I've Cottoned On

On one of my Melbourne trips I was introduced to the institution which is Cotton On. T-shirts, sweatshirts and other cool basics. Later it turned up on our shores. And it has branched out. One of my favourite shops is Cotton on Body. I discovered this offshoot of Cotton On in Queen Street, Auckland and got a good haul ... plushy dressing gown, fancy pants etc. Recently discovered there is one at Dressmart Hornby Christchurch (yay) and one in Riccarton which I haven't visited. It's great stuff, nice materials, bright and lots of cool 50s pinup style ... gingham, polka dots etc.

Yesterday I went to another Cotton on ... the one for kids in Northlands Mall as another baby mama told me they have stuff for bubs as well. And a sale. Scored some lovelies ... an adorable tartan dress, and some rompers plus a plain black t with "Security" written on it. And this one ...



Huzzah for bargains and nifty stuff.

The Frogging Aesthetic

Probably my favourite apparel for men is of this ilk ... military ... hussar jackets, with frogging etc, highway men coats. It probably had its heyday in the 60s when louche young men strode about town in such apparel. And then there were costume drama movie roles like Terence Stamp in "Far from the Madding Crowd" ...

Here are some exhibits:
See Adam and the Ants

Revived recently by the likes of The Libertines, and Kasabian

and Aussies Empire of the Sun

Songs du jour

Here's a selection of my musical cheers:
Number one: Doves "Kingdom of rust" - soulful, lyrical, stunning music (there's a nice orchestral version about the place). It reminds me a little of the 80s classic "Wonderful life" by Black ... possibly because of its beautiful melancholy and video:

"Love letter to Japan" by The bird and the bee - again a great video as well as a song. I love the line "I will lay down precisely at your feet"

Guerilla interweb

Having a baby is a whole new adventure, and is pretty wonderful.

But of course noodling round on the internet is somewhat curtailed. It becomes a guerilla mission ... and it's revealing what you look at when you only have a moment or two. I take a quick look at news, Moata's Blog Idle, email and facebook. Listen to The Guardian Music Weekly podcast. Go Fug yourself. And add baby pics on to flickr!