Charlotte Neilson is the marketing manager at Meridian Mall, which means she's exposed to beautiful new season clothing, shoes and accessories on a daily basis . . . poor thing!
The temptation to not be on a continuous spending spree must be excruciating, if it were me my entire wages would go on clothes (after feeding the children that is).
Charlotte and I teamed up and did a photoshoot showcasing her wearing her most coveted items at the mall at the moment. Although she was determined to not buy a thing, once she was in the outfit she'd chosen she succumbed to temptation and bought the dress and cape!
How would you describe your personal style?
I think that my personal style is more of a 'chic style' type. I say this because I love clean straight lines and pieces that are sleek, elegant and modern. I’ve got a ‘thing’ about pockets at the moment, too. I just love skirts and dresses that have pockets.
How has your sense of style evolved over the years?
This is a brilliant question! Given I was raised on a small farm and rode horses, my fashion sense only really began to take shape when I started working in the horse racing industry in my early 20’s. Whilst I still chose to embrace my red-bands, I began to look for bright and unique options that were suitable for the birdcage on race-day, and this is where my passion for fashion blossomed.
Where do you seek inspiration for what to wear?
I love keeping an eye on kiwi designers and their lines, such as Augustine by Kelly Coe. It gives me ideas on what I can mix and match with. I absolutely love Angelina Jolie, her style is simple, yet powerful and bold.
What are you go-to pieces this winter?
When I’m in a hurry, my go-to pieces include black dress leggings, a variety of fitting wool coats (of which I’ve got a red one, a cream one and a black one), and dress boots. This look is simple but smart and can be dressed up or down! Having a descent dress coat gives you versatility. There’s nothing like a stunning coat over top of a dress, accompanied by a matching pair of boots.
What's an item you're eyeing up this season?
I’ve been eyeing up the woollen cape coat from Cue, of which I’m pictured wearing. It’s absolutely stunning, and now that I’ve worn it, I’ll be buying it. I didn’t want to take it off! I’m looking forward to more of the cape-style blazers coming out hopefully in early spring.
What's your fave fashion season and why?
Fall/Winter would have to be my favourite, even though I’m a huge fan of the sunshine. When it comes time to decide what to wear, it’s all about the coats and the boots!
What's your biggest fashion faux pa?
Buying online certainly hasn’t helped me, only a few weeks ago I purchased a floral dress that looked absolutely amazing behind the screen however it certainly wasn’t what it seemed upon arrival. I’ve had plenty of ‘faux pas’ over the years, including wearing unsuitable footwear to the races that have actually snapped in the grass, they were totally impractical for the task at hand and subsequently I ruined a stunning pair of heels – not to mention I ended up hobbling around for three hours!
Why did you pick the outfit you choose?
The dress is just gorgeous. The design is simple, yet the floral detail and gold zip stand out, not to mention it feels amazing on. It was quite a heavy material which made me feel secure. The coat, well, I’ve been hanging out for a descent cape-coat for months now, and here it is! The gold and purple in the shoes complemented the zip and floral within the dress, and subsequently the bag tied in with the exact same tones without being too matchey-matchey. Despite the weather being a chilly 4 degrees, I was still super warm and comfortable.
Make-up by Dani at M.A.C in H&J Smith.
We wanted to create a nice neutral fresh-faced look on Charlotte so Dani used Next to Nothing face colour and Mineralize concealer on Charlotte's skin. She applied In The Flesh palette on her eyes, as well as Brushborn liquid eyeliner and Extended Play mascara. On brows she used Great Brows followed by Delphic Bronzer on cheeks and Cream Colour Base in Pearl on high point of cheek bones. For the lips Dani used a lip conditioner, which she applied before the make-over so it had seeped into lips, making them soft and supple. She then applied Morning Coffee Pro-longwear lip liner to give lips a subtle hue.
Photo// Amy Parsons-King
Dress// Cue zip front drapey dress $359
Cape// Cue funnel neck wool cape $499
Shoes// Mi Piaci mocha shoe in ox blood $280
Bag// Pierre Cardin $379.99 from H&J Smith
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