As America heads into Summer New Zealand and Australia sink into a wet, cold, depressing, winter. Working in an office brings many great things like always boiled water for hot tea and reasonably consistent temperatures via air conditioning, but there are still essential items you need to make sure you survive the dark months.

Your winter essentials:

• A long coat with a hood for Wellington wind – If you live in Wellington like me you should know that there is nothing more essential than a hooded coat in winter. Umbrellas are turned inside out and there’s no use for them when the rain is coming at you vertically anyway. A long hooded coat will keep your head and most of your legs dry.
• A pashmina or wide scarf – Wont take up too much room in your bag and it can be used as a scarf, as a whole head covering to keep your ears warm, and you can wrap it around your shoulders when the meeting room turns our to be colder than the rest of the office.
• Fingerless gloves – Even better if you can find the mittens that fold back into fingerless gloves. Sometimes the air conditioning can take a while to kick in and it’s difficult and painful to type with freezing fingers. Fingerless gloves are perfect for typing in.
• Knee high socks or stockings – Wether you’re a pants or skirts type of girl knee high socks will keep you warm.
• Long sleeved undershirts or polyprops – Wear them under your short sleeved tops and dresses and you wont have to go without your summer wardrobe or cover it up with jackets for 6 months.
• Bright nail polish and accessories – If they don’t keep you from being depressed then they might at least keep you from being hit by a car.
• Shoes – You’ll need at least one pair of closed toe shoes, with proper grip, and no details cut out of the sides and top that can be worn with socks. For those freezing days when you’re running down the hill to the bus in the rain.
• Waterproof bag – If you usually use a bag made from a material that absorbs water now is the time to switch to something more like leather or vinyl. There are not many things worse than discovering that not only is your bag soaked but so is every single thing inside it.
• Miso sachets and heat and eat meals – For when you haven’t prepared lunch and can’t face going outside on your break.

What helps you survive the winter months?

I am quite aware that this post will come off as nothing less than bitchy. But keep reading.

While I applaud this girl’s daring in wearing this dress, I can’t congratulate her on pulling it off. The right underwear may have made all the difference, unfortunately she chose what appeared to be a low sitting g-string that squished her butt down to a roll and gave no shape while still making it look like she was wearing no underwear. The dress clung to her curves individually if you know what I mean!

Unless you’re slim, with curves in all the right places you can’t get away with clingy, shiny, dresses in leopard print. Not possible for me, and not possible for her either.

Killer pockets though.

I am completely obsessing over big petticoats right now, I don’t own any yet but I have found so many I want. If the exchange rate wasn’t so bad right now I would be purchasing many, but it’s basically at 50 cents to the US dollar and in affect costing me twice as much as it costs Americans. :[

In between my 6 year anniversary dinner and trying to find a free file recovery program for SDcards I’ve spent a few hours looking at pictures and prices. I think petticoats look cute for so many occasions like a fancy night at the casino or a girls night out to a club. I can’t wait to get my hands on one, so I can start rocking some great looks! (If anyone does know of a free file recovery program I will love you forever. I’ve downloaded a couple of free trials and I can see the files there but I can get to them unless I pay :[ )

So much pretty!

Petticoats by Ms Constantine

One of the “new me” outfits I purchased this weekend just gone.  The shopping trip was great, we spent from about 12.30pm till 5.30 pm at the mall in Lower Hutt scouring the chain stores and managed to score some good sale items.

I am particularly in love with my new check dress from Portmans. I’ve had my eye on it for a while so when I saw that it was $50 off I was stoked. It’s sleeveless and has a huge skirt that is able to be held up to my sides making a semi circle. It’s polyester and reminds me of raincoat material so it holds shapes really well and swooshes when I walk. It’s awesome. But you’ll have to wait for another day to see it.

There is still a lot more shopping to be done, I hope that the city, and in particular Cuba St, will hold some cute stuff. I see a lot more skirts in my future.

What I’m wearing

• Crazy eyes – Courtesy of my mother
• Knobbly knees – Courtesy of my mother
• White skin – Courtesy of my mother
• Black shirt dress – Jacqui E
  I plan on changing the buttons on this dress to something more eye catching. Don’t count on it happening anytime soon though.
• Pink belt – Supre
• Black knee high socks with lace detail – Farmers
• Sneakers – Babycham

As always you can click on the photos to see just how much the wind storm messed my hair.

I am in dire need of a makeover. It has come to the point where sleep is far more important than having enough time to get ready in the morning, and choosing clothing must be done in the minimum amount of time. This usually means I grab the cleanest top and pants I can find and if I haven’t worn them to work that week they become my outfit for the day.

See my problem?

Thankfully for me (but maybe not so much for her) my friend Benhi has the same predicament. This weekend we are planning to rectify that by a day long shopping spree where we will push each others usual style boundaries and dare to be daring. I’ll need to get rid of the mounds of clothes I no longer wear that are all over my house as well.

In order to prepare I need some guidelines, otherwise all that money is going to go to waste.

What to do if you’re in the same situation

• Keep an inspiration folder at all times. I have a hardcopy one with pictures from magazines and mailers, and an electronic one with pictures from the net. if you’re using more than one computer it might be helpful to set up a private folder in Flickr to upload the photos. Don’t forget to record where you got the picture from in case you need to refer to it. I name the pictures with the link I got them from using ~ instead of / so the file name is valid :]
• Have an idea of the style you like and what suits you already.
• Go through the inspiration folder and really absorb what you’re seeing. Is there a recurring theme? Are the colours all the same, lots of waistcoats and pencil skirts? This is what you like and this is what you’re aiming for.
• Make a list of the staple items you need to achieve your look and do a mind dump of colours, accessories and descriptive words that fit within your new look, it’s a good idea to include a few pictures that encompass what you’re trying to achieve. – This is your shopping list.
• Go through your wardrobe and remove anything that you never wear, isn’t flattering, and doesn’t fit into your idea of your reinvented style. Then you can chuck out the gross stuff and give the goodies away.
• Take a trusted friend with you when you go shopping, one who has style you admire or who you’re happy to share your ideas with. They’re going to have to be brutally honest in helping you choose the items to create the new you.
• Don’t buy ANYTHING that doesn’t fit your self imposed guidelines. Try something on and then scan your list, does it fit the new style? No? Put it back. Same rules apply for anything that is too short, too long, too big, or you’ll fit in it when you lose a couple of kgs. Unless you’re an amazing sewer those clothes are never going to be modified and you’re wasting your money.

My latest inspiration has been Lookbook.nu. I’ve subscribed to the feed in my Google Reader so I can easily star anything I like and save it for reference.

At the moment it is showing a lot of ties and shirts, big ruffly petticoats, man style pants, black and white, chunky boots, blazers, thick rimmed glasses, collars and even a few top hats.

Is there a particular style you adhere to? Have you thought about reinventing yourself? Any suggestions or tips?

Although the outcome of the New Zealand General Election on Saturday was not what I desired, consensus among friends is that if we had the choice to change the outcome, but in order to do so America had to give up Obama and have McCain, there’s no way we would do it!

Obama benefits everyone and New Zealand is pretty centre aligned anyway with the two main parties barely left and right of centre.

I’ve been pretty disgusted with all of the recent comments left on Stuff in relation to election articles. Right leaning citizens accusing lefties of having no brain, accusing beneficiaries of being lazy dole bludgers who don’t deserve to be able to vote! It makes me sick, I didn’t realise we had such creeps here.

Anyway, this is what I wore to vote

• V neck t-shirt – Ezibuy
• Satin skirt – Country road
• Bag – Thrifted
• Boots – Demonia, Gravel 20

After voting I headed to my BFF Benhi’s to make cupcakes. The master plan was to copy Ems naughty penis cupcakes, but in brown instead of white to honour Obama. We were rather tipsy (ahem, drunk) when we came up with the plan! But we stuck with it…(stop scrolling now if you are at work or somewhere where it would be equally embarrassing to have a big penis made entirely of icing on your screen)

Obama, Made Of America

Note the extra large penis. That’s one stereotype I’m assuming black men don’t mind.

I stumbled across Johnny Cupcakes while searching for cupcake garb and quietly squealed.

Johnny’s logo design is exactly what I envisioned for Cupcakes and Mace. I had an idea of a cupcake and crossbones logo and that’s exactly what Johnny has done! Although, many years before me.

This guy has become one of my biggest heroes. Reading the story of Johnny Cupcakes made me beam.

The idea is a simple one. Create cool original stuff in limited runs and people will scramble to get them. In reality though it takes a special kind of person to become a multi-millionaire. 110% effort and passion for what you do will help, but it’s the customers that do the choosing. And that’s how Johnny Cupcakes started.
John made his first Johnny Cupcakes shirt as a joke, but compliments and requests for shirts started rolling in and supply and demand determined the start of a business.

The story is an inspirational read. And if you need any further proof of Johnny Earle’s awesomeness:
He has been voted America’s best young entrepreneur for 2008.

I LOVE the designs.

From top left

1. Paint Marker Crossbones
2. Crossbones Hoodie
3. Frightening Fridge
4. Crossbones Classic
5. Big Bad Blender
6. & .7  Jester Stacker

What I wore This is my Wednesday Addams look

• Black (now faded) sheer top with frills
• Black V neck jersey – Farmers
• Black skirt with pleat at back – Farmers
• Black footless leggings with buttons to mid calf – Deborah K (Melbourne)
• Bright and pastel pink striped socks – Farmers
• Black chunky soled mary janes – No 1 shoe warehouse

It should be coming ever more evident that I like to shop on a budget.

Ok, I’ll admit right off the bat that I suck at using a camera.
I am no way near mastering the art of taking photos of myself and the boy does not seem to know that when I ask him to take a photo of what I’m wearing I want it

a) to look good

and

b) to be a shot from head to toe, not head to waist

That said, I have a couple of photos to share from my work function at the Wellesley on Saturday night. I was able to convince myself to buy the shiny (which I now know is silk) skirt from Portmans. It got lots of compliments.

Excuse the blurriness, bad lighting, and stunned mullet looks. A drunk boyfriend does not a good cameraman make.

I’m wearing:

• Black sheer frill top from Jayjays – $35
• Red singlet from Glassons (about 8 years ago)
• Checked skirt from Portmans – $110
• Black stockings from Farmers – $5
• Black knee high lace top ribbed socks from farmer – $15
• Brogue heels from the Number 1 Shoe Warehouse – $30

I was shopping at Portmans a couple of days ago with a friend looking for a cocktail dress and I was surprised with how much I love the new season skirts and dresses. It’s disappointing that they are all in store now because we won’t get sight of the sun for at least a few months. By then all the nice stuff would’ve gone.

There are lots of petticoats, puffy skirts, checks and florals, very rockabilly. Delicious!

I am so in love with this skirt. The picture does not do it justice at all, the material is quite shiny and the threads are very obvious in real life. I want to buy it but the last item I bought from Portmans was discounted by more than 50% a few weeks later. I might wait and see if I can get it cheaper. :]