I recently took my grandmother for a girls' trip to Wellington, a city which — despite several visits to New Zealand — she has never visited. It was only a couple of nights stay and a day of exploring Te Papa, the national museum. Having recently turned eighty, my Lola has definitely slowed down from the pace of our trip around Europe back...

On a couple of occasions, I've talked a bit about my skincare philosophy. Certainly I find winter is a lot harder on my skin than the other seasons and the exposure to heating and drying is already causing discomfort. So last weekend I stopped by the Clarins counter at the department store and found some products to help me this season. It was...

A couple of months ago I was discussing coloured jeans with a colleague. I'd never actually bought any but felt I should. Jen has them but often feels too self-conscious to wear them. Most of us have parts of our bodies which we dislike and it can feel a bit like we're pointing a flashing arrow at them if we highlight them with...

Model: Natasha Bell A poster at Westfield reminded me that the winter ball season is upon us. For those who choose to participate it can be a costly affair, not least of which is the sometimes exorbitant amount spent on finding the perfect dress: a dress that gets used once, maybe twice. My perspective is to invest in the accessories: items which are...

The style challenge for Mother's Day was bohemian and red. I put two looks together for the theme: one I wore in the morning and the other — a sedate, less gypsy, more 1920s Paris — was for high tea lunch at Ballantynes. Whilst both outfits were lovely — and the white and red version certainly garnered positive comments from strangers at the...

I was recently asked whether I keep separate winter and autumn wardrobes. I don't. I believe in the power of layering and whilst some items may get less use over winter or over summer, I like to keep all my options available.   The same principle applies when I travel and I prefer to take a number of lighter mix-n-match pieces which layer...

Friday's challenge of floral and waistcoat induced a combination I probably wouldn't have put together if I hadn't had the challenge prompts and yet I was very happy with the resulting look for it's quirkiness. The jumping off item was definitely the Portmans dress which offers a wide variety of colour options to run with. Given the waistcoat I matched it with was...

I confess that I fell in love with this Blockout gold bandage dress from the moment I put it on at the Bondi Beach shop during a girls' weekend trip to Sydney. I was reticent to buy it because it's quite flashy and I wondered when I would ever get to wear it. But the dress seduced me with its excellent fit: it's...

Ness brought her distinctive, ice cream sundae style on our girls' weekend away. My bestie and I went on a girls' weekend away to celebrate 25 years of friendship. We first met when we were 11 years old - I know you're running the calculations and have figured out that we're now thirty-six years old. Ness booked us into the beautiful Waiorau Homestead...

I've been in the Coromandel for the first bit of the Easter break and although it's technically autumn already, knowing I was going to be in a beautiful and warm part of the country, I kept one of the Seven Days of Summer swimwear and coverups aside. Afterall, what an ideal place to take some beautiful photos and play in some crystal clear...

I love exploring the local charity and consignment shops when I'm on holiday and I was pleasantly surprised at the number I found in little old Whitianga in the Coromandel. After all it's a town of only 4000 people, if you don't count all the tourists and holidayers. My particular favourite was Rubosa, a traditional consignment store, selling a wide variety of brands....

Models: Brooke Mather & Caitlin Mather With Valentine's Day imminent some of you may be treated to a swanky night out. Dressing up in formal evening wear is usually thrilling but can also be stressful leading up to the event. I know of women who spend a significant amount of money finding the right dress and shoes often wearing the purchases only once. Worn...

Models: Caitlin Mather and Brooke Mather I like to take a bit of attitude with me to work whether that's in texture, colour, cut or statement accessories. Just because it's work doesn't mean it has to be boring. Caitlin and Brooke show off a couple of professional looks that didn't cost a lot but bring a bit of glam to the grindstone. Both...

Model: Natasha Bell I enjoy costume parties and really prefer to put together a costume myself rather than hiring or buying one. Sometimes it's really as easy as wandering down to your local dollar store and buying a pair of wings. The black feathered variety that Natasha wears was only $6.90NZD - and all the other items were taken from our combined existing...

Model: Caitlin Mather I love this surprise find from Millers: a very pretty mellow yellow that enhances Caitlin's tanned complexion. The dress design is retro-70s, Laura Ashley-esque feminine in feel and the hemline a demure 1920s mid-calf. The detailing with the lace hem is just superb and is a step up from what you generally expect to find in a budget clothing store....

Model: Brooke Mather I love maxi dresses: they're so feminine and demure, and make me feel very ladylike teamed with a pair of sandals or strappy wedges. But one of the great things about playsuits and jumpsuits having come back into our stores and wardrobes is that we can do maxi without the dress. The beautiful Brooke looks absolutely gorgeous in this Paperscissors...

Model: Natasha Bell If you step back a little over a century the western woman's wardrobe would have included a full-length petticoat and a corset. Granted both functioned as undergarments, uncomfortable ones at that! These days, you're more likely to find petticoats in costume shops and corsets in naughty Halloween costume sets or lingerie. I have a reasonable collection of corset tops and...

Model: Caitlin Mather As a child in the Philippines, I was used to umbrellas on the streets deployed both in sun and rain. It was fairly strange, therefore, to move to New Zealand and only see umbrellas used during inclement weather. A couple of weeks ago, I was preparing for a photoshoot and was looking at the available items at my local dollar...

Photographer: Ianessa Guerrero A white maxi dress, skirt, palazzo or wide-legged pants — as shown in the photo — can be given real zing by adding floaty colour on top. In this case, I've used the large graphic Goa scarf from Fara Boutique as a long-line top, cinched at the waist to create shape whilst leaving the bottom free to move. If you're...