We traditionally don’t cover kids’ shoes, but these designs from Sudo are delightful. The company calls them ‘funky’, which isn’t far off the mark. The Monday moccasins and the ballet flats pictured are among the Sudo autumn–winter 2010 collection, designed by Melbourne-based Terry and Rachael Lay.
   With three children themselves, the Lays found children’s clothing was ‘predictable and cliché,’ motivating them to create their own lines. Sudo is designed for children aged two to twelve.

On the site today are the Massey University graduate collections from late last year. Shown here are some of the designs from Uma Lele, who’s working with us at Lucire now. As her garments weren’t among those in the official selection we received (beautifully shot by Lisa Wilson), we decided to give our Uma a bit of an extra nudge here at ‘Insider’. Have a glance at what her fellow graduates came up with here.

Photos by Nix

We’ve been fans of Claudia Jaffe for over a year. Venezuela-born, California- and Italy-trained, and dividing her time between Wellington and Auckland, Claudia’s jewellery and lights are wonderful items of art. You might be able to press her on some of the stories she can tell from her time at Cartier in London. And 2010 might be the year where we’re going to hear more about Claudia as the fashion world begins to take notice: she blends a European sensibility with a New Zealand inspiration, with a dose of edgy to go with it all. See www.claudiajaffeart.com for more information.

Top Peter Trevalyan’s Mimetic Brotherhood. Above left The jazz entertainers at the post-launch function. Above right Sculptor Peter Trevelyan.

The Wellington Sculpture Trust unveiled Peter Trevelyan’s Mimetic Brotherhood outside Te Papa on Wednesday. A kinetic sculpture—which changes thanks to hydraulics—it replaces Green Islands by Regan Gentry, which had stood at the same location until last month.
   Trust chairman Neil Plimmer said of the rotating sculptures, ‘It would be for the Southern Hemisphere at least the counterpart of the famous sculpture rotation on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, London—which currently features the New Zealand war hero Sir Keith Parks.’
   Trevalyan was the centre of attention at the function that followed the unveiling, attended by luminaries including Mayor Kerry Prendergast and Dr Claudia Orange.

Top Ken Robinson gets to showcase his designs in Beverly Hills. Above Robinson with Jason Ritter and his girlfriend.

Ken Robinson of Robinson Designer Goldsmith, New Zealand’s most innovative fine jeweller and a long-time friend of Lucire, has been on a quest to get his gravity-defying designs in diamonds and precious gems into the hands and ensembles of top Hollywood talent. This journey led him to join forces with savvy event planner Anita Talbert (another friend of the Lucire family) for their dazzling precursor to Lozzi’s landmark Night of 100 Stars Oscar night viewing party at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
   In some ways, our beloved Ken followed in the footsteps of fellow Kiwi Sir Peter Jackson, as he headlined this show and was a real-life Lord of the Rings, as well as earrings, pendants, necklaces, bracelets, and other stellar offerings—forged into rainbow hued skulls, whimsical animals, flora, fauna and a few sparkling butterflies that looked as if they came right out of the mind of Mariah Carey (in fact, Ken had her in mind when designing those exquisite sparklers). He scored points with such luminaries as Natalie Cole, Jason Ritter, Lou Diamond Phillips, Charlene Tilton and others.
   While Ken’s star shined bright in the land where Harry Winston once roamed the earth, other, others were on the rise, from LA-based Aussie couturière Kelly A. Swartz to the classic earthy gold and silver creations from Taber Studios, to art glass and silver treasures by Florida-based Accessoreez and casually dressy bling from i-Catcher by Vanessa Swarovski (granddaughter of Daniel Swarovski), to the supple Gucci-inspired bags from Cape Cod Leather (back from their triumphant appearance at the Distinctive Assets Grammy party), and swanky selection from our friend Charlie Lapson and vegan carry-alls from Montréal-based CherryBerry.
   Anita also beckoned some other fabulous cast members, including stunning architectural eyewear from Italy’s Oberti (whose offices are Miami-based), sexy sportswear from Green Apple, Beach Bunny and Bejeweled, ShoeDazzle (Kim Kardashian’s new shoe-of-the-month club), Kathy Wilson Atelier’s modern formal wear and top European skin care lines Pevonia and Yonka. The cherry on top for this sweet affair was a cinematic Karaoke machine from Youstar, a fantastic personal green screen system sure to keep movie buffs entertained until the 2011 Academy Awards and their home version of Night of 100 Stars.—Elyse Glickman

Above Kelly Ann Swartz, the Los Angeles-based, Australian-born couturière.


Top left Charlene Tilton models Accessoreez jewellery. Top right Lou Diamond Phillips. Above left Bejeweled shirt line rep. Above right Main sponsor Pevonia Botanica.

New Zealand Red Cross’s Annual Appeal sees red items featured on auction site Trade Me from March 1, in addition to its traditional street collectors who hit the streets beginning the same day.
   Running till the 10th, the online auction features a ruby necklace, 12 months’ free parking at any Wilson car park, Helly Hansen jackets, a mountain biking adventure in the Red Woods, three armfuls of red roses, a red Zambesi dress, a red Nokia from Vodafone and a weekend’s use of a red Mini Cooper convertible.
   Fashion accessories’ designer Tamsin Cooper, who donated an embroidered red overnight bag and accessories worth NZ$700, says the online auction is a way for people to show they care.
   ‘I know Kiwis will have fun bidding for the many fantastic items that are up for grabs so we can help make the Red Cross Annual Appeal a huge success,’ says Ms Cooper, whose bags, scarves and jewellery are hand-embroidered ethically in Vietnam.
   Money raised will help fund both domestic and international projects, including sending New Zealand aid workers abroad and buying emergency relief supplies.
   Donors can also call 0900 RED CROSS (0900 733-27) within New Zealand to make a NZ$20 donation, or head to www.redcross.org.nz to make a secure credit card donation.
   The collectors will be out in force till the 7th.

Lucire fashion editor Samantha Hannah has the three finalists in Blue Cactus’s promotion, one of whom will take away an $8,000 prize package that we previewed last month.

Check out this great promotion from Blue Cactus (in which we’re involved, too), where you can win an NZ$8,000 prize package, as explained by our fashion editor Samantha Hannah. If you have a friend who you’d love to makeover, you can nominate them for the Blue Cactus Hairdressing Ultimate Makeover, which includes NZ$1,950 of hair care from Blue Cactus, NZ$1,850 of products from L’Oréal Professionnel, NZ$1,482 of gym memberships from Exodus, NZ$500 to spend at Harry’s Designer Clothing Boutique, NZ$347 worth of deluxe accommodation package from Ohtel, and more.