New Zealand Style
[ 18 December 2007 ]
I don’t really think of myself as a “kiwi”. I was born in New Zealand, sure, but I have never felt any real connection to the country or culture. There are some things I really love about New Zealand, though — & one of those is New Zealand style.
Often thought of as “underdog to Australia”, New Zealand is a small but interesting country with a large dose of eccentricity in its aesthetic. It’s cold more often than not, so the style of dress has evolved to accomodate the weather. Lots of layers, boots & coats are all quintessential elements of the New Zealand look. I really love New Zealand clothing — it is typified by excellent quality materials & attention to small details, as well as only doing small runs of each item.
Here are some of my favourite New Zealand fashion designers.
Ana Steele
Those of you who have been reading for a while will know that Ana is a close friend of mine. This might cause me to be biased, but a cursory glance over her collections will, I’m sure, convince you of her skill & general fabulousness. Ana truly loves clothing, & she loves to experiment with new looks. Every time I see her, she is trying out something new & amazing. On her last visit, she wore a belt made of braces with everything, & it was fantastic!
Ana views clothing as a means with which to transform yourself into whoever you want to be. Her approach is exploratory & always curious. She plays with structure & volume, creating incredible pieces with hook & eye closures, high necks & sculpted shoulders. One of my favourite pieces by her is pictured above — the backless hooded dress. I borrowed the prototype of that dress for a long time, & adored it. Whenever I wore it, I felt like the sexiest girl on earth!
Ricochet
Ricochet have been around for a pretty long time, & I own a lot of their pieces. One thing that started to bother me after a while was that they never seemed to branch out & do anything new — every new season was just a re-work of the last. While this can be frustrating, on the plus side, at least you always know what you’re getting.
Regardless, to me, Ricochet exemplifies New Zealand style. It’s all about layering & dark colours. Ricochet does brilliant knitwear in unusual shapes — a cut-out shoulder here, one long edge there. They do slouchy but glamorous sweaters, thin belts, wide-cut trousers & great layering pieces. Years ago, they came out with the “kenny”: a piece of fabric that could be worn about a billion different ways, which became a staple of every stylish NZ woman’s wardrobe.
Their aesthetic is strong & unwavering — no frills or unwarranted frippery here. Ricochet’s mission is clear: fabulous, solid basics with unexpected details.
Laurie Foon
Laurie Foon is my #1, long-standing, hands-down favourite designer. She designs both the Laurie Foon & Starfish lines & has stockists all over the world (though, embarrassingly, I am yet to buy it from anywhere but the Starfish store in Wellington). Her pieces are fantastic quality & while I wouldn’t call them inexpensive, they really do last incredibly well. For example, I have a Starfish dress from the late 90’s which looks as good today as when I bought it.
Laurie is hugely creative & her ranges are totally different every season — I don’t know how she does it. She has the ability to make the theatrical wearable, comfortable & fun. As a perfect example, have a look at her Grey Gardens range (& keep your eyes open for things I own)! The Beautiful & The Damned is fantastic, too.
Laurie loves drama, volume & femininity with a twist of lemon. & I love her right back.
World
I really miss having easy access to a World store. I used to live upstairs from World Deluxe in Auckland, & I spent a lot of time there! World is owned by Denise L’Estrange-Corbet & Francis Hooper, & I think they do the most daring fashion in New Zealand. They embrace colour & flamboyancy, stripes & polka-dots & strange prints, super-long sleeves & big ribbons.
World is the place to go for a mind-blowing party dress or beautiful structured jacket. They do marvellous accessories & everything is imbued with a sense of fun & excitement. Sometimes I feel like Denise & Francis are actually astronauts exploring the fashion stratosphere, & then they come back every couple of months with absolutely warped but fabulous garb for their devoted fans. World is not for the nervous — every piece of theirs will make people stop you in the street to ask where it’s from. It’s a good way to make friends, if nothing else!
Extra For Experts:
Runway Reporter is an excellent source for all NZ fashion.
Simply You is the best fashion magazine in New Zealand, founded by Paula Ryan.
Air New Zealand Fashion Week. Is there any better reason for a holiday?!
Fashionz has lots of information on New Zealand style & trends.
Super-love & cupcakes,
Gala
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Brill piece Gala! I’m a Kiwi, living in dirty old AUK and it’s very rare that kiwi fashion gets a mention, well, anywhere, even here! (except occasionally Karen Walker)
Some might say that ‘Kiwi Style’ is a bit of an oxymoron, but there are a dedicated few of us who are committed to making sure this changes! Kiwis aren’t great, generally on the style front, but I know they just need to be better educated and inspired.
I personally love Misery/Illicit clothes, Kate Syvelster, Nobody and Bunny best. My heart doth overflow…
I love that hooded dress… Cyber-punk-chic. =)
I love new zealand fashion, there is a lot of black, and some people find that to be morbid, but i find it to be a very passionate color. it’s just so mysterious…
I definitely have the NZ thing of loving me some good layers. In my opinion, the further south you go, the colder and hence more stylish it gets. I love going to Hamilton so I can wear my coat! I love a trip down to Wellington when I can throw on my singlet, slip, dress, hoodie, jacket, jeans and boots. My fashion mecca is Dunedin. I haven’t been there yet (I’m a Far North girl) – but Tanya Carlson? Swoooooon!
The full-skirted Ana Steele dress makes me want to run out, lose 30 lbs, and buy it.
i miss NZ clothing stores like Ricochet! i really wish that they would expand into Aus. since moving here i have been relatively unimpressed by the ‘style’ of the clothes here, nothing seems to interest me much which is why I love taking my existing faves from back home & putting a new spin on them!
aussie seems to be pretty good for accessories, but basics aren’t really that great… even big labels like Wish are SO overpriced for the same-old-same-old type of clothing!
I WANT FRESH!
xx
LOVE the Ana Steel pants!!! Fantastic!!!
I have a long glittery black starfish skirt that I adore, I would like to live in a Laurie Foon world.
Even though I’m an aussie, i’ve always followed what NZ fashion designers were up to as I find them very innovative – I guess due to the isolation. The best bit is that they don’t usually follow trends, they just do thier own thing fabulously.
Oo I’m glad you posted this! I’m visiting my friend who moved from the states to the Bay of Plenty in March and I now feel prepared fashion-wise!
Since I live in Mexico, ‘ve never heard of NZ designers or style. I have to say that the style is great.
I really love learning new thongs from different cultures and style is one of my favourites (just after food n_n).
My favorites are the Anna Steele Dress and those Ricochet Pants.
Gorgeous.
Kisses.
Wow these are rad. When I was in NZ, I thought all the clothes I saw were hideous. I guess I didn’t notice these ones. I wasn’t in Auckland much, though. Maybe style in Hamilton is just fugly.
My favourite NZ designer is Karen Walker! I ooze so much love for that woman.
awwww i miss NZ fashion so much. its so fantastic how style isnt built around high street stores like it is in the UK. (tho nz high st stores like glassons dont measure up to topshop or whatever).
my mum and i used to go into zambesi when i was little and i was always so intrigued by the ‘weirdness’ of things, then grew into it myself later, i miss zambesi SO MUCH! and i remember lusting over their costume nationale shoes which admittedly arent a kiwi brand but ahh. zambesi fits in with my aesthetic more and more as i get older, and world too. karen walker i was never so keen on, her clothes seemed sort of smug to me, i dunno, i’m weird!
Fascinating! I love regional fashion :)
opium – you may well be right about hamilton. people here think i dress really weirdly and i basically wear jeans or dresses. not that far out.
Mmm wow, I want to go to NZ now!
i love new zealand. i was over there twice this year because my mum’s family are over there and i went shopping in newmarket both times and bought so much beautiful clothing. i’m considering moving there next year, australia is too hot.
Ohhh, yet another reason for me to dream about going to NZ again!
I miss NZ i used to live there I went there last year for a week and it was extremely cold! haha but i do miss it
And I thought NZ was only good for the sheep.
I just got a gorgeous World skirt in Queenstown for $269 down from $475 (hello – bargain!) and I’ve never had so many people ask me where one of my skirts was from. I wish more stores here in Dunedin stocked Ricochet and Starfish, they’re two of my favourites but so hard to find down here.
O my gosh!! I was born in NZ too, but have lived in Melbourne since I was 4. So, I’m much more of an Aussi than a Kiwi as I don’t remember much of my life there. However, there is a part in my heart that belongs to Aotearoa and so I wear a buzzy bee ring given to me when I was 5 by a woman close enough to be my mother. It’s the same emblem as the one on this page, as usual.
I don’t know, I’ve always thought of the bumble bee as more of a mascot for NZ than the kiwi. Your thoughts?
I lived in Otaki, so pretty close to Wellington.
Excellent piece, Gala! I live north of Auckland and I don’t often go into town. I do, however, make monthly trips up north, which is great because I stop at all the cute little second hand/indie/random shops on the way, i.e. Warkworth, Matakana, Mangawhai Heads, Waipu. And I love shopping in Whangarei, only the shops close early on weekends. At the end of 2008 I’ll be moving down to Dunedin though to go to uni, so I can’t wait to scope out the fashion and shopping there!
I would have to agree… New Zealand fashion is amazing. When I went to visit Wellington, I loved all of the independent designers and I just felt it was a really creative country. I actually wanted to move there!
I really want some of the Ana Steele pieces…!
Maddy — Yeah, I think NZ style is pretty underrated on the international scene. We don’t really have any break-out designers to carve a pathway, except for Karen Walker, who I find pretty boring, so that makes it pretty difficult. I don’t think that “Kiwi style” is an oxymoron… Every country has its own “large unwashed” contingent. NZ is no exception, but I don’t think that reflects on how stylish the country is overall. You should see the people in suburban malls in Australia — terrifying! I think the portion of the population who really do care about fashion more than make up for the rest of the populus. New Zealand style is totally unique, I see things happening there that I don’t see anywhere else. I think it’s one of the advantages of being so isolated from everywhere else, you just end up innovating like mad.
VICTORY — I like black too, it’s a great staple, & fantastic when offset with other colours. I’m sure if I had grown up anywhere but NZ I probably wouldn’t have been a goth ;>
Nadine — It’s true that cold weather requires style++! It is much more difficult to be well-dressed in hot weather.
NurseJo — 30 pounds schmirty pounds, don’t talk such nonsense!
Tasj — A lot of the designers I listed have stockists in Melbourne. Laurie Foon & Ricochet are both stocked at Paper Doll in South Melbourne. I’ve never been but I want to go, BADLY! World has a flagship store in Sydney, too. Australia is big on the ‘Made in China’ stuff, which I am not so keen on. Boo on mass-produced rubbish!
JakJak — I agree that NZ designers are very innovative; totally original. Makes for good shoppin’!
jess — Oh, cool! Well, the Bay of Plenty is very different to Wellington or Auckland, but hopefully you will still be able to get your hands on some cool duds!
Opium — Hamilton is not really the most stylish place, haha. I’ve only ever passed through it on the way to other cities ;D
Immie — Zambesi is pretty cool but for some reason it never really grabbed me. They have a store here which I should probably check out; maybe my tastes have changed! & I’m with you on Karen Walker, I’m not a big fan.
lauren — I used to work in Newmarket! It is a scary place but there is some good shopping, I concur.
Amy — Ooh, I’m so jealous! I am planning a huge shopping trip in Wellington next year when they start getting the new ranges in, I want to buy up on my NZ favourites!
lady jade — Yeah, I think the buzzy bee is a pretty major mascot of Kiwiana. Just like paua shells & uh… beetroot. Haha.
I wondered why there was a bee at the top of the article (it’s so adorable, being on, er, wheels and everything. Sometimes you just need a bee on wheels, you know? Nothing else will do.)
...
Moving on swiftly…
Why no Nom*d???? I can totally see u in it! definately the best nz label, I also dig Zambesi, but Nom*d is easier to wear, amazing quality and really makes Ricochet look pretty average (sorry)! I LOVE Laurie Foon/Starfish 2 xxx
Oh I’m glad you posted this article, Gala.
I’m off to Auckland for a family wedding for 9 days in February and I’ve been wondering what I should be on the lookout for whilst there – especially in the fashion souvenir stakes!
P
x
Being from Vancouver, British Columbia (that’s in Canada), I also identify with the “underdog to [insert more powerful neighbouring country’s name here]” syndrome. Ours is “underdog to the USA.” But we Canadians are proud and also have our own fashion niche – and no, it’s NOT Eskimo-chic. ;) It’s probably a lot similar to NZ style – layers, boots, coat, umbrellas, hats and accessories. Practical style, with much attention paid to our “internal” talent.
Anyhoo, love your blog. Think you’re awesome. Keep on rockin’.
Alice: – Love your comment! :-D
It’s a Buzzy Bee, which is a NZ children’s toy. You pull it along by a string (not shown). For some reason it’s become a “kiwi icon”.I still have my buzzy bee. He sits on top of my bookcase with my pink panther. Oh to be a kiwi. Today I went to my friend’s bach up north and we sat around in togs and black jandals and started drinking at 2pm. Where else in the world could one do that??!!
lana — Nom*D has actually never caught my eye! I know there are probably lots of awesome new NZ designers around, but I’m writing from my knowledge of how it was when I was there :>
meghan — Hee, thank you! Glad you enjoy reading it. I have never been to Canada but I really want to check it out! I hear Vancouver is beautiful. Maybe next year!
Magdalena — Haha. That’s so very NZ. Though to be a real New Zealander, you need to be listening to Salmonella Dub or Fat Freddy’s Drop or something, hee.
What about the Wearable Arts contests? The creations that come out of that are incredible and inspirational! :)
I agree with Meghan—I think the aesthetic is pretty similar here in Canada. I live in Toronto, and layering is pretty much essential in winter.
I love Ricochet—I’d never heard of them before. If I had enough cash to revamp my wardrobe, it’d look exactly like that.
Nadine – Right, I’m buying myself a Buzzy Bee for Christmas now! Seriously, that’s the most awesome thing I’ve seen in ages! :D
i love new zealand’s fashion design… it’s so different from what you get up in the northern hemisphere, but at the same time, it’s not alien like sometimes japanese design can be… i really like what you’ve highlighted here… i just wish i checked in with nz’s design scene more often…
:)
ana steele also gets mega points for being ultra-cute :D i met her while reporting at nz fashion week & she is a total sweetheart!
Hmm if you guys want to look at some awesome kiwi designers i suggest you look up Cybele Wiren – she is amazing, a stylist from the US came over to see her show and ended up taking heaps of stuff back for Kate Hudson. Her stuff is really cool.
Also if you do live in the cold climate – Dot Com and Adrian Hailwood are great for cosy winter stuff.
Sabine do great handbags.