Kevin Murphy On His Way To Shoot For Black #15

Kevin Murphy, photographed by Yasmine Ganley.

We are extremely excited to share news that global hair genius, Kevin Murphy, will be joining our New Zealand team to shoot with LA based photographer and long time friend Robert Erdmann this November for Black #15. The pair have worked together numerous times on various global campaigns, so we are honoured to bring the pair back together again! Recently, when Kevin stopped into The Department Store in Takapuna, Auckland, we met with him to try out and hear about his latest Color Bug products.

In Kevin Murphy's own words he tells us how to apply, wear and care for your Hair Resort Spray and Color Bug products.

Hair Resort Spray

"You want to start by putting the hair resort spray into damp hair and dry that in. You can then put a bit of motion lotion over the top. make sure the hair is dry, put in about 6 wave clips in horizontally, two in the front, two in the side and two down the back, squirt a bit of hair resort spray onto the clips, dry them off with a dryer, let the hair cool down, take the wave clips out, a little bit more of a hair resort spray spritz over the top. finger it out with your fingers and then your done!"

Color Bug

"One of the most important things with the Color Bug is you want to treat it like make-up, so you put your 'foundation' on first, which would be your styling product, and then make the powder of the Color Bug stick to the styling product by rubbing it onto the hair."

Express Yourself!

This year's winner: Twenty-Seven Names

As New Zealand’s fashion industry develops, the very notion of exporting becomes increasingly important, especially for emerging or developing designers. DHL, the world’s leading express and logistics company know this only too well, initiating the DHL Express Fashion Export Scholarship in 2008 to help said designers with this critical part of their development. The prize: NZ $10,000 worth of international freight, plus coaching in the business of freight and logistics, mentorship and membership of FINZ is this year supplemented by an Australia-focused NZTE Path to Market programme. That the scholarship works is in no doubt whatsoever as the three winners to date; Stolen Girlfriends Club, Lonely Hearts and Twenty-Seven Names have made substantial strides in overseas markets since their respective wins. This year’s judges are NOM*D’s Margarita Robinson, Kim Crawford wines founder, Erica Crawford, Mapihi Opai from FINZ and DHL Express national strategic account manager Megan Wildermoth. 

So, emerging designers of New Zealand, get your skates on and enter this landmark comp. Entries close on Monday, November 14, 2011. Application forms are available from the FINZ website.

What's Undone in Dunedin?

It might be a little patronising to call Dunedin a fashion incubator but in recent years the city has continued to punch above its weight as a hub of forward-thinking and unique design. The influences, from Margi Robinson’s dark, deconstructed vision to the grumbling weather and the burgeoning growth of I.D fashion week position the city as a wee Antwerp of the south. All of this confluence is beginning to bear fruit and in recent years a number of new labels have emerged that carry a distinctive Dunedin flavour, yet are equally reflective of other places. Undone by Elise Barnes and Rachel Webb is one of these. The pair met in 2008 at Otago Polytechnic where both were studying fashion and then cemented their partnership at this year’s I.D show, in which both were asked to participate.

Thus, Undone, a label they describe as “a collaboration based upon the attraction of opposites in design.” Elise is described as ‘feminine and a hopeless romantic” and Rachel, “mysterious with an androgynous sense of style.” In a nutshell, their individual ideas, style and thinking must be “undone” and then reworked to make their joint creations. The pair have released two collections: Bespoke and A Dream within a Dream both of which can be viewed online here.

Spotlight on 'Pull-in' - Coffin on Cake showcase

PRESENTS:

PULL-IN

  As I mentioned in my last blog post, one of the most exciting collections at the Coffin on Cake press launch for Spring/Summer 2012, was the collection by French premium swimwear, underwear and lounge-wear brand, Pull-in...

  Launched 11 years ago, Pull-in is the brain-child of Emmanuel Lohéac, who had the concept of bringing a new wave of directional underwear to the fashion market. Lohéac's passion and drive has been rewarded by Pull-in's successful expansion from a small French business to a growing enterprise of 12 global concept stores and more than 1700 retailers worldwide. Since its launch, Pull-in has built up quite a cult following, counting athletes and celebrities such as Franck Ribery, Snoop Dogg, Madonna and The Saturdays amongst its fans!

  Pull-in's punchy prints and edgy graphics are very 'cutting edge' and the products feature prints of anything from strawberries to tennis rackets to cookies to iPhone application prints! Pull-in has even collaborated with well known names, such as Swarovski, Major League Baseball and DC comics, to create highly sought-after, limited edition designs. 

  Some of Pull-in's key attributes are its elasticated waistbands (made from the same material as in snow goggle straps!) and the use of high quality fabrics, such as Microfibre Lycra Invista.

  The Pull-in showcase at the Coffin on Cake press launch boasted a wide range of beach-wear, underwear and lounge-wear products for both men and women. The designs were extremely eye-catching and I particularly loved the mouth-watering summer fruit designs of raspberries, strawberries and grapefruits. The 'Vermont' raspberry print swimsuit was visually delectable and the print would definitely turn some heads on the beach!

  Another of my favourite prints from the womenswear collection was the bird print - a motif that will prove very popular for Spring/Summer 2012. I love how Pull-in have transformed a black bikini into such an elegant, fashion-forward piece! The bird print has also been carried over to Pull-in's lingerie, complimented by sumptuous black lace detailing (see below):

  It is interesting to see the diversity of styles and colour combinations within the Pull-in collection. There were some paintbox brights along with loud prints that are typical of Pull-in, but also some contrasting softer-toned, more understated and elegant designs. Take for example, this sports bra (below left), which pushes the Summer floral theme further with an edgy poppy print. In contrast, the satin 'Abeille' bra (below right) is very classic, glamorous and 'boudoir':

          VS

There was also a very impressive range of Pull-in men's underwear and lounge-wear at the Coffin on Cake press event...

I particularly liked the wacky Spongebob Squarepants collaboration boxers: 

  The Coffin on Cake showcase really 'sold' Pull-in to me as a brand, with its varied and carefully selected pieces. In the press goody bag, I also received some Pull-in girl boxer-briefs, which I absolutely love. They are made from super soft lycra and are really comfortable to wear!

  My fiancé also fell in love with the Pull-in designs that I showed him - so much, that I decided to buy him his very own pair of Wolverine boxers from the Pull-in Marvel collaboration! You can see an extensive selection of Pull-in products on http://www.blackleaf.com/!

  I am really looking forward to seeing what Pull-in come up with next! One thing that is for certain, is that I am going to have to make some room in my underwear drawer! The Cupcake and Strawberry Pana cotta print knickers look too delicious to resist...

Love,

Kitty xo

Way To Make Me Exercise

Yep, just for the laugh factor, this would make me exercise.

Day 26 of Frocktober: Calling Tilly

Only 5 days left of frilly Frocktober. Oh to say goodbye to these sartorial days, when I've had to think outside the square and not pull on my beloved jeans.

Well halleluljah I say. I'm saying goodbye to my lazy fashion self, and hello to frocking up more often.

It's Wednesday. What's a bump that you want to get off your hump?

Coffin on Cake Press Launch, October 2011

  On the 19th October, I was lucky enough to be invited to Coffin on Cake PR's press launch at The Vinyl Factory in Soho. Press days are always a great opportunity to see the latest brand showcases and I was excited to get a sneak preview of Coffin on Cake's choice of key-pieces for Spring/Summer 2012!

  The showroom was divided into collections and the 'walk-through' tour, given by the Coffin on Cake team, was akin to taking a mini holiday, stopping off at different fashion hot-spots along the way! Check out the faux airport signs, deckchairs, surfboards and wooden beach huts...

  There were some great brands on display, so it is with great pleasure that I bring you the highlights of the Coffin on Cake showcase! 

(Surfdome's impressive brand list!)

  I was introduced to the Surfdome showcase, which presented key lifestyle pieces under the headings of "From Bondi to Brighton" and "From St Tropez to St Ives". Given that Surfdome stocks over 500 brands (see picture above), the collection of bikinis, swim shorts, beachwear, rucksacks, bags, shoes and leisure-wear that was selected by Coffin on Cake was very varied and the key pieces built upon different trends. There were tie-dye bohemian prints, nautical 'French Riviera' designs, summery bright colours, muted 'vintage' floral patterns and edgy tribal prints. After the launch, I went to the Surfdome website to have a look at some of the items stocked and was so impressed with the number of popular brands available and the brilliant 70% off sale on at the moment. Definitely worth a look..I may have made a sneaky purchase too! 

  Popular aussie brand, Ripcurl, had a great array of swimwear pieces on display. Ripcurl combines its classic surf-friendly designs with bold tropical prints, nautical stripes and eye-catching bright colours, so you not only stay comfortable, but also look great!

  One of my absolute favourite parts of the Coffin on Cake showcase, was the bikini beach hut! Inside, were different 3D 'look boards', which were organised by body-shape and featured key characteristics, celebrity body matches and tips for picking suitable swimwear. 

HOURGLASS:

RECTANGLE:

TRIANGLE:

INVERTED TRIANGLE:

  I was really excited to spot that Freya was featured in the 'Busty Bella' category and my eye was immediately drawn to the striking tribal print and fun mix of colours (coral and green shades, set in contrast with black and white). The bikini featured is the 'Marinella' Rainforest band-less triangle bikini, which will be available in back sizes 30-38 and cup sizes from D-FF in this particular style. 

  Finally, I bring you my new-found love, Pull-in:

  Pull-in is a premium French underwear, swimwear and lounge-wear brand that is well-known for its graphic prints and bright colours. I am usually more drawn to underwear and swimwear that is quite glamorous, sophisticated and a bit understated, but I really fell in love with the stunning 'look-at-me' prints of the Pull-in collection. In my next post, I will write about my favourite Pull-in pieces, as there are just too many to put into this blog post!

  I had a fantastic time at the press launch and want to say a big thank you to all of the team at Coffin on Cake, who were extremely friendly, well-organised and put together a brilliant showcase. The goody bag was also totally fab!

Stay tuned for my next post on 'Pull-in'!

Love,

Kitty xo