We're a lazy generation...

Oh but we do love to shop! Luckily the Internet is forever providing new and increasingly lazy ways for me to get my clothing fix! This is a site i look upon regularly - it's called pullyoursocksup and it's a cheap and cheerful vintage site run by Angela Crane. The wife of Murray Crane, you know 'little brother' ...'Murray Crane Clothing'..

Yes well, basically the idea behind the site is that Ange goes shopping and sells her prized items onto lazy sit-at-home punters like you and me.

I guess it's more of a glorified trade me profile than a fully comprehensive vintage site, but here in lies its appeal. First in first serve. And lots of waiting in between.

Error of Excess

Do you guys know we're having a party? It's in AUCKLAND and it's to celebrate the release of Issue Nine - The End of The Suburban Dream! Anyway it's three Saturday's away, so I still have plenty of time to decide on my outfit... Theme: The Error of Excess...

lovelovelorelei

I think the reason I love Lorelei so much is that the brand reminds me why fashion CAN have so much integrity. Lorene Harris used to own a shop called Dandelion and although she was an able multi tasker - trying to juggle a store, her own clothing line and coming up with new designs, proved a bit much.

'My brand has been around for ten years now' she tells me 'but not having the shop is allowing me soo much time to actually produce more clothing.Making clothes can remain my focus rather than the everyday workings of owning a shop.'

And by god has this free time proved fruitful. Producing more and more pieces, her brand is growing and so too is her reach. However perhaps the most interesting and admirable aspect of Lorelei is the fact that each piece is hand made in only the most favourable of vintage and new fabrics.

'Great fabrics is what drives me' she explains, ''and I'm always keeping an eye out for new and interesting designs.'

'I feel strongly about ethical standards and in a way, making all of my own clothes is about taking a stance against mass marketing. I only ever make a few sizes and I think that retains some of the originality and uniqueness of the garments.' Well Lorene, I do too!
Available at MFP xxx

GET FUCT!!!!

Oh yes, yes I just did it...like everyone else who may have come in contact with this brand- I used a pun. I'm like a child who's just discovered the term 'whakapapa'...FUCT, FUCT, FUCT. Dubbed as 'one of the most legendary and influential skate brands of all time' GAG is proudly boasting their new drop now. LIKE, GET IN STORE OR GO GET FUCT.
ah-ha-ha-ha

SO HOT RIGHT NOW

Boy oh boy...through the power of the Internet this image is verging on 'old news today' (see HERE and HERE.) However all this means is that kiwi's are darn proud of their own kind and especially so when they're young, glamours and talented!
During Sydney Fashion week Twenty Seven Names designer Rachel Easting was snapped sporting a piece from her winter collection 'Crazy Horse' by none other than The Satoralist. During this icy snap a reminder of sea, sun and sand is doing my mental health wonders...

Awww isn't she loverly.

A window of vision!

I'd love to lie and pretend I didn't have a day job which paid the pills, but I do..for as long as I can remember ( whether it was in school or in uni) retail has been my income. Luckily I've always worked in interesting shops and subsequently been exposed to new labels, ideas and visions.
I've also come to appreciate the value of a 'good window.' Eye catching and 'original' are two values which resonate strongly, and when a shop achieves this, I always appreciate their effort!
Enter: Children Of Vision - a new boutique nestled amongst the cafes and galleries on Auckland's K rd. C O V is the brainchild of designer Jimmy D and stocks brands such as Romance was Born ( Sydney), TV ( Melbourne), Andrea Crews (Paris) and many many more....

But back to the point of this post - check out the pics of their latest display 'window'

Children of Vision...get it? get it? Check out their goodies HERE

To dress up, or not dress up...that is the question!

According to the bible ( or as some of you may know it, wikipedia) 'Dress Up is a game engaged in mainly by children...it helps strengthen their imagination and often resembles who they'd like to be.'
The act of dressing up surely is a puzzling one and the fact that it's such an ingrained cultural past time has me scratching my head even more...
Are we trying to re-live our childhood through doing this? Does it 'spice' up the mundane regularity of partying with old friends? Or does it...like wikipedia suggests, ignite our creativity and feed our tired imagination? I really can't decide.
Putting on a fancy dress sure gets me in the mood to dance, and putting on an outrageous hat does provoke a certain flair and cheek, but having to turn up with everyone else dressed as an 'animal', a 'zombie' or a 'superhero' really does little to excite me.
However I'm wary of parading around this view. ‘Loosen up a little', 'get amongst it' and 'put on this batman cape' you'll tell me, but truth is, these days at least, I'm just not that into it.
Maybe I've been to too many parties where everyone stands around looking at their 'effort,' perhaps I've always made to much of one ... or maybe I'm just a bit of a prude who doesn't like getting out of their ' zone.' Who knows?
To dress up, or not dress up.... I'm totally and utterly confused.

Wellytown

Wellington artist Miriam Silvester has taken the graphic tee to a whole new level - she's encouraging you to make it your own. Miriam wants you to colour in the beautiful line art of your favourite city, to add to your embellishments over time and re-create the t-shirt every season or even every time you wear it.

check out her website for some great ideas for individualizing Wellytown tees (and posters!!) and upload pics of your own creations.

T-shirts and Posters availabale at Rex Royale, 106 Cuba Mall, Wellington.

The Skunken Wins!

Madame Fancy Pants drew the winner for the Swarovski crystal necklace. She decided her favourite fictitious animal was indeed the Skunken!

Guzz described a Skunken as 'A small cute round animal that changes colours and shape according to the environment it is in. It eats lollies and rubbish for energy and it is best friends with many Figgles. Figgles are child friendly animals who make very good babysitters! I could do with a few Figgles today ... !

Please email lucy@fluromag.com and we'll have this sent straight out to you. Congratulations!!

It's fashion week in Syndey, Darling!

The ambition of any designer is to 'break new boundaries' and 'shock and excite the audience .' This week is Sydney Fashion week and by the end of it I'm sure there's going to be a hell of a lot of stories to tell. One clip which so far has intrigued me is that of iconic Melbourne label Dizingof. For the introduction he used interpretative dancers and as you will see below....the result is certainly eye catching!!!!

Follow more FW news HERE

Miranda July...

There are some people who are just so damn talented you can't help but watch them in awe. They're not good at one thing, but five and not only produce great work, but get worthy recognition too!!!

Miranda July is such a girl. In 2005 she wrote, directed and starred in her first feature film Me and You and Everyone We Know, she won the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award for her collection of short stories, and in July 2002 created the participatory website, learningtoloveyoumore.com with artist Harrell Fletcher.

Last year she also produced an installation work 'The Hallway.' This features a series of thoughts which are displayed down a 125 foot hallway and feature English one way, Japanese the other.

Strangely compelling, thought provoking and utterly random ..Miranda July, I think I heart you!!!

Our second BLOG Free Bee!!!!

Miss Madame Fancy Pants is giving one lucky FLURO viewer a beautiful MFP necklace!!!
This baby is uni sex so boys and girls get creative and tell us what fictitious animal you would want to be and why?!
Why? Because the new animal inspired "DEADLY PONIES PRECIOUS RANGE" has dropped in store today! YAY! I know there's a cult following out there desperate to get their hands on these babies...So jump online, or get yourself into MFP to pick up your PRECIOUS now. Good luck! Decisions will be made BY WEDNESDAY

xoxox

WHAM BAM THANK YOU PAM!!!

I'm not really a tee person. I know that sounds stupid, because they're just so basic.... but i prefer dresses or shirts over the hum and drum of a tee. When the slogan faze swept though, I refused to fall victim. 'I am not a walking billboard' i thought....and there and then swore never to T it again.

And then I fell upon PAM. Perks and Mini doesn't just do T's, ( they do pretty much everything under the sun), but it's their humble T which every season gets me.

Born of a graphic design background this mega-genius-couple-creative-duo always do the best prints. Inspired, original and often with a very collage aesthetic... upon viewing their range I threw my 'morals' out the door.

Our good friends at GAG just got a drop of their new stuff. Yes the images above are men, but meh, the T's are freaking rad. Who ever may choose to wear them.
Oh yea and check out their site. These guys are KOOKY AS!

WOWZAZ

I forgot to post these ages ago ( being two tones and all it's always interesting to see our fashion shoots in colour!) Here are a few pics from Issue 8 'Creative Desctruction'

You can view more here...

'So what's it all about then? IT'S A RAVE DAVE'

When we drink at our house my flatmate Abby likes to show us YouTube video's that remind her of London. We don't mind. It makes us feel rather exotic...

Last night she was on a role and I realised she must have been there during the height of 'neon rave'...and lovin it!



Although the phase has surely passed ( yes we are all into monotones and shades of grey...) this clip reminded me why bright leggings and fluro dresses were such a craze and swept the world. Oh come on.....I know you like it too.

The Flaneur

Auckland photgrapher Lydia Cowpertwait has just begun a cute new fashion blog....

Oh how great it is to find another interesting place to trawl on the wonderful world that is the web.

Tribal warfare

NEONSLEEPS 3RD bday party was rad last night. For those who came early to enjoy some punch and pick up a Mag- Thanks!!
Anyway, there were castles, warriors, owls, 'intelligent survivors of the recession', inspired tribal futuristic Indians ( thanks Courtney) and gangsta/rocker/hipster rappers.
It was awesome!
But back to the point of this post: Welfe showed me the up and running 'Look' feature of his site. You should check it out...it's rad....
Can't wait to see the rest!

SOME PEOPLE ARE CRAZY!!!! WATCH THIS

I'm trusting NZ has some 'zany' characters to compete with this one.
Reality TV you scare me.

WHOLLY SHIZZ

If you party/ go to gigs/ or are just generally out and about.... then chances are at some point over the last few years you may have come across a wellington guy named Welfe.

Neonsleep ( the cultural hub of NZ's night life) is moving....No longer will Welfe deal solely with pics of YOU, rumour has it- he's going to document all aspects of cultural life. Fashion, events, gigs, etc..

It's really nice to see party photo progress into something else.... I think he's right on to monopolise on the hype the neonsleep site has created, and to build on that to create something else...

Hell New Zea lands a small place- there's every reason why ONE cultural centre ( even if it's on the web) could exist.

The launch party is tonight so for those of you, like me, who can't go- check his site tomo...

www.neonsleep.com

I can't wait to see!

Beat Poët

So I know the winter season is over, but I just came across a label that blew me away with their latest collection. Total steez.

Check out Beat Poët. The label emerged from the German label Punkt Linie Fläche in early 2005, relocated to Melbourne and is now based out of Sydney. Their style is super rad, dark, classy, real suave without being wanky. Is that a good description? I don't know. Check it out for yourself and decide.

They are creating a mini empire, soon delving into publishing, men’s shoes, luggage, limited edition pieces and more. Exciting.


And if dressing up for that night out partying has ever got you down and close to tears, check out this Beat Poët video. A nice little guide for all us fashion-inept.



Enjoy.

x