She doesn't want to say her age. Does she have to say? She's becoming ageless. She hasn't said her age for literally two years. She read somewhere she was 26, then somewhere she was 23. She partly doesn't want to say because people are like, you have a blog? Why don't you have a real job? How old are you?
And she just can't deal with it.
Her friend bought the domain name katherineisawesome.com and gave it to her for her birthday.
She didn't think anyone would read it, so she posted pictures of her old boyfriend saying, Look, he bought this bag, here's a picture of him.
When they broke up, she just didn't say anything, but people were like, what about that guy?
She's been doing it for four, four and a half years. The more she goes to these fashion things and the more she posts, the more she wonders why anyone cares what she thinks. She gets around 3000 hits a day.
She's always been into buying things. She doesn't know if she really loves fashion, it's more that she really loves clothes, if that makes sense? Like, she wouldn't be able to reference a Prada show from five years ago. Well, mayyybeee she would. But probably not.
Generally she just goes along to shows and looks, and goes, oh that's cool, that's cool, that's cool, oooh, I would never wear that.
And she just can't deal with it.
Her friend bought the domain name katherineisawesome.com and gave it to her for her birthday.
She didn't think anyone would read it, so she posted pictures of her old boyfriend saying, Look, he bought this bag, here's a picture of him.
When they broke up, she just didn't say anything, but people were like, what about that guy?
She's been doing it for four, four and a half years. The more she goes to these fashion things and the more she posts, the more she wonders why anyone cares what she thinks. She gets around 3000 hits a day.
She's always been into buying things. She doesn't know if she really loves fashion, it's more that she really loves clothes, if that makes sense? Like, she wouldn't be able to reference a Prada show from five years ago. Well, mayyybeee she would. But probably not.
Generally she just goes along to shows and looks, and goes, oh that's cool, that's cool, that's cool, oooh, I would never wear that.
She laughs.
The blog makes a tiny amount of money every now and then. She's had a few people buy ads on her site, but she doesn't like it that much. And she's done a few campaigns with fashion labels.
Sometimes she feels like she's perpetuating a lifestyle. High fashion is all about how tall you are and how skinny you are and that stuff can be negative for young girls. She knows a lot of them read her posts and she struggles with that a lot. Like, she doesn't want to put Prada shoes up and say, Everyone should buy these Prada shoes! because no one can afford them. And should we really be aspiring to buy Prada shoes all the time?
Her own style can be a mess. Just whatever she finds on the floor that day. For Fashion Week, she starts out making an effort, wearing heels, but she ends up going back to the car to change into sneakers.
She finds it hard to be critical of New Zealand fashion designers because the circle is so small. She thinks everyone in the circle would say the same thing. She can't name a favourite designer. Can she have four? Karen Walker, Twenty Seven Names, Kate Sylvester and Lonely Hearts.
This year, Fashion Week has been too easy. When she started, she was never seated, so she had to run around the shows and now she's often in the front row. It's difficult to find the motivation to get home, load pics and post at 4am.
She just got a part-time job. And she's pretty happy working and doing the blog. She might even get a fulltime job. But how would she end the blog? How long does a blog go for? Does it just go on forever? She can't do this forever. She wouldn't want to do this forever. Would she just write a post to say goodbye or would she just never write again? Maybe something really exciting will happen to her and she'll just be... gone.
The blog makes a tiny amount of money every now and then. She's had a few people buy ads on her site, but she doesn't like it that much. And she's done a few campaigns with fashion labels.
Sometimes she feels like she's perpetuating a lifestyle. High fashion is all about how tall you are and how skinny you are and that stuff can be negative for young girls. She knows a lot of them read her posts and she struggles with that a lot. Like, she doesn't want to put Prada shoes up and say, Everyone should buy these Prada shoes! because no one can afford them. And should we really be aspiring to buy Prada shoes all the time?
Her own style can be a mess. Just whatever she finds on the floor that day. For Fashion Week, she starts out making an effort, wearing heels, but she ends up going back to the car to change into sneakers.
She finds it hard to be critical of New Zealand fashion designers because the circle is so small. She thinks everyone in the circle would say the same thing. She can't name a favourite designer. Can she have four? Karen Walker, Twenty Seven Names, Kate Sylvester and Lonely Hearts.
This year, Fashion Week has been too easy. When she started, she was never seated, so she had to run around the shows and now she's often in the front row. It's difficult to find the motivation to get home, load pics and post at 4am.
She just got a part-time job. And she's pretty happy working and doing the blog. She might even get a fulltime job. But how would she end the blog? How long does a blog go for? Does it just go on forever? She can't do this forever. She wouldn't want to do this forever. Would she just write a post to say goodbye or would she just never write again? Maybe something really exciting will happen to her and she'll just be... gone.
Esther Cronin, model
She wore her first wedding dress at Fashion Week when she was 15. It was a bit of a child-bride situation. She found it quite funny, really. When she gets married - then she giggles, ifshe gets married - she'll want to keep things really simple because she's worn so many pouffy dresses.
She's not a big crier. But two years ago, for the Trelise Cooper show, she had her eyes taped back to look Asian. She couldn't blink. It was the most painful thing she has ever experienced. Some of the other models got blisters from where the tape had been. This year it hasn't been so bad, but she's has too many bad experiences with makeup, so she can be a real bitch when it comes to demanding clean brushes. But the standard is so much higher now than when she started.
Her mum was a model and her dad did a bit of modelling, so she was born pretty, to pretty people. But in her wildest dreams she never thought she would be pretty enough. Is she vain? Shit, she doesn't know.
She giggles.
She doesn't wear makeup that much when she's not working, but she does like to take a few selfies and put them on Instagram.
Her dream show would be to walk for Victoria's Secret. That's the kind of model she is. She's 5ft 9 and 57kg and she secretly likes that her boobs are bigger than the other models' and she hates that she has a ghetto booty. It's difficult.
She's cried about her weight before, but most of the time she's on top of it. She works really hard to try to be slimmer, but she will never be as slim as some of the other girls who are around. Her body is her business, so if she goes crazy and stops eating, it's not going to last long and her body will turn to shit, so it's all about being healthy and exercising and not getting caught up in all the pressure.
There's a bit of a divide between the designers. Some will not book models if they are too skinny, but some will book them because they are.
If she's brutally honest, she thinks people want to see slim girls. People want to see a great figure - they don't want to see what's considered a normal body.
Most of the time, when she's on the runway, she forgets about everything and just focuses on one spot. That fixes everything. She's never fallen flat on her face during a show, but she has lost shoes. Like her first year at Fashion Week, when she walked for Kate Sylvester and her slip-on stiletto came off. She was petrified. She giggles.
There were so many people watching, she couldn't just turn around and start crying. So she slipped it back on and made it to the end and back.
Sometimes the models will get screamed at a bit backstage, because the producers are so stressed out during a show, but they don't mean it. Backstage is hilarious.
She laughs. All the drama and the things that come out of people's mouths.
She has no plans, really, but to keep modelling. She thinks she should use the opportunity and there's money to be made and travel to be done. She can always go back and study later and she will have money to do it.
This month she has a ticket to London. She's never been before. When she's in New Zealand, she tends to chill out a bit, so over there she will get her body in shape. It's not really anything to do with being skinny. It's about being healthy and being in the best condition you can be in because you're a model for a reason.
Adrian Hailwood, designer
He's been in all 13 Fashion Weeks. He's got 40 stockists in the local market and 30 of them come to see the range and see the show and they just love it. It all pays off. He has good sponsors. He makes it work financially and he knows he puts on a good show.He's not part of any fashion crew. He loves to design clothing and fabrics and of course he loves fashion, but it doesn't define him. It's his job. That's how he makes his money. He doesn't live and breathe it.
But he has some fashion friends. Trelise Cooper is good fun. He likes the Stolen guys, they put on a good show. He's heading overseas soon for work and will see Kathryn Wilson in Hong Kong. He's constantly doing stuff.
He travels to Hong Kong and China four times a year. A lot of the designers tend to do much of their production in China and everyone thinks it's because it's cheaper there. It's not. It's because you can make your exclusive fabrics.
It's a really tough business. People think because he's a designer he owns a yacht and lives the high life, but he doesn't get paid enough. There are other rewards. He gets to travel and he gets a real kick out of seeing someone wear his pieces. He'd never stop anyone on the street, god no, but he has a little smile to himself.
He's worn denim on denim for 15 or 20 years. Always. He supposes he was doing double denim before it became cool, then it was cool, then back out of cool, then back in again. He doesn't care. He's doing a little bit of men's denim in the new range, and shirts. Just good basics.
But his main focus is women. He makes clothing for curves. He's more into the feminine side and what he thinks is going to sell rather than fashion forward stuff.
Online is going nuts. Mainly expats who know the label and are living in England or Australia. It's a hard time, but it's a very exciting time to be in fashion. He'll keep showing at Fashion Week. Totally. There's still a place for it. There are some people who grumble about it, but they need to think about whether they would rather have nothing.
Michelle Devereux, makeup artist
She's done makeup for fashion weeks in Milan, Rome, Paris, Sydney and now little old New Zealand. She laughs. She's here as a senior makeup artist for the Smashbox team. The only ring-in from out of Auckland. She's actually quite proud of that. She's busy but she comes every year because it's good for business and it's good for Hamilton as well. She's really, like, GO THE TRON, and she's quite happy to tell anyone who is willing to listen that she's from Hamilton.
And she does it because she loves her craft. Fashion week, anywhere in the world, is a makeup artist's ultimate pressure cooker event. She loves being told she's got three minutes to do a whole face.
It's creative working on shows, but in a way it's not. It's not as creative as an editorial spread where she is the master of her own shoot. Here she is part of a process and it's more collaborative. She loves working on the models. No disrespect to the general public, but these girls look amazing and she can do things that really work.
There are one or two variations of the precious princess model that she encounters every fashion week. There was one the other day with a rash on her forehead. She hates it when models pull away and this model was making things difficult. She doesn't have time for that. She's there to work.
In the old days, makeup artists were hired as freelancers and they came along with all their own makeup kits filled with a collection of things. Now, makeup artists come as part of a team and represent a makeup brand.
Smaller, more creative groups don't get a lookin anymore and she thinks it's a bit of a shame. Products have changed, too. She used to have to be innovative. A bold eyelid would be glitter from the art shop applied with Vaseline. These days, she just pulls it out of a pot. But there's always a challenge and it's always evolving and fashion always keeps her guessing.
She knew she wanted to be in the industry when she was 12. She bought a fashion mag, looked at the models and thought, I want to paint that picture. She still reads Vogue on the couch at home, while her sons and her husband watch football on the telly.
Ray Lee, international buyer for Fei Space, and his friend Cassandra Kirk, Paris
She's English but is based in Paris. He was born in London and grew up there. Then he moved to Paris to work as a stylist. Then he moved to China. We all know China is the economic crutch for all categories of fashion right now. He holds exclusive rights for Topshop and Topman over there and he brings in designers like Victoria Beckham, House of Holland - his favourite - and lots of other international labels. He's never been to New Zealand before.
They've been to almost every show. She lost her phone yesterday and was panicking. She's staying at the Sofitel where the bed is big. When she gets up, there's an exact imprint of her body in the mattress.
He thinks, to be honest, Fashion Week is lacking a high fashion kick. She says because most designers here are small businesses, they can't afford to take too many risks.
There have been some strange moments. One designer had too many outfits and there was no connection. And the runway was too high, so she was looking at butt cheeks the whole time.
They would like to see a stronger sense of style and more cohesiveness across the labels.
Three labels shone: The Zambesi kids did well. NYNE. Company of Strangers. They seemed to have the clearest vision and there was a good marriage between the creative and the business. He's been talking to the team at Company of Strangers.
He thinks the energy sits with a few people here. That New Zealand needs to bring in professionals who are well versed in the global fashion perspective. Outside stylists need to work with designers.
A strong team of people need to come in and edit collections. He doesn't want to see a show with 100 dresses.
There is so much alcohol here, and so many older women. Where are the cool kids? Some of the shows have not been full and fashion students should be taking those seats.
The young designers need to be encouraged to take risks.
She thinks there needs to be some sort of community that can choose designers and take them abroad. Pick the strongest three and take them to London to get visibility.
He works with the British Fashion Council and could mention it to someone there.
Because it's a long way to come, start by taking designers to where it is happening. Then international buyers will travel here if they believe they will come here and see something strong
She wore her first wedding dress at Fashion Week when she was 15. It was a bit of a child-bride situation. She found it quite funny, really. When she gets married - then she giggles, ifshe gets married - she'll want to keep things really simple because she's worn so many pouffy dresses.
She's not a big crier. But two years ago, for the Trelise Cooper show, she had her eyes taped back to look Asian. She couldn't blink. It was the most painful thing she has ever experienced. Some of the other models got blisters from where the tape had been. This year it hasn't been so bad, but she's has too many bad experiences with makeup, so she can be a real bitch when it comes to demanding clean brushes. But the standard is so much higher now than when she started.
Her mum was a model and her dad did a bit of modelling, so she was born pretty, to pretty people. But in her wildest dreams she never thought she would be pretty enough. Is she vain? Shit, she doesn't know.
She giggles.
She doesn't wear makeup that much when she's not working, but she does like to take a few selfies and put them on Instagram.
Her dream show would be to walk for Victoria's Secret. That's the kind of model she is. She's 5ft 9 and 57kg and she secretly likes that her boobs are bigger than the other models' and she hates that she has a ghetto booty. It's difficult.
She's cried about her weight before, but most of the time she's on top of it. She works really hard to try to be slimmer, but she will never be as slim as some of the other girls who are around. Her body is her business, so if she goes crazy and stops eating, it's not going to last long and her body will turn to shit, so it's all about being healthy and exercising and not getting caught up in all the pressure.
There's a bit of a divide between the designers. Some will not book models if they are too skinny, but some will book them because they are.
If she's brutally honest, she thinks people want to see slim girls. People want to see a great figure - they don't want to see what's considered a normal body.
Most of the time, when she's on the runway, she forgets about everything and just focuses on one spot. That fixes everything. She's never fallen flat on her face during a show, but she has lost shoes. Like her first year at Fashion Week, when she walked for Kate Sylvester and her slip-on stiletto came off. She was petrified. She giggles.
There were so many people watching, she couldn't just turn around and start crying. So she slipped it back on and made it to the end and back.
Sometimes the models will get screamed at a bit backstage, because the producers are so stressed out during a show, but they don't mean it. Backstage is hilarious.
She laughs. All the drama and the things that come out of people's mouths.
She has no plans, really, but to keep modelling. She thinks she should use the opportunity and there's money to be made and travel to be done. She can always go back and study later and she will have money to do it.
This month she has a ticket to London. She's never been before. When she's in New Zealand, she tends to chill out a bit, so over there she will get her body in shape. It's not really anything to do with being skinny. It's about being healthy and being in the best condition you can be in because you're a model for a reason.
Adrian Hailwood, designer
He's been in all 13 Fashion Weeks. He's got 40 stockists in the local market and 30 of them come to see the range and see the show and they just love it. It all pays off. He has good sponsors. He makes it work financially and he knows he puts on a good show.He's not part of any fashion crew. He loves to design clothing and fabrics and of course he loves fashion, but it doesn't define him. It's his job. That's how he makes his money. He doesn't live and breathe it.
But he has some fashion friends. Trelise Cooper is good fun. He likes the Stolen guys, they put on a good show. He's heading overseas soon for work and will see Kathryn Wilson in Hong Kong. He's constantly doing stuff.
He travels to Hong Kong and China four times a year. A lot of the designers tend to do much of their production in China and everyone thinks it's because it's cheaper there. It's not. It's because you can make your exclusive fabrics.
It's a really tough business. People think because he's a designer he owns a yacht and lives the high life, but he doesn't get paid enough. There are other rewards. He gets to travel and he gets a real kick out of seeing someone wear his pieces. He'd never stop anyone on the street, god no, but he has a little smile to himself.
He's worn denim on denim for 15 or 20 years. Always. He supposes he was doing double denim before it became cool, then it was cool, then back out of cool, then back in again. He doesn't care. He's doing a little bit of men's denim in the new range, and shirts. Just good basics.
But his main focus is women. He makes clothing for curves. He's more into the feminine side and what he thinks is going to sell rather than fashion forward stuff.
Online is going nuts. Mainly expats who know the label and are living in England or Australia. It's a hard time, but it's a very exciting time to be in fashion. He'll keep showing at Fashion Week. Totally. There's still a place for it. There are some people who grumble about it, but they need to think about whether they would rather have nothing.
Michelle Devereux, makeup artist
She's done makeup for fashion weeks in Milan, Rome, Paris, Sydney and now little old New Zealand. She laughs. She's here as a senior makeup artist for the Smashbox team. The only ring-in from out of Auckland. She's actually quite proud of that. She's busy but she comes every year because it's good for business and it's good for Hamilton as well. She's really, like, GO THE TRON, and she's quite happy to tell anyone who is willing to listen that she's from Hamilton.
And she does it because she loves her craft. Fashion week, anywhere in the world, is a makeup artist's ultimate pressure cooker event. She loves being told she's got three minutes to do a whole face.
It's creative working on shows, but in a way it's not. It's not as creative as an editorial spread where she is the master of her own shoot. Here she is part of a process and it's more collaborative. She loves working on the models. No disrespect to the general public, but these girls look amazing and she can do things that really work.
There are one or two variations of the precious princess model that she encounters every fashion week. There was one the other day with a rash on her forehead. She hates it when models pull away and this model was making things difficult. She doesn't have time for that. She's there to work.
In the old days, makeup artists were hired as freelancers and they came along with all their own makeup kits filled with a collection of things. Now, makeup artists come as part of a team and represent a makeup brand.
Smaller, more creative groups don't get a lookin anymore and she thinks it's a bit of a shame. Products have changed, too. She used to have to be innovative. A bold eyelid would be glitter from the art shop applied with Vaseline. These days, she just pulls it out of a pot. But there's always a challenge and it's always evolving and fashion always keeps her guessing.
She knew she wanted to be in the industry when she was 12. She bought a fashion mag, looked at the models and thought, I want to paint that picture. She still reads Vogue on the couch at home, while her sons and her husband watch football on the telly.
Ray Lee, international buyer for Fei Space, and his friend Cassandra Kirk, Paris
She's English but is based in Paris. He was born in London and grew up there. Then he moved to Paris to work as a stylist. Then he moved to China. We all know China is the economic crutch for all categories of fashion right now. He holds exclusive rights for Topshop and Topman over there and he brings in designers like Victoria Beckham, House of Holland - his favourite - and lots of other international labels. He's never been to New Zealand before.
They've been to almost every show. She lost her phone yesterday and was panicking. She's staying at the Sofitel where the bed is big. When she gets up, there's an exact imprint of her body in the mattress.
He thinks, to be honest, Fashion Week is lacking a high fashion kick. She says because most designers here are small businesses, they can't afford to take too many risks.
There have been some strange moments. One designer had too many outfits and there was no connection. And the runway was too high, so she was looking at butt cheeks the whole time.
They would like to see a stronger sense of style and more cohesiveness across the labels.
Three labels shone: The Zambesi kids did well. NYNE. Company of Strangers. They seemed to have the clearest vision and there was a good marriage between the creative and the business. He's been talking to the team at Company of Strangers.
He thinks the energy sits with a few people here. That New Zealand needs to bring in professionals who are well versed in the global fashion perspective. Outside stylists need to work with designers.
A strong team of people need to come in and edit collections. He doesn't want to see a show with 100 dresses.
There is so much alcohol here, and so many older women. Where are the cool kids? Some of the shows have not been full and fashion students should be taking those seats.
The young designers need to be encouraged to take risks.
She thinks there needs to be some sort of community that can choose designers and take them abroad. Pick the strongest three and take them to London to get visibility.
He works with the British Fashion Council and could mention it to someone there.
Because it's a long way to come, start by taking designers to where it is happening. Then international buyers will travel here if they believe they will come here and see something strong
