Timeless and poetic, master craftsman and internationally awarded jeweller Brent Sutcliffe’s bespoke creations are crafted to mark life’s special moments with rare beauty and personal meaning.
For over two decades, Sutcliffe Jewellery has been creating showstopping bespoke pieces with such meticulous attention to detail that every glance reveals something new. Under the eye of master craftsman Brent Sutcliffe, a goldsmith whose career spans New Zealand’s finest workshops to London’s elite Hatton Garden, each commission is a marriage of artistry and engineering.
More than 70 percent of Sutcliffe’s work is private commissions, often beginning with a carefully sourced gemstone and a hand-sketched design. From there, hundreds of hours of exacting craftsmanship transform it into a jewel that feels as personal as the story it represents.
“Bespoke commissions can be delicate and understated, such as a pendant to honour a new chapter. ”
Every piece is a true collaboration between jeweller and client. An exchange of stories, inspiration, and ideas shapes every curve and setting, ensuring that the end result is entirely one-of-a-kind and filled with personal and lasting meaning.
Bespoke commissions can be delicate and understated, such as sweet diamond earrings to mark an 18th birthday, or a pendant subtly set with birthstones to honour a new chapter. Others can be rich with symbolism, like a ruby or sapphire chosen for its personal significance and turned into a statement ring marking a once-in-a-lifetime achievement. Whatever the piece, the journey to create it is as unique as the jewel itself, ensuring it becomes more than an adornment — it’s an heirloom in the making, destined to be loved now and treasured for generations.
Getting thirsty waiting for that longed for tipple? Follow these guidelines to ensure you’re served swiftly, time and time again.
Be on your game. Space is at a premium when you are bar side. There is only a fleeting moment before the tiny slice of space left behind some other reveler is swallowed up by a bar goer with better reflexes, so it’s best to be nimble.
Once you’ve established prized bar real estate, it’s time for initial eye contact. Please don’t linger and stare seductively, quick eye contact will suffice. Bartenders have seen every trick in the flirt-to-get-drinks book. Try and wink, snap fingers or worse yet, bang on the bar, and you’ve got yourself a 20 minute wait. Also, no gesturing wildly please, you’re not haggling at a fish market. Bartenders have remarkable peripheral vision, so when you think they haven’t seen you they are probably just ignoring you.
Finally, once you’ve got their attention, remember that simple drink orders communicated clearly and politely always win over awkward winks, brash yelling, absent manners or complex mixology.
Poliform’s Phoenix kitchen merges architectural precision with Italian elegance, elevating the heart of the home.
The Phoenix kitchen by Poliform embodies a vision of living where refined design meets everyday functionality. Defined by clean lines and subtle proportions, it conveys a sense of timeless modernity, while offering complete flexibility through modular configurations and exquisite material choices. Integrated handles, slim profiles, and seamless surfaces create a light, architectural aesthetic that feels both discreet and sophisticated.
Beyond its beauty, the Phoenix is designed for living — ergonomic layouts, intuitive storage, and customisable finishes adapt perfectly to contemporary lifestyles. As a centrepiece, it exemplifies Poliform’s philosophy: the kitchen as both a functional hub and a statement of style.
With Halloween now upon us, it’s high time to make sure that all family members are costume-ready for October 31 — that includes any four-legged friends.
From food-inspired fits to Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl, there are few things in life that’ll spike your dopamine quite like trawling for dog-friendly Halloween costumes. Here are a handful of this year’s standouts.
Pirate
A pirate pug? Adorable. This one lends itself to the perfect owner-pet coordinated costume moment. Bonus points for the little Captain Hook paws.
Life of a Showgirl
Channel Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album and go full Showdog this spooky season. Nothing turns heads at the local dog park quite like top-to-toe sequins.
Dirty Martini
Serving as both an homage to the classic cocktail and a powerful way to reframe the dreaded cone, this dirty martini costume never gets old and is surprisingly easy to achieve.
In Celtic tradition, the night of Halloween marked the worlds of the living and the dead becoming misty and blurred. From devil-worship to well-dressed cults, immerse yourself in the mingling realms of fashion and frights this October 31st, with our pick of the most stylish Halloween movies of all time.
Rear Window (1954)
Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window may have found its thrill in the themes of voyeurism, but watching Grace Kelly’s stylish turn is what really entices us to this acclaimed film. As fashion model Lisa Fremont (who is the girlfriend of a home-bound photographer who suspects one of his neighbours is a murderer), Kelly is dressed by revered costume designer Edith Head in the elegant height of 50s fashion — from the Parisian New Look complete with a pearl choker to a flowing silk and chiffon nightgown. Style level: 9/10 Spook level 5/10
The Birds (1963)
Yes, another Hitchcock — but as any aficionado will know, The Birds is one of the director’s most masterful movies. Adapted from a short story by the equally epic gothic writer Daphne du Maurier, it is a full-colour horror to cacophonous sound effects. Tippi Hedren donned the now iconic Chanel-inspired ‘eau de nil’ green skirt suit for the main scenes of running-scared socialite Melanie Davis. As well as its sleek fashions, the film has stood the test of time thanks to its cinematography technique and chic. Style level: 8/10 Spook level 6/10
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)
Scream queen Winona Ryder returns to the big screen in this reimagined cult classic. Almost three decades after the original 1988 film hit cinemas, Lydia Deetz returns, this time as a mother, struggling to protect her teenage daughter (played by Wednesday‘s Jenna Ortega) from a haunting of her own. With Tim Burton returning to the director’s chair and featuring much of the original cast that includes the likes of Michael Keaton and Catherine O’Hara, the 2024 remake boasts a stellar line-up, with the addition of Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci and Willem Dafoe. As far as the wardrobe goes — expertly led by costume designer Colleen Atwood — expect plenty of 1980s nostalgia, goth-glam peplums, wide stripes and suiting (synonymous with Ryder’s own personal style). Style level: 8/10 Spook level: 5/10
Hocus Pocus 2 (2022)
Another carefully executed remake, the follow up to the beloved 1993 original sees the return of our favourite trio of witches, with Bette Middler, Sarah Jessica-Parker and Kathy Najimy all reprising their original roles. Designer Salvador Perez takes the reigns from original costume designer Mary E. Vogt, paying homage to the first film with sumptuous fabrics, lush velvets, plenty of corseting and chiffon. The sequel picks up 29 years after the sisters were resurrected by the Black Flame Candle, and follows Salem teenagers Becca and Izzy, as they prepare to celebrate Halloween and Becca’s 16th birthday. Naturally, the plot thickens and misadventure takes hold of the witchy town of Salem once the witches get involved. Style level: 7.5/10 Spook level: 3/10
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Starring Mia Farrow as a wide-eyed Rosemary, this psychological thriller had a notable impact on both cinema-goers and fashion designers. The sixties shifts and pinafores became emblematic of the era, with references since seen in the collections of Miuccia Prada and Joseph Altuzarra. While the film is slow to start — especially for modern movie watchers — the subject matter (being impregnated by the devil) is certainly disturbing, and it has some of the most suspenseful scenes we’ve seen. Style level: 7/10 Spook level: 7/10
Carrie (1976)
The film that catapulted Sissy Spacek and John Travolta to fame, Carrie is a horror for the ages. It follows what happens after the titular character unleashes her telekinetic powers at her school ball, after being humiliated by her classmates. The most profound pink gown ever worn to a prom, it starts as a soft silk slip before it becomes blood-soaked. Talk about killer style. Style level: 6/10 Spook level: 6/10
The Hunger (1983)
Capturing the timeless beauty of Catherine Deneuve, the cruel elegance of David Bowie, and the open sensuality of Susan Sarandon, The Hunger created the most stylish vampire love triangle on-screen (and there’ve been a few). For Tony Scott’s directorial debut, no expense was spared on the costuming, which included Yves Saint Laurent suits and historical costumes by the Tirelli tailoring house. Okay, so the ’80s effects are not so riveting now, but the perverse fear portrayed will still get your heart racing. Style level: 7/10 Spook level: 4/10
Heavenly Creatures (1994)
One of the most haunting films in recent memory, the Peter Jackson classic stars a young Kate Winslet alongside our very own Melanie Lynskey. The film documents the true crime story of the notorious 1954 Parker–Hulme murder case in Christchurch, New Zealand, examining the relationship between teenage girls — Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme — ahead of the brutal killing of Parker’s mother. Wardrobe designer Ngila Dickson perfects the cinched ’50s silhouette throughout, bringing an ultra feminine quality to a truly gruesome crime thriller. Spanning cinematic genres and eerily disturbing from start to finish, Heavenly Creatures stays with you long after the final credits roll.
Style level: 7/10 Spook level: 5/10
Death Becomes Her (1992)
In an eternal quest for youth, rivals Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn become undead Beverly Hills style icons in this cult classic film. As well as their iconic gowns, Isabella Rossellini’s dark-arts character, Lisle Von Rhuman, manages to wear the witchcraft that is bejewelled crop tops. While it’s much more fun than fright, this ahead-of-its-time feminist film is worth a watch. Style level: 7/10 Spook level: 3/10
Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1993)
Francis Ford Coppola’s naughty-nineties horror starring Winona Ryder, Keanu Reeves and Anthony Hopkins takes from the original Dracula novel, and dresses it up to a vampish vampiric effect. Like most cult classics, it’s a camp feast that keeps our attention through the co-ordinated costuming more than anything else — especially Dracula’s bride’s outlandish lace coffin-gown. Style level: 6/10 Spook level: 4/10
Practical Magic (1998)
While it’s categorised as a romance fantasy, there are elements of Practical Magic that are certainly horrifying. Based on the novel by Alice Hoffman, it sees sister witches — played by Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman — become deathly unlucky in love. At the peak of 90s style, Kidman’s character, in particular, has become a bewitching style icon. Style level: 7/10 Spook level: 3/10
American Psycho (2000)
As the best dressed potential serial killer we know, Patrick Bateman sure knows how to select a sharply tailored suit, and a transparent raincoat to boot. Christian Bale really throws himself at his immoral investment banker character who dresses to kill — making him fashionable fodder for a last-minute Halloween costume too. While the film is much more enjoyable to sit through than the more despicably detailed novel by Bret Easton Ellis, it’s still not for the faint-hearted. Style level: 8/10 Spook level: 8/10
Suspiria (2018)
A remake of the menacing ballet thriller of the 70s, the latest Suspiria from Luca Guadagnino tells the story of the ambitious characters and coven through show-stopping costumes. With something much more sinister playing out behind the scenes at the dance academy, there are clues in every detailed item of clothing worn by Susie, played impeccably by Dakota Johnson, and Madam Blanc, terrifying embodied by Tilda Swinton. Style level: 7/10 Spook level: 8/10
Midsommar (2019)
This folk horror is one of Ari Aster’s most watchable scary movies, its sunny disposition and a stellar performance by Florence Pugh distracting from its scarcely interspersed, gory scenes. From the interesting interiors to one very stylish long-lunch in the meadow, the mise-en-scène is simply mesmerising. Inspired by traditional Swedish festival costumes, the folkdräkt, the white embroidered smocks have garnered a fashion-following, despite their more sinister symbolism in the film. Style level: 8/10 Spook level: 7/10
Now available in New Zealand exclusively through Dawson & Co., Kett delivers timeless furniture defined by craft, place, and enduring details.
Kett is a furniture brand founded on the idea that design should be inspired by place. Under the direction of lead designer Justin Hutchinson, the brand collaborates with craftspeople in Italy, Indonesia, and Australia to create collections that balance timeless craftsmanship with contemporary form. Each piece reflects the character of the environments that inspire it. From rugged coastlines to urban skylines, these references are distilled into furniture that feels grounded, enduring, and deeply considered.
Portland dining table and chairs by Kett from Dawson & Co.
The Portland Arc Dining Table epitomises this approach, its gently curved timber legs recalling the protection of natural bays, while its solid surface conveys both strength and permanence. It finds a natural companion in the Portland chair, a design defined by curvaceous elegance, crafted from solid ash and finished with upholstery that is tailored to order. Together, they articulate a dining experience where sculptural presence meets everyday ease.
In living areas, the Erskine Sofa demonstrates Kett’s gift for soft yet architectural gestures. Sweeping arms and fine French seams frame generous cushioning, offering an invitation to settle into moments of conversation or repose. By contrast, the Frame Living Collection takes a more technical approach, integrating storage and technology into a modular, wall-mounted system that is at once functional and discreet, with materials chosen for both their sustainable standing and with a healthy home in mind.
Every Kett piece is made with longevity at its core, combining traditional methods with modern precision. With a network of treasured collaborators, including timber suppliers from Italy, teak specialists in Indonesia, and their Melbourne upholstery atelier, each design is crafted with the intention of lasting decades. In an age of fleeting trends, Kett’s collections endure as furniture to live with, cherish, and pass on.
Shop the Kett range in store at Dawson & Co.’s Parnell Gallery or North Shore Gallery.
Hitting the open road this long weekend? Here is our definitive guide to the best new music and illuminating podcasts to keep in rotation.
Soul-Stirring New Albums
Madonna
Veronica Electronica
The cult gem in Madonna’s expansive catalogue, Veronica Electronica is a bold remix album that pulses with late-90s club energy. Reimagining tracks from Ray of Light through a kaleidoscopic, electronic lens, it reveals the Queen of Pop at her most experimental, embracing the underground while staying unmistakably Madonna.
Olivia Dean
The Art of Loving
The wildly successful sophomore record from the British singing-songwriting sensation, The Art of Loving charts Dean’s ascension to the very top of her game. With Dean’s warm, neo-soul vocals front and centre throughout, this is the kind of album that stands on its own and showcases the full breadth of Dean’s range and lyricism. If your only reference for the 26-year-old is the viral Man I Need, spend a little time with this body of work and expand your repertoire.
Ed Sheeran
Play
With Play, Ed Sheeran leans into his pop sensibilities, delivering an album that’s equal parts infectious and intimate. Built on rhythmic guitar loops, catchy hooks, and Sheeran’s conversational lyricism, it feels like a spontaneous jam turned chart-ready album. There’s an easy charm to the music, it’s effortless, upbeat, and laced with a touch of romantic mischief.
Intriguing Podcasts
Let’s Get Dressed
with Liv Perez
This weekly fashion podcast is hosted by journalist, Today Show style contributor, and trend authority Liv Perez. Each Monday, she dives deep with industry voices — from Julie Wainwright (The RealReal) to Tibi’s Amy Smilovic and Euphoria costume designer Heidi Bivens — offering insider tips and inspiration.
Your Undivided Attention
with Tristan Harris & Aza Raskin
A bi‑weekly podcast from the Centre for Humane Technology, hosted by Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin. The pair explore how emerging technologies shape our lives and society, unpacking the attention economy’s impact with leading thinkers — from AI ethics to digital democracy — while seeking paths toward a more humane future.
The Wellness Scoop
with Ella Mills & Rhiannon Lambert
This insightful podcast delivers practical, evidence-based advice from hosts Ella Mills (Deliciously Ella) and nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert. Each episode tackles a trending health topic — from gut health to fertility — offering clear, no-fuss insights to help you cut through the wellness noise and feel your best.
The A24 Podcast
with A24
With no host, no ads, and no structured format, this monthly series drops two creative minds — often an actor and a director — into free‑flowing conversation. From behind‑the‑scenes anecdotes to artistic philosophies, each episode offers intimate, unexpected insights from the talent behind some of the most talked about TV and film of our time.
Where timeless technique meets modern design, Lucy McMillan’s ceramic tiles, exclusive to Obery, are objects of quiet power and presence.
At the intersection of fine art and functional design, artist and ceramicist Lucy McMillan is redefining what it means to create surfaces with presence. Her hand-formed, layered, and richly tactile ceramic tiles are available exclusively through Obery (formally Design Central), a design studio known for its innovation in sourcing unique finishes.
With a practice steeped in centuries-old techniques and a reverence for material experimentation, McMillan’s work offers something rare: architectural detail imbued with genuine presence. “I was initially drawn to clay for its transformative qualities,” McMillan explains. “There’s a rawness and responsiveness that no other material offers.” What began as a personal project, designing tiles for her own family kitchen, quickly evolved into an all-consuming discipline. Today, her tiles are coveted by architects and designers worldwide for their painterly textures, sculptural depth, and quiet irregularity.
McMillan approaches tile-making with the same intentionality as she does sculpture or painting. “My process is built in layers and steps,” she says. “I often hand-stain and blend my clays, using techniques inspired by agateware and pictorial methods like collage, layering, and inlay.” Each tile is crafted individually. There is no mould, no replication. “It’s a slow, intuitive process,” she adds, “one that keeps me connected at every stage.”
Her fascination with agateware, a technique that dates back to the Tang Dynasty, informs much of her surface experimentation. She works with colour embedded within the clay itself, often combining this with Ancient Roman inlay techniques. “Pulling clay works from the kiln can feel like unearthing relics,” she says. “I love that sense of history, of process meeting chance.”
This tension between utility and art is at the core of her practice. “I approach my tiles as applied art; utilitarian, yet one of a kind,” she notes. “They need to function architecturally, but I never want to lose the sense that they’ve been made by hand, with variation and presence.” To McMillan, it’s precisely that imperfection, that “quiet irregularity”, that makes her work resonate in an age of mass production.
Obery Showroom
Her studio practice, in-house at Obery, is multidisciplinary, with sculpture, wall pieces, and tile work feeding into each other in a continuous dialogue. “Sculpture gives me freedom to be more experimental without utility, which feeds back into the richness of my tile work. Likewise, the discipline and repetition of tile-making help ground my sculpture. It’s a constant loop of influence.”
McMillan’s collaboration with Obery has provided fertile ground for this evolution. “Being part of Obery has sharpened how I think about scale, collaboration, and site,” she says. “Working with architects and designers has encouraged more fluid movement between disciplines and pushed me to think more broadly, especially as Obery expands into Australia.” She’s particularly energised by the boldness she sees in contemporary Australian design. “There’s a willingness to take risks with material, scale, and spatial narrative that I really admire,” she says. “I’m excited to be part of that conversation, to connect with people who are pushing boundaries.”
Obery Showroom
Despite the technical mastery involved in her work, McMillan remains deeply humbled by the medium. “There’s an alchemy to clay,” she reflects. “It’s constantly shifting, and often forces you to respond rather than control. There’s always an element of unpredictability. It’s changed how I run my practice: with more openness, and more attention to process.”
Every commission begins with intention, but what emerges is always singular — a surface of rich material memory, formed by hand, one tile at a time. In McMillan’s world, function and art are not opposites. They are inseparable.
At first blush, you’d be forgiven for doing a double-take. The Shark TurboBlade is seriously that slick.
As we shift into longer days and lighter living, comfort at home becomes more of a priority — especially when it comes to staying cool at night and surviving the sweltering summer humidity. Enter the TurboBlade, a design-led, bladeless fan that proves home appliances can look sleek and over-perform.
Modern and minimal in its charcoal or dove finish, the TurboBlade is made to complement contemporary spaces rather than compete with them. But it’s more than just good looks — the fan is powerful enough to cool larger rooms with ease, circulating fresh air exactly where you need it. With innovative, fully customisable settings, you can pivot, twist, and oscillate to find your perfect level of comfort, whether it’s a direct breeze or a soft, even flow.
Quiet enough to use while working and sleeping, safe for homes with children or pets, and refreshingly easy to clean — this is cooling that prioritises function as well as form. It’s the perfect solution for anyone who wants their home to feel calm, cool, and put-together — even in the stifling heat.
The Bentley Mulliner Aoraki captures the soul of New Zealand in a singular, spectacular drive.
Few car brands in the world are as synonymous with luxury as Bentley. The British marque is defined by a carefully finessed balance of fine craftsmanship (with skills passed down through generations), engineering prowess, and a knack for tech integration. Still, it’s a penchant for future thinking that sets it apart. And nowhere is this more evident than in the recent unveiling of the first-ever Bentley Bentayga inspired by the captivating landscapes and unique heart and soul of New Zealand — the Bentley Mulliner Aoraki.
In 2023, our editor-in-chief embarked on a truly extraordinary journey with the storied marque, traversing one of the world’s most exceptional driving routes in what she described as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Deep in the South Island, immersed in a world of design, wellbeing, and adventure (behind the wheel of Bentley’s fleet of models), the adventure not only offered the chance to experience and connect with the cars, but also an immersion into nature, witnessing some of the most spectacular landscapes in the world. And it’s here, amongst the snow-capped mountains, sprawling tussock-covered plateaus, and breathtaking fiords, that the seed was planted for The Bentley Mulliner Aoraki, Bentley’s one-of-a-kind new model.
Named for New Zealand’s tallest mountain, Aoraki Mount Cook, and drawing inspiration from our country’s captivating landscape, this unique vehicle was commissioned by Bentley Auckland and crafted by Mulliner, Bentley’s Bespoke Studio based in Crewe, England. The genesis of the New Zealand-inspired car was to craft something as spectacular and majestic as everything witnessed on the Extraordinary Journey.
“The Bentley Mulliner Aoraki was Named for Aoraki Mount Cook and draws inspiration from our country’s captivating landscape.”
Mulliner set to work, crafting a material and colour combination that captured several elements of Aotearoa’s unique environment, and the result is a vehicle of rare distinction. The Mulliner Aoraki’s Anthracite over Cyprus duo-tone exterior nods to the craggy hues of alpine rock, while tussock-covered plateaus are represented in Khamun contrast hand-painted pinstriping to the carbon fibre styling.
Inside, the cabin is a masterclass in bespoke design, from the Open Pore Galaxy Stone centre console to the richly grained ‘Kea Green’ leather accents — a nod to the South Island’s mischievous native parrot. Even the six o’clock steering wheel spoke and grab handles are finished in this deep olive-emerald shade, subtly tying in the colour story of Fiordland’s forested valleys.
Beyond aesthetics, the car has been engineered with both urban and off-road exploration in mind. Built on a foundation of performance and comfort, it comes equipped with Bentley’s Touring and All-Terrain Specifications, ensuring capability on even the most rugged backcountry roads. A bespoke, colour-matched roof box offers additional storage for longer escapes, while 22-inch Azure Wheels in Beluga Gloss with Cyprus pockets provide an effortlessly elegant stance. Inside, acoustic privacy glass, mood lighting, and a B&O for Bentley audio system create a cocooned, cinematic experience for passengers.
A tribute to (and reminder of) New Zealand’s spectacular natural environment and a true collector’s item, the Bentley Mulliner Aoraki is not only a masterpiece, but also a testament to how powerful a sense of connection can be — and a nod to Bentley’s ever-evolving ambition.
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