to explain? MisteR is a label from Christchurch whose workroom was in the Red Zone, so the design team had to re-locate to their garage to complete their collection. Add to that, they were approached by Cerebal Palsey sufferer Josh Perry to 'walk' in their show. He opened it in his wheelchair. It seemed an entirely appropriate way to open a show titled "Not that Grimm" - and the show itself was gorgeous. Not just that the clothes were gorgeous, more that the aptmosphere was one of pure joy. Let's just say it's the only show this week (so far) where the jaded fashion crowd actually gave the designers a standing ovation. It felt GOOD to be there.

First I have to tell you about the Salasai show held in St Matthews in the city on Tuesday night - it was awesome. I said in my previous post that the label is a favourite and they didn't disappoint. Loved the tartan, loved the strong Anglo Saxon flavour and quite frankly can't wait to get my hands on one of the knits with "East Anglia" emblazoned across the front.  I also got to sit with Juls Roulston (NZFW Social Media Manager) and Antonia Prebble (blogging for NZ Herald online), laughing as she and Colin Mathura-Jeffree (NZFW ambassador) were comparing costume changes - Antonia won with her three, while Colin had only changed twice that day. I was in my one and only Tuesday outfit. Clearly I need to lift my game. Great show, great venue and great goody bag - thanks for the pretty pen, Kirscha!

Wednesday was a pretty light schedule for me; other commitments (our regular gig with NZ Defence Force Youth Development Programme at Hobsonville) took me away, but I was back at 5:30pm ready to see Trelise Cooper.

The show was late (almost an hour late) but that just meant there was more time to celebrity spot. Trelise Cooper had them all in her front row. I had been given a Row B seat, and was delighted to be upgraded to front row just before the show started. The show was totally beautiful. From Trelise's fun 'Cooper' line, through to her signature 'Trelise Cooper' range it was simply stunning. I loved it - that woman uses the best fabrics and the most divine prints. She also launched a new range, 'Boardroom' which is hailed as "affordable workwear for women" which fills a noticable gap in the market here in NZ, and I believe it will just fly off the racks.  You can read my more in-depth review here:  http://www.fashionz.co.nz

And finally, my day three outfit: Miss Crabb red dress, Vintage plaid jacket, shoes from Nude.

Today's fashion week schedule started with Ingrid Starnes first ever fashion week show. As with most previous years (except for last year when I did fashion Week 'lite' due to commitments in the South Island), I am once again part of the team of reviewers for fashionz.co.nz which meant that instead of simply turning up and watching the show, I'm usually furiously scribbling and sketching into my trusty A5 spiral bound notebook. I've got to admit, it does change the emphasis quite a lot as you tend to look at shows with more of a "How am I going to write about this?" and "What do I need to remember?" angle, as opposed to a couple of shows I attended as a spectator today (one in particular I thought was so vile I was ecstatic it wasn't me having to review it).

My view this year has been a bit compromised - can't really say why, but with the number of empty seats at each show, you've got to wonder what's going on. Still, fashion week has always been the great leveller - or should that be the great ego slap - and I'm certainly not special or famous enough to make the front row, so I'll happily take what I can get. Even if it does mean my reviews focus on the top half of an outfit 'cause that's all I can see!

 
Great view over the absolutely gorgeous Megan from thread.co.nz's shoulder 

As a reviewer I've spent much of the day in the media room, which this year has quite a fun vibe. The fashionz laptop is directly opposite one of my favourite people, Juls Roulston and next door to Katherine from Katherine is Awesome.com.


Media Room

I also checked out the NZFW bar, which is one of the only bars on site that you can visit without having a special VIP pass. See, it's all glamour isn't it? Oh, and in case you were wondering no, I didn't have a wine - it was sparking water for me all the way. In fact, I even volunteered to get a round of coffees for my media friends so I could add an extra lap of the stairs for my bikini focused butt:

Quite a workout, don't you think?

Tonight, I'm off to see one of my most favourite designers show at St Matthew in the City: Salasai. Every collection of designer Kirsha Whitcher's normally has me mentally making shopping lists that pretty much read "I'll have all of that, thanks" and best of all - I've been given a seat in Row B.  I'll post a few piccys of that tomorrow.

Oh, and finally because I know you're probably dying to know; today I'm wearing a gorgeous Lela Jacobs dress that I picked up a couple of weeks ago in Wellington.

  Off to Fashion Week - Day Two 

The first slot on the NZFW schedule today belonged to Sabatini, who showcased their Sabatini White collection over 'breakfast' at the Hilton. Said breakfast was gorgous little rammekins of scrambled egg that you ate with your own crispy bacon 'spork', cream cheese filled filo tartlettes, smoked salmon on rye and other delicious treats, all washed down with bubbles or orange juice. I can only write about what the food looked like, I've got less than a week before I plan to be in a bikini beside the pool in Fiji. The clothes when they eventually appeared were as expected, gorgeous. The strikingly thin models wearing said garments also aided my dietary restraint, I can assure you.

Sabatini Models

Sabatini are a much loved kiwi brand - today they celebrated 20years in the industry and the fact they are still proudly manufactured here, in Mt Roskill which is pretty cool. Funnily enough, they are bigger in Australia it seems than here, their homeland. I wonder why? I know that Isakelle boutique has just started stocking them here in Auckland but otherwise I think their only stockist might be Smith and Caughey.   

Me and Colin  So, the glamour begins you think. Well, maybe not... Fashion week is fraught with challenges, you see.  Fashion week for me starts well before the first show with the most hideous "what am I going to wear?" moment. After all, you'll be turning up to a room full of your industry peers and you need to get it right, right? This year I borrowed a couple of bits from my younger sister's wardrobe (she has the absolute best closet and I consider myself very fortunate to be related to her). Today, I decided to rock out the full length black & white Bassike number. It's truly awesome, so the decision to wear it wasn't that hard. The scariest bit is actually when you arrive at the venue and see what everyone else is wearing. Which today seemed a whole lot more casual than what I was wearing...hmm. What the hell, I thought - if I'm overdressed, I'm gonna rock it. So, looking a whole lot more confident than I was feeling, I lifted my head and got on with catching up with some of my favourite people.
Oh, and my first goody bag haul? A black spatula (hmmm- but it is quite cool), two Whittakers choloate bars (I'll give those away, promise) a Smashbox gloss (yes, I know - coals to Newcastle), the latest Simply You, a L'Oreal hair product and the most gorgeous Sabatini scarf.
I'll keep in touch each day and let you know all about the rest of my Fashion week...