An absurdist style guide to take you from hungover brunch to divorce court, by way of an indigenous art fair
Kate Sylvester’s notes on her latest lookbook may have whetted our appetite for the nostalgic spectacle that is her 30th anniversary collection, but until 93 23 was brought to life on the NZFW: Kahuria runway, we couldn’t have imagined its versatility.
Naturally, our imaginations have since run wild. And so, we present to you 15 Kate Sylvester looks for slaying 15 real-life scenarios.
1) At Auckland Zine Fest, presenting your charcoal creations on a neatly table-clothed booth, a bowl of FIMO badges to one side.
2) Three margaritas deep at Hotel Ponsonby, workshopping your boyfriend’s wall text for his Elam graduate show. Anyone know another word for ‘subversive’?
3) Dustily arriving at Central Flea Market late on a Sunday morning after repeatedly snoozing your very ambitious 7:00am alarm. Hair in a greasy high bun, not quite enough concealer to cover last night’s bad choices, and half-heartedly entertaining the idea of selling your ‘vintage’ Zara on Insta.
4) Enjoying a main character moment, swanning around the hardwood floors of your Ponsonby flat, mouthing along to an imaginary rendition of Vogue’s 72 Questions.
5) Quickly popping into The Poi Room to pick up a hostess gift, en-route to Omaha for the long weekend.
6) Long lunching at The Oyster Inn (front veranda, of course), with friends from Sydney who are secretly drinking every time you name drop ‘Josh’.
7) In the Koru Lounge, prosecco in hand, awaiting your boarding call for your Grabaseat flight to Raro.
8) Browsing the New Zealand fiction shelves at Unity Books before pulling in compliments from the team at Stolen Summer as they hand you your oat milk cap.
9) To your six-course degustation at Amisfield. (You were very concerned about travel crinkles so called ahead to The Heritage to confirm the presence of an iron in your room.)
10) For a tightly-scheduled day demanding take-on-the-world-energy: PPTA meeting at Takapuna Grammar; a lap around the First Peoples Art of Australia exhibition at the Auckland Art Gallery; lunch with your private wealth manager at Kingi and finally, a Power of Three facial.
11) To the Northern Club’s annual Pink Ribbon breakfast where you’ll make a generous donation, stash a blueberry danish in your handbag and head across to the High Court for a full day of litigating.
12) When Chlöe Swarbrick’s election campaign evening calls for a cosy fit. You never know how cold those town halls might be.
13) When you’re standing directly under the heat pump to strip out of your work clothes and your UberEats is delivered “ahead of schedule!”
14) To sign your divorce papers.
15) To your son’s wedding.
Photo credit: Hero image, Andre Kong. Body images: NZFW Getty Images.