I’m exceptionally lucky to get to see some of the country’s beauty launches, blogger and media events, and fashion shows, and it’s been such a busy year. Here are some of the top events and highlights of 2015 for a snapshot of some of my favourite fashion and beauty industry events in the past wee while.You’ll find the link for each one listed beside the blurb if you want to see each full article.
The year’s highlights: Best events of 2015
JANUARY
January was pretty quiet and relaxing as everyone was on holiday and all my diary has in it is “ate icecream at Giapo” so that’s always a good thing.
FEBRUARY
MAC Trends Workshop
I headed along to the media presentation to hear M.A.C Artistic Directors James Molloy and Kiekie Stanners discuss each of these four SS15 trends in “a makeup chat” and demonstrate them live on models wearing New Zealand fashion from Ciel fashion showroom. Kiekie Stanners of MAC has been appointed M·A·C Senior Artist, New Zealand to travel to the international runway shows where makeup trends are created.
MARCH
Jimmy D Ten Yeahs
Designer James Dobson celebrated ten years of his cool and dark label JIMMY D with a party at Ponsonby stockist, THE SHELTER in Mackelvie Street, called JIMMY D 10 YEAHS. Guests had Dunkin Donuts and drinks amongst garments over the past decade displayed throughout the store. I particularly enjoyed seeing the archival pieces from collections over the years and I wore the spiderweb silk print dress there myself and there was one hanging in the window!
Urbis Designday
I always enjoy the blend of architecture, art, design and interiors at Urbis Designday each year so I headed along in between the Britomart Fashion Sessions shows on Saturday up to Khyber Pass to have a look around at the installations, which did not disappoint with their creativity. Bonus – the very kind (but possibly blind lol) Urbis editor stopped me to say I was the best dressed at Urbis Designday and took my outfit pic. Nice. Above: Model Zazi wears an Ingrid Starnes floral jumpsuit amongst a beautiful botanical display by Xanthe White at ECC Lighting.
Harman Grubisa
Designers Madeleine Harman and Jessica Grubiša showed their Harman Grubisa AW15 collection, ‘Lean Close’, at The Department Store on 30th March 2015 in a salon-style show inside Lucy & The Powder Room. Seven models walked with hair by Stephen Marr salon led by Stylist Jason Chong-Li, and makeup with beautiful skin and oxblood deep lips.
The Aromatherapy Company
The Aromatherapy Company founder and owner Sarah Townsend hosted 80 women (and one guy, at our table!) amongst thousands of fresh flowers at Odette’s Eatery for a sumptuous breakfast on Thursday to launch the beautifully floral-packaged new Mother’s Day range around the concept of flourishing, and positive mental health.
Britomart Fashion Sessions
The annual runway shows featuring New Zealand’s top designers who retail in the Britomart region, Britomart Fashion Sessions, are back on March 20th and 21st 2015. The six designer shows held with Westpac as key sponsor are once again in the lovely Atrium on Takutai shopping centre and include runway shows from Zambesi, WORLD, Kathryn Wilson, Trelise Cooper and Taylor. All labels are showing their Autumn/Winter 2015 collections
APRIL
The new books I have on my desk this month, are all hardcover books on style. We take a look at ‘Fashion on the Ration’ by Julie Summers, ‘Shoes: An Illustrated History’ by Rebecca Shawcross, ‘The Cottage Under The Big Pines’ by Susan Southam, and ‘What Would Audrey Do?’ by Pamela Keogh.
MAY
Japan Trip
I loaded 6 articles of highlights in photos from my Instagram feed as I travelled the country in their Spring from New Zealand, over to Kyoto up to Hokkaido and back down by bullet train to Tokyo. Intro image: making tea in Hakodate ryokan inn. Click on each to see:
Japan My Instagram highlights
Highlights of Hokkaido
Highlights around Tokyo
Streetstyle in Japan
Buying designer recycle in Japan
Kyoto in pictures
JUNE
Ballet Revolucion
This sensual and impressively athletic ballet performance at The Civic on 17th June was a dance spectacular featuring eighteen contemporary dancers with a live Cuban band performing Latin American music as well as hits by Sia, Lorde, Beyoncé, Jessie J, Bruno Mars, J Lo, Prince and Rihanna. An amazing highlight to watch and incredibly beautiful bodies to boot.
Rotorua Road Trip
Despite being only three and a half hours south of Auckland, a trip to Rotorua is something of the level of an “overseas holiday” for us, in terms of the excitement that the children hold. What could be nicer in June than peeling off all the layers and sitting immersed in hot water with a view of a natural lake rising with steam? Nothing, except if that hot soak is followed by a relaxing facial….and that is exactly what happened to me at the weekend when I went down to experience a taste of Facial Month at Polynesian Spa in Rotorua.
JULY
With Eva Longoria in Auckland for the annual Specsavers wearer of the year award.
Bollywood Birthday Bash
Happy birthday Colin Mathura-Jeffree at his Bollywood Birthday Bash in the historic St James Theatre.
Disney On Ice
Minnie Mouse skating at Disney On Ice at Vector Arena. A truly great show for all ages.
AUGUST
Marr Factory
This year Fashion week fell in August, and also Marr Factory was wisely set two weeks prior rather than the week before. Marr Factory – a week of in-season fashion shows at Golden Dawn bar showcasing top local designers with hair by Stephen Marr – is one of my annual highlights. Read about the MAC makeup looks on Thread.co.nz here: Karen Walker at Marr Factory, Nom*D at Marr Factory, Zambesi at Marr Factory and see Anupam Singh’s photos for Thread at Kate Sylvester Marr Factory.
NZ Fashion Week
Highlights of New Zealand Fashion Week
SEPTEMBER
Britomart Fashion Progressive Lunch saw five short in-season Spring Summer fashion shows at five restaurants that we walked around in teams over two and a half hours of eating, drinking and chatting. It was amazing! I’d definitely recommend doing this next time if you can.
Cats the Musical
Seeing Cats on stage in Auckland was such a highlight for me last week, and I got to take my children in to see the cast perform some numbers at the Civic theatre up close. Above: a mother and her daughter wear cat ears at the Cats show.
OCTOBER
Carnival of the Animals
Yesterday we headed into Bruce Mason Centre in Takapuna to see Melbourne’s Circa theatre crew perform their acclaimed show, Carnival of the Animals. It was honestly incredible I was totally blown away by their interpretation of a carnival and how the performers became various animals using their bodies, noises, props, and a beautifully-illustrated animated backdrop. They were amazingly talented in acrobatic feats, strongman, and trapeze ropes as well as standing back flips and even hip-hop and breakdancing. Go see it! 10/10.
NOVEMBER
At Soul Bar (soulbar.co.nz) for the fabulously-titled ‘Sole to Soul’ Kathryn Wilson fashion show.
With Art Green, hearing about his (very competitive!) use of his FitBit, at the Diabetes Action Month event.
DECEMBER
Snowplanet
Santa’s Magic Castle at Snowplanet was hands down the BEST Santa experience I’ve had in Auckland.
Peter Alexander
I met pyjama king Peter Alexander in his Westfield 277 Newmarket store on his whirlwind smile-and-selfie tour of the country! He was super charming as always and had a funny anecdote about the male models in the bed the last time I met him, up the Skytower.
Star Wars
Megan Robinson
2nd January 2016
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