Video Fashion Getting Hard

I'm loving Rihanna's latest song Hard, the style is her best yet. It's obviously military influences but shes taken aspects from various uniforms, various armies, and various eras.

There's a Gareth Pugh influence that just screams throughout, tough spikes and strong shoulders. You Tube comments are sayings its very Lady Gaga, and it is but its good to see music videos branching out in their costume choices.

LOVE the mickey mouse ears, especially with the hot pink lipstick. We'll be seeing this look everywhere for the next six months.

POP UP's :Taking Over Auckland

It feels like I've spent a reasonable chunk of my year going to POP up stores, and this weekend there's another two opening - for a limited time only. When I investigated POP up's earlier in the year I found that New Zealanders, while slow to pick up the trend have embraced it wholeheartedly during the recession. It makes sense to use a temporary space to sell excess stock, cutting down rent costs and waste. Ive been to so many this year I can barely keep track, each individual and exciting. My favorites were Macaroni Penguin and Pinkies.

This weekend I'll be at the Tiny Superstore, which is actually selling this season stock, American brands and will be up for a month. That's all happening at 8a Melrose Street in Newmarket from Saturday.

After the Tiny Superstore I'll make my way to Parnell to see items made from the designs of my favorite wallpaper and fabric designer. The late eccentric and all round fabulous Florence Broadhurst. That POP up store will also be open from Saturday, until the 15th of December. Address is The Axis Building, 1 Cleveland Road, Suite 1.3-1.4 Parnell. Looking forward to my weekend of POPPING UP.

AUT Exhibitions: Take Two

Illustrations by Nadeesha Godamunne

As I mentioned in a earlier post I attended the AUT Art and Design exhibitions the other week. I was MOST excited to see the work of my two favorite Post Graduate designers Glen Yungnickel and Nadeesha Godamunne. I got to sample a small morsel of their work at the Rookie Show in October but this was my opportunity to take a good browse. Yungnickel is currently working at Auckland men's wear store Crane Brothers while Godamunne is continually receiving awards and accolades for her illustration work. Two designers to watch!

Men's Wear by Glen Yungnickel
Photos: Nina Horvath

No Free Manolo's For Me

Photo from www.flossie.com
Whoever came up with this marketing campaign for Ice Cream brand Sweet Nothings is a genius, seriously! They put a pair of unobtainable Manolo's up on a billboard and waited for someone to come get them. And after all that it was a guy who got them but I'm sure he gave them to a lucky lady friend. Wish it was me.

I Heart: Nostalgic Furniture

The other week I braved a crowd of students, all out for a free drink, and made my way to the AUT Art & Design exhibitions. I never got my free drink, I could see the wine, it was in my sights, but alas there was no glasses. I then proceeded to get locked in the stairwell and accidentally walked through a picture made up of powder on the floor. The evening overall I'll admit was a giant fail- however every cloud has its silver lining.
I caught sight of this group of work by I think Helen Ancliffe, I say I think because the names of artists were flung across the room with no correlation to the work they accompanied. However the artist hopefully known as Helen Ancliffe has done a beautiful job with this nostalgic furniture. It brings back memories of childhood books where pictures of bookshelves had doors where mice lived and stairwells in book spines. No one else remembers these books and I cant recall their names but perhaps the artist saw these same books.

So this last message to the artist whoever you might be - I want I want I want!!