Style Files

I love Street Fashion blogs like The Sartoralist, Advanced Style, Stockholm Street Style, the New Zealand bloggers Street and City Photos and Four Eyes and of course Bill Cunningham for the New York Times.
They offer a range of everyday fashion from ordinary people which is often a cheaper and more original way of dressing based on comfort, practicality and aesthetic. You can see geographical and seasonal trends. I love how New Yorkers cleverly cope with the heavy winter snows.

Photo source

Today I found a fabulous collection of large format fashion books in our local library so will be eagerly making my way through those.

This one being a favourite- Rare Bird of Paradise: The Irreverent Iris Apfel. I adore this woman. She has so much outrageous courage and guts with her personal aesthetic. Plus she is 92! Extreme role model of style.

Playing Favourites

Here's some great stuff I'm loving this summer.

1. Fabulous Australian label Perks and Mini make great stuff. Purchased from Good as Gold in Wellington.

2. Nobody Cult Jeans- high waisted have never really worked for me but this cut is really good. 

Photo from

3. Wellington Organic fair trade cotton label Kowtow is one of my absolute favourites! I can't get enough of there brilliant modern and comfortable designs. Every season I await their release because I know I'll want to buy the lot.

4. Turquoise Orbit Karen Walker Sunglasses. These are awesome and seem to polarise people in the small community I used to live into either love or hate. The lovers obviously being my friends and the sign of great taste. 

5. Finally found a stockist of Saltwater sandals in a tiny Martinborough store. Lovely!

A Fresh Outlook

Hey blog friends,

Look time since I have been on here. Things have been a bit too busy to keep up with it all. However with summer here and longer days life it feeling great.

I have been catching up on a it of holiday reading and listening with my new favourite albums being Best Coast - brilliant fun summer tunes.

The other new band that I discovered on The Active Listener music blog which I really love are Kontiki Suite- beautiful vocals and big spacious guitar sounds.

I have also been reading Grace Coddington's autobiogaphy.

What are you listening to and reading this holiday?
xxxx The Bricoleur

Lovely Headdress

As you know Etsy is one of my favourite websites. It is a worldwide site of handcrafted or vintage goods by individuals or small crafters. I really love supporting these artists and I constantly find incredible things on it. I have had to start saving for various overseas trips so my appreciation of things things has to be from a distance- however I want you to enjoy them too.

Available here

Available here

Available here

Available here

Available here

Summer Fashion

These are a few things I'm really loving this summer:

Australian label Lover

Ruby a great New Zealand label

Cambridge Satchel Company- patiently waiting for the black version of this to turn up in the mail!

Gorgeous swimwear by Surface too Deep

Lonely Hearts Club - essential lace dress

 Nick von K- jewellery

 Twenty seven names

Scandinavian Summer

Oh these photos just make me wish for a longer summer...and a trip to Sweden. I love the natural beauty and simplicity that characterizes a lot of Scandinavian design and fashion. Understated.

It makes me want to pack my bike full of tasty treats, throw on a light, floaty dress and speed through deserted, dirt country lanes in the late afternoon sun.

What do you love most about summer?

Weddings

My incredible friend got married this week. Oh I am so excited for her. This is a little tribute to her through some of my favourite wedding photos.

Handmade Christmas Gifts

I have decided to try to buy all of my Christmas gifts from individuals who have lovingly handcrafted them or things that are secondhand. I think people go crazy at this time of year, buy too many things and things that only have a short life span.
So here are a few of my gift ideas (hopefully my family aren't looking at this)...


  My sister is pregnant so I thought of these lovely little booties from Tiny Happy on Etsy

For a manly someone...The Apothecarium on Etsy

I love the prints and stickers of Melbourne artist Catherine Campbell of My Folk Lover for little or big ones.

 

 

OR for me if I had loads of money from the Agent Gallery in Chicago

Run Careless Through The Snow

I recently stumbled across the best sale ever- the local costume shop is closing down which is very sad and the lovely lady is selling all of her exquisite costumes. I feel sad that businesses such as costume shops seem so difficult to sustain these days.


In my desire to support this shop I tried on half of the items and finally decided on two things- a vintage possum fur jacket and a 1960s two piece lace dress and jacket combo- both in perfect condition and I feel very lucky to own these things.


The reactions to my fur coat have been interesting. It is real fur however possums in New Zealand are a pest and a lot of garments are made out of their fur. Some people love it and some are not impressed. My philosophy is that I would rather use this amazing garment than leave it to rot. Here is another fur themed item.

A Different Kind of Beauty

I recently bought a Fashion magazine from the airport on the way home from a trip and was very pleased to see an article on 'advanced style'- which is the term being used for beautiful and fashionable 'older' women. Their definition of older is a little different to mine (I personally don't think Elle MacPherson is old but in the fashion world I guess it is all relative to the accepted norm of 19 year old models).

I have been a fan of so many older (plus 60s) women in terms of their confidence and exuding style. It may not always be strictly fashion but style non the less.

I hope the fashion world do not pass over this trend in too much of a rush. It is lovely and far more inspirational to have older role models that we can look forward to becoming rather than feeling like once you are 25+ you can not be seen as beautiful, stylish or fashionable. Go ladies!

Straightjacket Fits

This is a lovely store in Gisborne, New Zealand who create clothes from recycled / up-cycled garments and also give sewing lessons so that you can create your own. My dad told me about this shop so I have to give him credit! You can visit them at this link http://www.facebook.com/StraightjacketFits