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.

When Kathryn Leah Payne, Christchurch fashion designer, emailed me a few months ago with pictures of her début collection, I couldn’t contain my excitement. Her 1980s-inspired Jackal and Hide autumn–winter 2010 range is unique, with a twist of sexy sophistication and lots of leather. But it is her meticulous attention to detail and exceptional tailoring that caught my eye. Needless to say I jumped at the chance to view her range last week and learn more about this talented designer.
   After graduating Christchurch Polytechnic in 2000, award-winning Payne decided to try her hand at leather jewellery and accessories’ design. You may remember seeing her designs in Workshop and other boutiques around New Zealand. But, she became interested in wider industry opportunities and went on to cut her clothing design teeth in London. Working with reputable designers, Caroline Charles, whose celebrity client base included Princess Diana, Ringo Starr and Mick Jagger, and British fashion house Bolongaro Trevor, was invaluable for Payne. Caroline Charles shared Payne’s love of vintage, beautiful tailoring and detail, while Bolongaro Trevor taught her a lot about the business. Now she’s equipped with the necessary skills and experience to grow her eponymous label, she is ready is to take on the New Zealand fashion world once again.
   So, what can you expect from this 17-piece collection? A dress, corsets, pants, jackets, shrugs, leggings and sleeves with most garments featuring something a little different. Her chosen fabrics are a lambskin leather, viscose, merino jersey, wool crepe, denim, possum fur and vintage silks. The colour palette is dark: ‘I quite like dark, vintage-looking fabrics and fixings that have a tarnished look,’ and there is nothing to ‘flashy’, which adds to the sophisticated look.
   It’s definitely a standout collection for me, especially knowing Payne ‘hand paints and hand makes’ a lot of her work, and she ‘likes to play with three-dimensional shapes that are different and unique’. A very time-consuming process that makes each piece in her collection unique and limited.
   My favourites include the Swan Skirt, Owl Corset, Jackal Pants and Fantail Jacket—the five images shown above.
   It’s fabulous to have this clever and very creative designer back in New Zealand!—Samantha Hannah

Adidas kicked off its Star Wars collaboration in Wellington, New Zealand on Friday with a themed party, compèred by DJ Shan.
   A selection of the new designs were shown, with a promise of more to come in following weeks. Both limited-edition as well as mass-market items were shown, and classic Adidas Originals track tops and sneakers have been modified to feature scenes and characters from the movies.
   Local Star Wars buffs got in to the mood with the Empire outnumbering the Jedis—though I noticed they did not take kindly to my intentionally misplaced quips of ‘Live long and prosper,’ and, ‘Party on, Darth.’
   Passers-by loved the vibe and asked to have their photographs taken outside the Adidas store.
   Adidas had one of the best spreads on offer from any do I can remember in Wellington, thanks to catering by Oriental Bay restaurant, Beach Babylon.—Jack Yan

Mert & Marcus

Above Megan Fox is the latest celebrity to front a fashion label’s campaign.

In the main part of the Lucire site this week, Samantha Hannah makes her first 10 style picks for ’10, for the southern summer in New Zealand. Elyse Glickman, meanwhile, discovers there’s more to choosing jewellery for the bride, and investigates.
   Likely to be the biggest article of the trio is one tied to a celebrity, in this case, Megan Fox, from the Transformers series. While we’ve already featured Karen Elson for St John Knits this week, along with Georgia May Jagger for Versace, Armani has decided it would not be outdone and released many of its spring–summer 2010 advertising images featuring the heart-throb actress.
   We have to admit to being surprised by Fox’s choice; she is, nevertheless, someone with the high profile that Armani enjoys. The Tennessee-born actress’s appeal, we thought, was limited to teenage and 20-something young men, and our very quick, unscientific poll of a few indicates she’s not considered by women to be in the same league as some of the more familiar models—or, for that matter, another curvy, high-profile actress, Scarlett Johansson.
   However, if it’s headlines Armani wants, Megan Fox will deliver them.

Each time the Air New Zealand uniforms get redone, there are always comments from around the country, given that the airline is the national carrier. This time, the colour of the cabin crew dress might raise some eyebrows.
   The ground crew options revealed tonight are smart and contemporary. The ‘twilight pink’ cabin crew dress is a stark departure from previous designs.
   The designs are the creation of designer Trelise Cooper, whose work replaces the uniforms conceived by Zambesi.
   Air New Zealand points out that the designs are not final and there will be additional consultation with its staff. Inflight concierges, pilots and other workgroups’ uniforms are still under development.
   The uniforms are expected to début alongside a new fleet of Boeing 777-300 aircraft, though there is no announcement of whether the Air New Zealand brand will be shifting around that time.
   The previous designs by Zambesi were considered to have pushed the envelope, and not universally embraced at first, before becoming accepted. Cooper’s work might follow a similar pattern.

When Lucire first broke news yesterday about Peter Jackson’s knighthood in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours’ List—and before anyone in the country did, I might add—I was particularly delighted.
   Peter Jackson deserves a knighthood not just because he makes marvellous films. Peter Jackson deserves a knighthood because he continues to believe in New Zealand even after certain bodies and their bureaucrats gave him grief.
   Before he was a big name internationally, there was reported tension between Jackson and the New Zealand Film Commission in the 1990s.
   Because Jackson believed in this country so much, he got over it. A lesser man would have thought, ‘If the establishment won’t accept me, I’ll leave.’
   Many of the big Kiwi names in movies are based in California, because when they left there was no centre for movie production in New Zealand. And they wanted somewhere that could understand their vision for making movies.
   Instead, Jackson fought to make his Lord of the Rings trilogy in New Zealand—setting up a world-class hub for film in Wellington.
   While some politicians would like to give credit to the Tourism New Zealand 100 Per Cent Pure campaign for lifting the national image, I’ve always argued it was the effort of one man—Jackson—for bringing the country to the world stage.
   Destination branding can be ignored, passed over as just another tourism ad in a travel magazine. Peter Jackson alone gave it that hook, and if any one man can take credit for the first decade’s economic boosts, it is him.
   Through Jackson not only did the films become nice earners for New Zealand, the tourist industry boomed because of the trilogy. And the Film Commission came right in the end.
   And in many respects, Peter Jackson kicked the tall poppy syndrome idea out of the country’s psyche where it could only be entertained by a few foreign companies who use it to keep Kiwis down. Peter Jackson changed our culture.
   This knighthood is long overdue, but I applaud this honour for Jackson. He is a patriot, a word that should not have politically incorrect shades. His level of pride is just what New Zealand needs. Sir Peter Jackson is an inspirational figure and one hopes many others will have faith in their own beliefs, in the way that he does.

Filmmaker Peter Jackson will receive a knighthood in HM the Queen’s New Year Honours’ List in New Zealand, according to sources.
   While administered by the Herald-at-Arms in New Zealand, the honours have the sanction of HM Queen Elizabeth II.
   Jackson may style himself Sir Peter Jackson if he chooses.
   Jackson is best known for his adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, for which he has been honoured with numerous Academy Awards, including Best Director in 2004.
   Instead of filming the big-budget blockbusters in Hollywood, Jackson insisted on making them on location in New Zealand, using local talent, in spite of earlier tensions with the New Zealand Film Commission. Weta Workshop, a New Zealand company based in Wellington, worked on the digital visual effects.
   While there were many notable filmmakers from New Zealand prior, Jackson and Weta virtually created the modern New Zealand film industry by bringing it to international recognition.
   Additionally, former prime minister Helen Clark was awarded the Order of New Zealand, the highest accolade in the country’s honours’ system.

One fashion item we didn’t get to talk about properly during 2009, due to conflicting schedules, was the Gatoure, a reversible accessory that transforms shoes into boots. They take the principle of gators, but feature far nicer fabrics on one side (silks and animal print satin) and neutral linens and cottons on the other. The brainchild of Janelle Rodrigues and Sara Fraser, they are handmade in strictly limited editions and available online at their website, www.gatoure.co.nz.