Another Couture Myth Buster

Bouchra Jarrar belongs to the modern couture camp. Her day clothes tend to be masculine-influenced, with long, sleeveless jackets and Perfectos with black trousers, while she returns again and again to sparingly cut dresses in silk. The refinement showed this season in dresses that beautifully combined blush pink, ivory and beige, and skimmed over the body. What perhaps isn’t obvious is the texture of her original fabrics, like a heavy silk woven from multiple shades of cream and ivory for her jackets. A black-and-white silk weave, used for sharp jackets, suggests an industrial material. Her clothes demand that you look close — at the amount of asymmetry in her designs, at the careful way she sets a zipper, so that the silver teeth become the merest line of decoration.view mroe

Fashion — 

Little Black Dress

particularly 1970s and early ’80s fashion — is having a bit of a moment in London.

On the heels of its blockbuster exhibition devoted to the style of David Bowie, a show that has been drawing huge crowds since it opened in March (and that runs through Aug. 11), the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington is about to unveil an exhibition that takes a close look at the club-inspired styles Long Prom Dresses of London in the 1980s.

Called “Club to Catwalk,” the show, which opens on Wednesday and runs through Feb.16, 2014, features the distinctive looks of the young British designers just beginning to make their names then — among them, Katherine Hamnett, Jasper Conran, Paul Smith and John Galliano — as well as the influences of the gender-bending night-life fixture Leigh Bowery and the New Romantic pop star Adam Ant.view mroe

Since they formed six short years ago surf-punk group The Drab Doo Riffs have accomplished plenty. The Auckland-based five-piece has opened for a string of big name acts including The Cult and Blondie, toured the country extensively, and apparently they have even licensed music to Mountain Dew soda. All fine notches but, somewhat surprisingly, they haven’t yet released an album. There is a method to the madness. The group, which is becoming increasingly known for its brand of 1960s throwback rock ‘n’ roll on hyperdrive, has just release the fourth in a series of well-received EPs. Speaking from his Thames home following the sell-out release party for the Aquatic Ape Theory EP, Drab Doo Riff ringleader Karl Steven explains that the shortened format suits the group’s punchy style.

“I guess it’s just unpretentious, that’s the way I feel about it, and it’s not intimidating for us as artists,” says Steven. “With an album you usually empty out your whole catalogue, unless you are incredibly prolific. You know, you take all your best songs and you use them up and then you are left with nothing and you have to start again. I don’t like that rhythm so much. By doing EPs we are always able to have a few up out sleeve for the next record.”view more

Is this your first time showcasing a zine? If not, where have you presented zines before?

Potroast is up to issue 11. Most of the past issues were showcased at Auckland and Wellington Zinefests. In fact Issue 10 sold out at Wellington Zinefest last year two weeks after the launch! We were pretty stoked about that.view more

A bread and butter letter is a handwritten thank you note usually expressing gratitude for G-rated overnight hospitality. It got its name from being delivered at eleven o’clock the next morning, when the ex-hosts were eating – you guessed it – bread and butter! Sarah Firmston saw the phrase in an olden day etiquette book and thought it perfectly encapsulated the vibe and ethos of the business she owns with good friend Rose Howcroft. The Bread and Butter Letter, on 225 K’Rd, is full of reasonably priced, locally designed goodies – clothing, jewellery, homewares, accessories, teas, and anything crafty or cute. I caught up with Sarah on a rainy Wednesday afternoon in her beautiful shop, where she was kind enough to answer my questions below:view more

Silhouette: A-line

Neckline: V-neck

Waist: Empire

Hemline/Train: Floor length

Sleeve Length: Ruffle sleeve

Embellishments: Beading, Ruching, Ruffles, Lace

Fabric: Tencel

Built-In Bra: Yes 

Fully Lined: Yes 

Shown Color: White

Body Shape: Hourglass, Inverted Triangle, Misses 

Occasion: Evening, Prom

Season: Spring, Summer , Fall, Winter view more