#1016 Haaaappyyyy Happy Haaapppyyyyy

Image /SlamXHype

It's that time again... New Year's Eve. So much pressure, so many expectations, so little time. I'm in Christchurch still trying to figure out what to do. Some people are saying a small house party, others are saying a big field party 30 minutes drive away, I just want to sing me some karaoke at Christchurch Idol on Manchester Street (I'm all class). Have fun friends, don't get yourselves into too much trouble, these city streets will be dangerous tonight so stay safe. I'll leave you with the above photo - new crew neck sweatshirts by Rodarte. The one on the left features male model Ethan James, the one on the right says 'J'aime Rodarte'. It's been about five years since I last wore a crewneck sweatshirt - Karen Walker used to make them for men every season - but I stopped wearing them about the same time I stopped wearing hoodies. That one on the right has relit the candle though.

Catch you next year.

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#1015 Fair Isle - I love thee

Images /GQ

If I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times. I'm obsessed with Fair Isle knits. And sweaters. So Fair Isle knit sweaters are pretty much my favourite things of all time. Sadly I still don't own any, New Zealand (while being the sheep capital of the world) isn't a mecca for the Fair Isle arts, so right now I have to content myself with looking at pictures online. On the plus side, my Mum's a pretty good knitter and she's going knit-crazy right now making cardigans and what not for my new little baby niece, so I've convinced her to make me a woolen pom pom hat for my upcoming Europe trip. Hopefully she can get a little Fair Isle pattern in there too. While I'm bemoaning the lack of good knitwear in NZ, I'll also bemoan the lack of a well priced menswear chain like J Crew (makers of the above sweater).

#1014 Comment of the year - Anon on Air New Zealand

"Does Air New Zealand have something to hide?

What’s going on?

Last time round poor Elizabeth Findlay would have hit her head against a middle management brick wall. Zambesi delivered what Nana Koru asked for and Zambesi did accomplish something unique in the uniform history of Air New Zealand. They unveiled a uniform that symbolised the airline’s leadership quality; tired, generic and faded middle management. Rob’s mob.

#1013 Quote of the day - The Style Guy

Image /GQ

"I think it’s about common sense. A lot of people don’t have that. The rules are made to be broken but you have to know them to do it right. Anybody who’s really stylish breaks the rules.By dressing expressively you figure out who you are and what works for you. By knowing what you like you find out more about yourself. That sounds pretentious but it’s true. It’s important to have a sense of occasion, which people have lost. There’s a great book called Sex and Suits, by Anne Hollander. She talks about tuxedos and says if all the men in the room are wearing dinner clothes then instead of making them all look the same it actually emphasizes their differences. I think people really miss that, not formality, but having a standard. It doesn’t make you a victim if you’re wearing a suit and tie."

Glenn O'Brien, The Style Guy.
[A Continuous Lean]

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#1012 A little ditty

When I was younger I had dreams of being a musician. I played the guitar for years and I've always loved singing - karaoke is pretty much my favourite night out ever. My Dad's a singer/songwriter and whenever I come home for the holidays we spend hours playing guitar and singing songs. Anyway, I recorded myself in the living room at Nana's house (note the bookshelves of deep mahogany lined with many leather bound books) singing Stay by Lisa Loeb - a 90s classic. It's one of my favourites. So this video shows what it's like at the old family house - sitting around in pyjamas singing a few songs.

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#1011 I made Felicity Ferret!

'Could there be a better ambassador for NZ fashion victimhood than ISAAC HINDIN "BURG" MILLER, the stalker - sorry blogger - who has been all over the America's Next Top Model fiasco. He's helpful: when ANTM's JAY "E" MANUEL lost bags off his trolley at the airport, Burg was on hand to fawningly pick them up and restore them. He's a thinker: "Here's a thought that just popped into my head when I was rereading my last post about Miranda Kerr." Surely he's the only person who reads his daily drivel twice. He's informative: "All I wanted was Tyra Banks, but there's still no sign of her. I've heard two things - she's checked into her hotel already, and she's not in the country yet. No idea which is correct." And he's detailed: "...a few of his suitcases were knocked off the trundler. He was a good sport about it all though, and didn't seem to mind picking up his own luggage - with a little help from me." Just in case you missed it on the news.'

[Metro Magazine]

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#1010 A Single Man

Remember how good everything looked the first time you ever watched Mad Men? Tom Ford's A Single Man is like that but way way way better. I've just seen the trailer for the first time and holy moly it looks good. Thick rimmed tortoise shell spectacles, store bought haircuts, 60s suits, tie bars and pocket squares... The only problem - its New Zealand release date. 6 May 2010. The wackness. Until then I'll have to content myself with the little stockpile of photographs from the film that I've assembled below. Unless I can catch it while I'm overseas. Or on a plane? I'm flying to Milan on the 14th of January, but that's with Emirates. And I get the feeling that they might not allow a film like A Single Man to be played on their flights. I could be wrong though. Someone once told me the reason it takes films so long to arrive here is because they only make a certain amount of reels, then post them from countries of importance to countries of less importance to countries of no importance and then finally to New Zealand. The joys of a tiny population, a weak economy and geographic obscurity.

Photos below.

#1009 BAH HUMBUG!

Merry Christmas everybody. At present I'm sitting in the upstairs bedroom at my Nana's house in Burnside, Christchurch, looking out the window at the sycamore lined park across the street. It's 17 degrees. I'm feeling a little worse for wear. Yesterday I decided to conduct a social experiment with my good friend Georgia. We drank four affogatos (that's a shot of coffee with a scoop of vanilla ice cream) back to back. I never drink coffee. The result - an inability to sleep until four this morning. Which made my Father coming into my room to check his emails at eight this morning a somhhhhhhwhat unpleasant experience. And his continued presence despite my sleepy protestations a slight vexation. But the straw that broke this camel's back - his sudden decision to Youtube search every song ever performed by an obscure dead American solo guitarist named Robbie Basho (listen here - make sure volume is turned up to LOUD for full effect). No doubt this will be an exhausting day. But a good day nonetheless. Merry Christmas everybody. Enjoy yourselves. Christmas can be about as stressful a time as can be, but just take it for what it is and have fun with it. If it all gets a bit much, take a minute to listen to the song above. It's really beautiful.

Thanks for reading.

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#1008 Taylor Boutique runners up in Air NZ uniform comp

Image /Taylor Boutique

Air New Zealand and Trelise Cooper still aren't talking about their upcoming uniform collaboration, but that's okay because other people are, and I've heard how the competition went down. According to my sources, after Air New Zealand put the call out to local designers for submissions, they received 22 entrants. From the 22, five designers were shortlisted. They were Kate Sylvester, WORLD, Alexandra Owen, Taylor Boutique and Trelise Cooper. Five were whittled down to three - I'm told they were Alexandra Owen, Taylor Boutique and Trelise Cooper. The final two in the running (this is starting to sound like a reality TV show) were Taylor Boutique and Trelise Cooper, and both designers were made to present their designs twice to a committee before the contract was finally handed to Trelise Cooper.

#1007 The great Air NZ uniform debate

It's been a while since I did a debate on here, so what better topic to get the ball rolling again than the new Air New Zealand uniforms? Two years on our national carrier must have decided that the Zambesi-designed uniforms were no longer representing the brand, so a change was needed.

This from an industry insider:

"I don't think Yves Saint Laurent or whoever's doing it now could give Air New Zealand the best uniform. They're under the impression that designers can do uniforms. Uniform designers are not fashion designers and vice versa. A uniform has to be a high performance product. It's not about colour schemes or where you're going to put the flowers. These people are on the planes for 12 hours a day and so the uniforms have to stand up like Nike rugby jerseys. No fashion designer's uniform has ever worked or lasted. And then on top of that the people judging your work are the first callers on 1ZB. You have to go to a thousand focus meetings. And you've got sizes ranging from very small Asian women to larger Polynesian men so you can't get a uniform look. They have to perform and they've got to be the billboard for New Zealand - and they have to be recognisable from across the room in Heathrowe Airport. They'll end up in the same situation as last time."

Questions below.

#1006 Trelise Cooper to design new Air NZ uniforms? UPDATED

Image /SMH

Remember the kerfuffle caused when Air New Zealand unveiled their new Zambesi-designed uniforms back in 2006? The staff liked the new look but weren't quite sure how to wear it all, the colours were too light or too dark, the men's suits too shiny... Talkback radio stations throughout the country had a field day taking calls from adulatory and disgruntled passengers alike. According to CEO Rob Fyfe at the time, it was "All part of a process that's been going on for a couple of years to reposition the company from all the markets that we operate in, which we certainly hope will just add to our competitive position." It was also the first major brand overhaul the company had undertaken in more than a decade. So why then (just two years on) has Air New Zealand been taking submissions from local designers to redesign their uniform once again? According to my sources Trelise Cooper has won the contract (for a rumoured price of $100,000 in Air New Zealand contra) and will begin working on the uniforms in the upcoming months.

Calls to Trelise Cooper and Air New Zealand for comment have thus far been unsuccessful but I will update as soon as I hear back from any of them.

UPDATE: Comment from Zambesi below.

#1005 Thom Browne - lost a CEO, but won the war

I've only ever been to one Thom Browne show (New York Fashion Week, June 2009), but I can safely say that it was the most daring and daunting menswear collection I've ever seen. Daring due to the little grey suits paired with extreme drop crotch short pants; daunting for similar reasons (plus throw in a primary yellow vinyl trench and a fully embroidered scaly fish suit). Therein lies the secret to Browne's success, and the recipe for his disaster. It's almost too fashion forward - stuff you want to wear, but maybe in two seasons when you've seen other guys try it out first.

#1004 Help me. Somebody please help me

I woke up this morning to find that I've been locked out of my isaaclikes.com mail account. No explanation given, no suggestion for a plan of attack, just a simple error message: "This domain has been disabled". Does anybody know what I can do to solve this problem? As far as I know I haven't violated any terms of use, I've paid all my bills and my account isn't over its limit. I'm stuck! If anybody can help me I would be oh so appreciative. My email address (that's still working) is isaac.hm@gmail.com

In happier news, my sister should have a new baby girl in the next couple of hours. I guess it's the cycle of life. With death (of my email account) comes new life.

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#1003 MYHART to go, Lonely Hearts to grow

The Twitterverse tells no lies - Auckland boutique MYHART has closed its doors for good, as of today, 21 December, 2009. MYHART's Steve Ferguson writes:

"Having a retail store has been a fantastic experience and working alongside some amazing creatives has been greatly rewarding. The recent distribution [of Lonely Hearts] into all three Area 51 stores and our rapidly expanding export business has prompted our decision to concentrate on the wholesale growth of Lonely Hearts. So fear not Auckland customers! Your favorite Lonely Hearts pieces will be sold through Area 51 in Newmarket and now in High Street central city. Lonely Hearts will also be launching a new website and dedicated online store (Lonely collection only) in mid January to coincide with new season deliveries! You will also see many other exciting developments from Lonely Hearts as we move onwards and upwards. We would like to thank all the wonderful customers who have supported us over the years. See you all in the New Year and Merry Xmas!"

I for one will be sad to see the retail presence go, but hey, it's been a bloody tough year out there so who can blame them? Plus we all know online is the way of the future. Eh? Eh? Eh? All the best to Steve and the Lonely Hearts team. Can't wait to see what you do with your net-shop.

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#1002 My new style icon is an eight year old boy

It's true. He's like the young Dalai Lama of awesomeness. I watched The Boy in the Striped Pajamas on my flight to Christchurch. The movie itself starts well, middles well, but ends unsatisfactorily. If you haven't seen it, in brief it's the story of a young boy named Bruno whose father runs a concentration camp near Berlin. Only he doesn't know it's a concentration camp, he thinks it's a farm. Bruno befriends a young Jewish boy on the inside and slowly realises (in a very roundabout/I'm too innocent to really understand anything kind of way) what's going on. It's frustrating, moving and an exercise in futility (you already know this kind of movie is only going to end in tears) all at the same time. The best bit for me though, was the clothing. Bruno's clothing. School boy shorts, check. Shirts, check. Braces, check. Sweater vests, check. Brown oxford shoes, check. Long socks, check check check. Even a few double breasted suits (with short pants) thrown in there for good measure. The perfect uniform for summer.

Lots more pictures below.

#1001 1000th post

Like I said yesterday, a minor error in my numbering system about 120 posts ago has left me one number out on all my posts. So this post, number 1001, is actually my 1000th. I have nothing more to say than thank you all for reading and commenting and critiquing. It's been fun. I'll leave you with my current song obsession - I know this much is true by Spandau Ballet. And the title of my first book, should I ever write one (I came up with this while driving back from breakfast this morning): The Devil Rides Fixed Gears - a study of hipsters. I'm off to Christchurch tonight for Christmas but I'll try to keep posting like normal from there - depending on when my sister has her baby. Thanks again friends.

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#1000 Shot of the day - She's a rebel

Speaking of Stella Maxwell, I've just seen her new MANGO fragrance campaign show up on Coco Perez. What a rebel. Plus Perez called her a Scarlett Johansson lookalike. Not a bad person to be compared to.

NB: I stuffed up my numbering about 120 posts ago so this one is actually only my 999th post. The real 1000th will be a party.

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#999 The Black Magazine photos you didn't see

Image /Craig Owen

I've made no attempt in the past to hide my love for kissing photos in fashion editorials. They're my favourites. Here in New Zealand though, we don't often see them. We have a distinct lack of kissing editorials. I think New Zealanders have a bit of an uneasy feeling about overt sexiness. We're not like the French or the Italians who own their sexuality on crowded train platforms. Oh non non non. Ours is hidden away behind closed bedroom doors (or at least behind closed pub toilet cubicle doors). So I was particularly excited when I saw that Black Magazine had shot a very sexy editorial with Michael Whittaker and Stella Maxwell. I blogged some behind-the-scenes photos, plus a video from the shoot, then waited patiently for the magazine to come out. When it did though, I was disappointed to find that all the sexy photos had been taken out. So I promptly got on the email to my good mate Grant Fell at Black Magazine. "Grant! Where are the sexy photos of Michael and Stella? Send them to me immediately! I have to blog them!"

Being the good man that he is, he willingly obliged, and here they are for you.

#998 Long and Laborious - The Lovely Bones

While eating vegetarian pizza in the food court of Skycity on Queen Street last night, I thought to myself, 'The movies appear to be the only thing left in this society of ours that consistently run on time.' I thought too soon. Film pre-screenings, it would seem, have become subject to that most frustrating of all frustrations - cellphone confiscation. Because, you know, we're all going to record the entire film, frame by frame, with our spy-quality camera phones. Or maybe it's the fault of Twitter. Who knows. My best good friend Sheida and I waited in line for 30 minutes as each show-goer handed over their phone in exchange for a small paper raffle ticket. Everyone was annoyed. Three couples walked out, muttering obscenities, and a fellow writer decided that the wait wasn't worth what was more than likely going to be a disappointing film. Sheida and I stayed patient though - who were we to look a free-film-horse in the mouth?

And anyway, by the time we arrived, the cinema staff were so fed up with the complaints that they didn't even ask for our phones.

#997 Meeting Tyra Banks

I've just gotten home from Tyra Banks' meet and greet. I meeted and I greeted. Held at Northcote's The Wharf (otherwise known as Suzanne Paul's short-lived Maori Cabaret), it was uncertain quite what we were attending... was it a charity event, a call to arms, a pyramid scheme? Whoever had the information wasn't sharing. Nobody else seemed to mind, most were still buzzing from the excitement of seeing America's Next Top Model's final runway challenge last night. The crowd was a mix of media and celebs, an Outrageous Fortune star here, a Campbell Live producer there. I walked in expecting to relinquish my phone, my camera and all rights to life (possibly even a cavity search), but check in merely consisted of pointing my name out on a list and collecting a purple wrist band.

No photos were allowed.

#996 Quote of the day - Joan Didion

"My only advantage as a reporter is that I'm so physically small, so temperamentally unobtrusive, and so neurotically inarticulate that people tend to forget that my presence runs counter to their best interests. And it always does. That is one last thing to remember: writers are always selling somebody out."

[Live and Learn - Joan Didion]

That final statement really resonates with me today, and I'll explain why.

#995 I'm sorry Ms Banks oooo I am for reaaaal

If you heard me on George FM this morning you'll already be up to date with the story I'm about to recount, but I'm going to go into it in a little more depth here. As most of you will know, the past two weeks of my life have been solely devoted to one purpose and one purpose alone - finding Tyra Banks. Finding Tyra Banks and getting a photograph of (or preferably with) her to be precise. It all culminated last Friday in this epic failure on my part. After getting a tip off that Ms Banks was dining at Parnell restaurant Cibo, I showed up only to be escorted promptly to the door by security. Tyra 1 - Me 0. So anyway, I was hanging out with my good mate Katherine last night. We were trying to decide where to go for dinner and I suggested Clooney on Sale Street - usually far too rich an establishment for my meagre blood. We parked outside and as we were walking up the footpath I told Katherine the story about how Tyra Banks had gone into Karen Walker in Ponsonby earlier that day and bought a trench coat from my old mate Jordan Rondel.

In a serendipitous turn of events, halfway through my story I looked up and saw Tyra Banks' big black Escalade parked in Clooney's driveway.

#994 Quote of the day - Christopher Kane on bloggers (Take Two)

"People are interested in what they like, it's a really personal thing and that's my opinion. You’re allowed to say what you want but sometimes the blogs that you read are really negative and that's what I meant to say really. Sometimes it's too negative for my liking and I think maybe they could give someone a compliment or say something nice. But bloggers nowadays seem to be a bit negative... [W]hen it gets to someone's work and they're being critical, it’s like 'Give them a break'. That’s all I meant to say."

Christopher Kane defending those controversial statements he made about bloggers a fortnight ago.

[Grazia]

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#993 A few words with Glenn Yungnickel

Image /Tux Hika

If there was an award for New Zealand's most exciting up-and-coming menswear designer of 2009, the clear and unrivalled winner would be Glenn Yungnickel. With that in mind, let's create an award. I think it'll be called: New Zealand's most exciting up-and-coming menswear designer of 2009. And the winner is... (drum roll)... Glenn Yungnickel! (Rapturous applause.) First seen at Dunedin ID Fashion Week in March with a collection of voluminous shirts paired with Japanese worker blazers and jackets, he then went on to create an all-red Honours collection shown at the AUT Rookie show in October. And now he's been snapped up by Murray Crane to design the first ever Crane Brothers ready to wear collection.

Interview below.

#992 Now, in more ANTM news

If you're extra eager and feel like chasing those Top Models around the greater Auckland region today, here's what you should do. Catch a ferry from the Auckland CBD to Half Moon Bay (that's one stop south of Bucklands Beach). My sources tell me that the final contestants are shooting their Easy, Breezy, Beautiful, Cover Girl TV Commercial there today - with New Zealand male models. No idea who the male models are, but sources tell me they're being supplied by 62 Models. Stylists were out and about sourcing clothes for the boys yesterday but not saying a thing.

But tomorrow's the big day.

#991 Quote of the day - Letter to the editor

"Your article Best Dressed [November 28] would indicate that wearing a tablecloth, or your old school blazer 10 years after growing out of it, is the height of chic, and having St Vincent de Paul as your tailor also helps. Clearly I'm too well-dressed to considered best dressed."
- Vera Prince, Tauranga

[Sunday Magazine 13 December 2009]

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#990 Tyra Banks' first REAL (as in, not supplied) New Zealand photograph

Image /Kate Moses

If I'm not mistaken, and I'm pretty sure I'm not because nobody else is claiming it, this is Tyra Banks' first non-supplied photograph taken here in New Zealand. It may not be the sharpest photo or the biggest (due to the lovely couple in stylish shades of red and pink), but hey, it's the only one we've got. It's also the shot I should have gotten - Tyra Banks dining with Andre Leon Talley at Cibo restaurant yesterday in Parnell. Sent in by Kate Moses who was celebrating her work Christmas party at Cibo at the time, Moses writes, "Not the best quality or particularly close as we were in the courtyard and she was inside. Plus trying to retain a modicum of secrecy while taking it so that they wouldn't see and then demand that I delete it from my camera!! Loveeee Tyra so pretty much will go down in history as the best work xmas party ever with the guest of the year."

Thanks Kate!

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#989 Quote of the day - Jay Manuel

"I just had a wonderful few days taping in Queenstown. NZ is such a stunning country. I will be back for a hiking holiday soon!"

Jay Manuel in response to my Tweeted question - "Where have you been Jay! We haven't seen nor heard of you since you arrived last week."

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#988 Olivier Zahm to Stefano Pilati

Image /Diane Pernet

OZ: "I like that you take it in such a relaxed way, that you don't try too hard. But I think that what you do at YSL for men is really important for us. You're in a position to really bring a modern look to men who want creative clothes, without looking overdressed or trendy. You're very classic in your approach. You don't follow trends. It's more about style."
SP: "I think that's the way YSL for men should be. Maybe a few years ago I wouldn't have said this - but I really consider myself to be very elegant and stylish. I wish that everybody could be the same way."

[Purple Fashion Magazine Volume III, Issue 12]

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#987 Tyra Banks 1 - Me 0

Imagine the utter desperation and hateful sickness a gambler feels when he's just bet the final ten thousand of his mortgage on a hand of Blackjack and lost. The money's all gone, he's broken his final promise to his wife, now she'll leave him (with the children) and he'll be cast out onto the street from whence he came. Welcome to my world. I was at the dairy up the road at 2:30pm buying a grapefruit Fruju when I got the call from Pilot Magazine's Andy Pickering. "Isaac, Tyra Banks is at Cibo in Parnell. Right now. How quickly can you get here?" "10 minutes," I replied, dropped the Fruju and ran.

Here's how it went down.

#986 MORE (supplied) TYRA BANKS PHOTOS

Ok this is absolutely hilarious. I've just been sent the rest of the supplied photographs by David Farrier and they're all completely staged pap shots! Imagine. It'd be like, 'Hey, Tyra! Act surprised! Ok good. Now cover your face. Perfect. Smile for the camera. Now look a little irritated. Not that irritated! Do it, do it, you're beautiful, you're beautiful!' The best bit is how some of the shots are at weird angles as if the photographer is being held away by security or the car is driving off. The magic of reality TV. Apparently she has one photographer working with her here for this exact purpose. Amazing. Americans do it better. Check all the rest of them out below.

#985 Tyra's first official NZ photo

Image /nzherald

Well someone had to get the first official photo of Tyra Banks. I hoped it'd be me, but somehow the NZ Herald managed to scoop everybody. The photo's caption and accompanying article don't actually say where they were when they snapped it, but you can see the KEA campervan in the background so you know it's real. If I sound bitter, it's because, just maybe, I'm a little bitter. But happy for them. And bitter. A little bitter. More importantly though, Tyra Banks looks smoking! Hot diggity dog. The Herald might have gotten the first photo, but the first official interview went to The Edge's Fletch and Vaughan when Tyra was dining at SPQR yesterday. You can listen to the podcast here. For some reason it's not playing for me, so can somebody please tell me what she says?

UPDATE: I've just read on the Herald website that the photo was supplied. So now I don't feel so bad.

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#984 Orlando Bloom's probably not in Queenstown

Unless he's perfected the art of teleportation (or cloning), reason would have to dictate that Orlando Bloom is not in New Zealand with girlfriend Miranda Kerr. The above shot was taken at the Mulberry party in Los Angeles yesterday. Whether Miranda Kerr will do a guest judging spot on America's Next Top Model is still uncertain, though a source has told me that the producers have been in contact with her about the show. It would be convenient - she's been shooting the David Jones campaign in Queenstown for the past few days and the Top Model crew are enroute to Queenstown at this very moment. Though I have just heard that there's a Victoria's Secret shooting starting in St Barts today so who knows... she could already be gone.

Thanks to Sassybella for the tip off.

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#983 Tyramail! Like, literally

Despite having had no luck whatsoever so far in my hunt for that darned elusive Tyra Banks, I woke up this morning to find a little gem in my mailbox. A cordial invitation from the lady herself (I always want to say Miss Tyra Banks - does anybody know her marriage status?) to join her for luncheon next Wednesday afternoon. Luncheon. So proper. So dignified. So marvelous. Not just luncheon though, the world's first ever Beauty Inside and Out Diversity Summit. Imagine! I believe the trip involves catching a ferry of some sort - this is all starting to sound a little familiar isn't it - but I'm fairly sure Tyra's event is a BYOV (bring your own volleyball). In other Top Model news, everybody has settled in comfortably to Auckland life and there have been numerous sightings including... Andre Leon Talley with Miss Jay and Nigel Barker at SPQR on various days; Miss Jay going shopping on High Street including a brief drop in at Zambesi and even Tyra wine touring it up on Waiheke yesterday. Lovely. Just lovely.

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#982 Spotted - Julian from Berlin

All Images /The Sartorialist

While scanning through The Sartorialist's February archives I found two pictures of Julian from Berlin. For those of you who don't know, Julian is a German designer who's living in New Zealand for the summer doing some work at Trelise Cooper. I'm pretty sure he was friends with her son Jasper Cooper in Berlin and that's how he got the job. Anyway, I have some friends who are OBSESSED with him right now so I'm sure they'll be pleased I posted these photos. I love his blue coat above.

One more below.

#981 On inspiration

Image /The Sartorialist

I had a semi argument with a good friend the other day about inspiration - or in my opinion, my lack thereof. He was telling me that every idea or style or basically anything you can imagine is inspired by something or someone you've seen before; and I was arguing back that I come up with everything for myself by myself - i.e. pure original thought. Obviously, I was wrong.

#980 I just interviewed Thom Browne

Image /KSpace

Yep, I just interviewed Thom Browne and his CEO Josh Sparks. As far as awesome things go, it was pretty fricken awesome. We were talking about how they've just sold a 67% share to Japanese firm Cross Company, and their ongoing plans to take Thom Browne to world domination level. I don't want to spoil my own story so I won't say too much more, but I can reveal that Thom Browne will be showing at Paris Fashion Week in June 2010. And I'll be there.

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#979 Spotted on Ponsonby Road – Nigel Barker

Nigel Barker was spotted on Ponsonby Road on Saturday by Jessica, Haley and Sara who asked for a quick photograph. He kindly obliged. Strangely when I asked the same question at the airport at 5:25am he turned his head the opposite way and ignored me. Or maybe he just didn't hear me? Thanks to Olivia for the photo.

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#978 Miranda Kerr already in Queenstown, no sign of ANTMs

Sorry for my lack of blogging, it's been a bit of a hit and miss day. But more on the miss side. Sources are telling me that Miranda Kerr is already in Queenstown for her David Jones shoot - and that Orlando Bloom has joined her there. No word yet on whether or not they'll be guest judging the America's Next Top Model Lord of the Bling challenge. I think it's a fun idea, so let's just say it's more than likely going to happen. (ANTM producers - if you're reading this, don't let me down.) As for the Top Model judges, and Tyra for that matter, we've had a couple of confirmed sightings in the past few days - one at Skycity and one on K Road, but no photographs. And I'm still yet to lay eyes on her glorious visage. I did spend a good hour sitting in a hotel lobby waiting to see some judges today, but didn't see some judges. Now I'm at home twiddling my thumbs and wondering what my next move should be. Any ideas?

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#977 THESE ARE OUR FRIENDS from Pilot Magazine

I'd like to be the world's first fashion writer who never mentions the clothes. For me, it's about the people and the experience. I thrive on high stress, triumphant successes and rock bottom failures. My best work is done when I'm excited, stressed or terrified. Running around a city trying to make it to 10 shows and recapping the anecdotes. I love sitting backstage, just watching everything come together. Everybody can see what the clothes look like; I want to show people what it's like to actually be there. They say a picture paints a thousand words. I want my words to paint a thousand pictures. I'm inspired by the belief that anything is possible. If you want to do something, do it. Everything good I've ever done has come from being somewhere I wasn't supposed to be or talking to somebody most people wouldn't. I fail constantly, but sometimes I win. Either way, there's always a story to be told.

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#976 NZ photographer Monty Adams shooting ANTM this weekend?

Image /Monty Adams

One of New Zealand's most acclaimed photographers, Monty Adams, is rumoured to be shooting the America's Next Top Model contestants this weekend. The photographer (who also shot the girls on New Zealand's Next Top Model) was unable to confirm the rumour when called, but said that the shoot was "a possibility". In other Top Model news, the girls are currently shooting a challenge at Sentinel Road Beach in Herne Bay. Like right now. As we speak. Correction - false alarm. It seems it wasn't Top Model filming after all. Darkness.

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#975 Tyra Banks has landed

Image /Respect-Authority

According to two independent sources on the ANTM inner, Tyra Banks is officially in New Zealand. Reports vary - she either flew in on Friday, Saturday or Sunday, but either which way, production staff have confirmed to my sources that she is in the country. No idea how she managed to slip past us at the airport - perhaps she flew privately - and nobody yet has a photograph of the ANTM host, but no doubt just about everybody with a camera will be on the look out. Including me.

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#974 Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom to judge ANTM Lord of the Bling challenge?

Image /EOnline

Here's a thought that just popped into my head when I was re-reading my last post about Miranda Kerr. Imagine, just for a moment, that Miranda Kerr was indeed here in New Zealand for America's Next Top Model alongside or instead of the David Jones campaign. Who is Miranda Kerr's boyfriend? Orlando Bloom. How did Orlando Bloom get famous? Lord of the Rings. What's one of the challenges that the America's Next Top Model producers reportedly have lined up for the contestants while they're here in New Zealand? Lord of the Bling. Who would be the perfect guest judges for such a challenge? In my estimation, none other than Miranda Kerr and her Lord of the Rings starring boyfriend. Just a thought. Made a little stronger by the fact that I've just had a tip off that we can expect to see Orlando Bloom here in New Zealand in the next few days. Ponder that.

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#973 David Jones is why Miranda Kerr is in New Zealand

Image /TFS

A couple of Australian newspapers answered my Miranda Kerr question from the other day - she's here in New Zealand to shoot the latest David Jones campaign. I haven't actually sighted the newspapers myself, nor could I find the articles online, but a good friend in Australia called me up a moment ago with the news. Where they're shooting is anyone's guess, I'd assume somewhere picturesque and New Zealand-centric like those snow capped Lord of the Ring mountains. No word yet on whether Legolas will be joining her or not, but I'm at the airport just about my whole life these days, so if he arrives rest assured I'll start snapping.

#972 Shot of the day - the perfect roll

Image /The Sartorialist

I'm obsessed with rolled up jeans. Obsessed. And nobody does it as well as the Americans. I just found the shot above, named An American in London, on The Sartorialist. That's about as good a rolled up pair of jeans as you can get, I reckon. More Top Model stalking tomorrow. Until then...

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#971 Auf Wiedersehen Corinna

Image /James Lowe

Corinna left on Friday night. It was pretty much the saddest thing that's happened to me since I can't even remember when. She was the best house guest, best friend and best German of all time. Every morning we'd wake up and drink peppermint tea and eat yoghurt with pineapple and banana. We baked Christmas cookies and lit candles on Sundays as part of the German advent tradition. She stole my heart and my original pair of beige pants (they were my parting gift). Now she's in Hong Kong, alone and lonely, and I'm in Auckland, alone and lonely. Lass mich nicht allein.

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#970 Tyra-mania on Close Up

So for the past two days camera's from TVNZ's Close Up have been following me, Norrie and the rest of the media around in our (so far unsuccessful) chase for the elusive Tyra Banks. It all came to a head yesterday morning when we had a whole series of stars walk through the arrivals gate - Jay Manuel, Miranda Kerr and the final four or so America's Next Top Model contestants. Here's the link to watch the clip, it's about four and a half minutes long and it's worth a watch if you're a celebrity/hype/Top Model fan. Special thanks to Robyn, Roger and Close Up for including me in the story.

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#969 Nigel Barker arrives, still no Tyra

Katherine and I camped out at the airport from five this morning to catch a glimpse of Tyra Banks as she came through the gate. Because she was definitely going to come through the gate. Or so we thought. I received a tip-off last night that was so certain, I was convinced she'd be on the first flight in. No such luck. Maybe somebody just thought it'd be funny to get me out of bed at 4:15am. You know who you are. There will be repercussions. But we didn't go home entirely empty handed, America's Next Top Model judge/photographer Nigel Barker was first out of the gate from the LA flight. And yes, he's just as tall and good looking in real life as he is on the show. According to a source he'll be shooting the remaining ANTM contestants tomorrow somewhere in the Auckland region.

But more importantly, where you at Tyra Banks??

More shots below.





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#968 Shot of the day - shout out from Mr Jay

Image /MrJayManuel Twitter

I've done my dash of America's Next Top Model paparazzi chasing for the day. 7am airport. 12 noon Mt Eden summit - on foot. 2pm Standing in the rain outside Cybele to almost catch a glimpse of two contestants (those producers are getting very good with their umbrellas - see below). Apparently after that they headed to Kate Sylvester, then possibly Zambesi. All I wanted was Tyra Banks, but there's still no sign of her. I've heard two things - she's checked into her hotel already, and she's not in the country yet. No idea which is correct. But the highlight of my day was definitely receiving a Twitter shout out from Jay Manuel (above). Holla! If you're not too busy tonight, check out Close Up at 7pm. They did a little interview with me about my Tyra-mania.

One more shot below.



One of the (heavily guarded) ANTM contestants coming out of Cybele on K Road this afternoon.

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#967 First look at the ANTM contestants

Here's how it went down. Three America's Next Top Model production staff waited up the front with two umbrellas in hand. The first girl came out with a headscarf wrapped around her face and huge dark glasses. She happened to be African American. The production staff rushed forward, attempting to cover her from view. The media also rushed forward, knocking the production staff aside... "TYRA! TYRA! How long are you here in New Zealand for? Happy Birthday Tyra! Tyra! Tyra! What can you tell us about the show? Why did you choose New Zealand? Tyra!!!!" I stood watching to one side, shouting at everyone. "That's not Tyra! That's a contestant!" Nobody listened to me. They all followed her outside, forming a giant cameraman scrum. The other contestants followed, virtually ignored by the media. There were either four or five girls, it was hard to say - they were moving so quickly. Three in particular were very strongly guarded, one (as you can see above) was allowed to be photographed. All I can gather from that is that there are three girls left in the competition but a few other decoy girls have been brought over here to confuse everybody.

More shots below.

#966 Then there was this America's Next Top Model guy

This American man in his forties was one of the people to come through the gate prompting the ANTM producers to jump forward with umbrellas, but I can't for the life of me think of who he is. Despite asking both him and one of the producers his name, all I received was a blank stare or a "that's not important, sir". At least they were polite. I can only assume that he's a guest judge on the show. Can anybody help me id him?

One more below.

#965 Why is Miranda Kerr in NZ?

Big surprise of this morning at the airport was seeing Australian supermodel, Victoria's Secret Angel and girlfriend of Orlando Bloom, Miranda Kerr arriving in Auckland. Exactly why she is here is hard to say. I initially thought she must be coming in as a guest judge for America's Next Top Model, but seeing as she walked straight past the US production staff without so much as a sideways glance (as opposed to their jumping forward with umbrellas like they did for anybody else involved with the show), that looks semi unlikely. Despite being the only supermodel-looking arrival of the day, and the only one in the whole airport wearing black Wayfarers inside, besides me and Norrie none of the other media seemed to pay her any attention at all. All I can say for sure is that she is a mega babe.

More shots below.

#964 Jay Manuel is here!

A bunch of media camped out at Auckland Airport this morning to catch a glimpse of the America's Next Top Model talent coming in. First up, judge Jay Manuel. Production staff stood waiting with umbrellas to shield the stars, but they did little more than confuse the proceedings - and the people they were attempting to cover. Jay Manuel was much taller in life than you'd expect, and very cool under the pressure of five or so video cameras sprung straight in his face. At one point the crowding did get a little too close for comfort, and a few of his suitcases were knocked off the trundler. He was a good sport about it all though, and didn't seem to mind picking up his own luggage - with a little help from me. When asked what he was doing in New Zealand, he answered, "Finding a Top Model, of course!"

More shots below.

#963 Christopher Kane on bloggers

"It’s a bit mad, isn’t it? It feels like it’s happened all of a sudden and at some shows this season the front row was just all bloggers. I think it will die down though, and people know what they are doing. No one who wants to read a serious review of a show is going to look at what a 14-year-old thinks. But it has become more critical; people can say what they want about anyone on a blog without consequences and that’s quite scary. There are real repercussions for a designer if a photo of something is leaked by a blog; it can be copied in a fortnight and that can really harm a business. You have to be much more careful now."

[Vogue UK]

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#962 Miss Jay has landed in Auckland

Image /The A List

Miss Jay is in New Zealand! The fabulous (and towering - he's like six foot four) America's Next Top Model judge arrived in Auckland just moments ago, and was snapped coming out of the gates by photographer Norrie Montgomery. Norrie welcomed him to New Zealand and Miss Jay was heard commenting to the American PR rep that "photographers are very polite over here". Good to hear, good to hear. No sign of Tyra Banks as of yet, but rumour has it at the airport that another ANTM group is going to walk through customs momentarily.

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#961 Lord of the Bling challenge lined up for ANTM

Image /WORLD

It's getting pretty hard to keep up with all the wild rumours flying around about America's Next Top Model. Is Tyra Banks here already? Does she arrive tomorrow? Tuesday? Nobody seems to know for sure. I got an 80% confirmation today from a good source that Andre Leon Talley will be here as a guest judge, but that's still only 80%. But here's one I've just heard from a reliable source that (if it does go ahead) is absolutely hilarious. A challenge named Lord of the Bling. As in, an iced-out play on the only thing New Zealand has ever done that anybody's ever heard of - Lord of the Rings. If it does go ahead, no doubt they'll be calling WORLD to use their Swarovski crystal covered Winter 2009 collection (pictured above). You don't get much more bling than that. I gave Francis Hooper from WORLD a call to see what he could tell me but he declined to comment, stating that he'd signed the confidentiality contract. The USD$5,000,000 confidentiality contract. That's a whole lotta bling.

More as I find out.

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#960 Natalie Portman blazing Karen Walker

My favourite actress/girlfriend of all time, Natalie Portman, has just been snapped wearing a Karen Walker blazer to an interview on NBC's Today Show in New York. She's on the publicity trail right now promoting her new film Brothers which also stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Tobey Maguire as, you guessed it, brothers. I'll be watching that one the first night it comes out.

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#959 Shot of the day - JFK sailing away

Image /PutThisOn

That's about as perfect a summer outfit as I can possibly imagine, and on a President no less. Imagine if all our political leaders dressed so well. I'm looking at you, John. I'm going to be a bit slow on the blog today (and possibly tomorrow) due to chasing everything ANTM. I'll update when I have anything solid. To keep you entertained, check this out. It's Kelly Cutrone dropping the F bomb on American national TV. Hilarious.

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#958 Thank you Sunday

Image /Sunday Magazine

I had the great honour and privilege of being chosen as one of Sunday's best dressed of 2009. The article ran on Sunday just this past week and included a little Q&A about where to find good clothes (Crane, Working Style, Wunderkammer, Fabric), what Kiwis should wear less of (board shorts, jandals, singlets), what I can't live without (beige pants, sweaters) etc. Those questions are always so hard to answer without sounding like a dork but I did my best. Anyway, thanks to Sunday for including me on your list. I was extra chuffed.

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#957 Tyra's NZ ANTM confirmation

Image /Tyra Banks' Twitter

Tyra Banks has just confirmed on her official Twitter page that America's Next Top Model is coming to New Zealand to film some episodes for the show's 14th cycle. Here's what she said: "Rumors are true & U R 1st to know. Top Model is goin to NEW ZEALAND for cycle 14! Can't wait to get there. Are y'all excited for next cycle?" While I'm happy that she has confirmed it, I must take some exception to her telling her followers that they are the first to know - after all, Katherine is Awesome the NZ Herald and I have been writing about this for a couple of weeks now. She then went on to say "To be clear - we're going to New Zealand for AMERICA'S Next Top Model, Cycle 14. Every cycle we go to another country for a few challenges."

More below.