Someone once told me that being a mother is akin to having your heart run around outside of your body.

Driving home tonight this awesome rock anthem from the glam rock band Europe was on the radio. I don’t know that 'The Final Countdown' would be on Catherine and Williams’s playlist tonight but I thought it was the perfect tune to listen to in the lead up to tomorrow’s big event.

Amelia Earhart was not only a pioneer of the skies, but she led the world as a fashion icon of her time. As she circumnavigated the globe, the women of the World were quick to adopt her unique spin on fashion. This winter we are all about to be inspired by her androgynous adventurous sense of style because Amelia is taking off all over again as almost every store adopts a little bit of Amelia’s look and makes it their own.

It was such a gorgeous afternoon today that my boss gave me the afternoon off. That my boss is me doesn’t make a free afternoon any less special.

2011 will be the year that woman across the world begin faking it, if they haven’t been secretly doing it all along.

For in 2011 the call of the wild will be too strong to resist. It will be the year that sees even the most shy and retiring amongst us un-leash their inner animal.

I have moved through feeling helpless and hopeless about the Christchurch earthquake, today I feel excited and motivated because I have had an idea of how I can help, it has come to fruition thanks to the generous support of many many people and I hope to see you there.

Move over Baby....I have just had the time of my life. I have been working deep in the bowels of the Opera House as a dresser of Drag Queens.  Hold up - What do you call a group of Drag Queens? A gaggle? A herd? A flock? A gleam would be appropriate (with all the sequins..). well, I was backstage with my flock of Drag Queens, preening, ohhing ahhing and not only was I witness to their mystical metamorphosis but I ended up being a mine of information, tips and tricks for them.

I got the brief for a big commercial shoot. The keywords were elegant, glamorous and timeless. “No problem” I thought. The items to shoot were stunning, the setting was a beautiful house high up on a hill. “Gorgeous” I thought. The female model was someone I knew “Beautiful” I exclaimed. I knew the photographer “So talented” and the make-up artist “Award winning”. I began to think “This is going to be absolutely brilliant”. Then I heard something that unnerved me.

It is midnight and the biggest natural disaster to hit NZ is just over 24 hours old.

Christchurch is in ruins. Death and destruction dominate the news.

All of us look into our wardrobe from time to time and exclaim with despair: “I have nothing to wear!!”.  Which obviously when staring at a closet full of clothing is absolute nonsense. Instead of being our own worst critic what we need to start asking ourselves is “How can I make my wardrobe exciting again?”

The Wellington Cup has been and gone for 2011. It was the first day in my history of attending the cup that there was rain. We could not escape the puddles. Even undercover, the rain ran everywhere seeping into pools under our feet to the point where we could not dodge them. We were literally standing in puddles, and there was nowhere to go to avoid them.

Wellington Cup Day is just around the corner and I can't wait! The whole day is a smorgasbord of fun and excitement and during my 13 or so years attending I've enjoyed it every which way but loose. From the members stand, from inside a corporate tent, as a picnicker, as an entrant and winner and judge of Fashion in the Field and as a betting punter. However you chose to spend your day, it is not to be missed and much like WOW, is one of Wellingtons annual events that just gets better every year. Wellington always, without fail, puts on the most perfect scorcher of a day and makes sunscreen the most important and in-demand fashion accessory for everyone!

Fa la la la la – la la la la. In the eighteenth century when these lyrics were written 'gay' meant bright and showy. I like to keep this in mind when deciding what to wear on Christmas day. Of course because I live in Wellington, home of the southerly, the northerly and any wind that blows, the weather is always a major factor when deciding. But more than that, I want to have fun, and make myself and others smile.

I'm immensely proud to be a New Zealander and to be born and bred in the Hutt. My heart swells with pride when I recognise each time little ol' Aotearoa has led the world in something, whether it is in giving women the vote or conquering Mt Everest, inventing the electric fence or splitting the atom.

World firsts and New Zealand are something that have gone together since literally the dawn of time. We see the sunrise first and perhaps that is what gets our number 8 wire innovative brains ticking in the direction of innovation and ideas?

Travel and style are more often than not sworn enemies so the thought of five weeks living out of a suitcase was enough to strike fear into this fashionista's heart. Multiply it by one hundred million-gazillion-fold when a country I am visiting on this whirlwind globe-trot is one of the most fashionable destinations on the planet: Italy.

'I'm not really a waitress' might be OPI's best selling colour around the world, however it is not the colours that tickle my fancy. I am a sucker for their tongue in cheek, playful, witty and outrageous names, who cares what shade of red or pink they are – they are irresistibly clever. I will often choose a colour based purely on the name and what it means to me as it gives me the perfect way to express myself.

This season all the wrongs in footwear fashion are suddenly right. Wearing hosiery with open toed shoes is a strong look and shock horror it is evolving into wearing socks with heels  as seen on the catwalks of Burberry, Hermes, Dior, Rochas, Westwood & Yamamoto.

I can almost hear the sharp intake of breath, and yes it is a shock to us all. Now I am not saying that we should all run out and adopt this look every day, but I do encourage us all to give it a go. It might just be the best thing since magic knickers, so don’t knock it until you try it. It is a look so wrong, it is right and by embracing the wrongness of this fashion fad you might just discover a whole new way to rock your favourite heels. Don’t be scared, breaking the rules is fun, besides every fashionista worth her Monolos knows that all fashion rules were made to be broken. Just because wearing hosiery with open toed shoes has been a fashion faux pas since the dawn of time, who says that rule is right?

This winter I have been rugged up indoors trying to stay warm, and I have to confess that I have taken to finding inspiration in the bottom of a bottle – a bottle of perfume that is.

Spring cleaning has begun early at my place and by clearing out hidden clutter in dresser draws I have happily discovered some long lost loves: my previously banished perfume loves and I am delighting in using them up right to the very last drop.

My old bottle of almost-all-gone Calvin Klein Escape transports me through the seasons to summers at the beach, warm sun and sand, dreamy tranquil moonlit nights – and right now I’d do anything to escape this dull wet winter. And so, with the tightening of my financial belt cutting off any chances of an actual tropical escape, I can at least smell like I just got back from holiday thus lifting my mood even on the darkest days.