all i want for christmas is my two front teeth

I've never done a 'gift guide' before. And this is hardly a very helpful one, but I was inspired by this I'm Revolting guest post on Etsy, particularly this line This is for the one whose absence is keenly felt in those moments when the only sound is the city traffic beyond your window and you need to talk to someone and be understood. Because it made me think of you han, and made me want to get you the rug. And so here:

 

For the one that I admire from afar, compose text messages and emails to in my head when I'm walking, chat to all day, every day, about nothing. The one who loves all the best and some of the worst food, who can pull off every style, trend and item I never could, who calls me when she's drunk, high, and screams down the phone, who calls me sober, from work, to play me the carols being sung in her office (it'll be a tradition). The one who once called me her heart,  the one who I get to see in 14 days and counting. If I could I would buy her a pair of Opening Ceremony shoes, some Arnsdorf Jeans or this Navajo bag from Need Supply but I'm far more likely to give her a Trotski and Ash calendar, a candle from Lover, or, realistically, a bucket of gin and tonic and my bed.

Christmas is not for spending on onesself. If someone else wished to spend on me though they could get me some pretty jewelry like the smokey quartz on silk cord from Vamoose or the beautiful Morse Code necklace by Coatt (it spells 'love me do' in morse code!), or if they were feeling very generous I would accept the gold, diamond and turquoise ring by Mociun, from Magpie and Rye (I would accept anything from M&R, or Mociun for that matter, thanks). Even though it's kind of similar to one I got from Ruby in October, I would still love the Viva Vena Mustard Seed t shirt, because I have already worn the Madame Hawke one to death, and the back is special! It's sold out (probably thanks to I'm Revolting) but I would have love love loved the Moon print and lastly, I am actually considering buying the smokey quartz in geode for myself, because who doesn't love a chunk of rock?

its predictable, I know

Met ball photos are everywhere! Usually I wouldn't bother putting any up, because, well, they're everywhere. But this is great. Especially with the be-gowned lady behind her, looking like such a normal.

hey big spender

You may have figured out by now, (or not) that my mum is the most talented op-shopper in the world. She manages to find treasures in the most unexpected places, and more often than not, passes them on to me. Most of the time, they cost less $15 and were from the Otara Market or the infamous "op shop up the road".

By contrast, my flatmate and I went into a boutique on Ponsonby Road yesterday. I saw a cardigan I liked, which cost over $1000 - it was really nice, of course, but really? $1000 for a cardigan? There was a coat in another boutique which I loved; it was beautifully made and had fabulous golden buttons. But it was $750. I almost put it on layby, too. A good quality coat is easy justify spending lots of money on. But, ultimately, I couldn't go through with it.

My point is, I like clothes, and I like shopping. But I have come to realise that I absolutely balk at spending all my money on clothes. I can't justify it. I understand spending money on quality items, and obviously, I'm totally into laybying the odd thing here and there. But I cannot stomach a thousand dollar cardigan. I worked for a "designer" label while studying - I know what the mark ups are.

So I'm trying not to get hung up on wanting things. I'm only buying vintage or New Zealand made. I want to think about purchases for a long time before I buy them. I'm avoiding pining over glorious Lover look books, or at magazines which make me feel like all my clothes are ugly and passe. Instead, I'm enjoying spending money on brunches and whisky sours, going on adventures and seeing amazing things; reminding myself that $700 is half a plane ticket to almost anywhere I dream of going. Of course, Mum still thinks I'm totally frivolous.

out of a suitcase

For the past couple of weeks my boss and I have been having guided tours of fancy hotels in Auckland. All I can say is: I want to live in a hotel. A fancy one. In a penthouse. With a swimming pool and a bar and a maid. Or, alternatively, in a pacific island (Tahiti? New Caledonia?) right by the sea with a floating bar. Or, alternatively, in a parisian hotel decorated by Christian Lacroix. Otherwise in a luxury spa boat in Norway. I want to live a glamorous life - just call me Eloise!

she's a druzy

I am quite enamoured with the jewelry of Kathryn Bently, particularly the snake rings and rough set stones.

P.S. I found her through The Moldy Doily

electric flesh-arrows...traversing the body. a rainbow of colours strikes the eyelids*

With Summer JUST AROUND THE CORNER I am considering ditching my usually all black attire for a more summery, vibrant, patterned and outrageous look. At least for a couple months. I am in love with Marc Jacobs' crazy patterns (top) and Luella's splashes of coral and lemon (above), but on my dentally depleted budget I think I'll keep an eye out in Melbourne for Karen Walker, Lonely Hearts' new collection** (it's still mosly black but with some nice yellow surprises) and try to figure out a way to get Miss Crabb over here.

Karen WalkerLonely Hearts

Miss Crabb

For something a little closer to home, I will be avoiding the massive Claude Maus sale*** this weekend and try working Gorman, PAM or some of Alpha 60's new lavender and champaigney hues into the wardrobe (I'm terrible at finding pictures of PAM stuff online and seem to be having as much trouble with Alpha 60 now, so you'll just have to trust me. Both Gorman below).

*The title comes from a raunchy quote from Anais Nin that I love; "Electric flesh-arrows...traversing the body. A rainbow of colours strikes the eyelids. A foam of music falls over the ears."

**You can find Lonely Hearts at SomeBuddy Loves you on Smith Street and Milk Shoppe Gang on Johnston Street, both in Fitzroy. They're also stocked elsewhere but nowhere I can remember the name of right this second... Feel free to help out here.

***80% off for those who are still feeling monochromatic, it's on Fri/Sat/Sun at the Carlton Hotel and Studios on Bourke - and that was actually a lie, I won't be avoiding it.

UPDATE: I just re-read this and realised I make it sound as though KW, Lonely Hearts and Miss Crabb are cheap, they're not, sorry. But still more affordable than Marc and Luella I think......

imploding capsules

The problem is that at the moment I'm not feeling particularly fond of anything really.

Its been an average couple of weeks, the kind of shitter where the lame stuff that has happened to you pales in comparison the stuff happenning around you. Where you feel guilty about feeling a bit bummed out, and are totally aware that the little things that are happening to you aren't really going to matter in the long run.

Anyway. So the capsules aren't really bursting for me of late.

To conquer this I've decided to make my bedroom really pretty. It already was rather nice but I've gone for a full throttle assault on my malaise, which means:

There are pretty antique lace camisoles dangling off ancient coathangers on the walls. I've had them for a while (passed down from my mum) and they are off-white, button up, cropped and a bit ghostly. In summer I plan on wearing them a lot, hopefully with my silken Stella underwear and a tan. I have a feeling that wearing the two together will make me feel like a Sarah Moon Pirelli girl and I can't wait. Might actually do that tonight. But removing them from the room might ruin the ambience? Decisions are hard.




There is now a nice smelling candle in my room. The combination of pretty lacey camisoles with the wafty "meditative" scent of the candle is, obivously, pretty good for my bedroom's ambience.

I'm about to pick up a giant album full of old polaroids from my uni days. Some of these may wind up on the internet but most of them will wind up on my wall. Hopefully they'll fade a little. They'll make me think of summer road trips and camping by the beach and that will make me feel nostalgic and happy. Ambience.

Adding to the ambience is the near constant re-playing of "Elvis Presley Blues" by Gillian Welch. I need to stop listening to this song because it's maudlin and makes me mope. But honestly, nothing else is hitting me in the gut as much as it is right now.



Photos from www.retrofilia.pl/kalendarz-pirelli-z-1972-roku

UPDATE: I went shopping on my lunchbreak and bought this:

Only mine is longer so I wouldn't have to wear pants with or could wear with teensy shorts and feel edgy. Its Lonely Hearts and is on sale and was really rather cheap but also is probably going to be weather-inappropriate in about two weeks.
x

smelly

I know a very sweet boy who generally always smells great. He asked me a while ago to help choose a new fragrance so I went to Myer and sniffed a bunch but the only conclusion I came to was that choosing a smell for someone else is really hard! It's funny how much scents mean to people. I think of a friend of my mother who I knew growing up whenever I smell Gaultier Summer Fragrance. I think of Han when I smell Cinema, Demeter's Gin & Tonic and Chanel Mademoiselle (none of which I think she even wears). I think of my mum when I smell Happy or Les Belles de Ricci. CK One and Be remind me of boys in highschool. Anna Sui Dreams of myself, aged16.

There are others which I smell so often it's hard to pick who they belong to. Flowerbomb, an old friend, a girl in the Karen Walker store in Wellington; L'eau d'Issey could be Kali, a boy I liked, or my boss in the first bar I ever worked in; Daisy is Sam, my old flatmate's girlfriend, and someone I just walked past on the street.

I've worn Marc Jacobs for a number of years, it's simple, fresh, a bit pretty and I love it.

I bought Chloé when I moved to Melbourne with the justification that I needed a second fragrance for 'evenings' or special occasions. Something sophisticated and grown up... Now when I wear it it reminds me of the house I stayed at when I arrived, a trip to Vanuatu, and a beautiful friend Natalie who was wearing it the last time I hugged her.

I bought jonquils over the weekend and as I carried them home a woman remarked that she had always thought they smelled bad. When she was young she'd called them 'the wee flowers'. Despite this I am very much adoring falling asleep with their smell.

What perfume do you wear, if any? Can anyone recommend a men's fragrance? What memories do scents hold for you?

frilly things

Lingerie. I adore it. I haven't bought any in a long time and am starting to feel like a splurge is necessary. Well, justifiable. Almost.

I just came across the new Lonely Hearts Club knickers on So Much To Tell You and am weak at the knees. I've been holding off on any LHC purchases due to the impending NZ trip but now have more to add to the 'when I finally get to go to Myhart' list. Sigh.

The Auckland shopping list is ever growing, and while it may mostly be window shopping, I am saving almost exclusively for Myhart and Miss Crabb, as well as eating, lots of eating and drinking...

But I was talking about lacy things, Journelle has always made my heart flutter, though I don't know if I could bring myself to purchase intimates online, without trying them on and generally just touching them first...

My last underwear purchase worth mentioning was a girly white silk set printed with tiny stars from Stella McCartney. The rest of her range is amazing and very sexy, with gorgeous names like 'eve giggling' 'coco bluching' etc.