My Heart is an Anchor
It’s a fact that Auckland city is a creative hub, and there are many talented creators within not just our fashion scene but also in fine art too. I found this beautiful mural created by New Zealand artist Tom Collins in the Wynyard Quarter of Silo Park. The text ‘My heart is an anchor, then leave it behind’ is a heartfelt message that I was curious to explore.
The message references a play by American author Tony Kushner, about love, travel and communication across the water. Collins wanted the colours to of the mural to be ‘surprising and harmonious’ as they reflect the surrounding area, something I try to do within my outfits and backdrops. The anchor represents the history of Auckland waterfront as a port destination. Collins wanted the waterfront to be reintroduced as a romantic destination, and I have always been a romantic at heart.
I went for a monochromatic theme with this outfit, largely to contrast with the beautiful rainbow wall behind me. This outfit came together organically, with the shorts from Nunui being the hero piece and everything else styled around them. Loose gathered shorts are looking to be a key piece for this coming summer, and I love the idea of tucked in cute tops and tees to match. This tee from Kmart comes in a few other colours but I love the crisp white, and being a cotton blend it gives the fabric a lot more body. The little flares on the sleeves of this tee are just completely adorable, and the headband also from Kmart makes the perfect trio.
I went very vivid with my makeup this week, a bold red lip and vivid eyes. I used an eyeshadow cream in white to get the beautiful reflective highlights, and a dark maroon shade for the deepest part of my eye crease. I was really happy with how it turned out, and my favourite wispy lashes meshed perfectly. I feel it’s important to explore the way that makeup changes in photographs, compared to how it looks in ‘real life’. This look was very bold in person, and was closer to stage makeup than some previous looks. However it photographed outside in natural light very effectively. Natural light will always wash out makeup slightly, so when I am photographing an outfit I always go a bit darker and bolder than I would for myself. To play off the black and white patterns, I wore this ode to the 90's Lovisa choker set and it gives this outfit just a hint of street appeal.
This outfit took on a very cute, summery 50’s vibe so I added a high pony with the ends curled, my favourite pair of white KED sneakers and voila! My rule with ponytails now, is keep it super high or don’t even bother. I have come to appreciate a lovely pony especially in recent times, as long as I can tame my hair to the highest point on my head and keep the little flyways down. I use Loreal ’Techni-art’ fix spray and it is absolutely fantastic. I have very fine unmanageable hair that resists a curl. This spray enables you to manipulate the hair after it’s sprayed for a short time, so you can easily smooth flyways without the ‘crispy’ look. I popped on a pair of plain white ankle socks to weight the outfit, and this will be a favourite summer go-to of mine for sure.
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THE UNDEFINED PHOTOGRAPHY
Based in Christchurch, New Zealand.
