A label long known for its cool-girl silhouettes, unique prints and pieces that are leading the new wave of elevated everyday wear, Georgia Alice is one of our go-to brands. Offering clothes that handle eye-catching, elegant details with an effortless hand, GA is consistent in its mission of providing women with pieces they can wear for any occasion — and its new High Summer/Pre-Fall season is no exception.
Anchored by tones of sky blue (and fittingly shot against a backdrop of expansive ocean) Georgia Alice’s new collection is perhaps, its best yet. Executed in a way that combines soft colouring and feminine shapes with bold, exciting prints, GA’s new season is set to see us all donning snakeskin pants with simple blue shirts and pleated skirts with perfectly oversized blazers (like the kind you’d borrow from your boyfriend but much, much better). Speaking of which, masculine touches (like long, tailored shorts) are paired with patterned crops, shirts with sculptural sleeves and sheer turtlenecks that are putting a chic spin on typical winter wear.
All in all, it’s a collection that fits beautifully into the arch of the Georgia Alice brand narrative. It’s wearable but unique and undeniably striking without being gratuitously loud. But more than that, it’s a considered collection, rife with pieces that are not only interchangeable with one another, but that also work with GA pieces from the brand’s previous seasons (which is ideal for the loyalists among us whose wardrobes are slowly morphing into a GA look book).
Landing at Simon James Design (pieces will be coming in over the next week), this new collection is one you truly don’t want to miss out on. And considering how in-demand Georgia Alice has become, we suggest getting in there sooner rather than later — lest you miss out.
Some say whisky should be supplemented with a dash of water, others opt for a delicate drop. For us, Chivas Regal is best when served simply on its own. So if you want to achieve the perfect pour at this year’s Heroes Gala — keep it neat.
If you haven’t noticed, green is everywhere at the moment. Whether it pops up on the key pieces in renowned designers’ collections or rears its verdant head in beautiful homes, green is the tone du jour, and considering how it used to be largely relegated to the ‘acquired taste’ category, its emergence feels sudden and ubiquitous.
But perhaps its trendiness is a reflection of our growing awareness around important ‘green’ issues — like carbon emissions, waste and the use of toxic, chemical-based products. If we look to the longstanding maestros of paint, Resene, green is far more than just a tone to slap on your wall or add to a room’s detailing (although Resene’s palettes that fall into this category really do add some flair to interiors). The company also has a comprehensive, environmental programme for paint that allows us to ensure our homes are finished in the most sustainable way possible — whatever colour we choose.
Resene’s Environmental Choice approved product range, includes an extensive array of paints that have been independently verified as having no added VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) or having particularly low VOC content. VOCs have become largely condemned for their emissions — ozone-depleting emissions — that contribute significantly to climate concerns. Traditionally, VOCs have been very present in surface coatings, including household paints, but Resene (after it introduced waterborne enamels decades ago) established itself early on as the leaders in a new, more sustainable way of painting.
Beyond the paint itself, Resene also encourages people to return any surplus or unwanted paint with its packaging to its unique, PaintWise recycling programme — an innovative scheme that focuses on facilitating a more closed-loop system around the waste of Resene products. (There are a number of PaintWise collection sites set up around the country, find your nearest here.) Or if you wanted to take things one step further, Resene even offers a network of Resene Eco.Decorators — highly trained painting contractors whose methods have been certified as adhering to strict sustainability guidelines. They will not only complete your decorating project but will ensure that every step of the job is done in line with up-to-date, environmentally-aware practices. Find a Resene Eco.Decorator here.
So whether you’re buying into the new tonal trend or not, you don’t need to like the colour green to render your interior a ‘green’ one. Thinking about the importance of environmental standards in our homes (as well as outside of it) is something we should all be actively doing — and Resene is making it easier than ever.
Auckland City is growing up. With high-quality retail, hospitality and cultural offerings arising alongside its burgeoning population, Auckland’s development has seen a call for accommodation that meets the needs of its discerning inhabitants. Enter Seascape.
The new Downtown development situated on Customs Street East is set to be the city’s tallest residential tower and is promising unprecedented, inner-city living. From its striking Peddle Thorp-designed facade of angular glass and a sculptural lattice mega-brace to its impressive, grand lobby flanked by retail tenants, Seascape offers the kind of luxurious lifestyle one would expect to find in cities of a much larger scale. A pool and fitness centre, for instance, will provide residents with on-site, health-focused amenities. While an elevated outdoor terrace is set to become a hive of after-dark activity.
But aside from the obvious visual appeal and various on-hand conveniences, where Seascape really pushes ahead of the rest, is in its residences. Particularly, its two-bedroom duplexes, where apartment living is given a spacious new face.
Situated over two stories with a combined floor area of 152 square-metres, these apartments are framed by soaring ceilings, timber flooring and impressive, floor-to-ceiling windows that flood their open-plan living spaces with natural light. In the heart of the apartments, a double-height (six-metres-high) atrium can be utilised as a breathtaking dining room or all-seasons ‘winter garden,’ able to either be opened onto an unenclosed balcony via sliding glass doors or remain closed to the elements. The lower level of the duplex apartments also features a study (large enough to fit a double bed), a bathroom, a laundry and a sleek, contemporary kitchen fitted out with a line up of state-of-the-art, integrated appliances.
But the magic of this layout really lies in the novelty of split-level living, and upstairs, the luxury of Seascape’s duplexes is taken to new heights.
One bedroom and one master suite, both with their own ensuites and the latter with a walk-in-wardrobe, reside on the upper-level of the residences. Showcasing assiduous attention to detail, the refined, modern bathrooms offer under-floor heating, bespoke vanities with functional storage space and wall-mounted designer tapware.
In the bedrooms, opulence meets calm sophistication as the timber details, plush finishes and carefully-realised fittings (like custom headboards) combine to offer an air of pared-back luxury. Both bedrooms boast their own private balconies, an open-air one off the master suite and one that looks onto the atrium off the other, both providing a level of privacy not often found in the modern apartment.
With 10 of the two-bedroom duplexes available, Seascape also offers studio, one-bedroom, three-bedroom and penthouse apartments, and is proving itself a pioneer in Auckland’s luxury accommodation scene. Answering the city’s call for a new style of living that more accurately represents Auckland’s growing, urban identity, Seascape’s arrival is indicating the dawn of a new cosmopolitan era and is set to be one of this city’s most prestigious addresses.
So you’ve found your dress, booked in your hair and makeup and started prepping your skin for the big night. But what of a finishing touch? Whether a handbag or a shoe, the final step in black-tie outfit formulation is arguably one of the most important. And here, stylist Paris Mitchell Temple uses some of her favourite bags and heels from Dior to showcase why.
I like to think of myself as someone who is relatively fit. Someone for whom an average week of exercise might look like three or more gym sessions, the odd light walk and — aside from my shameful choice to drive rather than walk to work every day — spots of various physical activity when and where I can squeeze them in. If I’m going go put time into going to the gym, I like to feel like I’m leaving having actually achieved something. In other words, if I’m not working hard, what’s the point?
So when word got out that Les Mills had built a series of new studios in its Auckland City gym and I had heard (on good authority) that the classes being held there were both literally and figuratively breathtaking, I took it upon myself to give them a go.
The studios themselves, housed in the former industrial building opposite the main gym, represent the progression of the fitness industry from a purely functional space, to something of which its proponents are demanding a more holistic, all-encompassing experience. Designed by Monk Mackenzie and boasting fit-outs realised by the renowned interior design firm, Rufus Knight Associates — both working in collaboration with Alt Group (who branded the new spaces and decided on their overarching colours) Les Mills’ CEREMONY, CONQUER and THE TRIP studios mark a deviation from the global brand’s typically high-saturation scheme. They’re dark, moody and intimate, all rendered in sleek black finishes with iridescent touches (gold notes in the CEREMONY studio, bronze in the CONQUER mirrors, silver touches in THE TRIP) and upon walking in, struck me with their unexpected elegance.
That, I have to say, was a big tick from me. The spaces were lit to a level where I felt comfortable sweating in a room at 5:50am with 40 strangers but not so dark that my un-spectacled eyes wouldn’t see the rowing machines before I tripped over one (something I have done before). In CEREMONY, the room is split into two — cardio, lined with the kind of floor you’d happily throw yourself down on (whether for a gruelling set of burpees or, more likely, at the end of class) and strength, lined with a smooth, hard floor more conducive to any and all variations of squatting. CEREMONY is a 45-minute, functional training class, which is exactly as it sounds. Heart-pumping exercises mixed with a few weights and an especially enthusiastic trainer equipped with a Madonna mic, telling us that yes, we CAN do it, even when we’re on our third assault bike Hail Mary. And while the class itself was tough and forced me to dig a little deeper than I had expected to have to, it flew by, and before I knew it I was tumbling back out onto Victoria Street, eyes readjusting to the normal light.
Back for round two the next morning, but this time, in the studio opposite CEREMONY’s expansive space, it was time to bring my boxing wraps out of indefinite retirement and take the CONQUER class for a spin — wondering what exactly I would be conquering. CONQUER combines boxing on hanging aquabags with interval cardio bursts on treadmills along with various bouts of strength training. Structured like a boxing match where arduous, three-minute rounds are interspersed with minute-long breaks, as it turns out, the biggest thing I needed to conquer was my legs when they refused to go one more round at the tail end of the 45-minute class.
There is no other way of saying it, CEREMONY and CONQUER were hard. But there was something about their spaces that made the difficulty of getting up before 6am and putting my body through its paces, enjoyable. And from what I saw, most people felt the same — regardless of how objectively ‘fit’ they might have been. The equipment Les Mills had brought in was some of the best in the world. The trainers managed to be motivating without being overbearing, which made me feel in control of my own workout, able to take the classes at my own pace. And there was something eminently cool and distinctly unstressful about the whole experience.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to try the new cycle studio, apparently boasting a cinematic screen that offers an immersive, multi-sensory experience like no other spin class has before. But my legs needed a few days off, so we’ll leave that for next time.
As if there wasn’t reason enough already to pay ECC a visit, the purveyors of luxurious European furniture and lighting have created a space for those in search of designer pieces, without the designer price point. Level One offers a raft of furniture and lighting at heavily discounted prices (due to the fact that most items are either end-of-the-line, ex-floor-stock or suffering minor imperfections) which is a boon for those whose budget isn’t quite managing to keep up with their tastes.
The outlet store, located across the road from ECC’s main showroom, is updated with weekly arrivals and is open to browse on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays between the hours of 10am and 4pm. So if your interior is in need of some desperate rejuvenation, but you’re not willing to settle for anything below the best, Level One is the easy, affordable alternative to turn to.
Here we round up some of the best pieces available at Level One right now.
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Creed Wood Armchair by Minotti
Creed Wood Armchair by Minotti
Was $8,200 now $3,000.
K Tribe T2 Table Lamp Pleated
K Tribe T2 Table Lamp Pleated
Was $2,370 now $899.
Lars Outdoor Collection by Piet Boon
Lars Outdoor Collection by Piet Boon
Was $24,435 for the set now $12,960.
Moby Dick Suspension Pendant by Karman
Moby Dick Suspension Pendant by Karman
Was $2,240 now $1,345.
Lens Pendant by Tom Dixon
Lens Pendant by Tom Dixon
Was $1,770 now $800.
Amable Chair by Paola Lenti
Amable Chair by Paola Lenti
Was $2,380 now $950.
Perch Wall Light by Moooi
Perch Wall Light by Moooi
Was $2,100 now $1,575.
Cala 140 Outdoor Lamp by Marset
Cala 140 Outdoor Lamp by Marset
Was $2,720 now $1,900.
Slim Pendant by Vibia
Slim Pendant by Vibia
Was $6,400 now $3,500.
Shadows Pendants by Brokis
Shadows Pendants by Brokis
Previously ranging from $790 – $1,660, they now range from $399 – $720.
Words Margie Riddiford | PHOTOS Clara-Jane Follas | 7 May 2019
Having settled into the crisp, autumn weather, it’s time we turned our attention to building wardrobes for winter. That means dusting off the overcoat, donning the trusty leather jacket again and easing into the idea of stockings with skirts. But for all the cosy garments winter brings with it, there are none we look forward to wearing again as much as the cashmere jumper — and not many who do the piece as well as Dadelszen.
Creating a number of luxurious new styles for the cold season, the local label renowned for its high quality and beautiful construction is ensuring we have all the cashmere we need to stay snug but sophisticated.
The Palazzo Sweater (pictured above in white) is made in Italy from baby cashmere and was milled on a circular loom (rendering it with no side seams). If pristine white isn’t quite something that will work with your lifestyle, it’s also available in ink, charcoal and grey marle, making it the perfect everyday piece. The Marlon Crew (pictured above in cream) also made in Italy from impossibly-soft baby cashmere is crafted in the same way as the Palazzo and comes in navy as another option. The brand also recently released a turtle neck style, the Tatiana, which is made from a merino and cashmere blend and is available in light blue, grey marle or camel.
But these new styles don’t indicate that Dadelszen’s staples are going anywhere. The Florenzo Sweater (pictured in grey) is one of our favourites, and although grey is a timeless classic, the soft sweater is just as beautiful in camel or denim blue.
For any event of note, a man must ensure a few things are perfect: the size of his watch, the way his bow tie sits and his choice of whisky. Let this instructional video guide you through the finer points of black tie accessorising ahead of this year’s Heroes Gala.
In the words of Paris Mitchell Temple, Stylist and Co-Founder of Paris Georgia, “it can be hard figuring out what to wear to a black tie event.” Which is why we enlisted her and her know-how to walk us through the ins and outs of black tie accessorising. Here, she showcases a few of her favourite Tiffany & Co. pieces from the Tiffany T True, HardWear and Paper Flowers collections to help us prepare for our Heroes Gala.
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