Rainbow Nation

In a cold world you need things that twinkle:

I am being good and trying not to be such a rampant kneejerk autosuggestable consumerist ... but this nifty hoody is from La Supre.

Fritz Leiber, master of Shakespearean sci-fi - The Big Time is an enormously silly, but entertaining, tale of space-time travel with copious Elizabethan references

Men like negotiating curves - but of course.

New York socialites ahoy

Beauty bloopers get peeps all afired up

Latest Artkrush looks at Painting in the 21st century

Jeeves and Wooster. Bless.

Stereogum presents Enjoyed: A Tribute to Bjork (thanks to Malcolm for this one)

Homemade version of Tron

Neon Neon's Stainless Style. This one's "I lust you" ...

Then onwards, on to the roller disco ...

T-shirt + Charity + fashion + Howlin' Pelle Almqvist

After reading a very moving story about his sick daughter from Michael Laws in the Sunday Star-Times, here's another plug for the work done by Starship Hospital. From 27 February, The Warehouse will be selling t-shirts to raise money for them (see Runway Reporter):

The uber retail store and New Zealand designer have teamed up for the second time to create a range of children’s T-shirts in support of the Starship Foundation. World has designed six different T-shirts which are available in sizes infant to 16 years. Five dollars from every T-shirt will go towards the Starship Foundation. The proceeds will particularly boost Starship’s air retrieval service, which airlifts more than 200 young patients each year to the children’s hospital.

I got a couple for me from the last lot, designed by world so the bigger sizes certainly fit buxom adults too.


And of course the Breast Cancer t-shirts for 08 are out at Glassons. I got the rather lovely one designed by Ruby with the big pink flouro heart. Cos I am emo.

For more fashion stuff, I recommend Anglomania. It's a weird un ... historical costumes in conjunction with 20th and 21st century fashion - staged in vignettes set in period rooms at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The mannequins who wear the costumes are a bit scary, like the clockwork characters in the Doctor Who episode The Girl in the Fireplace. I've got the perfume Anglomania by Vivienne Westwood, and her style is all over this book.

I know Valentine's Day has been and gone, but NME brings you some of music's pretty boys to warm your cockles. Hear hear to Serge of Kasabian who looked delish on Later with Jools Holland last night.And am listenin to Howlin' Pelle Almqvist of The Hives as we speak ... (Throw it on me with Timbaaaaland).


On another music strand, another brilliant ballbuster by Fedde Le Grand with Ida Corr "Let me think about it". "Put your hands up for Detroit" is such a genius song and this has similar boppy robot funkiness. Love the Robert Palmer video with added afro.


On the visual entertainment front, we are fully immersed in So you think you can dance Australia. Unlike the tedium of other talent shows and Idols, these people are quite incredibly talented. It is down to top 20 now, so the standards are ultra high. Breakdancers, poppers, Latin, Ballroom, jazz, it's all in there.

We are watching the series Robot Chicken as recommended by one of the dudes at our local Video Ezy. Stop start animation and fast paced furious humour, and one of the creators is Seth Green of "Family Guy" fame. It massacres all your favourite pop culture stuff from Star Wars to the Muppets. In love in love.

A gathering of stuff

And lo, I checked my email and found all this enjoyable STUFF:

The best Youtube of the year - all managers should be watching:

Happy news for Dux beer lovers: Dux Lager and Ginger Tom are the first of the Dux Beers to hit supermarket shelves - available now at: Fresh Choice Barrington, Fresh Choice Merivale, Fresh Choice Parklands, Fresh Choice Avonhead, New World Halswell and Pak n Save Riccarton. I've already bought some Ginger Tom. mmmMMMMMMmm

The Age reports on the new beauty myth and a related posting on cost of beauty maintenance and a dumbass called Tab Safran who opined that British women are shabby dogs. And then he came up with this rebuttal Oh please, you lard-butt British frumps have got off too lightly. Charmer.

Richard Hammond's hair beats James May's. But of course.

Belle and Sebastian. Just because.

Musical exhibitions to attract you to Melbourne. Including Nicholas Cave.

As usual The Sunday Times Style mag and The Times Online are laden with goodies:

The Dreamcatcher - Tim Walker's evocations of English beauty and quirkiness are sublime. Here's a selection

Behind the scenes of the new Dr Who Christmas special starring Kylie

French Pres Sarkozy is dating Carla Bruni.

Spamalot - all good for New Year:
SizableShlongSheldon. Obtain a huge schlong for a new year! Promote your little soldier of love in a new year!

VOGUE ITALIA DECEMBER 2007 / STEVEN MEISEL

One of my flickr contacts is Fashion Addict Diary and they have posted the most capitivating and original fashion photos I have seen in a long time.

Poetics

Just cos there is always room for poetry in life ... I heart Threadless

Or you might want a tshirt that celebrates Festivus (it's a Seinfeld thang).

A movie to lie down and ... Lust, Caution by Ang Lee. Don't imitate the sexual gymnastics unless you are in fact or a gymnast. Or a yoga devotee. Or a dabbler in contortionism.

I wrote a post on Japanese street fashion and came across this lovely blog Carmen Yuen - there is a good post explaining the allure of the Vivienne Westwood Rocking horse ballerina shoe to the Gothic and Lolita crowd.


Anyone venturing near the Hutt would do well to visit the New Dowse - taxidermied jewellery, fashion photography, and a showcase of 32 stunning avant-garde hats made by the world’s most adventurous milliner, Philip Treacy for his friend and muse, the late style-icon, Isabella Blow.

Was there ever a more apt URL - SOLO PASSION - Mr Perigo & his neocon mates give themselves a self congratulatory tug.

Apparently there is a tv show in Oz about Librarians. The web site is well worth a snoop, with quizzes and nifty effects.

One of my very favourite perfumes L'Interdit is being relaunched. Wonder if it smells like the powdery heaven I remember. Another Givenchy one called Vetyver.
sounds intriguing ...

And on a final arch romantic note, NZ Ballet is doin Romeo and Juliet next year. Love the Prokofiev music, one to save up for.

Guy Fawkes

What's hot & happening a la momenta?

Happy Music news: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds release their 14th studio album DIG, LAZARUS, DIG!!! on 3rd March 2008.

Another good discovery on the graphic novel front:
I Killed Adolf Hitler - Between the opening note of perverse sexuality and the touching tribute to the permanence of true love at the end, murder, time travel and alternate futures fill in the second act of this astonishing graphic novel.

Family history info on the Elsmore side

Have rediscovered the delights of flip flop flyin. Was always a minipop fan, but hadn't seen the lollipops. They are cute as buttons. See the lovely Har Mar Superstar as pictured in his smalls, and P J Harvey in her pink jumpsuit. Oh and Duran Duran.

Am feeling flouro at the moment (I've got fetching flouro lime fingernails), check out the no 1 shoe warehouse upcoming delights.

Fabulous Steves I love: Buscemi and Fry. One in the face for those who assumed the suave Mr Fry would be an old fashioned boy, he's a technology geeksta deluxe.

A recent exhibition invAsian!. Reminds me of Pierre et Gilles.

A nice article by John Sutherland on Jasper Fforde
The wit. lit. of Jasper Fforde: John Sutherland delights in a comic writer whose heroine keeps fiction in order and fights the rise of idiocy

Bringing sexyback

Beautiful floor length kaftans, kitten shirts, waltz length loungers ... Ladies and Gentlemen, I present you with First Lady Fashion ...

Post Labour Day - The Fashion issue

First up, big congrats to my sister Sarah for having her play The Bar at the end of the world put on in Auckland as part of PlayRight07
See NZ Herald Thurs 18 October
PlayRight 07: The Season at Herald Theatre
Here's a review from Theatreview.

Now let's move on to a bit of a Fashun theme:

Some desirable items from Rita Sue - The Black Dahlia dress (seen below) is tres foxy

as are the naughty Lolita glasses, would be good for minxing it up

Fashion Rocks - from The Age - Lily Allen's frocks, Bat for Lashes' headbands, even Beth Ditto's leotards - today's rock chicks are being embraced as improbable fashion icons ...

Sexysexy socks - anyone into hosiery will be sent into palpitations (I am admiring these boudoir delights)

Tamsin Cooper is now online. Lovely.

Highly recommended bra shop in Christchurch U fit in

Music be the food ...

This is Spanky Punky and Shy Bear. Yes there are still lots of cuties coming through but none on order. I am cold turkey on newbies.

Idolator - thanks for the heads up from the 'Erb Whisperer on this one. He played a hot Amerie track on The Joint show and now I am hooked.

Other newly recommended/discovered music sites are Daytrotter (which has the bonus of very pretty drawings) and Pitchfork.

And suuurrrrely the band name of the year is Someone still loves you Boris Yeltsin!

My favourite video of the moment is Cold War Kids. Watch it and savour its style and the great guitars.


Glad to hear all the reports that one of my fave fashion trends is back with a vengeance
o yes it is Flashdance. What a feeling!

and cool sneaks: "Steven Hawking Allstars Summer sneaker collection arrives!"

Heartless philanderer or modern emotional realist? - This is a challenging read "This man slept with dozens of women throughout his marriage, even when his wife was at home dying from cancer. Yet he never stopped loving her and nursed her to the end... "

sing stars

Played with sing star last night. God it's fun.
And had a spa. Bubbling boiling steamy spa and went into the icy swimming pool to get the major tingles.

Latest popbitch snippet:
A man in Tokyo was been hurling acid on the arses of women wearing jeans because he said "It really turned me on to see a butt in a pair of jeans." Charming.

Made a discovery yesterday - National e-cards
what a sweet way to be annoying
and yucky Dan Carter screen savers and desktops

That's my new dress from ANdREA MOORE in Merivale Mall.

Au revoir charmants

it's on

Kia ora

• Check out Jeremy and his puppies, the man is the definition of edible
  
  Eating Media Lunch
  Jeremy and his little friends
  
  Love his list of sexiest Kiwis
  
  The definitive list, in reverse order, is as follows:
  
  50. John Rowles
  49. One News reporter Pippa Wetzel
  48. Rod Dixon
  47.Cageman (Shrek's mate from Bendigo station)
  46. Young Helen Clark
  45. Dunedin Mayor Sukhi Turner
  44. World War Two Hero Charles Upham
  43. Former newsreader Roger Gascoigne
  42. Hika Reid
  41. Stu Gillespie
  40. Sexy Silver from Push Push
  39. Goldcorp boss Ray Smith.
  38. A tie between Sale of the Century's Steve Parr and America's Cup smasher Benjamin Nathan.
  37. Don Brash' wife, Je Lan .
  36. Bad boy Auckland property developer Mark Lyon
  35. The Young Entertainers
  34. Former Federation of Labour president Jim Knox
  33. Kate Hawkesby's husband Richard Lyne
  32. Idol Judge Frankie Stevens.
  31. Young Tim Shadbolt
  30. Te Karere presenter Scotty Morrison
  29. Tennis champ Chris Lewis
  28. Champion skier Simon Wi Rutene
  27. TV One's Mark Sainsbury and Peter Plumley Walker
  26. Newsreader Jenny Goodwin
  25. Breakfast host Alison Mau
  24. Author Katherine Mansfield
  23. Maori activist Mike Smith
  22. TV3 reporter Hannah Hodson
  21. Former after school TV host Tracey 80.
  20. Judy Bailey
  19. Former children's presenter Yvonne Moore
  18. John Walker
  17. True Bliss
  16. TV One reporter Martin Tasker
  15. The Hudson Cookie Bear
  14. Former TV presenter Ingrid Mole
  13. Simon Poelman
  12. A dead heat with Hudson and Halls, and Bishop Whakahuihui Vercoe.
  11. Simon Kerr, Hole in the Wall Gang leader
  10. The Evers Swindell Twins.
  9. The Ingham Twins
  8. James K Baxter
  7. Jeanette Fitzsimons
  6. Lorraine Downes and Murray Mexted
  5. Te Kooti
  4. Bruno Lawrence
  3. Former beauty queen Marise Wipani
  2. Headliners host Renee Wright
  1. Sharon O'Neill


• Got sent Futurama dvds instead of Family Guy ... what the?
• Listening to http://www.thejoint.co.nz with Fraserhead and the Herb Whisperer
• Very nice glass of Gerwurtz with lunch must track it down, started with M?
• Hell Pizza is now in Chch - a good thing surrrrely. Got to get in and chow down.
• Le Cafe after work, + Scrabble

Looking a bit scary 1980s today, black footless tights, ballet slippers (should be kung fu casuals for true authenticity) and short belt skirt. A bit star trek. Sick of perm. want my straight hair back. Horrified to see approx 5 grey hairs! Has only been 2 for so long now, I thought that was it.

Bro Jon down from Auckland, met at Sticky Fingers with Mum and Dad. I like my family, am I in minority?

Ka kite ano