#1609 What's in store at Z Zegna

Photos: Katherine Lowe

Ermenegildo Zegna's youth-focussed Z Zegna has been topping my list of favourite international labels for quite some time. There's something about the mix of suiting and tailored garments made up in informal cloths that appeals in a big way. Last season in Milan they showed a whole bunch of laundered, wrinkly, cotton double-breasted blazers that were quite possibly the coolest summer jacket option I've ever seen. Plus it's all really slim off the rack which means no need for alterations. But the best thing about Z Zegna is that it's one of the minutely few European luxury labels that is available here in New Zealand. And not just the accessories, the shoes or the ties – we have access to the entire clothing collection. Despite having one of the best menswear offerings available in the country, we very rarely see their clothes in editorials or magazines. I thought it was about time somebody got the word out. Zegna were kind enough to allow me to shoot inside their store and take a whole bunch of clothes home to shoot at the studio. Check it out below.

#1608 And here is the Cornetto TV Commercial I shot in Sydney

After weeks of wondering what I was going to look like dancing on Maroubra Beach, here is the Cornetto TV Commercial I shot in Sydney a couple of months back. I'm the guy jumping up and down in the multi-coloured tee shirt, you can't miss me. Check it out, let me know what you think. And there's a two minute extended version below.

#1607 Stolen Girlfriends Club and Karl Maughan are getting their fashion floral collaboration on

Stolen Girlfriends Club and artist Karl Maughan are collaborating on a capsule fashion collection, to be released late February. Announced on Friday via Marc Moore's Twitter account, the collaboration will include eight outfits made up in digitally printed cloths bearing Karl Maughan's popular floral paintings. According to Moore, different panels on each garment will feature different paintings, resulting in a kind of floral patchwork kaleidoscope.

#1606 Keep your iPad in raw denim

Photos: MS&Co.

For the record, I do not own an iPad, but I'd rather like one. It's fast becoming a small obsession of mine to research appropriate (and good looking) iPad sleeves in the event that I do actually, at some point, acquire one.

#1605 The great Zambesi and Huffer warehouse sales – where everyone gets a bargain (but not necessarily a money-back guarantee)

Running low on funds but still can't kick that shopping addiction? Never fear: Huffer and Zambesi are both holding their infamous workroom sales this weekend. When I was at University, I used to hit the Huffer sale once a year and stock up on all my summer denim and tee shirt needs. This year, everything is under $100. Holla! Prices range from $15 for accessories to $80 for coats, plus tees and singlets are $30, cardigans and sweaters are $60, and dresses and pants are $50. Boom. Over at Zambesi, things are ranging in price from $5 for fabrics to $500 for higher ticket items like boots, suits and deer leather coats. I went in today and saw some amazing winter 2010 sweaters for $150 (normally over $300) and chunky scarves for $60. Plus they've got all sorts of crazy things you won't have seen for yonks like lime green Margiela hair boas. It opens at 10:00am and runs till 4:00pm, and again on Sunday from 11:00am till 3:00pm. I'd suggest to get in there early on Saturday. Huffer kicks off at 9:00am and is one day only. Get in there early for free coffee and bargains.

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#1604 Reuse, reduce, recycle with Black Box

No matter how good it might look, paper packaging isn't doing any favours for the environment. Don't get me wrong, I'm a sucker for a perfectly-wrapped purchase folded up in tissue paper and delivered in a well-designed parcel, but how about a bag that you can use time and time again – it's the gift that keeps giving! Someone was telling me recently about Japanese denim label 45RPM; when you buy from their flagships they wrap your goods up in a giant unbranded square of organic, unbleached cotton and fashion a sling out of it to be worn over your shoulder. I love that. Auckland's Black Box is getting in on the reusable packaging game with their new cotton canvas shopping bags. According to store manager Jae Mills (pictured with the bag above), Black Box will be encouraging customers to use the bags in every situation – from clothes shopping to groceries. I reckon they'll make good beach bags too – they're big enough for a couple of towels... just don't forget your 15+. Get in there quick, no doubt they'll be flying out the door (the bags come free with purchase).

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#1603 Getting shorty with Anouk Rondel

Like I said the other day, Summer is hands down the hardest season to dress for if you're a man. With that in mind – and seeing as I'm a sucker for girls in boys' clothing – I thought I'd let Anouk Rondel show off a couple of pieces I'm going to be wearing as the weather gets a bit warmer. First up: an American Apparel navy and white baseball tee shirt paired with some Crane Brothers tan shorts. I love a good white and tan combo. It's so American and so simple.

#1602 Beyonce is most definitely in the building!

Photo: Samantha Bellingham

Boo the naysayers! Sometimes you've just gotta believe. At about 8:10 this morning, Beyonce Knowles arrived in New Zealand. It was a fairly quiet affair at the airport – the welcoming committee included David Farrier from TV3, an NZ Herald photographer and Nicolas from Gaga Now (a New Zealand based Lady Gaga fansite). Add me and Katherine plus a couple of fans in the mix and there were literally 10 people tops out there waiting. NZ1, the Air New Zealand flight she was coming in on landed at 8:05am and our excitement grew. Just as we were gearing up to rush the arrivals gate, we heard a whoop of excitement from over by McDonalds. A lone fan named Samantha Bellingham ran over to us brandishing her camera. "You're all going to hate me, but Beyonce's been and gone," she said. Sure enough, Bellingham had the photo to prove it – the singer had pulled a sneaky exit through a side door. Darkness brothers! Short of stalking the hotels (I hear Mollies is quite possibly where she's staying), our only hope of seeing Beyonce might be at the concerts – she's been known to get up and perform Forever Young with Jay Z, maybe tonight will be our night. HOLLA AT BEYONCE!

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#1601 It would seem Beyonce is not in the building... yet

Photo: The Cut

Remember how exciting things were at the beginning of this week when Beyonce was coming to town with her main squeeze Jay Z? Some of that excitement was killed last night (NZ time), when Beyonce was photographed at the launch of her new concert DVD I Am... World Tour in New York. However, sources tell me that the R'n'B singer's touring company has exchanged several emails with certain people in New Zealand about things she needs when she arrives. Don't give up hope just yet folks, there's still a whole day to go before the Jay Z/U2 concerts begin – plenty of time to fly in from the States. Especially if you're travelling by G6.

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#1600 Miss Crabb gives Ingrid Starnes her first taste of the retail pie

Image: Ingrid Starnes

It must be the ultimate dream of every designer to have their own store – to be able to offer their customers a complete brand experience and to control each aspect of that experience. But before they take the plunge, pop-ups are a great way to dip a toe in the water without worrisome details like 24 month leases and staff salaries. So what better way to try things out than with a store within a store? The young designer is guaranteed foot traffic and a pre-existing customer base, and the retailer benefits from a blast of youth and vitality. Everybody wins! Ponsonby Road designer/retailer Miss Crabb is doing just that for her friend, new girl on the block Ingrid Starnes. From 1 December until the end of February, Ingrid Starnes will have a store within Miss Crabb, where, for the first time, her complete Spring/Summer 2011 collection will be on offer, plus a brand new lingerie line will be debuted. According to Kristine Crabb, "I’m looking forward to adding a new dimension to the shop and most of all sharing ideas and swapping clothes!" And according to Starnes, "It’s a great opportunity to showcase the whole range together and to be able to do special runs of dresses and new summer things that we can have available just through the store." Nothing beats friends with benefits.

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#1599 Jay Z is definitely in the building, Beyonce is probably in the building

Visual mashup: Katherine Lowe

Jay Z aka Young Hov aka Jigga aka Yaboy aka Hova is in the building. And by in the building, I mean in the city – he has arrived in Auckland. Huffer Director slash NZ face of the new Audi A1 Steve Dunstan tells me Continental Car Services have loaned Jay Z an Audi Q7 V12 (free of charge) for his personal use while he's in town. According to Dunstan, an ML Mercedes was initially provided to Jay Z, but the 6' 1½" tall rapper couldn't fit inside. (He big pimpin'.) At this stage there is no 100% conclusive evidence that Beyonce is here as well (ie. nobody has actually seen her), but according to sources she was mentioned around the Continental Car Services team, her name has been seen on the backstage list for both of the Jay Z and U2 gigs and a recipe list has been sent through to chefs for her eating pleasure. One can only hope that she samples some of the local cuisine while she's here – fish'n'chips anybody? More on this as it comes in...

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#1598 Modern-day Ivy League style is alive and well at Princeton

Photos: Gordon von Steiner for GQ

If Take Ivy, the Japanese book that captured the essence of 1960s Ivy League style – and which has recently had a massive resurgence in popularity via the blogosphere – left one lasting legacy, it is this: preppy East Coast menswear was and always will be cool. A perfect example is recently released film The Social Network. Compare the Winklevosses with Mark Zuckerberg – blue blazers, button down oxford shirts and beige slacks, versus ill-fitting jeans, dirty tee shirts and Adidas slip on flip flops. On the brains front, Zuckerberg kills hands down. But on the style side, there's no competition. GQ recently sent their Wandering Eye Gordon von Steiner to the Princeton University campus – as you'll see in the photos below, he found that Ivy League style is alive and well. It's a fail-safe recipe for any man young or old lacking a little inspiration in the menswear department: take one blue blazer; throw in some button down shirts in pale blue, white or washed-out pastel; add a rep or bow tie; a few pieces of knitwear in rich blues, greens and maroons; some corduroy pants or indigo jeans; a pair of brown brogues, et voila – you're set.

#1597 Karmaloop's outfits look better laid out flat

Photos: Karmaloop

I've often heard designers attempt to justify their use of super-skinny models by saying that if it was up to them, they'd send coat-hangers down the catwalk, because clothes look better draped straight up and down, as opposed to clinging to a shapely body. That's obviously oxymoronic, seeing as clothing is intended to be worn by a human body and not just looked at on hangers; and most people would beg to differ, seeing as clothing generally looks better on people than it does on a rack in a store; and also, if a designer prefers their clothing on a hanger than on a body, what was the purpose of designing them in the first place, and how do they expect to make any money if they never want to see their clothing on a person? What I'm trying to say is, boo to those designers who suggest such things.

#1596 Jay Z's not coming to Auckland a single man

What's better than Jay Z coming to New Zealand by himself? Jay Z and Beyonce coming to New Zealand together, that's what. According to sources at Universal Music, Jay Z won't be travelling alone for his concert with U2 this week, and Beyonce is to be his happy companion. Apparently they might already be here. Who feels like stalking Mollies/every other luxury hotel in town? It's the new Bonnie and Clyde, Hove and B, HOLLA.

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#1595 Some sweaters for your Sunday

It's getting too hot here in Auckland to be wearing sweaters but I'm still not ready to give them up. Lucky for me, Northern Hemisphere winter is fast approaching and every big brand is currently advertising a fine selection of their woollen wares. I still haven't seen anything that can compete with the Hermes pair above, but click below for a few that won't require a pre-purchase meeting with the bank manager.

#1594 Some weekenders for your weekend

Photos: Urban Outfitters

What better way to while away a few hours on a rainy Saturday afternoon than to imagine sunny weekend excursions with good friends and good luggage. The four bags above are just a small selection of what's on offer at the Urban Outfitters online store, where choosing between canvas or leather is the hardest decision you'll ever have to make. If I had to pick, I'd go for the pale blue rucksack or the navy duffel. Throw in some sunshine, and the weekend would be just about perfect. Pity my face is the size of a fricken minivan.

I LIKE YOU!

#1593 Meet the Hilfigers – your everyday, run of the mill, extended family of WASPs

Remember when Tommy Hilfiger was that preppy company shilling oversized puffer jackets to 90s rappers? Well now it's that preppy company shilling preppy clothes to preppy people. And they've got a whole new advertising campaign to prove it. Meet the Hilfigers – your everyday, run of the mill, extended family of WASPs. From the looks of it, they're a very good time.

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#1592 Summer dressing – the long and the short of it

Photos: supplied

Summer is hands down the hardest season to dress for if you're a man. Not that it can't be done – just take a look at The Sartorialist or Jak and Jil to see all manners of well-dressed gentlemen in cotton suits with perfectly rolled neckerchiefs, or pants worn sockless with little leather ankle bracelets – but if you're not a real detailsy kinda dude, you're pretty much plum outta luck. All I ever want to wear is a white tee shirt with some beige pants or blue jeans and a pair of canvas sneakers, and though I have fantasies of getting that bandana tied just right, it never seems to work out for me. It's a nightmare.

#1591 Fat-face DJing

Photos: Katherine Lowe

File this one under things NOT to do two days after you've had your wisdom teeth pulled. Last night Anouk and I (aka DJ Darkness Brothers) played Holy F*** end of exams edition. Imagine a small, hot, dark room filled with hundreds of heaving 18-21 year olds. Now double it and add a couple of older dudes (here's looking at you, Marc Moore and Steve Dunstan, holla!), throw in some banging, angry hip hop and watch the pandemonium unfold. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Sure I popped a few stitches, but what's a couple of extra days recovery time between friends? Photos below.

#1590 I went to Sydney to shoot a Cornetto TV Commercial (and it was pointy)

Photos: Nicole Warne

Remember how I was in Sydney last month shooting a campaign on the beach for a pointy product that goes hand in hand with summer? I can now reveal that the pointy product was in fact Cornetto. But here's the exciting bit: everybody in the ad was a blogger. Oh my social media! Accompanying me on set was Nicole Warne from Gary Pepper Vintage, Amanda Thomas from Here Comes The Sun, Lorraine Elliott from Not Quite Nigella, Adrian Fernand from I Do Believe I Came With a Hat, Mark Ipaviz from Matinee Idol and Melbourne band Johnny Rock and the Limits. It was a blast. The campaign launches on December the first and will include TV commercials, billboards, busbacks plus a massive social media campaign with lots of giveaways. Check out all the behind the scenes photos plus a little video sneak-peek below.

#1589 Can New Zealand sustain a Topman?

Photos: supplied

The whole country was excited the day that Topshop came to town. The night of the launch, Topshop opening in The Department Store made the 6:00pm news on both channels. Topshop's arrival appeared in the newspapers, on every online media source, was blared from the radio stations and proclaimed by anyone else with a captive audience. It was big news. Why? Good question. Was it because for the first time, we New Zealanders were able to buy fast fashion? Well, no, we sort of have our own versions (Glassons, Hallensteins, Barkers, MAX etc), plus if we were extra-eager we could always buy online. Was it because Topshop comes from London and has that exotic appeal? Perhaps. Was it because Topshop is widely regarded as one of the world's best one stop shops for fast fashion? Certainly. But was it really that newsworthy? Another good question. One thing was certain: an enormous PR coup was pulled off that day.

#1588 The facts of life

Photo: Tattoome

1. This 13 year old kid from Russia has been tattooed all over by his father, who, unsurprisingly, is a tattoo artist – a crazy, irresponsible tattoo artist. Does he look cool? Sure. Is it morally acceptable? Absolutely not. Could this kid be the world's next Ash Stymest? Quite possibly.

#1587 Getting up close and personal with Lanvin X H&M

Photos: Fashion Bits and Bobs

While the whole world was going gaga over the Lanvin X H&M collaboration – analysing the promo videos, fainting at the mere sight of a lookbook and hanging off every single word that came from Alber Elbaz's mouth, it seemed to me like one thing was missing – some good old-fashioned flat shots of the clothes themselves. Don't get me wrong, I was one of the aforementioned going gaga. But I swear the thing that's gotten me most excited by the collab was seeing the clothes in their natural state hanging on a rack at the H&M showroom in Switzerland. Not that I saw it there with my own eyes, but thanks to Pascal Grob of Fashion Bits and Bobs, it almost felt like I did. Photos below.

#1586 Jessica Clarke just shot the D&G campaign with Mario Testino

Photo: The Cut

Jessica Clarke's star is on the rise. After a seriously impressive sophomore season where she walked for everyone from Calvin Klein (exclusively) to Paul Smith, D&G and Dolce and Gabbana to Lanvin, the 17 year old Palmerston North native's upward trajectory is continuing – she officially has a campaign under her belt. Most Kiwi models would be lucky to bag a Zambesi, Kate Sylvester or a Stolen Girlfriends Club campaign straight off the bat, but Clarke went a little further afield. Her first campaign? D&G Spring 2011, shot by Mario Testino (verified by her agency, Clyne Management). GO THE KIWIS!

Clarke was interviewed by James Lim on The Cut last week. Quotes below.

#1585 Area 51 is now stocking my SHAWTY WANNA THUG? sweaters

That's right friends, as of today, Area 51 is now stocking the Isaac Likes SHAWTY WANNA THUG? sweaters at their High Street, Newmarket and Wellington stores. Holla. They're still grey marle, still $75, still unisex, but now with a fancy new circular I LIKE YOU! print on the back neck designed by Katherine Lowe. Go check them out!

SHAWTY WANNA THUG?

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#1584 Casting call

Nicole Clulee and Chris Landon. Photos: Katherine Lowe

Besides blogging, I have done about a billion jobs in the fashion industry over the years, from working in retail to dressing at fashion shows, assisting PR agents to selling fabric to designers, booking models to styling menswear shoots. But there's one job I've coveted above all others – casting. So when film director Tim Van Dammen contacted me last week to say he had an exciting new project on the go that he wanted models for and needed some help choosing them, I jumped at the opportunity. We held the first casting yesterday, and took pictures of everybody who showed up. More on this as it develops.

#1583 Lauren Nuttall designed my favourite look at AUT's Rookie Show

Photo: Katherine Lowe

Kudos to AUT for putting on such a great show last night. The standard of design and make was extremely high for a student offering, and exaggerations aside, it was easily the best graduate performance I've ever seen. Best in show goes to Lauren Nuttall, who graces magazine covers in her spare time, and whose final look (pictured above) would have been one of the most sophisticated on offer even at New Zealand Fashion Week back in September. That girl is one to watch. Particularly impressive was her sleeveless woolen blazer with mini rolled lapels, and the cuffed black pants beneath a dramatic sheer cotton organdie. Kids these days! Nuttall's boyfriend told me that she has recently taken a job at Zambesi – sounds like a perfect fit.

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#1582 AUT's Rookie Show is on tonight, and Sam Hickey is the one to watch

Photos: Rebekkah Farrell

Every year a new crop of fashion students graduates and leaves the safety of their respective colleges to embark on careers within the industry. Some, like Yves Saint Laurent, will be snapped up young and transported straight onto the world stage. Others won't be so fortunate (but hey, they can always start a blog). The annual graduate show is a rite of passage and offers an opportunity to designers and editors to view emerging talent. It also gives the graduates a pretty amazing opportunity to show off their work to the people who matter. The Auckland University of Technology (AUT) Rookie Show is on tonight. Appearing in the lineup is third year menswear student Samuel Joseph. I've seen a few photos of his collection and he is definitely one to watch. He combines tailored menswear with poppy elements that look like they'd be a hit among the ever-growing, fast-fashion-loving-masses. Watch this space. And see you at the show!

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#1581 Get F*** Yeah Menswear on your blogroll, stat

Photo: FYM

Now that it's official that every man and his dog has a menswear style blog, it was only time before somebody came along and decided to poke a little fun at the flock's expense. And it is a flock – read five on any given day and you're likely to be looking at the same stories (much like gossip blogs, or the news or any other field, really). Brands favoured are typically anything Americana, heritage or elitely traditional; guru-esque advice is given free of charge; and one good photo will be posted, reposted, noted, retweeted and liked until it's come back full circle. Now don't get me wrong, I'm a massive fan of many of these menswear style blogs. I read plenty of them every day and they're a great source of inspiration, education and information. But when people feel extra-strongly about their subject – as menswear bloggers quite obviously do, parodying them becomes all the easier. And that's where F*** Yeah Menswear comes in.

#1580 Stefano Pilati is a particularly well-dressed man

Photos: Purple Diary

Yves Saint Laurent designer Stefano Pilati has been showing up an awful lot on Purple Diary of late, and the man is looking good. Favouring oversized coats with rich blazers and soft turtleneck sweaters, he has this knack for putting together looks that are luxurious – and dare I say sensual – but which still retain their masculinity. It's as if he takes the best elements from womenswear; soft, touchable cloths and unstructured coats, and incorporates them into these incredibly formal, dressed up outfits. If Yves Saint Laurent menswear looked more like what Stefano Pilati personally wears, I would be a major fan.

#1579 Grace Hollows walked over 200,000 steps for charity this New York Fashion Week

Grace Hollows took part in her first New York Fashion Week this past September, appearing – by my count – in five presentations including Band of Outsiders. But according to this video interview, she walked in 14 shows throughout the course of the week, and that's not all. Alongside her show commitments, Hollows took part in a charity mission for mass-market footwear chain Nine West. Joining top models Coco Rocha and Jessica White, 40 girls wore special Nine West boots that recorded their steps over the course of Fashion Week, with $10 being donated to Fashion Targets Breast Cancer for every mile walked. In the interview, Hollows estimates that she took over 200,000 steps – by my scientifically researched calculations, that amounts to approximately 100 miles, which totals $1000 raised for charity. GO THE KIWIS! Check the interview out above – the girl's a natural.

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#1578 Catch Me If You Can satisfies in both the sartorial and plot departments

Photos: AllMoviePhoto

Holy schnitzel. I just watched Catch Me If You Can and it was awesome. Set in the 1960s, Catch Me If You Can tells the story of real-life con artist Frank Abagnale Jnr; a precocious teen who successfully stole over two and a half million dollars before the age of 20. Among other naughty deeds, he posed as an airline pilot, paediatrician and a lawyer, and faked cheques in 26 different countries. When he was finally arrested, 12 countries sought to extradite him. That's all kinds of wanted. It's one of those films that gives you that nagging 'I wonder if I could do that?' thought in the back of your head. So good – and yes, I think maybe I could.

#1577 Your guide to the city's best pop-up stores this summer

Photos: supplied

Nothing beats good summer pop-up stores – they liven the city and keep the retail sector on its toes. Plus they're a great way for labels without their own retail presence to give customers a real-life brand experience. Online tee shirt retailers Parinto opened their first ever pop-up store last Thursday in Ponsonby. Situated next door to Agnes Curran in the little courtyard off Franklin Road, the Parinto store will stock all their usual tee shirt prints alongside limited edition pieces not available online – tea towels, cushions, framed posters and baby tees. The Parinto pop-up will be open until December 24th (and possibly longer).

#1576 SeaVees Chukkas – when the boot doesn't fit

Photo: Fabric

They say you can tell a lot about a man by the shoes he wears. I rotate exclusively between Chucks and Authentics. Analyse that. Probably the most prominent reason for my choice of footwear (besides my affection for the aforementioned) is that I never find anything I like better. It's a rare day when a pair of shoes actually appeals. So I was particularly excited when I saw the honey brown SeaVees Chukka Boots (pictured above) at Fabric in the weekend. So excited, in fact, that I immediately requested to try them on. I have small feet, but no matter how hard I squeezed, those bad boys didn't fit. Turns out they were girls' shoes. Story of my life. Back to the drawing board, and to my trusty sneakers. Somebody awesome better buy those boots.

I LIKE YOU!

#1575 Ashika Pratt – the gangsta

Photo: supplied

Meet model Ashika Pratt. The New Zealand-born 20 year old (of Indian and British parentage) has been very quietly building up an impressive body of international work over the past 24 months. So why have we never heard about her? Beats me, but it could be that her favoured territories are in the South/South East Asian regions, namely India and Thailand. Among editorials for Harper's Bazaar, Elle, Marie Claire and L'Officiel, Pratt has four Vogue India stories under her belt plus May's multi-girl cover (see below, she's sitting down second from the right) – an issue that was celebrated for promoting darker skinned models. Not bad for a model who stands at five foot eight. GO THE KIWIS! Check out a selection of her work below.

#1574 Influencers – the documentary about how trends become contagious

Influencers is a short documentary about the people who spark trends and how those trends catch on and become contagious. The full film is only about 12 minutes long and it's a very good watch. Here's what I learned: Influencers have the confidence to do their own thing, with their own way of thinking. They adopt something first and run with it regardless of the naysayers. Love it or hate it, an influencer's opinion matters. Influencers can take something that is not already in the mainstream's consciousness and bring it into the mainstream. It's an intuitive talent rather than something learned. To be an influencer, you have to be single-minded in your vision. True innovators don't stop what they're doing when nobody's watching.

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#1573 J Press for Urban Outfitters – servicing all your daily uniform needs

Photo: The Cut

A picture paints a thousand words, and the one above pretty much sums up everything I'm about to say. Uniforms = good, wearing a variety of clothes = bad. J Press for Urban Outfitters could potentially contain every single item of clothing a young guy would ever need. You've got your blue blazer, grey flannel pants, beige pants, knitwear and oxford button down shirts. Throw in a good pair of blue jeans (I'm partial to some Simon Millers) and a few white tee shirts (courtesy of AS Colour) and you're set. Want to know the best bit? Urban Outfitters ships to New Zealand. Holla. The collab goes on sale on the 19th of November. Get in there.

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#1572 Father of G-Shock Kikuo Ibe only owns two G-Shocks

Photo: supplied

G-Shock relaunched itself to the fashion market with a rather large, rather noisy and rather expensive party last month. Among the attractions were watch collaborations with local designers and stores (Misery, Qubic and Huffer), live performances by DJ Just Blaze and David Dallas, photobooths and arcade games, and free watches to lucky recipients (I got a very cool red one). Father of G-Shock Kikuo Ibe was on hand to take interviews. I managed to nab him for a moment before he left the country, and found, to my great surprise, that he only owns two G-Shocks. Check out the the little Q&A below.

#1571 Today's top stories

Photo: David Grr

I'm currently in Wellington working on a newspaper feature which leaves me with no time to blog, so in the meantime, here are the most interesting stories I've read all day:

Androgynous Aussie male model Andrej Pejic finds himself nude in the latest Vogue Italia alongside a whole slew of other androgynous (and nude) models. [Frockwriter]

The NO Magazine X Lonely Hearts Halloween party was a rousing success because everybody followed the rules and dressed up. I went as Pee Wee Herman, Katherine was Monica Seles, and Christopher Landon was a junkie. [NO Magazine]

#1570 Aiden Andrews makes it two from two for Raf Simons

Photos: The Fashionisto

Big ups to Aiden Andrews for landing himself yet another Raf Simons campaign, this time for the Belgian designer's namesake label (last season he bagged the Simons-designed Jil Sander). This latest coup elevated the Kiwi expat some serious points on the models.com top 50 ranking – he's currently tied in 11th place with my mate Mark Cox. If I'm not mistaken, that's the highest models.com ranking a New Zealander has ever achieved. GO THE KIWIS! Shot by Willy Vandeperre, the Raf Simons campaign takes the form of a short art film, depicting Andrews in a sort of personal turmoil. Cue moody lighting, cello and demonic black eyes. Check it out below.

#1569 If you're only going to buy one high/low designer collaboration this season, make it Lanvin for H&M

Photos: GQ

Lanvin has done the menswear-buying public two great favours in the designing of its capsule collection for H&M. The first, and most obvious, is accessibility in regards to pricepoint. At retail, the pieces range in price from £14.99 for a tee shirt to £149.99 for a suit. The second, is accessibility in regards to wearability. Lanvin's menswear collections are complex and detail heavy, and often constructed in fabrics typically reserved for couture. I always think the clothes are incredible and beautiful but near impossible to wear unless you're a billionaire flâneur. Luxurious coloured silk blazer and trouser sets might sound romantic, but romance swiftly dies when you're cutting down trees and engaging in other typical masculine pursuits. The Lanvin collection for H&M appears to be a pared back version of designer Lucas Ossendrijver's best work. Amazing coats, sophisticated eveningwear, quirky accessories and perfect shirting – all boxes are ticked. My favourite of the lot is the midnight blue shawl-lapel tuxedo jacket (above). It doesn't get any better than that.

See it all below.

#1568 Nick D spent most of his time spewing while shooting Making Tracks in Beirut

Nick D has spent the past 12 months shooting his ethno-music series Making Tracks in countries as far-flung as Ukraine, Japan and Ghana. The show chronicles his adventures as he travels the globe on a mission to get international artists to record covers of Kiwi songs. Tonight's episode takes place in Lebanon's capital Beirut and features a Lebanese singer covering Smashproof's single Brother. But according to Nick D, things took a messy turn when he arrived in the Middle East.

#1567 Rucksacks – not just convenient but good looking too

Photo: Inventory Magazine

I have a love/hate relationship with bags. The two that I use most regularly are the Little Brother Correspondent leather satchel and the Karen Walker for Swanndri 48 hour holdall. Both have their pros and cons. I've gone the distance with the satchel (about seven years) so it's got a great lived-in patina – I conditioned the leather yesterday for the first time in five years and it came out looking fresh to def. But my beef with it is that the strap doesn't work too well when you're wearing a blazer with shoulder pads. It bunches everything up and just looks all dowdy-like.

#1566 Zippora Seven reaches new heights, bags DKNY campaign

Photo: supplied

Forget the little engine, Zippora Seven is the little model who could. Standing at five foot seven and a half (which is short by modelling standards), Seven's career has been impressive for a model of any height. Since starting out in New Zealand and blitzing the local market with campaigns for Kate Sylvester, Ruby, Zambesi and Glassons, she's gone on to gain a cult-like following on the blogosphere and is a regular editorial go-to-girl, particularly in the Australasian magazines. There's just something about Zippora. Seven's latest coup is the DKNY Resort 2010 campaign, which she stars in alongside Keke Lindgard, Amanda Norgaard, Hyoni Kang, and Lyndsey Scott. And according to Seven's mother, there may be more where that came from. We'll be waiting. Congratulations to Zippora Seven, our tallest short poppy. GO THE KIWIS!

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#1565 Elbow patches – a good looking form following function

Photo: Howard Yount

I have this problem where all of my sweaters keep getting holes in the elbows. Attribute it to sharp bones or too much table leaning or both, but it's an issue that begs attention. Last Christmas I convinced my Mum to knit me some elbow patches for my grey Comme Play sweater, and I've never looked back. (Mum, if you're reading this, kindly dust off those knitting needles cos I've got two more holes on the go.) In a happy twist of fate, now that everybody's going nuts over classic Ivy League style, elbow patches are reappearing all over the show. I want to see them on everything from cashmere sweaters to cotton crews, tweed blazers to corduroy suits. If someone can show me a classic Shetland sweater with leather arm patches I'll be sold. Until then, Howard Yount's V Neck offering above is looking pretty good, as is this A.P.C. bad boy from Qubic here in Auckland. And if all else fails, holla at your mother.

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#1564 Influencers is a documentary about how trends become contagious

Influencers is a soon-to-be-released documentary about the people who spark contagious creative movements in the fields of fashion, music and entertainment. Centred around New York, it explores those individuals with the power and vision to create a trend and take it to the masses. "There's a group of people that are really just early-adopters, that really embrace all forms of culture... Those are the people that everyone else ends up paying attention to, whether it's because they're creative and they invent things or because they can recognise what the next thing is." Real life viral is the new online viral didn't you know? Judging by the trailer, it's going to be a damn good watch.

[via aychblog]

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