Editor-at-large Julie Roulston brings FashioNZ readers the very best from her fashion beat, each week…
Invitation of the week
Colin Mathura-Jeffree turned 40 a few days ago, and is throwing a Masquerade Ball at an Auckland venue – ‘total fabulosity required and mask essential.’ No photos are allowed as ever-canny Colin has sold the rights to a women’s magazine. He told me at iD Dunedin back in March, that he wanted to throw a ‘proper’ party with everything put on.
The guest list numbers 500 and there has already been lots of social media chat, with some invitees going as far as having fittings, and many musing where to get their masks.
The event is being run by Angelique Fris-Taylor in her newly reborn PR/events agency ‘Publicity PR’, which has seen her split amicably with former Fresh PR business partners.
Breakthrough TV personality of the week
Lovely Wellington eco-stylist Samantha Hannah is to make her TV debut in Starting Over, as one of a resident cast of experts.
Samantha is not the first stylist to make the small screen – Jackie O’Fee was the pioneer with “Does My Bum Look Big” on TV3 some four years ago, followed by a number who featured on “Ten Years Younger”.
TV3 is committed to making another series of New Zealand's Next Top Model, but the timing is as yet unconfirmed.
Let’s just hope that Project Runway New Zealand is next!
Extrovert of the week
Last week Auckland fashion media caught up with the irrepressible Janelle Rennie at the launch of Walker and Hall’s Vintage store on Queen Street.
Not content with setting up her own PR firm with Remix Editor Tina Moore in 2011, Janelle recently competed in her first bodybuilding competition, the NABBA (National Amateur Body Builders Association) Auckland Champs. This involved six months of training which saw her ‘eating’ seven meals a day, or every two and a half hours – if you count egg whites, chicken breast and broccoli as eating – in order to achieve the 10% or less body fat that is required in such competitions.
When we saw Janelle at the Walker and Hall Vintage event, she was in glowing good health, and enjoying a week’s sabbatical from training before she starts preparing her next competitive outing in August.
Quote of the week
Ok, I admit it – last week I lied in an article and implied I was in my early 40s, when I’m actually 44. I confessed this to online fashion publisher Megan Robinson, who bestowed me with this little jewel: “You’re early 40s until you are 65.” Word!
Label of the week
I've just purchased two Juliette Hogan dresses after an unintentional J-Ho hiatus of several seasons. They are the best thing to happen to my wardrobe in a long time. Reasons: 1) the woman is an excellent tailor. The fitted Alexa Dress is fully lined. It skims the bits of my body I'd rather it didn't embrace, and highlights the good bits. It is of sublime quality and has an exposed back zip to give the otherwise classic dress a nice little edge. 2) Back to quality – just standout. My Rosie dress is also fully lined, the upper by a built in slip with adjustable bra straps for the perfect fit.
Tip of the week
You know those little latex gloves that come with hair colour? That you don't always use? In these last weeks between natural bare legs and tights, they are PERFECT for applying M.A.C Skinsheen leg spray (my current absolute fave – though you may have your own preferred bronzing equivalent). Brown stuff well-applied to legs – good. Brown stuff all over hands – not good.
Social Media spat of the week
You may not have picked this up in the local press: last week New Zealander and Australia’s Next Top Model presenter Charlotte Dawson issued what she called a ‘throw-away tweet’ imploring that somebody kill superstar street style blogger Bryan Boy.
Patty Huntington, a.k.a Frockwriter, dryly brought the death threat to Boy’s attention, spurring what has been described as a twitter war between the glamour blonde and the sharp-as-tacks brunette fashion journalist.
At the time of writing no attempts had been made to assassinate Boy – but in one of life’s amusing circularities, he is strongly rumoured to be cast in the next season of America’s Next Top Model.
– Julie Roulston