73 LAWRENCE ARABIA: THE BEAUTIFUL YOUNG CREW

This duo played after Spring Break (which we sadly missed :( I hear it was EPIC). It was like electro funk pop rock with a synthesized voice.... Pretty amazing. More amazing was the fact that one of them was dressed as a piece of bread and the other wore a leopard print visor with a gas mask looking apparatus tied around his head which warped his voice.



Lawrence Arabia and The Prime Ministers did not let us down with their Greats of New Zealand Cricket tour. They were dressed in their whites, including bucket hats of course. There's something about James Milne which is just so... charming. His mannerisms, his eccentric matter-of-fact jerky movements in and out of song, his say it how it is lines...

The music was probsssss the most highly defined music specific version of dream boat ever. I'm gonna put it out there, but about half way through the night I realised they are NZs version of a modern day Beatles... Their syncopated rhythms which define each song, the massive use of the tambourine (big fan) and other instruments such as sax and trumpet, the BEAUTIFUL harmonies and original lyrics, honestly it is just like, a massive massive dream boat of music.



(plays broken chord of next song)
JM: Does anyone know what this next song is?
Audience: mumble mumble...
JM: Oh ok, well.. Well you guys all lose. And we all win. Until we play this song, and then if you recognise it and like it then I guess you all win too.

(comes back on for encore)
JM: Well this is probably the biggest anticlimax you could have to a set, but we're going to start the encore off with another new song, so I'm very sorry in advance. But then we will go back to familiar territory.

Familiar territory it was; we were treated to the honorable bearded Liam Finn in the encore too.

photos by me

JM: This last song, is, well you guys may think it's stupid, but I suppose it's been a night of anticlimaxes, well no it hasn't, I've actually thoroughly enjoyed it, but you'd be silly not to have a dance to our last song...

And so it was the last song, a cover of Alicia Bridges 'I love the nightlife' (I got to boogie... on the disco 'round... oh yeahhh) and we all had a whopping good time.

72 MUSO MONDAYS #4

Todayz pick is a no brainer! Yayayayayaaay going to see James Milne AKA Lawrence Arabia on Wednesday at the King's Arms on their 'The Greats of New Zealand Cricket' tour. Apple Pie Bed is the first song that got me into them a while back, they are just super addictively awesome. To quote off youtube "This is much too catchy".

And how about this video... To quote again off youtube "I've never been so less aroused by so much flesh" i.e. perhaps don't watch the video and the song at the same time if you're listening for the first time... it is too wonderfully disturbing.

photos from lawrencearabia.com

71 OH LOOK I'VE CHANGED NAMES

some things can wait. this cannot.

70 FEDERATION + 10 IN 2010 = PARTAYYZ

Federation 10 year party invite from Garth Badger on Vimeo.


Fed can put on a good shindig. Howie and I took a trip down memory lane last night as we entered Shed 6, precisely where NOM was inflated last year! Last night was Federation's 10th birthday party, wowzah! The streetwear brand has gone skyhigh since its creation in the Y2K. Shed 6 was done up amazingly, one of those this-shed-normally-looks-shit-but-this-decor-makes-it-so-industrial-cool type looks.. There was a massive '10' ice sculpture in the middle, bean bags, lots of tile prints hahaha, sisters Maya & Vanya were on the decks, and there were lots of yum prawn and chicken kebabs..  HAPPY 10TH BIRTHDAY FED. xx photos by me or Howstah!



































Check out party of wolves for more photos!

69 SHOOTING RUBY'S AW11

Today I had a wee bit of fun helping out at White Studios, shooting Ruby's AW11 online look book! Just what I needed after a rather miserable past couple of days :) Amazing clothes and people of course, and BIG UPZ to Deanna for being voted Best Designer for 2010 in the new Metro mag!

from White Studios and Ruby

Ruby's AW11 - The Adventurers
designer Deanna Didovich
photog Guy Coombes
make up Kim @ Mac
model Gina at Red11

68 EXCUSE ME

for my lack of blogging... I don't know what it is that has made me feel so lazy, maybe its the STUPENDOUS heat, maybe it was my mini (but no where near as bad) repeat of the Barcelona death day, maybe it's working all this time makes me tired and no time to be thinking about inspiration. Anywhere here's something at least... These are things that have been on my mind recently, and by recently I mean a while ago I know this is all pretty late...

1 - the latest young star to grab the worlds attention with her new pixie locks (can we even call them locks anymore?) - Emma Watson of course. Yesterday I read an article about how she thought she was becoming too rich to have a proper relationship. Which was really sad, seeing as a few years back she described herself as a young romantic type looking for a guy to sweep her away. She was after all named the highest paid actress in the world earlier this year - insane! While I am jumpin on the bandwagon ( and a wee bit late too), her hair cut fulfills the 'new phase', 'coming of age', 'post-Hermione' moment in vogue history.

from emmawatson.com 

2 - speaking of hair cuts.. my friend recently had all her hair cut off (from very long to very short) Did you know you can donate it to wig shops and make like a hundred bucks! legit... But I would never be brave enough to do that. And a little freaky.

3 - I love how at least some decency has been put back into designers' collections as of late. Gone are the lowest riding, shortest short shorts and mini skirts, and all hail the maxi! Here are some A m a z i n g ones for this summer, holy F Michael Lo Sordo, this is the most amazing thing.

Shakuhachi twisted middle maxi dress, from superette.co.nz

Madame Hawke Valentina maxi, from rubyboutique.com, and Michael Lo Sordo maxi, from google

4 - How much do I want a pleated skirt. Time to get makinggg.

Ruby AW11 / Lonely Hearts SS10.11 / Sylvester for Kate Sylvester SS10.11

67 MUSO MONDAYS #3

Janelle Monae is pretty amazing: fabulous style, stunning looks, and what about that voice! She's such a fresh young and vibrant sort of sound,.. good vibes what!

This song is called Cold War. Take a look at the vid - seriously hypnotised.

66 GENKI SUDO

this is amazing! watch the whole thing.

65 VISUAL INSPIRATION

Fernando Volken Togni is a 27 year old graphic designer from Brazil. He recently designed a poster for the cool hunter reaching 153000 fans on facebook - BOOYAH! Here are some rad designs he has done, themed '24 hours in ...'







Paris versus New York is an amazingg website, Vahram Muratyan illustrates a visual match between the two cities. I picked out the food ones :)  1. le cafe 2. le snack 3. l'obsession







yum yum.

64 MUSO MONDAYS #2

It's very fitting; I love 500 Days of Summer, and Zooey Deschanel is an absolute babe. She also has a band, She & Him, with M. Ward who she met on the set of film The Go-Getter. This song is called Sugar Town, and it's the bonus track off the 500 Days of Summer soundtrack, sung by Zooey.

Anyway, Mel and I have had a fabulous business meeting of a day where we made some very exciting progress (hardly). And this song was in my head the whole day... Perfect for a lazy sweet Monday :)

photo: http://zooey-deschanel.us/

63 TOM FORD: THE NEW MR. FORD'S WOMENSWEAR

The ex YSL and Gucci designer is back in the fashion game after a six year hiatus, returning with the power of a Spring 2011 Womenswear collection. The 2010 December issue of Vogue US features the first look at his highly anticipated return to fashion. Says the new 'Mr. Ford' about his new collection,


“It’s about individuality. Real clothes, real women. For a fashionable woman aged 25 to 75. That’s why I literally put many of my own muses in the show. I hear them say, ‘God, I can’t find that anywhere!’ ” Women friends had been “begging” him to make them suits as soon as they heard he was starting a menswear line; he couldn’t find anything to buy his mother; it all built up. “I want this to be somewhere a woman knows she can go when she wants a great jacket—not a fake expensive jacket, something that has intrinsic value. I don’t think fashion has to change every five minutes. I’d like these to be clothes you can wear for a long time—ten, 20 years; pass on to your daughter. Why buy vintage when you can open your own closet!”

62 FIN

Finally Finished. Here are some photos of the best time in my degree, it is after all just past the one year anniversary of NOM. Let's celebrate. http://nom-inflate.blogspot.com/

61 VICTORIA'S SECRET 2011

We are on the eve of the spectacle that is 2011's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show! Tomorrow the Angel's walk the runway in NYC, although the show won't air until November 30. 

Among this year's highlights to look forward to are performances by Katy Perry and Akon, as well as Adriana Lima wearing the $2 mill diamond encrusted bra (over 3000 white diamonds set in 18K white gold). Newsflash: Included in this year's model additions is the one and only Lily Donaldson! Off duty this year is a pregnant Miranda Kerr, and Heidi Klum, who bid farewell to the Angels this year after 13 years. Let the angels fly...

photo: Victoria's Secret on facebook

60 MUSO MONDAYS #1

For my 60th post I would like to celebrate by starting a new little sub thought of my thoughts and share with you each week a song that is currently in my head. Music, is the Man. 


I inaugurate Muso Mondays with Younger Brother's remix of Night lead me astray, by Charmfactory. Happy listening everybody!

59 INFLUENCERS. (I NEED TO GET OUTTA HERE)

INFLUENCERS FULL VERSION from R+I creative on Vimeo.


Is this it? This is a short documentary about what it is to be an influencer ~ A trend setter; an individual truly passionate about something creative. They have the natural ability to see something spark, and transform that into society. They are so driven and confident in what they do that they have the power to have an effect the people around them. They are not swayed from their vision.

Surround yourself in culture, art, people and places.

58 JASPER AND DEMPSEY: A MODEL ROMANCE

SGC 2010 from derek henderson on Vimeo.



Friday night passion. Australasia's model couple Dempsey Stewart and Jasper Seven, taking on the world together with their latest for SGC. Mixed in with Italian Denso from Chocolate Boutique, a screening of Gossip Girls latest (!!!!!!!!exciting), and finding out about Tavi. I'm not even gonna link her. You should look her up.