Twenty-Seven Names AW 2012

Twenty-Seven Names showed this collection at NZFW last night as a gallery style installation - shot beautifully by Guy Coombes and featuring the one and only Ngahuia Williams wearing key pieces from the range and looking and acting very much the wallflower. Designers Rachel Easting and Analji Stewart have synched their art and fashion degree backgrounds and this collection more than ever shows why the duo are creating a cult following around the world for their clever use of prints, colour, cut and detailing. Inspired by 19th Century artist Edouard Manet the collection brings two words to mind; Impressive impressionism!

Black #15: Thom Kerr shoots Codie Young

Photo: Rue DeMail Paris

While New Zealand Fashion Week fills the fashion horizon here in New Zealand, shoots for Black #15 are continuing around the world. We are very happy to have Sydney-based photographer Thom Kerr shooting one of our favourite Aussie girls Codie Young for this issue. Thom has been working with Black since issue 3 when he flew into Auckland from Brisbane as a fresh-faced teenager and literally walked into the office but this is his first fully-fledged editorial for the magazine. Fashion editor Cassandra Scott-Finn has pulled a fine selection  of fashion for the shoot: Louis Vuitton, Prada, Miu Miu, Guder, Ms Couture, Burberry, La Perla, Beau Coops, Gucci, Therese Rawsthorne, DL & Co, Gail Sorronda and many more. H&M by the lovely Jovita Lee. Updates on our New York, London, Los Angeles and Paris shoots over the next few weeks.

Killed By Kisses? Why not...

There is something of a zeitgeist happening in New Zealand jewellery at the moment. Perhaps New Zelaanders have a latent sparkle that is only now starting to twinkle. Liking this range by Naveya and Sloane. Working with diamonds, fresh water pearls, amethyst, sterling silver and white gold in her August 2011 collection, designer Rachel Sloane is Lost In Love and Killed By Kisses. Her creations clearly reflect that state of mind...

Hello! New Zealand Fashion Week...

We're not really into apologising for not posting but umm...we are. In the past two weeks, we've moved home and office, redefined Black Magazine for the future and been head over Alexander Wang heels immersed in the Workshop and Helen Cherry show we are producing, casting, and enjoying so much. This Thursday at the Auckland Town Hall, as part of New Zealand Fashion Week, iconic New Zealand artist Max Gimblett will add an artistic swish to the Workshop Denim range, stylist Jamie Huckbody will add his unique flair, Scratch 22 will deliver the sounds and a big team will make it all happen. We're plain excited. So, to celebrate, here is the communication from valued Workshop and Helen Cherry partner, BMW New Zealand. At the end of the week, we'll be posting backstage images by photographer Greg Novak.

Eye Am In Auckland

Eye am!

And this is my eye in Auckland!

It is disgusting. When I checked in, I am sure the guy looked at me part horrified, part disgusted. I hope tomorrow I wake up with out the junkie-eye.

As for Auckland - wow. This is a pretty city, and it reminds me of Melbourne. The houses - aye carumba. The houses. So beautiful.

And guess what?! Bananas are $1.49 per kilo. This is big news folks. I may have to eat my body weight in bananas.

Do you have any tips for my brief Auckland sojourn? Do tell!

Butterflies. Fairies. Pink. Purple. And so on.

A long time ago I stitched both the boys their own pillow cases. I love embroidering pillow cases. I could do it 'til the cows come home, alas I don't seem to get much time these days.

Last week I decided to start making time to do some stitching. I love the routine of unwinding. Of detaching from technology and colouring in using floss. I picked up a pillow case that I had started for Tiny forever ago, and asked her what she'd like.

Butterflies. Fairies. Puppies. Catties. Cakes. Ice creams. Pink. Purple. Water (blue).

And so it is that I find myself stitching in the most girlie palette ever - which, by the way, suits me fine. I love me some pinks.

Chunk-No-Itis

Tiny has been welcomed into the exclusive and elite club where all members must have Conjunctivitis to join. I believe I'll be joining that club later tonight.

Yesterday her eye started mucusing up a storm, and we couldn't clean it quick enough. Disgusting, no?

She woke up in the middle of the night, her eye fused closed. Impressive Tiny. So in the darkness of night, we cleaned it again, and again. And again. And put her back into bed. When she woke it was a little better, and we've been dealing with the eye all day. It's so furiously red, I've never seen conjunctivitis so cranky. I think the other eye is going out in sympathy.

In the morning she asked why she had: "Chunk-No-Itis". She hasn't complained and just gone about her day. Delighted when she caught a ladybird, she made it a little home, created a slide for it, and told it it was going to join the circus.

Poor Tiny Pink Eye.

Universe, right about now, we'd really like to shake the shackles of Winter sickness. April - August? Enough is enough. We're officially: Sick of being sick.

hailee for miu miu

we don't even need to discuss how f*ing adorable hailee steinfeld is... let's just look at that clutch!!!!!!!!!!!!

this one's pretty spiffy too

miu miu 2011

alright, let's bring that price down

much more reasonable than those previous posts:







Halogen wool blend cape @ Nordstrom for $148. cute.



http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/halogen-wool-blend-cape/3167950?origin=keywordsearch

Prohibido Lingerie – Uncovering one of Cambridge’s hidden gems..

   When most people think of Cambridge, images of impressive architecture and punting on the river Cam come to mind. However, some of the less overt visual delights of the town also come in the form of the many lingerie stores that the town boasts. Aside from the better-known high street lingerie stores, there are also some gorgeous boutiques tucked away. One of the hidden gems that I came across recently was ‘Prohibido Lingerie, a little boutique situated in All Saint’s Passage (just opposite Trinity College). On entering ‘Prohibido’, I was struck by the beautiful interior of chandeliers, vintage patterns and artistically arranged lingerie displays.

The boutique has a wonderfully intimate feel and the owner, Barcelona-born Mercedes Lee, and her assistant, Katherine, were very chatty and immediately made me feel at home. Mercedes gave me a tour of the shop and spoke to me in depth about the diverse range of brands that she stocks. With 10 years experience in retail, Mercedes is very particular about what she likes and envisions for the future of her boutique. She brings the customer the ‘cream of the crop’ from a array of different countries; Colombia, France, the Netherlands, Barcelona and even as far as Australia, ensuring that she caters for a wide range of customers, age ranges, tastes and occasions. The boutique’s premium brands include:

Andrés Sardá

Ayten Gasson

Cette

Chantelle

Empreinte

Huit Paris

LingaDore

Le Mystère

Passionata

Pleasure State

Plié

Selmark Lingerie

Touché Collection

 (LingaDore, Empreinte, Chantelle, Passionata)

 I was particularly enamoured with 'Empreinte' (a French make which caters for larger busts) and their "Melody" line bras - multiway seamless moulded plunge bras covered lightly with delicate Chantilly lace. The style of this bra makes it extremely versatile - it is perfect for plunging necklines and it gives uplift for back sizes from 30-36 and cup sizes up to a G. The denim 'melody' bra was my favourite - a stunning rich blue that would look fantastic against any skin tone!

Another stand-out brand for me was 'Pleasure State' - a glamorous Australian lingerie and loungewear brand. Pleasure state's lingerie is very cutting edge, with vibrant colours and patterns that are particularly flirty and girly - ideal for any fashion-conscious woman with an eye for detail. 

Pleasure State

I loved the "Sea of Dreams" balconette (above left), which has a vibrant floral design printed on ivory silk, off-set by black embroidery detailing. Pleasure State's underwear is so beautifully designed that any woman cannot help but fall in love with it!

 

This leads me, finally, to talk about the swimwear brand 'Paolita'. You may remember the invitation I posted a while ago, inviting my readers to the brand's first birthday swimwear event! I was very excited to see this up-and-coming designer brand stocked at Prohibido and I loved the zesty colours, stripes and exotic fern prints on their bikinis and one-pieces. My personal favourite was the incredibly striking 'Sonnet' swimsuit, which is a colour explosion of blues, turquoises, greens and purples. The 'Sonnet' contours beautifully to your curves and its key-hole detailing ensures that all eyes on the beach are on you!

I would definitely recommend that you pop into 'Prohibido Lingerie' if you find yourself in the city of Cambridge. Besides, what could be more sophisticated than a day of sight-seeing, punting, picnicking and underwear shopping for some of the prettiest designer brands of the moment?

To find out more about Prohibido Lingerie, check out their website: www.prohibido.co.uk

or visit them at: Prohibido Lingerie, 5 All Saint’s Passage, Cambridge, CB2 3LS

Love,

Kitty xo

I Love Lace

Can you spot the smalls in this picture?

Dress by Toni Maticevski - phwoar!

On Sunday we went to the Powerhouse Museum to check out the Love Lace exhibition.

Swooning people. Swooning. This is such a beautiful, decadent exhibition. A collection of 130 lace works by 134 artists from 20 countries.

If I could have meandered a little longer, I would have. But the smalls called forth, so we played in the kids sections. Talked with the robot. Interacted with lots of exhibits.

I totes recommend this show - with or without smalls, Love Lace is a beautiful exhibition.

We haven't been to the Powerhouse for yonks, so it was a pleasant treat to check it out, all together.

Balenciaga Biker Jacket

i have been obsessed with this jacket for a few years now and every year they issue new and amazing colors.



now they're doing an eggplant and Bordeaux that are just stunning!

still $2500 though, wuh wuh...



http://www.barneys.com/Motorcycle-Jacket/501329781,default,pd.html



my favorite is and will always be the Navy biker jacket:

other new and classic colors:

Last Night An Audio Book Saved My Life

Actually, it was tonight.

Tonight an audio book saved me.

You see friends, you'll have to listen up real close because I've got something to tell you.

I've lost my voice.

Yeah. Great. Works a treat when talking with the Doctor. He's got blocked ears and can't hear. I've got no voice and can't talk. Match made in heaven. I have to clap my hands to get his attention.

Tonight Matt went out to catch up with some friends leaving desperate and voiceless at home. No bed time bookie wookies for the littlies.

Or were there?

I madly went through the CD cupboard and hauled out 'The Gruffalo's Child' on CD. Ker-ching!

They were happy. I remained silent. And all was well. Hoorah for audio books. End of story.

why $1,520? why?

http://www.barneys.com/Leather-Puffer/501392183,default,pd.html

a slice of heaven

dolce vita carina wedge in solid gold with a wood heel

6 inches!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.prettypennies.com/dolce-vita-carina-wedge-c-581-pr-22126.html

Awww Man!

Conjunctivitis! Tonsilitis! Fevers! Runny nose! Blocked ears! General lethargy! The Doctor sure knows how to get sick when he gets sick.

He's miserable and holed up in a birdie's nest* on the couch during the day, early to bed at night. Oh man. I hate the smalls being sick. It makes me so sad to see them so sad. He even asked me to come home early from work so I could be with him. Break my little heart dude.

I'm sick of the sick. Roll over Winter, Spring and Summer need to make their grand entrance. I'm over you Winter. I usually love you. But April - August we've been sick. I'm over it. I'm done. Winter, you stink this year.

On the flip side of down and out in Beverley Hills *cough*, the Doctor saved up for a really, really long time to buy a Nintendo DSi. He finally reached his goal, and this has been a huge saving grace while he's been sick and I've told him he has to lay low and hang out on the couch. He's been playing 'Ready Set Grover' like crazy these last few days. Phew for this small grace!

* A birdie's nest in our house is when I plump up the cushions on the couch and tuck my wee little birdies in with a blanket, when they are feeling poorly.

because one color is not enough

my favorite denim maker, J Brand, made these fantastic jeans called Angie Super Flare Jeans. they're the perfect flare leg / bell bottom on earth. so comfy, so cute, so worth the price - for me at least. the original color was a medium denim blend and works with everything.

but now! they come in "acid gold" which is like a gold tan color and "midnight" blue.

i want them both!







it's a flat out recipe for disaster to my bank account. unfortunately, they're $229 each. sooo, probs not gonna happen. maybe if i'm lucky, i'll buy one of them.



http://www.shopbop.com/angie-super-flare-pants-citizens/vp/v=1/845524441911363.htm?folderID=2534374302023720&fm=browse-brand-shopbysize-viewall&colorId=12181





and they come in Crimson, which I'm not the biggest fan of...

You're Booked!

I found this super cute book the other day by Emma Dodd called "You". I mean, just look at it, it's got cute written all over it. I can't wait to give it to Tiny because I think she's going to love it long time - it has gold foil on every page, so. darn. cute.



The Doctor was home today sick as a dog, woke up with a raging 3am fever, and conjunctivitis. But I didn't realise it was conjunctivitis until a friend at preschool looked at him this afternoon and said "Oh you've got conjunctivitis" - and I went "BINGO!" - and then as an aside to myself "Der, why didn't I see that before?! Of course it's conjunctivitis". Poor little dude. Conjunctivitis is the pits, isn't it? So we stayed at home and I read him Cressida Cowell's "How To Be A Pirate".

What books are your big and smalls reading? And you? I have a big stockpile next to my bed, but none of them calling me right now. Any recommendations?

Shaken but not stirred - The Freya Supernova 'Voodoo' bikini

On holiday, every girl dreams of emerging from the sea in true bond girl style, so when I spotted the glamorous Freya Supernova 'Voodoo' bikini on sale on Brastop, I had to snap it up! Freya's 'Supernova' collection builds on their previous 'Vodkatini' collection, which features the same bikini styles of an underwired cup bikini top and soft triangle non-wired top. Although only the underwired bikini top came in my 28FF size, I was intrigued to try the triangle bikini top in a 30F, as it was very different from the other bikini styles that I owned...

The Freya Supernova 'Voodoo' bikini is a striking raspberry pink colour, offset by sleek contrasting white and charcoal trimming. This eye-catching combination gives the bikini a feel of glamour and sophistication, whilst remaining quite classic looking. Both the bikini top and briefs are adorned with silvery charcoal buckles, which each feature the 'Freya' logo.

The buckle detailing on the Freya 'Supernova' immediately made me recall the gorgeous 'Bond girls': Ursula Andress and Halle Berry, who have set the big screens alight with hollywood glamour in their seductive buckle swimwear...

Not only is the Freya 'Supernova' bikini a feast for the eyes, but it is also ideal for bigger busts. The shape of the bikini is very curve-friendly and it gives great uplift and shape to your cleavage. The bikini briefs are also extremely flattering, giving good coverage and a smooth fit. The bikini is very comfortable to wear, due to its ultra-soft Riviera fabric and lightly padded non-underwire cups. Although I normally prefer underwired bikinis due to their firm support, the non-underwire 'Supernova' bikini top felt surprisingly secure. With its snap-clasp back, the 'Supernova' keeps your curves in place, so that although they may be shaken, they are definitely not stirred (if you will pardon the pun!)

My one plea to Freya would be that they extend the range of back sizes down to a 28 in the triangle style of the 'Supernova' bikini and in their other triangle styles, as the smallest back size available remains a 30. Although the 30F in the 'Supernova' is not a bad fit, it is a little bit big in the back and I feel that if there was a 28 back available, I would get the perfect fit. This would also mean that there would be less pressure on my neck from the halterneck ties at the top of the bikini, which are put under more strain if the back band is not quite tight enough.

Overall, I am delighted with the Freya Supernova 'Voodoo' bikini and it is clear that a lot of effort has been put into the style and fit. I am also impressed with the continued high quality of Freya's swimwear - the XtraLife lycra extends your bikini's lifespan through high chlorine resistance, meaning that you can 'wow' in your Freya bikinis time and time again! Although the 'Voodoo' model of the 'Supernova' bikini is running quite low in stock on Brastop, if you can't find your size, check out Bravissimo, Leia lingerie and Figleaves for some great alternative patterns, whilst keeping the same figure-flattering style and support of the Freya 'Supernova'!

Love,

Kitty xo