Mini Me

This is me. And mini-me.

We're being Teesed this week!

Everyone loves a good T-shirt. Like jeans, sunnies and sneakers they are a staple of our wardrobes unless of course you are a politician or Karl Lagerfeld. This week we received a few emails from folk who are producing lines of t-shirts for various reasons and thought we'd post our three favourites here:
This week Glassons continued their completely admirable support of the Breast Cancer Research Trust by launching the Cure Shop - the world's first store dedicated to finding a cure for breast cancer. Gotta love that and buying this classic Karen Walker t-shirt (above) is a perfect way to say you do.

Yesterday, Black editor Grant Fell was interviewed by Jennifer Weather-Centre for an upcoming bNet radio documentary series that celebrates the 30-year mark for New Zealand's greatest label, Flying Nun. Since founder Roger Shepherd regathered the reins there has been a quiet excitement building in local and international indie circles. A feature of the iconic-with-a-capital-I imprint has always been the arty covers and none is more iconic than this little beauty from The Clean's seminal Boodle Boodle Boodle ep. Barkers have been into this collaboration for a year or so now and good on them for realising the importance of the label. The 'Boodle' shirt (above) from the second range is on sale now at all Barkers stores.

Finally, as huge fans of the Warriors (yes, we are and always have been) we simply cannot wait for the NRL final this weekend. New T-shirt girls about town Anoinette Tahere and Jane Robinson (Bagabond) know the size of this love affair only too well - and as good Point Chev girls - have produced two shirts to capture the mood of the nation at the moment. This grouse Warriors option and the just-as-direct All Black option "This is an all black shirt." These are available from Bagabond directly and are selling like a hot Shaun Johnson run to the line, feigning, passing and scoring! GO THE WARRIORS!

The Sickness. And The Sickness. Oh and THE SICKNESS.

Remember when the Doctor got tonsillitis not that long ago. Since that time, he's had it twice. Which means two more rounds of antibiotics and a referral to an ENT to decide whether we need to have them snipped out.

The thrills don't get much bigger than this.

My little guy is completely fragile, sick of being sick, worn down, over it. Me too.

When the GP mentioned the possibility of having his tonsils out and his adenoids scraped, my little man cried. The saddest cry of all. As a mother, it was the most helpless feeling, not feeling like I could do anything to help him feel better.

I walked out of the GP grateful that she could make him feel better, but determined to find an alternative to general anaesthetic and medical procedures.

I don't expect anyone to understand this, but I'm not big on hospitals, medical intervention - unless absolutely necessary. If we can avoid it, we will, while always thinking - if it's absolutely necessary, then of course, we will do it. And when I say: I don't expect anyone to understand it, I mean - everyone's different, everyone's parenting is different; my gut is to look at alternatives before resigning ourselves to the surgery line.

I've done some research, asked friends, thrown it to the Twitterverse, and received some amazing feedback. We've got a couple of appointments lined up to visit a paed osteopath and some others in the pipeline, all before our November ENT appointment that will hopefully say - 'hey, gee whizz, this little tacker is a-ok!'

image of the Doctor climbing at Sydney Olympic Park. It's that cool.

Simply curves - A virtual tour of 'Simply Yours'

  As a self-confessed DD+ lingerista and shopaholic, it is always exciting to find a company that stocks brands that I love and covet. I had previously heard a lot about Simply Yours (particularly in relation to the Gok Wan range), but I didn't realise quite how much Simply Yours spoils us for choice with their lingerie range! Simply Yours not only have their own products, but also stock the amazing; Freya, Curvy Kate, Fantasie, Panache, Pour Moi, Masquerade, Wonderbra, Gossard and Miss Mandalay - to name but a few of their curve-friendly lingerie brands!

  Simply Yours sell lingerie, swimwear, nightwear, shapewear and clothes, making it a real haven of shopping delights ready to tempt you! The best thing about Simply Yours, though, is their sizing range - with band sizes 30-50 and cup sizes A-JJ, so many ladies can benefit from the fantastic array of products on offer. Simply Yours also boast a small selection of 28 backs and some styles even go up to a super curvy, L, cup!

  With so many large sized bras from Simply Yours to choose from, I could not wait to investigate what styles were suitable for busty girls, such as myself...



  I was very impressed with the Simply Yours website - it is extremely visually exciting, with its girly colours and photo-story layout, complete with thought bubbles. The categories (Bras, Knickers, Lingerie, Shapewear etc) are carefully organised into headings with drop-down menus, making browsing much easier and more efficient.

  Within the bra section, it is also possible to select what type of bra you are looking for (balconette, full coverage, longline, moulded, multiway, strapless, nursing, soft cup etc), select your bra size and even specify which brand to search within.

  With online shopping's growing popularity, it is a dream to be able to go online to a store like Simply Yours, make an order and receive your products a few days later..but what if you don't know your size? Luckily, Simply Yours don't leave you on your own to make wild guesses!

  You can check out the Simply Yours 'Bra measuring guide' here. The measuring guide is an interactive fitting experience, where the Simply Yours fitter, Sarah, takes you step by step through the stages of discovering your correct bra size. I loved Sarah's informal yet friendly tone, as she gives the listener the virtual advice of a real life bra fitter, but in the comfort of your own house! The listener is informed as to the signs of a badly fitting bra (semi-circular ride up, breast tissue not encased properly in the cups etc) and is offered suggestions as to how to correct them with a well-fitting bra. Most importantly, Simply Yours highlights in this video, the importance of ordering and trying on different sizes, as bras can vary across (and within) brands and your bra size can fluctuate depending on your weight. 

  Another aspect of the Simply Yours fitting guide that I really liked, were the videos showing models with different body types. As a 28FF (small back size and larger cup size), the video of slim but curvy, Kiki, gave me some helpful hints as to what bras are available for me on Simply Yours and could suit my figure:

  The only thing that I was not so keen on, was the use of the 'back band measuring table', which follows an antiquated measuring model of adding inches. I have investigated a lot of fitting techniques and have found that the most accurate way to find your band size is by measuring directly under your bust. I measure 27 inches under my bust and find that the best fit for me is a 28 band. I have many bras from brands stocked on Simply Yours, such as Freya, Panache, Cleo and Curvy Kate, which I all own in a 28 band. The one exception is my Wonderbra strapless, which is fairly snug in a 30 band. In my experience, 32 bands have always been too loose. With this in mind, bra measuring has no 'magic formula', so the best place to start is by measuring under your bust and trying the band sizes around that measurement.

(Simply Yours measuring table)

  I was, all in all, impressed by the effort that has gone into the Simply Yours measuring guide - with interactive videos, fitting problem advice, bra care tips, a lingerie glossary and a bra style guide, there are many reasons as to why Simply Yours is ahead of other brands in making women aware of the pitfalls related to bra fitting, as well as the benefits in persevering in getting a bra that fits correctly.

  Simply Yours make the bra buying experience easier for customers by having a flexible payment scheme, so that you can buy on credit or purchase items straight away. With a free returns system, it also means that you can purchase a range of sizes to try, with no worry about extra costs for returning items...now, there really is no excuse for keeping a bra that doesn't fit perfectly!

   To conclude, I am very impressed with my first tour of Simply Yours and am hoping that time will also see an expansion of their 28 backed bra selection. Simply Yours have a great range of products to suit a variety of tastes and they succeed in providing some top quality brands geared specifically towards girls with curves. I am also thrilled to see Simply Yours using gorgeous, curvy models: Erika Elfwencrona and Laura Catterall to model their products. There is nothing better than seeing models with real curves and a bust, looking fabulous in stunning underwear!

  Finally, here is a selection of Simply Yours 'lust-haves' that I am desperate to get my mitts on! Let me know what your favourite pieces are - they may even get a review...

Love,

Kitty xo

Motha Stewart Meets Gaga

Take a leaf from Martha's book and get Gaga this Halloween. Glue some butterfly wings to your lashes and off you flutter. If it's good enough for Motha, it's good enough for me.

Black #15: Paul Empson and Sam Ranger shoot Anna de Rijk in London

Anna de Rijk, Vogue Nippon by Inez and Vinoodh

The shoots continue to roll in for issue #15 of Black Magazine. Last week our Paris photographer Paul Empson jumped on the train to shoot in London with stylist Sam Ranger who took the latest Louis Vuitton range and styled up a storm on Anna de Rijk for one of our covers and an editorial. Dutch beauty Anna has long been one of the girls listed on Models.com's Top 50 that we're most interested in, love her, so strong...

Image: displacedbones.blogspot.com

Black #15: On set - David K Shields shoots Michaela at Portfolio/Red 11

It always seems to rain, actually, it always seems to pour when photographer David K Shields and Black fashion director Rachael Churchward team up to shoot fashion for Black Magazine. Yesterday was no different when we travelled to Piha and Kare Kare on Auckland's West Coast to shoot Michaela from Portfolio/Red 11 in a pretty, free-flowing editorial co-styled by Jessica Grubisa with hair and make-up by Nicky Paton at Angels Nest using KMS and Living Nature. To provide a point of difference and to suit the styling concept Nicky cut Michaela's hair short for the editorial.

Michaela will be familiar to fans of last season's NZ's Next Top Model as runner-up to eventual winner Danielle Hayes.  Of South African extraction, Christchurch girl Michaela is a natural talent blessed with all of the important model attributes; a great face, a body to match, a strong work ethic and excellent attitude. Whilst it is no secret that appearing on NZNTM is certainly no guarantee of a successful modelling career to follow, Michaela's (and Danielle's) very appearance in magazines like Black are proof positive that NZNTM isn't harmful either - as long as a model has the goods in the first place and the right attitude and desire to work.

Well Hello Holidays!

This is a sponsored post.

I couldn't think of any better way to spend a perfectly sunny and Spring-a-licious Sunday than heading to the park. A really, really big park. Seeing the smalls run around, happy, it's a simple pleasure. Not to mention the benefits that come with an extended park visit. Kids that go to bed on time. It's win: win.

I love a good park, and I can wholeheartedly vouch that 'Kids In The Park' at Sydney Olympic Park is no ordinary park. It's huge. It's sprawling. It's green, and there are little hills that remind me of the Teletubbies. So fun.

Given the Doctor is learning to ride his bike, we decided to check out Newington Armory . The tracks are wide and flat, so it's perfect terrain for a beginner, with Tiny riding on her push-along. In fact, if the smalls hadn't seen the playground, we could have ridden all day. But they saw it, and while they were happy to explore the Armory, they were intent on clocking up some time climbing, swinging and sliding.

No matter, we rode for about 45 minutes, explored the Armory, checked out the Birds Australia Discovery Centre, where we saw live footage of a month old eagle in its nest - pretty rad. How often do you get a birds eye view? (BOOM BOOM!)

Then we rode back, had an iceblock on the grass overlooking the Rivercats cruising past, a quick coffee, then we were whisked off to the playground by our small companions.

If you're looking for something to keep the smalls active and entertained during the school holidays - whell hellz to the yeah, this is your answer: press this - so many activities to choose from, lots are free, or otherwise under $20. There's something for sporty kids, adventuring kids, or crafty kids.

I recommend it as a super place that we'll definitely revisit during the holidays to keep the kidlets busy. As the Doctor said on the drive home: "It's my best day ever."

drew barrymore for neiman marcus

that ETRO coat, the kors gown and the burberry coat! wowzah!

Hell-o:: Date Night

It's been a long time between date nights, and thankfully my FIL stepped in and babysat for us so we could spend some very much needed, very overdue time together.

Matt and I headed to the Northern Beaches, following the re(a)d hot tip off by Briar of Sunday Collector that Mexicano was the shiz.

We'd tried to go there a week ago, turned up at 5:50pm - and were DENIED! Fully booked. So there's a red hot tip for you friends, you must book a table or you will drive all the way unhappy, unfed, and unMexicano'd and a big fat fail whale will greet you at the door.

We had such a blast, and I had one too many mojitos. Ouch. You know when it's fun at the time, then you go - oh dear, I had to take it that one step further. Yep. That's me. And in the morning - aye carumba. I even succumbed to my age-old hangover cure that I've not used in almost eight years, Coke with a bazillion slices of lemon. It was that bad.

But ANYHOOOOOOO - the beverages - they were not bad at all. I can't deny it. And the food - fresh, taste-a-licious, I'd do it again in a flash.

Mexicano

Shop 2

209-211 Ocean Street
Narrabeen

Make your bookings peeps - 9970 8975

While We're Talking Dirty

TIBI leather loafer wedge

these are an oldie but goodie... and oh what a goodie! i'm all about those cheap finds that i fell in love long ago and still desire. i'm a newly frugal non-impulse buyer.

the FALL 2010 TIBI SHOW featured a loafer platform wedge in nude/pink and brown. all models in the show wore them and they were to d-i-e for. i have since been obsessed with them but being a reformed full-price shopper just could not, refused, uh uh, would not buy them full price for $398. instead, i waited until they went down to $250. got them in EU or IT 39 thinking they translated to a US 9. not so much. i returned them and gave up.

several months went by without a thought of them at all. then i received the July 2011 TIBI Outlet announcement email. therein, these beauties were listed for $130. blown away, i tell you, blown away. but still, my new found frugality told me to wait and maybe just give up.

come september and i receive an ebay notification for a size 40 (months prior i set an ebay email notification for these and completely forgot). LO AND BEHOLD, fidy-sissss dollahs! (translated in amanda-speak: $56) are you kidding me?!?!? no, i'm not kidding me.

... and even after a year, i still adore them and will cherish the golden ticket find with each and every wear. that's saying something! that was smart smart shopping. especially since platform wedges are not a fad in my book. they've been a staple since i could walk in them beginning in high school. how i could walk down those linoleum halls in 5 inch platforms, i do not know. don't get me wrong, i probably tripped a good twice a week, but still... loved them then and love them now.





$56, yes, i make no jokes!!!!! i have the brown pair. TIBI Outlet still sells them...

http://www.tibi.com/shop/leather-wedge-penny-loafer

Laughing Out Loud. ROFLMAO.

I'm into the funny at the moment. I need the funny. Big stylie. When the chips are down, go for the funny.

Lui Hon: Whispering Roots AW 2012

We're fast becoming steadfast fans of Melbourne designer Lui Hon. His AW 2012 "Whispering Roots" collection is a yin yang thing of black-and-white beauty nicely encapsulated in these look book images by photographer Peter Ryle.  Models Ayor at FHM and Renee at Viviens are perfectly cast, hair & make-up by Blondie at Agent 99 with assistance from Rebecca Savva and Thomas Frimi. Hat's by Richard Nylon for Lui Hon. Shoes by Santini.