Well it’s been an interesting year so far…

I had a disagreement with my flatmate over her parking my car in for a week, 2 weeks later we’re moving out.  We were homeless for awhile, housesitting, and couch-surfing, while our cat lived in a tree next to our old house, where we would visit him every day to feed him.

I was working 3 – 4 part-time jobs to pay the bills after being made redundant in Jan.  Then we moved into an awesome flat with our friend, and after 3 months there was a leak in the corner of our room, so we’ve been sleeping in the lounge for just over a month.

They say things come in 3′s and there can be only up from here.

I’ve now finally settled in my new full time job, I love it!  Our room will be fixed this week, after a huge lumpsum from the rent reduction we applied for, we can now buy a new fridge or washing machine.  I’m grateful to have gone through all that culling, and painfully letting go to be where I am now in life.

As a good friend of mine said to another, “She just wasn’t meant to be there, and this is where she’s meant to be in life.”

Well I totally agree!!

One of my most exciting things thats developed out of all the craziness this year… Is Zac and I started a business together Momogirl Ltd.

I design, construct and finish the garments or crafts.  Where Zac directs me, which he is very good at!!

Follow –  http://momogirl.co.nz/momo-girl-designs-and-projects/ to view some of my work.

Take care all, and I’ll keep you posted, literally on the Momogirl progress…

GOK is coming to N.Z, and will be making over hidden Cinderallers in St Lukes, Albany and Manukau City, Auckland.

Gok has inspired me every show, especially when I have writers block.  Genrally 1 show will get me back on track, and inspire the fashion designer in me to thrive.  I can’t wait to meet him, and blog about the whole Westfield tour.

The free events will take place on Tuesday, April 24 at 1.30pm at Westfield St Lukes, Thursday, April 26 at 6pm at Westfield Albany and Friday, April 27 at 6pm at Westfield Manukau City.

Stay tuned till then for the fabulous show…

Well it’s been a lil while since I’ve been here, and I hope you’ve all been good.

I’m trying out video blogging, it’s new and exciting.  See what you think!!..

http://youtu.be/ui2JUW3VDdE

Follow Kate on http://siobhanfashion.com/

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Siobhan-Fashion/178900872158391

Well it’s been a great week.  I’ve been on holiday all week, and I’ve been sewing for most of it.  Working with my fashion designer friend Traci, who I’ll brag about next week.

We’ve been making 60 swing, Austin Powers style dresses, and  poncho’s, it’s been really fun.  We’re making costume’s for a fashion show, with models coming out onto the street to entice innocent bystanders.   They’ll be wearing black bob wigs, bright red leather hats, and carrying a lantern.  It’s not for another week now, so there’s no crazy rush, or sewing through the night, like usually.

The first job I finished this week is a boring drape job.  A client wanted 6 3 by 3m black curtain fabrics for a photo shot.  Boring in the sense of straight edge sewing, and over-locking.  Thank goodness that’s over, so I can continue the jazzy 60′s outfits, much more enjoyable.

Right! down to business.  I promised another brilliant website for your pleasure, and here it is…  New Look from the U.K.  www.newlook.com/shop/womens_10002

I love this site, I’ve tested and proven it’s brilliance.

I brought a pair of black swade wedges for only $35 New Zealand, $15 Euro, and they rock.

I wear them everyday to work, and to be wearing high shoes for nearly 12 hours a day, generally takes it’s toll, so I highly recommend wedge’s for this kind of situation.

The website is beautifully displayed, it is well categorized, clear, and so so so FULL of amazing clothing, shoes, and accessories!

The really good news is New Zealand’s dollar is Euro’s 60 cents, which may not seem like much, but compared to year ago, it use to be doubled even tripled!

Check out some of my favorite’s.

29.99 Euro

29.99 Euro

24.99 Euro

24.99 Euro

23.00 Euro

21.99 Euro

14.99 Euro

24.99 Euro

49.99 Euro

34.99 Euro

This week I take a break from blogging about my successful friends to share with you this amazing website I discovered, and absolutely LOVE!

Firstly all the way from lil ol New Zealand...http://www.nzsale.co.nz/Default.aspx

I’ve added photo’s of some of the brands, but just go have a look on the above link, and sign up to get beautiful cheap deals on quality goods.

I few weeks ago I purchased a long sleeve, beautiful soft pink shirt with bridal buttons, and a cow swoop neck with a sash tie around the neck.  It’s from Raoul, a well designed label that is usually really excessive, I mean this shirt is usually $243, and I got it for $35.  Crazy, and it arrived within 21 days.

It is absolutely beautiful, and everyone comments on how gorgeous I look.

About Nzsale

Nzsale is the leading members-only online shopping club in New Zealand and your doorway to affordable designer fashion.

Every day we host sales for the top fashion brands in the world.  Nzsale members can access these sales and enjoy savings of up to 80% on ladies, men’s and children’s fashion and accessories as well as beauty and homeware brands.

Membership is free and everyone is welcome to join.

Nzsale is part of the APAC Sale Group.

Since launching in 2007, over 600 high profile local and international brands have chosen the APAC Sale Group to host more than 15,000 sale events.

Nzsale has dedicated buyers in New Zealand, Australia, Europe and Asia and who spend their days (and sometimes nights!) searching the world for the best products and negotiating deals direct with suppliers to offer exclusively to our members.

The brands featured in our sale events rarely sell online or discount their products.

Nzsale provides a convenient way to access sales all year round from the comfort of your own home.   With Nzsale, you no longer need to wait for the sales because the best brands are always on sale!

How does it work?                                                                                  

It’s simple! Nzsale members receive a sale notification every morning.

An average of 6 to 8 sales are held each day, seven days a week.  Sales start at 8am and typically run for 2 to 3 days.

60% of stock is usually sold in the first 48 hours so getting in early is key!

Flash sales disappear from the site once they are finished.

How to join?

Membership is free and for a limited time only, anyone can join!

Only a limited number of memberships are available.  When all the spots are taken, membership will be on an invitation-only basis.

So, if you never want to pay full price again for designer fashion, join Nzsale today and access our exclusive online sales.

Where else can you find us?

Nzsale is part of the APAC Sale Group which operates in Australia (ozsale.com.au) and has recently expanded to Asia (singsale.com.sg) where our members are equally enthusiastic about the great brands on sale and jaw dropping savings.

Planning for continued expansion throughout Asia is underway so stay tuned!

O.k! that’s NZ sale.co.nz…

Stay tuned till next week to hear about U.K’s New Look, a funky online clothing store with cheap delivery, and hot affordable clothing, and shoes.

Much love. x

My next fav person to brag about is… Monique Lynch is brilliant, and an inspiration to me.  She is a fully trained accountant, and discovered her passion for fashion after working as an accountant for a few years.

Monique has always had a flare, style and what’s up with the play in fashion since I’ve known her for the past few years.

Whenever I want fashion advice, she’s my go to friend for tips and what’s not working.

Check out below is her latest fashion success, being a part of making the winning garment for New Zealand’s Next Top Models, aprox 16.40mins in…

http://ondemand.tv3.co.nz/New-Zealands-Next-Top-Model-Cycle-3-Ep-8/tabid/59/articleID/3671/MCat/142/Default.aspx

Also I’ve interviewed her on the same questions as Tawa last time.  This is one to learn from all you budding fashion admires.

It’s been awhile since yal heard from me, I’ve been pretty busy with my 60 hour a week job, tending to my family, and getting over righters block .  A good friend encouraged me to take on righting half an hour daily to get into the habit, and that made me think, just get righting again, I love it, I’m good at it, and I have alot of very successful friends in the fashion world, that I’m going to boast about and show you how they started out.

This is part 1 of My Successful friends…

First friend I’d like to boast about is Tawa Hunter born year of the fiery dragon, mother of 3 boys, married to Shamos.  Known her for about 4 years.  One of the founders of Too Luscious, a successful resin maori design jewellery label, the first ever to create resin colored Tikis in New Zealand.  That’s pretty successful if you ask me!  Their website is filled with beautiful art work, and stunning jewellery designs…  Also given it’s Maori Language week this week, how appropriate Tawa!

Check out her beautiful website www.tawahunter.co.nz

I caught up with Tawa on facebook, as most friends do these days with busy lives, and asked her a few prodding questions about how she got where she is today..

1. I fell into business 6 years ago by having a tutu around with my sister in law. We made a pink tiki each which we wore. After heaps of people asking to buy them we thought maybe it was something we could do. One of them made it into a store on Ponsonby rd around a friends neck, that store bought them and then it all took off from there.

• Q2- What is it like?

2. Business definitely has its challenges. Being a creative person I have had to deal with disciplining myself in areas I haven’t normally been strong in, such as planning! Also being confident enough to sell myself and my product is something I still have to contend with. But on the positive side, I LOVE getting to create new objects, meet new people, work around my family (although I often put in many more hours than I would in a normal job), and learn everyday.

• Q3- What would you do differently if you could turn back the clock?

3. If I could turn back the clock I would have ensured I leveraged off the initial publicity I had with my sister-in-law and pushed my brand so that people equated the colourful resin tiki with Too Luscious. We didn’t do that so well, and as a result most people don’t realize we were the first ones (aside from the beautifully carved corian tiki of Rangi Kipa) to bring this funky little object out. Most people know about coloured tiki because we have so many copy cats now, but those people don’t necessarily know about Too Luscious.

• Q4- What advise do you have for ppl starting out in the fashion world?

4. The advice I would give is give yourself the necessary skills and knowledge you need first, maybe do a course in small business management or a fashion design course to give you a head start. I don’t have any formal training and have learned what I know through experience which is possible to do in NZ, but there are times when those skills would have come in very good use, and it would have fast tracked things for me. Also have confidence in yourself and your designs. Be yourself and bring your own design statements to the table, because at the end of the day that will set you apart from everyone else.
And the golden rule, network, network, network. Remember people and appreciate them and it will always bring you those big opportunities.

Some of her fine work..

Don’t be crazy, and go check out her gallery, I’ll blow ya mind with her funky design. Yeah!  Love ya Tawa. xx

Well I know I haven’t blogged for a while now.  I’ve really struggled to come up with something as exciting as the Libra Design project.

Sitting in my lounge Friday evening with a blanket over my legs, drinking a low carb beer, after a long exciting day at work, searching the Internet for a worthy subject to blog on I remembered my friends wedding a few weeks ago.  A good friend I hadn’t seen in a while was wearing one of the best lil black dresses I’ve seen in years.  It was drill thick fabric, simple, plain singlet like up top, and tailored, and layered under a belt waistband.  I can’t remember too many details, as it was a long day/night of celebration, but I can remember my friend saying “Trade me!!”

So I researched further..   And it is true!!!!    AND OH MY GOD!!

I am so addicted, I use to come home, and go straight to FB, but now I check my yahoo, and see how all my bidding is going…

Looking for cheap, good condition, outfit with an expensive label, check out trade me… Believe me it’s awesome.

$20 + shipping

It might not look much in

the photo, but this Karen

Walker Skirt I got is only

$20, and it’s just what I

want, a skirt to wear over

tights or stockings, with

front pockets, and lined!

Perfect to look good, and

keep warm this winter.

$69 + $6 shipping

I also bought this angora vintage cardy, for $75.  I don’t own many feminine

jackets, and I love more than anything wearing a warm, soft cosy jacket at

work, than a tailored stift jacket..:)

Anothr bargin I bought for only $15 is this sexy lil black strapless dress,

which will be great for my boyfriends aunty’s wedding end of this month.

$15!!! Crazy awesome, and cheap!!

As you may have noticed, I haven’t come across

many bright colour items yet, but for this price,

I’m not complaining…

I also have a number of items on a watch list…

Including these beautiful lil numbers..

$10

All the challenges have gone their separate ways, and I’m very happy to say I’ve been in contact with all of them.  In the next few weeks I’ll be interviewing them to find out how the show was for them, and WHATS next??!

And anyone who’s anyone know’s that the winner Kerry is in the process of designing his catwalk collection, to show case his inspirational designs.  I’m very excited, and can’t wait to see it.

Then I’m interviewing Qiulae and Trish, and hopefully Zowie when she’s back in Auckland.

Zowie contacted me, and forwarded me to her Zowie Dee page…Check it out!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Zowie-Dee/211150505276

Ok, so what’s next is…ASOS!!!

Asos? what on earth is Asos??

Well let me tell you… Asos is a U.K online fashion shop WITH free delivery??   Yep you heard me correctly, FREE delivery!

A great fashion design student friend of mine brought to my attention Asos.  I love hot affordable fashion, and I had to check it out.                              http://www.asos.com/?affid=3055&WT.srch=1&r=2

Here’s some of that hotness..

$48 NZ

$60 NZ

$60 NZ

$70 NZ

$70 NZ

$90 NZ

$120 NZ

$240

$120

$110 NZ

Only some of the fine beauties I’ve discovered on this awesome online shop.  Go ahead.. Check it out!

Now if you’ve been following my blogs, you’d picked the one designer that stood out for me, and that was Qiulae.  Purely because alot of the clothes she designed, I would wear, and wished I had in my wardrobe!  Her style is always fresh, fun, bright, and are all def. head turners, bar the first week, that was the only week I wasn’t impressed, the rest hands down.

Now if the viewers got the chance to vote for the winners of the show, I would of picked Qiulae’s outfit.  Is’s sexy, cute, and I like the idea that the jacket was heavier than the dress, I think that was the point of the contrast.

Second favorite would have to be Kerry, not because he was the winner of the show, but for his out side of the box thinking, unique style, and tailored skill.  Kerry’s final garment was funky, genius, and well thought of.  A beautiful range of texture, which I love the most next to the simplicity of the design.  Who would of thought, Kerry you are brilliant.

Then it was running tie with Zowie and Trish.  Both very competitive, skilled, and great designers.  Since the show, I’ve seen more of Trish’s runway collection, and am very impressed with her divers, unique style, and only wish she brought more of that to the show, but now we know who you are Trish, and that is what it’s all about.

As with all the contestants on the show I would really like to interview yal to see which direction you take next, and if you have any advice for up and coming new designers.