With the announcement of a “travel bubble” between Australia and New Zealand, the New Zealand Spirit Festival at the Kumeu Showgrounds has reported a surge of Australians booking to come to the wellness event, to be held April 22 to 25. Model, TV host and yoga practitioner Rachel Hunter headlines the event with a workshop on the first day.
   A powhiri will take place at 4 p.m. on April 22. There are wellness workshops, including one hosted by Dr Bruce H. Lipton, a trained cell biologist who is known for his work in bridging science and spirit.
   Hunter’s workshop will see her teaching breathing techniques, meditation and asanas. She studied meditation and yoga in India, the US, and the UK.
   The workshops take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the full days, across five workshop zones covering yoga, meditation, haka workshop for women, holotropic breath work, and more. After 7 p.m. attendees can expect to listen and dance to music, including New Zealand acts such as Tiki Tane, Maisey Rika, and NZ Spirit co-founder Franko Heke.
   The festival is drug- and alcohol-free, says Heke. ‘We have constant feedback about really big changes happening for people during the festival. It’s an opportunity to change a habit, improve your overall health and well-being and meet new friends within a community of like-minded and healthy people,’ he says. ‘You don’t have to be cool here, or worry about what you’re wearing. It’s about expressing your true self and discovering a little deeper who that person is through our diverse workshops.’
   The festival also brings together young and old, with preferential pricing for over 55s and for young people. There is also a fully programmed kids’ zone.
   A full workshop programme is available here, along with healers’ profiles. There are camping options, food tricks serving vegan and vegetarian food, and a market village. Ticket prices are NZ$239 for a four-day pass, with day passes ranging from NZ$139 to NZ$239. Teens’ price is NZ$169. A booking fee of NZ$5 applies.
   More can be found at nzspiritfestival.com.

Carla Zampatti

Hugo

Specsavers’ autumn–winter 2021 collection features a number of well known brands, with the emphasis on modern classics. Even though there’s an appetite for more unconventional fashion in Australasia, with COVID-19 relatively under control compared to many other parts of the world, eyewear remains on a safer path, with familiar shapes such as the aviator, club master, square and round eye. However, it’s in the details where there’s variety, with contrasting shades and tortoiseshell bringing freshness to the season.
   Specsavers’ head of frames, Juan Carlos Camargo, noted in a release, ‘From oversized aviators by Hugo to sophisticated square frames by Marc Jacobs, there’s a little something for everyone.
   ‘The autumn–winter range provides a good base of classic styles to build your glasses wardrobe around. We see tortoiseshell and soft gold emerge as important colours for subtle opulence, while textured metals add a stylish touch. These are staples that work smarter, and harder and will be wardrobe additions that never go out of style.’
   Brands include Carla Zampatti, Marc Jacobs, Viktor & Rolf, Hugo, and Alex Perry. Prices begin at NZ$299 for two pairs, single vision. They are available now online at specsavers.co.nz or at Specsavers stores nationally.

Viktor & Rolf

Levi’s

Alex Perry

Deus Ex Machina

Giselle is back: the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s acclaimed ballet from 2012, which toured the world after its première in Wellington, and which became a 2013 feature film by Toa Fraser, will return in May and June 2021.
   Conceived by former RNZB artistic director Ethan Stiefel and choreographer–director Johan Kobborg, Giselle was praised by this magazine both at its début and its 2016 tour. We wrote in 2012: ‘it distinguishes itself through clever choreography … stunning costumes by Natalia Stewart, and Kendall Smith’s lighting (and lightning). Howard C. Jones’s scenic design gave Giselle a visual depth, using different shades to gain perspective, and making the production feel even grander …
   ‘The high standards in these areas complemented the outstanding choreography and production by RNZB artistic director Ethan Stiefel and Royal Ballet principal dancer Johan Kobborg. Stiefel and Kobborg, both of whom have danced the role of Albrecht, have collaborated brilliantly …’
   Audiences will have a chance to experience it again in Wellington (May 12–15), Palmerston North (May 19), Napier (May 22–3), Auckland (May 27–9), Christchurch (June 4–5) and Dunedin (June 9). Hamish McKeich will conduct the Adolphe Adam score with Orchestra Wellington, the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, and the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra in those centres, with the Wellington recording used elsewhere. More details can be found here.
   RNZB artistic director Patricia Barker says, ‘We have reached into our vault of precious gems and great, beloved ballets, and can’t wait to be on stage again with Giselle. New Zealand audiences and dancers have shared an almost 70-year love affair with this ballet, which continues to enthrall us all with its elegance and timeless story.’

Paco Rabanne and Jean Paul Gaultier have fragrance débuts over the next several months, beginning with Paco Rabanne Invictus Victory eau de parfum, retailing in New Zealand from April 11 (NZ$134 for 50 ml, NZ$183 for 100 ml).
   Newly launched this year, Invictus Victory in a masculine oriental scent with one of the most distinctive packages around, resembling a black trophy. Top notes are lemon and pink pepper, followed by lavender and olibanum in the middle, and vanilla, tonka bean and amber at its base.

   Come June, Paco Rabanne will release Olympea Blossom eau de parfum in New Zealand, on counters on the 13th. Retail prices are NZ$119 for 30 ml, NZ$164 for 50 ml, and NZ$220 for 80 ml.
   A feminine scent, Olympea Blossom is a floral, fruity fragrance with damask rose and pink pepper notes striking us first, with pear, blackcurrant and sorbet at its heart, and basenotes of vanilla, salt, cashmeran and patchouli.
   Farmers, Life Pharmacy, Smith & Caughey’s, Ballantyne’s, H. & J. Smith and David Jones will retail the two.

   Bridging the gap in release dates is Jean Paul Gaultier’s La Belle Le Parfum eau de parfum, hitting counters on May 2. Again in three sizes—30, 50 and 100 ml priced at NZ$120, NZ$162 and NZ$227 respectively—this is a follow-up to 2019’s La Belle.
   With the distinctive La Belle bust packaging, this new version of the scent has been created by Quentin Bisch and Sonia Constant, with vanilla, pear, almon, belladonna, musk, bergamot, tonka bean and jasmine within its notes. Farmers, Life Pharmacy, Smith & Caughey’s, Ballantyne’s and H. & J. Smith will stock the scent.

Dr Martens and Suicoke have collaborated on two sandals, which fuse the former’s Lorsan sandal with of the latter’s mainline silhouettes.
   The capsule collection comprises the Boak (NZ$360) and the Depa (NZ$340), made from Dr Martens’ Black Smooth leather. The sandals feature both companies’ branding, clip buckles on the Boak and Suicoke’s pull-tab on the Depa, and finished with Dr Martens’ heel tab and yellow welt stitching.
   Suicoke said in a press statement, ‘Dr Martens and Suicoke share a mutual understanding and unique approach to design that consistently challenges creative development—utilizing only the highest-quality materials.
   ‘We don’t design to a specific demographic, but simply to make something special. It shouldn’t be distinguished from us but rather by the consumer. They are the ones with the freedom and right to choose the product if it fits their lifestyle.’
   In New Zealand, Area 51 retails the capsule collection.

Witchery’s April arrivals form part of its Highland Escape collection for autumn–winter 2021, with checks and tartan dropping for April.
   Tapping into a Scottish heritage, Witchery’s latest evokes a 1970s to 1980s mood, with designs including the pintuck check dress, with butterscotch and whisky tones (NZ$199·90); the mini button check skirt (NZ$149·90) is a chic statement that’s at home in 2021; while the check coat (NZ$449·90) looks warm with its sumptuous wool yarns.

New Zealand label Ruby has released its Visions collection, which aims to extend the brand into new silhouettes, and revisits a few classic staples, out now. Creative director Deanna Didovich says, ‘We created Visions to encourage Rubettes to step outside of their comfort zones. To experiment with new silhouettes, while feeling confident in doing so. Of course, the collection features a few classic Ruby staples reworked in trans-seasonal designs.’ More at rubynz.com.