I wanted to see The first Monday in May when it was showing at The New Zealand International Film Festival, but unfortunately didn't make it into the city to watch it. If you love fashion, clothing, design, celebrities, then this is a must watch for you.

​This opulent behind-the-scenes documentary covers Vogue Editor-in-Chief, Anna Wintour, as she oversees the Oriental-themed 2015 Met Gala. The Met Gala is an annual event and a celebrity extravaganza, held at New York’s Metropolitan Museum and in 2015 it launched the Met Costume Institute’s blockbuster exhibition, ‘China: Through the Looking Glass’.

Wintour shares the film with Andrew Bolton, the engaging, confessedly star struck Brit who curated the exhibition with filmmaker Wong Kar-wai as guest creative director.
With Costume admitted to the Museum’s pantheon of cultural history, some ask how much space can there be at the Met for the commercialism and celebrity culture that accompany it? The more the better, we discover, at least on the first Monday of May each year.

Produced in part by Condé Nast, First Monday touches lightly on the cultural and political quandaries negotiated by the curators of a show that celebrates Orientalism in Western fashion. What filmmaker Andrew Rossi does best is observe the meticulous organisation of so much sheer opulence, revel in the flamboyance of one percenters at play – and harken closely as the imperious Ms Wintour gets it all so very right.
“The whole film is a delicious excuse to gawk – at the magnificent costumes, at the diplomatic dance of museum personnel and party planners, and at the sumptuous squish of so many egos sharing space.” — Kimberley Jones, Austin Chronicle.

Opening at the end of this month in Rialto or Academy Cinemas, or on Netflix. Click on the poster below to watch the trailer.

International High Street giant Zara has announced it will open its first New Zealand store next month.  
Zara has more than 2,000 stores worldwide, and will open a store in Auckland's Sylvia Park on October 6.
















Photo from Zara's Facebook page.

The clothes and accessories will be specifically designed for the Southern Hemisphere, and they will update new stock twice a week. They will stock; Womenswear, menswear and kids' clothing at the large one level space.

Zara is renowned for its reproductions of designer clothes, and the brand's state-of-the-art manufacturing chain means it can turn around styles in three weeks. In-store staff are trained to listen to customers, so pieces that aren't selling can be pulled from the shop floor and tweaked to better suit a particular demographic.

The man behind this International mega-store is Amancio Ortega, and he opened his first store in Spain in 1975 and is now worth US$10.7 billion, which according to Forbes, makes him the second wealthiest in the world after Bill Gates. 

Thanks to its fashion-forward designs, Zara is favoured by the front row elite of catwalk shows, actresses and models. You'll see Zara pieces intermingled with high-end designer clothes on the likes of the Duchess of Cambridge, Michelle Obama and Katie Holmes.

I will definitely hit Sylvia Park to check out their Spring/Summer offerings as I have long been a fan of Zara. I love their bohemian style, their basics, and their edgy on trend accessories. The quality is great, and you feel as though you are wearing something that is a little bit different.