1. A SHOT IN THE DARK
A negroni sbagliato “with prosecco in it” might have been the most memed drink of the week thanks to a viral interview with House of Dragon star Emma D’arcy, wherein the actor proclaimed this off-kilter concoction their go-to, delighting internet users and despairing of bartenders in the same breath. Closer to home, however, there’s a different cocktail mashup on our minds, and it comes courtesy of Stolen Girlfriends Club, who have partnered with pre-made cocktail connoisseurs Batched on a limited edition bottle to house the brand’s best-selling espresso martini blend. Emblazoned with an intricate skeleton sketch that speaks to Stolen’s love of the macabre, the pre-batched Espresso Martini uses quality New Zealand vodka and fair trade coffee beans for a darkly delicious drink that can be prepared in seconds with a simple shake and pour. The perfect centrepiece for your Halloween party, get yours at Smith & Caughey’s or where premium liquor is sold.
Shop the Stolen Girlfriends Club x Batched cocktail at Smith & Caughey’s or where premium liquor is sold.
2. SOMETHING GOLD, SOMETHING NEW
The latest luxury fashion brand to venture into the world of high jewellery, Prada has just launched its inaugural Prada Eternal Gold collection, with timeless pieces crafted from 100% certified recycled gold, designed to be held onto and passed between generations. Merging together a modern emphasis on sustainable practices and materials with time-honoured Italian craftsmanship to achieve Prada’s classic yet contemporaneous aesthetic, the high jewellery line has been brought to life with a stunning campaign featuring brand ambassadors including Maya Hawke (daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman), and US Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman. Shown modelling the range in images by famed fashion photographer David Sims, each ambassador’s likeness has also been rendered in gold to produce a stunning set of gilded cameos, “as if transmogrifying sitters into jewels in and of themselves”, so says Prada’s jewellery director, Timothy Iwata.
Keep up to date Prada’s inaugural Eternal Gold collection online and via Instagram.
3. GET IN LINE
Famous for its first collection of checkerboard print towels which have been a mainstay on Aotearoa’s beaches and in the bathrooms of discerning homemakers since its inception in 2019, antipodean brand Baina is introducing a brand new striped design for summer 2022. Perfect post-swim or to elevate your at-home bathing ritual, this latest collection of pool, bath and hand towels is, like its predecessors, crafted from 100% GOTS-certified organic cotton and comes in two fresh new colourways – the nautical and nice ‘Ink and Sky’ combo, and the warm and inviting ‘Maroon and Butter’ blend – both of which are reversible for maximum bang per buck. Also comprising Baina’s luxurious bath mats, the new season offers a bold take on beachy stripes with broad, contrasting bands of colour, playing with diagonal, vertical and horizontal lines for a cohesive range that will have you coveting the lot. Thankfully, Baina makes it easy to take the plunge with its bathroom and bathing sets – the perfect early Christmas present to set yourself up for a summer of drying off in style.
Browse the new additions to your beach bag online at baina.com.
4. IT MUST BE LOVE
Whether you’re a soon-to-be bride or simply looking for a special outfit that’ll guarantee you’ll not show up to an event wearing the exact same designer dress as another guest who shares your (obviously impeccable) taste, listen up. Love, James is a bridal and occasionwear boutique that stocks a handpicked selection of exquisite vintage pieces to make you stand out on your special day for all the right reasons. And there are many reasons to shop vintage for a special occasion – sustainability, cost-effectiveness and, of course, avoiding the aforementioned accidental twinning moment that strikes fear into the hearts of fashion individualists everywhere. Speaking of everywhere, Love, James is packing up its Auckland showroom and bringing it to Wellington this weekend for two days of by-appointment shopping at luxury lingerie emporium, Underlena.
Spots at this sure-to-be popular pop-up are strictly limited, so book yours immediately at lovejames.co.nz.
5. EYES ON THE PRIZE
The most prestigious literary award in the English-speaking world, bibliophiles live and die by the Booker Prize, waiting with bated breath for each year’s long- and short-listed books to dutifully add to their TBR [to be read] piles. Often favouring serious and frequently sombre literary undertakings, 2022 saw a refreshing number of good old fashioned pageturners up for contention – among them this year’s winner, announced at a ceremony attended by singer and keynote speaker Dua Lipa, and presented by Queen Consort, Camilla Parker-Bowles. Penned by Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka, whose vast and varied writing credentials range from rock songs, to screenplays and travel stories, the winning book The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida is set at the height of the Sri Lankan civil war. Okay, not exactly a lighthearted premise, but its horrific subject matter is somewhat secondary to what judges called the “hilarious audacity of its narrative techniques”. Further described as “a darkly comic tale told with exhilarating energy”, in traversing and subverting multiple genres (the whodunnit; the thriller; the existential fable), it challenges our perceptions of life and death, body and spirit, and east and west in what is set to be the holiday read of the season.
Discover more on The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida and The Booker Prize’s website.
