Babies ’R’ Us UK has announced a collaboration with Heidi Klum, which sees a range of baby products exclusive to the chain.
The Truly Scrumptious by Heidi Klum range has arrived at stores as well as the Babiesrus.co.uk website.
The range has already launched in the US and Canada, and has been well received there. It is particularly colourful and includes floral prints. Clothing items include bodysuits, two-piece sets, and accessories such as socks and hats. A stroller joins the range in May, retailing at under £130.
In a release, Klum, who has four children. calls the project ‘one of the most exciting and fulfilling’ that she has worked on.
Meanwhile, while publisher Jack Yan was covering ID Dunedin Fashion Week, US west coast editor Elyse Glickman was at Vogue Eyewear’s launch, at which Eva Mendes was guest of honour, promoting the latest line with her as spokesmodel. You can read that story here, and Elyse’s pre-Oscar suites’ write-up here (with her earlier Grammy one here).
In London, Elina Lukas has checked out Anna Popovich’s spring 2013 collection and notes some additional shows at London Fashion Week; we return to Sundance after nine years, thanks to Lola Saab; and Stanley Moss is in Vicenza, in the Veneto, in our latest travel special.
Otago Polytechnic graduate Rakel Blom won the ID International Emerging Designer Awards last night in Dunedin, with a collection that tapped into the Zeitgeist of global communities and cross-cultural connections.
Blom, who originally hails from Iceland, told Lucire, ‘My biggest passion is travelling,’ and that she had ventured through Asia and Europe before studying in New Zealand.
That passion saw her design seven garments, one for each continent, although only five were required by the competition. Consequently, Oceania and Antarctica were omitted.
The collection was called The World through My Eyes, and featured prints with designs representing each continent. It had been inspired both by travel and textiles. Judges called it ‘eclectic and joyful, sleek, chic and professional, with intricate detailing and true depth.’
In a release, Assoc Prof Karen Webster, guest judge for the competition, said, ‘It absolutely had the “wow factor” but also real depth. There was incredible intricate detailing, including hand-made buttons, stars cut out of Perspex mixed with bold inspirational prints. The collection was a discovery waiting to be made.’
Blom speaks highly of her Alma Mater but despite the win, which includes a NZ$5,000 prize from Peroni, she says her next focus is to ‘find a job.’
Blom’s collection was the crowd favourite at the Edgar Sports Centre, helped by the support of a local crowd. She competed with designers from Ireland, England, China and Australia.
Judge Stephen Jones, OBE, the famed milliner, said that the key themes for the evening were ‘diversity, globalism and everything made to a perfect degree.’
The 1,300-strong audience included two High Commissioners and a consul, cheering on the UK, Australia and China. It was hosted by Shannon Ryan.
China’s contribution also included 10 international models from the University of Shanghai Engineering Science. Aliana McDaniel led the make-up team backstage for Revlon.
A full report from ID Dunedin Fashion Week will follow in Lucire.—Jack Yan, Publisher
Winners
Peroni 1st Place Prize (NZ$5,000): Rakel Blom, School of Design, Otago Polytechnic, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Caffè L’Affarè 2nd Place (NZ$3,000 cash): Emma Boseley, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia.
Strawberry Sound 3rd Place (NZ$1,000 cash): Kathleen Choo, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia.
Dunedin’s Golden Centre Mall Prize (NZ$1,000) for the most commercial collection: Blathnaid McClean, National College of Art and Design (NCAD), Dublin, Ireland.
Global Fabrics Award for Excellence in Design (NZ$1,000 cash and a NZ$2,000 voucher): Sohong Lim, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand.
Four Wellington labels—Philippa & Alice, Love Hotel, Mardle, and Highnoontea—were part of Willis York’s winter showcase at its Taranaki Street, Wellington premises on a very warm Friday night.
The event, showing the labels’ autumn–winter 2013 collections, had a total of 20 looks, five from each.
Four models, with hair by Willis York using L’Oréal Professionnel, came down the catwalk in their underwear, each putting on the first look from each label at the end of the catwalk. When the show began in earnest, the model wearing Philippa & Alice stood up and kicked off the first five, with another four models arriving wearing other outfits from the range.
While the number of looks from each label was limited, it gave those attending a good feel of what was on offer: very noticeable tartan jacket and pants from Philippa & Alice; Love Hotel’s focus on kimonos for the autumn–winter season; Mardle’s comprehensive range of staples, from T-shirts to maxi-dresses; and Highnoontea’s well executed coats and jackets.
They also demonstrate that Wellington designers aren’t afraid to use colour for winter, in line with the Zeitgeist abroad.
Sponsors for the event included Quick Brown Fox, Broken Shed Vodka, ECC Lighting, C. G. R. Merchant & Co., Ultra Shoes, Whittaker’s chocolate, Willis York, Cup o Love Catering, Julian Danger (for the lingerie), and Tag.
We’re pleased to note that all these young labels have continued a high standard. We were only introduced to Mardle and Love Hotel last year, and we’re happy to see their designs get stronger.—Jack Yan, Publisher
Nikita Brown/Nikita Brown Photography
Above From the Willis York winter showcase.
Nikita Brown/Nikita Brown Photography
TopLucire publisher Jack Yan and Rhonda Grant. AboveLucire fashion editor Sopheak Seng. Below Behind-the-scenes preparations captured by Nikita Brown.
Lucire is already a huge fan of Project Born, which raises money for the Neonatal Trust. So when we heard Ride4Life 2013, benefiting the same charity, would be passing through Wellington, naturally, we wanted to get on board to help this worthy cause.
The fundraising event sees a core team of eight cyclists, including ex-All Black Christian Cullen, ride from Cape Reinga to Bluff, with a NZ$1 million target.
They had set off on February 25, and last week, I had run in to one of the BMW support vehicles just south of Paihia. Both Team McMillan BMW and Mini, and Jeff Gray BMW and Mini, have supplied vehicles to help out, namely eight Mini Rays, one Mini Countryman, and a BMW X5. The Minis will be auctioned off at the end of the bicycle ride on Trade Me with all proceeds going to the Neonatal Trust.
Michael Meads, CEO of the Trust, has been happy with the ‘outstanding’ support he has received from sponsors, including the Team McMillan and Jeff Gray dealerships.
Meads himself is piloting one of the Minis. ‘I absolutely love the Mini—it handles differently and feels very solid. It can take a corner at speed and it’s not an issue.’ The Minis, travelling in convoy, have actually attracted people to the cycling effort whenever they have a stop.
Joining them to the half-way mark in Wellington today was a classic car club, whose members drove a 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air, a 1956 Ford Thunderbird, and a 1957 Ford Country Sedan.
Meads says the inspiration came from a former chairman, Eugene Collins, who was a cycling fanatic. Cycling between Auckland and Wellington, Collins was able to raise $10,000 for the Trust at the time of the Christchurch earthquake. ‘We talked about how we could make it bigger and make more money,’ says Meads.
Meads and Collins had become involved with the Trust through their own neonatal experiences. Collins’s son, Harrison, suffered from meconium aspiration and even had to go on a heart–lung bypass machine, as well as endure emergency flights between Auckland and Wellington. Harrison is now a healthy 11-year-old who competes in triathlons.
Meads’s own experience saw his wife admitted to hospital during the 18th week of her pregnancy as she began going into labour. After three and a half months in hospital, she gave birth to their twins at 35 weeks. ‘I could see a need to help out,’ Meads recalls.
With the help of TV announcer Grant Walker, whose son had been in neonatal care a year before, he began talking about a charitable trust, before learning that the forerunner to the current Neonatal Trust existed.
The earlier organization was focused on Wellington, and Meads was one of the driving forces who saw it rebranded and turned into a national movement, through amalgamation and establishment of other branches. There are now five, in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.
He says there is a need to help transition families who returned to the 14 provinces around the country after their neonatal experiences in the five main centres. Ride4Life 2013 is geared to raise funds for the provincial areas.
After Wellington, the cyclists will board the Interislander, another supporter, but will in fact keep pedalling: they will be on wind trainers. There are no rest days for them between Wellington and Bluff, with one leg 187 km in distance. After Bluff, they will head to Invercargill to watch Collins attempt to break a 24-hour cycling velodrome endurance record.
One baby every 90 minutes requires neonatal intervention, says Meads.
The cyclists, including Cullen, will be in Wellington on Thursday, March 7, collecting around the city. Alternatively, you can donate via ride4life.co.nz or through any Westpac branch. There’s a Facebook page, where you can follow some of their progress.—Jack Yan, Publisher
Above National director Evana Patterson, executive producer Nigel Godfrey, and general counsel Jack Yan launch the revamped Miss Universe New Zealand competition in Auckland today.
A new team has been awarded the licence for Miss Universe New Zealand, comprising veteran TV producer Nigel Godfrey, experienced make-up artist and well respected personal trainer Evana Patterson, and Lucire publisher Jack Yan.
The consortium was awarded the licence earlier this year, and broke the news today.
‘The search for Miss Universe New Zealand 2013 will start within a few weeks and we will travel the length and breadth of the country to find the winner,’ says executive producer Nigel Godfrey.
Registrations are via nextmissnz.com, with a low registration fee of $10. Fifty per cent of the received amount will go to Variety, the Children’s Charity.
A second stage will see a selected group of entrants head into the regional finals, with those young women heading into a two-day workshop. These will be held up and down New Zealand, where entrants will receive training with professionals in the areas of modelling, TV presentation, make-up and other related areas.
Godfrey, who first ventured behind the lens in London in 1986 when he worked for the Miss World Group and Thames TV on the international final of Miss World, says television cameras will follow the process.
As with The X Factor, New Zealand’s Got Talent and Idol, the New Zealand public will have a say in who is going to be Miss Universe New Zealand 2013.
A red-carpet gala final event is planned for September, with organizers confident that it will be broadcast on television nationally.
Yan, who serves as general counsel for the consortium, says, ‘We have the perfect team to bring Miss Universe New Zealand in to the 21st century, by applying integrity and transparency to the competition. It’s an exciting time, transforming this competition into something that involves all New Zealanders.’
‘Historically, a Miss Universe New Zealand winner became an instant celebrity and we will return that status to the title,’ says national director Evana Patterson. ‘The winner will enjoy a very busy and productive year-long reign working with both Miss Universe and Variety, the Children’s Charity.
New Zealanders aged between 18 and 27 should visit the official website at www.nextmissnz.com.
The Royal New Zealand Ballet’s trio of premières tonight in Made to Move at the St James Theatre was an enjoyable mixture of innovative and classical.
The first production, danced on a plain stage so audiences could focus on the work itself, was The Anatomy of a Passing Cloud, which fulfilled its promise of paying tribute to the Pacific and its cultures. Award-winning Venezuelan director and choreographer Javier de Frutos crafted a ballet that took historical Pacific Island sound clips, creating a work that was at moments tense, and evocative and respectful of the region’s cultures. Colourful costumes gave Anatomy a visually pleasing look, and there was a raw quality to the ballet.
De Frutos is known for his contemporary work, but there was enough in Anatomy to please traditional ballet-goers, with most sets having a dramatic quality.
While the Royal New Zealand Ballet has been known to progress from experimental to crowd-pleasing when showing three works in one night, we thought Andrew Simmons’ Of Days was the highlight of the evening. The Christchurch-born, Dresden-based dancer’s new work was beautiful, touching and emotional, with a strong foundation in classical ballet. Words appeared above the dancers, with a clever play on typography, sometimes occupying a single line, other times multiple ones, reading as poetry while the Royal New Zealand Ballet performed. Audiences were invited to reflect on their life directions, on love, and on their purpose.
The lighting deserves particular mention, especially how it complemented the outfits, at one point creating a harmonious glow to the stage. Of Days’ costumes, by Kate Venables, showed off the dancers’ physiques and personalized their performances. It was again danced to a relatively empty stage, with translucent backdrops used to highlight shadows, raised to reveal dancers, and lowered as screens on to which the type was displayed.
The sheer beauty of Of Days would have been strong enough to conclude the evening on a high, and it is our hope that it goes on to win awards.
RNZB artistic director Ethan Stiefel already prepared audiences last year when he talked about his Bier Halle, a comedic ballet that tied in with New Zealanders’ own love of beer. Having grown up in Wisconsin, itself known for brewing, Stiefel was inspired by the polka bands of his home state. Johann Strauss II’s waltzes and marches gave Bier Halle musical familiarity, and forced one to admire Stiefel for visualizing a new take on the score. His first original work for the RNZB started with plenty of laughs, but, at its core, is a traditional ballet with a particularly creative execution. The set elicited applause from the opening-night audience, and, as expected, Gillian Murphy—Stiefel’s fiancée—and Qi Huan were particularly expert lead players in a fun cast that included Sir Jon Trimmer, while Paul Matthews’ and Kohei Iwamoto’s roles, as the Nerd and Bird respectively, proved to be favourites.
It was the grand, uplifting ballet of the night, and the perfect finalé, with a big cast and the audience encouraged to clap along, but it must be said that Of Days’ beauty continued to resonate for us well after the evening had concluded.—Jack Yan, Publisher
Since it’s awards’ season in Hollywood, celebrity hairstylist David Babaii has been hard at work again, this time working on Nicole Kidman.
At the Producers’ Guild Awards (top), Kidman had a fringe and a half-up, half-down do. Babaii used IT&LY Hairfashion’s eco-friendly, cruelty-free Purity Design Line. He began with blow-drying, with a mixture of IT&LY Pure Water Drops and Pure Fluid Experience. Then, using a medium round brush, he created the soft curls and fringe. He swept the hair to one side for the side part for the fringe, then back-combing the crown and drawing the sides into a pouf at the back. He used the Pure Water Drops for the soft curls at the back and the nape, before finishing with IT&LY Pure Definition Hair Spray for misting.
At the Screen Actors’ Guild Awards (above), Babaii gave Kidman a straight look. A small amount of IT&LY Pure Water Drops were warmed in his hands before it was applied to her hair. After drying her hair, he used a large, round brush to straighten. He sectioned her hair first, into top, sides and back, first drying the nape area. He created a centre part and finished with the IT&LY Racing Red Professional one-inch digital iron. Meanwhile, to those of you following us on RSS, Tiffany Fernando was at BMW’s Ladies’ Press Day and improved her confidence behind the wheel thanks to the experts. You can read about her experiences here. Publisher Jack Yan, meanwhile, interviewed Miss TEEN 2012 Aleisha Robertson (right), one of the first New Zealanders to win an international beauty pageant title in years. Is the tide turning positively for pageants in New Zealand?
Myleene Klass has launched a spring collection for Littlewoods Ireland, with a range comprising tea dresses to statement gowns, says the company.
The celebrity has designed the range herself and has modelled some of the items, including the citrus yellow wrap dress shown above, retailing for €62.
The collection is available at Littlewoods Ireland’s website.
Meanwhile, in the main part of the Lucire website, publisher Jack Yan has interviewed up-and-coming soprano Sophie Morris, in her first feature, and US west coast editor Elyse Glickman travels to Yosemite National Park and checks out the food and accommodation there.
Don’t forget that while the autumn–winter 2013–14 menswear collections are showing at London Fashion Week, they are broadcast on our live player on our home page. If the size is too small, it does expand to full-screen.
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