Material Girl

I really love Dolce and Gabbana’s new campaign featuring Madonna. She looks really womanly and healthy (has the scary muscular yoga Madonna withdrawn?) and I also think it echoes the ambience of classic Italian cinema.

Shot by Steven Klein, the photos show Madge as a sensual Italian housewife wearing floral skirts, crochet tops, dresses and leopard print. I am trying to ignore the fact that Madonna is chomping down on some spag bol in one of the pictures – I wonder if it is macrobiotic pasta?

Plastic Fantastic!

At the moment I am really digging a band called the Plastiscines. Let's face it - they are stylish French gals who play pop-rock. What is not to love? They are truly perfect.


I cannot wait for them to play a gig in London. I have such a girl crush!

Could these girls get any cooler? Sigh...

The Flaming Lips

The Flaming Lips are one of the best live acts I have ever seen. They are like watching a decadent children’s birthday party. Balloons, streamers, people dressed up in animal suits (or in last nights case – yetis), puppets, confetti, giant hands, lead singers running around on top of the crowd in bubbles, video projections and elaborate back-drops. There is no room for boredom during a Flaming Lips show. They are so wacky and wonderful, one is mesmerised at all times.

I also really love their music. Wayne Coyne has an incredible voice and although their live performances are fun-filled, their songs are really heartfelt and a tad melancholy at times (I get a lump in my throat every time I hear ‘do you realise?’)

Last nights Flaming Lips gig was really amazing. I had such a great night – I came away feeling all happy, loved up and euphoric. Sorry my gig pictures turned out a bit blurred (why does my camera do that every time I take pictures at gigs?) There is really no way to capture the awesomeness that is the Flaming Lips.

For the gig I decided to channel my inner Stevie Nicks. I bought a black lace waistcoat a few days ago from Topshop which I decided to wear with a black mini skirt and my howling wolf tee-shirt. This outfit makes me feel a bit like a gothic hippy. I felt a bit out of place at the Troxy though (the gig venue). It is an old bingo hall painted in a pastel palette with tacky Art Deco fittings.

The Wonderful Peggy Noland

I was never a huge fan of the band CSS. All the trendy Auckland kids went potty over them and started wearing fluro crazy crap and I just couldn’t stomach any of it. Then again I was pretty anti Auckland and its hipsters so anything they got up to, I wanted to be the complete opposite.

The only thing I do like about CSS is Lovefoxx’s awesome collection of wild, bright leotards (note that these are different to the crazy, cheap fluro crap worn by Auckland scenesters). Lovefoxx is a pretty lass and always looked bubbly and fun. Her cool on stage get-up is thanks to Peggy Noland. She is a pretty ace designer and makes some seriously amusing and hilarious clothing. Giant nappy-like bottoms, polka-dots galore, garments which are dramatically oversized, clashing prints and a mish-mash of colours. Hats off to Peggy – she seems to be pretty fun loving with her designs.

Birthday Present

Last night I saw the Veils play. They are not my favourite band, but we have the kiwi connection and there is an unspoken rule that you support your fellow compatriots in London. So along I went and supported. Besides – my company for the night was swooning over Finn (the lead singer) and I drag her all over the place so it was time for her to drag me somewhere for a change.

I did quite a bit of thinking and daydreaming whilst I was watching them play. The Veils made me reminisce about the beginning of 2007. It was a strange point in my life. I call it the limbo period. I was packing up my Auckland life and planning for my new London one. I had let my hair down and was being quite reckless and carefree. I knew my time in Auckland was limited and it was going to be a while until I saw my friends again so we had loads of fun, drank quite a bit, and partied across town.

The reason I mention this is because I have an amazing group of friends in Auckland whom I think about everyday. On my 20th birthday they all chipped in and bought me this Karen Walker tee-shirt which has a dancing sausage and ‘Gabba Gabba Hey’ written across the top of it (I was a Ramones fanatic at the time). I haven’t worn this top for a very long time but last night I decided I would wear it out. It is probably the oldest item that remains in my wardrobe and it is definitely one of the most special pieces of clothing I own. So this blog is a shout out to all my wonderful Auckland buddies. I miss you all heaps and thanks for the rad tee-shirt on my 20th birthday!

the Lemonheads

The Lemonheads are one of my favourite bands of all time. Their fun and poppy beats always put me in a great mood. Evan Dando is also a total babe. What girl can resist a band fronted by a totally gorgeous man? What a drool fest...

So when I discovered that the Lemonheads were playing a London show, I pencilled the 19th of September in my calendar and waited eagerly. It was a pretty fun gig. They whizzed through their poppy tunes and then Mr. Dando did a solo act for a few songs. Everyone was dancing and singing away and having an awesome time.

At the moment my wardrobe has taken a bit of a grungy turn. Every time I head out I always seem to don a plaid shirt in some colour. How boring of me. I think it is because I am obsessed with the 90’s at the moment. Most of my favourite bands are from the 90’s and I have always found that music and fashion go hand in hand when influencing what I put on my back.

Over the weekend I bought some new Doc Boots. They make me feel like a teenager again. In winter I tend to walk around in flat black boots and I had decided that Doc’s were definitely the way to go this winter. They are so comfortable and I feel like I am walking on marshmallows. I am looking forward to slipping into them tonight to watch the Veils play. However there will be more on that tomorrow!

Panda Eyes

The London nights are getting shorter. The dim winter days are slowly approaching. This means that the sunglasses are put away for another year. It is a pity because I would really like some circular framed sunnies. Is one allowed to wear sunnies throughout the winter months in London? Chloe Sevigny and Florence Welch (my favourite fashion muses) are sporting the coolest round framed sunnies at the moment.



I would really like these Sonia Rykiel pearl sunglasses at the moment. They are so elegant and classy. They would complete any outfitt.

Au Revoir Simone

One of my favourite bands at the moment is Au Revoir Simone. For those of you who don’t know them - Au Revoir Simone is an amazing girl group from New York. They have dreamy voices, play awesome tunes on their keyboards and are absolutely beautiful (in that willowy sort of way). When I saw them live earlier this year I was absolutely mesmerised. They are so ethereal and whimsical. I could not resist their charm.

They are also super stylish gals. I am in awe of how cool they always seem to look. Anyway, I wanted to share my favourite pictures of Au Revoir Simone with you. Hope you agree!

Florence and the Machine

Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine is truly the coolest chick around at the moment. Her auburn locks are gorgeous and she always looks kooky and fabulous.

This bank holiday weekend, my post-surgery boyfriend and I stayed at home and watched an awful lot of television. We spent most of our time watching highlights from the Reading and Leeds festivals. We were disappointed that the weekend was spent bound to the sofa and I resorted to hours of daydreaming that I was partying with the other jubilant festival goers at Reading. Sigh.

My favourite Reading highlight was definitely Florence and the Machine. She looked like a saucy vamp maiden from Dracula. I am absolutely in love with her wardrobe right about now. Florence definitely gives it her all working the gothic chic look. How many girls could don hot pants, a leather corset and a black cape? Let’s just say it isn’t a look you see everyday.