Top and centre: Lucire KSA issue 31, in English and in French. Above: One of the articles in French inside the magazine.

I’m very grateful to the team at Lucire KSA, who have created the first Lucire in French this month. They had an opportunity to reach Francophone readers, and the first issue is now out in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
   We’re currently working with the crew there on the second issue, with our translators in Antibes, France and here in Wellington, New Zealand, and the hope is we’ll eventually craft some exclusive French content. As has been the case since earlier this year, the Lucire KSA team chooses their own covers to suit their market, and inside there’s the mix of fashion, beauty, travel, lifestyle and culture that readers have come to know and love.
   As a Francophone myself, I’m thoroughly impressed by the quality of translation for Lucire KSA’s September 2021 number, which has set a high standard for our team to meet for October, our anniversary month.
   My small contribution this month was that I proofed the September issue before it was completed, and contributed the French titles of a number of films. Reading Cahiers du cinéma and Première all those years ago paid off.
   What we may see from October 2021 are some of the French articles online, letting you choose which language you want to read it in. We’re having a look at the template now—after all, the current web one dates back to 2013, which is a long time in internet terms.
   It marks the fourth language for Lucire: English being the first, followed by Romanian, and two issues in Qatar in Arabic over a decade ago. We briefly experimented with a Chinese-language website, but as it had a single article, I don’t think I can count it in this tally.
   I want to thank publicly a few Francophone Wellingtonians: Carine Stewart, Sylvie Poupard-Gould, and Geneviève Rousseau Cung, all of whom have played a part in Lucire over the years, and whose actions led to us finding the translation team. As some of you know, Sylvie named Lucire in 1997—little did we know I would be writing this message 24 years later.
   It feels like another step forward for us, with our five editions: this, the original web one, our New Zealand print edition (which was our second), Lucire KSA, Lucire Rouge over in the US with Elyse Glickman and Jody Miller, and now Lucire KSA en français. I thank everyone for their support and initiative. En avant!—Jack Yan, Founder and Publisher

Wellington, New Zealand-based Tailor Skincare has launched a brightening eye cream, Awaken, which has natural ingredients including caffeine extract, hyaluronic acid, and milk thistle ester. It also contains golden mica, sourced responsibly from the Responsible Mica Initiative in India.
   The ingredients—all natural and cruelty-free—are said to add a glow to the eye area, as well as hydrate it, reduce dark circles, and fight the early signs of ageing.
   Founder Sara Corleison (née Quilter) said, ‘While our Hydrate Eye Gel and Facial Serum is already a cult classic, we understand that puffiness and dark circles around the eyes is a cause for concern for many. Our last new release, Illume, sold out within 24 hours, and we hope Kiwis will be just as excited to get their hands on Awaken.
   ‘At Tailor, we want everyone to be able to embody self-confidence through skin health, and we know that Awaken will help many Kiwis feel their best—even first thing in the morning! We formulated our new caffeine-infused eye cream to leave you feeling revitalized and ready to take on the day, and in less time than it takes your morning coffee to brew.’
   As well as the new product, Tailor has teamed up with Mojo Coffee New Zealand, who have created a limited-edition Brazilian single-origin coffee. For a limited time, online orders will see Awaken come with a complimentary gift set that includes one Tailor Skincare × Mojo Brazil coffee, and an Acme 300 ml porcelain cup in Milk.
   Awaken is priced at NZ$49, available at Tailor’s website at www.tailorskin.co and at selected retailers from September 1. Find out more at tailorskin.co/products/awaken-eye-cream.

If New Balance is right, then we’re in for an era of retrofuturism, as the brand releases its XC-72 in collaboration with Casablanca.
   The XC-72 is part of New Balance’s Shifted collection, complementing the 237 and 327 styles, and intentionally calls on the 1970s for inspiration. Product manager Alana Burton says the XC-72 ‘describes the future as seen from the past and the past as seen from the future.’
   Its designer, Charlotte Lee, says, ‘The XC-72 is the physical embodiment of retro-futurism. As with the 327, I asked myself, “If I was a designer in the ’70s, what would I create as New Balance’s concept car?” I took inspiration and specific elements from the past and reimagined them for today’s consumer. This methodology creates a timeless design that we hope will be reimagined, yet again, in another 40 years.’
   Lee’s 327 had already made a brief preview earlier in 2021 in Casablanca’s autumn–winter 2021–2 presentation, Grand Prix, and the XC-72 follows its design themes.
   The initial colour ways are orange and green with white and grey accents; and red and yellow with black and white accents, meant to recall luxury sports’ cars, with the black outsole suggesting racing tyres. New Balance’s campaign calls the XC-72 ‘Sports car for your feet,’ using a narrow ITC Garamond, which was seen in 1980s Apple advertisements.
   The limited-edition Casablanca collaboration drops August 28 at newbalance.co.nz and select retailers including Good as Gold, Subtype, and Loaded, priced at NZ$270.
   The first multi-colour version of the XC-72 drops September 3 (shown below).

US brand Neostrata dermatologist-grade anti-ageing skin care has made it to New Zealand, with a launch range of 15 items, sold at Life Pharmacy and Chemist Warehouse from August 2.
   The company’s founders were the pioneer in the use of alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) in 1974, and went on to discover glycolic acid’s benefits in improving skin tone and dealing with dark spots. They hold the patent to glycolic acid and license it to others. The company has continued to innovate, with polyhydroxy acids (PHAs, the next generation of AHAs), and a patented type of PHA, bionic acids; NeoGlucosamine and Aminofil are other technologies that are included in Neostrata’s products. The three principles behind Neostrata are to exfoliate skin, revealing fresh, new layers; to develop products at the ideal pH level for the skin’s best absorption; and long-term results.
   The company says it stands by their products, with clinical studies in dermatology journals.
   The 15 products come from the Skin Active, Resurface and Restore lines (with recommended retail prices):

Stephen A’Court

Every element came together for the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s The Firebird

Loughlan Prior’s The Firebird is a triumph for the Royal New Zealand Ballet, one that raises Prior’s own high standards, perfectly suited to the strengths of the company and its regular collaborators.
   Its première at the Opera House in Wellington last night was paired with the classic Paquita, which opened the show. Each ballet is roughly an hour long, with a 20-minute interval in between.
   With the hour’s run time, this is the version of Paquita that’s more regularly seen today, comprising a single act, and letting the dancers shine. It has been staged by Michael Auer and RNZB artistic director Patricia Barker, with Laura McQueen Schultz as ballet master. The costumes by Donna Jeffris and Barker are sumptuous and in the Russian tradition, with a bright set designed by Howard C. Jones and lit by Jon Buswell. Because it has been reduced to the final act, the traditional narrative is gone, but it remains a ballet that demonstrates the skills of the dancers, and there is plenty of energy, thanks to Marcus Petipa’s choreography keeping audiences enthralled.
   Mayu Tanigaito, in the pas de trois on opening night, is one of the RNZB’s greatest assets today as her performance and skill continue to rise, while we also have to note Kirby Selchow’s solo, showing her control and strength. But it was over to Kate Kadow and Laurynas Véjalis to do the most complex moves in the ballet: Kadow spent large parts of the grand pas de deux en pointe, and she executed an impressive series of pirouettes as part of the grand pas variations in the finalé. Véjalis, meanwhile, is a powerful, graceful dancer whose made some impressive and technically difficult leaps.

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Stephen A’Court

   As enjoyable as Paquita was, we weren’t prepared for the dramatic impact and choreographic quality of The Firebird. This is the fourth version of the Stravinsky ballet performed by the company, reimagined completely for the 2020s, and with a message that is directly relevant to audiences today.
   Prior has set his version of The Firebird in a dystopian wasteland, led by the tyrannical Burnt Mask (Paul Mathews, in an excellent turn as the antagonist). The Scavengers from the settlement head out in search of food and water, and it’s on the search that Arrow (Harrison James), left behind by the pack, encounters the Firebird (Ana Gallardo Lobaina).
   It’s a direct contrast to Paquita, with extensive use of animation and graphics by POW Studios’ Marie Silberstein and Tim Hamilton, while Tracy Grant Lord’s costumes and set design place audiences right into the desert of the wasteland. The Firebird’s flames are cleverly projected on her, bringing her powers to life; they have a natural, organic effect. The image of a burning orb is a motif here, signalling both fire and rebirth; NASA imagery of the sun served as an early inspiration. Buswell, here, too works his lighting magic to great effect, taking the colours from the animations and letting both performers and animations do their work. Every aspect came together perfectly with Igor Stravinsky’s score.
   The Firebird is great storytelling at its heart, an intense drama that held us spellbound, that the precise techniques and movements of the dancers served to enhance. Lobaina’s Firebird was largely en pointe as the mythical creature whose feathers could draw water; and with James’s Arrow there are romantic pas de deux moments that, with classical movements at the core, highlighted innovative approaches in Prior’s choreography.
   When the Firebird is brought by the Burnt Mask and his scavengers back to the settlement, there are suggestions of violence danced out on stage. Neve (Sara Garbowski), Arrow’s partner, and Elizaveta (Kirby Selchow), the Burnt Mask’s second in command, play their roles convincingly, especially the final confrontation between the Firebird and the principal antagonists. Here, Lobaina has a chance to shine as the Firebird regains her strength, portrayed by the addition of four ballerinos who add volume to her wings.
   Buswell very cleverly turns off the lights at The Firebird’s final moment, leaving things on a powerful high, and we were left breath-taken with the intensity of the one hour’s drama that had just unfolded.
   Prior wants to remind us that we are fortunate to live in the conditions on Earth that we currently do, and The Firebird is a warning of a world where things have gone drastically wrong for all life on the planet. We have a symbiosis with all earthly life, in which climate action and conservation must be at the fore of what we do. In the uncertain vacuum of a post-pandemic era, The Firebird suggests what could happen if no action is taken.
   No wonder there were members of the audience standing at the end, and numerous curtain calls for the dancers and the team. There is no exaggeration when we say, ‘If you can only see one ballet this year, make it The Firebird’—if we gave star ratings, this was a deserved 10 out of 10.—Jack Yan, Publisher

The Firebird with Paquita tours New Zealand from July 29 to September 2. It runs in Wellington till July 31 inclusive; then heads to Napier (August 6–7), Auckland (August 12–14), Dunedin (August 21), Christchurch (August 26–8), and Palmerston North (September 2). Tickets are available here.

New Balance and Staud have released their third collaborative collection in New Zealand, with two silhouettes—the New Balance 327 in blue, and the 57/40 in pastel green and yellow, both in unisex sizing for the first time. There is also an extensive apparel collection.
   The designs hint at tennis and boxing, and include a boxing short, a cinched waist jacket, a skort, T-shirts and lightweight summer dresses.
   ‘For the summer collection, we reimagined some of my favourite outdoor sports to reflect the Staud DNA,’ said Sarah Staudinger, Staud co-founder. ‘Traditional elements from tennis, running, and boxing are updated in sun-bleached pastels with feminine details and fabrics that include, satin, mesh and corseting. Some of my favourite pieces include a classic white tennis dress updated with colourful binding and a satin boxing short paired with a cropped jacket.
   ‘We are also excited to launch two unisex sneakers for the first time—the 57/40 and the 327—each reimagined to complement the collection and your lifestyle. All of the pieces work together to create a collection versatile enough to take you from boxing to brunch or anywhere in between.’
   The 327 retails for NZ$180, the 57/40 for NZ$200, and the apparel begins at NZ$70. They are available in New Zealand at newbalance.co.nz exclusively.