#1563 Meet Danielle Hayes – New Zealand's Next Top Maori Model

Photo: TV3

Congratulations to Danielle Hayes, Cycle 2 winner of New Zealand's Next Top Model. And kudos to the judges for awarding the title to a Maori model – long may that trend continue. I must admit, I've been a Danielle naysayer since the beginning of the series. Sure she's strikingly beautiful, but the combination of her attitude to challenges, man-casual clothing and god-awful attempts at walking in high heels didn't do anything to sway my opinion. However, watching the finale show on demand yesterday, I'm convinced that she was the right choice. On paper, Michaela was the obvious winner. She aced the finale Covergirl shoot and TV commercial and walked pretty flawlessly in heels. But when push came to shove, she lacked the x factor that is so badly needed in a model – and Danielle had it in spades.

#1562 Stolen Girlfriends Club breaks out the Heavy Metal (and the jam jars) in Sydney

Dempsey Stewart as shot by Derek Henderson. Photos: Katherine Lowe

Stolen Girlfriends Club reportedly ordered 1000 jam jars for their jewellery launch in Sydney on Thursday night. That's a whole lotta glassware. It was a well-mannered but noisy affair, filled with good looking young Sydney-siders shouting out to each other across the room. A table was set up in the centre with the jewellery lying unguarded on top. "We want people to pick it up and try it on," said SGC's Luke Harwood. When asked if he was concerned about the very real possibility of theft, he joked, "We hand-selected all the people in this room. If one of them takes something home it'll probably be good product placement."

#1561 Sifting around Sydney

Photos: Katherine Lowe

I came to Sydney for two reasons: 1. to attend the Stolen Girlfriends Club jewellery launch last night; and 2. because I couldn't think of a clever 30th birthday present for Katherine (kidding about the age but a trip to Sydney for two seemed like a good get-out-of-jail-free card). It also happily coincided with one last piece of work I had to do on the summer campaign I was over here shooting earlier in the month.

Here's how my day went down.

#1560 NZNTM Cycle 2 wraps tonight – who's gonna be on top?

Photo: TV3

Today's the day folks – New Zealand's Next Top Model Cycle 2 wraps in approximately seven hours. It's been the most exciting season so far – due, of course, to all the eyebrow-raising challenges the girls have faced. It's also been the most widely publicised season. The New Zealand's Next Top Model brand name has gone all around the world – from New Zealand to New York, Hungary to Holland and just about everywhere else in between. My pick for the winner – 16 year old Christchurch schoolgirl Michaela Steenkamp. She's been my favourite from the start. And speaking of Top Model, host Sara Tetro has joined the Twitterverse – under the handle Sara_Mail no less. You can follow her here.

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#1559 This CK billboard was pulled down for being suggestive of gang rape, but every concerned newspaper still printed the image

Photo: The Cut

Billboards featuring the latest Calvin Klein Jeans ad have been taken down in Australia after The Advertising Standards Bureau received numerous complaints that the image connotes gang rape. The billboards, which feature what looks to be a pants-less Lara Stone at the mercy of a trio of scantily clad young men, were deemed demeaning to both women and men. According to the Bureau,

"The Board considered that whilst the act depicted could be consensual, the overall impact and most likely takeout is that the scene is suggestive of violence and rape. The Board considered that the image was demeaning to women by suggesting that she is a plaything of these men. It also demeans men by implying sexualised violence against women."

#1558 Anna Wintour is awesome, recommends getting fired

Anna Wintour with Grace Coddington at Chanel Couture.

Anna Wintour is a woman after my own heart. Speaking to a group of budding editors at a conference put on by Teen Vogue this weekend past, she said:

"I worked for American Harper's Bazaar... they fired me. I recommend that you all get fired, it's a great learning experience."

Speaking from experience as someone who has been fired, I can honestly say it was the best thing that ever happened to my career (though I didn't necessarily know it at the time). Like Ms Wintour says – you should all give it a go. Nothing puts a rocket under your chair like being walked to the door while carrying all your personal belongings in a cardboard box.

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#1557 Jessica Clarke met Bryan Boy backstage at Dolce and Gabbana

Photo: Bryan Boy

Let's take a moment and reflect on what a blinder of a first season fresh-faced Kiwi model Jessica Clarke's just had. To recap, she started with a Calvin Klein exclusive in New York; followed it up with five shows in London – including Paul Smith and Julien MacDonald; smoked Milan with D&G, Dolce and Gabbana, Emilio Pucci, Gianfranco Ferre and Salvatore Ferragamo; and finished strong in Paris, bagging seven shows, including Lanvin and Sonia Rykiel. Besides all those casting directors, Jessica Clarke also caught the eye of Bryan Boy backstage at Dolce and Gabbana. The famed blogger must have been impressed – he dedicated an entire post to the "rising model".

#1556 Stolen Girlfriends Club cans 'Stolen Generation' tee shirt

Jasper Seven backstage at Stolen Girlfriends Club F/W 2011. Photo: Frockwriter

Tee shirts have long been a medium exploited for their ability to shock, amuse, propagate, advertise and entertain. But when is a simple message emblazoned on a simple cotton garment no longer so simple? When the potential for widespread hurt, upset, embarrassment or offense occurs (hint: if you're a member of the Kool Kids Klub, probably not such a good idea to print up a tee using just the initials). And that's the situation Stolen Girlfriends Club recently found themselves in after showing what they thought was an innocent slogan tee at New Zealand Fashion Week. Reading: 'I BELONG TO THE STOLEN Generation', the tee shirt immediately raised the eyebrows of Australian media at the event.

#1555 Lonely Hearts and NO Magazine are throwing a big ol' party for Halloween

Dust off your creepy costumes and fill up your candy jar because Halloween's a-comin'. To celebrate, Lonely Hearts and NO Magazine are joining forces to throw a sweet costume party. In a marvellous display of creativity (and proving that paper invites are oh so noughties), a short film was emailed out to lucky recipients requesting their RSVPs. Shot by upcoming star director – and boyfriend of my second cousin Pansy – Tim Van Dammen, the clip depicts Van Dammen himself wiping ketchup all over his mouth then playing zombie. What follows may disturb some viewers – consider yourself warned. Steve Ferguson of Lonely Hearts gave me thumbs-up to blog the video, and in doing so, allowed the time, date and location of the party all to be revealed. Spoiler: it's going to be held at Victoria Park Markets on Saturday 30 October, and starts at 8:00pm. This might just be the best party of the year, so attempted sneak-ins would be advised. Just make sure you look the part – dressing-up is essential. I'm still tossing up between Jersey Shore and 1920s-era tennis player, but seeing as I don't get too many opportunities to wear my Ed Hardy pleather jacket, Jersey Shore is winning at this stage. Party-goers beware, you're in for a scare!

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#1554 Capital news – Superette's opening in Wellington

Sources were correct – Auckland streetwear store Superette will open their first Wellington location in the next fortnight. According to a company rep, the store will be housed in the old Marvel space near WORLD on Victoria Street and is set to stock Sass and Bide, Camilla and Marc, Nudie Jeans, Bassike, Friend of Mine, Lover and Stolen Girlfriends Club, among other soon-to-be-announced labels. It's been a year of aggressive expansion for Superette – last November, the store undertook a controversial advertising campaign that made worldwide headlines for its depiction of violently killed females in frocks (the slogan read: 'Be caught dead in it'). And earlier this month, Superette published their own broadsheet magazine featuring a 10 page fashion story shot by Olivia Hemus. Their brand message is clear: when in recession, charge ahead. Wellington is a tightly controlled retail market jealously guarded by a small few power-stores. How the loyal Wellingtonians will respond to a bunch of Auckland upstarts remains to be seen. We'll await developments with keen interest.

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#1553 On and On – traditional Kiwi made leather goods

Photos: supplied

Remember in the 90s when everything went so incredibly high tech (with the rise of the internet etc etc), that the advances couldn't help but be mirrored by the fashions of the time? All of a sudden we were wearing futuristic fat pants with reflective and velcro strips, while listening to machine-made music on headphones that plugged into our goretex jackets. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Now that we've got our heads around life in the digitally-fast lane, I'm pleased to say that we can mix the new with the traditional. On and On is a New Zealand based leather-goods start up, specialising in cases for the family of Apple Mac products – everything from the iPhone 4 and the MacBook Pros to the iPad. Each case is handmade in New Zealand from Italian leather, and each skin is hand selected. I'm obsessed with the heavy stitching detail. So twiney! On and On cases are available online now from Thanks (close-ups and prices below).

#1552 Susie Bubble has the same Zambesi jacket as me

Photos: Susie Bubble

Over the years there have been plenty of Zambesi pieces I've really wanted and never bought, usually because of the price being high and my income being low. The leather armed baseball jacket from Winter 2010 was probably the Zambesi thing I've wanted the most. So I got it. I've been wearing it a lot lately. Five of the last six days, to be exact, with a really old Karen Walker Menswear hoodie that my flatmate gave to me and Simon Miller Jeans that Fabric gave to me. Susie Bubble's been wearing it too (close-ups below), only she styles it a little differently. Plus, she's wearing the girl's version which has patchwork leather sleeves. Mine has reptile leather sleeves. It's the fanciest thing I've ever owned, and it's a constant source of self-validation. I get compliments whenever I leave the house in it. CPW (cost-per-wear) is an important tool for calculating a garment's worth, but CPW (compliments-per-wear) trumps it every time.

#1551 Zippora Seven to shoot with Terry Richardson?

Photo: Terry Richardson

Zippora Seven had a modest Fashion Week in New York, appearing in three or four presentations in the first few days before largely disappearing off the radar. According to sources, she then stayed back in New York, skipping the European legs of the season for an as yet unknown campaign. The lack of shows isn't hurting her career any, just open up any indie Australasian magazine and you'll no doubt see an editorial featuring Seven within, probably styled by another Kiwi rising star, Zara Mirkin. And just today, she showed up on Terry Richardson's personal Tumblr. Whether it was for a go-see or a job remains to be seen, but here's hoping for the latter.

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#1550 Huffer is gay... no, wait, they're hetero

Screengrab: Facebook

Huffer might be on the fence regarding their sexuality, but they sure do know how to run a good Facebook fan page. Check out all the LOLs here. And here's a bit of a rule of thumb for companies getting into social media: if it's shocking, hilarious, exciting, entertaining, terrifying, dark, impolite or just plain ridiculous, it'll probably work. Seeing as it's all about the conversation, you may as well do something big to get people talking. Love or hate = success, lukewarm responses = failure. If you're still not convinced, just check out Air New Zealand's Rico campaign – one week in and they're already up to 260,000 Youtube views.

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#1549 Backstage at The Department Store show

Photos: Katherine Lowe

New Zealand Fashion Week closed with a big bang at The Department Store – quite literally. The bass was cranked up so high on the speakers that it was a wonder the windows didn't explode onto the footpath beyond. Thankfully, the only damage done was to our eardrums. Featuring Karen Walker, Black Box Boutique, Nike and Top Shop, the show was a celebration of all things in season (as in, available at The Department Store right now), so if you like anything you see, head on over to the Shore and snap it up. Katherine Lowe was on hand to capture all the action backstage – check it out below.

#1548 Paulina Porizkova says America's Next Top Model doesn't actually launch Top Models

Photo: Jezebel

According to former America's Next Top Model judge Paulina Porizkova:

"The one guarantee that you will never make it as a model is to go on that show."

But hang on, hang on, while this is almost 100% true across the board (as in, not just specifically relating to America's Next Top Model but ALL the Top Model franchisees), let's not forget about fourth-place-getter of Holland's Next Top Model Patricia van der Vliet. van der Vliet has not only walked Prada, but she is also currently ranked #29 over on models.com. Sure she is the only Top Model contestant to have ever achieved either of those things, but that doesn't mean there's not hope for our New Zealand's Next Top Model girls... right?

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#1547 Are skinny boys on the out?

The old VS the new. Photo: NYTimes

There was a moment – about six years ago – when it became not just acceptable, but desirable to be a skinny boy. It was a size-mic shift, ushered in by Hedi Slimane at Dior Homme. All of a sudden (here in Auckland, at least), the boyfriends-of-choice were no longer burly bad boy gangstas in their XXL basketball jerseys and enormous jeans; rather, they had been replaced by runty little indie rockers in vintage leather jackets and pointy winkle pickers. I had long teetered on the edge of both worlds – I wore my basketball jerseys with skinny jeans and Nike Vandals. For us post-teen boys, it was quite literally an effortless ideal. There was nothing challenging about maintaining our size. We could eat what we liked, never exercise a day and still stay thin. We had a good run.

But apparently, the times they are a-changin'.

#1546 The facts of life

Alexa Chung in denim cutoffs. Photos: Google

1. Denim cutoff shorts are great because they make hot girls look hotter and all that, but it's time to move on. The fact that they're now mainstream does not detract from the fact that they're also really, really trashy... And far too exposing, extremely perve-inducing and therefore contributing to the world's ever-increasing moral laxity. Let's keep it classy this summer, ladies.

#1545 Working Style brings made-to-measure menswear to Ponsonby Road

Photos: Katherine Lowe

Attention menswear fanatics: you know when you're having brunch on Ponsonby Road and you get that sudden twinge, like, 'I really want to buy a suit right now,' but you don't want to drive all the way into the CBD; and you could go to Wunderkammer but it's a little too high end and WORLD's a little too exuberantly colourful and all those other menswear stores that sell Paul Smith diffusion et al just don't quite hit the mark? Breathe a sigh of relief, because Working Style has come to the party. Taking over the former Hepburn space opposite Karen Walker and Renkon, Working Style Ponsonby offers everything from casual suiting, shirting and footwear; ties, belts and accessories; to a full made to measure programme in the apartment above the shop. They even do a nifty little Loake leather boat shoe. Welcome to Ponsonby Road, Working Style!

See it all in the photos below.

#1544 Why is TV3 still pushing their naked New Zealand's Next Top Model agenda?

Jean Shrimpton keeping it classy. Photo: Hello Small Ideas

I have three possible explanations for last night's body-painted (read: nudie) extravaganza on New Zealand's Next Top Model. 1. TV3 loves controversy and the ratings-boost that comes with it. 2. TV3 filmed the episode so long ago – like, before the other nudie uproar – that it was too expensive/inconvenient to do a full reshoot. 3. TV3 actually believes that body-painting girls to make them look like dinosaurs is something that happens in fashion editorials. That last one is perhaps a moot point – if you slap the word promo before the word girls and throw the photos into a men's rag like FHM, then I guess they could still be counted as sitting in the realm of fashion – albeit in a low-rent town on the very outskirts of the industrial estate.

#1543 Miranda Kerr gives us even more reasons to keep our clothes on

Miranda Kerr by Steven Meisel for Vogue Italia. Photo: tfs

Attention budding models: just in case you needed any extra reasons as to why you should not be taking your clothes off on photoshoots, look no further than Miranda Kerr. Sure she might be a fully fledged supermodel now, appearing on the Victoria's Secret catwalks and the covers of numerous international magazines – and let's not forget that movie star husband of hers in Orlando Bloom – but she was young and inexperienced once too. As an 18 year old, Kerr allowed a test photographer to shoot her topless. Fast forward nine years, and here comes the nasty part: as revealed by Frockwriter this weekend past, the photographer decided to cash in on Kerr's success and sell the topless pics to the highest bidder – on the proviso that his name wasn't mentioned. Patty Huntington named and shamed him in her original post, so if you're interested, the happy-snapper was Jasper Glavanics.

It gets better.

#1542 Giapo does karaoke on a Wednesday night

Gelato superstar Giapo does karaoke at his Queen Street store on Wednesday nights! Who needs bars when you've got ice cream and Tina Turner on repeat? Check out all the action at Isaac Likes Diary... Plus a little video below of me and the lead singer of 42nd Street doing Simply the Best.

#1541 Grace Hollows – immortalised in paint

Image: Igor+André

Kiwi girl Grace Hollows (Red11) had a not-too-bad international debut, booking five presentations at New York Fashion Week, including hipster favourite Band of Outsiders. But it was at Rachel Antonoff that she made the biggest impression. Famed fashion illustrator and blogger Danny Roberts of Igor+André was inspired to paint Hollows as she worked the room. According to Roberts, "[Grace Hollows] was in two shows that I was at and she was one of my favorites. She had a great genuine smile so I thought I would paint her as my first from the shows I attended... I really like how the painting turned out." As do we, as do we. Hollows is currently working in Paris, where she has just shot the (possibly NSFW) video below. More on her as it comes in.

#1540 Preach Amy Odell, Preach

Photo: Styleite

Amy Odell hits that nail on the head, again:

"[Cathy] Horyn might not be so shocking if she critiqued something other than fashion, like food or movies. No one wants a food critic to tell them a slice of pizza was delicious when it was actually a soggy waste of calories, or a film critic to say Sex and the City 2 was phenomenal in a good way when it may have been phenomenal in different ways entirely. In fashion, readers and those being written about expect sunshine and daisies and unquestioned Botox. People love reading Cathy Horyn because she's not afraid to rain on any display of fabulous or call fake things fake when most people would ignore the fact. Besides, she has lots of nice things to say about people, too! They're just not as noteworthy because so many fashion people auto-fawn over everything, rather than auto-question it."

#1539 Kanye West is back on top of his game, and Runaway's just the beginning

Image: supplied

"A five year old kid still sees truth before the world has taught them how to think," said Kanye West at the premiere of his debut short film Runaway last night in Sydney. "You're running in the beginning until people tell you, 'You can't can't can't can't can't can't,' and by the end you slow down and have to fall in line... I just wanna be like a five year old kid." With straight-up sincere quotes like those, he led an inspiring question and answer session straight after Runaway had finished screening. Say what you like about Kanye West, but I challenge anybody to sit in a room while he speaks about his life's work and not get carried away by the man's honesty and enthusiasm.

#1538 Isaac Likes Little Brother – status update

Photos: Katherine Lowe

Well friends, my Isaac Likes Little Brother collaboration has been in store at Barkers now for a little over two weeks. And in some exciting news – according to the sales figures I've been told – I'm proud to announce that the beige pants have thus far been the biggest seller of the entire Little Brother range. Holla! (As much as I'd like to take full credit, Murray Crane at Little Brother and the good folks at Barkers also deserve a nod.) So now seems like a good time to introduce you to the little quirk that sets these two pieces apart from the rest – both have a mini Eiffel Tower embroidery hidden in the mix. The shirt's one is on the sleeve placket and the pants' one is on the inside of the pocket. Creative genius, blogger and all around cool-guy Katherine Lowe very kindly went through the store and took a bunch of photos of the product yesterday, including close-up details of the embroidery and the tags – see below. (Once again I'd like to take full credit for all of those add-ons, but she was the brain behind the lot.) The pants and the shirt are available online or in store for $149.99. Get in quick!

#1537 I overstayed in Sydney to see Kanye West

As you all must know by now, I'm utterly obsessed with Kanye West – I love his music, I love his style, I love how human he is and I love his honesty. So when I was on set at Maroubra Beach on Friday and I received an email from a good friend inviting me to a sneak preview of Kanye West's short film Runaway on Monday – presented by the man himself – I immediately called Air New Zealand and changed my flight. And then fainted with excitement.

#1536 Paul Henry had to go

Photo: stuff

He had a good run, did our Paul Henry, with seven years in the hot seat at Breakfast, one of TVNZ's best shows – and certainly the best early morning show New Zealand has to offer. I reckon it's pretty safe to say that he made Breakfast what it was. Prime Minister John Key was quoted recently (in the wake of the Sir Anand Satyanand scandal), saying, "It's not the Paul Henry show. It's the TVNZ Breakfast show, and it's important to remember that." But that's simply not true. A rolling current events show of Breakfast's type is all about the personality of its presenters, and between Paul Henry, Pippa Wetzell and Tamati Coffey, Henry's screamed the loudest.

#1535 13 year old Katie Holcroft is definitely one to watch

Photos: Aaron K for MODEL GO-SEE

With the blinder of a freshman show season Kiwi girl Jessica Clarke's just had, there's good reason to be feeling optimistic about the state of New Zealand modelling. (Because let's face it – much like our sporting prowess, NZ's modelling success has long been overshadowed by our Australian counterparts.) Enter Katie Holcroft, who popped up on local site MODEL GO-SEE just days after NZFW had wrapped, and who I think might just have a strong shot at the big leagues. Just 13 years of age and already standing at 5'10, Katie Holcroft hails from Wellington and is represented in Auckland by Monarch Model Management. Despite Holcroft's young age and little on-the-job experience, Monarch's Amanda Bransgrove tells me there has already been interest from a certain powerhouse agency in New York. Watch this space.

#1534 Shooting on the beach

Photo: Here Comes the Sun

Apologies for the lack of posting, I've been in Sydney shooting an awesome new campaign (that I'm not allowed to speak about until its launch next month). What I will say is that I've never worked so hard in all of my life, and that it involves something pointy that goes hand in hand with summer. Yesterday's shoot took place on Maroubra Beach (home of famed larrikin surfers the Bra Boys), and ran from 7am – 7pm. I had to dance, beat the beat, jump up and down and look as enthusiastic as humanly possible for 12 hours straight. See that massive metal bar behind me in the photograph above? That's a big-ass crane used for aerial shots. These guys weren't messing around. The two lovely ladies flanking me are both New Zealanders – Sally, the makeup artist given the unenviable task of making me look presentable with five hours' sleep under my belt; and Amanda Thomas from Kiwi-based blog Here Comes the Sun who will also appear in the campaign. Bring on summer!

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#1533 Sydney sojourn

I'm in Sydney till Saturday shooting an exciting new campaign. That's all I'm allowed to say right now, but more will be revealed very soon. Forgive me if I don't blog much over the next couple of days, that'll be why – my call time for this morning was 6:15am!

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#1532 Meet Jenny Albright – the model who can rap

Photos: Katherine Lowe

Jenny Albright is one of the international models still in Auckland post-Fashion Week. Hailing from Alabama (aka the dirty South), she's here till mid-November and is pretty much the most awesome girl ever. We met at the SGC after-party, and bonded over Lil Wayne, Drake and Ludacris. Besides that height and those good looks, this girl can rap. Holla! Plus she's been very kindly teaching me some of her moves (cos you know I've been working on my portfolio). Her specialties are the coy laugh and the smize – check it out below.

#1531 It's all about the duffel coat

Photos: Life of the Jetsetter

So I know we're nearing summer and all, but up in the Northern Hemisphere, fall has just arrived. That means jackets. Lots of jackets. Glorious jackets. The best of the bunch is the duffel coat. Seen on many a runway this past January, the duffel coat hails from a town named Duffle in Belgium. Back in the Middle Ages, Duffle exported a sturdy cloth to England to be made into workwear for peasants. Fast forward a few centuries, and the British Navy adopted the jacket for its durability and ease of fastening. (Knowledge gleaned from reading Mr Classic – you should too.) I'm obsessed. Now it's just a matter of finding one that looks as good as Gucci – but for a more palatable price. Off to the opshops we go. The photo above is part of an editorial from Popeye magazine. It's fly. Check the rest below.

#1530 The Superette Magazine: Retailers coming full circle – from catalogues to blogs and back again

Photos: Olivia Hemus + supplied

If there was one overwhelming lesson to be learned from the recession, it was this: the necessity for added value in today's economy. Meaning, when there are a billion different places we as consumers can potentially spend money, those outlets that offer the greatest bang for your buck will win. That, combined with the immense growth of social media and social networking, has meant that the best businesses have grown savvy. Fashion retailers are a perfect example. It's no longer acceptable for a store to offer clothing alone, there has to be an email database, a regularly updated Facebook fanpage, a blog, a Twitter account and self-styled photoshoots – not to mention fashion shows, events, giveaways and collaborations. New Zealand retailers cottoned on fast. In possibly the most dramatic effort we've seen yet, Auckland store Superette (two locations – Newmarket and Ponsonby) has gone full circle and come out with their own magazine.

#1529 It's time for Kanye West to stop beating himself up

Photo: XXL

Kanye West gets me every single time. Whenever I read anything he writes, Tweets or raps, I find it so interesting, entertaining and inspiring that I literally want to cry or stand up and start slow-clapping. West has contributed 40 pages to the October issue of hip hop magazine XXL, including a first person account of his life post-Taylor Swift-gate. He writes:

"I knew I wasn’t in a great spot publicly after the [Taylor Swift VMA] incident, but I would just block it out and work as hard as possible and let my work be my saving grace. In a way, I had thrown a Molotov cocktail at my own career, and it gave me an opportunity, for the first time, to go away and find out who I was. Because I felt very alone. The only person that came to visit me the night it happened was Mos Def. He came to my house right afterward and said, 'Move. You’re not going to be able to make it out here. You can’t make it in America right now. You have to move.'

#1528 Jessica Clarke bags Lanvin, Rykiel and more in Paris

Jessica Clarke at Lanvin. Photos: tfs

Continuing her breakout freshman season – and already the most successful New Zealand runway model, like, ever – is Jessica Clarke who's currently working Paris Fashion Week. Five days in, she has thus far walked five shows (photos below), including, and most notably, Lanvin and Sonia Rykiel. No word yet on whether more is to come this week for the Palmerston North 17 year old, but according to Clyne (Clarke's mother agency) there are some extremely exciting options in the pipeline. GO THE KIWIS!

#1527 Junya Watanabe kills it with stripes and flats

Photos: style.com

Femininity be damned – I always think girls look better when they're dressed in boyish clothes (it's one of the reasons I like Karen Walker so much). For Spring 2011, Junya Watanabe followed up on his nautical boys with a sailor-striped collection for the girls, complete with leggings under layers and white bucks on their feet (more looks below). Very few things look as good as a girl in an amazing pair of men's shoes, and these are some of the best I've seen in a long time. Down with heels – up with flats!

#1526 NZFW 2010 The Dopeness/The Wackness Part 1

Dempsey Stewart. All photos: Katherine Lowe

The dopeness: Darn good models. New Zealand Fashion Week 2010 brought with it the best models we've seen since Abbey Lee Kershaw walked its hallowed runways back in 2006. My favourite three girls of the week were Australian Dempsey Stewart, Kiwi Ella Verberne and Lithuanian import Vilma Putriute. And special mention must go to Nom*D for encouraging Dempsey Stewart and boyfriend Jasper Seven to pash it up in front of the crowds at their show – Dunedin does it better.