Vinnie Paunovic.
Today Vinnie was wearing a vintage Omaha Cardinals team jacket he got from the now defunct Fast & Loose on K’Rd. Tonight he was wearing a new Zambesi ensemble from the not-defunct Zambesi Winter 2012 collection (below). See what I did there?! I know, I think I’m clever too.
All Images/James K. Lowe.
Very rarely a day goes by where I am not informed that I look like my brother, or that he looks like me. It’s true, James and I look alike – quite alike. We both have those dreaded Lowe-family chubby cheeks, the average eyesight, better-than-usual metabolism, long fingers and toes, tanned skin. I mean, we are related – what do you expect?
What James has that I haven’t seem to have inherited, though (aside from the height and skinny legs) is an innate sense of style. Sure, I like what I like and I can put together an outfit when under pressure, but James – James seems to have looking effortlessly cool, down. Maybe it’s the tattoos, maybe it’s the fact that he’s the kind of person who spends $100 on (White Mountaineering) socks. Who knows? Regardless, the kid is fresh.
Over the weekend, partially out of boredom and partially because I find the whole concept hilarious, we took a couple of photos of me as James. Katherine Lowe, shot and styled (in outfits he actually wears) by James Lowe, if you will. The results are below (along with clothing credits, if you’re so inclined) and the rest (out-takes and the like) are up on my tumblr. Enjoy:
Continue reading ‘This is what I look like when I wear my brother's clothes.’
Michael Whittaker (right) backstage at Damir Doma. Image/Sonny Vandevelde.
Incase you hadn’t noticed, there have been a couple of Kiwis repping our country at the shows in Paris this month – first up, freshly off his catwalk-modelling hiatus – Michael Whittaker. The guy managed to nab himself a total of 5 shows: Julius, Damir Doma, Thom Browne, Balenciaga and Comme des Garcons (the latter in which he closed). Not too bad, not too bad at all.
Next up, new face on the scene Anmari Botha has shown up at three Couture events so far – Christophe Jose, Giambattista Valli and the Givenchy presentation. Pretty good for a girl who popped up in New Zealand mere months ago.
Other notable – Caitlin Lomax (who is Australian but who lists local Red Eleven as her mother agency, so it semi counts…) – has had a pretty stellar run over this last year, and this time she booked Chanel again.
Well done to all the New Zealanders (and pseudo-New Zealanders) reppin’ us overseas. Bring on womenswear!
Continue reading ‘New Zealanders in Paris (and they goin' gorillas).’
Two looks from Valentino. Images/showstudio.com
Yeah, neither.
I must sound like a broken record, always telling you that I’m going to blog more and then not following through. If I’m being completely honest, I’m sort of avoiding the internet a bit. Well, as much as one can. Sometimes there’s just too much information. But, in saying that, I do realise that in order for one to actually be a ‘blogger’, one must actually ‘blog’, so in order to make up for the lack of KIA updates (I haven’t updated HERE, but I have updated the Tumblr and put up some things on my Facebook page) the past couple of days, I have compiled a list of things to entertain you until I get my highs and low(e)s on tomorrow:
All Images/onandon.co.nz
There are a lot of things I could talk about from On and On‘s range of product – between the leather laptop cases Isaac blogged about all those months ago and the eighties style board shorts that remind me of the kind of thing american trust fund babies wear on their yachts (in a good way), the red and white striped cap and it’s leather strap and the unexpected stone-coloured melange shirt – there’s a myriad of covetable menswear within the collection. But I’m not here to rave about any of those things, I’m here to introduce to you one of the simplest products they have on offer: the fisherman’s beanie.
Continue reading ‘New week, new thing: On and On's Fisherman's Beanie.’
Image/huffer.co.nz
What: The Huffer ‘Chico’ short-sleeve shirt.
Why: Short-sleeve shirts – perfect for summer. The one thing I hate about most short-sleeve shirts is the fact that the sleeves can be too long and be close to your elbows. This one has the perfect sleeve length (see below) and it’s got the best blue and white stripe. It’s a pretty great price too (NZ$129.00).
Best for: It’s a men’s shirt but I think the small is good for girls too (as evidenced below). Great for brothers and boyfriends and girls who like to dress like boys.
Okay, okay I’m sold. Where can I get it?: Check this list of Huffer stockists here, or if you don’t want to leave the comforts of your home, you can get it from their online store.
Thanks to Matt @ Clyne and Kobi @ 62 Models for being impromptu shirt models.
Image/supplied.
What: Support socks. (A collab between skate brand Passport, and Sydney store, Supply.)
Why: Everyone needs socks. I don’t care if it’s summer, everyone needs them. I mean, they’re an essential. I don’t know why people think getting socks for Christmas is lame, because personally I would love to receive socks. There’s nothing like that new sock feeling. I read somewhere that someone spent like, $600 on socks in a year and threw out each pair every day just so they could have that feeling. These are not your stock-standard white sports socks though – these ones are kind of special. Melange socks are the perfect way to incorporate something a little different into your wardrobe without being too cray cray.
Best for: Men, probably. I would wear these myself, but I am partial to men’s socks, so if you’re buying for a female – make sure she is too. Men above the age of 12 I’d say. Also good as stocking fillers and ‘top-ups’ to gifts you’ve already got. Good for brothers. And dads. And boyfriends whose wardrobes need a pick-me-up.
Okay, okay I’m sold. Where can I get one?: From Arcade on Cross Street in Auckland, or Area 51 stores.
Photo/James K Lowe.
What: AS Colour Raglan Tee. In navy and white. (There are other colourways but navy/white is my favourite.)
Why: I’m pretty sure everyone looks at least 30% hotter in one of these. I’m not sure of the exact math, but if you have a person and you add one of these tees, it’s like their level of ‘cool’ (and I realise it is not cool to say this) goes up by about 3 points. I don’t know if it’s the girls dressed as boys trend, or the whole classic baseball/americana trend, or if it’s just one of those magic items of clothing, but there’s no denying it – the thing looks good on pretty much everyone. Also, in terms of practicality, it’s great for summer. Imagine throwing on one of these after a swim at the beach. So good. Oh, and finally, the price is right. NZ$25.00 right.
Best for: Like I said – this thing looks good on most of the population and is as cheap as chips. You could get one for your brother and your sister and you’d still be able to buy one for yourself. It’s equally as cool on a boy as it is on a girl, and it’s now available in an XS which means the smaller girls can wear one without feeling swamped. If you’re feeling generous, this could even be a gift in addition to one of those snapbacks I wrote about the other day. It could even be a stocking filler – I mean, one of these is literally the cost of 7 coffees.
Okay, okay I’m sold. Where can I get one?: From AS Colour in Mt Eden, Auckland. While you’re at it, I would also suggest picking up a few of the Organic tees, the Paper tees and for girls who like girlier shaped tees – the new Mali tee is pretty good. If venturing in store isn’t your jam, you can get everything from their online store.
Continue reading ‘The Great Gift Guide 2011: 7 – AS Colour's raglan tee.’
Yes folks, it’s that time of year again. Christmas time. A time of bonding, of sharing, of extended periods in the vicinity of your relatives – but most of all, of gift-giving related stress. You may be the organised type. You may have gone out and purchased all those obligatory December 25th gifts, but for those who haven’t and haven’t a clue as to what to do (and for those who feel all the other blogger gift guides aren’t cutting it – OOOOOHHH SNAP!) – look no further. I am going to be your present-searching eyes and ears for the next month. For the next 24 days, I am going to endeavour to find a perfect gift for someone and post it here on the blog, starting today. (This is a huge call, considering the regularity of my posts has been less than perfect lately – wish me luck.) Here goes:
Continue reading ‘The Great Gift Guide 2011: 1 – Snapbacks.’
My wonderful models, (the back of) Matt Purcell (Clyne) and Gabrielle Carter (Red 11) in head to toe Little Brother.
You have to have been living under a rock if you haven’t noticed that this whole ‘girls dressed as boys’ thing is on the rise. In fact, I don’t even know if I could say it’s still ‘on the rise’ – I think it might be at its peak. Girls everywhere are on that menswear tip. Anyway, regardless of where exactly it is on the bell curve, it’s safe to say that right now there’s no denying it’s damn popular.
This is all well and good – obviously I’m a fan, but the thing I’ve noticed is that the hardest thing about tomboy dressing is finding menswear that actually fits. Sure, it’s easy to hunt out menswear-inspired women’s pieces, but being able to find actual menswear that you can wear and have look halfway decent is not easy. This is where you turn to Little Brother.
Little Brother has always made pretty on-trend, quality menswear basics, and for as long as I can remember they’ve been bringing out their collections in pretty narrow cuts – their size range has always catered for the skinnier of boys. I never really thought to purchase any for myself until about 6 months ago, when Isaac got me to try on the ubiquitous Little Brother duffle coat in an XS. I was surprised at the fit – aside from the sleeves being a little long, the thing was pretty much perfect. Ever since then, I’ve been dying to see this see this stuff on a girl, so when I saw the new summer collection had launched, I grabbed the opportunity to dress the beautiful Gabby Carter (Red Eleven) in a few of my favourite pieces and take a few snaps. And just so the boys weren’t missing out – I also roped Matt Purcell (Clyne) into donning the same outfits for comparison. I’m pretty happy with the results – it’s his and hers at its finest:
Continue reading ‘Little Brother makes menswear that girls can wear too.’
All Images/boylstontradingco.com
I don’t know if it’s because I spent the last few weeks hanging out with a whole bunch of menswear obsessives who only talk about men’s clothes and shoes and hip hop, but I feel like menswear is at the height of popularity at the moment. There’s a huge culture built around menswear that I have never seen before. It’s not just a bunch of guys taking an interest in clothes – it’s much bigger than that. Girls are dressing like boys, Josh Peskowitz has been elevated to celebrity status and suddenly it’s cool to know your cuts and fabrics, what pick-stitching is and why you should never button that bottom button on your jacket. There’s even a menswear ‘lingo’ that’s developed – it’s almost a secret language (sprezzatura anybody? Don’t tell me you understand this) amongst the menswear blogger club that nobody out of it can understand (#bloglife #themoreyouknow). What I’m trying to get at, is that there’s just a huge interest in it these days – more so than ever – so it’s apt that there would be new menswear dedicated sites/blogs/magazines popping up all over the place, to cater to the demand.
Continue reading ‘More for the boys at Boylston Trading Co.’
Corinna Studier.
Last week it was Georgia in a undone formal look, this week it’s Corinna donning the double denim for Isaac and Justin‘s baby, the ‘Like the Boys‘ series on the GQ Eye. Although I am now back in New Zealand (sigh), I was lucky enough to be around for Corinna’s shoot a couple of weeks back. Here are some of the things I saw behind the scenes:
You may have read about this already, but the other day I took Isaac’s picture in a few outfits from this menswear store on Bond St, C’H'C’M. While I was taking the usual portrait outfit shots, I decided I would do what I love doing, and throw in a few landscape portraits as well. It’s kind of my favourite thing right now (and for the last few months) – landscape photos and cutting off the top of people’s heads. Sure, you can’t really see the outfits and lots of people think it looks weird when the top of a person’s head is cropped out but I really like it. What do you think?
Dayne Johnston and Boh Runga.
As a creative project, I handed out a few disposable cameras to some interesting and prominent faces around New Zealand Fashion Week. Their instructions were pretty simple: “Take photos of whatever you want before/during Fashion Week. Nothing too offensive please.” What follows are some of the results:
Following on from my last one of these posts, we have Dayne Johnston – Zambesi’s super lovely and super talented menswear designer. Dayne decided to use his disposable camera backstage at his show (see photos below). Here’s what he had to say for himself:
I wasn’t sure how Huffer were going to equal last year’s huge production of an off-site show. Held on site in little ol’ shed 2 this year, I just didn’t know how they’d get that ‘wow’ factor of an off-site venue where they would have control over everything. Boy was I wrong. I should’ve had an inkling there was something exciting about to happen – I’d seen a giant (fake) cake sitting backstage, as well as a couple of boys dressed in all white painters overalls. That was the first clue. The second clue, was the party poppers placed on each front rower’s seat.
The show started with a projected video, and it really ramped up with puffs of (fake) snow blowing out the entrance of the catwalk onto the models as they walked out. How did it end? With a bang (literally) involving Aja Rock, an American flag bikini, confetti and a surprise party on the catwalk with all the models, designers and some front rower’s (including me). Video coming soon, in the mean time, check out this one on facebook.
Things I need from this collection? There are several. A preppy little white button-up shirt and trench coat worn by Sophie Blazey, a chunky cable knit merino sweater, a sheer black, full length skirt worn paired with a dove grey beanie. For the guys? So many things - narrow chinos, a myriad of check shirts, cable knit sweaters and 5-panel caps to rival all the others on the market (I even had a writer form New York compare the brand to Supreme in America – and if you know Supreme, you know this is a big deal). The whole collection was ultimately completely, completely wearable and I can see a lot of kids around town would want to look just like these boys (and girls).
See what I saw, below:
Recent Comments