snap of the day

rosie in MINT DOCS @ new zealand fashion week

taken by the peeps at We The People

in the days of my youth

blinded by our own brilliance, we set out among the stars riding a great urgency to live, guided by nothing but a whim. and we camoflauged ourselves among all those that belonged there, like shrubs parading as trees among a regal forrest of gods. they greeted us unknowingly. and for a moment in time we delighted in their feast without knowing the true sacred of the occasion, or that in days to come our friendship would come undone.

images from 'freedom three' photography by sara orme, styling by courtney sanders, for always, sometimes, anytime

land of the long pink & white cloud

alas, spring has sprung! a tree outside my window is blossoming with pink flowers, at the same time (if not subliminally thanks to the pink tree) i am admiring some new zealand paraphenalia including this powder pink swan vase by Studio Ceramics (original mould by Crown Lynn):

 
as well as these old pictures of the Pink and White Terraces (which were destroyed when Mt. Tarawera erupted in 1886 - in their time however, were considered one of the great wonders of the world):

images via House of Aroha blog and website

nga waiata

NZ jeweller Nga Waiata is best known for her stunning crystal and pounamu rings set in recycled native wood. now she has a new range of pendants which she will be showing at NZFW with Tauranga label Blak Luxe. they are amazing - as is she - check out the inspiring interview with her down below

                 

images via nga waiata and fancy! nz design blog

on the subject of movie stills

 i wanted to share a beautiful scene from Dead Man by Jim Jarmusch. this movie is poetry! that is all.

x sunbeam

waiheke bowling club, surfdale

system virtue

this is such an amazing video! i don't know why it's not remembered/celebrated more. nb: tama iti in opening scene flying tino rangatiratanga flag. che New Zealand in the 90s - when we were one; the last moments before we splintered off into many - i will always look back with deep affection for you.

xx

millenium girls: alice

it's not that i've exhausted my 'girls of the 90s' obsession, it's just that i've found a new love - girls of the new millenium. remember when it was all about laboratory-style architecture, cyberpunk science fiction, raves, PVC and y2k?

 i start off this new thread of interest with Alice from Resident Evil (2002), in particular the final scene where she wakes up to the zombie apocalypse as a just-been-genetically-altered-babe. since she is something of an older cousin to Leeloo (<--omg actually click on that link, you will be amazed), i will always have a soft spot for milla jovovich.

...is this nerd talk?!?!

free radical

don't mind me, i'm just raining bags all over your web browser. it's because i've been ooh-ing and ahh-ing for the past hour at russian designer Nutsa Modebadze's website, which has literally hundreds of fine hand tooled leather wear, from bags to clutches to shoes. scrunched up leather, dip-dyed leather, leather which looks like the surface of the moon, leather patchwork, cross-hatch, patented, and the list goes on, to give one the impression that they grew themselves that way like some sort of amoeba. i really dig the organic look when it comes to leather wear - and now with a newfound appreciation - when it comes to baggage.

images via Pour Porter Shop and Nutsa Modebadze website

pounamu velvs part II

oh god. just when i thought i was making a killllling at saving money - had to go and spot these

pounamu. suede. riding boot. perfection

by jefferey campbell, images via bona drag

through the looking glass

some new pics of pounamu jewellery handcrafted by me - now up on Etsy!

Pounamu is native New Zealand nephrite jade sourced from the west coast of the South Island. It has a very deep green colour, often characterised by light or dark specks and milky tones. It carries very sacred, spiritual significance for Maori. Before Europeans arrived, pounamu was one of the strongest materials available and was used for weaponry and tools. Today it is most commonly used in jewellery, in keeping with the tradition of the hei tiki pendant.

all images by me

xx sunbeam

californ-eye-aye

HOW gorgeous is this lady, Sunny Walker, owner of vintage shop Painted Bird in California. currently penciling up a visit to the states (sort of a homecoming - my birth place!) and while we plan to make our way through a good lot of eco farms through the WWOOF programme (work on an organic farm in exchange for free accomodation and food) we also would like to spend some time on Native American reservations if possible, sort of like a marae situation back here. because he has Hopi bloodlines then doing so in Arizona looks promising!

images by closet visit

UO late fall catalogue - i like the whole side-kick thing here reminds me of Vickie from Reality Bites which i just rewatched recently and was actually frustrated with how annoying Winona's character Lelaina is - Vickie was way cooler and anyway i suppose having an anti-hero as the main protagonist and truly awesome one as the side-kick is sort of an agreeable equation anyway.

hope you're well
x sunbeam