Wellington’s spring is having one of its inevitable wintry regressions. Winona, hustling to get ready for work on Monday morning, is diving into half-packed boxes and bags. Of course she needs to exhume a winter garment a week before she and Will move to Hataitai. Finally, she pulls it out, her beloved red trench coat. […]
Entries Tagged as 'style'
The Thirties House
October 12th, 2011 Comments Off on The Thirties House
Winona, at her sister Helena’s house to survey baby hand-me downs, looks around and sighs. She remembers when this house on a Hutt Valley hill was the archetypical Wellingtonians-in-their-thirties house. In these newly acquired abodes, the purchasers spent all the money on the mortgage, or the baby, or the mortgage and the baby. The house […]
Tags: helena · real estate · style · winona
Self-Made Beauties
August 26th, 2011 2 Comments
Ulrika is quivering with excitement as she waits to go on stage. It’s such a cliche that a dance class changes a single woman’s life, but it happened to her. Her great and good friend Angela from Auckland suggested over Skype that she take a burlesque class, to shake her out of moping over the […]
Tags: social mores · style · ulrika
Engagement Party Chemistry
March 13th, 2011 1 Comment
Winona and Will haven’t gone to much fuss for their engagement party. The back room of Wazzer’s bar has been adorned with white fairy lights. A long table is jumbled with wine bottles, bowls of chips, and irregular engagement presents that arrived with guests. When Ulrika attempts a dramatic entrance, no-one pays much attention, they […]
Tags: other cities · romance · style · ulrika · wazzer · will · willow · winona
World of Wearable Arts
September 24th, 2010 2 Comments
As a lover of clothes and style, Winona had a brainwave. She would be a volunteer for the World of Wearable Arts, get a free ticket to the show, and have the chance to see what Wellington looks like when it dresses up. Asked if she wanted to be a backstage dresser, or to sell […]
Tags: style · world of wearable arts
113 Years On
August 18th, 2010 1 Comment
Let’s eavesdrop on some of Wellington’s movers and shakers, gathered in a penthouse flat. “…generating dollars per hour…” “…they want me to start this contract in Geneva as soon as possible, the problem is the paperwork that the U.N. requires…” “…extremely busy, no sign of the recession…” “…I say, this pinot noir is tasty. Penfold’s? […]
Tags: government · social mores · style
Rug Up, Mate: Wellington Storm Wear Strategies
June 9th, 2010 2 Comments
How long has it been raining for? Three weeks? Four? Welcome to the Wellington winter, with its lashing mix of rain and cold winds direct from Antarctica. Someday, genetic engineering will create the perfect human for the Wellington environment. Along with a third limb to hold a coffee cup or commuting bags, they will have […]
Tags: social mores · style · weather
Mud and Petals
May 26th, 2010 1 Comment
It’s done. Winona emerges from an unrenovated office tower, clenching a mud-colored folder to her chest. The mud tone is the official branded colour of the Department of Stodge – all the signed paperwork for her Winona’s new job is now being clasped to her breast against a sudden downpour. The stony, low sky might […]
IAWL Likes…Poppies
April 18th, 2010 Comments Off on IAWL Likes…Poppies
It’s that week before Anzac Day when flashes of red appear on our lapels. Wearing the poppy for remembrance says so many things. “I respect my ancestors…Gallipoli was horrible…I gave a gold coin to the nice poppy-handing-out person, did you?” The poppy design can’t have changed since the early 60s – late enough for the […]
The Good Day
March 31st, 2010 Comments Off on The Good Day
“You can’t beat Wellington on a good day.†And today is one of them. Clear silvery sunshine beats down on the jackets everyone is wearing, just in case. The autumn freshness means they’re still comfortable. The harbor’s waters retain summer’s friendly turquoise, only a hint of darker cold currents in the deeper spots. Even the […]