Gossip Girl

Yay! Just what everyone needed, another gossipy tv series where everyone isnt what they seem and we spend the whole few seasons that it lasts finding out about the character's tangled webs of lies. Strangely enough though, I find myself wanting to know more and I seriously hope that this comes to TV here in little New Zealand sometime soon.
Oh and BTW, the Clique movie is coming out in 2008 too, yet another book-turned-movie.

Nu-Flow

Nu-rave can hardly be considered a "Nu-trend" as it's been around for quite awhile and is possibly even "old" already. I know many of you hate the trend (along with the people that wear it) but I find the allure of fluro colours and House of Holland style tees a bit too tempting... It made me think, though, maybe there is something more to nu-rave than what Topshop has already done.




And sure enough, I found these tops in Supre (an Australian shop, but never fear, you can order these HOH wannabes online). They aren't exactly pricey ($AU20, which works out to be less in $US). There are heaps of other slogans on the different tops, including "I X'd-out-heart my ex", "I heart my girlfriend" and "I heart Myspace" as well as some tree hugging "Global warming is NOT cool" type tees.

You like?

This post isn't even worthy of a catchy title...

I started school a week ago after a long, relaxing summer and so far I've been pretty uninspired for blog posts. This post is pretty much just for the sake of it (and so that I don't lose some of my loyal readers *I heart you*). I was paging through a virtual copy of Nylon magazine and I love the latest issue so much!You can go to the website and get a free 3 issue virtual mag trial, really worth checking it out! And you also might want to keep an eye out on two designer collaborations coming out soon - Jeremy Scott for Ksubi and Thakoon for Manolo Blahnik. I'm pretty excited about the Ksubi one, not sure if Thakoon for Manolo will hit this small slice of the world though. Anyway, I'm doing another one of my 'favourite things' posts - just preparing you!

Awwww this is so cute! The little Tod's loafer on a key chain, it doesnt make me want to pay the $145 for it, but I can't help but admire from afar. It kind of reminds me of a finger puppet, goodness knows why! The bangles on the right are going to be so hot for summer (assuming you live in the northern hemisphere. My summer is already over), just pair a few of them with a crisp white dress for an elegant but fun look. You can find them at Nordstrom.

I know that nautical is so old but I just can't get over this stunner of a tote. You can find it at Nordstrom for $195. I am also a huge Tsubi (or is that Ksubi++?) fan and the saleswoman that somehow managed to convince my parents to fork out $300 (NZ dollars) for a pair of jeans was wearing this pair. I quite like them, so different to all the cliche skinny jeans. You can buy these online at MyCatwalk

It wasn't actually that hard to write this post!

Karen's no longer in TV Land

The title comes from the name of Karen Walker's FW 06 collection called 'Karen in TV Land'. I just saw the pics from her NY fashion week show and I just can't wait for the collection to hit the shops! If I have to check her boutique every day to get the new t-shirt that looks suspiciously like the House of Holland ones (It says 'Yabba Dabba Do, Karen to the Rescue'), I will. Although knowing my luck, I'll have spent all that month's allowance when they're released (Does the bank loan money to under-18s?). Her collection has an edgy feel to it and I particularly adore the new signature patterns for the season! I also noticed a blue raincoat similar (if not the same as) to the red one Maria Sharapova wore in the Feb 07 Teen Vogue. Ok, I'll shut up now and let you see my six fave picks.

Giving Breast Cancer the Kiss Off

Every year, one of New Zealand's most popular chain stores Glassons recruits some of NZ's top designers to create T-shirts and they sell them for $30, with $10 of it going to the Breast Cancer Research Trust (BCRT). Last year's tees were a bit overrated, and most of these aren't really my style, but it's for a good cause. Here are a few...

On the left is the design by Kate Sylvester and the one on the right is by Trelise Cooper

The price tag on this top on the left is a far cry from the rest of Karen Walker's range! (Yup! This top is by her!) and the one on the right is by Ruby.

My personal fave! The top is by Cybele and I am seriously considering buying this (as if I need another top).

It's for a good cause

Rockin' Ralph

Excuse the title, I have no creative energy today... Anyway, I've returned from my holiday and it's now back to blogging. I was browsing Sephora and I saw that the new Ralph Lauren fragrance had been released - "Ralph Rocks" (the sequel to Ralph, Ralph Cool and Ralph Hot). I wonder what name he will come up with next...

According to Sephora, Ralph Rocks hass fruity and floral notes "soothed with warm amber, coconut milk and sexy woods". They know how to make it sound appealing, I mean, how on earth are woods sexy? I have to try this perfume out (I hardly ever buy them) but like everything else it will probably only come out here in a couple of months time. Oh well.

These are a few of my favourite things...

If you read my blog religiously you will know that I live in New Zealand (in the southern hemisphere) which means that it's summer - although the weather today hasn't been very good... Anyways, there are only 17 days of summer holiday (vacation) left and for the next 12 days I will be away from the blog, so I will leave you a plus-sized post with some of my favourite things.

The Karen Walker hoodie on the left is one of the things I bought this morning while shopping. The only thing I love more than shopping is shopping when there are massive sales on(did I mention that I saw a pair of Stuart Weitzman heels marked down to $150 from $650? Oh if only I could walk in 5" stilettos...) This hoodie was on sale for $171.50 (NZ dollars) down from $245! You can buy this at My Catwalk, however it is slightly more expensive there. I also heart the Louis Vuitton S/S 07 collection, aren't these barrettes cute? I also liked the LV earrings except they came in a set of three different ones (I'm not too sure about mismatching earrings, but could this be a trend?). You can find these at eLuxury.

I just learnt a new word - 'Jute'. I used to refer to it as the rope-y strawy thing wrapped around the heels of some shoes, but now I know the real name for it. Right now, jute-wrapped wedge heels are in every shoe shop in Auckland and they're probably going to be pretty big for the northen hemisphere spring too. I know I'm contradicting myself by putting monogrammed shoes here but these Gucci wedges are so stunning, you hardly even notice the ugly double G logo. You can find these at Saks. In my humble opinion, the Prada spring handbag collection is pretty blah, but this bag is so... I can't even find words to describe it. Why am I so captivated by it? Is it the quirkiness, the patterns or the bright orange leather? It's just so very lively and exciting. This bag is also at Saks.

Today while I was shopping, I tried on every pair of flat, open shoes in every store in Newmarket (Auckland's #1 shopping destination) but they all felt really weird. So instead of spending $100 on a pair of ones I'd wear once get blisters and then put away in my wardrobe, I bought another pair of Havaianas for $30 (NZ dollars that is..) These are the only rubber flip-flops (jandals/thongs/slip-slops/sandals/whatever you call them) that I have ever worn that actually don't rub. I also have a pair in pink, but these black ones are far more practical. On the right is the "Miss Marc" canvas tote. Marc has hit the nail right on the head again! I especially love the zip pocket at the front (it's where her lips are).

Now lets just hope the weather improves...

Gucci Oh Gucci

Random fact of the day: The founder of Gucci was called Guccio Gucci. I've never really understood what attracts people to monogrammed bags in ugly colours, the one thing I do understand, however, is that the same people that tote Gucci monogram bags are often seen with Louis Vuitton ones as well. Maybe this is why the Gucci design team decided to make their spring handbag collection so similar to the Louis Vuitton Miroir line. Maybe they're hoping that a certain socialite will be seen carrying Gucci bags on Australian beaches...

On the left is the Gucci bag and on the right is the Louis Vuitton bag (modelled by Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian).

Oh and did I mention that Paris' bikini is rumoured to be a fake?

We're Breaking Free!

High School Musical was a hit when it came out and for a while before it was released onto NZ tv screens, I wondered what I was missing out on. However when I actually saw the movie, I wondered what was so great about it. Some people were so obsessed! Now they're doing a sequel and as always, second anythings (books, movies...) are always worse than the first. The crazy people over at Shop Intuition are even selling a High School Musical bag, with Zac Efron's face on it...

It's selling for $27 but even if it was on sale for 50cents I wouldn't buy it!

Golden Globes 2007

A night full of clapping, acceptance speeches and stylish dresses - what's not to love about the Globes? Right now I'm being a true female and multitasking by watching the show live, typing this post and searching for red carpet pics from E! Online - so not as easy as it sounds! My favourite three looks are:

3. Cameron Diaz - I almost thought she was Nicole Richie for a split second, the once bubbly blonde has joined the masses of a-listers to go brunette.
2. Sienna Miller - There's just something about this dress and the way in which Sienna wears it. Very glamorous!

And my favourite look of the Golden Globes 07 is:

Emily Blunt - This Devil Wears Prada actress looks amazing in this dress. She can expect lots of great things in her future.

Genie in a Bottle

Or rather fragrance in a bottle. Christina Aguilera is going to be releasing a signature scent later this year, unlike other celebrities including Ashanti, Sarah Jessica Parker, Beyonce and of course, Britney Spears. I wonder if this perfume will be elegant like the new Christina or "Dirrty" like Xtina, either way we still have to wait for autumn (fall) before we see any signs of it... When Gwen Stefani's L.A.M.B fragrance is released (also autumn this year), it will be very interesting to see which platinum-blonde-red-lipped star's perfume will be more popular.

Who's who?

Things I "Dig"

Having discovered my new favourite online shop, I thought that I just had to show you some of the best pieces. The shop is called FashionDig and it is full of vintage clothes - including lots of designers (some of which are Haute! For example, I found a gorgeous pair of Gucci ankle boots for $100). There are interesting (and amusing) things to be found here, such as these....

Left to right: "Stripes rule the dress" $28, "Martini Sunglasses" $120, "U.S. Flag Sunglasses" $99

Sorry about the bad quality pics!

Lindsay for Miu Miu

I confess that I never associated Miu Miu with Prada until about a year ago when I finally found out that Miu Miu was a diffusion line. Since then, my opinion of the brand has never been the same. Instead of being a brand with adorable dresses and tacky-cute shoes, it is often seen as Prada's younger sister. The brand is entering it's 15th year and it seems that Miuccia Prada is trying to shed their old image by raising the prices of their garments and recruiting Lindsay Lohan to be the face of their S/S 07 campaign shot by Mert&Marcus. At first I didn't think that Lindsay's image would suit Miu Miu, but then again, maybe they were trying to reach out to a new type of customer - the pre-teens and teens, although being a teenager myself I don't find the so-called "Teen Queen's" style remarkable and she definitely isn't classy enough for the high fashion brand. She's just another celebrity turned into a pin thin, leatherfaced Rachel Zoe lookalike. Jessica Simpson was originally in line for the campaign but was replaced by 'LiLo' because of the fact that Mert&Marcus don't get along with Jessica.

However, when I first saw the campaign I thought someone had confused the threads on The Fashion Spot but no, it is Lindsay. There were a lot of naysayers before it was released but I think that it has changed a lot of people's minds about her. The only thing that I dislike about this campaign is that she is so obviously photoshopped. It really doesn't look like her.

Are you ready to see the ads?

What do you think of these?

The Metropolitan Museum of WHAT?

I'll bet you associate The Met with art - paintings, prints, sculptures. I'll also bet that you didn't know that the world famous museum sold gorgeous accessories! I remember when our class visited the Auckland City Art Gallery to study pop art, we visited the gift shop and they had this yummy smelling lipgloss in pop art inspired tins... If only I had a spare $5 on me that day! You can find all my favourite picks from The Met at the online store here.

Put on your dancin' shoes and get ready to be singin' (and dancing) in the rain with this adorable umbrella. If you ask me, this $25 find looks more MJ (Marc Jacobs that is!) than Met.The elegant pin on the left can be worn at formal occasions, or dressed down with a pair of jeans and a jacket. It's so Tiffany! It costs $100.

I heart that watch! It's so different to the mass of pink Guess watches that I see at school everyday. This watch is cheaper than them too - only $60. Carry all your books in one of these interesting totes - which only cost $24.95!

See! Museums aren't all that boring after all...

Need sunglasses?

No, this isn't a post about sunglassess - but you might need them to protect your eyes. The title is the name of the shade by OPI which is rumored to be the next Chanel Black Satin. It's part of the new collection ("OPI Brights") with the most amazing fresh, lively colours for spring. 'Need sunglasses?' is a yellow nail polish btw. Orange is set to be the second biggest shade and all the other bright colours (including greens with yellow tones) are also going to be appearing on every manicured nail in the magazines that you read.

Shade names from left to right: Need sunglasses?, Totally tangerine, Azure for sure, That's berry darling

My verdict? Go for it! These shades will sell out faster than you can say 'OPI'.

Juicy Ballerina

I can actually imagine that printed on the front of a Juicy Couture tee, especially after I saw these ballet flats from their new S/S07 shoe collection.

The bag comes with the pair free - or rather the pair comes with the bag. Whilst the shoes are absolutely gorgeous, the bag somehow upstages them. I feel that the 'Juicy Couture' scribbled all over the shoes detracts from their beauty. They cost $150 from eLuxury, but the gold ones have sold out *sob*.

Juicy ballet class anyone?

Model Names

I'm sure many of you are just as guilty as I am of model name mis-pronunciation, but how was I supposed to know that Werbowy is pronounced Ver-bow-vy or that Tiiu is Tee-you? Well, heres a list of how to say some model's names... (the words in uppercase are the syllables you put the emphasis on)

Left to right: Cintia Dicker, Gemma Ward, Adriana Lima, Miranda Kerr (click on pics to enlarge)

Gemma Ward - Very easy to say! JEM-mah WAR-d
Daria Werbowy - DAR-ee-yah Ver-BOW-vy
Iekeliene Stange - Ee-kel-EEN-ah Stange
Anja Rubik - AN-ya ROO-bik
Tiiu Kuik - TEE-you KU-ik (if you say it fast, it sounds like quick)
Natalia Vodianova - Na-TAH-lee-ah Vod-ee-ah-NO-va

Let me know if you have any more and I'll add them to the list! Oh and please correct me if I am wrong...