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Daily Outfit: 4th March 2010

[ 8 March 2010, 19:07 ]

I love this outfit. I wanted to take photos but was in a rush, so decided to take video while I was getting ready & on my way.

I wore…

Heart diamante earrings from GirlProps
Cut-out jersey dress from Missguided
Black satin trim blazer from Urban Outfitters
Black windowpane stockings by Cynthia Rowley
Worn with over-the-knee black socks with skull bows on the back
Frye motorcycle boots
Alice Hannah sequinned fingerless gloves from ASOS
Heart quilted padlock bowler bag from ASOS
Sunglasses from Forever 21

It cracks me up to wear my hair like this, I feel like a cross between Rihanna & Ivana Trump, even though some people say I look like a conehead! Hahah!

It has been so beautiful the last few days, it’s making me all hopeful for spring… Hurry up, please!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Latest ChinaShop Pieces!

[ 6 March 2010, 15:15 ]

Here’s a sampling of what I got up to during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week!

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My Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week highlight was, without a doubt, the Betsey Johnson show, and I’m sure I wasn’t alone. Betsey’s shows aren’t just a moving catalog of latest looks — they’re a full-blown party, with a kicking soundtrack, attitude-laden models and a vivacious atmosphere. The crowd simmers excitedly, the models are laughing with one another and practicing dance-steps, and balloons litter the backstage area… Read more!

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Fashion Institute of Technology’s Tokyo Fashion Festa: A Fashion Show of Rarely Seen Lolita, Gothic Lolita, and Tokyo Girls’ Styles marked the last show of my New York Fashion Week experience. Designed as preview of FIT’s upcoming exhibition, Japan Fashion Now, it was a mix of short film, live fashion & musical performances which caused me to turn to my companion and say, “I feel really… foreign!” Read more!

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Spring is on its way — not that you would know it on the East Coast — and so is Alice In Wonderland, Tim Burton’s latest masterpiece. While it may just seem like a simple movie release, it definitely isn’t. It’s going to be a key influence throughout the year in the world of fashion. We’re already seeing allusions to Wonderland style, from cropped White Rabbit-esque jackets to fob watches and super-feminine, tulle skirts. Believe me when I say that you’ll be seeing a lot more of this surreal and psychedelic-but-demure aesthetic!

So when I saw Girly Girl Shoes‘ latest releases — a collection of crystal-embellished ballet flats in bright candy colors as well as some daring metallic heels, I knew they were perfectly on-trend. I had a quick chat with Nicole Woo, the designer of Girly Girl Shoes, to see where she gets her inspiration, who she designs for, and what’s next… Read more!

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Christopher Bailey is a man of vision. He spoke about creating the atmosphere of a fashion show, & how every small detail mattered — from the attendees to who you were seated next to, & even the lighting & the scent of the room. He said that he wanted people to walk out of the show with a certain feeling & emotion. It’s so fantastic to see fashion designers return to theatrical shows, after years of minimalism & simplicity on the runway. Everyone loves a good performance! Read more!

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Combining pop art sensibilities with graffiti culture, Mr. Brainwash’s relentless riffing on celebrity culture is at once familiar and colorful. He recasts Angelina Jolie as Marilyn Monroe, smothers a 7′ can of spray-paint with Louis Vuitton’s famous monogram, and recreates Jimi Hendrix on a canvas covered in crushed records. At the back of the room, almost hidden in the dark, was a classic NYC cab sealed inside life-sized Matchbox packaging.

If Andy Warhol and Banksy were able to mate — and had been willing to do so — Mr. Brainwash is the likely result… Read more!

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It’s the most wonderful time of the yeeeeear… February is the month that fashionistas love and dread. Fashion week menacingly dominates the psyche. From Paris to New York and London to Milan, the selection of shows is staggering. Style aficiandos stumble through airports, sleepwalk through shows, subsist mostly on champagne and do their best to report what they’ve seen. Glamorous though it may seem, the reality is far from it.

Here’s my guide to surviving fashion week with style, grace and God willing, a little sleep… Read more!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Evolving Influence

[ 22 February 2010, 09:01 ]

Last Monday afternoon, I made my way to the Helen Mills Theatre Theater for the Independent Fashion Bloggers’ Evolving Influence conference. I’d been asked to speak on a panel called The Business Of Blogging, & I was super-psyched.

I was even more excited when I saw this amazing poster outside! I now have a smaller version of it on a wall in my office!

The conference was fantastic. Huge kudos to everyone involved in organising it. Jennine, Jordana, Yuli, Wendy & Julia did an incredible job. On behalf of everyone who attended, I’d like to say an ENORMOUS thank you for investing so much time & energy! It totally paid off.

I was also extremely blessed to be approached by ModCloth who asked if they could dress me for the panel! How can a girl say no to that?! Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to plug them while I was there, but now you know! Plug plug plug!

I wore…

Tarina Tarantino heart necklace (repping RADICAL SELF LOVE hard!)
Shine After Shine dress from ModCloth (new favourite, mos’ def’)
Black cashmere cardigan from Urban Outfitters
Faux fur vintage coat
Black back-seamed stockings (which ripped, as you can see! First time I wore them! WORST!)
Black knee socks with white bows on the back (Leg Avenue)
Skull ring, crystal rabbit ring, crystal two-finger ring
BCBG Mendel booties

Speaking with me on the subject of The Business Of Blogging were Lauren Dimet Waters, Dina Fierro, Aubree Nichols & Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond, & it was moderated by Yuli (I love her, the woman is a machine, she can get ANYTHING done). The auditorium holds 200 people & it was totally packed.

People say, “Do what you love.” Do you love blogging so much that you’re ready to go from hobby to career? In this panel — brought to you by Style Coalition — you’ll get expert advice on the business of blogging from those who’ve made careers in the blogosphere, as well as those who work with bloggers on a daily basis.

We were talking mostly about how to make $$$ from blogging, everyone’s favourite topic! We also discussed working with PR companies, editorial policies & what makes a blog attractive to advertisers. The people in the audience seemed to really enjoy it & hopefully we provided everyone with a lot of useful information!

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The panel lasted an hour but I had so much more to say! Damn, gimme that MIC! The panel was live on Ustream & also filmed by Bobbin Talk! See below! (Smooch!)

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I stayed for an hour & a half afterward, talking to people, giving hugs & advice, shaking hands & taking photographs. It was the best feeling! I love all my readers so much & it’s so much FUN to meet the people who are usually on the other side of the screen! Every time I do this, I am completely delighted by how rad everyone is. Seriously wonderful.

Thanks to everyone who came out for the event — it meant a lot to all of us!

Oh, bonus! We got written up in Teen Vogue!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Talking With Gala Darling About #RadicalSelfLove

[ 10 February 2010, 11:14 ]

I’ve been following the online adventures of John ‘Halcyon’ Styn for a very long time. From his Globalgasm project all the way through to Grandpa Caleb & HugNation, I have always loved his flair & personal bravery. Most of all, though, I adore his commitment to using the internet to create digital intimacy & foster love on a global scale!

I’m pretty sure his pink tresses are what inspired me to go pink for the first time in 2006, & when I met him at Burning Man a couple of months later, I was very shy & very starstruck!

Fast-forward to Austin, Texas, 2009. We finally got to spend some time together during the madness of SXSW Interactive & it was great. I have met a lot of people through the internet (you better believe it!) & John is hands down one of my absolute favourites.

Last week, we did a little interview over Skype about the Radical Self Love phenomenon…

This is reposted from John’s Lifestudent site, which is amazing, you should hop to it!

I hope you enjoy it!

Last week at HugNation I read from GalaDarling’s awesome #RadicalSelfLove project… I was so inspired that I reached out to Gala and asked if she would be up for a quick Skype chat to talk about Love. And because she is awesome, she agreed. Here we are talking Love, life and pinkness:

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Latest ChinaShop Pieces!

[ 16 January 2010, 11:09 ]

In addition to writing for iCiNG, churning out over 10,000 words a month for my Love & Sequins podcast & tweeting like a maniac, I also work as Fashion Curator for ChinaShop magazine. I write them a few pieces a week, & post links to them here so you can keep up with it! The focus is a little different, but still very fun & frivolous! I hope you enjoy ‘em!

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There is a serious ear obsession in the world of fashion right now. Comme Des Garcons showed Mickey Mouse-esque hats in their FW07/08 show, a slew of British celebrities designed their own mouse ear hats for a charity auction & Jeremy Scott created a black matte helmet with ears — very Apocalyptic Disney — which Rihanna wore in the music video for Hard. What is going on?

The frenzy reached its peak when Chanel Iman — brand spanking new Victoria’s Secret Angel & definite model “It Girl” — appeared in a Vogue Deutsch editorial wearing a pair of black Mickey Mouse ears in every frame. Entitled Minni Im Wunderland & photographed by Mark Seliger, she’s seen riding an elephant in a jacket by Jean-Paul Gaultier, yukking it up in an airstream trailer-home while wearing an Erin Fetherston skirt & rocking a lewd, vintage, definitely-not-licensed-by-Disney t-shirt depicting Mickey & Minnie in the act of coitus. I think this photo shoot is the best take on ears, & why? It’s all in the mix…

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What makes her so charming? It’s a combination of her personality — of which she has plenty — & the fact that she has remained grounded. She is a delightful contradiction in terms. She caught Anna Wintour’s attention when she winked at her during a runway show, but her mother still cuts her hair & keeps her on a budget of $5,000 a month. Her favorite food is chicken & waffles, & despite being constantly surrounded by the best clothing the world has to offer, her favorite places to shop are flea markets & Forever 21…

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Now, here is the disclaimer: “novelty tie” & “great tie” are not the same thing. Novelty ties, in fact, are pretty much inexcusable. Novelty ties fall into the same category as comedy boxer-shorts (usually purchased for the wearer by the wearer’s mother or something equally uncomfortable) & witty slogan t-shirts. None of these things should ever grace a man’s body. If your Dilbert tie is the only way you can express your personality in an oppressive work environment, well, you have bigger problems than just a lack of taste. Resist. RESIST!

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Unfortunately, it’s nothing new. Colle is not the only woman that feels her work has been imitated by the couture giant. In 2007, Jessica Kagan Cushman, a jewelery designer from the East Coast, made headlines throughout the blogosphere when Chanel put into production a collection of bracelets which looked eerily like her own…

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Last night’s Red Bull BC One at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City was a highly anticipated event. As the biggest one-on-one b-boy competition in the world, being selected as a finalist is an honor in itself. Tickets sold out in record time, the line stretched across several blocks, & the crowd waited excitedly & impatiently to storm the venue…

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Based around a snake motif, Brad and Angie’s collection is called The Protector, the inspiration for which came from a ring Jolie was given while pregnant with the couple’s first child, Shiloh. It was in the shape of a snake, & since then, Jolie has considered the snake to be a lucky talisman & protector of her family.

..

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Patricia Field is like the fairy godmother of every capricious, madly-dressed fashionista on the planet. She is legendary in scope, her name falling in alongside the likes of Betsey Johnson & Vivienne Westwood when it comes to women who do it their way & succeed.

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Ace Hotel is definitely the place to stay if you ever find yourself in Portland, Seattle, Palm Springs or New York City. Their offbeat, nouveau-bohemian interior design has been attracting artists, designers, geeks with style & international jet setters — you know, people just like you — since 1999.

 The New York City location has morphed into something beyond just a place to rest your head.

On any given day, you’ll find the lobby teeming with the meticulously disheveled, sunken into plush armchairs with cups of Stumptown coffee or staring seriously into glowing MacBooks. In addition to Stumptown Coffee Roasters, there’s a restaurant by the owners of The Spotted Pig called The Breslin which serves incredible British-inspired cuisine. And soon there will be an Opening Ceremony boutique to satisfy all your shopping urges…

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Have a fantastic weekend, beautiful!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Daily Outfit: 14th January 2010

[ 15 January 2010, 15:59 ]

Last night Chloe & I went to a bridal fashion show. After munching on miniature red velvet cupcakes & being saddled with excellent gift bags (which included every kind of shoe insole possible — I can totally use these — & Essie nailpolish, etc.), we decided to go somewhere & get a drink.

We stumbled out onto Madison Avenue, which smelt like burnt toast. I don’t know the area very well, but I remembered that the New York Palace was nearby. I stayed there in May 2008 & it was really the start of my New York love affair. Oh, how things have changed in less than two years!

After making our way along to the hotel, we took a couple of seats at Gilt & ate (me: grilled cheese sandwich with black truffles & french onion soup [aka The Gossip Grill], scotch + ginger ale; Chloe: dirty martini, oysters), before sneaking into the ballroom to take pictures…

It was big & fancy.

I wore…

Black wool hat from Visage (I told you I was wearing it every day! I love it because it dresses everything down, which you need sometimes)
Violet ruffle dress bought at a strange shop on Broadway (I have really “had my money’s worth” of wear from this thing)
Studded belt from Forever 21
Black angora cardigan by Kimchi Blue
Black sequinned knit open cardigan by Forever 21
Black ribbed stockings
BCBG Mendel booties (mmmmmmmmph)
Betsey Johnson watch

Hello pony foot! Just call me Mr Ed!

Laughing at Gilt. Look at all the men in SUITS! Mr Works-On-Wall-Street over there is totally thinking, ‘Who is this nut?’ Meanwhile, I am eating a bread-stick & oblivious.

P.S. Gilt comes hiiiiighly recommended. I had never been there before, & even though we were obviously not the usual clientele & were only eating from the lowly bar menu, they were still really rad to us. They plied us with free drinks, didn’t charge me for my meal because it came out late, & served us caramel popcorn in a little silver dish. Word. Plus, it is really beautiful inside. Look! So cool. Last night, that plastic thing was lit up turquoise.

This photo makes me think of girls who put posters of boys they like on the wall. “Oh he’s so DREAMY!“ Hahah!

All photos by Chloe, who I love. Expect many more collaborations from us in the near future!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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2010 Style Direction: Psychedelic Ladies Who Lunch

[ 12 January 2010, 10:09 ]

The recipe: Glamour + psychedelia (of attire, not substances, my darling).

The essential components of the look include fur coats (preferably faux), fabulously ridiculous leg-wear (sparkly blue socks, tie-dyed stockings, cashmere tights), a multitude of completely over-the-top head-wear (sequinned ears, headbands adorned with bows & flowers, sparkly beanies), shoes which define excess (super-high heels; hidden platforms; covered in crystals), a-line skirts & magnificent 50’s dresses, pink lipstick (I like Givenchy Rouge Interdit Shine in Raspberry Shine & MAC Saint Germain), fingers loaded up with rings, wrists full of jangly, glitter-covered Indian bangles & super-long false eyelashes hidden by statement sunglasses…

Worn with individualised perfume combinations (honeysuckle + Bulgarian rose, birthday cake + champagne brut), multiple layers of mascara, strong eyebrows. Who is this girl? She carries a pack of tarot cards in her purse. She wears crystal points on necklaces. She loads up her pockets with sequins & individually-wrapped chocolates. Her nails are always holographic or covered in crystals. She takes long lunches. She wears vintage slips & overdyed cardigans with stilettos, doesn’t care if there’s a run in her stockings & sends love letters to her friends.

She embraces her contradictions. She won’t be told what to do & she isn’t interested in petty trivia. She has a collection of easter egg-coloured tulle petticoats & grows peppermint-striped orchids. She is almost always overdressed but blissfully oblivious. She has an obsession with buying colourful & slightly ridiculous lingerie. She is superstitious. She carries a treasured pen (could be Mont Blanc, could be from a special hotel, could be stolen from a past lover). She makes a perfect gin & tonic.

Mega cloven hoof footwear, jewelled butterflies, bunny ears, sparkly metal-flake helmets, neon suspender belts, drawn on beauty marks, chromatic eye-shadow, tiny bells tied onto motorcycle boots, bright purple fingerless leather gloves, lipstick marks on Moroccan tea glasses...

Stacked crystal bracelets, totem animal jewellery, fairy lights everywhere, overdue library books, circlets & tiny braids, bright bouquets in old glass milk bottles, striped sweaters tucked into exaggerated a-line skirts, hot pink & turquoise cashmere blankets layered on an enormous bed…

She loves to laugh with her best friends over their blessings & mistakes. She doesn’t clean her apartment as often as she perhaps should. She holds hands with her friends & throws impromptu parties. She smiles at strangers & tips well. Her favourite cities are Reykjavik & Kolkata, & never stays in one place too long.

Disco Pocahontas. Feathers & crystals worn with sequins. Season of the witch. Super-feminine with a hint of hysteria. Neon pink love beams & sparkly sticky air-kisses.

...So that’s who & what I’m channeling this year, aesthetics-wise. As much as I love to wear black, I love sequins, sparkles & hypercolour far more! (Plus, most of the time, the inside of my head looks like this crossed with Yo Gabba Gabba!)

Who are your style icons? What is inspiring your style in two-thousand-&-amen (or two-thousand-&-zen, if you prefer)?

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Les Vacances!

[ 30 December 2009, 11:09 ]

Thank you two-thousand-&-divine — 2009 — for all that you have been.

Thank you for your lessons & challenges, your blessings & beauty.

Thank you for your introductions & endings, your magic & surprise.

Thank you for holding us close as well as letting us sprint off into the distance; thank you for simultaneously wrapping us in cotton wool & giving us a swift spanking!

Thank you for your protection & love.

We jump into two-thousand-&-amen — 2010 — with wide eyes, racing hearts & blazing visions. We are so very excited to see what you have in store for us!

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Have an incredible new year’s eve. If you don’t go out, you might like to watch the Imagine Peace Tower (it’s lit all day & night of the 31st of December!) while you listen to music, laugh & make vision boards for the next decade.

If you do go out, be sure to dress up (see also!), kiss someone who makes you feel fabulous (even if it’s just your grandma, & even if it’s just on the cheek), stay safe & start 2010 as you mean to go on!

...& with that, I’m going on holiday for a week or so! Time to love on my family, catch up on some reading, bliss out over magical blueprints for the coming decade & get some delicious rest. I’ll be back soon with some mega-yummies! (You can still keep up with me on Twitter if you need your fix of the Galaverse!)

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As always, I love you more than words can say. Thank you for being part of my experience of 2009. Here’s to a decade of splendor!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Snow Storm!

[ 23 December 2009, 02:48 ]

Bonjour!

I just cobbled this together & thought you might like to see it — it’s footage of Hank Williams, The Dish & I in the snow storm we had over the weekend!

The song is Passion Pit’s Sleepyhead.

We had so much fun just walking around. I’ve never lived in a place that snowed before so it was really weird & exciting for me! It was beautiful at the time but now it is kind of slushy & brown… Hopefully it will snow again on Christmas day!

Do you have any Christmas wishes? Mine are that it snows & that our little family has a fun, relaxing time. I hope yours does too!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Everything Is Going To Be Alright

[ 7 December 2009, 10:56 ]

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Daily Outfit: 24th November 2009

[ 25 November 2009, 18:38 ]

Greetings from New York City, where it is starting to get really, really cold!

Faux-leather jacket from H&M
Wrap cardigan by Paula Ryan (worn undone)
Building A Mystery dress from ModCloth
Belt from Forever 21
Ripped black stockings
Faux Doc Martens from Forever 21
Bag from Forever 21
Fingerless gloves from St Mark’s Place

The Dish took these photos of me outside Credit Suisse on Madison Avenue. We had just eaten burgers & sipped milkshakes outside at the Shake Shack in Madison Square Park, & were killing time until P.O.S. went onstage at the Gramercy Theatre…

He was fantastic — of course. He’s playing Philly tonight & a bunch of other dates. You should go. If you don’t enjoy his set, I will eat my hat! I swear!

ModCloth sent me this dress a little while ago, & I like it so so much. At first I thought it might be too short, but it’s actually perfect. I removed the fabric belt & replaced it with this one from Forever 21 which we’ll call “an homage” to the belt they used with pretty every much every dress in the Sex & The City movie (nicknamed Roger). The dress is fab though. You can make it pretty with a headband & Mary Janes or messy with studs & rips, like I did. I like mess. Good for the soul, innit?

I wish I had better photos, but it was very low light low life. (See what I did there?)

To ease the pain, the product shot is below so you can see it in all its glory. Yummy!

I leave you with the face I make in real life about 80% of the time!

Okay, now I am going to go work up an appetite for Thanksgiving! Lots of love to you!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Daily Outfit: 17th November 2009

[ 18 November 2009, 12:10 ]

Last night was amazing. The Dish & I made our way to MoMA for the opening of the Tim Burton exhibition. It’s open from November 22nd to April 26th 2010 (!), so there is plenty of opportunity for a descent into his creepy world!

Follow the whirligig road…

There is so much to take in, it was kind of overwhelming. There are puppets, drawings, costumes, immense balloons, sculptures, photographs & all manner of rad artifacts. In this picture I’m standing in front of tin doors from Ed Wood.

As you would expect, stripes were a definite theme. Downstairs there were a bunch of striped walls (swoon!), so we took some outfit photos…

I am wearing…

Mouse ears (with my name on them) from Disneyworld
Blue Swarovski crystal heart necklace (hidden)
Scarf from H&M
Jacket from H&M
Strapless blue dress from H&M (um, yes, I went shopping yesterday!)
Assorted bracelets from Forever 21 & Girlprops
Black wool stockings
Sam Edelman Zoe booties

I did tell you I was going through a blue period! I am so in love with this colour I can’t even tell you.

There were some amazing people there too. I met a woman who was wearing a hat made from hair extensions, & Brooke Shields was being followed around by a very burly man in unusual glasses. Helena Bonham-Carter was wearing an extremely sparkly black dress & had some of the biggest hair I have ever seen. She left the building arm-in-arm with her mother. It was cute.

But the best moment of all had to be at the end. The Dish & I were sitting on a bench near the exit, beside the garden, drinking & talking. All of a sudden there was a weird silence, & we looked up to see Johnny Depp being escorted out of the building. He was with a couple of security guards & maybe his wife but I’m not sure. They had cut through the garden to avoid all the party-goers & were just about to reach the door. We looked at him, & then he looked at us & nodded before walking on! I know I sound like a huge fangirl (“Oh my god, Johnny Depp NODDED AT ME!!!”) but it was the raddest thing ever. We like to think that in that brief moment what he was really saying with his nod was, “Wow, you are both so well-dressed & obviously cool, why don’t you come to the south of France & kick it with Vanessa & me for an indefinite period of time?” ...Um, also, he is very, very handsome in person.

You should definitely go if you can! Thanks to MoMA for putting on such a great event & for having us.

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Latest ChinaShop Pieces

[ 14 November 2009, 16:42 ]

Hopeless Hotel

Hopeless Hotel is my new favourite lingerie line. Based in Melbourne, Australia, this is a one woman show. Owned, operated & lovingly hand-stitched by Gabrielle Adamidis, her vintage-inspired delicates are in a league all of their own.

With her latest range inspired by Jaws, this is one unconventional place to look to for your skimpy but fabulous underthings. She says, “I love basing my collections around a film… But instead of the obvious things I like looking further into screenshots, like the shape of the shark’s teeth & gums, the shape of the old boat, the swell of the ocean, & then translating that into shapes for the underwear.” Any cinephile will be delighted to hear that she has tabs on basing future ranges around Revenge of the Nerds, Singin’ in the Rain, Jurassic Park, The Graduate, Heavy Metal Parking Lot, & anything featuring Vincent Price!...

Rethinking Outerwear

Revise… hats. They have a new shape & beautiful peaks to propel us forward into the future. It’s not all shapeless beanies & loose-fitting snoods any more! Equestrian helmets, bowlers, cloches, turbans & ushankas can all be snapped up for a pittance & worn to great effect. They’re wonderful for disguising a bad hair day, & somehow able to miraculously garner attention while at the same time diverting it away from your rain-soaked visage. Don’t be afraid of this fabulous accessory…

Jimmy Choo & Sonia Rykiel for H&M

Designer collaborations with retail giants like Target, The Gap & H&M seem to be a dime a dozen these days. Kate Moss works with TopShop, Rodarte teamed up with Target & even Alexander McQueen has released capsule collections so that people who aren’t on the very top of the fashion pile can get in on the fun.

What’s the value of these deals? It’s really all about economics. Of course — like there was ever any doubt! The appeal of the designer label brings a new type of customer to the mass-market retailer, while women who don’t read Vogue are given more exposure to the high-end label in question. There’s definite hype factor, too: the idea that those of us on a modest budget can suddenly own something by one of our most desired labels sends the internet all a-flutter.

But is it really worth it?...

The WORLD Brought To You By New Zealand

Known for their distinctive & bold use of color, wild silhouettes & a radical, subversive sense of humor, WORLD are one of New Zealand’s most fantastic exports. Founded by Denise L’Estrange-Corbet & Francis Hooper in 1989, they say that “the initial idea for WORLD was hatched at a bus stop late one night”...

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Daily Outfit: 9th November 2009

[ 10 November 2009, 12:43 ]

Yesterday, the girlfriend & I ventured over to the West Village for an event celebrating Yoga for Wii. After much clambering around cobblestones, baffled glances at Google Maps & confused phonecalls, we found the location & began our ascent to the 13th floor.

It was worth it. Look at those windows! I want windows like this. Beautiful.

I was wearing…

A knit hat from Forever 21 — I bought it on a whim sometime this year, it was about $3, & I’m so glad I did! I wear it all the time, especially when I am having a bad hair day, or for dressing down a more fancy outfit.
Royal blue Swarovski crystal heart necklace. It is my favourite right now.
American Apparel racerback tank dress worn tucked into my skirt, & I just noticed that there is a quote from me on that product page, HA!
Satin lapel blazer from Urban Outfitters. I can’t find it on their site but it’s by Silence & Noise.
Belted petal skirt from Forever 21. Perfect length, totally cute & it makes me feel like I just came crashing out of the jungle or something similarly Wild Things-esque.
Socks from Urban Outfitters. I thought they were just ankle socks, but they actually come up to my knees. Yay! Even better, they were 3 for $20. I also picked up purple & NEON (& I mean neon) pink.
Report Masonic studded stilettos from Solestruck.com.
The “Cher“ bag from Forever 21 (shoop shoop).
Assorted bracelets from Forever 21 & Girlprops.

I am totally going through a blue phase. Also, please note how much my style has changed in the last year or so! I said in Love & Sequins #6 that the best style evolves & I believe that very strongly, so at least I am practising what I preach!

The view was amazing. We were staring right at this crazy pink building (Palazzo Chupi) owned by Julian Schnabel which reminds me of an Indian palace. (More on Palazzo Chupi here & here! It is fascinating.) You can see it behind me in the first two photos. Also: free vodka.

Later I hobbled around the West Village in Chloe’s stinky Chuck Taylors, introduced her to fish & chips & fake-argued with a British man who insisted on saying I was Australian, but that’s a story for another time.

All photos by Chloe Rice!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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BRB; Moving To New York City.

[ 10 October 2009, 19:37 ]

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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ModCloth Loves Gala Darling!

[ 28 September 2009, 04:06 ]

I’m so excited to announce that I have been selected as ModCloth’s Blogger Of The Moment!

What does this mean? Well, several things. First of all, it means that the girls at ModCloth — who are one of my best & most devoted sponsors, give it UP for ModCloth! — have featured me on their site. There’s a great interview, & they asked me some excellent questions. Viz!

Secondly, they asked me to choose 20 of my favourite ModCloth items, which I did, & very excitedly I might add! I even went so far as to write little blurbs for each item, which are below!

In-Vest Dress
This flattering dress doesn’t compromise on class or originality!

Corporal of Cute Coat
This coat is amazing. I have nothing else to say. I love it.

Montpelier Sweater Vest
I like this because it seems like what you would wear if you went yeti-hunting. Know what I mean?

Weardrobe Dress
Hello, versatility! Yummy with stilettos or dressed down a notch with wedges, you can wear this anywhere.

The Concerto Skirt
Origami-esque & sophisticated, this would look great with a sequinned tank & a bunch of bracelets.

Soda Fountain Dress in Cola
Ideal for channelling Grease, doing the Hop or getting frisky at a drive-in movie… !

Moltisanti Blazer
A cute, clean & understated way to keep yourself warm this autumn.

Twisted Sister Scarf
If you have blue or green eyes, you should snap this up — it will make them look amazing!

Wingardium Leviosa Top
With its unusual length & yummy weight, this is perfect for layering & transitioning summer outfits to autumn ones!

Pleasant Pheasant Headband
I would pull this way forward & wear it with the feathers sticking straight up in the air. Queen of the peasants, that’s me! Um, I mean, pheasants!

Strata Dress
I absolutely love the unusual details of the dress — like a frock for a modern ballerina.

Icing On The Cake Dress
Majorly beautiful, & how could I resist with a name like that? I’d wear this with knee-socks & patent Mary Janes.

Ariel Skirt
I have loved this skirt for a long time. I would tuck a bubblegum pink camisole into this & proceed to knock ‘em dead!

Mascara Scarf
Yes, it looks like a big strip of false eyelashes! I like that though. This will add texture & dimension to any outfit!

Piano Man Umbrella
Winter’s closing in, ‘tis true, but don’t be sad! This umbrella will add massive style to your outfit & a smile to your face!

Mochi Skirt
Everyone needs a super-poofy petticoat, if only for giving your dresses epic volume!

Storm Cloud Skirt
Wear this with your favourite tee & big boots for a relaxed, quirky style statement.

Bow-Jito Skirt
Possibly the sweetest skirt on the planet. Just like wearing a big scoop of peppermint ice-cream!

Wild Gal Glasses
Oh BE QUIET, these are way rad. You need them & I do too.

Thirdly… & perhaps most importantly… at least to my ego… is that they released THE GALA DARLING DRESS. Oh, hello!

It’s so beautiful! There is one winging its way to me as we speak, & I cannot wait to throw it on in all its glory. I should have posted about this the MOMENT it went on sale, but I was too slow off the mark, & now it is out of stock. Argh, I’m so sorry! BOO! But if you click ‘Notify Me On Restock’, fingers crossed that they will get more in, & all will be well again!

ModCloth says of the Gala Darling dress:

Named after one of our favorite fashion bloggers, this enchanting little black dress will inspire you to celebrate your sense of style each time you wear it. Featuring a monochromatic print that resembles the sound waves produced by your squeals of delight when you slip it on easily with a subtle zip, this fully-lined, cotton-silk frock will form to your shape with its sweetheart bustline and empire waistband, and will create a loving relationship with your shoulders as its adjustable, double straps criss-cross your back. Our best advice is to wear this with candy-pink heels, plastic-frame glasses, a feathered hair clip, and plenty of bangles for a magical look for a fashionable adventure in a distant land, or on a shoe-shopping safari through New York City.

I couldn’t agree more!

Thank you so much, ModCloth!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Tarina Tarantino Party!

[ 20 July 2009, 21:54 ]

If you’re in New York City this Saturday & don’t have any plans… now you do! Tarina Tarantino is in town from her home of magical Los Angeles, & she’s holding a special event at her Soho store to celebrate the launch of her new collection & book! (It goes without saying that both the collection & the book are beautiful!)

She’ll be there, signing copies of My Pretty & being generally charming! I’ll be there too, & I’d love to see you! Come dress up in sparkly treasures with me!

Okay, public service announcement over… Now back to your regularly scheduled programming!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Things I Love Thursday

[ 16 July 2009, 13:15 ]

Okay, we’re doing something a little different today! Je vous présente... An alphabet of lurve! An A to Z of things which make me smile, laugh or just feel good in general. Alright, here we go!

A is for… Alexander McQueen. He is my favourite designer bar none. Look at this & tell me he is not the greatest. I see a pair of those in my future. Oh yes I do.

B is for… books. I just made a huge Amazon order & now I am all giddy waiting for it to arrive. On their way are books on subjects ranging from sex astrology to colour theory to NLP & neuroscience. I am so excited, YAY.

C is for… Courtney Love. She was a huge inspiration to me as a teenage girl — I have said repeatedly that if you were hooked into the Courtney Love thing at a young age, it never really leaves you, & I am convinced that that is one of Life’s Golden Truths. But right now I mostly love her for following me on Twitter, sending me cute delirious direct messages & this. Awww.

D is for… the Dish. Yep, still my favourite person, still very jumpable, still makes me laugh, still rocks my world.

E is for… evil food. Like Frito Pie. I discovered Frito Pie last night. Essentially, you tear open a packet of Fritos (corn chips), then pour chilli, cheese, sour cream & jalapenos on top. It sounds so vile, I know, but it is completely amazing. Ahhhhh!

F is for… bunches of flowers. I finally took full possession of International Playgirl HQ on Monday & so I have been Galafying it ever since. One of the easiest ways to make it more “me” was to buy big bunches of white & pink roses, as well as fuchsia lilies. So pretty.

G is for… getting dressed up. I’m going out for dinner tonight (Momofuku Ko)! I am going to wear my new shoes (which have not yet made their debut) & a frilly dress & I will do my very best to take an outfit photo!

H is for… Hank. He is so cute, I want to eat his face.

I is for… interns! Yesterday I hired myself an assistant who my psychic told me about months ago… Eerie! She is adorable, wears great shoes & managed to be charming even while a junkie hit on us in the middle of our meeting. Sehr klasse! She starts on Tuesday. Radvegas.

J is for… Jay-Z. I love him. That is all.

K is for… kissing. Favourite activity? Yes. Yes. Yes.

L is for… lingerie! Imagine my delight to receive a parcel from Loulou Loves You full of beautiful frillies! She sent me the Love bra & the Love knickers (the first pair), both in turquoise & pink. So beautiful, they fit like a dream & make me feel all luxurious. I want her to be my official underthing supplier! Yum yum!

M is for… motorcycles. We have been out riding a lot in the past 7 days & I really do love it ever so much.

N is for… new jobs! I recently signed on as ChinaShop‘s Fashion Curator — which is a fancy way of saying Fashion Editor — & am having so much fun with it! It’s rad to have a new project & to write in a different style; good for the brain! Subscribe to their RSS so that you know when my new pieces go live. I’ll be writing there two or three times a week.

O is for… old friends & running into them when you least expect it!

P is for… P-Money. Especially this song. I got an email from my friend Helen the other day which said, “This song makes me think of new zealand summers. And how we should be chilling driving around eastbourne in a car with no top. xxx” Cute! You can’t be unhappy listening to this track!

Q is for… quirky people. Like Meg. Hee! But they make life more interesting, don’t they?

R is for… ridiculous phrases! Cynthia Kaboom coined a new one on Twitter the other day — “Sad Trombones Everywhere” for bummer days! STE for short…

S is for… scotch. Hello scotch, I like you so much, especially with ginger ale.

T is for… Tarina Tarantino. She makes the best jewellery on the planet. Maybe even in the galaxy. (Gala xy!) I just bought a whole bunch of it, I can’t wait to be a blinding, sparkling, flashing danger to oncoming traffic!

U is for… unicorns! (Thanks Schmooz!) I am so looking forward to getting my unicorn tattoo, too! (& that photo was too hilarious not to include!)

V is for… Vegas! The other day I re-watched the video Nubby & I made of our trip to Las Vegas last September & cracked up. We had such a good time! I’m going back in August & October (& hopefully taking Nubs with me, too!) & can’t wait. It is one of my favourite places of all time, which is so funny, because it never ever appealed to me until I actually got there.

W is for… rad web design. Star did such a great job on iCiNG, & Damian Rebman did such amazing things with Love Letter To The Universe! It seems so silly but putting a brand new beautiful face on your web projects really does make you feel good, more inspired & more productive!

X is for… xoxoxoxox.

Y is for… you. YES I DO. MWAH. Also, Yoko Ono for this tweet alone…

“I would like to see a sky vending machine on every corner of the street instead of the coke machine. We need more skies than coke.”

Z is for… zzZzzZzZzzzzz. I love to sleep! Especially sandwiched between my two favourite boys (that would be the Dish & Hank, of course!).

Homework tasks for nonpareils, in order of decreasing difficulty:
Make your own love alphabet; post it.
Write a standard Things I Love Thursday list; post it.
Sit really still & think about ten things you’re really happy about.
Smile at the next person you see.
Stay beautiful.

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Style Inspiration July 2009

[ 14 July 2009, 14:52 ]

Style is not just what you wear. It’s what you do & how you do it.

I’m currently being inspired by… Pink & white roses, crystals, taxidermy, patterned wallpaper, bold square eyeglasses, big sparkly hearts, feathers, sequinned dresses, breakfast dates, neon eye-makeup, platform ankle boots, ruffles, sigils, Betsey Johnson dresses, amethyst pink, metal flake, skull rings on tattooed fingers, false eyelashes, long bare legs, flirtatious skirts, waking up in the sunlight, patent leather boots, floral everything, push-up bras, fireflies, witches, T.O.P.Y., turquoise knickers, glittery eyes, headdresses, gypsy caravans, torn clothing, wolf girls, tinted lipgloss, hard work, vintage motorcycles, thigh high stockings, wide-eyed wonder, loving everyone, kissing, white bunnies, day-glo mandalas, dresses which look like flowers, hypercolour, milkshakes, wigpees, mixtapes, magic & metaphysics, bedtime portraits.

This has resulted in… Wearing dresses almost 24/7, smelling like chocolate perfume & cocoa butter, buying big bunches of pink roses & lilies for International Playgirl HQ, stocking up on hypercoloured eye pencils, displaying all my sparkly rings in a pāua shell, hanging a sequinned dress on the wall opposite my bed, buying jewellery to remind me of new intentions, wearing bunny slippers, coming up with any excuse to use neon pink tape, sleeping with six pillows, framing my eyes with pink & silver glitter, listening to Daedelus & Nina Simone, curling my eyelashes, setting my hair with honeysuckle-scented hairspray, swooning, paying attention & being present & feeling blissful, making more of an effort to be loving & open & authentic.

Photos came from…

What’s inspiring you at the moment — & how is it affecting your life?

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Behind The Scenes Of A Top Secret Project!

[ 25 June 2009, 15:39 ]

On Monday night, I was part of a top secret Style Coalition project at DEX Studios. I can’t tell you what it was all about yet, but I can show you some behind-the-scenes shots to tide you over!

HOW DO YOU LIKE MY FEATHERED HEADDRESS?!

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

MEGA smooches, kisses, love & undying adoration to Tarina Tarantino for letting me borrow it! I really didn’t want to take it back, it’s one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. Would be bellissimo to wear grocery shopping, walking the dog or ice-skating… Don’t you think?

Everyone at DEX did an amazing job, from the make-up artists to the hairstylists to the photographers — they were such a pleasure to spend time with!

Stay tuned for more details on our top secret project! Can’t wait to show you more!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Your Life As Haiku

[ 23 June 2009, 10:33 ]

We did this last year when I first got to New York, & I thought it was time to revisit it! Did you participate last time? What did you say?

Back in 2008, one of mine was…

I love this city.
We wake up early to roam,
with hair like wild vines.

These days, it would go more like…

There’s nothing like a
vintage bowler hat to make
you feel like Liza.

Last night I wore huge feathers
atop my noggin. It was
terrifically rad.

(Oh, photos to come!)

If he is The Dish,
am I The Spoon? As in, “The
Dish ran away with…”?!

Even after all
the madness, New York is still
my version of bliss.

How about you?

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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What's In Gala's Bag? (Canada Edition!)

[ 1 June 2009, 15:29 ]

Matt & Nat Camden bag in magenta (Canada represent!)
Bunny mirror (bought at Toy Tokyo, NYC)
Urban Outfitters glasses (make for a good impromptu disguise)
Matt & Nat Ceremony wallet in blue (I love Inder)
Elle UK (best magazine on the planet, no contest)
Teen Vogue (not the best magazine on the planet but I still like it)
Moleskine daily planner (a Virgo’s best friend)
Hipster PDA (ditto)
New York City Metrocard (already used, why I’m carrying it around I don’t know)
Pilot Extra-Fine Precise V5 pen
Betsey Johnson sunglasses (free & probably my favourite pair)
Lighter
Gauloises Blondes
Lip Smacker in “sugar crystals” flavour
Helio Ocean phone (almost entirely useless outside of the U.S.A.)
Gala ski-field pamphlet from Japan (I use it as a bookmark in my Moleskine)
Keys to my temporary digs in Toronto
iCiNG postcards (I use these instead of business cards at the moment, & keep them in an envelope I got with all my panel information for SXSWi)

Not shown: Nikon D80; Lush Butterball bath ballistic; turquoise iPod & Bose headphones; receipts for Lush, The Beaconsfield, Airline Limousines; two (2) passports; postcard with Pharrell on the front; tissues (gross); diamante-encrusted hair-clips; blotting papers.

What’s in your bag? How much stuff do you lug around on a daily basis? Do you fear being a hunchback in old age?!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Gala's Style Essentials

[ 12 May 2009, 12:36 ]

Geek glasses
I know they’re trendy as hell but I can’t help loving them. Mine are from Urban Outfitters, & I love to throw them on to add a bit of visual interest to an outfit. Sometimes I feel like having them on is a kind of disguise, which can be very welcome on those days when striding out into the maelstrom of New York City isn’t something I’m really in the mood for. My next step is to buy a second pair & cover them in tiny Swarovski crystals… Needless to say, I can’t wait! (Elton John’s demented protégé lives!)

Flat, well-worn boots
Boots are always my default footwear, & while I have more pairs of heels, boots get about a billion times more wear. They’re so versatile, so comfortable & so stylish that it’s almost impossible to go wrong. I wear mine with jeans, skirts & dresses, & always have. (Courtney Love was one of my first style icons — old habits die hard!) I started off with a pair of 8-up Doc Martens, graduated to New Rock combat boots (which my father told me looked like boots for someone with polio — & which I wore almost every day for 12 years!), & am now all about my Frye shortie Veronicas. I still have intense boot fever & voraciously eye them up whenever I go into a shoe store. I’d like my next boot purchases to be pink PVC Doc Martens & a pair of Frye motorcycle harness boots. Yum.

Super-long cardigans
Probably the most versatile item you could possibly own, a super-long or oversized cardigan should be (I think) an essential in every girl’s wardrobe. You can dress them up or down, they go with pretty much everything (especially if they’re in neutral shades like black or grey), & they’re a super-easy solution for warmth or layering on cool nights. You can even rock mad 90s style & tie one around your waist. Another thing I like to do with a long cardigan is to put it on but button it behind me, which turns it into a kind of bolero with tails. A long cardigan with pockets will be your best friend, especially during season transitions. The one I wear most is a light cotton one from Urban Outfitters, but I also have them in black wool (Ricochet, NZ) & grey wool (Country Road, NZ/AU) which make for essential plane-wear. If you can get your hands on a men’s cardigan, the I’m-wearing-my-boyfriend’s-clothing-&-we-just-had-great-sex look is hard to trump.

A statement handbag
I think everyone needs a handbag in a neutral colour they wear all the time — black or tan are great, safe choices — but it’s wonderful to have a handbag which is heavy on colour, style or statement. I only ever used a black bag until earlier this year, but now I have a menagerie of deliciously-hued purses in my arsenal, & I will never go back! They don’t have to be expensive either: the bag I’ve received the most compliments on is a $30 job from Forever 21!

An assortment of cameras
If you didn’t document it, it didn’t happen. True fact, & this is further impacted by the fact that my memory is so atrocious that I have to write things down or photograph them or they just disappear from my mental reserves. Hence, I am always lugging around my Nikon D80 (very heavy) & now my Flip Mino HD, which is probably going to result in a fabulous hunchback by the time I’m 40, but hey, that’s the way it goes sometimes… I don’t think any of you need any further reasons or convincing, we all know how good it is to have real visual evidence that we are living our lives in an exciting manner!

Suspender belt
I have a vintage Mary Quant suspender belt which has served me extremely well in the past few years. Almost nothing will make you feel sexier, & even better, no one has to know about it (unless you want them to). You also don’t necessarily need to buy stockings to wear with these — if you’re feeling a bit punk rock, you can just cut pantyhose off at the thigh & wear them that way. I used to do this with black & white striped tights & it looked pretty hot, if I may say so myself. Interesting fact too, a lot of men have never seen a girl wearing a suspender belt in real life. When they actually do, let’s just say that they tend to be pretty happy about it. Now, hop to it!

A good pen
...Preferably with fabulous coloured ink. There’s nothing more decadent & fantastic than having your own pen on you at all times with which to sign receipts, give autographs to adoring fans & scrawl phone numbers with a lavish flourish. Of course, you do have to guard it with your life since for some reason, people’s morality seems to go totally out the window when it comes to the thieving of pens, but it is worth it. Much nicer than scrounging around for a chewed-up old Bic or that marker which comes out all blotchy. Yes, having your own pen is total glamour. (Better work on devising yourself a magnificent signature now too, huh?)

Bag & phone candy
I used to call such things “danglies”, which is really not very elegant at all, but when I found out that Tarina Tarantino called this stuff “bag candy”, I was all over it. So. Bag candy. Phone candy. Etc. This is the name for the lovely bits of deliciousness which serve absolutely no purpose but to prettify something else. A phone without candy is a phone without soul, I say! My tastes tend to run to the likes of rhinestone-encrusted initials, sequinned hearts & hypercoloured cupcakes, but your mileage may vary. Tarina Tarantino & Louis Vuitton have really nice options, but if you don’t want to spend a bundle, your local Chinatown should have at least one store with a veritable plethora of noisy, colourful, excitable things on strings. Titivate your goodies!

Knock ‘em dead lip gloss
Balm is good — essential, I’d say — but gloss is better. Balm moisturises & gloss tantalises, so get tingling! My lip balm of choice is anything from Palmer’s cocoa butter collection (dark chocolate & peppermint is my jam right now), while my holy grail lip gloss has been Givenchy Pop Gloss Crystal for what feels like a very long time. At least 6 months, & I still adore it. It tastes sweet, it’s kind of sticky, it shimmers with irridescent glitter & the colour is perfection. It isn’t the cheapest lip gloss on the market, but golly, would you really want that anyway? I think it’s worth it for the way it makes you feel — all pouty & sex kitteny & absolutely ripe for the smoochin’.

A really good concealer
...Because nothing puts a damper on a fire-cracker mood than a stonking beezer-pluke^[1] (aka, a big blemish). MAC Cosmetics do great ones, of course, in a variety of formulas depending on what you prefer, but Benefit’s Erase Paste is my new-found friend. It’s really, really great for brightening that sometimes-sallow area underneath your eyes, which means you can totally pretend you didn’t have a few too many mojitos last night & that you really are a responsible member of the team. Oh yes. Worth its weight in gold, I’m telling you.

Hair accessories
The more ridiculous the better. Now that my hair is short again, I kind of have a complex about making it as big & impractical as possible, so my latest obsession is buying things to stick in it. I have not yet graduated to the Marie Antoinette school of putting a ship atop my noggin, but I’m sure my day will come. Forever 21 is my favourite place for headbands of all stripes (bows & flowers abound), but I just bought this lucite butterfly headband from Tarina Tarantino in both pink & black. I couldn’t resist. I am going to wear them both at once. Drool.

Other things you will find in my bedroom…
Ears (bunny, maus, sequinned, polka-dot); faux-fur coats; MAC Cosmetics’ Plush Lash (holy grail for eyelashes); a selection of neon & holographic nailpolish; vintage slips in candy colours; bottles of Miss Dior Cherie & The Exact Friction Of Stars; ripped stockings; dresses, dresses, dresses.

[1] “Beezer-pluke” is a word meaning pimple which I came across at least 10 years ago in this book called I Was A Teenage Worrier by Roz Asquith. It has stuck with me forever, sometimes to my chagrin, & so now, I am passing on this magical word to you.

So, what are your style essentials? I asked Twitter, & here’s what I found…
lesleydenford Style essentials: baby bangs, Converse, scarves, big white flower ring, black liquid eyeliner, MAC blush, & shiny lip gloss.
zimgirl16 I don’t leave the house w/o eyeliner, otherwise my favorites are dangly earrings and feathery headbands for my short short hair
emiliabedilia style essentials: calf length boots -preferably slouchy or biker.
vixel Eyeliner, accessories that match my hair colour, antique rings, biker jacket and a geek to accompany me!
duskyblueskies Mascara, skinny jeans, pointed-toe flats, blazer, aviator sunglasses.
tatvictoria re: style essentials (of late): good hair, bronzer, boyfriend blazer, flats, basic tees, messenger miu miu, a cuff
greyout Big scarf, boots of some sort, black eyeliner, a flat-iron, skirts & dresses (never pants!), greyscale.
declinedesigns candy colored hair, stripes, rose prints, bright colors, and heels!
finalfashion one messenger bag, living in denim, Dr. Martens, black jackets with pockets, plain button down shirts, AA tanks, pencils.
fashiontrix a good bra and dark denim jeans.
ladyjulianne pink-stained lips, coloured tights, my beloved bright pink handbag, purple umbrella, loads of rings, a book
PeachMcGee Fabulous knickers, perfect hair, pristine eyebrows.
TheRawBombshell polka dots, pencil skirts, black liquid liner, red hair dye and heels plus my secret weapon – a smile!
chelseydee I have rhinestones in the balls for my body piercings, the sparkle is very ooh la la :)
RokingLTD brand new 501s every 6 months in 32 waist, 36 leg. Cream linen suit. Birkenstocks. Viv westwood t-shirts!
millycupcake leopard print coat (topshop), Bow back mac , Leather boots (in winter) in summer oversized sunnies, jeggings, disney jewelery
ashemischief Funky shoes, polka dots, lightning bolt & unicorn pendant necklaces (for 8 years now!)
PrincessPoochie vintage driving gloves, electronics of all kinds, dark glasses, books
vanitygirl lip gloss with a slight tingle factor, iPhone, a great pedicure
HipMom mascara, lipgloss, great shoes (occasion-appropriate: not necessarily heels!)
kiddetective style essentials? my goggles, of course! goggles and chapstick.
notitles I always must have a purse that’s big enough to carry my notebook.

P.S. Add those stylish girls to your Twitter list — new friends ahoy! Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Balenciaga Cowboy Boots

[ 3 May 2009, 17:00 ]

As well as having a mega-crush on the Balenciaga harness booties — of which the Sam Edelman knock-offs now sell for upwards of $500 on eBay — a little while later, in 2007, I fell hard for Balenciaga’s pull-on cowboy boots. I don’t know why they were called cowboy boots, because there’s really nothing very cowboy about them at all, but they had an evil pointed toe, a great shape & serious height.

Yesterday I went to TopShop, & while I was in their shoe department, I fell in love with a pair of boots that were so eerily similar that it could not have been a coincidence.

I think you know the rest of this story: I bought them.

What do you think? I think: doppelgängers. Separated at birth. I also think: hello, I am in love with you. Please never leave me. You are my new favourite pair of shoes & I will cherish you to the very end.

Also, when I wear these, I am 5’11”. HELL YES.

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Love & Sequins #1 Is Live!

[ 2 May 2009, 08:29 ]

Hello!

I wanted to write & let you all know that the first installment of Love & Sequins: Making Magic Happen was sent out all across the world two nights ago — beamed straight from International Playgirl HQ into the homes of sweet nonpareils!

Like I said when I first announced the project, Love & Sequins is the bare bones of my new big project, a delicious book about blowing kisses to the universe.

The first installment is almost 10,000 words, & an hour long. The topic? LEARNING TO LOVE YOURSELF: Self-adoration, manifesting your ideal persona, channelling your inner Marie Antoinette & everything in between!

I’m really proud of it & I think you will totally love it. But don’t just take my word for it — here’s some feedback I’ve received!

“I just wanted to let you know how much i enjoyed the first installment of Love and Sequins. I was beginning to get impatient but it was totally worth the wait. I just finished listening to it, huddled under a doona, eating a cookie in my new house in Melbourne… Thank you again for this excellent installment in the Gala Darling saga. I look forward to the next episode.”

“I adore the idea of these podcasts! I assume they’re meant to be listened to on an MP3 player during a quiet & calm time, so I’m going to copy it to my music player. Though I have listened to the beginning on my computer, and have to say that it is wonderful so far! I’m sure loads of other iCiNG fans will agree when you upload it onto the site. One excellent quality of these ‘podcasts’ is that they’re so personal, as you write and speak it yourself and support the information with your own experience, which is truly fascinating.”

“Dude. I’m just listening to your podcast now. Honestly, I was a little apprehensive because I’ve noticed your content on iCiNG has changed a little. This is the stuff. SIGH! RELIEF! CONGRATULATIONS. Don’t ever forget how much the ‘nonpareils’ have their hearts out there for you. Me included always always always. You’re just GOOD, you know? Substantial and full of perspective, dripping with sticky as honey vocabulary. Plus your voice is so badass.”

“It’s f*cking BRILLIANT. Whoever didn’t pay for this is REALLY missing out. F*cking brilliant. Loved it.”

You can snap up this podcast alone for $12, subscribe for a year & be billed monthly at $10, or pay for it upfront — $84, which works out at $7 a month.

Clever nonpareil Becky had a great idea — these podcasts can easily be purchased for a friend & sent as a digital gift! If you want to do this, just let scribble me a note when you make the purchase, & I’ll set it up!

I also wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported me in this exciting new chapter! It really means so much to me. Eternal luuuurve from the Galaverse to you!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Spring Fever

[ 7 April 2009, 13:30 ]

Spring is coming to New York City & I’m so excited. Even though I haven’t experienced a full winter since 2007 (!!!), I still adore spring. It’s easily the most beautiful time of year. Pitter patter…

The shops are full of the new season’s trends — florals (of course), fresh colours & bold silhouettes; sequins, jumpsuits & fringe; draped necklaces, embellished headbands & big bangles; slashed denim, ripped lace & neon accents. It’s totally overwhelming & extremely exciting. So of course, I’ve been thinking about my spring fashion concept…

I don’t have any definite answers yet, but know that while my usual trademarks will be in place — big, ridiculous shoes, oversized cardigans, candy-coloured hair & a cornucopia of sparkly accoutrements — I’ll definitely be supplementing with some yummy trends. I am envisioning lots of skirts, high heels, & jewellery which acts as my own personal percussion section.

Here are some things which have been keeping me awake at night. What are you dying to wriggle into this season?

Clockwise: Miu Miu Whipstitch patent pumps; Givenchy leather ankle sandals; Fendi strappy patent sandals; Viktor & Rolf heels; bracelets from Forever 21; headband from Colette; panties from Forever 21; Fendi wedge-heel boots; Balmain sandals.

Clockwise: House of Holland shirt; La Perla bra; bat bag from Topshop; La Perla suspender belt; translucent sunglasses; oversized tote from Forever 21; Proenza Schouler boots.

Clockwise: Patent purse; headbands from Forever 21; Sonia Rykiel sweater; Karen Zambos skirt; wicked frames; Swarovski ring; cubic zirconia ring; Givenchy leather ankle sandals; neon pink Dr Marten boots; Pauric Sweeney overnight bag; Frye harness boots.

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Virgos Do Disneyland

[ 5 April 2009, 10:05 ]

A little clip to make you smile on a Sunday — Nubby Twiglet & I at Disneyland last month. This was shot with a Flip Mino HD, which I absolutely love!

The song is called ‘Sushi’ & is by Kyle Andrews.

P.S. Every time I watch this & see Nubby smile in the spinning teacups, I cannot help but grin back! How cute is she?!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Announcing... Love & Sequins: Making Magic Happen!

[ 23 March 2009, 05:41 ]

If I could embed a marching band right here, I would. This is a GRAND ANNOUNCEMENT! I have been squirming in my seat for ages waiting to tell you about this, & finally, it’s time! This is the biggest thing I’ve done since the launch of iCiNG itself, & I’m so amped!

I’d like to introduce you to my new baby, Love & Sequins: Making Magic Happen, a super-deluxe addition to the daily iCiNG we all know & love. It’s a monthly exploration & adventure delivered in podcast format, perfect for hunkering down to in your favourite place with a pair of beloved headphones.

I’m so excited about putting this together, & I can’t wait to share it with you! So what can you expect? Every month for the next 12 months I’ll be exploring various topics in lots of depth — an entire HOUR of my ridiculous accent each month! It’s a delicious mash-up of the best of my archived material, plus huge helpings of new, never-before-seen treasures. Some of you know this already, & some of you don’t, but my Next Big Thing™ is a book — a definitive guide to living the iCiNG way. This is your chance to get the mega-early scoop, because an enormous portion of what will be covered is material written specifically for that. Yum yum!

I’ve been writing feature-length articles for iCiNG for over two years now, but I want to start getting more in-depth. This is my opportunity to do that — to go deeper & expand more — & I have so much to say!

What will I be talking about? Love! Style! Music! Creating your dream life! Sex! Travel! Entrepreneurship! Fashion! Metro-spirituality! Relationships! You’ll learn an arsenal of secrets to keeping a relationship fabulous, be given tips on how to start your own business, & find out how to be a better lover. We’ll discover your passions & create a grand, glorious plan for living your dreams, as well as talking about fun things like money, shoes, & travel. I’ll let you in on the personal exercises I use for visualisation, staying motivated & learning how to use astrology in your daily life. I’ll be interviewing amazing people & sharing my most exciting discoveries. It’s a combination of my all-time sweetest tips & tricks — like how to look picture perfect all the time, dealing with unrequited love, & escaping the world without going anywhere — with all the trimmings. Who loves ya, baby?!

Recorded live in a handful of my favourite cities, like New York, Austin, Los Angeles & Las Vegas (yay!), each month we’ll cover a mix of subjects. & just like iCiNG, it will always be inspiring & invigorating with a view to helping spark up your love of life!

With Love & Sequins: Making Magic Happen we’ll be moving together into the fabulous fast-lane of hyper-love & miracle-making — but of course, it’s totally optional. Everything you love about iCiNG will stay the same — & free, like it’s always been!

Want a demo? Of course you do! Here’s a minute-long sampler with some assorted clips!

Enough teasing. Keen?! (Me toooooooo! I can’t wait to kick this off!) You can choose your own adventure because there are 3 ways of doing it.

Option One: $12
Pay as you go. Only buy what you want, when you want it. I’ll send you a reminder to let you know when the latest one has been released, & you can pick it up as you go. Option one is $12 a pop.

Option Two: $10
Go for the one year subscription, but pay in instalments. You’ll be billed monthly at $10 — saving you $2 a month, or $24 for the full year.

Option Three: $7
Snap up the whole year for $84 (a whopping 12 hours of material!) & receive all of Love & Sequins: Making Magic Happen. Your one-off payment will help me heaps in funding the project, & by way of saying a big sparkly thank you, the price drops to $7 a month. This saves you $5 a month, or $60 annually!

The first instalment of Love & Sequins: Making Magic Happen will be released in April — yes, next month! You’ll be emailed a top secret download link as soon as it’s completed. I’ve done my very best to price this as fairly as possible — $10 is about what you pay for a mixed drink in New York City, or two mixed drinks in Austin, Texas! Ha! It’s probably less than your favourite foreign fashion magazine, & even better, no ads or tree-killin’!

You can pay instantly via Paypal right here. Click click click!

I hope you’re as excited as I am. See you on the other side!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Live At SXSWi: A Brief History Of Growing Up Online

[ 14 March 2009, 17:55 ]

For those of you who can’t be here in Austin, here’s a live stream of our panel discussion — this should record, too, so you can watch it later if you’re not on the site right now! Hope you enjoy!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Things I Love Thursday

[ 12 March 2009, 14:58 ]

The American adventure thus far. It has been a mad time, but so much fun. Constant movement, insane amounts of FOOD, & lots of discussions about things I love to talk about — like writing, blogging, fashion, relationships, marketing & plans for the future! I am super-blessed to know the people I do. Viz…

Jazzi — The hostess with the mostest. Jazzi has been so good to me over the past two weeks… Indulging my whims, driving me around, taking me to In-N-Out burger all the time, showing me her favourite spots in the city & being sweet++ all the time. She is such a rad girl! Nubby & I are thinking about adopting her. Which brings me to…

Nubby — The one, the only, the inimitable Nubby Twiglet. My wife, my star, my Virgo soulmate. I saw her last weekend, & it was brief but beautiful. We shopped, we ate, we drank pre-mixed bottles of alcohol, we were faux-seduced by faux-serial killers & real construction workers, we took a bunch of photos & we laughed a whole lot. She is still the best.

Star — I love Star! I talk to her a whole lot but before last week, had only actually met her in person twice: on my 23rd & 25th birthdays, both times in New York City. Jazzi & I stayed with her in San Francisco, & I walked into her house to see this! We had late-night cups of tea & almost-passed-out conversations in her big red bed & lots of hugs. I adore her so much.

SoulGarden! Most of you probably know that I am obsessed with the SoulGarden daily horoscopes on Youtube. Well, we got talking (somehow?!) & during my time in L.A. I hung out twice with the guys who make it happen. THEY ARE SO AWESOME. Honestly. You have no idea. They are the coolest, most interesting, inspiring, fantastic guys ever. We have plans to eat Mexican food in NYC & some other stuff too. Watch this space!

Disneyland is so much fun. I still love the Haunted Mansion the best. My obsession with the supernatural that I had as a kid has never really left me. I laughed madly all the way around the Matterhorn, & screamed my way all around Space Mountain! We took so many pictures, ate completely ridiculous food & bought more ears than anyone could ever need. It was the perfect place for our 6-month anniversary, haha.

Austin — Okay, so I only arrived last night but in my very brief travels so far I have noticed that Austin is absolutely full of extremely cute boys. That’s all I can tell you so far, but obviously, this is good news…

My female friends, collectively — They are an amazing bunch of girls. I am so proud of all of them. They almost exclusively are known by names they created for themselves, they’re doing work which fulfils them in some kind of capacity, they have plans & dreams & they’re optimistic about the future. They are committed to doing the best they can, they are intelligent & supportive & insightful, they are good to me & there for me & we wear each other’s clothes. I think I said this a while ago but I used to be pretty much totally incapable of making female friends; it’s something I learned to do about a year or so ago. I didn’t really understand how they worked, I think I was intimidated half the time & riddled with jealousy the rest of the time, so it never really happened. But now? Having close girlfriends is one of the best things about my life.

Jake countdown — I get to meet my friend Jake next Wednesday & I am SO EXCITED. We have been talking online like total lunatics since late last year & he’s coming to Austin for SXSW & Gala mania! His birthday was a couple of weeks ago, so I called a bakery down the road from his work (in Minneapolis) & had a mutual friend of ours (pastry henchman!) pick up & deliver him a bunch of cupcakes, cookies & pastries. Obviously I think he is pretty great. I have been counting down the days on Twitter (see?) & well, I don’t know what I can really say except that I am amped. He is awesome incarnate. YAY.

My new pink sequinned maus helmet! Oh dear god. I love it so much it needs its own mention. It is my new boyfriend. It’s like what you would wear if you were battling in the disco apocalypse. It is SO my favourite thing right now. I am considering wearing it to my panel on Saturday… I think I should probably do it.

Honourable mentions: Internalols (“I’m lolling on the inside”); talking to my friends on AIM while driving across the country; cello recitals by beautiful girls in the morning; honesty; The Legendary Pink Dots; writing next to a swimming pool in the sun (it’s an unbeatable combination); the Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame; James St James; weird people in costume who ask for your phone number; 9th Wonders’ Nas mix; epic productivity buzzes; running through the airport & making your plane at the last moment; 24-hour restaurants full of good-looking people (in both L.A. & Austin!); Röyksopp; excitement about SXSWi (it kicks off tomorrow!); spinach dip (new obsession?); Sam & Liam Lynch (he is so cool); coconut water; In-N-Out (I wish it wasn’t true but it is); salads from California Pizza Kitchen; puppy kisses.

How about you, kitten moon?

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Daily Outfit -- 7th March 2009

[ 8 March 2009, 01:15 ]

Hello — again! — from Hollywood! The Hollywood sign is actually behind me in this picture, but you might need to squint to see it!

Frames from Urban Outfitters
Holographic unicorn Christmas ornament
Pink vintage slip — a gift from my amazing friend Mary Bee!
High-waisted grey skirt from H&M
Sequinned hooded jacket from Forever 21
Neon pink bag
Faux-Alexander Wang heels from Forever 21
Assortment of bracelets & rings

Today, Jazzi & Nubby & I walked around Hollywood. & who did we run into?

JAMES ST JAMES! He is totally fabulous & even before I realised who he was, he talked at me for five minutes about how much he loved my outfit. What a sweetheart.

Virgo Power. I’m so happy to have my girl with me!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Cuba Street Carnival

[ 21 February 2009, 21:33 ]

Yesterday was the 10 year anniversary of Wellington’s Cuba Street Carnival. Here’s what I got up to! (The clever among you will spot Jane McGonigal, Ze Frank & Jo of Eye Heart Glasses!) Also, I met SO MANY nonpareils yesterday — more than I can even begin to count! If you came up to me, thank you times a billion, it was wonderful to meet you. You all cute me out like mad!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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iCiNG Transformation Challenge Preparation

[ 30 January 2009, 16:56 ]

A couple of days ago I decided what I’m going to do for my personal iTC. It’s not super-adventurous or anything; in fact, it’s exactly what I did last year — but because the thought of it makes me feel uncomfortable, I know I should be doing it. (The word “challenge” is in the title for a reason!)

My iCiNG Transformation Challenge is going to be centered around exercising every day (which I am pretty much doing already, but I want to be much more conscious about doing it), & eating 100% raw.

With exercise, I am already hooping for about an hour on average every day, & I love it, but what I want to do is turn my exercise into more of a meditation. I want to be really present, really grounded, & experience the ecstasy of movement. Sometimes I feel like the heavens are french-kissing me while I hoop dance, but I want to feel that when I’m doing yoga, weights, walking, etc. too! It’s my intention to have exercise feel less like a tedious chore than an exploration of bliss & an expression of adoration for the universe. Working love into everyday life, that’s me, that’s my mission!

As for the food… Last year when I did this, my boyfriend was eating 100% raw too, which made life way easier. We were both going through the same thing, we could talk about our cravings, & talk each other out of going to KFC. This time I’m pretty much doing it alone — even though I have you guys! — so I know I need to put some systems in place to help support me as I do this. Especially since I will also be in the midst of organising & packing for my trip back to the USA!

Here are some things I think will help — & this might give you some ideas as to how you can set up support systems for your own challenge.

I’m going to get more involved in the raw community. One of the reasons that even the most well-intentioned raw foodists go off their greens is because of lack of support or community. Let’s face it, radically altering your diet has consequences & alters your social life quite a lot. There are lots of other people around the world rocking raw food like nobody’s business, but because you don’t know they exist, often you feel like a solo juicing voyager, travelling alone, confused & adrift. That’s why it is so important to get involved with a good community of raw people, whether in your city or just online, & for most of us, Give It To Me Raw is an awesome place to get started. Give It To Me Raw was invaluable to me when I first started going raw, & is always my go-to when I have a question about something. So whatever it is you’re doing, do a bit of research & seek out people who have suceeded at doing that same thing. Then start to talk to them. Trust me, you’ll thank me later!

I’ve decided to listen to at least one raw food podcast a day, because another great way to combat the loneliness is to get actively involved & learn some new things! It helps keep you inspired & excited, gives you lots of ideas & reminds you once again that you’re not the only person doing it. One way I love to do this is by listening to podcasts & watching videos. In the case of raw food, there are so many great raw food podcasts, uncooking shows & instructional videos online that you can totally take your pick! There will be oodles of information on what you want to do too, so get searchin’!

I had a good think about my motivation. I admit to being shallow & superficial, & honestly, the bulk of my reasons for wanting to get back to raw food revolve around how it makes me look. The way it makes me feel (clear-headed, smart, alert, ecstatic) are just a bonus, but I feel like ultimately, they are what will keep me wanting to eat raw — as well as the fact that I know, deep down, that eating raw is right for me, & the best thing I can do for myself right now. Going off raw food late last year taught me that — the difference was huge. (Oh, & I just found this article on Zen Habits: 10 Reasons Eating Raw Is Healthier For You & The Planet!)

My point in saying this is that you need to know why you’re doing what you’re doing. Joining a gym or going vegan just because you “think you should” isn’t going to cut it when you’re craving cheese or a sleep-in — you need a reason which really means something to you. My suggestion is to have a really good, investigative probe into your own motivation, & be honest with yourself. Do you want to go vegan for animal rights, or do you actually want to try it because you want to lose a few pounds? Take that honesty & then write it down. You can put it on Post It notes around your house, write it in your journal or rearrange your alphabet fridge magnets to spell it out, but putting things in writing — especially where you can see them often — is very powerful.

I’m going to be good to myself… & you should be too! Don’t expect to be perfect, because no one is, & as you move through the steps of your challenge, it is almost inevitable that there will be times where you stumble. Having said that, don’t expect you will fail, either — we attract what we think about, so thinking that way is totally counter-productive! Just concentrate on doing the best you can every day, & if you mess it up, it’s cool. Tomorrow is another day. I think it’s important to aim for consistency, not perfection (something I learned from Dhru & Nature Love!), because it sets us up to form positive habits & routines rather than expecting to become a saint overnight. I am going to do my best to eat 100% raw every day, but if I eat some toast or devour a plate of potato salad, I’m not going to flagellate myself. What’s the point?! The way I see it, we’re trying to make positive changes to our lives, & that doesn’t include beating ourselves up for being human! You & I are to be commended for even making these first steps. Remember that!

Alright — so having taken all that in, what steps are you going to take to build your own support system?

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Violently Happy

[ 17 January 2009, 18:52 ]

I know we’ve done this before, but last time it was so great I almost exploded!

Post a photo of yourself looking REALLY, deliriously happy in the comments!

Definitely a good way to round off the weekend. I love this!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Adventures In Auckland!

[ 12 January 2009, 01:12 ]

I have grown obsessed with documenting everything that happens to me. Here then, for your viewing pleasure, is a summary of my adventures in Auckland, from photoshoots & hula hooping in back alleys to rap shows & treehouse dinners!

The song is Will.I.Am’s remix of Michael Jackson’s P.Y.T., & beware, there is a naughty word right at the end! Enjoy, oui!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Hoop Mania!

[ 5 January 2009, 20:25 ]

Okay, everyone who follows me on Twitter is probably aware that I have been hooping almost constantly for the last 3 days. (2 hours on Sunday, 3 hours on Monday, 2 hours so far today.) I am really obsessed! I can hoop to entire songs without the hoop falling down! AMAZING!

I am having so much fun with this $6 piece of plastic. I think it might even be a child’s hoop, but I am totally beyond caring. It is kind of all I can think about right now, even though I know I should be organising things (I’m going to Auckland tomorrow & will be there until Monday)!

Next step? Tricks. Major silliness. More internal bruising of my abdominals. Sparkly holographic hoops. Oh yes!

GOD, I LOVE IT!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Merry Christmas Take Two!

[ 25 December 2008, 04:04 ]

Just before I left New York, the extremely awesome Corinne from Threadbanger interviewed me in my apartment in the West Village. She even brought me cupcakes! What a cutie!

As a Christmas Day (or Christmas Eve, depending on where you’re at!) treat, here’s the feature they put together! I hope you enjoy it!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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A Very Darling Christmas

[ 25 December 2008, 02:33 ]

This is what went down today at our place…

Lots & lots of ridiculous love from our family to yours!

I hope you have an amazing 25th of December, regardless of whether you celebrate Christmas or not! Huge kisses! Be safe!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Interview With Gala Darling: Part Three

[ 19 December 2008, 07:30 ]

The final part! Here we go, rapid-fire, quick questions!

Favorite Diane Vreeland quote? (Mandy)

“Never fear being vulgar; just boring.”

Who would you really, really like to kiss under the mistletoe this year? (Kelly)

I can’t really say, it will get me into trouble! So I’ll just say… Nubby! Aw! (It’s true, too. I love her very much.)

What are your favorite kinds of lists to make? (Beth)

To do lists. I have them for the day, the week, the month & the year… OBSESSIVE!

What’s a bad habit of yours? (Mandy)

Procrastination. I also love to “multi-task”, by which I mean: listen to music, talk on AIM, look at my email, browse Flickr, read Livejournal, reply to comments & write an article all at the same time. It doesn’t really work.

How do you feel about graduation ceremonies? (Beth)

I have never been to one, so I have no feelings on them whatsoever! Those little hats look cute, though, & I guess it would be fun to throw them in the air!

Hugs or kisses? (Becca)

Kisses.

Do you drink alcohol? (Mai)

Yes, I do. I have never been a huge drinker, but I know what I like. Some of my favourite tipples include Jameson, Canadian Club, & ridiculous cocktails.

What is one gadget that you don’t think you could live without? (Kelly)

My Macbook. It is black. I love it. My camera comes in a very close second, but it’s all about the Macbook.

Do you ever want to get married and start a family? (Mai)

I don’t know. Maybe. I think marriage is kind of unrealistic. I’m not being cynical or child-of-divorce-esque, my parents are still married 26 years later, but I just think that promising to love someone forever is kind of illogical. You can’t promise that. & you can’t promise that you’ll always want to work at it, because feelings change & people grow apart sometimes. Also, as romantic a premise as marriage is, what does it mean? If you’re living together & not married, how is that any less legitimate a relationship? Does a piece of paper & a big frothy dress & a book of photos change anything? I don’t think it does. I am not adverse to spending the rest of my life with someone, I just don’t know if promising to do it makes any sense.

Looking through your blog it is easy to see that you have an amazing sense of style, and you change your own personal style regularly (especially your hair style and colour). Everyone says you shouldn’t change yourself to make people like you – but were you ever scared that if you changed something about yourself (say, your hair colour, or the amount of makeup you wear), people might stop liking you because you’d changed? (Anon)

My personal style is the last thing I’m worried about causing that kind of reaction. I reckon I could shave my head & start dressing like… um… Martha Stewart & someone would appreciate it. It’s more likely that people would be upset if I changed what I wrote about, or people thought I was “selling out” (whatever that means), or if my lifestyle became radically different. Some of you will have noticed that that did actually happen when I moved to New York. I can’t really say much about that — except that I live a life that makes me happy, & the way it makes other people feel is really not any of my business…

What are your thoughts on Germany? (Becca)

I love it. I went there on the school trip I wrote about in the last part of my interview. I wore blue, ha, & we travelled all over the place (Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Baden Baden, Karlsruhe, Salzburg etc.). It was amazing! I really, really like it there, & think I will probably live there at some point in my life. I saw some of the most incredible mid-summer thunderstorms there. I love German people too, they are very friendly & precise, the perfect complement to the Virgo disposition, haha! Also, Germans make the best sandwiches & rolls. Ever. Something about the bread. Drool.

You’ve written before about how you used to have quite a negative outlook on life and believed that it would always be that way for you. How did you turn your life around? Aside from EFT, what inspired you to start living differently, and how did you put it into practice? (Alice)

I think I decided to try changing it because I was sick of feeling bad all the time. I was so miserable, not really eating, I hated my job & I was always really angry about everything. The not eating thing was the part that messed me up the most — I would look at my reflection in the mirror & really, really hate myself, what I saw, what I was about. It was supremely dramatic & is pretty embarrassing to look back on, but I was desperately unhappy at the time. So unhappy I cannot even put it into words. I decided to try using EFT to see if I could make myself happier, on a whim I guess. I probably thought, ‘Oh well, it doesn’t cost anything to try & if it doesn’t work, all it will have meant is that I wasted some time’. Amazingly, it worked.

I guess after that I got kind of hooked on the idea that I could keep improving myself, so I did. I haven’t really stopped, though I go through phases where I don’t use EFT much, & then times where I use it all the time. It depends on what’s going on in my life.

I also spend quite a lot of time thinking about my life & what I could do to make it better. I get into it in pretty intricate detail. Do I want more money or just a certain lifestyle? What kind of friendships do I want to have? How do I feel about this or that? Knowing the answers to those questions makes it a lot easier to manifest the kind of life you want.

Have you been to the Middle East? (Mai)

No! One of my best friends grew up in Dubai & speaks very highly of it, however.

Last book read? (Mandy)

How embarrassing. I don’t even know. Cringe! I buy books compulsively, but very rarely finish them. I always start them with great enthusiasm & then… abandon them. It has been this way for two years. Most of the time, I would rather work than read…

Do you ever get hit by the jealousy bug? (Becca)

Very rarely. I’m pretty happy with my life! I guess, also, when I feel jealous, I just try to work out whatever it is that I want — & how to bring it into my existence!

What’s your real name? (kate)

Gala Darling! Yes, really & truly… It’s on my passports, credit cards & everything.

What is your personal definition of nerd-dom? (Ceka)

Anything that isn’t generally accepted as being “cool”. I indulge in a lot of that stuff shamelessly. Plus, I like nerds.

What was your favorite thing in/about San Francisco? [gotta ask; it’s my city!] (cuileann)

I haven’t spent a lot of time in San Francisco — I was there twice in 2006 & it was really just a place to get ready for Burning Man, & then relax afterwards! I had a great peanut butter & chocolate shake in a diner there somewhere, haha, & I loved the Sanrio store… I also wanted to go to The Hungry I, but never made it, unfortunately. Next year!

Gothiest thing you’ve ever worn? (Becca)

Um… a cape? LET US NEVER SPEAK OF THIS AGAIN.

Why you so fly? (Beccalise)

You think we’re fly, but we levitate, just be yourself, don’t ask us why, ‘cause if you don’t we’ll make you fly.

When you were little, what did you want to be when you ‘grew up’? (Cally)

I always wanted to be a writer! My second choice would have been an actress, probably just because I loved attention!

If you could turn into an animal, like a werewolf, what would were-Gala prowl as under the moon? (Bing)

Whatever I turned out to be, I would have to have prominent ears. (Purple bunny? White bunny? Sequinned mouse? Normal mouse? Fingers?)

So, say for example, you could have any creature as a pet, (mythological/sci-fi/extinct/talking beast à la narnia- whatever!) what would it be, what would you name it and most importantly would you cruelly dress it up in glitter and nylon? (May)

You guys ask weird questions. I don’t know what it would be, maybe just a big flying shaggy carpet with googly eyes, called Hernandez. Of COURSE I would cruelly dress it up in glitter & nylon! What do you take me for?!

When will you be back in Melbourne? (Cally)

I’m not sure at this stage. I was going to come back in early 2009 to see some friends & get my hair done by my favourite people (Wildilocks!), but I actually think it makes more sense to get back to the States as soon as I can!

Are you a dog or cat person? Or some other animal entirely!? (Mandy)

I am definitely a dog person. All the way. Forever.

I’m uber curious about the end of your relationship with Steve/the beginning of you and Timmy. I know it’s so personal but I just want to know for my own personal knowledge/reference/etc. Like how did you get over it so quickly? (Embarrassed)

Well, the two situations are completely unrelated. By the time I officially called things off with Simon (his name isn’t Steve!), we had actually been apart from each other — him in Australia & me in New York — for three months. I often find that when I’m in a relationship, towards the end, one of the reasons I stay in it longer than I should is that I’m not sure how I would cope without them. You get so used to having them around, etc., that the idea of not having them by your side is terrifying. Going to New York & spending time there alone was fantastic for me in that sense — I learned that I didn’t need anyone, that I was self-sufficient & while having someone else around was nice, I certainly didn’t require it. The distance between us made me realise how different we were becoming, & I could see problems down the line that I didn’t think we would be able to iron out, or that we should. I think I felt like we would both be happier doing our own thing, unrestrained. I don’t really want to get into the reasons for our break-up (nothing dramatic, but not necessarily for public consumption!), but anyway, I ended it. I was afraid at the time, but it was the right thing to do.

I got over it quickly, because… I just do. That’s kind of how I am. Maybe because I was the person who made the decision & could see my future as a bachelorette, that made it easier — who knows.

As for Tim & I, we I had been friends since 2006 & it just kind of happened.

Okay one that’s not so personal… do you think I’m weird and gross and disgusting if I kind of have a little crush on Jay Gordon from the band Orgy, as he was from 1998-2002 (I haven’t a clue what he looks like now). but I kind of think he was hot (makeup, stupid hair, stupid outfits and all) and I want to have sex with his voice… I care what you think of me. Haha. (Embarrassed)

Psshhh, no, not at all! We all have ridiculous, unexplainable crushes at some point or another.

Do you sun-bathe? (Mai)

Rarely! I am too restless for that kind of thing.

Are all women from Venus? If not, what planet are you from Gala? How about Nubby? ;-) (Corissa Jade)

Nubby & I are definitely from Mercury — the planet of ideas, communication, media, magic, trickery… & VIRGOS!

I know you travel a lot, and you’ve got loads of fans all over the world, including here in London! Are you planning to come over any time soon for a visit?? And if you’ve been to London before – I think you have – what did you think about the city, the people, and the fashion scene? (Keishy V.)

London’s a strange city to me. I have been a bunch of times & enjoyed it, but it’s certainly not my favourite place to be. It definitely has its charms but it just doesn’t speak to me in the same way some other cities do. I wish I liked it more, actually, because I have a British passport & so I could live there easily, but it doesn’t really appeal to me. Having said that, whenever I went, I stayed with family & never really had any friends there (the last time I went was in 2006), so I am sure my experiences would be quite different going these days! I know a lot more people there now, & they keep trying to get me to go over, so you never know, you could see me there soon!

What do you doodle? (Mandy)

Hearts (mostly) & stars (sometimes) & occasionally faces. I read an article in some terrible magazine when I was in my early teens which said that if you doodled hearts, you desired love, if you doodled stars, you desired fame, & some other nonsense. I don’t know if I buy into it!

Do you feel you are taken very seriously with your neon hair color, and your half sleeve body art? (Madison)

Honestly, it’s not something I’ve given a lot of thought to. I don’t have a great desire to be “taken seriously”, it’s just not something that is important to me.

Having said that, I know that people react more positively to me without facial piercings, which is one reason why I don’t have them any more (as well as the fact that I feel like I outgrew them & got sick of them). Pink hair people seem to be okay with, but piercings push some (usually older, much more conservative) people over the edge. As for my tattoos, they’re not often on display. I will sometimes catch a grumpy-looking old woman flash me a look of disgust, but I really couldn’t care less what they think!

What are your pet peeves? (Kelly)

Bad table manners. People who yell into their cellphones. People who play all their ringtones on the bus. People who don’t turn off keytones on their cellphones. Um… a lot of cellphone-related stuff!

Your Daily Outfit is one of my favourite parts of iCiNG, and has inspired me to start looking at my own outfits on a daily basis. But are there any outfits that you look back on and go, ‘omg what WAS I thinking?!’ (Keishy V.)

I definitely do, & that’s one of the reasons why I take outfit photos! Often when you throw something on & look in the mirror, you look at one area of your body — your boobs or your legs or your waist or whatever — but not the whole thing. Photos don’t lie! I have worn plenty of extremely questionable outfits, & I feel okay about putting them online, because we can all benefit from it. & maybe have a giggle or two.

If you could smooch any designer, who would it be and why? (Becca)

Karl Lagerfeld. I doubt he’d be into it, but he’d definitely be my pick. I love him!

What are your long-term career aspirations? (Madison)

I know I should have a grand plan laid out, but I don’t. I’m really very happy just taking opportunities as they come & seeing where life takes me. I have faith! I do have some things I’d love to do, like have books published & start speaking, but other than that, I don’t feel the need to plan my life out to the letter… I love the adventure & being able to live spontaneously!

Alright, that’s it for now. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to do this, I’ve really enjoyed it, it’s awesome to get an opportunity to be so unabashedly narcissistic! I hope you enjoyed it too, & feel like you got some more insight into “the real Gala”!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Interview With Gala Darling: Part Two

[ 17 December 2008, 06:25 ]

Part two! Ooh la la! I’m really enjoying doing this. I hope you’re having as much fun as I am!

We know you are a wonderful and well-channelled Virgo but I am curious to know what your moon sign is. (Zoe)

My Sun & Mercury are Virgo, I have my Moon in Sagittarius & Venus & Mars in Leo. I am also a Water Pig & an ENFP, if that’s helpful to you!

How tall are you? Have you ever said? :) (Cuppy Baer)

I am 169cm, which is 5’6”! It’s a little taller than average, but I often describe myself as a “midget”, haha. I am convinced I was meant to be 5’9”. My mother is 5’10”! I started smoking when I was about 13 — stupid! — & I’m sure I stunted my growth. Sad times. I would kill to be taller! Just a couple of inches! That’s all I ask!

My question is, what is your FAVOURITE fruit? And will you ever come to Canada? I think you mentioned something about wanting to go to Vancouver once. (amelie)

I love crunchy green apples, passion fruit, raspberries, grapefruit & pomegranates! I would love to visit Canada, & have plans to do so in 2009!

This may be a silly question, but I have to ask: Do you ever feel lonely? You seem to have so many things going on that this would seem impossible, but I also know that you strive for iCiNG to be a very positive place, so it’s also possible you might just not share that kind of thing here. (Liz Turtle)

I am really not of the “getting lonely” disposition. I attribute this to a couple of things: firstly, I’m an only child, so growing up I always had to entertain myself, & consequently got really, really comfortable with my own company. I love people a lot, they bring me untold amounts of joy, but I am probably at my absolute happiest when I am alone. I really crave it if I’m doing too much socialising. Also… I am usually so preoccupied with projects & plans & madness that I don’t really have time to get lonely! I’m always writing & plotting, which doesn’t leave a lot of space for sadness. Couple that with the fact that I am on my computer pretty much ALL the time, with Twitter running in a corner, constant emails, music playing all the time, & living either in the middle of New York City or in a house with my parents (who are pretty loud)... You know, it just doesn’t happen.

Sometimes I feel like I’m mean because I don’t really miss people. They miss me sometimes & then I feel guilty because I don’t really return their feelings, but I think mostly all that stuff ends up in a mix of excitement about seeing them again & thinking about all the things we’ll do! I really never feel that far away from anyone. We have the internet! & the telephone! & planes! It’s probably a good thing that I feel this way, with the amount of travelling I do!

Another question: Were you ever shy, or have you always been comfortable meeting new people and gallivanting around new cities ;) (Liz Turtle)

I have always been pretty outgoing. I was always that girl who wanted to be the main part in drama class & stuff. It boggles my mind when I think about the fact that I used to do musical theatre (whaaaaaat?!) — I was once the main part in a production that went every day for three weeks! That is so weird to me. (One day my mother said she wasn’t coming to one of my performances because she had things to do, but she was LYING, & I knew it when I was on stage, because in the darkened theatre, I could hear her bracelets jingling when she clapped! They sounded very distinctive.)

Okay, slight digression there. I have always been pretty comfortable meeting new people. I am getting much better at it as time goes by. I think I’ve said this before but as an only child, I wasn’t really expected to act like a child — I was expected to act like an adult, & so I wasn’t allowed to just hide away when my parents had friends over or when they met someone or whatever, I had to stump up & make nice. Even though I wasn’t overly fond of it at the time, I think it taught me some good lessons about people, & I guess I would consider myself reasonably socially adept. I have grown a LOT in that way in the last year.

I love being in new cities & exploring them, I think it is one of life’s great pleasures, so yes, I’m very comfortable doing that!

Have you ever considered doing a tour of sorts? Some kind of scheduling of iCiNG meetups around the U.S. in major cities (like Chicago! hint hint) so we could meet you AND each other? (PrincessMagpie)

YES! I have thought of doing that! Nubby & I have discussed this; we would love to do a nationwide road-trip, where we live-blog from the back of an ice-cream truck (!!!) & stop in the cities that take our fancy! How good would that be?! We would need a driver though. Any volunteers?!

Do people come up to you in the street and if so what has your best fan experience been? (Maya)

Yes, they do! It started happening when I lived in Melbourne, & as my website grows, it happens more & more. One of the most amazing things that happened was having a Swedish girl called Anna approach me in Manhattan! She was there on holiday, & had been joking with her boyfriend about how they might see me — & then they did! I have met nonpareils in bars, in shops, at castings for Australia’s Next Top Model… I have had people come into restaurants & cafés where they saw me eating, shyly tap me on the shoulder & yell at me from the other side of the street.

For some reason, it is even MORE prolific in Wellington, which is shocking to me because it’s such a small city — & I haven’t lived here for a really long time! Someone pimped me out GOOD here! Since coming back a month ago, I have yet to leave the house & not be recognised… It’s an incredibly weird, but amazing, thing, & I love meeting the people from the other side of the screen!

You have amazing & expensive designer items, how do you afford them since you’re a blogger? (jenny)

I save up for them, like most other people… !

When do I see you again? (davide)

As soon as you live in a city that doesn’t suck! Kisses!

I once remember you saying you felt like “Elton John’s demented protégé” so my question would be whose protégé would you be now? And why? (Katrina)

Diana Vreeland’s! That’s a pretty bold claim though… She is my icon.

How old do you feel? In some ways you seem like a very old soul… and in some ways like a little girl! (Karen)

Whenever someone asks me how old I am, I automatically go to say “23”. I’m not 23 any more, but a lot of things happened to me that year (moving country, starting iCiNG, etc.) so I guess it made an impact on me! As to how old I actually feel, it depends. A lot of the time I feel like a 7 year old — usually when I’m excited about something — but then occasionally, when I’m out at night or feeling especially grouchy, I feel like an oooooold woman. I do call myself Grandmama Darling for a reason!

How do you keep yourself – life, relationships, work – all in balance? (Freya)

I don’t know that I do keep it all in balance, honestly! I pretty much work all the time, & when I’m not working (reading blogs, writing articles, dealing with email, sitting at my computer in general), I’m usually thinking about it. I don’t know if “work/life balance” exists for people like me who live their lives online. Even when I’m making plans to travel or do things in the future, it almost always ties in with my work in some way or another. Good thing I love what I do! Haha!

My relationships are a different story altogether. They often have to fit around my work. This makes some people unhappy. Unfortunately for them, at the moment, that’s just how it is, & I’m happy that way!

What are your favourite high-end or designer brands? (Jessica Elle)

I really love Alexander McQueen, Rick Owens, Balenciaga, Pierre Hardy, Christian Louboutin, Luella, Maison Martin Margiela, Yohji Yamamoto… I really love sleek, minimalist stuff with an unusual cut or detailing, which you might not guess based on how I dress day-to-day!

I know you lived in Auckland for a while. So, what’s your favourite place to eat here? Where did you normally hang out? (Val)

I lived in Auckland for ages, but I think I lived in the Whitcoulls building on Queen Street the longest, so a lot of the places I liked were near there. I loved to eat & spend time at Logos, Rakinos & Tanuki’s Cave! I also lived really close to a vegetarian cafe & I ate there way more often than I should have. There was also an awesome vegetarian/vegan cafe called Raw Power or something, I’ve forgotten the name, which I ate at all the time. I didn’t really frequent any bars other than Rakinos, where I loved to go for an after-work drink on a summer’s evening, ahh so good. Normally if I wanted to go out I would go wherever the action seemed to be. Most of the time I would have people over to my place where we would drink, listen to music & make merry!

Whatever happened to Audrey? I used to love reading his posts! Would you ever considering hiring/teaming up with/working with/frolicking with other writers for iCiNG? (MJ)

Audrey is a super-hard-working guy & so often he was too wrapped up in his insane job to make the kind of commitment I was really looking for. He is awesome & knows SO much about style, but unfortunately real life gets in the way of him sharing that with the world at the moment! (He has been in the process of starting up his own blog about men’s style since I met him!) One day he will get a job that gives him a day off & things will start to happen, I’m sure of it.

I have thought about bringing on other writers, but I am kind of a control freak with insanely high standards. I also don’t like turning people down or saying “do it again, but better”. Honestly, I would prefer just to do things myself… ! Hopefully one day I will get over that!

Best & worst things about your job? (Iris)

Um, I love working in my pyjamas. I love listening to music really loudly all day & taking breaks from writing to dance like an imbecile. I love that I can do whatever I want. I love that I get to be creative, take risks & try new things. I LOVE getting instant feedback on what I’ve written or put together. I love that I can create & shape my future into anything I want & I love the opportunities that have come my way from running iCiNG.

I don’t love how much email I get. It is flattering but kind of stressful, especially when it starts to build up. I think most people would have a heart-attack if they saw my inbox first thing in the morning. Just thinking about it is giving me palpitations! I also sometimes wish I had a manager to kick my ass & get me to do things. But only sometimes!

What you miss most about being in the 9 to 5 workplace, as opposed to being self employed? (Iris)

I miss silly things, like commuting. I know that commuting sucks for most people, but for me it was an opportunity to get some writing done & process however I was feeling. I would sit on the bus with my headphones & notebook & just write until I arrived at my destination. I always find that I do my best journalling on the way to somewhere, whether that’s on a bus, in a plane, or whatever. Alain de Botton wrote about that actually, I think. Anyway, I miss that.

Sometimes I miss having workmates too, but honestly, I kind of feel like all the other bloggers & self-employed people I follow on Twitter are my workmates. We’re all dealing with similar issues, we can talk in real-time, we all support one another… & don’t have to put up with each others’ weird food smells! Bonus!

How do you stay motivated & working hard on iCiNG instead of playing & sleeping & shopping all day? (Iris)

Sometimes I do sleep/play/shop all day, but not as often as you might think. I’m motivated by the fact that I love what I do — I mean, it is genuinely fun to me. As much as I love shopping — & believe me, I LOVE shopping — I find it much more satisfying to write something I’m happy with & hit ‘publish’ than to buy something on Ebay. (I know! It’s crazy!)

How did you get into iCiNG (I know you were tired of the corporate world etc., I mean like what steps did you take to create it, financial aid, support from parents/friends etc. to set up your own site & be self-employed)? (Iris)

It was pretty simple really: my boyfriend & I lived on one income until iCiNG took off. Which took a little over a year. Yes, really.

Simon, bless him, is one of the most encouraging, supportive people I have ever met. I think that especially in the beginning, he believed in me more than I believed in myself. It is largely due to him that iCiNG even exists at all — & he was an incredible person to be in a relationship with, especially with regards to doing this whole thing. His belief & love & passion for what I was doing blew me away. It still does when I think back on it. When times got tough & I considered throwing in the towel & getting a job in a shop — this happened a lot, by the way — he always told me to persevere, & I cannot thank him enough for that.

Not having any money was stressful & difficult — I was used to earning a regular pay-cheque & frittering it away on frivolous crap, so not having that freedom was really tough. It is hard to do something for free for a long time & not know if you’re ever going to be able to afford a nice meal out again. Not to mention that it was pretty ugly on the self-esteem side of things. Let’s not even think about how Simon felt. I imagine sometimes he felt like he was investing in the arts, & other times he probably thought he was being used. Money in relationships can be really complicated.

These days I am self-sustaining, & it makes life a whole lot easier.

Coolest perks of being Gala Darling (free things, meeting idols, etc.)? (Iris)

Free things & meeting idols is pretty amazing, haha, you totally hit the nail on the head there! Yes, I have had some absolutely amazing opportunities which I cannot imagine having ever come my way if I was still working at New Zealand Post… A little risk-taking goes a long way.

How do you feel about people with websites ‘copying’ your own, with the same sections like inspiration, advice, fashion etc.? Or people taking TILT and using it like their own? Personally I would feel a little cheated and want to stamp my ownership on something I started… (Melissa)

I think it’s only natural, really. People see something which has succeeded & want to be successful too; it happens all the time. I used to get upset about it but I don’t any more, mostly I am flattered. You can’t get all grabby & nuts & be all, “That’s MINE!” because… well, what’s the point? & who really cares? It’s all ego, & people doing Things I Love Thursday or a close approximation are only improving the world, so I encourage that!

When I started iCiNG, blogs seemed to be pretty clear-cut. Fashion. Design. Art. Music. Lifestyle. I don’t think I was the first person who merged all those categories together, but I was probably one of the first who did who got noticed. It seems like a natural evolution; why SHOULD a blog focus on only one topic? So I am not surprised at all that other people do that too. Magazines are like that, why shouldn’t blogs be? I am targeting a certain type of person, not just one small area of their cranium. I want to inspire & enliven their whole being, you know?

Anyway. Long story short. As for the people who really, truly, blatantly copy me… I usually feel like they are probably in the process of figuring out who they are — as are we all — & they’re just trying on some attributes for size. Everyone does that, everyone, it’s just that some people are more public about it! My hope is that by doing that, they are able to realise who they are & what their unique talents, gifts, etc. are. If the way that they discover themselves is by doing that, then I am totally delighted for them. That’s awesome. More power to ‘em. So there you go!

My question is a deep and insightful one: has anyone ever nicknamed you ‘Galaberry?’ (Penelope)

Not as far as I know… Maybe it’s time for a Galaberry revolution!

This year is my first year in college and I’m struggling to keep in contact with all my close friends from high school. You have so many friends around the world— how do you stay in touch with them all? How do you always seem to know where the coolest stuff is going on in whatever city you’re in? (Cristin)

I think one of the most crucial things to remember is that not all friendships are the same. I have some friends in the United States who I am in continual contact with, regardless of where I am in the world. On the flipside, I have friends in New Zealand who I barely speak to until I’m back in the country — & then we’re back where we always were, as close as ever. With some people, if you’re not around for them to see all the time, they kind of forget you exist. But others are more diligent about keeping in touch. As long as there’s equal interest on both sides, I think it all works out okay! I mostly keep in contact via Twitter, AIM & email, with phonecalls & Skype to supplement the whole she-bang.

As for knowing where the good stuff happens, it just kind of comes to me! My friends often have great ideas, & if not, I’ll just hear about something… somehow.

Is there anything you miss about your life before you became such an internet celebrity? (Jami Lee)

The term “internet celebrity” makes me laugh so much, & always makes me think of Ben Brown calling himself “the internet rockstar“! Sometimes I miss having anonymity online, or even in person — I’m not Elvis or anything but I do feel like I have to be careful what I say in public sometimes. Which is weird, because I’m not really the self-censoring type.

You spread so much positivity, but you must feel down sometimes. What do you do when you’re feeling sad or angry? (Elizabeth L.)

I use EFT. Or I forget about EFT (it happens), & frown, grump around, wallow, complain… & then remember to tap. Then I am fine again. Haha.

Do you have any artistic talents, such as drawing? (Maria)

No! I am the world’s most horrific artist. Please do not ask me to draw you a diagram of anything. My brain does not work that way!

I know that you use the power of manifestation and the universe in your life. I was wondering which way of setting an intention works best for you, whether that be focusing on something specific like great new friends or just focusing on the end feeling as the wonderful Mike Dooley suggests? (Claire)

I could write an entire article on this (& probably should), but in a nutshell: I really just think about what I want, focus on how that would make me feel, & then let go of it. As best I can. Letting go is the hardest part, usually, but EFT helps with that!

What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail? (Bianca)

I don’t know! I can’t think of anything that I really want to do that I have been too afraid to try, which I guess is good news! Um, the only things I can think of involve getting into relationships with unavailable men?! I don’t know if that even fits the question…

What age were you when you started dying your hair crazy colors? (Juliette)

I have a vivid memory of my mother & I sitting in the kitchen, me with a towel around my shoulders, her carefully colouring my hair with this crazy semi-permanent cherry black MOUSSE which lasted about a week. I must have been about 13. So, I guess then!

Why did you decide to go raw? Would you recommend it? Pros? Cons? (Marisol)

My friend Deanne (I interviewed her, she is the hoop goddess from Hoop Lovers & Tokyomade!) & I were talking & she told me about how she had gone raw & it had changed her life. I had heard about raw a lot before that but never really paid any attention, but the way she explained it to me really blew my socks off. She spoke about it with such passion & vibrancy, & I trust her & I knew that she was telling me the truth. So my boyfriend & I decided to give it a go.

Pros: It makes you feel amazing. It slims you down & tones your body without doing any exercise. It gives you clear, luminous, beautiful skin. It gives you more energy than you ever knew you had. Your brain feels clearer than ever before. You feel peaceful, calm & ECSTATIC. Your senses become more finely attuned. Your intuition becomes more accurate. You require less sleep.

Cons: When you first make the transition, it kicks your ass. It can be hard to eat raw & still be social. (Going out to dinner with your friends can suck.) It’s trickier to buy food “on the go” — you need to be much more organised. People always want to talk to you about how you’re going to die if you don’t eat something cooked. You become really sensitive to other food & it upsets your stomach.

The pros far, far, far outweigh the cons, in my opinion.

What was your experience like when you went to Burning Man? I really want to go and wonder about it. People tell me is sort of like going to a rave which I used to love going to when I was in my early 20’s. (Marisol)

Burning Man kicked my ass. It was really hard. I had heard people tell me “I felt like I had come home” & “I felt like everyone there understood me”, & my experience was the complete opposite. I have never felt more alone in my entire life than I did at Burning Man. A lot of people seem to go there because it is the only place they feel they fit in & the only place that makes them feel good & blah blah blah, but that whole way of thinking is offensive to me. I believe very strongly that if your reality sucks then you should do something to change it, don’t be miserable for 51 weeks a year & then go & get blitzed in the desert. I felt like I encountered a lot of people like that there & it made me feel uncomfortable.

One of the reasons it’s so hard is purely because of the physical conditions. It’s a desert. Really, it is so hot during the day that the idea of leaving your shade structure to go exploring can be painful. It’s almost impossible to be hydrated enough to function, you don’t get anywhere near enough sleep & um, well, you have to camp. I am not a camping kind of girl!

It is hard on relationships too. My boyfriend & I had some epic arguments out there. Fun times.

Okay, so that’s all the bad stuff out of the way. Some good things: It is really amazing. If you have any doubts about the brilliance of humans or how far creativity can really stretch, it is the place to go. It will probably restore your faith in the magnificence of humanity. I saw some of the most incredible things ever there. It is a really beautiful place, too — gorgeous. It attracts really interesting people, with mind-boggling ideas, skills, talents & approaches to doing things. The whole thing is very awe-inspiring, but I don’t think it is the answer to anyone’s problems. You know?

iCiNG is updated near-daily & it’s always full of super scrumptious, upbeat posts! There’s never any negativity & I think that is just so ridiculously wonderful – How do you do it? There must be so much stuff whizzing full-tilt (no pun intended, haha) around your head at all hours of the day! Where do you find the inspiration to keep iCiNG going so fast & furiously? I’m not sure I could ever muster up enough stamina to keep a project going for so long with such beautifully high quality! Please share your secrets!! (Annah)

I really love it, so that helps a lot. My mother always told me that if you find something you love, you’ll never work another day in your life, which is completely true. Although that’s not to say that I don’t have difficult days, because I do. Sometimes I don’t want to be all sparkly & on display, sometimes I want to sit around & eat & watch MTV, haha! But those days are few & far between. Usually if I’m feeling like that, I know something needs to be tweaked or changed. It’s a good signal.

Hi Gala, for your interview I’d love to know if you like Jelly Belly Jelly Beans, and if you do if you have a favourite flavour (I’m guessing not banana haha) OR what your favourite café or bar is to hang out in Wellington, since I’m often up there for work and never know where to go. (Mathew)

I used to love Jelly Belly jelly beans! I don’t remember what my favourite flavours were specifically, but I liked to combine the chocolate & cherry ones… In Wellington, I don’t really have any regular haunts since I’ve barely spent any time here in the last few years, but you can often find me at Mighty Mighty, Fidel’s, Satay Kingdom (ha!), Mojo or Chow. There are lots of Wellingtonians reading this who probably have a billion ideas, so… if you’re reading this, comment!

Do you have any little rituals to start or end the day on a positive note? (Eva)

Not really. I wish I did! Though I do almost always start the day feeling positive — I am usually pretty excited about the day ahead, because I never know what’s going to happen, & I get to do what I love.

I am wondering what was your life like just right after you left your parents’ place? Specifically, did you live in a dorm at uni? Live with friends? Live with a lover? Live by yourself? What was that like? Do you have any good memories during that moment in your life that you like to share and do you have any advice on what-not-to-do? (Miss Circuitofsilence)

When I left my parents’ house, I moved 660km north to Auckland, where I moved in with my boyfriend at the time. I wasn’t planning on being in his apartment forever, it was going to be a temporary thing, but we ended up living together for the next four years (or so). Moving to a new city is really fun & awesome, but once the thrill of orienting yourself wears off, you realise that you’re still you, just in a different location. So, I guess, if you move city hoping to become a different person, just moving isn’t going to do it! You’ll learn some things about yourself along the way, but you’ve got to do more than that to make real change in your life.

As for advice? I don’t know if this really has anything to do with it, but in my experience, living together straight off the bat is a bad call. I have done just-add-water, instant co-habitation with two boyfriends, mostly because it was convenient, & I don’t think it’s the way to go. Move in together once you know you’re really really really in love & do it because you really WANT to. Another thing to keep in mind, especially if you have your doubts about living together: it is much more difficult to break up if you share a home.

How does one stop procrastinating, get in shape, find a girlfriend and and utilizes his potential in life, or to rephrase it, how does one be like you on a masculine way? (Stephane)

Read my site from top to bottom & then start acting on it! Haha! I feel like I have written down everything I know… By the way, I am not in shape or in a relationship, so I am not necessarily your ideal role model!

When you started out as a writer were you also working full time and how did you fit the writing in? Have you ever had a mentor or did you survive on personal motivation? (Becky)

I think I had my first article published when I was working full-time at an ISP in Auckland. The job was insanely boring but there was down-time out the wazoo & I used to spend my time writing or reading weird people’s Livejournals. Anyway, for some reason I decided I wanted to start getting published, so I called the editor of Pulp magazine & asked if I could write for them. They said yes, I went in to meet them, the editor gave me a subject & I wrote him an article. Done. Published. Cheque in the hand. Easy.

I fit the writing in anywhere I could because I loved doing it, which I think is the way with anything you really adore. You will always make time for it.

I have never had a writing mentor. My super-talented writer friend Davide & I would swap poems & short stories & novellas & stuff years ago, but funnily enough all my success has come from writing non-fiction!

So my question for you is (and pardon my forwardness), how does a person become your real life friend? What kinds of people do you surround yourself with, and what do you like to do? Do you bowl? Make arts and crafts? I ask because I am most likely moving to New York City in May when I graduate from college, and I would love to have a friend in the big city (and I bet your readers would also just like to know what someone as cool as you comes up with for entertainment!). (Leland)

This is a really interesting question, because I was discussing this with my friend Sammy about a month ago as we drove around Los Angeles! One of the things I have noticed is that as you become more prominent on the internet, all the “internet cool kids” come out of the woodwork & want to get to know you. Some of these people are people I would have liked to have been friends with years ago, but it never happened. I think the reason for that is that if you’re vocal on the web, & you give a lot of yourself away in public, people who do the same feel a connection to you. People with large online followings want to make friends with someone who understands what that’s like. It’s also much easier to become friends with someone who has a site or a blog, so you can gauge what they’re like. Someone who just emails you could be anyone! Does that make sense?

How does someone become friends with me? Well, more often than not, if someone just emails me out of the blue & wants to meet me, I say no. Especially when I was in New York — it happened pretty often, & while it was insanely flattering, & as much as I’d like to meet everyone who reads my site, if I said yes to all my invitations, I would never get anything else done! It can be kind of awkward sometimes, too! It’s hard to meet someone who only knows you as an online personality, because you never know what they’re expecting & sometimes I feel like I can never live up to people’s expectations of what I should or will be like. ...But it all depends, sometimes I say yes!

The best way to become friends with me is probably just to subtly insert yourself in my life, haha! (I can’t believe I’m saying this!) Reply to my ridiculous Twitter messages, send me occasional emails, just make your presence felt but don’t be weird about it. It works!

I really like to surround myself with people who inspire me, people who are doing remarkable things. Pretty much all my friends in the USA are amazing people doing amazing things in their respective realms, whether that’s blogging, fashion photography, art, design, whatever. I know a lot of small business owners, especially, because we always have a lot in common & a lot to talk about. Talking business is one of my favourite, favourite, favourite things. & we do what anyone else does — eat dinner, drink, go dancing, take photos on rooftops, go to shows & galleries, have ridiculous conversations, whatever!

Do you like macaroni and cheese? My boyfriend is from Northern Ireland and he refuses to eat mac and cheese or peanut butter and jelly because it’s too American and (he claims) “the weirdest combination of food groups.” I was wondering if this is a sentiment all non-Americans share. (Leland)

Macaroni & cheese scares me because… it’s orange! (I am used to cheese being yellow.) Actually for my 23rd birthday in New York City, my friend Star took me to a macaroni & cheese RESTAURANT. It was an experience, just not necessarily a very edible one! The idea of macaroni & cheese kind of weirds me out, too — it’s basically just flavoured glue in a bowl. Eeee.

What I wonder is: does having such a massive and loyal readership ever feel like a burden? I mean, is it ever stressful to know the importance that you have in some readers’ lives; does it feel like too much responsibility sometimes? I think I’d feel that way if I were you. My blog is less about personal discovery and more about the social implications of fashion (as well as a lot of silliness), and I think I veer away from personal advice for just the above reason. (Rachel)

Yes. Rarely, but sometimes. I often feel like people have very high expectations of me & that can freak me out when I am feeling unbalanced. I am probably just projecting though, all that stuff comes from me.

I don’t get stressed out about being important to people, I don’t think I am that important to them really, but I do sometimes feel stressed out about the amount of output that is expected of me. Of course, I created that situation myself by posting every day — if I had started this site only posting three times a week, things would be very different, but well, that’s the standard I set, & I hate to disappoint people, blah blah blah!

Are you considering getting more than your half sleeve tattoos? (Riitta)

Yes, ma’am! I have plans for my inner forearms, which Timmy Kern is working on as we speak… Hearts & unicorns are involved!

Were you really popular at school, or a bit of an outsider? How did it affect you growing up? (Sorry, this question sounds so cheesy…) (Laura)

Um, I was pretty difficult. Mostly I was angry & angsty & weird, I felt like I didn’t fit in & that really hurt me so I dressed weird on purpose & was really unpleasant to people. I have no idea how other people at school viewed me, because I was kind of a paradox. I was the weird girl & the mean girl & the class clown all rolled into one. I loved to make people laugh, I loved to waste the teacher’s time, I skipped classes constantly, I never ever ever did physical education, etc. I was loud & obnoxious & “disruptive”, I was in detention every week & I used to write rude things on the bottom of my pencil-case so that when I had it on my desk, the teacher could read it. HAHA! Conversely, I was skipped ahead in some classes & loved English, drama & photography classes like my life depended on it.

They never really knew what to do with me, I was a nut; I wouldn’t have known what to do with me either. My dean called me a “witch” & said that if I wanted to go to Germany on my class trip, I wasn’t allowed to take any black clothing. I SWEAR this happened. I had to go & buy blue stuff. I didn’t own any.

That same dean called me “the ringleader” of my class; I was always inciting other people to make trouble & do bad things. I guess I am still a ringleader, it’s just that these days I use my powers for good… instead of evil!

(More to come tomorrow… Probably the last instalment. Phew!)

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Interview With Gala Darling: Part One

[ 16 December 2008, 04:25 ]

Hooray, hooray! It’s our second birthday!

So, wow! What a curious bunch! First of all I have to say thank you for your involvement, & for being so interested in my life! I’m extremely flattered. I have way too many questions for one post, so I’m going to break it down & spread it across a few days.

A whole bunch of you emailed me to say that you hoped I answered my own self-deprecating suggestion questions, so here we go!

Why do you hate bananas?

I can’t really explain it, I just always have! They make me frown! My father hated bananas until he was 35 & then became obsessed with them. He eats them constantly, I think he is making up for lost time. Maybe I will follow in his footsteps. Tune in in ten years & I’ll give you an update!

What’s the deal with you & Nubby being married?

Well, we’re married, but not legally. Star performed a real wedding ceremony for us at our birthday party on the 13th of September 2008. However… Nubby has a boyfriend (who is thankfully not the jealous type!), so I guess it’s fair to say we haven’t consummated our love! Yet! I will knock her up one day, I swear!

What are your plans for 2009?

I’m still plotting it out, though I can tell you that 2009 will include relocation to the United States, lots of travel (New York, NY, Los Angeles & San Francisco, CA, Miami & Orlando, FL, New Orleans, LA, Minneapolis, MN, a bunch of crazy places in ND & SD, Las Vegas, NV, plus maybe Tokyo, Paris & New Zealand… I would also like to do some kind of tropical getaway, mmmmm tropical), & some sweet personal triumphs. Mostly I am looking forward to settling into my own place in New York City, making some bling & devoting myself to some exciting new projects!

You say things are your favourite all the time, do you actually know what that word means?

Maybe not… !

If you didn’t live in New York City, what would be your second choice?

Oooooh! Good question, Gala! Too good for me to answer. I actually don’t know. Probably somewhere else in the USA, I am really over the antipodes in general. Maybe if I wanted to scare the crap out of myself I’d move to Paris or Berlin!

Why are you so obsessed with Virgos?

They’re analytical, exacting, perfectionistic, creative, eccentric, articulate, thoughtful, “deep”, hard workers, authentic & genuine. They do things to the best of their ability & it shows. They have high standards & are extremely observant. They’re great problem-solvers & adapt to all sorts of social situations. Oh, & they have amazing sexual energy. (Raunch!!!) They’re the undisputed best star sign. God, why would you even ASK that, Gala?!

Why do you stand like that in every single photo?

Because it’s cute. & it makes your legs look longer. THE TRUTH COMES OUT!

Who is your nemesis?

Anyone who tells me to turn my music down! Or anyone who tries to get other people to live their way. Chill out!

Is it going to rain on Tuesday?

Probably not.

Will you adopt me?

Sure! Just don’t expect a hot cooked meal every night…

Okay, now to your actual questions! Ahem…

What colours have you dyed your hair over the years? (Brie)

Black, white, pink, red, blue, purple, green, brown… I haven’t gone orange (bleh!) but I have gone a rusty kind of auburn colour! In fact, here, I made a handy little chart of my major hair colour progressions. I have not included all the different combinations, lengths, styles, ridiculous shaved bits, etc., because… it would be the biggest picture the world has ever seen.

What’s your natural hair color? (Elizabeth L.)

Dark brown; the same colour as my eyebrows, though it hasn’t seen the light of day for a long time!

What label(s) do you use to identify your sexual orientation? (Kate)

I don’t really use a label to identify my sexual orientation, because that’s not really important to me. Though I would say “straight” isn’t something that resonates with me! I don’t really understand people who feel that they can only express physical love towards one sex. To me it’s all about the person, I don’t care if they’re a man or a woman or an in-between. (My first ever crush was on Jessica Rabbit.)

If this isn’t getting too personal, what’d you study at uni? (a)

I wanted to be a criminal psychologist — what?! I think because, like every other angsty teen, I was obsessed with serial killers — & I took courses in Psychology, English, Statistics (blergh), Computer Science & Sexuality. I wasn’t at university long, though. I actually skipped the last year of school & went to university early, which was a mistake. Basically I spoke to the dean of my year because I went to an all girls’ Anglican school which I really, intensely disliked, & told her I wanted to change to the local public high school. I was just over it. She said, “Why don’t you just go to university early? I’ll write you a reference, you’re ready”. I was so excited by the idea of getting out of the school system a year sooner than I expected (!!!) that I said yes, but I didn’t really have any reason for going, other than thinking it was “what you did”. Silly!

What is a typical day like for you? How much time do you spend at the ‘pute? (Jules)

Honestly it depends on the city I’m in. In Wellington, where I am now, I wake up at 7.30am & spend pretty much my entire day in front of my laptop, with long phonecalls every night to my friends in NZ who work 9-5. I go out maybe two nights a week. In New York, I also wake up at 7.30am, but my day is structured differently. I do my best writing in the morning, so that’s when I get all my content together. Then I would usually go & meet someone or go shopping in the afternoon, & then meet someone else or go out for a meal or a drink in the evening. When I’m travelling, which happens a lot, my schedule is completely off. I snatch any spare moments I can (on planes, in airports, first thing in the morning before anyone else wakes up) to write, fossick around for a wifi connection, & spend most of my day doing something else!

Have you ever thought about publishing a real, physical iCiNG by Gala Darling book full of all your style tips and little answers to life? Because it would quite possibly be my bible. (Dayna)

I have! In fact, that’s something I want to work on in 2009. I have a very clear picture of it in my head, & dude, it is going to blow your socks off.

How much money do you earn?

How much money do YOU earn?! Golly.

What is the age range of your site? I don’t think that it is really 18-30. Your wise words reach those beyond 30 I am sure. (Che)

I have had email from girls as young as 12 & women up to the age of about 70! (If you think you’re iCiNG’s oldest or youngest reader, HOLLA!) So the range is much broader than 18-30, but I would say the majority of my readers are within that age bracket.

I am also curious about you and Nubby. Your tattoo kind of looks like you two but I think you got it before you met. Was it visualisation that became real? (Che)

Yes, I’ve had that tattoo for years (since I was about 21 I think). I can’t say for sure whether it was a visualisation that came real — strange things happen with my tattoos, where I get them for no particular reason & then parts of them start to become eerily applicable to my life. So, maybe!

If you could be any colour crayon, what would you be and why? (Melinda)

Either electric blue, purple or hot pink. My Little Pony colours!

My $64 million dollar question for you is: Are you & Tim Kern an item or not ? :) Or is it Mr Crunk that now rings your bells? And what’s with the Tim fetish? :) (Jenny)

Oh my god! Hahah! I don’t have a Tim fetish! Here is my official statement: Tim Kern & I are not an item, & have never been. We were “dating” — weird term — seeing each other, whatever, but now we’re not. Ditto on Timmy Crunk, in fact! They are both awesome guys & very very good friends of mine. They are eerily similar too, I think if they met the world might implode.

I’m sure this has been asked, but besides from what your real name is, what inspired you to change it? (gia)

I never liked it, so I decided to do with it what I do with anything I don’t like — which is do something about it!

Care to share details on the worst date you’ve ever been on? (Jessica Elle)

Sure, why not?! This is a story about the ONE date I went on in New York.

I met a guy at a fancy party — we were the only people with visible tattoos there, so he made a beeline for me. We started talking & flirting & he was really cute, he was black with sleeve tattoos & stretched ears (why is that SO CUTE on a guy?) & a fetish for high-end luggage (oh, who knows), & he asked me for my number. I gave it to him because I was so caught off-guard, & didn’t actually expect to hear from him. He called me the next day & asked me to go out with him, & after much deliberating, said yes. (I thought, even if this is a total disaster, at least it will be interesting.)

I caught a taxi to his friend’s place where they were having a party. I get there & he is pretty boozed. He tells me he is a personal trainer & insists — INSISTS — that I touch his stomach. It is impressive. I ask him how many sit-ups he does a day. He says 200. One of his friends — another personal trainer — says, “Oh, you’re from New Zealand? How long have you been in America? Your English is pretty good!” I look at him, dumb-founded, & ask him what language he thinks we speak in NZ. He has no idea. I am afraid.

The party was wrapping up so a bunch of us went to catch another cab to some other party. It turned out to be me, him & about four other guys — too many people to fit in one cab. They will usually only take 4 passengers. They were all personal trainers — so weird, so not my thing — so you know, they weren’t small, squishable guys. Their plan was that we would flag a cab & get in & I would sit on someone’s lap or something. About five cabs were like “NO I’m not taking all of you at once”, but eventually we got some guy who just wanted the fare & let us in. The guy I was there with wanted to see the sports results on the touch-screen thing, so he was pressing the screen, but kind of pounding it, not really touching it. The taxi driver got pissed off, & was like, “STOP THAT”, so the guy I was with apologised. But then… he punched the wall between us & the driver REALLY hard! I don’t know why! The driver went nuts & was like, “GET OUT OF MY CAB”, so we got out, grudgingly.

So we’re all walking up the road to try & find another cab, & then we realise that my guy (I don’t remember his name, oops) isn’t with us. We turn around & see him crouching down behind the cab, & as it goes to pull away, he PUNCHES the back of the cab REALLY HARD! & the driver slams on the brakes, & my guy (oh how embarrassing) jumps up & yells, “RUN!” His hand is bleeding & has bits of glass in it, I’m wearing heels & trying to walk quickly, the driver is yelling bloody murder & saying he’s going to call the cops. So this ridiculous motley crew that is our group basically takes a bunch of crazy side alleys & we can hear the taxi driver yelling after us, but eventually we lost him. Phew.

My crazy date is trying to hold my hand but I’m so not into it because a) he is crazy & b) he is bleeding, so I talk to one of his more sane friends. We eventually get to a club in Chelsea which is packed out, & they are playing bad music. We dance, a bit, but I’m really just thinking about how I want to leave. Crazy boy has finally gone to wash his hand & I am not as leery of him as I was but I still think he is nuts & am totally not interested. He is flirting with me & telling me how hot I am & I’m laughing nervously, like, “Haha, yeeeeeah…” He kisses me & I say something like, “Hey, you’re cool but I’ve got to go”. I leave. He texts & calls me a lot. I never respond.

I saw him about a month later on an opposite subway platform, & hid behind a pillar. Awesome.

What’s your fail-safe way to grab a guys attention? (Jessica Elle)

Punch a taxi. HAHAAH! No. Just be yourself! If they don’t see you for how amazing you are, who cares? Move on!

Part two coming soon… !

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Happy Birthday, iCiNG!

[ 15 December 2008, 22:51 ]

WOW! iCiNG is two years old today! I made a silly video to celebrate…

Thank you for being so magnificent. Really, I mean it.

This year has been a major one for me. So much has happened to me in all realms of my life, in terms of my career, love life, travel & emotional growth. It was a true roller-coaster ride, but I want to thank you for sticking with me & understanding as I went through these changes. Sometimes it’s really hard to live your life so publicly, especially when you’re rigorously overhauling your entire existence! I have received so much love & support from you guys, & for that, I can never thank you enough.

Running iCiNG & writing for all of you is one of my great joys. It fills me with delight absolutely every day, & I want to thank you for allowing me to do that — for encouraging me to live loudly, take risks & be the best I can. I really appreciate it.

Thank you.

Here’s to an absolutely MIND-BLOWING, toe-curling, truly fabulicious 2009!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Un Petit Reminder!

[ 14 December 2008, 01:42 ]

If any of you have questions you’d like to ask me for my interview — which goes live on Tuesday! — this is your last opportunity!

You can ask me anything you want! For example…
Why do you hate bananas?
What’s the deal with you & Nubby being married?
What are your plans for 2009?
You say things are your favourite all the time, do you actually know what that word means?
If you didn’t live in New York City, what would be your second choice?
Why are you so obsessed with Virgos?
Why do you stand like that in every single photo?
Who is your nemesis?
Is it going to rain on Tuesday?
Will you adopt me?

All you need to do is click here & seal it with a kiss!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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How To Avoid Regressing When You Stay With Your Parents (Alternate Title: How To Survive A Family Christmas)

[ 10 December 2008, 23:22 ]

My friend & I were discussing spending Christmas with our families the other day. Here’s part of her email.

“I find myself regressing when I stay with my parents. There are inherent things that I find frustrating about the way we relate to each other… I get pissed off at them and I don’t want to be like that any more.

I guess I’m in a weird situation with my parents where I feel like I need to do what Mum does when I’m staying with her. She is ultra clean to the point of being an anal freak and she never sits down, so she is constantly moving constantly working constantly cleaning something doing SOMETHING. It’s a quality that I really admire in her and I want to be like that but I’m just not. When I get home after dealing with f*ckwits for 8 hours solid I relax by cooking and I make a glorious mess. I do the dishes with my husband and then I want to read or take my dog for a walk, pot around my garden or write in my journal and basically chill out in a productive but gentle way.

...I really want to encourage you to write that article, I think pretty much everyone I know ends up squabbling with their parents/regressing when they have to go back there. It’s such an awkward thing. I think a lot of it comes down to no matter how old you are, if you can’t adhere to your parents routine don’t overstay past the point where you become their daughter returned to interrupt their lives rather than a welcome guest.

How do you relate to your parents? Is everything cool these days?”

Oooooh, what a subject!

I definitely used to regress when I went back home to stay with my parents, even though I have been living out of home for years. It was almost like as soon as I stepped over that familiar threshold, I turned back into that loathsome 16 year old that I thought I had left behind.

I would become surly, uncooperative, selfish, grumpy & charmless — very teenage Gala at her worst moments! Not pretty! & I couldn’t understand it. Even the smallest request had me reacting completely churlishly. What was it that made me behave like that? What made me so short-tempered & unpleasant? Was it just the fact that my parents were completely insufferable, & I was brilliant, therefore they had no rights to ask me to do anything at all ever?!

Well, um, no, not exactly. The way I see it, it’s all about repeating patterns. Most of us lived with at least one of our parents until we were about 18, which is a very long time. In that time, thousands of patterns & routines were established, & that’s the thing about a pattern: it can be hard to break, especially when you’re thrown back into the situation or environment in which you are used to acting (or reacting) a certain way.

I really don’t mind cleaning up after myself, rinsing my dishes, making my bed. In fact, I do those things of my own volition when I’m in my apartment. But for some reason, it used to be that when I came back home & my parents asked me to do one of those things, I would react badly. I would grumble, complain, pout. “Just a minute,” I’d yell. Several minutes would pass. They would harass me to get off the internet. (Geek, you see.) I wouldn’t want to. Things got ugly.

Thankfully, that phase has passed.

I feel very fortunate in that my parents & I get along very well these days, & even after spending weeks (or months) together, we still all get along. Hopefully just saying that will give someone reading this hope, because when I was a teenager, our humble home was not always the most delightful scene. Familial relations do improve, & it’s not just mine — these days, most of my friends get along with their parents much better than they did when they were teenagers, feuding constantly.

I think part of the reason why my family & I can coexist peacefully now is that I have been out of home for long enough that I don’t really identify myself with them any more. That sounds weird, I know, but let me explain. When I left home at 18, I moved 600 kilometres away & since then, we have never lived in the same city. I have now been away long enough that I feel like I know who I am. I’m not just “Jonathan’s daughter” any more — I have lived in Auckland, in Melbourne & New York, have had many adventures & expeditions, & me & my lifestyle are so far removed from their routines & patterns that all the things they used to do that drove me crazy don’t bother me any more. My parents are nutty in their own delightful way, but I guess what happened is that I don’t take that stuff personally these days. They can do whatever they like & it doesn’t affect me. They are just people. It’s cool, & it doesn’t bother me.

Another thing that can make life tough is that most of us feel a reasonable amount of pressure when we return to the family nest. There are always so many questions, & the opportunity to delve much deeper into issues than you ever can by telephone. How is work going? How’s your relationship? Are you happy? How are you raising your children? Is everything going okay?

Our parents only want the best for us, which is sweet & touching, but sometimes we can’t help but wig out over all of that. We want to do things at our own pace, & when people ask us questions about things that maybe we’re working on but haven’t quite figured out yet, or that they think are important but we don’t, it can make us feel a bit nuts.

One thing that happens as we get older is that we become less partial to our family’s opinion of us. As we leave home & go out & experience the world for ourselves, we realise that we are capable of navigating things in our own way. With that comes the realisation that our parents are just people like anyone else. They do their best but they’re not perfect, & what they say is not gospel — just one person’s view. Some people resent their parents when they find this out!

Thankfully, I don’t feel like the child whose parents are waiting for them to blossom into something great, or to “make something” of myself any more, probably because I feel like I have done some pretty good stuff under my own steam. I am reasonably secure in my own identity these days, & even when my parents disapprove of something I’m doing, that doesn’t affect me anywhere near as much as it used to. (If I ever wonder about that, I just remember that they initially had their doubts about me starting this website!) I don’t know if they ever really put a lot of pressure on me, I probably put it on myself & thought it was them, but whatever the case, I feel much more comfortable just being myself around them these days.

Plus, when I come back to see them, I’ve actually had time to miss them & I’m looking forward to spending time with them again. If your parents just live around the corner though, I can definitely see how it might be a little bit of a how can I miss you if you won’t go away? situation!

It’s always weird going home, though. After all, your parents raised you (probably). To them, you are pretty much always going to be the kid that they devoted all their time to, so the way they see you is probably not the same way you see yourself. I think it shocks my parents that they never get to see me in my school uniform any more, especially based on the way they behave sometimes. My father will sometimes bring up old phrases or things I used to say as if it were yesterday — when I have all but forgotten the fact that I used to do this, that or the other thing.

Unfortunately, one of the things I’ve learned about “going back home” is that if you want to do it successfully, you really have to play by their rules, & sometimes those rules clash with your world view. Think you’re a successful adult in your own right, with an exciting love life & an independent lifestyle? Think again — especially if your friends want to call after your parents have gone to bed! Reigning all that stuff back in after you’re used to living by your own rules can be tough.

Sometimes it makes me laugh to think of huge celebrities going back home for Christmas. “I don’t care how many Grammys you’ve won, Mariah, can you just put your dishes in the dishwasher once you’re done?!”

Christmas can be especially difficult, because usually it’s not just you & your parents, it’s you & your extended family. I think there’s a lot of pressure on Christmas to be this magical time of family & shared jolliness, when sometimes it turns into a mud-slinging fest as soon as the first bottle of champagne is popped. Alcohol + relatives is almost a guaranteed method of discovering someone’s true nature!

We all feel like just because we’re related to one another, all of a sudden we should have lots in common, plenty to talk about, & a cozy feeling of brotherhood & kinship. Sometimes it can feel like our family is dysfunctional if we’re not all sitting around a fire laughing good-naturedly & knitting each other matching sweaters. It’s completely normal for small factions of our families to break off & go & smoke outside & complain about one aunt or another, for old grievances to resurface, or for someone to get hysterical over the turkey. It’s not necessarily what we want to happen, but it can & it does, & that’s okay. Families aren’t perfect.

The crucial thing about getting along with your family — also known as not buying into the bullshit — is to remember who you are. Who you are, not who everyone else thinks you are. We all play roles in our families, relationships & workplaces, but don’t let other people’s thoughts about who you are determine how you behave. There is no surer route to misery. Your parents might remember you as a child in the nativity play, your cousins might think of you as the kid who went through that weird goth phase, & your grandma might always remember you fondly as the girl she taught how to sew — no matter how old you get or how many children you have. All of those things may be true of your past, but you are more than the sum of other people’s memories. You are whoever you want to be, & even that can change from day to day. This Christmas you might be the turkey-carver, salad-bringer, champagne-pourer, couch-commando, peace-maker, pace-maker, whatever. Your family will have expectations of you — this is par for the course. But you don’t have to play into that role unless you want to; unless it serves you & makes you happy.

It’s extremely easy to act the role we’re used to playing, especially when everyone else in your family is playing their role perfectly. It’s like one big discordant orchestra, each person plucking their own badly-strung instrument. The thing is that if you can manage to break your own patterns — say, for example, instead of spending the day texting furiously, you help your mother with the turkey or give your uncle a break by looking after your cousin — you will remind everyone else that it doesn’t have to be the way it always has been.

The best way to survive a crazy family Christmas is to act as your ideal self, & hold up a light for everyone else. It’s just like those psychology experiments where someone who is brave enough to behave differently inspires others to do the same. Think how shocked your parents would be if you played the part of the dressed-up-ray-of-sunshine! It might even influence your father to neglect his typical role of the-man-who-gets-grumpy-after-too-many-beers, or prevent your mother from reprising her award-winning epic as the-woman-who-overcooks-everything-&-then-cries-about-it! After all, it’s hard to continue as you normally do if everyone around is behaving in a way that’s intensely out of character.

Before you cross the threshold, bearing gifts or grudges (& perhaps both), sit in your car & check yourself out in the mirror. Don’t just look for errant eyebrow hairs; use this time to re-group & centre yourself. How do you want this Christmas to go? Regardless of your religious beliefs, most people agree that December is about celebrating family & friendship — so think about how you’d like to do that. Does complaining about the meal, squabbling with your brother & getting into a passive-aggressive argument with your grandmother really embody the ideals you’re aspiring to? Is that how you want to see out the end of the year?

Christmas puddings may be the perfect size & weight for pelting at your irksome relatives, but if you can exercise some restraint, everyone will be better for it!

So, what are you doing to do differently this year? I haven’t had a family Christmas since 2005, & plenty has changed since then. I’m going to pay close attention to my mother, the one who holds it all together, since I’d like to throw a big (American! Winter!) Christmas bash next year…

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Daily Outfit -- 8th December 2008

[ 8 December 2008, 05:25 ]

Alternate working title: Gala Darling takes on Maison Martin Margiela
Alternate alternate working title: Ravaged-by-a-flock-of-zombies-chic

This is what I wore to brave the light rain & have dinner with old friends.

So, a little while ago I saw what Maison Martin Margiela did to a pair of black jeans — that is, shredded the hell out of them. I liked the look very much. I thought, I could do that. So today, I did.

It was time to evolve my jeans, anyway!

Sparkly skull earrings
Holographic unicorn necklace
Pearls
Deep V white t-shirt from American Apparel
Black jeans from Sportsgirl
Black cardigan from Ricochet
Siren heels
Wedding ring & Tarina Tarantino ring
Bag by Trent Nathan with diamante handcuffs from Madame Rouge!

I am so happy with how they came out!

How did I do it? I put them on, then grabbed a pair of scissors & made horizontal cuts along one leg (being very careful not to stab a big hole in my femur). I looked in the mirror as I did it so see whether an area needed more or less cuts, etc. Then I took them off & did the other leg. I held them up in front of the mirror to assess if they were even. Then! The pièce de résistance! I put them in the washing machine, then tumble-dried them. They came out perfectly — well-frayed, slightly fluffy & nicely distressed looking.

By the way, the longer the cuts, the better they look… In my opinion!

Is this a style you’ll try out for yourself? If you do, please send me pictures, I’d love to see how it looks on you!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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iCiNG's 13 Days Of Christmas!

[ 3 December 2008, 04:23 ]

As many of you will be aware, December the 16th marks iCiNG’s 2 year birthday! I’m so delighted that my sweet little project is still blossoming, & I’m so thrilled that it continues to grow & inspire so many people across the planet!

To say a huge THANK YOU to all of you for your undying support, love & enthusiasm, I’ve partnered with some of the people & businesses that have helped make this year such a joy… & we’ve decided to be very, very generous!

We will be giving away something fabulous EVERY DAY for the next 13 days, starting tomorrow! Here’s the schedule — mark it on your calendar, so you remember to come back on the days you really want that sweet piece!

Thursday 4th December: 2 delicious chances to win a Naughtibod from our friends at OhMiBod!

Friday 5th December: Swing by for a shot at your very own custom-made nameplate necklace from Trashy Deluxe!

Saturday 6th December: Go into the draw to win a super-cute prize-pack from ModCloth!

Sunday 7th December: 5 chances to win a pair of magical, sparkling iCiNG knickers (& I’m not kidding about the magic… or the sparkles)!

Monday 8th December: Sleek, beautiful hair can be yours with a professional flat-iron from Misikko!

Tuesday 9th December: Get your Nippon fix with a yummy prize-pack from Tokyomade!

Wednesday 10th December: Go in to win a delicious assortment of treats from my wife & design genius Nubby Twiglet!

Thursday 11th December: Paul Joannides & I are giving away 6 copies of the brand spanking new edition of my favourite sex manual, The Guide To Getting It On!

Friday 12th December: Want new shoes? Solestruck‘s got ‘em, & there’s a pair of your choosing up for grabs!

Saturday 13th December: Deck the halls with boughs of beautiful jewellery from Lucid New York!

Sunday 14th December: We have an incredible selection of goodies from Mike Dooley — creator of tut.com & Notes From The Universe!

Monday 15th December: Rhymesayers Entertainment loves you, baby — & they’re giving away a bunch of music & gear!

Tuesday 16th December: On the day of our second birthday, you’ll have the chance to win a secret gift, hand-picked by me, full of things I think everyone should own (& lots of Gala love)!

I can’t tell you how excited I am about this! Having the opportunity to give you back a little something for allowing me to live my dream every day fills me with an enormous amount of pleasure. So, mark your calendars, tell your best friends… & here’s to a magnificent 13 days!

P.S. Remember, you can ask me a question — about anything you like! — for the official iCiNG birthday Q&A by clicking here! Yay!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Gala's Christmas Wishlist

[ 1 December 2008, 14:28 ]

Extravagance a-go-go! Here’s what I’m lusting after this holiday season. If only Jay-Z was my boyfriend…

Darling necklace; Linda Farrow sunglasses; Swarovski ring; Jean Paul Gaultier ring; Linda Farrow vintage for Luella batgirl mask; Marc Jacobs clutch; shooting star earrings; insane ring; Céline heels; Wunderkind ankle boots; Céline boots; Cesare Paciotti heels; Death Metal Disco t-shirt; Rodarte gloves; sequinned bikini; Kaiya Eve tutu; Rick Owens boots; diamante piggybank; Shu Uemura diamante lashes; crucifix ring; external hard-drive; Pam psychic & mental t-shirt (you might recognise this — after researching this list online, I decided I loved it so much I went & bought it on Saturday!); Claude Maus knot t-shirt; Christian Lacroix dress; shredded black jeans (I will probably DIY it); Christian Louboutin Ariella studded boots; Christian Louboutin Orlan heels.

What do you desire for Christmas? (P.S. Gala’s Christmas gift-guide coming soon!)

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Daily Outfit -- Hallowe'en Eve 2008

[ 31 October 2008, 13:01 ]

Last night I went to a hallowe’en party hosted by Mariah Carey. On the down side, it was lame. On the plus side, my outfit was awesome. If I do say so myself.

It was almost impossible to get good photos of it though, as you can see. Believe me, we tried!

Latex nun’s dress & habit from Twist My Rubber Arm
Latex gloves from some fetish shop
Guess Borda platform mary janes

Why yes, I was cold! I had also never worn latex before. It is an arduous process, involving lots of baby powder (which you have to coat your body with to get the dress on), crazy shimmying antics (to actually get into it) & rubbing the entire thing with liquid silicon to make it shiny. It also feels like you’re wearing a swimming cap. & it makes a funny noise when you walk.

Tonight I am going to wear something that doesn’t involve catching pneumonia in the name of dressing up! How about you? What are your plans for hallowe’enie?

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Daily Outfit -- 28th October 2008

[ 28 October 2008, 19:53 ]

This is what I wore to meet Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen at their book signing at Barnes & Noble! Honestly, they are so adorable in person that it actually hurts. I used to have a mild crush on Mary-Kate Olsen. It has now exploded into a major crush-fest on both of them. Aaaaarrghhhhhh!

Black merino wool singlet
Laurie Foon hooded sweatshirt
Black leather miniskirt
Ripped black stockings
Sparkly Betsey Johnson leggings
Guess Borda platform stilettos
Sparkly skull earrings
Pyramid stud belt
Wedding, Tarina Tarantino & CHAPTER rings

(Sorry about the weird lighting.)

Just hanging out on my coffee table… You know how we do.

Oh yeah! You may have noticed my hair is about a billion times shorter. Where my extensions were joined was getting all matted, it wasn’t pretty, so on Saturday my new hairdresser (who is a Virgo with a tattooed face, a British accent & a major air of CUTE) came to my house, removed them & combed out my unintentional dreadlocks for three hours. It hurt more than getting tattooed, I swear.

So I have short hair for a while — I feel weird, like half my body is missing — but on Thursday, we’re putting them back in again, plus more. I did have 77, we’re increasing the number to 300. 300! I am going to have a mane of epic proportions! I can’t wait to see how it looks!

Also, it was really cold today. What did you wear?

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Things I Love Thursday

[ 16 October 2008, 12:13 ]

Having friends that I respect — Years ago, I used to think a lot about how I would feel if I met one of my idols & was going to introduce them to my friends. Would I feel good about it? I was always a bit iffy on the answer. That might seem like a slightly shallow thing over which to deliberate, but sometimes it’s hard to gauge how you feel about someone until you consider them in a specific situation. Anyway, I am proud to say that yesterday I realised that all of my friends are amazing. I respect them so much. They are so inspiring, so cool, so grounded, & really, really, REALLY good people. I love ya.

Lula’s Sweet Apothecary, otherwise known as my new favourite place. Oh yes. Sean Bonner tweeted about it the other day & I had to go. What is it, you ask? It’s an ALL VEGAN ICE-CREAM PARLOUR in New York City’s East Village. Oh yes. Ohhhh yes. So I went, & honestly there was trepidation in my heart because sometimes — not always, but sometimes — vegan “remakes” of things aren’t very good. But the good news is this. I had a peanut butter & chocolate shake that was so good I almost cried. & then I had an enormous mint chocolate chip sundae with cream, hot fudge sauce, Oreos & a cherry on top. It was amazing. I have thought about going back every day since then. If you’re in the neighbourhood, you have to go. Even if you’re not vegan. Tell them I sent you & give them my love!

Sean Daley from Atmosphere. Honestly, he is preeeeetty much the coolest person on the planet. He is totally honest, genuine, authentic & hilarious — exactly what you would expect from hearing his records. I can’t believe I got to meet him; I cannot describe the total awesomeness of hearing a voice that is so familiar & iconic actually saying your name. Even funnier was listening to the people around me tell their friends, “OH MY GOD I MET SLUG”! Adorable++. I saw their two New York shows on Monday & Tuesday, both of which were excellent. I’ve said it before, I’ve said it a million times: find out if they’re coming to your city, buy a ticket, go & enjoy yourself! Oh, & of course, I had to take photos…

Manko (link not safe for work). I had breakfast with her on Monday, & she is fabulous. I’ve admired her for a really long time — I love her aesthetic & her attitude — & just like with Sean, it was awesome to discover that she’s just as cool in real life. The funniest thing is that we’re going to be in Wellington at the same time later this year! Hi-jinks are in the works! Yay!

Hour-long Shiatsu massages — Oh yesssss! Timmy & I got massages together on Monday & emerged from the darkened room an hour later, feeling like new people. God, it was so good! & what’s better than an hour-long Shiatsu massage? That’s right! Booking to go back a week later!

Eveline Tarunadjaja. Clever, cute! Look! (She’s also exhibiting in Melbourne & California in a show curated by Audrey Kawasaki, & you should totally go.)

Loverboys who come over, make you dinner & buy you ice-cream. Enough said, right?

My apartment. I am still in absolute rapture at having my own place. I also love this neighbourhood & the people in it, I love the church bells, I love the park. My place is fabulous. When you walk in the front door, you smell lilies & roses. I also received a package from the United Kingdom the other day, with a dress & a whole bunch of holographic stars in it. The stars exploded all over my living room — they’re sprinkled across my floor & table. I stuck one to my lover’s forehead with spit. They stick to the bottoms of my feet & I keep finding them everywhere. It makes me smile.

This quote:

“Learn to ask for what you want. The worst people can do is not give you what you ask for which is precisely where you were before you asked.” — Peter McWilliams

Honourable mentions: Black President by NAS; Vanity Sick by Atmosphere (new favourite track — it was the bonus track on When Life Gives You Lemons You Paint That Shit Gold if you bought it on iTunes, but I didn’t, & thus, I had never heard it until the show!); this tampon chandelier!; ripped stockings; people who come up to me just to tell me how much they like my hair!; also, leaving pink hairs everywhere; learning to let go; validating phonecalls; The Magnetic Fields’ 69 Love Songs; upcoming travel (St Louis in November, hee!); my Givenchy lip glosses (boy-approved!); spending an entire day writing in my Moleskine; spooning; This Is How We Do It by Montell Jordan, hahaha; phone interviews with charming people; talking to my friend on Skype while she was naked in bed (saucy!); writing in weird places (parks, rooftops, fire escapes); Spaced (“she looks like a turd in a wig!”); planning trips to LA; gothic fonts; Vogue Nippon; people who are delighted by my accent (soooo cute); making extravagant hallowe’en plans; sending super-excitable emails; kissing; anyone who tells me I have cute teeth (especially because I don’t think I do); my parents; shock, joy & awe.

Now, my beautiful babushka, tell me your list of current infatuations! Sit there with your eyes closed & let the excitement & happiness & glee build up inside you until you feel like you will explode… Then start writing! I can’t wait to hear what weird & wonderful things happened to you this week!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Daily Outfit -- 5th October 2008

[ 11 October 2008, 11:34 ]

Just chillin’ (literally) in the Catacombs... I was so excited to be there, I had wanted to go for years! (It totally appealed to my inner goth.)

Thin black hoodie from Laurie Foon
Long black cardigan by Ricochet
Yellow bow belt from World
High-waisted skirt from H&M
Wool stockings
Frye Veronica Shortie boots
Black scarf
Heart earrings by Tarina Tarantino

...& for those of you who said you’d like to see more photos from Paris, click here!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Things I Love Thursday

[ 9 October 2008, 00:20 ]

Drinking espresso under the Eiffel Tower at night & watching the light show (which I think is beautiful). The tower was lit up in blue, with shimmering white lights all over it — it was really an incredible sight to behold. It was definitely one of the best things I did in Paris, & after seeing that, I pretty much fell in love with the city.

Paris! Yes. I really enjoyed my time there. It’s a magnificent place. It doesn’t give me the same rush that New York does, but it has its own, very specific charm, & I think after another visit it could easily nudge its way into #2 on my favourite cities list. I’m glad of that actually, it’s always good to have a few different cities in which you feel comfortable & happy, & which you can pick from. The best clue that I really liked it there is that I am already planning what I will do on my return… !

Being immersed in the French language — It’s so beautiful, really, & just seeing all the signs & listening to everyone around me was totally inspiring. I also found (& this filled me with total delight) that a lot of my vocabulary knowledge started to come back to me after a few days of being there. By the end of the 4th day, I was speaking with a lot more authority & felt much more comfortable with the language. I cannot TELL YOU how satisfying this was. I am even considering taking regular classes at the Alliance Française, because when I go back I would really like to be able to communicate even more confidently. Though of course, I would need to be in one spot long enough to take a course… !

Speaking in a fake French accent — Haha. So, I speak (un petit peu) French. But Timmy, who I went with, doesn’t. Well, he can say hello, goodbye & thank you, but that’s about it. We caught the hell out of the Métro, & we often had to discuss which stops we were going to, so he started trying to pronounce the names in a French accent. Eventually it devolved into the two of us talking in fake French the whole time, using “boeuf” in place of regular curse words & preeeeeetty much acting like huge dorks. It was totally obnoxious & incredibly hilarious. Hahah.

Finding a carousel with a big hot air balloon on it — There are two carousels near the Eiffel Tower. The first one is on the other side of the road, but if you go back across the Seine, there’s another one which is two storeys & much more decadent! The best part of it to me was the fact that there was a seat in a hot air balloon if you didn’t want to ride ye olde horse! It matched my tattoo, so of course that’s where I sat. So much fun!

French people en général — You know, they get a really bad rep usually. “Oh, Paris? Everyone there is so rude!” Actually, everyone I met was super-polite & went out of their way to help me. When you walk into a shop in Paris, they always say hello, ask if they can help, & bid you farewell when you leave. I haven’t been anywhere else like that, & I loved it. I did meet one rude person, but he was in the airport & clutching a passport I couldn’t read the front of, so he wasn’t even from France!

Le Crazy Horse — Cute, smiling, nearly naked dancing girls, check. Amazing light show, check. Shoes by Christian Louboutin, check. (Hyperventilate, oh my god, fan girl!!!) We went to the show on Sunday, our last night, & really enjoyed it. I kept nudging Timmy & making him pay attention, hee. “No! Look at the shoes!!!” If you ever go to Paris you must go to the show!

Being told that I speak French with “no accent” by an actual French person. Dude. Ultimate compliment! So good it warrants a heart-shaped bullet-point all of its own! You have no idea how happy that made me!

Being back in New York! As much as I love travelling — & obviously, that is a lot — I love having a routine, too. Because flying & transfers & hotels & foreign public transportation systems are interesting, & challenging, & kinda cool, but sometimes you just want to sleep regular hours, get some work done & mooch around a neighbourhood with which you’re familiar! (Especially after my mad route home, which included an unplanned overnight stay in Philadelphia’s très glamor Ramada Inn!) It’s so crazy & awesome to me that New York is like home to me now, too!

My new place — voilà!

Monthly soundtracks — There is a girl who makes them on ljmixtape & every month she releases a new one. I have to say, sometimes on the first listen I’m not totally grabbed by the tracks, but by the second or third listen? Eeeee! These mixes of hers get SO MUCH PLAY on my computer! Her taste is really impeccable. You will need to join the community to see it, but here is her soundtrack for September — have a listen, & I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Lip yummies — Yesterday I went to Sephora & bought three lip treatments. I decided about two days ago that I wanted to start wearing something on my lips other than just flavoured balm, so I was on the hunt. I am really, really happy with what I bought — Smith’s Minted Rose Lip Balm (for lovely moisture), Givenchy Rouge Interdit Shine in Raspberry Shine & Givenchy Pop Gloss Crystal in Glitter Pomelo. The Givenchy products are seriously the best things ever, beautiful colours with the addition of irridescent glittery awesomeness! I’d never used their stuff before but I am sooooo happy! You should go & try them out, they’re fabulous & they make me feel like a total vixen.

Honourable mentions: Sleeping all the way home on the plane (I know I’ve said this before but it’s so good to wake up with only an hour until you land); having a row of four seats to yourself; dreams about your idols; sugar highs; befriending small French girls who wear bunny ears & draw pictures of you; brightly coloured macarons; having Japanese tourists take photos of you; perfect plane outfits (long-sleeved thin black hoodie + American Apparel grey sweater + long black cardigan + harem pants + socks + books + scarf); women behind you on the plane who sing; fashion parades in the Catacombs; kissy faces on a carousel; balconies which look out over Paris; bathtubs (in Paris & in my new place!); ‘Dolores’, the new album by Bohren & der Club of Gore; watching Almost Famous while eating ice-cream for dinner; Sex… With Mom & Dad (new MTV show featuring Dr Drew, who I love!) & Paris Hilton’s My New BFF (uber-trash but & as if I even need to say it, my favourites are Onch & Zui); kissing videos (awww); the super-super-super-friendly woman in the canteen in Philadelphia’s Ramada Inn!; big stacks of foreign fashion magazines; vegan tacos; big piles of blankets; impulse purchasing white bunny ears, & cute voicemail from people saying they miss me. Awww!

This is one of the most amazing things I’ve read in a while:

“Listen to people’s stories, & you’ll find that they could all be entitled “Why I Cannot Be at Peace Now”. The ego doesn’t know that your only opportunity for being at peace is now.” — Eckhart Tolle

Okay, bunny! Time for your TiLT exercises! Wiggle your fingers — in, out, up, down, around! — in preparation to compose us a big fat list of your current loves! Ready? Set? Go!

If you’re posting your Things I Love Thursday list elsewhere, remember you’re more than welcome to sneak a badge!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Question: What Would You Be Like If You Were The Opposite Sex?

[ 8 October 2008, 23:28 ]

I have been thinking about this a lot lately. What do you think you would be like if you were the opposite sex?

If I was a boy, I would have jet black hair. I’d have way more tattoos than I do — probably two full sleeves, something on my neck & words across my knuckles. I’d be a writer (it attracts the ladies, haha!) & I’d definitely have a blog.

I’d have a bachelor pad somewhere in the States, probably in Los Angeles or New York, & I’d drive (little known Gala fact: I don’t have my license!). I would shun commitment, & drive girls crazy because I would always put my writing before them. I’d have a dog, too (yes, probably a dachshund), & I’d totally be one of those guys who takes his dog for a walk with the purpose of meeting girls! I would be vegan & spend a lot of time alone in bookshops & libraries. I would wish I was a musician, send flirtatious email haikus to girls I met at concerts & sleep naked. I would be a design geek. I would still collect vintage typewriters & have extensive bookshelves. There is a possibility that Justin Theroux would be my ultimate male role-model.

I think this is how I would dress most of the time.

Tight jeans, a weird t-shirt with a cardigan, expensive avant-garde boots, a minimal watch, cool satchel & tunnels in my ears.

Would you want to date me? Haha!

So, what about you? Do you think you’d be completely different, or just a slight twist on how you are now? How would you dress? What would you do for a job? How would you behave? Who would be your ultimate celebrity crush? Tell me a story, make yourself an outfit on Polyvore, do it up!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Daily Outfit -- 4th October 2008

[ 8 October 2008, 12:46 ]

Bonjour! This is me outside the Centre Pompidou on Saturday afternoon. Just after taking these photos, we went shopping along the Champs-Élysées, took photos during the sunset in front of the Arc de Triomphe, drank espresso beneath the Eiffel Tower as the light show glimmered above us & rode a fabulous, two-storey carousel! (In case you were wondering, yes, I had an amazing time in Paris!)

Here’s what I wore.

Vintage leather jacket
Black long-sleeved merino wool top
Long thin hoodie from Laurie Foon
New drop-crotch pants from Zara (They are exactly what I was looking for, & I love them so much!)
Manolo Blahnik high heels
Charm bracelet
Wedding ring!

I arrived back in New York yesterday morning (after an unscheduled overnight stay in Philadelphia!) & it’s good to be back. I have to admit that I miss hearing French around me all the time, though…

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Blog World Expo 2008

[ 7 October 2008, 12:19 ]

The Blog World Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada was an amazing event. When I first heard about it I was really curious as to what it might be like, & I was delighted that the stars aligned so that I was able to attend with my dream girl, Nubby Twiglet!

Arriving in Las Vegas in the early evening was pretty fabulous, too, & totally the way to do it. I had never been to Vegas before, & wasn’t sure what to expect, but as my taxi made its way down the Strip, I started to get really excited. Bright lights! Shimmering signs! Hotels in all kinds of ludicrous shapes! It truly is like Disneyland for adults — an amazing, gargantuan, ridiculously fabulous sprawl.

The expo itself was very impressive. It was really well organised, with free wifi, lots of areas to sit down & a convenient location (you can catch the monorail to the Las Vegas Convention Center from almost any hotel on the Strip). The ticket prices were quite substantial (ranging from about $400 to $900), which probably helped to maintain its appeal as an event for “serious bloggers”! I’d say that pretty much everyone there was either making a living off their blog or well on their way, so there were plenty of sessions on monetization (which, after you gather an audience & create some valuable content, is really the next big thing to tick off for anyone wanting to do it full-time).

The best panel I saw was the very first one on Saturday morning, called Making Money With A Blog, featuring John Chow, Jeremy Schoemaker, Brian Clark, Zac Johnson, Jim Kukral & Darren Rowse (my Melbourne BFF!). I made some great notes from listening to what they had to say on the subject of monetising blogs — & all the speakers were worth listening to. One of the panelists revealed that he had made $140,000 in the previous month from his blog alone. Pretty incredible stuff!

The other stand-out event for me (& for Nubby too) was the keynote speech on Sunday, featuring Tim Ferriss of The 4-Hour Work Week fame, & Mike Shinoda, MC for Linkin Park & Fort Minor, as well as a blogger. I knew that Tim would be great, & he was, but I was very pleasantly surprised by what Mike had to say as well. Even though a lot of his experience was more based in the music industry, plenty of it related back to blogging & the idea of personal branding. Both men had amazing things to say about brand extension, giving your customer (that’d be you guys!) an amazing experience, & even talked a bit about “karmic marketing” — otherwise known as getting back what you give.

It was brilliant to go with Nubby, because as well as her super-popular personal blog, she also works on a professional blog for her employers, Nemo Design. A lot of what was spoken about at BWE was really relevant to her industry, & when we split up to go to different sessions, we would regroup & discuss what had been said. It was great to be able to mull & chew over all the new information we had, especially with someone who is doing something similar to me (which could almost be called “personality blogging”).

My only complaints about the event are thus (& they are few & far between):
I think there could have been more women on panels. I only went to one panel with a woman on it, which I thought was kind of strange. I know that there were a couple of other blogging conventions going on at the same time, so maybe that’s where all the women were, but there are plenty of girls kicking blogniverse booty, & I’d like to hear more from them & their unique perspectives next year! (I’d also like to speak next time — hint hint!)
I didn’t get to meet Guy Kawasaki. I saw him a bunch of times — he was wearing a bright orange shirt, he looked kind of like a traffic cone & was hard to miss! — but I was too shy to go up to him, & then he left the convention early! Talk about kicking myself!
$8.77 sandwiches. Enough said.

I came away from the conference bursting with ideas & inspiration, & feeling really good about the people I’d met & what I was doing personally. It was great to meet a whole lot of people in the same industry as me, too — I talk to bloggers online all the time but not so much in real life!

Before we left Las Vegas, Nubby & I were already discussing coming back for BWE09, which happens in October. We had such a fantastic time & are intending on making it into an annual pilgrimage! Vegas was the perfect place to hold it, because after an entire day of cramming your head full of information, it was wonderful to escape into the warm desert air & have a good time!

I think that anyone who is looking at blogging as a source of income would be silly to miss this event. It is definitely worth the money — if not from what you learn, then from a networking standpoint alone!

I also want to give a shout out (hee!) to Darren Rowse! His generosity & general awesomeness is unparalleled, & I really appreciate it. You’re a champ, I love ya!

Extra For Experts:
You can read Nubby’s write-up on the expo here.

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Something Ridiculous For Your Sunday

[ 28 September 2008, 01:10 ]

For those of you who weren’t with us on the Virgo Vegas Vacation (to be hereafter referred to as V³) — which would be, well, all of you — I edited up some clips from our trip that I thought you might enjoy!

There is no real way to capture the Las Vegas experience, but we did our best!

The working pseudo-title is ‘Nubby & Gala versus the Strip’.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Things I Love Thursday

[ 18 September 2008, 16:23 ]

Having Nubby by my side — I’m so happy to have my Virgo soulmate back! She is amazing & I’m so pleased that we get along like we do. Everything is very easy, & well, we understand each other. It’s almost creepy sometimes but mostly I am just really glad to have someone who “gets” me! It’s cool, too, because we know a lot of the same people (though I don’t really know how that happened), & since we’re both in similar work with similar goals, we can pretty much talk about anything & it’s always interesting & entertaining. Our birthday party was amazing, & the last week staying in the makeshift Virgo Boarding House (hee) has been great, too. We have a hilarious red velvet couch routine & have spent many many hours sitting, talking, walking, shopping, plotting & blogging side-by-side. Tomorrow we’re going to Vegas — woo woo! — but on Monday she flies out of my life for another few months. Pout. Does she have to go?!

The Virgo Extravaganza — I know I’ve already written about it, but seriously, it was good, yo! The weather was really warm & even though it looked like it might threaten to rain at any moment, it didn’t. Everyone was so so so cute & lovely, & we were really overwhelmed by how sweet everyone was. Nubby & Star turned up with a bunch of helium balloons which matched my dress perfectly, & there was lots of hugging & excitement as we caught up. (I hadn’t seen Star in two years!) Timmy took a bunch of awesome pictures of the day, & then he, Nubby, Gilda & I piled into the subway clutching our bags, balloons, roses, cakes & other assorted nonsense (!!!) before going to our hotel. We are definitely thinking about renewing our vows every year, & really, the parties are just going to get bigger & better… Maybe we should have next year’s in the Bermuda Triangle?!

The Hotel On Rivington — We decided that we wanted to stay in a cool hotel for the night of our birthday, & after about a billion emails back & forth, we finally decided on the Hotel On Rivington. It was the ideal choice. Our room was great, with floor-to-ceiling windows & an enormous (& I do mean enormous, it was easily a four-person bed) Tempur-Pedic bed. The shower was AWESOME too, set against the outside of the building with a wall made of glass — which meant you could watch the entire East Village as you scrubbed yourself (& uh, they could see you, too). It was my favourite part of the room, I spent a lot of time there. I want a glass shower, ahhh it was so good! Anyway, the hotel was great — the staff were really friendly & helpful, the room was lovely & the location was impeccable. A+++! Would trade again!

The Garment District — I was in the Garment District last week to go to a Stephen Burrows show (which was amazing — & I was sitting opposite Carol Alt & Jay Alexander!), & when the show (which was brilliant) was over, I crossed the road to go into a trimmings shop. It was amazing. Glittery crystals, sparkly pendants, neon ribbons… It was a magpie’s dream. I spied a bunch of tiaras in a cabinet & told the cute little Chinese lady that it was my birthday & I thought I needed one. She gave me a whole lot to try, & then told me, “That one! I like that one!” Her enthusiasm was totally contagious, & so I bought it. Thank you, cute little Chinese lady. You helped make my birthday even more magical.

Adventures in the Meatpacking District — Last night, after a photoshoot in the middle of the street in the East Village, Nubby & I caught a cab to W. 13th Street to see what we could see. In a whirlwind of colour & madness, we started off on the roof of the Hotel Gansevoort, overpriced drinks in hand. After wishing happy birthday to the friend of an ex-pornstar, we were cornered on the street by a video crew who shone a light at us & asked us questions about our sex life. A few short minutes later, after navigating our way around the cobblestones, an enthusiastic gay guy waved us over & asked if he could take a picture with us. After running in & out of clubs, our feet finally got the better of us & we hobbled home… but not before catching up with the video crew again, & snapping this picture with the host… which I absolutely LOVE.

Honourable mentions: The word “fudge-packer” (oh so funny); blowing kisses to bus-drivers; cups of coffee the size of my head; rooftop pools; birthday cake for breakfast; sweet lemon cocktails; When I’m With You by the Legendary Pink Dots (& yes, I am going to their show!); Las Vegas anticipation; naked gymnastics; Michael Jackson’s Twitter!!!; laughing on the subway until I hyperventilate; compliments from friendly strangers; $10 lattes at The Plaza; introducing Nubby to my shoe guy at Bergdorf’s; aloe vera juice; Marie‘s corn outfit (& watching my wife jump on a bed in it); walking the streets of Manhattan in my Betsey Johnson dress & full transvestite make-up; $1000 bills; dreams of Bob Saget; birthday phone-calls from Mike Dooley; dressing up like babushkas in H&M; gourmet marshmallows; super-long Virgo to-do lists; foot rubs; Nubby’s accent (way too cute); my birthday twin Molly Crabapple!; considering the iCiNG national tour (oh yeahhhh); talking about New York plumbing in Starbucks; “I feel like a corpse.” “You feel like a reptile!” “You feel like a vampire!”; lizard people in general; plotting to club intruders with an obese person’s prosthetic leg (Nubby says, “I would totally do it, it’s like a baseball bat. You can’t throw any of this other stuff!”); picture-perfect suburban America; cute curled-up snuggle-sleep; writing on the porch swing!

“One day it will have to be officially admitted that what we have christened reality is an even greater illusion than the world of dreams.” — Salvador Dali

What are you adoring this week?

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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The Virgo Birthday Extravaganza: Report!

[ 16 September 2008, 10:33 ]

Nubby & I had such an incredible birthday! If you came out to Central Park to celebrate with us, let me say a huge THANK YOU! It was really touching & awesome that so many of you made the effort. Even better, you were all gorgeous, charming & well-dressed! We couldn’t have asked for a better guest list.

We received some amazing gifts, including wedding rings from Princess Poochie, beautiful prints from Cynthia, pink roses, books of poetry, heart-shaped cakes, stockings & eye make-up, birthday cards & lots of hugs!

Nubby & I opening our presents from Marie...

She gave us custom-made corsages! Nubby’s had Michael Jackson on it, & mine had a picture of Biggie. Swoon.

Exchanging vows — with Star officiating!

My beautiful bride/groom!

Our party was originally going to happen on the grass in Strawberry Fields, but it had been raining a little bit beforehand so the ground was pretty muddy. We decided to go & perch on a big rock, instead. This is a photo from the beginning of the party — I think there were probably around 50 guests in total. Most of them were from New York, but people flew in from California & North Carolina, as well as Boston & a girl from Melbourne who just happened to be in NYC at the time! (It was weird to hear an Australian accent again!)

Our triple layer cake from Sugar Sweet Sunshine. When I was ordering it on the phone, the woman asked if I wanted decorations & sprinkles. I said, “Can you please make it kind of… pink & ridiculous?”

Mmmm, red velvet.

When Bianca showed up, she told Nubby & I that she’d like to set up her camera & take portraits of the guests. This is what transpired…

It was a long day. Here is photographic evidence of us crashed out in our matrimonial bed in our incredible suite at the Hotel On Rivington!

We had such a great time, & we hope you did too! If you were able to join us, thank you so much for celebrating our birthdays with us! If you weren’t, maybe we’ll see you next year… ?!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Daily Outfit -- 13th September 2008

[ 16 September 2008, 01:17 ]

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me! Happy birthday dear Gala, happy birthday to me!

I wore…

Tiara, $18, trimmings shop in the Garment District! (I tried on a whole lot, but I bought this one because the Chinese woman running the shop was so enthusiastic about it! She had good taste.)
Fabulous dress by Betsey Johnson. Psychedelic Barbie? Oh yes.
Swarovski crystal bracelet
Notorious B.I.G. corsage made by Marie
Tarina Tarantino ring, pink licorice strap ring by Tokyomade, pink wedding ring !!!
Pink shoes by Betsey Johnson. I think they are somewhat like wearing a fairytale on your toes.

The Virgo extravaganza was a roaring success — full party report & pictures galore to come tomorrow morning!

(Fantastic photographs by Tim Kern & Bianca Alexis.)

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Things I Love Thursday

[ 11 September 2008, 16:50 ]

Oui, mes petites, it’s time for Things I Love Thursday! The biggest, happiest, most fabulous, ooey-gooey lovefest this side of… well, Burning Man maybe! Those of us in the northern hemisphere are experiencing one of the most beautiful season changes right now, while those of you in the antipodes (hello, Friday!) are watching spring come to fruition! How could you not be delighted?! Join with me in this week’s TiLT — my last list aged 24! Shocking!

The things I love this Thursday, in no particular order… Drumroll, please!

Porch swings! More specifically, the one I’m sitting in right now to write this! There is dappled sunlight & people walking around & beautiful houses all the way down the street. It’s amazing. There is no better place to write a gratitude list from, I swear, especially while listening to the Legendary Pink Dots. I am a major swing fan, so having one right outside the front door at my disposal is pretty much the best thing ever!

Arriving in New York at midnight… & being greeted by a dozen cupcakes from my favourite cupcakerie in NYC... & a cute boy to share them with! Awwww, geez.

Fashion week madness — It has been super-fun. I haven’t logged hundreds of hours in the tents, because I value my sanity too much — ha! — but the time I have spent there has been fabulous. Yuli has totally taken care of me & shown me a really good time, as well as showing me plenty of tricks of the trade for next year! It’s really, truly fabulous to sit in on the shows, & even more interesting to observe the general scene. I love to see what people are wearing, listen in on their conversations & soak up the atmosphere! It’s a different world inside the tents — so much so that when you walk out onto 42nd Street, you almost get culture-shock. I’m really loving the whole experience & think next year will be even bigger & better!

My New York experience in general — I am having a damn good time, oh yes! Highlights so far include “trend-spotting” at a party for Tattoo Society magazine, holding hands, eating dinner at Pure Food & Wine, luxuriant lounging on the world’s largest velvet couch, sleeping in a lovely cool bedroom, walking blocks & blocks in uncomfortable shoes but not minding because my company was so hilarious, American accents (I love them, okay?), getting really dressed up all the time, non-creepy strangers on the street telling me I look beautiful, sweet phonecalls & hugging people I haven’t seen in too long (like, omg, a whole month

My birthday outfit — No, not my birthday suit, my birthday outfit! Mmmmm. Yes ma’am. I bought a dress & shoes from Betsey Johnson the other day, & I cannot wait to wear them. I took the dress out of its garment bag last night, & I actually squealed. God, I’m so excited. The whole outfit is totally Barbie on acid, it’s amazing. Plus, you know you did good when you send a photo to your mother via email, & when she looks at it, the first words out of her mouth are, “Oh, WOW!” I also discovered that the free underwear I got at the Betsey show has a glittery cupcake on the front with a candle stuck in the top — hello, birthday knickers!

Impatient by Will.I.Am — It’s like the story of my life. Which is not to say I’m not enjoying the present moment (apologies to Eckhart), because I am, yes I am! But I am also super-excited about the future. There are always so many amazing things on the horizon! I can’t wait to see a certain cutie who gets back to the city tomorrow, & I get to see Star (who I met on my birthday in 2006!) tomorrow night too! I’m going to embrace my Virgo soulmate on Saturday morning, before we run all over the city collecting birthday supplies, & then we’re going to have big decadent partyyyy, then elope to Vegas for our honeymoon… Seriously, way too exciting, & way too much awesome for one girl alone to handle!

Will.I.Am in general — Honestly, the whole Songs About Girls album is phenomenal, though my favourite tracks are Ain’t It Pretty, Spending Money, Over & Heartbreaker. So good it warranted a heart-shaped bullet-point all of its own!

The official Gala tribute cupcake made by my brilliant friend Jess, who unfortunately can’t be in New York City for my birthday bash on Saturday…

Honourable mentions: Watching Grease on the plane; using my Helio phone again!; hanging out with Timmy Crunk at Auckland airport (aw!); sleeping on the plane with the blanket covering my entire body, including my head; kissing; beautiful warm weather; compliments which make me blush; big packages in the mail; watching fashion TV at 6am & talking over the top of it; misleading Nubby into thinking there were real midgets living above me!; antique handcuffs; pink stains in the bathtub; colour un-coordination with an entire house; my bags from Femme Sud!; making new friends; raw dinner dates; glossy black manicures; Coilhouse magazine (it’s a beauty, you should snap it up!) & their mention of me in their acknowledgements — awww!: realising my signature looks like it says “Galaxy“!; slightly terrifying energy drinks; hanging out with my birthday twin (same day & year!); preparing my “things I did the year I was 24” list; fashion week swag bags; genetic miracles; the 9/11 tribute (pretty beautiful), & um… cute boys in general! I am a fan.

How about you, gorgeous?

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Betsey Johnson at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

[ 11 September 2008, 13:39 ]

“Making clothes involves what I like… Colour, pattern, shape & movement… I like the everyday process… The people, the pressure, the surprise of seeing the work come alive walking & dancing around on strangers. Like red lipstick on the mouth, my products wake up & brighten & bring the wearer to life… Drawing attention to her beauty & specialness… Her moods & movements… Her dreams & fantasies.” — Betsey Johnson

The Betsey Johnson show on the 9th of September was every girl’s dream. It was so theatrical & over-the-top — totally brilliant. I kept turning to my friend Yuli & making gaping, flabbergasted faces!

A fashion veteran at 66 years old, Betsey is well-known for her extravagant shows, for her wicked design aesthetic & for cartwheeling down the catwalk! With 45 boutiques across the world, Betsey shows no sign of slowing down, & in fact, her creations seem to be getting even more fabulous.

I adored my very first Betsey Johnson show, & hope to attend many more in the future!

Betsey wore green throughout the show. She came out in a gingham, off-the-shoulder frock. She was holding her newest granddaughter, Ella, & holding the hand of other granddaughter Layla, as she handed out balloons.

The show had an amazing atmosphere & energy. The music was loud & fabulous, with bass that vibrated throughout the entire tent & up through the seats. The models wore bobbed wigs of blue, pink, black & purple, & walked with sass & attitude. They skipped & twirled & blew kisses at the cameras.

So, how was the collection? It ran an incredible gamut, veering from Little House On The Prairie gone awry to a procession of virginal brides in white with their hands chained behind their backs.

Every outfit was accessorised with a small bowler hat. As one tends to expect from Betsey, there were plenty of ruffles & prints. Polka-dots, pinstripes & a skull & crossbones motif all made their presence felt. There were also plenty of hoop skirts, what looked like floral hospital gowns, ruffled bloomers, striped stockings, colourful fingerless gloves, pinstriped rompers in pastel hues, tattered ribbon skirts in candy colours & tropicana sun-dresses.

The stand-out looks for me were a Victorian hospital chic outfit complete with lace-up bloomers & corset, all in white, & an incredible strapless tie-dyed ruffled maxi-dress.

Pirate chic was big, & introduced by a staggering Jack Sparrow-esque character, who leered at the girls as they strutted past & laughed to himself.

You can see plenty of fabulous runway shots here at Style.com!

Betsey closed the show by running out in a huge, sparkly dress in emerald green — very Wizard of Oz — & cartwheeling down the runway before taking theatrical bows. She was followed by a parade of models, all holding vibrantly-coloured helium balloons. They danced & sashayed down the runway & back, to huge applause.

I took some video, too. Unfortunately, the lights were so insanely bright that it made filming difficult, but it does give you an idea of the music, the energy & the atmosphere! Watch until the end — the balloons are amazing!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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The Virgo Birthday Extravaganza!

[ 10 September 2008, 14:27 ]

Gala Darling & Nubby Twiglet present…

That’s right! This Saturday, we’re throwing a huge birthday bash & Virgo wedding extravaganza in Central Park! I’m turning 25 on Saturday, & Nubby is the big 27 the day after — what better reason to throw a fabulous party?! Come picnic with us!

There will be plentiful cupcakes from Sugar Sweet Sunshine (best cupcakes in the city, & trust me, I’ve done the leg-work!), balloons, a lewd cake, riotously good times & of course, lots of awesome people! We’ll all be dressed to the nines, shocking passers-by & generally not acting our age!

All of the “lady blog” crew will be there — me, Nubby, Gilda, Doe, Star & Marie (the latter two are coming all the from the west coast!), as well as a bunch of our favourite New Yorkers! Our friend Bianca Alexis (who took a series of Nubby & I on the roof of my building when I was here last) will be acting as official paparazzo, so get ready to POSE!

We’re going to go on a carousel-riding mission later in the day, too…

You’re all so, so welcome to come along! We’d really love to see you there, & have you celebrate our birthdays with us!

Can’t wait to see you!

(Strawberry Fields is situatued on the west side of the park, spanning from 71st to 74th Streets. Here’s a map!)

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Daily Outfit -- 9th September 2008

[ 9 September 2008, 19:47 ]

It’s been a Betsey Johnson kinda day. First I went to the show, sat in the front row, & just about died of awesome. Then I hopped the subway down to the Betsey Johnson boutique in Soho… & well… Let’s just say, baby went shopping.

(You can call me a bag lady like Erykah Badu, if you want. I don’t mind.)

But oh, oh, what did I buy? It’s a surprise, though I will tell you that I bought myself a birthday dress & a nice pair of shoes to go with it…

Okay, so here’s what I wore to the show.

Super-cheap dress (you know it, I wore it to the Louis Vuitton party when I was here last!)
Cardigan from Urban Outfitters (I’m getting a lot of wear out of it)
Earrings & ring from Tokyomade (close-ups below!)
Bag by Trent Nathan
Long grey socks
Frye Veronica Shortie boots
Other ring by Tarina Tarantino

That little blue bag is my swag bag from the show. Contents: the sunglasses I’m wearing in these photos, underwear, eye-shadow from Makeup Forever, a perfume sample, shampoo, & an invitation to the Betsey Johnson afterparty! (My next stop…)

This arrived in the mail from Tokyo today. I am in RAPTURE. It is the most amazing ring of all time, & I just gotta say a heartfelt THANKS to Deanne & Masao, the best long-distance friends a gal could have! (Some of you might remember it was on my birthday wishlist…) If you want to procure one of these for yourself, click here! Too incredible; I love the Pink Champaign one!

I also had my photo taken by Nylon Japan today. It was pretty fantastic.

Details of the Betsey Johnson show soon! (I took photos & made videos!)

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Nicole Miller & Erin Fetherston at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

[ 9 September 2008, 09:57 ]

So, for those of you who don’t know already, I’ve teamed up with My It Things & Inside The Tents to do a whole lot of coverage of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week! Inside The Tents is totally the site to watch for up-to-date coverage of the shows — there’s a live Twitter feed from the contributors, anything tagged #nyfw by us gets published on the site, so it’s super-quick & live live live! (It’s like evil, evil crack for fashionistas. You’re welcome!)

Friday was my first day in the tents & it was a pretty eye-opening experience. Fashion week in New Zealand & Australia have nothing on New York! The entrance to the tents is staffed by burly men wearing earpieces, & as you walk up the steps, cameras flash all around you. People on either side of the barricades stare at you, smile at you, talk to each other about what they can see. Inside, the tent is ringed by promotional booths where they happily hand out swag. (The queue for a pair of Havianas snakes around on itself.) The entrances to the shows are manned by brusque & (dare I say it) slightly self-important men in suits, who don’t look at you when they talk & expect the swarms of girls in stilettos to follow their arbitrary rules. “Did Julia write a number on your invitation? No? THEN I’M NOT LETTING YOU IN!” & the final nail in the coffin, in terms of the obvious differences between fashion week here & fashion week in the antipodes? The backstage entrances are guarded by police. Plenty of them.

I attended two shows on Friday — Nicole Miller & Erin Fetherston.

The Nicole Miller show had a bangin’ soundtrack which had most of us dancing in our seats (or grooving on our feet — the show was so popular that it was well past the point of standing room only). The collection was fresh & youthful, with lots of hats, elegant twisted draping & printed sun-dresses. A pair of tailored harem pants also made a huge impression (& were sent down the runway at least 3 times). Most of the models wore long necklaces ending with a bead & a feather. One of the things I liked most was a trenchcoat worn open & belted over a sweet summer dress.

Afterwards, I met with Yuli & after some judicious flashing of various passes, we ascended the stairs to the American Express Sky Box Lounge. The Amex Lounge is an amazing space situated above two of the tents, with covered glass on either side. As the shows begin, the shutters are opened, & you can see right down onto the catwalk. The view is absolutely incredible, & even better, while all this is going on, they offer you canapes & thrust alcohol at you.

It was sitting there that I did my first video experiment, completely off-the-cuff & unprepared, in case you couldn’t tell! Here I am introducing the Erin Fetherston show! (Please excuse the terrifying still!)

I filmed this with my teeny little camera, so the quality isn’t exceptional, but it does give you an idea of what happened at the show!

Erin’s show was amazing — I sat in absolute rapture as I watched it. Remember when we talked about dressing like a cupcake should feel? For anyone hankering after that aesthetic, Erin is totally your girl. She showed plenty of white & gold brocade, iridescent sequins (shiny!), baby pink accents, & lots of frills. Bjork’s infamous swan dress would have fit right in. Some of the dresses looked like what you might wear to bed in the 1960s, but it all added to the drama & there were some absolutely incredible pieces. I adored about 80% of it. Swoon! Lust!

Today I’m heading back into the fray — Betsey Johnson is showing this afternoon, & I’m really excited to see what happens (& to eyeball what the attendees are wearing)! Stay tuned for more madness!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Things I Love Thursday

[ 3 September 2008, 18:04 ]

Blog World Expo — I am in the incredibly fortune situation of being able to go to Las Vegas for this expo on the 20th & 21st of September! I’m really, really excited about going to immerse myself in BLOG MANIA for two days! I can’t think of anything better! God, America is cool. ...But wait! That’s not all! Guess who’s coming with me? NUBBY TWIGLET! It’s going to be our official honeymoon, combining some of our favourite things: extravagance, flashing lights, lunacy & blogging! Haha. Aahhhhh! Virgo Vegas Vivaciousness! I am absolutely over the moooon about the whole thing, because I’m going to see a whole lot of amazing people speak, as well as fuel up on inspiration & insights! Even better, it’s in Vegas! Aaaargh! I have never been, the closest I have been to Vegas is watching National Lampoon’s Vegas Vacation (Chevy Chase is pretty much my dream man) over & over again… I hear it is amazing & bright & colourful & ridiculous, so I am totally PSYCHED! Plus I get to see my Melbourne BFF, Darren Rowse! Hee. Yay! We’re not going to be there long — three nights (though I hear that will be long enough) — but any suggestions of must see places are welcome! (Nubby doesn’t know it yet, but we’re totally going to hit up Retro Bakery!)

International playgirl lifestyle! Otherwise known as… I am going to the airport in a few hours! Ooh la la! Even better, during what would be a boring three-hour layover in Auckland, I’m instead going to enjoy the company of one Timmy Crunk — the likes of whom I haven’t seen since August 2006! Too long! (My response to this news was basically “&^*&$^$!!!”) I’ve also appointed myself as the queen of sleeping-while-flying (& I kind of love the image it conjures up, slumbering Gala above the clouds, at a gazillion kilometres an hour), so I am looking forward to reclining my seat & passing out for a good zillion hours before I arrive in my favourite city ever. It is going to be excellent!

Spring — It’s a good season, & it just started here in the antipodes. I saw a pudgy bumblebee the other day, flying around drunkenly, & I smelt honeysuckle as I passed my neighbour’s house… Now I am leaving, but I trust you New Zealanders will enjoy it! & I will be back for the infamous New Zealand summer! Hooray!

Ridiculous manicures — You get the best ones at malls, I find. Not the best quality manicure, no no, but the most decadent, over-the-top & silly. A manicure to make Marie Antoinette proud! My latest? Eye-gouging pink with a sprinkling of clear jewels in white. Oh yes, baby. I hope that after it all starts to fall apart, people find the jewels stuck to ridiculous places & think, ‘What the hell is this?

Anticipating warm weather — ‘Nuff said.

Pole-dancing! Last week I went for a pole-dancing lesson taught by a girl with the coolest name ever (Hester!) & my super-sweet friend Jo. It was so much fun! I loved it! Even though I had to wear short-shorts! It was really great to swing myself around & pretend to be sultry, haha. I have been meaning to try it for such a long time, & now I finally have, & I am totally into it! It was the best type of exercise — so much fun that I didn’t realise how much of a work-out I was getting. I was in complete pain for days afterwards, I couldn’t even lift my arms above my head! I am definitely going to go to classes as soon as I have some semblance of a routine again, hahah…

This song which has been in my head since Monday evening…

Honourable mentions: “Call the cops when you see Tupac…”; Talladega Nights; listening to the top 100 hip-hop singles; Skinny Puppy (Mirror Sawwwww); Enduser; Legendary Pink Dots (playing in NYC in October, hell yes, it’s been years since I last saw them — 2003 in Paris!); Clock DVA (Jeffrey Dahmer’s favourite); a compulsion to only wear sexy black dresses for the rest of my life; Ebay frenzies; cupcake promises; brilliant girl geniuses; Whittaker’s Dark Mocha chocolate (yup, just like last week!); obsessively planning outfits; setting new goals; “I’m tired of using technology; why don’t you sit down on top of me?”; chokers; dancing around the living room playing dress-up; Happy Mess; late night talks with Ana about split tongues (!), lust & Japan!; my father snoring (too cute); imagining a crystal-encrusted bone to go through my nose; actually, crystal-encrusted anything!; time-lapse photography; cupcake hairclips; Kylie Mole (!!!); making huge salads; watching Mike Dooley; assigning myself as Jazzi‘s godmother; deep-fried Mars Bars (oh, my, god); lovely cool awesome people, oh & did I mention I’M GOING TO NEW YORK TODAY?!

Okay, your turn! What are you excited about right now?

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Things I Love Thursday

[ 27 August 2008, 20:15 ]

I decided to buck the trend & do a video TiLT…

Yes, I had way too much coffee-infused chocolate this morning. P.S. I swear in this, so beware!

Also…

Honourable mentions: The feeling of wanting to crawl into a piece of music or a photograph; writing lists with big fat check-boxes; new skincare regimes; eating raw!; doing menial things (like chopping vegetables) & realising you have a big smile on your face!; yummy manuka honey lip treatments; dancing in my bedroom; being proud of my girl Jess for getting into The Age’s Good Food Guide section!; really cute & sweet emails; salad!; cozy snoozing; chocolate creme Oreos; an… tici… pation!; having my student loan wiped (yay!); making ridiculous videos; “I was trying to picture you ‘dating in your league’ but I don’t think those people exist”; surprise international phonecalls; having dancing fever; excitable talks with Jess, Jennie & Helen; lovely boys; listening to my old podcasts (I am a nerd!).

“What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality.” — Plutarch

Your turn, baby!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Gala's Birthday Wishlist!

[ 23 August 2008, 20:59 ]

This is the birthday wishlist I would give to my boyfriend… if my boyfriend was the Sultan of Brunei! Here we go!

Lots of candles on a cupcake; bountiful photographs taken; macarons in a rainbow of colours (from Laduree); a bunny; a dress from Betsey Johnson; a wigpee!; a 33mm Dior Christal watch; a victorian gothic lolita mini skirt; Alexander McQueen lace-up boots; Temperley London mini kaleidoscope dress; pearl restraints from Kiki De Montparnasse; Rupert Sanderson Kit Kat boots; restraint tape (also from Kiki De Montparnasse); Femme Sud Honorable Mention wristlet; French lesson panty set (Kiki again); CHAPTER Candy Pop ring from Tokyomade; & an Agent Provocateur garter!

Other things which would be nice: a Swarovski crystal eyepatch from Gasoline Glamour; a rhinestone bra (shimmering ta-tas, ahoy!); the teach me a lesson ruler from Coco De Mer; a night in with fairy lights & kisses; lots of cute colourful knickers; Regan from MAC Flatiron to be my personal make-up artist; good black ink pens; a beautiful apartment in the West Village; a fabulous birthday party with my friends; peace on earth! Wink wink.

What do you want for your birthday?

P.S. Here’s my wishlist from last year!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Things I Love Thursday

[ 20 August 2008, 22:54 ]

The one, the only, the original Things I Love Thursday! Roll up, roll up, step right in!

New York anticipation! So, I was going to go back for three weeks — have a birthday shindig & hang out a bit & then return to New Zealand — but I was talking to my father about it & he said, “Well, I don’t see why you’d come back if that’s where you want to be”. Of course, he is right. So on Tuesday, I bought a ticket… with a return date of mid-November! Eeeeeee! I will have Christmas in New Zealand, because Christmas in summer is always really awesome, & then I will move to NYC in early 2009… Super-fantastico-insane-excitement!

Additional NYC things I love: Beastie Boys – An Open Letter To NYC (Chew Fu Refix) — honestly, every time I listen to this I get major tingles & I think my heart is going to burst out of pure rapture. It is THE BEST. Support Chew Fu, he is awesome & I love him (& we are totally going dancing when I get back)! Getting tattooed! Coney Island! Sugar Sweet Sunshine! A whole bunch of amazing fabulous people who make me smile! Rooftops & porch swings! Central Park! Pumpkin picking in New Jersey! The Egyptian Wing at the Met! Decadent hotel room slumber parties! Energy on the streets! Hip hop karaoke! Strangers who compliment you out of the blue! Insane cab drivers! Etc. !!!

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week — Hello, I am going this year! With a video crew! Gasp! I’m going to the Betsey Johnson, Erin Fetherston, Zac Posen, Anna Sui & Miss Sixty shows, & will be talking to people about their outfits, running around, & appearing on camera giving my impressions of the collections! & of course, it will all be going live on iCiNG! I’m so excited, & I hope you are too!

Awesome offers — At the time I’m in NYC, my friend is going to Canada & I was invited to go too! But unfortunately I had to go to a Betsey Johnson show. Unfortunately! Had to! Betsey Johnson! How amazing is that?! I am kind of bummed because I have never been to Canada & would really really love to visit, but, well, you know, there will be other opportunities! (I will make my way up there soon!)

Karaoke — On Tuesday night I went to karaoke with my friends Jo & Tim, & my brother. It was so much fun. I haven’t sung karaoke since I was about 6 years old, & now I am a confirmed addict! I want to go all the time! At first we just sat in the room feeling embarrassed & then I decided we needed to sing one at the same time to get over our stage-fright. Well, after that, it was ON! We were flicking through the books, choosing songs, shoving microphones at one another & “singing” at the top of our lungs! God, it was so good! Some of our hits? Forgot About Dre (complete with high whiny Eminem parts), I’m A Slave 4 U (complete with breathing & talking intro! ... “I know I may be young…”), Nothing Compares 2 U by Sinead O’Connor, Would by Alice in Chains, Malibu by Hole, Encore/Numb by Linkin Park/Jay-Z, & many more. It was totally awesome. If you have never been to a karaoke booth, I urge you to go this weekend. Seriously. Amazing.

Planning the Virgo Extravaganza — Yup, still! It is going to be taking up plenty of my brain power until it happens! The most exciting thing to me at the moment is the amount of people who are flying in for it! Talk about rallying the troops… It is mind-blowing to me! Doki doki! I can’t wait to see you all!

Hallowe’en in the USA! Okay, I think if you’re American you might not understand this. But for those of us who grew up in the antipodes, where hallowe’en was pretty much a non-event, hallowe’en always seemed like the pinnacle of awesome Americana. Especially if you were a voracious devotee of Sweet Valley High & Babysitter’s Club books… Oh Francine, oh Ann M. Martin, how you have ruined us for life! Anyway, my point is, I AM GOING TO BE IN AMERICA FOR HALLOWE’EN & my inner 8 year old is having a huge glee-induced heart attack! I don’t know who I am going to dress up as, the primary contender at the moment is zombie Little Edie. I would talk about being a s-t-a-u-n-c-h woman & dance with an American flag, it would be amazing!

Atmosphere in New York City! Oh baby. Life just gets better & better, I swear. Atmosphere are playing in Brooklyn on the 13th of October (a month to the day after my birthday!) & in NYC on the 14th. I am so there. Slug told me to email him for tickets but now I am too embarrassed… Hahaha. Regardless! They are playing all over the States so you should check the dates & get on it! Anyway, YAY! My favourite group in my favourite place. Picture me with a massive smile on my face & that is a fairly realistic approximation of how I am right now!

Honourable mentions: Surprise long-distance phonecalls; Int’l Players Anthem (& Andre 3000, of course!); luring people to New Zealand; reconnecting with old friends; IAMX; plotting birthday presents; 25 kisses (I want one kiss each from 25 people for my birthday!); “NYC misses you” emails; taking ridiculous photos; forming the secret society girl mafia; kneesocks; eating Mexican food with Rosie; getting my brother to sign up for dating sites (he is my pet project!); my mother’s wedding ring; the fact that I already have a bunch of events written down to take place during my NYC sojourn; sleeping for 11 hours (sometimes you just need to); organising for my parents to come to NYC in late September (!!!!!!!!); my favourite Turk; stretching & drinking orange juice!

“When I count what’s wrong with my life, I get totally depressed. When I count the good things, I feel like smiling and I do. Then I think, “well, it’s not all that bad.” Life is just a bowl of cherries. But when I see myself smiling in the mirror, I like myself more. Well, life is a roller-coaster. That’s what I now think. Recently, I got a message that I was a king, and I should stop the battle, and appreciate my victory. Well, I should listen to this one. And you, too, my friend. We are all kings. The battle is the battle of goodness winning WORLD PEACE. At all times, find something that makes you laugh. Laughter is the best workout! Chimpanzees are wise to it. Are you?” — Yoko Ono

Your turn, babycakes!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Things I Love Thursday

[ 13 August 2008, 18:36 ]

That it’s TiLT day! I woke up really excited at the prospect of writing this list. That definitely deserves a mention!

Roadtrips! I am currently in the process of planning a fabuleux roadtrip across the United States with my friend Jess in May/June 2009. HELLO, I am so excited! California, Arizona, Texas, Florida, Louisiana… Oh baby, it’s gonna be good. There will be food, music, live blogging, encounters with natives, way too many photos & videos, & general GLEE! I am so psyched!

“How long could we maintain? I wondered. How long until one of us starts raving & jabbering at this boy? What will he think then? This same lonely desert was the last known home of the Manson family; will he make that grim connection when my attorney starts screaming about bats & huge manta rays coming down on the car? If so, well, we’ll just have to cut his head off & bury him somewhere, ’cause it goes without saying that we can’t turn him loose. He’d report us at once to some kind of outback Nazi law enforcement agency & they’ll run us down like dogs. Jesus, did I say that? Or just think it? Was I talking? Did they hear me?!”

Planning my birthday party wedding to Nubby! HELL YES! Nubby & I are in the depths of a Virgo-tastic planning frenzy for our joint birthday party, which is going down in New York City in September! If we were in the same physical space, you can bet we’d be sprawled on the floor surrounded by maps, charts, miniature dioramas of Central Park & a big platter of cupcakes. But instead we make digital plans & send them back & forth through the magical internet! We’re also considering showing up in wedding dresses, with matrimonial underthings made by Lou Lou Loves You & hot pink veils by Gilda! & I happen to know a certain fellow who owns a priest outfit so maybe he can officiate?! Anyway, our Virgo extravaganza is going to be a big huge party with cupcakes in Central Park, so if you want to come along, we’d love to have you! Eeeeeeeee! (Oh, & Winona‘s going to be there too… do you need any further incentive?!)

!!!!!!! I don’t think I even need to begin telling you how happy I am to be flying back to NYC in… four weeks times! I’m going to be 25 — scary! I can no longer say I am in my “early twenties”, not that I think I have ever said that… Maybe I need to say it as much as I can in the next month to make the most of it! But whatever! New York! New York! The glee is palpable!

Star & Nubby — My GIRLS! I love them both very much. They are both geniuses, & always happy to help me out, for which I am forever indebted to them. Knowing positive creative people is one of the greatest gifts, je crois!

Aqua aerobics with my mother! So funny. I have been feeling super-sluggish since I got here — it is so cold & I am in the middle of nowhere, pretty much, so there is nowhere to walk to & no motivation to do it! When I was in NY I walked everywhere & loved it. I also had five flights of stairs to traverse when I finally got back to my apartment (which annihilated everyone who attempted them). So anyway, we went to the pool this morning, strapped big polystyrene belts around our waists & made like underwater ballerinas. It was hilarious but lots of fun, & today I’m going to get an actual swimsuit (or as they call them here, “togs”). Ahhh, it feels so good to move!

OkCupid — I signed up for research purposes (honestly!), & now I am totally addicted. Obsessed. Insane. It’s soooo muuuuuch fuuuun… you get to write a profile & answer ridiculous questions & take tests & then get hit on by guys with usernames like “small_dick11” (seriously). It’s hilarious, & I keep meeting people who have good music taste (!) & who actually read books (!!!). Amazing! You should sign up. I love it. Hard.

Hibernating — I am actually really enjoying just staying inside near the fire, writing & listening to music & talking to people.

Secret awesome plans — I know that secret awesome plans make a lot of appearances on my TiLT lists, but honestly… I am always plotting something secret & awesome. It makes me smile. It enhances your life! I promise!

Honourable mentions: Mosh & Xenia — both so cute!; my Bose SoundDock (about a billion times better than just listening to my MacBook!); Alxndr (who is now in Melbourne but I still adore him!); Meltdown by Missy Elliott; big glasses of orange juice; dreams about Karl Lagerfeld (I dreamt that he & I somersaulted together down a huge, inflatable, spiral-shaped, red & white-striped slide!); browsing Etsy for sparkly neon treasures; knife-fighting weather; hot photographs (not worksafe); the drawer next to my bed which is full of evil/delicious treats; Twitter (I still love the way it connects people together); “Dannevirke” cocktails at Chow (yummy); puffy veins; petite crushes; dissipation of mental fog!; watching Olympic gymnastics & synchronised diving; chillin’ in my father’s ugly long johns/makeshift harem pants; my pink afro in the morning; this post (way cute, thanks Ben!); waking up early; hot fried food on a frozen evening; salacious anything; phonecalls with Bei, Jennie & Helen; sunshine & clear blue skies; Out Here by Pendulum; morning bedhead reports!; alcohol which tastes like flowers; using Twitter for research purposes; bedtime portraits & ridiculous bedroom photoshoots!

“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, & that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” — Gilbert K. Chesterton

Okay, babushka! It’s your turn! What are you loving? Your new boots? Lupe Fiasco? Sly glances across the room with someone who makes your heart race? Tell us, share with us, we want to hear it & share in your excitement!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Hair Update!

[ 1 August 2008, 11:57 ]

You asked for it, you got it! New hair pictures! Don’t say I’m not good to you… it’s 4am New Zealand time!

I went back to pink — but a deeper, richer colour. I loooove it. I sat at Wildilocks for 7 & a half hours yesterday… but it was totally worth it. (It always is.) Anyway, radical times call for radical change. Changing the hair was a good step.

I keep catching glances of myself in the mirror & not recognising my head. It’s pretty funny…

Yay! Now I am going to proceed to accidentally stain everything nearby bright pink…

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Things I Love Thursday

[ 31 July 2008, 01:39 ]

Jess — My friend Jess is an awesome, sassy, cupcake-baking powerhouse. I’m sleeping on her couch while I stay in Melbourne, for which I am eternally grateful. Yesterday she shipped out 800 cupcakes — that is not a typo — & still managed to be utterly hilarious & fabulous, even at the end of an extremely long couple of days. This morning she woke me up with a saucepan of warm salted caramel, & she just emailed to tell me that she had baked me a whole bunch of cupcakes for my masticating pleasure. You don’t get any better than that. I am going to miss her so much!

Sleeping on the plane — Honestly, there is almost nothing as satisfying as sleeping for 80% of your 20 hour (yes, 20 hour) plane ride. I mean, sure, you could work or watch movies or make conversation, but really, when it comes to your sanity, sleeping is totally the way to go. I was so exhausted by the time I got to JFK on Monday that I fell asleep before the plane even took off, & I slept for pretty much all of my 15 hour flight from LAX. My secret? Headphones + eye-mask + blanket over my head + pyjama pants + socks. Mmmm, cozylicious!

Wildilocks — My hairdressers, who I will be very, very sad to leave. I’m actually sitting in one of their chairs right now, taking advantage of their free wireless while we change my hair. Eeeeee, so excited! Pictures to come soon ;D Anyway, my point is, they are the best hairdressers I have ever had the pleasure of doing business with. They’re charming, hugely competent, experimental & fun, & it’s always a total joy to come here. If you need a hairdresser & you’re in Melbourne or Perth, you should totally check them out, & send them my love. I am going to miss Cass & Kat so much!

Coney Island — I went on Saturday & had such a good time! I rode the Cyclone which was utterly terrifying (I climbed out with shaky legs & have an awesome bruise on my elbow from holding on for dear life) & the Wonder Wheel (which has a fabulous view of the boardwalk), ate funnel cake & a hot dog, visited the New York Aquarium, took photobooth pictures, attended the Coney Island Circus Sideshow (with a genuine lobster boy!!!!!!!), & generally had an awesome time. So much fun. I’m so glad I went.

Independence — Being in New York City alone for 3 months really taught me a lot about my own level of competence & independence. This point was really driven home to me on Monday when I had to wrestle 2 enormous suitcases down 5 flights of stairs. It sounds like a little thing but it was difficult & kind of stressful & yet I still did it, all on my own, & with little to no fuss. I was proud of myself because it’s normally the kind of thing I would moan about & try to coerce someone else into doing for me, but when I was finished I felt an enormous sense of accomplishment. Then I remembered that I had been living in one of the most intimidating cities in the world by myself for months & felt even better. Haha!

Getting organised — Yesterday I sorted out everything I own in under four hours. Then I called a shipping company & organised for them to collect what was left. After that I booked a plane ticket. It felt good. I am a die-hard Virgo!

Simon — Yesterday, after 20 hours on a plane, I arrived at what used to be the iCiNG Bowl: the apartment I shared with Simon for a year. I was nervous about how things might go as I cleared out all my belongings, but to my utter delight (& relief), everything was great. We got along & he helped me out — from whoah to go in 4 hours! We went & had lunch, walked around, had dinner & listened to music. Then I left. There were tears, but man, it went about a billion times better than it could have… for which I am eternally grateful. I am going to miss him. He is a good person.

Honourary mentions: The smell of salted caramel; strangers who help me with my suitcases; sleeping on the plane with a blanket over my head like a babushka (hey, I thought it was hilarious!); being able to wear the snoods I bought when I was in the States (P.S. Melbourne is coooold); not feeling jet-lagged (bonus!); looking forward to seeing my friends in Wellington (yay yay yay!); Bermuda Shorts nailpolish by Essie; churros dipped in chocolate; burgers shared; lovely treats in the post; new hair glee; seeing my parents (can’t wait! Favourite people!); superb emails; plotting & planning… as always!

“The talent for being happy is appreciating & liking what you have, instead of what you don’t have.” — Woody Allen

Okay, my sweet treats! Share the love! I want to hear it! Warm up my chilly wintery heart with stories of happiness & excitement!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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A Weird Public Announcement

[ 27 July 2008, 21:54 ]

Dear nonpareils,

It feels really odd to be writing this in such a public forum, but I think it has to be done. So here goes.

While I was in New York, my relationship with Simon came to an end. There was no drama or insanity; it was just the right time. It’s a very strange feeling to be ending things with my best friend of 2 years. He is an amazing person & I wish him all the happiness in the world.

On Monday I’m flying back to Melbourne, where I am going to spend a couple of days going through my stuff. While I do that, I’m going to be staying with a friend — where my internet access will be limited. After that, I’m flying to Wellington to take an extended sabbatical while I wait for my immigration stuff to go through. My next stop is still New York, as planned… Except this time, I’m doing it alone! SQUEAL!

So if iCiNG is a little slow for the next week or so, I hope you understand that I really have my plate full right now getting my life in order! iCiNG is always my first priority but sometimes the day-to-day cannot be avoided!

Thanks for sticking with me & for understanding!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Things I Love Thursday

[ 24 July 2008, 01:38 ]

Well, I’m leaving New York City on Monday for at least a month, but possibly up to 6 months. I am very, very sad to be leaving, but I am also so thankful to this city for turning it on for me. I have had the most amazing time ever. Ever ever ever. & so, as a way to say thank you, I decided to make this TiLT entirely New York themed.

My apartment — I adore it & don’t want to give it up at all. Yes, it’s up five flights of stairs, & yes, the toilet is in a tiny little room outside my front door, but it’s these little idiosyncrasies that make me love it even more. Traversing all those stairs every day has done wonders for my legs, booty & general fitness, & I always find sending people out into the hallway to pee hilarious! I love the space I’m inhabiting — the bed is so comfortable, the wardrobe space is so ample, the furniture is so stylish — & so much has happened within these walls that it seems downright weird to leave it all behind. This place has been good to me.

Taking full advantage of my rooftop access — Oh my rooftop. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways! Clomping up the stairs in heels; lying down with my back to the Empire State building as I swig iced tea; realising how many people I know have a fear of heights!; lugging my tripod around; staring up at the full moon; getting black marks on my limbs from clambering over obstacles; staring down at the fountain below; trying to spy on people in other buildings; clinging onto Nubby as we sit on a ledge; pacing around it as I talk on my phone; staring out over the city as I make plans for the evening; stretching & planning & laughing & whispering & feeling violently happy.

The West Village — It’s so beautiful, it has treated me so well for these past two & a half months, & there is no place I would rather have stayed. I love its leafy streets & crazy cobblestone madness (even if it is dangerous for those of us who like to clip about the place in stilettos). It is full of good people; I’ve made friends with everyone from the pizza guy to the women in the convenience store & the guy at the bar who always tells me to come down & hang out. Don’t make me leave! Don’t maaaaaake meeeeee!

New York cuisine — Not always the most healthy, admittedly, but the food here is mind-blowing. It’s just so good. I very rarely eat an average meal here. Most of the time it makes my eyes bug out of my head & causes me to exclaim about how delicious it is. I don’t know why everything is so tasty, it just is. It’s incredible.

The green spaces — There is nothing quite as relaxing as walking through Central Park on a beautiful summer day. The trees keep the sun off your face & cool the air down, there are dancing roller-skaters & plenty of other things to look at, & there is all the junk food you could ever possibly want. There are lovely little parks all over the city, though, you don’t need to go all the way up to Central Park for your dose of nature. Most of them are perfect for stopping to sit down & eat a cupcake on a bench. Bliss!

Strange events — NYC is totally the place to be if you want to do weird things. From book signings where girls flash their boobs (I did that last night) to watching midgets have entire bottles of champagne poured over their heads (Saturday), this place has what you’re looking for (even if you don’t know it beforehand). I love the fact that as soon as you step outside the house, anything could happen — it adds to the overwhelming feeling of excitement & glee that is what NYC is all about. It keeps life interesting, believe me!

All the amazing people I’ve met — Definitely too many to name them all off, one by one, but those of you who have spent time with me since I’ve been here know who you are. Cities are wonderful & full of possibility but ultimately it is the people you meet who enrich your life & make a place worth staying in. Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to show me their version of the city, met me for coffee, taken me to dinner, run through the streets with me or otherwise. I love ya, truly!

Honourable mentions: Listening to Atmosphere (always, always, always… Now he’s got a best friend instead of a wife, but he feels like he stole the best years of her life); not having a fever (unlike last weekend — not so much fun!); the Billboard Top 100 from 1990 (best ever album for bedtime singalongs!); miniature desserts; Yankee Stadium (& hearing Yankees fans openly mock anyone in opposing team regalia); thunderstorms; watching pieces of my life slide into place; Heath Ledger as The Joker; two shows in a row at The Box; speaking about blogging at Fashion 2.0 (lots of fun!); walking 20 blocks in my licorice strap platforms (it brings me joy); uncanny connections; daytime naps; sugar energy; my Willy Wonka-esque sunglasses; ticking off things on my to do list; spending time with people who make me smile; laughing & singing along to really old, bad songs!

“There are roughly three New Yorks. There is, first, the New York of the man or woman who was born there, who takes the city for granted and accepts its size, its turbulence as natural and inevitable. Second, there is the New York of the commuter — the city that is devoured by locusts each day and spat out each night. Third, there is New York of the person who was born somewhere else and came to New York in quest of something… Commuters give the city its tidal restlessness, natives give it solidity and continuity, but the settlers give it passion.” — E.B. White

Okay, gorgeous! Tell me what’s making you happy this week. It doesn’t matter how small it is; a flower growing in a crack in the pavement is a perfectly acceptable entry! Let us know, we love to hear it!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Gala's Guide To NYC Version 1.0

[ 22 July 2008, 20:52 ]

Here are some of my favourite things about New York City… just a few odds & ends I have discovered in my 3 months here. Hopefully, if you come to the city, this list will provide you with some jumping-off points & ideas to keep you busy! (Of course, there will be more to come when I actually live here… squeal! On that note, sorry if things are a little slow around here — I leave in less than a week & have a ‘to do’ list as long as my arm!)

Ultimate NYC resources
NY Magazine, Village Voice & Time Out New York should be your first online ports of call for finding things to do & events in the city. Craigslist is great for buying or selling furniture, finding a job or an apartment, or just spending hours on the missed connections pages! Yelp.com has saved my life — I don’t know how I would have ever found anything in New York without it. It’s a huge peer review site, where people talk about customer service in shops, food quality at restaurants, whether this or that cafe has wifi, & pretty much anything else you can think of. It is my holy grail. I love it. Another magnificent resource is HopStop, which will help you find your way from A to Z using public transport.

Best neighbourhood: West Village
Yes, I am totally biased, because this is where I stayed… but I adore it. It’s clean & quaint, as well as beautiful & charming, & while it isn’t party central (a total blessing when you’re trying to sleep), there are still plenty of people around — & places open — late at night. It’s the sort of area where, when you say where you live, people always tell you how fortunate you are. I really think it’s the cream of the crop, without the boredom factor of the Upper East Side & the geriatric factor of Gramercy Park (both lovely areas but, in my opinion, suffering from a chronic lack of charisma).

What’s the West Village like? Well, there’s a massive gay population, which means lots of same-sex couples holding hands & kissing in the middle of the street. It makes me very happy & is a definite perk of living here. There are also way, wayyy more sex shops than you could ever possibly visit. There’s a little piazza just off 6th Avenue called Father Demo Square with a fountain in the middle, surrounded by flowers. At about 4pm, this odd man rolls his piano into the middle of the square — I have no idea where he comes from — & plays songs until about 11 at night. People flock to the square with their slices of pizza, hot dogs, bagels or boxes of noodles, sit on the seats & soak up the atmosphere. It’s one of my favourite places in the village.

One of the best things, though, seems minor but really isn’t. The West Village doesn’t appear to suffer from the same olfactory injustices as many other neighbourhoods. You see, a lot of people have the unfortunate belief that New York City is their personal bathroom, which can get pretty disgusting in summer. The West Village, however, for the most part, is delightfully non-pee-scented. Celebrate good times come on!

Essential accommodation asset: Double-glazing
If you’re living on or near a busy street, which, let’s face it, is pretty likely, double-glazed windows will make you a very happy camper. The owners of the place I’m in told me it has double-glazing, but even so, it gets pretty loud in here. Thankfully, I can sleep through anything, but if you can’t, make sure you check it out before you rent it. Don’t just take what they say at face value — actually stand there & listen. Cabs in NYC have absolutely no regard for the sanctity of sleep, & will blare their horns at 3am if they feel the need. You may want to invest in earplugs.

Best way to find a home: Craigslist
The place I am staying in at the moment — which I love & think is gorgeous — is the first place I looked at from Craigslist. Even better, they offered it to me straight off the bat. Pretty good, huh? You can find beautiful places to live on Craigslist. Don’t believe what brokers may tell you about Craigslist being full of scams — they just want you to use their service & pay them a fat commission! — but as with most things in NYC, you have to do the legwork & act quickly.

Hip tourist accessory: NYC Moleskine
(Yes, hip tourist accessories exist!) I love my city Moleskine & carried it around constantly for the first couple of weeks I was here. It’s packed with maps in the front & is great for getting to know the lay of the land. It just looks like a notebook, so you can pretend that you’re deep in thought, composing a sonnet — not trying to work out how to get to Barney’s! It’s so much better than dawdling on a street corner with an enormous map, a baseball cap & white sneakers — there’s nothing cool about that!

Best make-up artist: Regan at MAC Flatiron
You’ve all heard me talk about him before… Regan is the boy wonder who did my make-up for the Patricia Field & Louis Vuitton parties, & to whom I am eternally grateful! He knows what he is doing — he did Richie Rich’s make-up for the MAC/Heatherette launch — & he listens to what you say & will take steps to make sure it looks the way you like it. I cannot recommend him highly enough, I adore him! So go, flee, & let him turn you into a masterpiece!

Best tanning experience: Tamar at Gotham Glow
It’s not every day that a woman strolls into your living room, puts up a tent & then sprays your naked body with an airbrush, but given how good it looks, I almost wish it was! She uses a solution made of beets, brown sugar & DHA which gives you plenty of colour but won’t stain the bedsheets. It’s easy to see why she has a slew of celebrity clients — she puts you totally at ease, she uses an awesome muscle-enhancing technique (which makes you look f-a-b-u-l-o-u-s) & she is in & out of your place in less than 30 minutes. Perfect.

Best tattoo artist: Tim Kern at Tribulation Tattoo
Yes, I am totally biased because he has made my arms look beautiful, but surely that’s the point! Tim works out of Tribulation Tattoo in the East Village (directly opposite a church — awesome, right?), a little red shop made up of three artists. This is not one of those places where you walk in, choose something off the wall & walk out again an hour later with a demented-looking Tweety bird on your shoulder. They only do custom work, which of course means you end up with something amazing & unique. I am completely delighted with all the work Tim has done for me, & after watching him fix up an unsatisfying tattoo by someone in New Zealand, I am also totally devoted! I’ve learned my lesson! I will never go anywhere else!

Best shoe department: Bergdorf Goodman
Expensive? Why, yes! But the range — & the service — cannot be surpassed. Their sale area blows my mind & they are never slow to approach & ask if they can help me with anything. Honestly, I just love Bergdorfs & I am happy to give them all my shoe business for as long as I am in New York. I think all their sales staff are great, but I especially like Thomas — he has an afro, wears glasses, & has his entire back tattooed. He’s also got style & charm for days!

Most valued possession: Foot bath
This city’s made for walking, & that’s just what you’ll do… One of these days this city’s gonna walk all over you. No joke, people walk like mad here. Yeah, the subway is cheap & convenient, & so are cabs, but New York is so fabulous that often you’ll want to be on the street. Or you’ll look at something on a map & think, ‘Oh, it’s not so far!’ Wrong! It is always further than you expect! An estimated 10 minute walk is usually somewhere closer to 20 or 25 minutes, & if you’re not wearing the right shoes, you will suffer! I cannot tell you the number of times I have dragged myself home & had to lie down just to give my feet a rest. I think the ultimate solution to this is a foot bath. One of those vibrating ones. You can buy them for nothing at Duane Reede, & it will make you feel like a new person.

Best place for froofy dresses: Geminola
Notice that I didn’t say cheap froofy dresses… but then, beautiful, frothy, sugar-flower-hued dresses often aren’t. If you have a bit of cash & you want something utterly cupcakey & delightful, Geminola is the place for you. It’s a small shop with some pieces from various designers, but mostly what goes on there is vintage dress mania. The owner takes things from all around the world — a piece of ribbon from Paris, a crinoline from Tennessee, some lace from London — & puts them together to make something utterly unique & exquisitely beautiful. To give you an idea: do you remember the dress Carrie is wearing in the last episode of Sex & The City, where she’s crouching on the floor of the hotel lobby, trying to find something? That dress came from Geminola. So now you know. (You should go there.)

Best pizza: Joe’s Pizza
My closest two pizza places are Joe’s Pizza & Bleecker Street Pizza. Both places have been given ample awards, but I think Joe’s is the best. Their pizza is truly awesome. I adore it. I went through a phase of eating two pieces a day for at least one consecutive week. Yum. While neither joint offers exceptional customer service, the creepy old guy at Bleecker Street looks like he is undressing you with his eyes, while the younger guys at Joe’s instead treat you with terminal indifference. I prefer the latter. The older guy at Joe’s, however, winks at me, calls me “beautiful” & offered to give me a job there so I could stay in the country, so I know where my alliances lie! I’m not silly!

It’s incredibly greasy, but hey, you’re not eating this stuff for your health! If you’ve never eaten New York pizza before, know this: they sell it to you in enormous slices on paper plates. Grab some napkins. The standard way of eating it is to fold it in half across the crust. Tip it backwards so that the excess grease drips off onto your plate… & enjoy!

Best cupcakes: Sugar Sweet Sunshine
I have done the leg-work. Oh yes. New York’s cupcake bakeries have had me on my knees for months now. I have sampled cupcakes from Magnolia (word to the wise: don’t do it), Buttercup, Crumbs, Billy’s Bakery & Sugar Sweet Sunshine, small vegan cafes & markets, as well as eating way, way too many at the annual Cupcakes Take The Cake picnic in Central Park a month or so ago. But I know where the best cupcakes are. Yes, I do. Sugar Sweet Sunshine. Okay, so I don’t like the name. I don’t like the location much, either — it is a pretty decent walk from my place, often a walk I can’t really be bothered making. But their cupcakes… oh their cupcakes… they draw me back. Seriously, their cupcakes are brilliant. They are also — in a shocking twist of fate — cheap. When I bought five (haha, yes, really) & the girl on the other side of the counter said “Seven dollars”, I thought I had misheard her. But I had not. I recommend their Red Velvet (awesomely good), Ooey Gooey & Lemon Yummy. Writing this has made me hungry, maybe I will have to swing by later! Dear Sugar Sweet Sunshine, I love you, always forever! Ahhhh!

Best raw food treats: Pure Juice & Takeaway
Pure Food & Takeaway is a teeny little shop attached to the back of the famous Pure Food & Wine, a huge gourmet raw food restaurant. It’s an incredible place to grab a salad or a juice, snack on a raw mallomar (one of my favourites) or, even better, buy an enormous tub of raw ice-cream & devour it in one sitting. (I like the almond butter cup flavour, if you’re interested.) You also meet the coolest people standing on line. Raw guru & speaker, Matt Monarch, was in front of me the other week — we hugged & talked about a mutual friend — & it’s also where I met my friend Ise, stylist to the stars. Yay!

Best greasy vegetarian food: Red Bamboo
What can I say, other than “yum”? Nubby & I went here for an amazing meal which has completely kept me going back for more. Their roti bread is out of this world & their selection of fake meats & incredible soy concoctions is truly formidable (said in French accent please!). It is cheap & delicious & the staff are super-friendly. We liked it so much that we want them to cater our wedding! (P.S. If Red Bamboo is packed out, go down a couple of doors to Vegetarian Paradise. They share the same kitchen!)

Best coffee: Joe – The Art Of Coffee
Good coffee. Cute staff. Sometimes Amy Sedaris bakes cupcakes & sells them here. It’s small but charming & a local haunt of many writers (or so it seems). I was introduced to this place by No Impact Man, for which I am eternally grateful.

Best place for a midnight snack: French Roast
My friend Ise introduced me to this place after a very long evening in Brooklyn. We showed up at about 4am, ate amazing sandwiches & shared a bowl of fries. (We were also faux-seduced by one of the best magicians I have ever seen.) I have since been back several times, always after midnight. Did you know you can order escargot around the clock? Well, you can. French Roast is fantastic — it’s open 24 hours, the decor is totally European bistro style, the lighting is dim & flattering & they are more than happy to feed you & your friends whatever you might feel like at 2am. The coffee is excellent, & Nubby says their french toast is out of this world, too.

Best place to go for a decadent night out: The Box
The Box is one of my absolute, hands down favourite places in New York City. It is amazing, & even though I’ve been way more than anyone needs to (I think I’ve seen four or five shows in two months), I still adore it & it still makes me coo, my jaw drop & my eyes bug out every time. What happens there? Well, it’s a variety show… a raunchy variety show that will have you by turns delighted & appalled. It’s good for the soul, I think. I recommend the late show — it is more exciting & raucous than the dinner show (which is still, of course, wonderful). If you need any further encouragement, do you remember the episode of Gossip Girl where Blair strips on the stage of a burlesque club, to be later ravaged by Chuck in his limousine? That was shot at The Box.

Best high-end sex store: Kiki de Montparnasse
Hot pink duct tape? Pearl restraints? 24k gold handcuffs? Black leather elbow-length fingerless gloves? Cute underpants printed with lewd French phrases? Oh, Kiki… my heart. Oh Kiki, you have outdone yourself. I love you even more than Agent Provocateur (which is quite a lot). Now, of course, there are a lot of high-end erotic shops selling toys & equipment these days, & many of them do it very well. But while Babeland & its ilk make sex fun, friendly & approachable, Kiki de Montparnasse actually makes sex sexy. There are no fluorescent lights or invitations to eager self-exploratory g-spot workshops here. No, this is a very different beast.

The boutique is dark & smells delicious. The girls in the shop — who tend to be on the gorgeous side — aren’t wearing much, but they look sultry & hot & minxy, like the kind of girls who might just close the shop early & pull you onto the bed at the back of the shop with little warning. The items they sell, which are really more objets d’art than anything else, are laid out with the attention they deserve (& honestly, at these prices, one would hope as much). Their lingerie is amazing, I adore pretty much all of it. It’s a bit edgier than what you’ll find down the road at Agent Provocateur, & much more appealing.

Best thing to find: A rooftop
Yeah, of course, a rooftop in any city is pretty great. I am an ardent fan of the rooftop scene in Melbourne, for example. But New York rooftops are a totally different kettle of fish. I can’t really explain it, but they are basically the best thing ever. My rooftop gives me a lot of joy. If you don’t have a rooftop on your building that you can access, start asking the people you meet. Someone will have one, I promise, & then all you need to do is go up there, take your sunglasses & some drinks, & enjoy yourself. Bliss.

Best view of Manhattan: The Brooklyn Bridge
Drive it, walk it, catch a train across it — it doesn’t matter, just do it. Preferably at night, or at the very least, sunset. The view is exhilirating. Every time I see it, I get really excited!

Having said all this, here are some things to avoid:
Catching a cab from about 9pm on Thursday night (it’s impossible); leaving food around or in a bin without a lid on it (remember: the rats & cockroaches were here first!); expecting exceptional customer service at Duane Reede or CVS (it’s never going to happen); shopping on the weekend (NYC is always busy but the weekend is particularly painful); the Hard Rock Cafe (I shouldn’t have to tell you but just in case, don’t even go for irony’s sake!); Times Square (go once, & never again), & opening your mouth if you feel rain droplets (it is probably an air-conditioning unit above you, dripping!).

So, what are your favourite things to do in NYC? Spill the beans!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Gala's Arm

[ 17 July 2008, 14:57 ]

Fun with ink. Pictures from yesterday, as promised!

The backstory: I got a half-sleeve with siamese twins & candy done in New Zealand a few years ago. I wasn’t entirely thrilled with it at the time, & when a couple of years later Tim Kern did my other half-sleeve, I realised the massive discrepancy in quality between the two. Since I got to NYC he & I have been talking about fixing up the twins & making the whole thing look better. Yesterday was the day we started.

Gilda came by when we were almost done for the day, dazzled us with her sequinned harem pants & cute sailor hat, & took these photos for me!

How my arm looked, six & a half hours later. I am still really swollen (as you can see from the pictures). We really only had time to re-work the girls — when I come back to NYC, we’ll do the rest of it (brighten the colours, give it some depth, make the candy bigger & better). Can’t wait!

I was so happy that Tim was able to fix the eye of the twin on the front, because I was always unhappy with it & thought it would look terrible for the rest of my life! GLEE!

Here is a video for your viewing pleasure! This was pretty much the extent of my day — sitting around, talking about music & taking breaks to eat Tings & drink strawberry Kombucha!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Could You Be The iCiNG Intern?

[ 2 July 2008, 13:05 ]

Some of you will be aware that I recently hired an intern to help out around the iCiNG Bowl & work as my assistant! Well, unfortunately, due to scheduling conflicts, that has come to an end. Sad face! Boo. However, the good news is that this could be your opportunity!

What kind of things would you be doing? Organising my diary & scheduling appointments; coordinating competitions; keeping iCiNG looking pretty; brainstorming ideas; filming & editing interviews; accompanying me to events; documenting what goes on the iCiNG Bowl with a camera; going on inspirational “research” shopping trips… !

I’m looking for someone who is…

An organisational whiz! ...Who puts me to shame! List-making should be your reason for living! Someone who can juggle a phone, a pencil & a Moleskine at once!
Tech-savvy! Bonus points if you can use Photoshop or iMovie, or if you know anything about blogging!
A strong writer! You will be sending emails, writing teasers, & who knows what else, so you need to be able to throw a sentence together!
Familiar with iCiNG! I’d love someone who has read most of the articles, understands the iCiNG mission & wants to contribute to the vision!
Other essentials: Positive! Confident, capable & versatile. Able to take initiative. Loyal, honest & trustworthy. Punctual & reliable!

You’ll be located in New York City & able to get to my apartment in the West Village to work. Ideally I would like someone who can come in two or three days a week. When I leave the country at the end of July, you’ll need to be able to work remotely — & when I come back in September we can pick up where we left off!

This is an unpaid position but who knows where it could lead?!

Alright doll-face… you know what to do! Send me an email with some information about who you are & a copy of your CV! (No excuses, wink wink!)

Good luck!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Your Personal Manifesto

[ 27 June 2008, 00:00 ]

I recently discovered Wordle, where you can create an image formed from clusters of words. It’s super cool — quite customisable & really fun to play around with.

I used a selection of words from the “about iCiNG” page to create the image above. I set it as my desktop background so I can look at it & be reminded of what iCiNG is all about, & what I’m pushing for. Then I got to thinking about the concept of a personal manifesto. If you were going to make a Wordle image that summed up all the attributes you admired — & the kind of person you wanted to be — what would it look like?

I’d love to see what you come up with! Make one & then paste the link in the comments!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Bubble Battle!

[ 22 June 2008, 17:31 ]

Yesterday I went to a bubble battle in Times Square.

The premise?

Turn up in Times Square at 6:21pm, bring bubble wands, guns & mixture, & let loose!

Of course, I had to go!

I made a video, too.

I found the whole thing really inspiring. It was organised by two people who just decided to do it. They put the word out, submitted an announcement to a couple of websites & poof! It happened. Thousands (apparently!) of people turned up high on bubble mania & started shooting bubbles into the sky. Every time a tourist bus went pass, the crowd would go crazy & cheer. The cops that turned up didn’t know what to do, but seemed like they were having a good time anyway!

So… what could you organise in your city to inspire the same kind of delight?!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Things I Love Thursday

[ 19 June 2008, 11:25 ]

Greek — I started watching this at the suggestion of Kris Atomic (I have been name-dropping her like mad recently but evidently, she can’t help how incredible she is!) & I am obsessed! Cute but awkward geeky boy? Demented socialite sister? Fraternities & sororities? Yes, yes, yes! I am convinced that my obsession with these oh-so-American things comes from growing up in New Zealand, with only my well-worn copies of Sweet Valley High for company (not really, but you know what I mean), imagining what “normal life” in the States would be like. I also attribute my going to cheerleading lessons to SVH. Oh, SVH, how you have warped me! Regardless… Greek is great. You should watch it. I think you’ll love it.

New shoes — They don’t change your life or anything, but they sure do make a gal smile. I keep taking my McQueens out of the box to look at them. They are the shoe equivalent of candy. Mmmm, shiny, & lickable! I’m officially wearing them out for the first time today. Here’s to not breaking one’s neck! Cheers!

Airbrush tanning! I have a thing tonight that I want to look fabulous for, & my legs have crazy bruises on them which isn’t terribly beautiful, so I decided to enlist the help of a spray tan. I looked around on Yelp, found Gotham Glow & called for an appointment. So yesterday, Tamar came to my apartment, set up a tent in my living room, had me strip naked & sprayed me with coloured solution. Ooh la la! Interesting times we live in, when you can change your skin colour in ten minutes! But she did an amazing job — so much better than your standard spray tan in a booth. She used an airbrush, which meant that she was able to give me definition as well as making my limbs look long & lean. I keep pulling up my t-shirt to look at my stomach — it has never looked better! Anyway, I’m so so happy with the results. (You will see pictures later today!) If you ever get the chance to have an airbrush tan, take it!

Jess — I went to see her the day before I flew out to New York at the start of May, not knowing whether the New York trip would happen or not. We hung out, watched Australia’s Next Top Model, talked a bunch & I watched as she made cupcakes. She had plans to come to the States in June (California & Texas), but as I hoped to be in New York at that time, she made arrangements to spend 6 days in the city. She arrived on Thursday, went to her friend’s place & passed out, & then we spent Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday & Tuesday together. Oh, the things we did! We shopped! We laughed! We hunted out cupcakes, frozen yoghurt, guacamole & Mexican food! We compared foot pain, avoided drunks in Starbucks & bought dresses! We spoke in crazy codes, dropped in pieces of our extremely limited French vocabularies & gesticulated wildly as we spoke! Suffice it say, it was a Good Time™. Yesterday she jumped on a plane to Austin, & today she embarks on a road-trip to New Orleans. I’m so envious; wish I could keep her here, all to myself! She is such great company & I really adore her. MWAH!

Sex & The City: The Movie (The Book) — Okay, so I know we weren’t all delighted with the movie, so it might come as a surprise to hear me say this, but the Sex & The City movie book is excellent. I picked up Sex & The City: Kiss & Tell a few weeks ago too, which is a book about the series, & it too is brilliant. Why? Well, SATC, for all its flaws, was an exceptionally well-put-together show, & that’s something you might not realise until you look through these books or listen to the director’s commentary on the DVDs (which I really, really recommend). In fact, I was a fan of SATC but when I heard the director’s commentary, I really started to appreciate the show. I love people who do things well, & SATC was really in the hands of some magnificently capable people. On the commentary & in the books, they talk about things like, why did they choose this dress? What did it mean for the character development? Where did it come from? How did they style the characters this way or that way? Why is Carrie’s apartment this colour? The books are even more in-depth: there are comments from the actors about the scenes, notes from Michael Patrick King about directing it, an investigation into Pat Field’s styling process & so much more. Even if you didn’t like the movie, comme moi, there is still lots to love about the way they put it all together. So it comes highly recommended; I’ve been really enjoying it.

New music — My most recent favourites are Vampire Weekend, Panic! At The Disco (I cannot stop listening to Pretty. Odd., I think it is totally brilliant), Snow Patrol, Nicole Atkins, Lights, Katy Perry, Deerhunter, Born Ruffians & Fleet Foxes. They all make me very happy. What are you listening to at the moment?

Triumph versus the Star Wars nerds — Oh, honestly. I know this is such old news but every time I see it I end up laughing until I hyperventilate!

Honourary mentions: Fabulously positive emails; anticipation (always always); SoulGarden horoscopes (yes, I am a huge fan); waking up three minutes before your alarm goes off; walking out my front door first thing to see that a pigeon is hanging out in the building — I startled it, it flew away, HELLO I am awake now!; dressing like a cupcake (my passion for it has been re-ignited!); my pink sequinned bikini top (must make an appearance at the Mermaid Parade this weekend, though I need something to wear it with…); the fact that hip-hop karaoke gigs exist; Skinny Puppy’s Greater Wrong Of The Right; falling asleep with the fan going & my faux-dachshund, Salvador, at my side; hot pink (I love it & can’t help but gravitate towards it); cherries for breakfast; finding nail-polish that matches my new dress perfectly; the Tarina Tarantino Barbie (so cool!); sunshine & real conversations!

“Gratitude changes the pangs of memory into a tranquil joy.” — Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Okay… your turn!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Loving A New City: Alone

[ 18 June 2008, 12:22 ]

I recently received two emails on very similar topics. Voilà!

“Since you’ve just made a temporary move, I was just wondering, how did you immediately feel so comfortable? It’s been over a month now and I still get so nervous adventuring by myself. Before the move to the city I had all these fantastic plans to take writing classes & yoga… and now that I’m here, it’s like, my body & mind won’t respond to my plans. I just want to know, when will I start feeling at home & how can I?”

“I was reading your blog last night and thinking how fabulous it was that you haven’t been in New York very long and you are by yourself, yet you aren’t letting that stop you from getting out and about and enjoying it. I once found myself in London by myself and was miserable and depressed because I didn’t know how to get out there and enjoy myself whilst being on my lonesome. Now I once again find myself in a new city all alone and am facing the same problem. How do you make friends and enjoy the culture and life of a city when you are all alone?”

I hear you! I know what it’s like to be in a city alone. It can suck. It’s fun for about a week, because everything is fresh & new — you can distract yourself by shopping, seeing the sights & getting lost, but by your second Monday, the gloss is starting to fade & you can find yourself at a bit of a loss.

A few years ago I went to Europe with my ex-boyfriend. We had a great time, but after a couple of weeks, he had to go back home for his job. I had quit my job to go overseas, so I wasn’t in any rush to go back to New Zealand, & my aunt who had an apartment in the middle of London said I could stay with her as long as I wanted to. So I stayed on while he went home, & after a few days of exploring Camden, going wild at Topshop & Miss Selfridge & eating ice-cream every day, it started to wear a bit thin. I didn’t know what to do with myself. I missed my boyfriend, I missed having my own space (I was camped out in the living room), I didn’t know anyone in town & I was just… bored. Idle. Adrift! I watched a lot of MTV, spent a bunch of time on the computer, & eventually decided to go home. It was the right thing to do, given how I felt, but I couldn’t help feeling as if, somehow, that wasn’t how it was meant to be.

Maybe it’s just London?! (Just kidding!)

I have changed a lot since then, & these days I would be much more inclined to push through the homesickness, difficult though it may be, & stay for as long as I wanted. I am also now more able to see opportunities for what they are, & my mindset is completely different. Rather than thinking, ‘Oh no, I’m having a terrible time here, maybe I should just go home’, these days I would probably think, ‘Eeesh, I’m having a rough day but it will be better tomorrow’.

I have been exceptionally fortunate on this trip to NYC, because as soon as I announced I was coming over, I started getting invitations to have lunch, go to dinner, have a shopping spree, camp on my friend’s girlfriend’s couch in Minnesota, etc.! A lot of this I attribute to the people I have met through this website. It’s quite common to strike up an online friendship with someone who you’ve linked to, or who emails you out of the blue.

Now, of course you don’t have to start a full-time blog to meet people, but most people who have been active in online communities for any length of time find that they strike up real friendships with the people they talk to. Then, if you travel, you can reach out to this bunch of people you already know, & see if they want to have coffee, or show you around their favourite museum, or go dancing. So perhaps the key is to get involved somewhere. Find a forum, start a Livejournal, sign up for Twitter, start publishing pictures of your life on Flickr. After all, it’s hard for people to be interested in you if they don’t know that you exist!

I really do think that when it comes to feeling alone in one place or another, it ultimately comes down to how much energy you’re putting out. Do you slink around feeling shy, hoping no one will talk to you, buried under a pair of headphones? Or do you strike up conversations with shop people, chat to women at the bus stop & flirt with the barista across the street from your hotel? While it can feel good to be a bit withdrawn & solitary in a new city — there’s almost nothing better than good music on your MP3 player when you’re walking exciting, unfamiliar streets — if that’s the way you behave all the time, it’s not unreasonable to assume that you’ll remain that way.

There is a girl called Sanna who runs The Vagabond Set. She is a photographer & the site revolves around her, living the party life, taking photos of good times. She travels to foreign cities, lives there for a few months, documents it & then flies somewhere else. It’s pretty interesting to watch. I was shocked while recently reading her blog where she said something like, “I didn’t go out tonight… for the first time in 7 years.” Incredible! Anyway, she did an interview a while ago where someone asked her how she knew so many people. I mean, how does a girl move to Japan & have an instant social circle? She said that the key was to strike up at least 5 conversations a week.

I have found, since being in NYC, that as soon as people hear my accent, they ask me whether I’m living here or on holiday. I am not really sure what to say, so I tend to say “A bit of both”, but here’s the thing. Most people want you to enjoy their city. They want you to like it, to have a good time, & many of them are happy to be a bit of an ambassador. So maybe something to try, next time you’re in a shop talking to a cool sales assistant, is to say that you’re new in town, & ask them what they’d recommend you do. Often they will tell you about a great bar, or invite you to a party, or say, “Well, my friend’s having this thing on Friday…” Then all that’s left to do is accept the invitation & actually go along!

Another thing to remember is that even though the first person you meet might not totally push your buttons, their best friend might turn out to be the most fascinating person you’ve met in years. Or their father’s friend might be able to offer you the job of a lifetime. Or you might just meet someone through them who also harbours a secret obsession for Buffy/My Little Pony fanfic. Do your best not to write people off straight away — give them a chance, allow them to surprise you!

Of course, the most important thing about feeling like you belong in a place is to do your very best to remain open to new experiences. Fabulous things happen to people who are open, alert & alive. If you receive a random invitation, don’t just say no because you’re socially anxious or unsure of yourself. It could be the beginning of an incredible fairytale.

Other than the social aspect of being in a new city, it can really, really help if you have a project of some description that you enjoy working on. It will keep you busy, give you a sense of purpose & help you feel like you’re not just wasting your time in some foreign city. I think that most of us, when we’re not occupied with work, our friends or loved ones, feel a bit aimless. We don’t really know what to do with ourselves, & a holiday alone really amplifies this. People like to be doing something, so find something to do!

For me at the moment, for example, whenever I’m not out in the city, I’m usually sitting cross-legged on my bed, writing articles or responding to emails. iCiNG keeps me very busy, regardless of where I am or what I’m doing — & of course, other than writing articles & emails, there is a lot of stuff that happens “behind the scenes” that you never hear about. So if you have something you love to do, like writing, drawing, programming or finding solutions to complex mathematical problems while you balance on your head, make sure you take the things you need to keep doing that!

Another thing that’s fabulous about being in a new city is the opportunity to find out who you really are. Being alone in an unfamiliar place is always a challenge, & spending so much time by yourself can really cause you to re-evaluate your life as it is. You start thinking about things. Why are you there? Would you like to live there? How could you make that happen? Are you satisfied with your job? How about your relationships? Do you dislike spending time alone, & if so, why? What could you do to resolve that?

Don’t shy away from these questions. Spending a bit of time thinking, writing, & thinking some more can be incredibly beneficial for you. It will help you sort things out in your head, give you a fresh sense of purpose & direction, as well as making you feel better about your lot in general.

Sometimes, if you’re feeling pressured, scared or nervous, it can help to view your life as a piece of art. Sometimes messy, sometimes awkward, & often unusual — but full of magic & genius all the same.

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Things I Love Thursday

[ 12 June 2008, 01:42 ]

TLC — I posted this photo on Flickr last week & my friend Jo called me Gala “Right Eye” Darling. I had completely forgotten that Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes got her name because she used to wear a condom in place of the left lense of her glasses on stage, as a way to promote safe sex. So then I started listening to TLC’s CrazySexyCool album, which is so great (did any of you notice Andre 3000’s part in Sumthin’ Wicked This Way Comes?). & THEN! Lo & behold, Palms Out, only the purveyors of the greatest sounds ever, posted this: TLC – Creep (Norrit Remix). Coincidence? Psshhhh! Nawww!

When The Day Met The Night by Panic! At The Disco. Am I too old to like this kind of thing? Before Tuesday I had honestly never heard a P!ATD song — thank you Morgan! — & now I’m a big fan of their album Pretty Odd... Is this the sort of thing I shouldn’t admit in public?!

Australia’s Next Top Model — It’s down to the final four! & I like all of them! I think I would like Alex or Sam to win… How about you? Place your bets now! (I love Banzai too.)

Cute girls who buy me cupcakes — It happens a lot. I am very blessed. Shout outs, you know who you are! I also like girls who share slices of peanut butter pie with me, who wipe frosting out of my hair (I am totally classy), who dance like whirling dervishes & drive trucks all over Manhattan. In case you couldn’t tell, I have met some MIGHTY fine dames in this fair city. Awwwh!

Pharrell Williams is a genius. He is also very good-looking, VEGAN (!!!!) & the boy can dress! This makes him my #1 all-time celebrity crush. I recommend getting your hot little hands on Seeing Sounds, the new album by N*E*R*D which came out two days ago! It is fabulous times one thousand! My favourite tracks? Laugh About It, You Know What, Yeah You, & Spaz. Heart-throb!

“Secret single behaviour” — Do you remember that episode of Sex & The City where they’re talking about the things they do alone? Carrie’s secret single behaviour is eating a stack of Saltines with grape jelly, standing up at the kitchen counter & reading fashion magazines (or something like that). Well, I am not single, but I am living alone, so I am back to my normal weirdo single behaviour. This means dancing around the living room in my underwear to The Roots, talking to myself in a silly accent all the time, passing out at a ridiculous hour wearing an eye-mask, listening to music no one else seems to like (see: Deftones) & lounging around all day in a slip dress, regardless of the circumstances. It’s very luxurious & glamorous I assure you, except for the crumbs in the bed, random outbursts, maniacal dancing, heavy guitars & total lack of cleaning the house ever. Haha!

Calling New Zealand & having them understand me when I recite numbers… ! I said to the guy on the other end of the line today, “It’s so good to speak to someone who knows what I’m saying!” & he laughed. Even in Australia you end up going through that whole, “Say six! Say six!” “Six.” “Haha!” thing!

Honourable mentions: Fabulous invitations (Louis Vuitton Cruise Collection? Yes please, & also, thank you!); my new lip-wear combo (Revlon’s Just Bitten lip stain in Cherry Tart + plumping gloss); writing things down & ticking them off (or in my case, highlighting them in a flourish of purple); meeting raw people purely by coincidence; the whole concept of coincidence (it means co-in-cide — to be in accord or agreement. Latin: co “with” “together” & incidere “to fall on” — thanks Dhrumil!); Sigur Rós’ new album; Venetian Snares (I’m seeing Mr. Funk next week & can’t waittttttt); strutting so hard you pull a muscle (true story!); hip hop (I love you, always & forever!); magicians at 4.30am; Sade; wearing a slip dress with boots & four necklaces in tribute to 1994; living in a walk-up building (I now have legs & a booty of steel!); having so much to be excited about that I make daily news phonecalls to my most beloved people!

Shinu made doki doki shitai wa!
(I want to feel that doki doki feeling until I die!)

What gives YOU that doki doki feeling?

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Gala's Going Out Playlist

[ 7 June 2008, 21:51 ]

I think what you listen to as you get dressed, put on your make-up & tart yourself up is of utmost importance. Now that I have speakers in my apartment (thanks, landlords!), great music has become an essential part of my primping & preening routine again. I think it helps set the tone of the evening, help pick up your energy & best of all, makes you smile & dance!

Here’s what I listened to tonight as I dressed up.

What are your favourite songs to dress up to?

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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What Were You Wearing When This Song Came Out?

[ 6 June 2008, 11:01 ]

I went into a tiny vintage shop in the East Village yesterday, & the guy & the girl behind the counter were making pleasant banter. The guy, who was fiddling with an iPod, said, “I haven’t heard this song in years!”, & then these familiar opening notes came floating out of the speakers…

The girl standing next to him asked, “What were you wearing when this song came out?” He started to describe his wardrobe — corduroy trousers, a flannel shirt — & I thought, ‘Wow, what a great question’.

1979 by The Smashing Pumpkins was such an iconic song, & sunk into so many people’s lives, that it was the sort of song you could remember what you were listening when you listened to it.

I knew my own answer instantly. At the time, there was a brand of trackpants (yes, really), called Barkers which were… well, if you didn’t have them, you were totally uncool. Most people had them in a slate blue or charcoal, but of course, me & my incessant point of difference, insisted that I own a cranberry pair. (I’m sure it blew my mother’s mind that her excessively unathletic daughter wanted a pair of trackpants.) What else? I also had a selection of baby-doll cut t-shirts. One that stands out in my mind was white with a big silver star in the middle. (Thank god there is no photographic evidence of this ugly time.) I had a crush on a boy who liked The Smashing Pumpkins too, & I would listen to Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness & talk to my friends on the phone about him.

Thankfully, the Christmas of 1996 was the first time I got access to the internet, & that’s when my style started evolving. By mid-1997, I was the quintessential gothling! Long black drapey skirt with lots of layers of netting & lace, a corset (a real one, mind you), striped stockings, New Rock boots, a spiked dog collar… It certainly wasn’t haute couture but it was a definite step up from trackpants!

So, I turn it over to you! What were you wearing in 1996?

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Things I Love Thursday

[ 5 June 2008, 02:56 ]

Chester French — Set to be the next big thing, or so I hear! Pharrell raves about them, & I love Pharrell, & what I’ve heard is great, so I’m sold. You can listen to their tracks here. Pharrell describes them as a mix between the Beatles & Motown… yum! They also do amazing remixes, which you can hear on their Myspace. Good stuff! Have a boogie!

Air conditioning! My landlord came over yesterday & “mounted” (not as dirty as it sounds) my air conditioning unit. I am so blissed out right now. The temperature here has been warm but the past couple of days it has started getting hot in the city, hot in the city toniiiight! (Click the link, haha! I love this comment on the video — I just have to add this to Things I Love Thursday: “I wonder how much tail he got in the 80’s. Women just wanted to f*ck him madly!!. He always did his best to please his female fans. Literally. Billy your the best. Rock on.“)

Giving back — On Wednesday night I met & made friends with one of the heroes of my adolescent years (Dame Darcy). The best thing? She wants help with some stuff & I think I have the ability to assist her. A lot, actually. I feel really good that after years & years of reading her work & admiring her from afar, I can actually give something back that is of true value to her. Yay!

Lush Cosmetics! I went into their store near Union Square yesterday & as well as having the manager offer me a job (haha — but at least it’s proof that I know what I’m talking about!), I also picked up lots of beautiful things. Cosmetic Warrior face-mask: stinky but gets the job done! Irridescent Glitterbug: smells fabulous & makes you sparkle like a mermaid from outer space! Ocean Salt: the most vigorous, hearty salt scrub of all time. & the pièce de résistance — American Cream Solid Perfume! Swoon-o-rama, I’m telling you! Damn it smells good. I am almost out of Viktor + Rolf’s Flowerbomb, which I love, but I feel the need for something slightly more vigorous for this new phase of my life. I will pick up a little somethin’ somethin’ in duty free (suggestions welcome!), but for now, the American Cream solid perfume is rocking my world!

My Moleskine — It is saving my life right now. I am scheduled out the wazoo: I have nary a free day from here until next Thursday (& then my friend arrives & I will be spending the vast majority of the week with her). Amazing. I spilt some water on the book two days ago which you would expect would be a horrendous tragedy, but I managed to soak most of it up & now the tops of the pages are satisfyingly wrinkled & crinkly. It gives it this really worn-in feel, which I’m digging. It reminds me of old library books caught in the rain. It’s good.

Palmistry & tarot cards — I had my palm & cards read last night & it was a fabulous revelation. “You were put here for one sole purpose, & you’re doing it right now.” Damn right! I have always loved anything mystical, supernatural or weird… I used to devour books about ghosts, UFOs, the Loch Ness Monster etc. when I was a child, & my love of anything clairvoyant & psychic-related has continued to this day. Sitting with someone who is talented in that area is an incredible thing if you are open to it. (In fact, if you are looking for an amazing psychic, my friend Ed is mind-boggling.)

Elliott Smith — Oh, like I need to explain myself!

Everything is exactly right when I walk around here drunk every night, with an open container from 7-11 in St. Ides heaven… I’ve been out haunting the neighbourhood & everybody can see I’m no good, when I’m walking out between parked cars with my head full of stars…

Honourable mentions: Lots of guests on the way (my friend from Melbourne arrives in the city next week, the first of many!); meeting new people (randomly struck up a conversation in Pure yesterday with a woman who is a fashion editor & stylist — we totally hit it off & are going dancing this weekend); new music — Bola’s Kroungrine, Vampire Weekend, Talib Kweli’s Beautiful Struggle, Sade’s greatest hits (yes!), The Roots’ The Tipping Point etc.; upcoming Venetian Snares show (heart attack, I am so excited); talking to Simon & being overwhelmed with love (it’s hard to show it from so far away, so I just keep telling him how much I love & appreciate him & hope that does the trick); crazy packages in the mail (comics & straightening irons & condoms with my face on!); reading trivia on shows I love (like Buffy & SATC); my camera (I cannot even begin to explain how much I adore it); Gilda (my nominated heroine of the week — kisses); my parents (who do not take shit from anyone & are perpetually inspiring to me); eating way too many cupcakes (I ate 8 cupcakes over 3 consecutive days… & I loved every moment of it!); Pierre Hardy (SWOON); endless opportunities; true freedom!

“Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such.” — Henry Miller

Okay, now it’s time for your joy to take the spotlight! Gather it all up in your mouth & spit it as far as you can — we want to hear it! Email your best friend & your brother & have them tell you what their favourite things today are, too. There’s no time to waste! Make this a golden moment. Don’t disobey Henry!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Daily Outfit -- 30th May 2008

[ 30 May 2008, 22:30 ]

What I wore to Sex & The City: The Movie!

Hot pink snood (avec les papillons)
Silk Kate Sylvester dress
Grey sweater from American Apparel (I am totally thrashing it)
Sandals from Irregular Choice (I bought them today)
Bag by Trent Nathan
Swarovski crystal bracelet, charm bracelet & 2 Tarina Tarantino rings

So, snoods are my new thing. I just bought three on Etsy from Purple Sage Designz (who I cannot recommend highly enough) — this one, a green one & a hot pink/cotton candy tie-dyed version. Major excitement.

I decided the hat needed something extra & the other day, walking in Soho, Gilda & I saw a hat in a shop window covered in butterflies, & I thought, damn, I could do that! So I went to Pearl River Mart (this huge Chinese superstore) & bought a box of 15 butterflies. They had magnets on the back & I wasn’t sure how I was going to attach them to the hat. I grabbed a safety pin to try & thread it, but to my delight, they stuck together — so I just put safety pins on my hat & the butterflies sat there obediently.

...Well, mostly obediently. The eagle-eyed among you will notice that in the top two pictures, one of the butterflies is grey, while here they’re yellow. Turns out a strong breeze will dislodge them. If anyone finds a neon yellow magnetic butterfly in the streets of Manhattan, consider it good luck!

I am happy. My new thing, for sure.

Sex & The City: The Movie was good, too — & the nonpareils I met were even better! Kisses!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Things I Love Thursday

[ 29 May 2008, 11:16 ]

Super-size it! 1; 2; 3; 4.

Writing by an open window... with good music blaring (usually Notorious B.I.G., believe it or not), drinking ice-cold water, munching berries with juice-stained fingers, & watching life unfold below me. Honestly, it’s a hard combination to beat. You know what? Being a writer, just that in itself, is pretty amazing. I cannot begin to tell you how much I love, love, LOVE what I do, or how happy it makes me. Getting into a good writing space & producing something worthwhile is like entering bliss on earth.

A social calender laden with delights — Patricia Field’s party last night (see below!), Sex & The City: The Movie avec my NYC nonpareils on Friday (yay!), a polo game on Saturday, & upcoming meetings with illustrators, astrologists, writers, bakers, graphic designers & all-around fabulous people!

Patricia Field & her marvellous parties. Last night was so exciting! I went to M·A·C Cosmetics to have my make-up done, which was $50 extremely well spent. (See below!) Then I came home, got dressed & trotted over to the Patricia Field boutique. Her shop was packed, there were lots of cool fashion-forward people & cameras going off at all times, but it was so cramped that it was almost a bit redundant. So Gilda (my date!) & I decided to go to Patricia Field’s apartment instead & scope out the scene there! Well, Pat’s house is gorgeous — a huge space a couple of doors down from the boutique, full of art, pictures, big lounge spaces & bright colours. Gilda & I found ourselves a great little alcove to sit in & watch the circus. So much fun. (There is footage of me on Last Night’s Party, looking like I just escaped from an asylum, & I am here too…) & at the end of the night, I sidled up to Pat herself, & we had a conversation, flirted (!!!) & took the above picture. She is totally cool, not intimidating at all, & I loved every moment. I left on a high like no other. So good.

Reagan at M·A·C Flatiron — He was absolutely sublime. So much so, in fact, that I just called him to propose marriage tell him how thrilled I was with his work. Eeeee! I was so impressed: he listened to me, adjusted things to my requirements & was generally magnificent. He’s the make-up artist who did Richie Rich’s face for the Heatherette for M·A·C launch, so he is definitely the guy… I can’t recommend him highly enough. Go to him if you need your face done! But I was amazed — $50, when he worked for an hour & a half? God that’s a good deal. I also got free mascara as part of the makeover. Yay! So happy! (You can see a close-up in natural light here!)

New York City — Have I told you lately, that I love you? Have I told you, there’s no one else above you? Fill my heart with gladness! Take away my sadness! Ease my troubles, that’s what you do!

Treats in the mail! It’s so nice to have an address again (!), because it means I have things on the way. For example: a Chi straightening iron (contented sigh), condoms with pictures of me on the front (I will totally write about it, don’t worry), Rhymesayers loot… & this morning I received three hats with major cute-factor. Fun fun!

Sex & The City: The Movie! No explanation needed. I AM SO EXCITED. & if anyone spoils me… there will be trouble!

Giulianna! I received this email yesterday, when I was getting my face done — & it made me smile so wide, I just had to share it with you!

“I was given an assignment. I was told to define myself with a picture. My portrait is titled Make Cupcakes, Not War/ The Icing Army.”

Honourable mentions: Ridiculous music (Wham!, Black Sabbath, Paris Hilton, Deftones… often played in quick succession); the fact that Discotech made an AWESOME song out of Bill O’Reilly spitting the dummy — download it now!; big yellow school-buses (before this trip, I had only ever seen them in movies); horse poo (I’ve decided to learn to love it — it stinks, but what can I do? First in Melbourne, now New York, & all for the sake of the romanticism of a horse-drawn carriage. I am resigned to my fate! I accept!); talking to my schmoo (that would be Simon — by the way, did you know that we sometimes refer to ourselves as Simon & Galafunkel?); my relationship with my parents (I talk to them every day); my Helio Ocean (it’s been sprayed with M·A·C Fix+ & made sticky with an über-strong Cosmopolitan [both of which happened yesterday], dropped & sweated onto, but I think it all adds to the “patina” — it’s along on the ride with me!); little things (like cold water, stretching, enjoying the sunlight & really good quality recordings of music); life in general (if you couldn’t tell from this particular TiLT, I am totally enchanted by life right now).

“It’s a sign of mediocrity when you demonstrate gratitude with moderation.” — Roberto Benigni

No mediocrity allowed! I want to hear your BIG LOVE list! Sit there, close your eyes, imagine yourself bursting with energy, vibrancy, excitement & vitality… then start typing! Go go go!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Why Is Gala In NYC?

[ 25 May 2008, 13:11 ]

Recently, the gorgeous Winona wrote to ask…

“Your life in New York seems absolutely fab! I was just wondering — what’s the story behind your trip/move? Did you just decide to pack up and spend a couple months in NY? Did it start as a vacation and then turn into a longer term thing? How’d you score a short term lease on an apartment? So many questions! Sorry to be a needy blogger. I’m just so curious!”

Well, while I try to keep my life off iCiNG as much as possible, people keep asking me these questions, so I figure I might as well explain it! (By the way, I am sitting on the fire escape as I type this up. How NYC, right?)

Yes, things in New York are going fabulously well! Here’s what happened.

It was Simon’s birthday at the start of May, he was going to be 37, & we decided we should do something fun for it. We weren’t sure what, exactly. I had already planned to buy him a nice watch, but we thought it would be good to indulge in some kind of event, too. Well, as you all know, we’re both into the raw food thing, so one day when I was browsing We Like It Raw, I noticed that they were holding a raw chocolate rave in New York City. I ran into the other room & showed Simon & we sat around, talking about how incredibly cool it would be to go along.

We kind of left it at that for a few days, & then a guy Simon does a bit of work for told him that he wanted him to fly over to London for a couple of weeks to put in some hours on a project. He wanted him to fly over on his birthday, which Simon wasn’t very keen on. Long story short, we negotiated that Simon would go to London if this guy flew him to New York first, & paid for my return ticket too.

So, that was organised, & we thought that after a few days in New York, Simon would go on to London & I would maybe kick it in NYC for another week before flying home. Then I thought, what’s the rush? Why would I want to go back to Melbourne if instead I could be staying in my favourite city of all time? (Valid question, right?) I have designed a lifestyle for myself where I can work from anywhere — ultimately, all I need is my computer & I’m ready to go. It makes sense to take advantage of that flexibility. So I decided I’d stay for a while, see how I liked it, & come back when it pleased me. We had flexible tickets, & all was fabulous.

We flew over, stayed at the New York Palace, & walked around a lot, sussing out the various neighbourhoods & getting a better idea of where we might like to live when we finally moved here. NYC has always been my dream, & Simon has been amiable to it but never really psyched. Anyway, the few days we spent here together were wonderful — the city was laden with delights at every turn, we met loads of fascinating people & really had a great time. Simon started to feel much more enthusiastic about the concept of living here, & when he left for London, we had basically decided that the plan was to get settled in NYC as soon as possible.

When he left, I went to stay with an acquaintance, we went to Florida, we came back & I decided that I needed my own place. It’s so hard staying with other people for any length of time, as most of you probably know — it’s awkward to be sharing their space & it’s hard to feel relaxed enough to get anything creative done (which is obviously a major thing for me, given I make my living from writing).

I started looking around on Craigslist for sub-leases that appealed to me. I looked pretty constantly for a couple of days, & didn’t find anything great, but I whipped up a form letter that I would email to all the places that didn’t look like total hell-holes & crossed my fingers that that would do the trick. I needed to be out of this person’s house by Sunday, so on Saturday I booked myself two nights (from Sunday) at the Sofitel, figuring that I would use those two days to house-hunt & if I hadn’t found anything by then… well… I’d do something else. I wasn’t sure what. Yes, I was quite nervous. In fact, for a while there, I was so stressed out that I felt like I was on the verge of a heart attack. The concept of being homeless in a city like New York really didn’t appeal to me much.

On that same morning, I’d seen a place advertised on Craigslist that I really liked the look of. It was minimalist, but looked really well-kept & clean & tasteful. It was kind of expensive but by that stage I didn’t care, I was happy to pay more for a better place than to bargain & haggle for a hamster cage. Miraculously, they called me that day, & we made arrangements for me to go over & see it the next day.

I checked into the Sofitel on Sunday morning, put down my luggage & jumped on the subway to go & see this place. Five flights of stairs later, & breathing unattractively, I was at the front door. The couple who owned the place were totally cool — almost intimidatingly hip — but very friendly. They showed me around, explained the idiosyncrasies (like the toilet, which is in the hallway — private, but in the hallway!), & then asked me what I thought. I loved it. I said I’d be keen to sub-lease it. They said okay. I squealed, probably, then told them I’d alter my hotel reservation so I’d only spend one night there & then move in the next day.

So, that’s basically what happened. I am here until the 28th of July, & then I go back to Melbourne for about a month, before returning to NYC for my 25th birthday (eep!) on September 13th.

I’m not sure what will happen on that trip, but ideally I would like to be living permanently in NYC by Christmas this year. It’s a bit of a nerve-wracking goal, but I like it like that!

It’s amazing to be here. To me, it’s pretty much the ultimate challenge. Being here alone is a definite test of my independence, strength & character. It’s scary at times — occasionally I have a mild flash of panic when I realise that there’s nowhere in the city that I feel familiar with — but it’s definitely worth it. I know I am going to leave here a changed person, & I’ve been having such a great time. It’s wonderful to know that it’s all my own making!

Hope this has sated your curiosity, little cuties!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Daily Outfit -- 24th May 2008

[ 24 May 2008, 21:02 ]

Silver sequinned Disney ears
Silver earrings from Sportsgirl
American Apparel sweater
Skirt from Ricochet (NZ)
Silver mesh heels from Nine West
Blue gem Tarina Tarantino ring
‘GALA’ initial rings from Girlprops

Great photo, right?! New York is such a fantastic place to take pictures. My day consisted of street-style hunting with Craig of Altamira NYC (like I did last Saturday!). It was so much fun!

Then, on our way back from eating peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, I saw a man with sparkling blue eyes smile at me as he walked past. I grabbed Craig’s arm & hissed, “That was Marc Jacobs!”

Craig has taken his photograph before, so we went back & said hello. Marc shook my hand (!) & told me he loved my hair! I was so excited & he is totally charming. Best celebrity sighting in NYC so far, for sure. I also saw Norelle from America’s Next Top Model cycle 3 on Broadway, but I don’t know if that counts… !

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Daily Outfit -- 20th May 2008

[ 20 May 2008, 14:33 ]

For those of who you don’t know, I moved into my very own apartment last night! There are not enough exclamation marks in the entire world to demonstrate my excitement, glee, happiness & relief! I am staying in a superb apartment in the West Village until the end of July, & I made a little video tour of it if you want to see my new digs!

Anyway, finally I can see my clothing (I have a wardrobe!) & set up my camera & tripod (there is lots of space!) & get dressed up & trot around! So I thought it was time for a daily outfit photo. Long overdue, hmm?

Mouse hat with ‘Gala’ stitched on the front (thanks, Disney!)
Silver earrings from Sportsgirl
Black scarf (it’s really cold!)
Long-sleeved black merino wool top
Grey v-neck t-shirt from American Apparel
High-waisted culottes from H&M (purchased yesterday; so much love)
Black socks
Ankle booties!

Now I am going to go & find a laundromat, meet No Impact Man for coffee & delight in the fact that I have a home!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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iCiNG Time Capsule

[ 20 May 2008, 08:10 ]

I received an email from Nadine this morning, saying…

“Sweetie, can you believe it was a YEAR ago we were running around doing film noir? Unbelievable!”

Do you remember that?! This time last year, it was the fourth International Dress-Up Day, the theme was film noir, & the participants were spectacular!

Let’s take a little trip down memory lane…

Simon took these pictures of me in the little alleyways surrounding our apartment in inner-city Melbourne. It was freezing cold, & my shoes were killing me by the end of it, but we were both really happy with how the pictures came out!

Nadine said, “I don’t have access to venetian blinds, martini glasses or cigarettes, but little boys live in my house so guns are dime-a-dozen! I spent ages on Friday practising for the first one – heels, gun . . . shorts & t-shirt.”

Candice said, “mostly i just went for major contrast with the lighting.. threw in some cigarette smoke, alcohol, high heels, my favourite thrifted dress & voila! great theme.. it was definitely a broadening experience for me!”

NoirMuse said, “The Film Noir theme was a great opportunity to use my vintage had collection and seamed stockings.”

Lalumiere said, “we dressed up and bounced around downtown taking photos.. we got lots of weird looks but that kind of added to the fun. we came up with a plot and everything for them.. though there are far to many in the story to show off right now.”

If you’d like to browse the whole lot, check out:
Happy International Dress-Up Day!
Gala’s International Dress-Up Day #004 Pictures
More International Dress-Up Day #004 Photos!
Pictures Pictures Pictures!
Femme Fatales
International Dress-Up Day #004 Picture
Possibly The Last Batch Of i.D.U.D. #004 Photos!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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iCiNG Transformation Challenge -- How'd You Do?

[ 19 May 2008, 10:40 ]

Well, for a lot of you, today is the last day of the iCiNG Transformation Challenge. Phew! It’s been an interesting month, huh?

I thought this might be a good place for us all to discuss our final results & see how we feel about how well we did. I’d love to hear what you think helped you, & what might be useful in the future if we ever decide to do this again!

I noticed that most of us were pretty gung-ho for the first week & a half or so, but then things really started to taper off. Did you lose interest, get too busy, decide your goal wasn’t really that important, or something else?

My life was thrown for a bit of a loop when we decided to up sticks & come to the States, but thankfully I managed to stay on track pretty well. I’ve eaten a lot of great raw food while I’ve been here, & I’ve also exercised every day — whether I wanted to or not, haha! I have walked miles & miles & miles, & while it isn’t the world’s most stimulating exercise, it still counts! (Especially given the way I walk, which is typically quite fast.)

I haven’t been doing weights like I thought I would, but the interesting thing I’ve noticed is that the more raw food I eat, the more muscle develops on my body. Almost like the exertion (ha!) of lifting a piece of celery to my mouth makes my biceps bulge. But it’s really cool — I’m doing practically no work & my body is redefining itself. I’m pretty okay with that, & plan to keep it up!

So, how did you go? What were your greatest triumphs & challenges? Tell us!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Things I Love Thursday

[ 15 May 2008, 22:50 ]

Southern hospitality — This time last week I was on my way to Florida. I had such a great time there, & Meg & Charles made me feel so welcome! (Thank you!) It was all about Spanish moss, amazing weather, birthday parties, bubble machines, s’mores & a nice slow pace. I don’t know that I could live in Gainesville, but we went out to a tiny little town called Interlachen where we spent some time at this beautiful house which made me think that I could happily spend a lot of time in a spot like that.

Disneyworld, Orlando & Mike Dooley. To me, the three are now inextricably linked, haha! I had such an amazing time there! I was only there for a day; I caught the Greyhound there on Sunday morning & back the next day. Mike & I went to Disneyworld, out for dinner in a beautiful setting (dining alfresco by a lake, warm tropical breezes & all), then spent time lounging by his pool talking. He has a great lifestyle, I didn’t want to leave! It was so much fun to spend time with him one on one (& fall kind of in love with his dog). Mike is great, I totally adore him, & wish I could have spent more time in his company. Disneyworld was great too, of course! We went on the Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean & the teacups…

Good plane seats — I have had incredible luck with seating this entire time I’ve been travelling. Lots of leg room, entire rows to myself, super-pleasant seat-mates, & more!

Butterfly Rainforest — In Gainesville, we went to the Museum of Natural History which contains one of the most fantastic things I’ve ever seen: a butterfly rainforest. Picture yourself walking through a beautiful, lush, green valley, as butterflies of all colours & sizes flutter past, occasionally landing on you & then flying on. It was incredible. Really, really incredible. The lime green one below fell in love with me, I think — it hung around for ages! Having a butterfly land in your hair is quite something, you can feel these tiny vibrations as it beats its wing close to your ear, & you get this feeling that you should stay very, very still so as not to disrupt the moment. Yeah. It was fabulous. If you ever get the chance to go, do it!

Flying into NYC — I flew into NYC’s LaGuardia airport last night, which I’ve never done (I have always been a JFK gal!). We flew right over the city, which was awe-inspiring & gorgeous. I stared out the window the whole time, getting my bearings & marvelling.

New purchases! I haven’t been going shopping crazy, but I have definitely picked up some fabulous new things. Hit picks: vintage Chanel scarf (free!), silver mesh high heels ($21!), black DKNY dress ($39), Disney hats (no idea) & my latest new toy… a Helio Ocean. Be still my beating heart! So sexy, so sleek! I am in rapture, truly. It is a marvellous thing. Meg & Charles (my hosts in Gainesville) both had them & every time they whipped them out to do crazy tinkering, my blood bubbled with lust! Now I’m back in NYC, & I have one of my own… Nyah nyah! Hee! I’m so happy, I have wanted one for such a long time!

Simon — He is great 24/7. I wish he could come back to New York! Eep!

Honourable mentions: Breakfast meetings at the St Regis (I met with Louis Vuitton this morning!); grey v-neck t-shirts (my new craze); ridiculously high platforms with straps all over; technology (man, it’s good — all the videos in this post reminded me how great it is!); the Sex & The City movie’s approaching release (maybe we should have an NYC nonpareil meet-up & all go & see it together?!); the way New York streets smell (amazing food scents 24/7); New York City’s incredible convenience (it might be all of the States, but Victoria’s Secret doesn’t close until about 9pm on a Wednesday! Wow!) & looking forward to settling into a sanctuary & writing furiously for hours on end!

“A single thankful thought towards heaven is the most perfect of all prayers.” — Gotthold Ephraim Lessing

Okay, my sweet! How about you? I know this is going up a little late, so hopefully you have had extra time to think about what would make your weekly list of glee!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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A Place To Lay My Hat

[ 15 May 2008, 16:43 ]

My sweet nonpareils!

I am writing to ask you a favour. I feel weird about doing this, so please bear with me!

I am on the search for a temporary home in Manhattan, NYC. I’m currently staying with friends but I am going to be here until the 28th of July (!!!), & need somewhere more permanent. I have had lots of incredibly wonderful offers to stay with people for a weekend here or there, but I am really looking for a place of my own. A sanctuary, oui, where I can settle in, do lots of writing & properly fall in love with the city!

If you have an apartment that will be vacant from now until August, you know of someone who would like a house-sitter or you’re trying to sublet your place, please let me know! I am super-responsible, clean & tidy, good with plants & dogs & very respectful of people’s property & possessions.

All I require is that it’s in Manhattan & has a good internet connection. Hee!

You can either leave a comment here or email me (gala at galadarling dot com). Thank you so much! I really appreciate your help!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Things My Parents Taught Me

[ 13 May 2008, 10:18 ]

“My question is about your parents, because they obviously did something really right when it came to teaching you how to be you. I am raising two girls and my goal is to give them the tools to manage themselves on a daily practical level and to know themselves, I hope to show them how to be truly in touch with who they are, to always follow their instinct and to learn how to really “listen” to themselves. So Gala, what valuable tools did your parents give you? What values, insights or lessons did your parents pass on to you? What part did they play in shaping you into the individual who thinks outside of the box, follows her intuition and has the practical know how to make her dreams happen?”

I’m not perfect, & neither are my parents. I read this email aloud to my father & he was flattered, but he said that he thinks very little of how I am today has anything to do with him or my mother — he knows how much change I’ve been through & the amount of effort I’ve put into turning myself into the sort of person I am today. I used to be very different! (Read: goth, cynical, nasty, insecure, negative, miserable.)

...But I think he’s just being modest. My parents did, of course, teach me many lessons that have been immensely valuable to me. Here are a few of them.

Communicate
Being able to talk to other people is so important! If you can’t tell them when there’s a problem or if you’d like to change something, you’re really heading for disaster. Other people can’t read your mind & it’s not their job to, either — it is absolutely your responsibility to communicate your needs. You can’t blame other people for not delivering what you want if you haven’t told them! My relationship with my parents was always pretty open, & while I shut down a bit as a teenager, there still wasn’t a lot that I didn’t tell them. They were always very cool & accepting, which helped keep the doors of communication open. If there’s no fear of persecution, there’s no reason to clam up.

Your integrity is the most important thing
It really, really is. As they say, once it’s gone, it’s gone, & you may never rebuild your reputation. Be careful with it, think about what you’re doing & pay attention.

My parents weren’t perfect
My father has always been really keen on telling me that he isn’t perfect — that he has made mistakes, & that he doesn’t know everything. I think one of his beliefs is that a lot of children rebel because their parents paint themselves as saints, & when their offspring discover that that isn’t the case (or even close), they get pissed off & rebel. Hard. My father didn’t want that to happen in our family, so he was always keen on emphasising the fact that his opinion was no more important than anyone else’s. This attitude coupled with the fact that my parents always treated me like an adult meant that I never felt deceived by them, & so I never really “rebelled”.

Working for yourself is the only way to truly be in charge of your destiny
From the time of my birth onwards, my parents always had their own businesses. My mother owned a clothing boutique & my father owned a hi-fi business, & so to me, that was normal. It made sense to have your own business — while the risk lay solely with you, all the benefits did too. I think I was always subconsciously filtered a message that working for other people means that you rely on them, that you have far less freedom & that it was really a sub-optimal position to be in. I always knew that one day I would have my own business, I just didn’t know what it would be. I feel like having that as a valid option helped shape my view of the world, & of course, founding iCiNG has been one of the greatest learning experiences of my life thus far.

Reading is fun
I am so, so fortunate that my parents instilled a love of reading in me early in life. My father used to take me to the library every Saturday morning & we would come away with shopping bags full to the brim! When we went home I would basically go to my bed, sit there & work my way through the stack. Then we would repeat the process the following week. Reading has always been hugely enjoyable & comforting to me, & I am at my happiest when I am leaving the library with a whole lot of books to devour. I know a lot of people who didn’t read much when they were young, & it seems like if that’s the case, you never really get as much joy from books as someone who has been reading them since the dawn of time. I think that’s a shame, since reading can be so enriching.

You have absolute responsibility for your life
In our household, there was always a strong action culture. What I mean by this is that complaining wasn’t really tolerated. That might sound a bit harsh, but it just wasn’t something that any of us had any time for. If you had a problem, you were expected to deal with it &/or fix it, the sooner the better. While I haven’t been perfect about it, this is an attitude I have maintained as much as possible, & it has served me well. It helps prevent me from stagnating or getting locked into negative patterns. I think it’s really important to feel that we each have the means to solve our own problems — it’s empowering & allows us to move through life with more acceptance of change.

It’s important to be different
My parents both own their own businesses, & were very aware of the fact that in order to thrive, you need to have a point of difference. Both their businesses were successful for this very reason. My parents are pretty eccentric, too, & as long as I’ve known them, they have been pretty unapologetic about that. When I got to the age where I started experimenting with clothing & style, at about 13, they were really cool & supportive. The only thing they wouldn’t let me do is leave the house wearing black lipstick (in retrospect, it was a good call!). I would go into the city in my goth garb (all black, stripey stockings, eye of horus make-up, you know the drill) with a pair of silver angel wings strapped to my back & they encouraged me — they were proud of the fact that I was different & brave. Usually when I did things that were weird or a bit strange, they would just laugh with me. That was awesome: it taught me that it was okay to experiment & try new things. I have a very strong sense of myself, & I’ve never been worried about following trends or doing what other people did, because being my own person was never been presented as a “risky” or scary thing.

Be generous
You just should be. A world full of selfish people doesn’t bode well. If karma is the only thing that motivates you, then sure, be generous because you know it will come back to you. But we should all be generous, regardless of our circumstances. If you can’t be generous when you perceive yourself to be “poor”, you never will be. The typical reason people aren’t generous is because they have this huge feeling of lack — like there isn’t enough, & there never will be. That feeling remains, regardless of how much money you have. Besides, generosity isn’t always about money. Often being generous with your time or knowledge or relationships is worth much more.

You can never be too encouraging
This goes hand-in-hand with being generous. People need encouragement & love & support — without it, it can be hard to get anything done. My parents always encouraged me, almost without exception, & it gave me great faith in my abilities & huge ambition. It makes sense, really: if the people around you act as if life is unfair & a trial & like there’s no point in bothering, then why would you?! Conversely, if your family or friends tell you that you can do anything if you put your mind to it, then you’ll feel much more naturally capable. I remember regurgitating this fact (“you can do anything you want!”) on the playground at approximately age 7. My best friend at the time scoffed & said, “What, like flying to the moon?!” It was hard for me to explain it at the time but I knew what I meant — it just goes to show that what we’re told at a young age really does stick with us & influence us hugely.

I think those are the major life lessons my parents have taught me — at least to date. I’m sure in a few years I’ll be able to come up with an entirely different set! What positive things do you think your parents taught you, & how have those lessons helped you so far?

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Daily Outfit -- 11th May 2008

[ 13 May 2008, 01:08 ]

Disney World! Hell yes!

Disney hat
Generic sunglasses
Cotton Spandex Jersey Bandeau Dress from American Apparel (I love it so much, it’s painfully versatile & totally sexy, & now I want the Cotton Spandex Jersey Bandeau Pencil Dress too!)
Frye Veronica boots (they are so comfortable it blows my mind)
Silver charm bracelet & TUT bracelet (I was at Disney World with Mike Dooley so it was even more appropriate than usual!)

We had so much fun. Weather is beautiful & the fruit is delicious; wish you were here!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Things I Love Thursday

[ 8 May 2008, 07:16 ]

The iCiNG community — You all continually amaze me. I received this email from Mica a few days ago.

“Just wanted to say a huge thank you to you for organising the contact page for us all. I had to go down to Melbourne for a graduate position and I had a break before my flight home, so I asked one of my new Melbourne-based iCiNG facebook friends what I should do. I got some great suggestions although I actually ran out of time to do much, it was still helpful! When I got called back to Melbourne again the next again week I made sure I had a bit more time to spare so I could meet my new Melbourne friend! I met up with the lovely Nora yesterday and we sat in a little Melbourne coffee shop, drinking hot chocolate and chatting. It was a perfect way to relax and unwind after an interview, and I’m really glad I got to say hi to her face to face… My favourite part was being thrown out of the coffee shop as we had overstayed our welcome, we’d both not noticed the time! hehe. Not something I would have expected to happen after meeting a complete stranger…!”

Telephones — This is going to sound silly maybe, but have you ever thought about how incredibly amazing the telephone is? You press a sequence of numbers & you are connected to your best friend, your lover, your parents; instantly transported to a kitchen in Bombay or a library in Boston or someone climbing a tree in Dunedin. I love it!

New York — Oh, come on! You knew that was coming! I’m really starting to feel at home here. It has been fabulous roaming the city with Simon, but now that I am here alone, & have been a bit nervous about it, I feel like New York is cheering for me. It wants me to stay. It’s doing its best to make me happy. The weather is warm & beautiful, & when I stepped out the front door today, here’s what I was greeted with. Blossoms.

Raw food — Man, New Yorkers have it totally sussed. I went into a tiny health food store on the Upper East Side yesterday & found an entire wall full of raw food. Not to mention the amazing food I’ve eaten since arriving here — mind-blowing, to say the least.

Being open to opportunities — I’ve made a conscious effort to open myself out to new people & experiences while I’m here, & it’s paying off in a major way! I have had offers to stay all over the city, go vintage shopping, explore Brooklyn, scope out street style with Altamira (aka Craig), stay at someone’s summer house in East Hampton, visit Disneyworld, hang in the Egyptian wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, go to Minnesota & stay with a guy from Rhymesayers, & way more than I could ever mention! It’s absolutely amazing & I’m so excited. I love having so many choices that I’m not sure which one I’m going to pick!

Warm weather — New York has totally been putting on the ritz in terms of weather. Blue skies, sunshine, blossoms & butterflies are everywhere. Even better, as you read this, I am 30,000 feet in the sky, flying to Florida, where it is even warmer! It feels kind of like cheating to go from the Australian summer to the American one, but you know, I’m okay with that!

Feeling a bit Carrie Bradshaw — Oh, I know it’s a cliché, but here I am, a girl in the city, laptop in hand, writing about her experiences & trying to make sense of them… Of course, there are probably thousands of girls in Manhattan who feel exactly the same way, but it’s a club I’m pleased to join! (Also: can’t wait to see the movie! Squeal!)

Honourable mentions: Lots of books to read (I am dying to get into them but have been too busy thus far!); Disneyworld (can’t wait to go!); spontaneous phone calls; yerba mate tea (yummy!); my bathrobe from the New York Palace (it is pimp); the New York Palace in general (I’d be happy never to stay anywhere else again); the East Coast raw community (aaaaaabsolutely… faaaaabulous!); Zappos.com (upgraded me to overnight shipping for free & were generally amazing); plotting out an informal Spring uniform while I’m here (pictures to come once I’ve obtained it!); marvelling at the things in the supermarket (really, it blows my mind); my new Frye boots (pictured above); pink (it’s everywhere & I’m embracing it); my New York City Moleskine; new friends who want to help; tulips (they are all over the city, huge & vibrant) &... well, pretty much everything! I am a little bundle of loved-up loveliness right now! Mwah!

“Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.” — Gloria Steinem

So, gorgeous, tell us! What’s ringing your bell, turning your crank, keeping you awake at night? The promise of Spring? A new Winter coat? Stolen kisses? Trapeze lessons? Let us know!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Your Life In Haiku

[ 6 May 2008, 09:32 ]

If you were to write a haiku about your life at this very moment, what would it say?

Remember, the format is 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syallbles, & theoretically it should involve something about nature.

Mine might be…

I love this city.
We wake up early to roam,
with hair like wild vines.

or…

My darling FedEx,
Please deliver my new boots (!!!)
Love, A Girl Possessed.

or…

I love Simon. I
love Simon. I love Simon.
Don’t go to London!

or…

So, celebrities
love Pinkberry. I’m sad to
say they have no taste.

How about you?

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Weekly Resolutions

[ 5 May 2008, 07:01 ]

Yay, weekly resolutions! A bit of structure for my (currently) incredibly random life! I’m so excited about this, haha, what a nerd! I don’t know what time this is going live for those of you in Australia & NZ, but it’s 7am here… so I’m sorry if your usual iCiNG schedule is a bit out of whack!

Drum up lots of fabulous content!
It has been a pretty crazy week, & I really haven’t made any time to sit down & do any writing. This becomes a problem when your website revolves around articles! So, this week I resolve to plot out lots of time where I can sit down & write. I always feel better when I have new content up & I know you guys appreciate it too, so that is my #1 priority for the week.

Announce ModCloth competition winner!
Yes, this is one of my major goals for the week. It sounds like a small thing, I know, but have you looked at the competition page recently?! My god! There are 522 entries, & we have to comb through every one to find the greatest, sparkliest, & most fabulous! Then, of course, Susan & I have sit down & discuss our winner. (If we were doing it in person, there would certainly be pie, strong coffee, & excessive gesticulation.) You get my drift. It is no small task. But I will do it, because I love you!

Relax & be present
New York is one of the craziest cities I’ve ever been in, & it’s really easy to let everything around you affect you & make you feel as if you need to do a million things right now, or else… Well, or else, who knows? But there is this general compulsion to rush & act like a lunatic when really, all of that stuff is a choice. So, instead of thinking about the twelve billion things I’d like to do in the next couple of days, I’m going to do my very best to take it slowly, appreciate the moment, & just enjoy what’s going on around me. I have time. There’s no rush.

I have some other little goals too. Like spending as much time with Simon as possible before he goes to London (I’m going to miss him so much!), connecting with lots of new people, opening up to experience & presenting myself well.

How about you guys? Are your goals personal, career-related, physical or spiritual? Do you want to step back into making your goals for the iTC come about? (There are still a few weeks to go, so it’s never too late!) Let us know in the comments!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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It's 3:04am -- Do You Know Where Your Gala Is?

[ 3 May 2008, 03:19 ]

My super-surprise?

I’m in NEW YORK CITY!

The best part is, I’m here for a while… Maybe 3 months! I’m also going on a jaunt to Florida & I’m thinking about hitting up Minnesota, too! It’s SO EXCITING to be here, & I really want to bring that to you guys, so let me know if there’s anything you’d like me to research, photograph, cover or document while I’m here!

Also… I just had the best night, we went to the raw chocolate rave [yes, some of you guessed it!] held by Dhrumil & the raw crew. I met Emrys, who rocks my WORLD, & now we’re amped up on raw chocolate & delicious elixirs! Anyway, this isn’t my “personal blog”, so if you want to read about my silly daily adventures in NYC, my Livejournal is the place to go!

Love you all so much, thanks for your patience with the surprise (26.5 hours in transit, wahhh!), & yes, ModCloth competition winners to be announced VERY SOON!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Gala's Secret Surprise!

[ 2 May 2008, 22:15 ]

Hi kittens!

I can’t tell you what’s going on just yet, because I want to show you photographic evidence!

But news is coming! Sit tight! YAY!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Raw Coaching With Karen Knowler -- Part Two

[ 24 April 2008, 21:00 ]

Karen Knowler coaches Gala Darling (MP3)

Last night was my second raw coaching call with Karen Knowler, & just like last time, it was spectacularly helpful & eye-opening.

Things had changed quite a bit since we last spoke. In our first phone call, I was in the so-called “raw honeymoon phase” — really excited about the changes that were happening in my body & mind, experiencing an elevated mood & loving the extra energy. But since then, I had been to New Zealand & fallen off the raw wagon in a big way, & was struggling to get back on.

Our call went for 45 minutes, & we covered a lot of ground, much of it centred around working out why my enthusiasm was low & how I could get it back on track. She gave me lots of “raw homework” to complete, which was all amazing.

If you’re going raw as part of the iTC, idly considering it, or are already mostly raw, I think you’ll gain huge benefits from listening to our call. It was really interesting to me to discuss all my feelings about going raw, & then after the call, sit & think about what we had discussed. Everything she said made perfect sense, & it gave me lots of perspective.

Karen is a raw Wonderwoman, with infinite tools at her disposal. She should have a cape, with a big cabbage sewn on the back of it! & a parade! I am truly indebted to her for making my raw transition so much easier, for giving me lots of things to think about, & for helping me see my change in diet in a more holistic way!

Love letters & feather headdresses,

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Purple Eyebrows!

[ 21 April 2008, 00:00 ]

On Friday I woke up, quickly posted on iCiNG & raced out the door to go to Wildilocks, my hairdresser.

There were three things on the agenda.

1) I needed to have my extensions tightened. (After a couple of months, as your hair grows, the extensions go with them, so they end up sitting quite low down the strands of hair.)
2) I wanted to see whether I had enough hair at the back of my head to get extensions back there too. (When I first had my hair done, I only had extensions on the sides, because my hair was so short. My hair was cut in an extreme a-line so it looked okay, but I wanted a full head of hair!)
3) I planned on having my eyebrows bleached & dyed purple.

Eep!

I was officially inspired by the fabulous Zoetica Ebb (scroll down for a close-up — see also 1, 2, 3 & 4!), whose eyebrow-&-hair-matching prowess is infamous! She appears to have practically no eyebrows, which makes for great & diverse experiments with a coloured pencil, but, well, I do have eyebrows — dark ones. I also happen to like my eyebrows quite a lot, so instead of shaving them off (the horror!), I decided that a bit o’ colouring was exactly what they needed.

Happily, getting my extensions tightened & a whole lot of new ones added went wonderfully & without incident. I now have a full mane — hear me roar! It looks fantastic & Kat cut them with a razor, so my hair looks really natural & sits beautifully. So HAPPY!

Then it was time to do the ‘brows. Dun dun dun dunnnnn. I was actually thinking about telling them to just forget it, because I started to get The Fear, but then I decided that even if it looked terrible, it was only a temporary change (it should last a couple of weeks), & that I was prepared to sacrifice my eyebrows to the colouring gods in the name of a story!

Kat had me recline in a chair with a towel under my neck (for extra comfort!), swept some conditioner above my brow-line & just below, & then put some cotton wool strips over my eyes to keep them closed & protected. She brushed some lightener over my eyebrows, put an insulation strip over the top, & left me to it. I lay there for a while with my iPod on, relaxed but very aware of what was going on…

She checked on me regularly, & when she saw that the colour had come down quite well, she removed the first lot of lightener & added another. She didn’t leave it on for very long, & rinsed it off by spraying water on pieces of cotton wool & sweeping it across my eyebrows.

When I sat up to look in the mirror I freaked out. It was bad. I looked like death. See, I’m not kidding…

Not a good look, I tell you!

After taking that picture, I sat back down in the chair, trying not to look at myself in the mirror too much. It scared me. I got back into position & she applied the Special Effects concoction (she had mixed up some Wildflower, Blue Velvet & Fishbowl, the same combination as I have in my hair). We let it sit for about 20 minutes & then she rinsed it off.

As I was about to sit up to look in the mirror, Kat said, “You’ll like me better tomorrow, when it’s not so strong!” Hair dye stains the skin you see, so my eyebrows looked pretty intense. Actually, that’s a bit of an understatement. They looked very intense.

At first I felt like this…