I love orchids and have two Phalaenopsis that I grow in my house. So when I saw this moth orchid pendant on Cybèle’s Facebook photos (and at their sale in Ponsonby), I knew it was something I wanted. But there’s no way I could drop $200-$400 on a piece of jewellery, no matter how exceptionally beautiful it is.

Despondent, I walked into my local hospice store and found a Colmanara orchid brooch/pendant for only $5. All I had to do was find an old silver chain and voila! My own orchid necklace, better than the original!

So every blogger and their dog has been going on about a hand model blasting full crazy in an interview. I watched, saw her do weird poses with her hands and face. I figured she was a little eccentric due to her unorthodox career and left it at that. Then I saw the Funny or Die video and saw the insanity cranked up to 11…and I laughed. my. ass. off.

Creepy doesn’t even begin to cover it…

{Nicolas Jermyn Coin Cufflinks, $69 dollars each, second pair only $20}

When it comes to buying my husband gifts, I’m extremely predictable. He likes buying pricey gadgets, and frowns on extravagant spending in his wardrobe. So I keep it simple and pick two options: second-hand designer shirts or cufflinks. So for Christmas I purchased him a pair of Nicolas Jermyn cufflinks with the 5 cent coin stamped on its surface (If you’re worried about spoilers, marital hivemind laid that to waste years ago). I’m a big fan of Kiwiana and I thought it would be a nice reminder to the fact that 5 cent coins are no longer legal tender. Due to the popularity of the style, Nicolas Jermyn came out with the one and two cent coin versions not long after.

But I know not everyone can afford to spend that amount of money for cufflinks, so here are a couple of cheaper versions that you can buy for the male in your life. Sweet as!

{Sixpence Cufflinks, Half Penny Cufflinks, and One Shilling Cufflinks all $22)

Various Spot dresses from Trix and Dandy S11

Right now I’m arranging haircuts and blow-dry appointments, beauty treatments, numerous shopping trips, tracking my summer clothes in transit, lining up Christmas gifts, herding cats, buying a cruelty-free Christmas ham and getting it delivered, and a road trip next month. Of course this would be the perfect time for Firefox to die, taking all my bookmarks full of gifts and my passwords for all the online stores. I’m not stressed out though. Because I have discovered that I have the power of future dressing! I have now realised I’m not behind the fashion pack and instead I’m at least three years ahead! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I am so future!

Lookbook Feb 2009

Insanity aside, I bought this dress Christmas shopping ‘08 in Aotea Square Markets just before they shut down (picture taken with my treasured Smena 35). Now the Square is re-opened, and they’re even discussing having a night market there. I still have my polka-dot dress, I’ve looked after it well these last few years and it’s become a well-worn bargain. All I have to do is add a waist belt and I’m on trend for next year!

So Miu Miu’s Spring 2010 RTW had a quirky collection of sweet animal prints, and my favourite is the swallow print (the cat print is a close second).

 Victoria Beckham was spotted wearing the Miu Miu dress (that cost just under $2,000USD) to a playdate in June.

Karen Walker had her own cute bird design for Spring 2010 RTW- a 30’s seagull print, inspired by the TV show The Prisoner.

Now Max has caught on and their brand new Spring Collection has two swallow print items- the Lizzie Printed Cardigan and the Swallow Bird Print Top. Sadly the top is far too sheer for me, and the cardigan’s cheap buttons don’t keep it closed properly- but I’m considering buying the cardigan anyway and sewing it closed so it’s more like a V-neck sweater.

French designer Isabel Marant is famous for her boutique clothing, but now her shoes seem to be taking over. Her ‘Soono’ boots were very popular in the spring of 2009, so no wonder everyone in North America and Europe wanted to pre-order a pair of her fall/winter ankle boots last year.

Her company is making huge profit by undertaking ‘boot rationing’- they limit orders, deliberately restrict production, and you must pre-order them without knowing the price or even seeing them. And they refuse to deliver their shoes outside of Paris- you have to fly in and pick them up yourself.

Isabel Marant ‘Otway’ ankle boot $1,295USD Rosegold ‘Halle’ booties $177USD Novo ‘Studio’ Boot $109.90NZD

Some loved getting their hands on a pair of Otway boots, but some were disappointed with the overpriced, low quality fabric and workmanship (even though they’re extremely photogenic). Rosegarden stepped in and made a replica superior to the original (it even received a glowing review).

I’m not a fan of suede (such a high maintenance fabric) or too much hardware on shoes, but I was getting sick of biker/cowboy/pirate styles that were being touted in stores for the last few seasons. The Otway’s triangular heel gives it an 80’s futuristic vibe that I dig, and the studded fold-over cuff doesn’t look OTT biker babe or rock chick like other stud-crazy styles. I’m also glad that my copy is made from fake suede- which means no animal product, it’s easier to clean and more resistant to stains and water.

Isabel Marant went back to boho with her spring/summer 2010 successor the ‘Dana’- and once again opinions were divided. Some think it more than makes up for the last boot while others believe the OTT nomadic fringe made them unwearable. I think I’ll pass.

I’ve always wanted a train case to carry my haircare/makeup/skincare in (I blame Murder on the Orient Express), but I always thought I would go for an American Tourister style case. But realistically I needed something that matched my Vintage Luggage and the leather trim almost does that. I also like that it’s secure, and has a removable mirror, which is great for travel. I really wish I could refurbish the interior, but sadly it’s just too tricky.

An LV Train case is approx. $2,000USD  but I found mine on TradeMe. Check out Etsy for Vintage Leather train cases or Pinup Girl Clothing for their new range of cases.

Kathryn Wilson Boots: $489     Warehouse Boots: $30

Not perfect copies, but if you wish to recreate the style in Fashion Quarterly's ‘Achtung Baby’ fashion editorial these will be a great low-budget alternative.

I really do love the Spring/Summer 08 Marni wedges. The shape looks futuristic and the colours are lovely and neutral, which I thought would make them perfect for investing in. It also helped that many of the fashion bloggers I idolise were wearing them in summer/autumn last year because they managed to snag them in sales (click on their pictures to see their blog).

Of course, I could not afford the US$735 for them, but I didn’t think about looking for copies of them until I found the picture of them in my old laptop.

So I found a BCBGirls chunky heel version of them for US$50 on Amazon (click on pictures to buy), and I really had my heart set on the black ones. I really wanted to get these straight away, even though it’s winter and I just bought a new pair of boots last week. Why? Because tribal styled shoes are going to be the next big thing when spring comes around and there was no way I wasn’t going to be caught dead with such tacky sandals! So I had a huge debate with my husband on whether they were any good to buy or not- but he ended up winning the debate by pointing out that shipping was more expensive than the shoes itself and the ankle strap on the original marni wedges  was too large and could make even the most slender girl’s ankles look chunky. I realised he was right, and as soon as I had given up on them, he started to take a liking to them and offered to get them as a early birthday present. But I had already given up, and decided that I would have a much better birthday without the shoes.

My husband then went to look online for a version that were closer to home and came across these Siren platform heels on RoyalT, a New Zealand online shoe store, but I wasn’t very happy with them either. Because of the three colours, I was at a loss on how to wear them, and at NZ$180+ p&p, they were more expensive than the shoes from Amazon.

So, what do I do? Should I bother buying any of these? Or should I just let them pass me by?

So I think everyone knows how I feel about the YSL Cage Boots- but I don’t mind the softcore incarnation of them: Mesh Heels. I personally wouldn’t buy them, but I don’t think the tan lines will be as horrific when wearing these, and I think they look a lot nicer than the cage pattern. Kate Walsh was spotted by the paparazzi last Saturday wearing them to her house appraisal.

Style Nanda is selling these for $106 USD- This is a South? Korean website but it does have some English and is pretty easy to navigate.

As for the YSL Cage boots here is Beyonce wearing them and the YSL Cage Boot Knockoffs are now on sale for $109.90 NZD.