Stories

Jacqui is the head honcho at True Grit, dealing out style advice along with stunning cut and colour ‘dos. She catches Cityscape up on the trendiest hair for spring, how to get the most out of your grey hairs and get excessive shine. What’s a hot style for the season? It’s all about beautiful shapes that accentuate your best features. It doesn’t necessarily have to be an out-there haircut, but I tell you what we’ve been doing a lot of lately and we’ve been having fun with is the mullet. Really? Tell us more. In the salon we call it the ‘femme mullét’. I actually sport one myself. We recommend that if you have a super edgy haircut like that, you back it up with serious colour as well. Wow, so what colour are you rocking with your femme mullét? Today I have a cocktail of tropical with a splash of...

Mod’s Hair in Merivale transcends the idea of a hair salon. Luminous and transcendent, it’s Christchurch’s home of French-style hair, it’s a place to relax with a glass of Champagne from the fully- licensed Perrier-Jouët Champagne bar, and it’s at times a transitional space or art gallery. The stylists are sent to Paris to train in the latest cutting and styling techniques, and bring their experiences back to the salon. It’s not just about learning from the masters at the Mod’s Hair academy in Paris, says owner Julianne Liebeck, it’s about feeling the vibe of the French capital and the people who inhabit it. “The Parisians are more self-assured,” she says. “They have a way of carrying themselves. They’re not very trend-based, they’re quite classic and they stick to the simple things. It’s a lot more natural and elegant. The French are so good at that effortless style.” That style, and...

Tanya Goodin founded one of the earliest digital marketing agencies, and was search engine optimising three years before Google launched. Because of her long history with the internet, Tanya describes herself as a proverbial canary in the coal mine when it comes to tech addiction. When she realised the negative effect tech was having on her life, she decided to set up Time to Log Off, running digital detox retreats for people who want to disconnect. Now an internationally-renowned digital detox expert, she has published two books and hosts the podcast It’s Complicated. Cityscape caught up with her about how easing back on tech could improve our lives. Tell us about those first years working in digital – was there an addictive element to it at the start? At the start I don’t think there was. It was all very new and exciting, but it was shut away in a desktop...

Listen-Able Band? Legs And Butts? Ludicrous Artists Bop? L.A.B. frontman Joel Shadbolt challenges Cityscape to come up with an acronym. League of Argentinian Bicyclists? Like A Boss. It’s been a big few years for the band with three albums and a lot of touring. What’s been a highlight moment for you? It’s been a buzz. We’re actually working on another album at the moment. Our goal was to do three albums in three years and we just seem to be keeping the ball rolling and hoping to get another one out by the end of this year. The highlights have been touring, getting over to Australia and playing some massive festivals here in New Zealand. It’s just been an incredible experience. Is the title of the new album going to vary from the running theme or stick to the pattern? Yeah, L.A.B IV it is. Keep it consistent. No surprises. When...

Dust your fascinator off, get your fancy on and join the party at Addington Cup Week 2020. It’s the fashion, entertainment and racing event of the year. Addington Cup Week is the ideal opportunity to join the best of Canterbury and party it up, enjoying the sun with your pick of spectacular food, wine and beer from some of Christchurch and the South Island’s top creators at Addington Raceway & Events Centre. IRT NZ Trotting Cup Day on Tuesday 10 November is an occasion for celebration with racing, rockin’ entertainment and extravagant fashion. With hospitality areas available for hire, IRT NZ Trotting Cup Day is an ultimate hosting and networking experience for thanking clients, staff and friends. There are limited tickets this year, and as of the start of October five popular hospitality areas had already sold out. Venture into The Edge Public Village to have an epic experience where you...

When Jenna Ingram started exploring street art at university, her painting tutor told her emphatically that “graffiti is dead”. He may have been right. It was 2006. Graffiti crews were tagging suburban fences in the dark, and they were painted over by volunteer groups in the morning. But just five years later, Jenna was part of the explosion of urban artists that took to the broken city centre post-quake, creating hope-filled murals, stencils and paste-ups. Jenna and her husband and Fiksate co-owner Nathan pasted cartoon Band-Aids to soothe cracks in buildings, their contribution to the rebirth of urban art in Ōtautahi. That thriving community of local artists needed a home, so in 2015, Jenna and Nathan created Fiksate, a studio space where urban artists could congregate, develop their craft and hold exhibitions. It’s now a vibrant gallery space in Gloucester Street, representing urban artists from all over Aotearoa. Fiksate is New...

New Zealand Opera’s general director Thomas de Mallet Burgess waxes lyrical on his upcoming productions The Human Voice and Eight Songs for a Mad King, and the future of opera. What can you tell us about the creative setting of The Human Voice? The Human Voice takes place in a hotel room, and the audience are brought into close proximity with the character, who is undergoing a profoundly emotional rollercoaster of a journey: a separation with her ex-partner. As the audience listens to that conversation, they’ll realise that she’s lying, and the ex-partner is lying. The audience are stuck in the middle trying to deduce the situation, and they’re so close they viscerally experience the unfolding emotion. The significance of the hotel room becomes clear over the course of the opera. Particularly what a lonely place a hotel room can be. These elements knead together in the performance. Using these alternative...

RNZB head of costume Donna Jefferis has been brainstorming, sketching, mocking up and making costumes for the end-of-year performance of The Sleeping Beauty. She’s been let loose a little on this one; it’s not a standard period piece, it’s magical. A fantasy. She expects a swirling mass of colour, with big skirts filling the stage. And that vision doesn’t come easy – the work starts about a year out. “Once a show has been selected, I work with the choreographer or director to gauge what they’re doing with the story,” she says. “They’ll have a vision of where and when it’ll be set. I take some of that and add my own spin; it’s a collaborative process.” Those sketched designs are finalised six months before production, and Donna gets to work with her team to sew costumes for all 169 dancers in the show, each of whom has at least five...

Christchurch is blessed with an abundance of local beer brewing expertise. Here are few of the most recent drops, and a pint of news, from some of the best craft establishments in town. THREE BOYS THE BRUCE XPA Highlighting New Zealand-exclusive The Bruce hops blend created in honour of a Nelson-based hop farm’s founder, The Bruce XPA starts with a light malt base and leaves you with hints of orange peel, marmalade and a touch of coconut for a light and refreshing extra-pale ale. threeboysbrewery.co.nz SOUTHPAW NOBLE ART PILSNER Noble Art is punchy with noble German hops, zesty with Motueka citrus, and fresh with the aroma of passionfruit and gooseberry, making for the perfect mix of subtle spicy bitterness and easy drinkability. southpawbeer.com LIGHTHOUSE HAZY MANGO IPA Lighthouse is famous for its delightfully fruity, batch-brewed Hazy Mango IPA, light and easy to drink, with low bitterness and full flavour perfect for...

After years of boxy edges and clean lines, the interior design world is once again embracing curves. Nothing celebrates the curve better than an amazing arch. From mirrors and ceilings to entryways and fireplaces, the arch design trend is in full swing. A shape that has stood the test of time, arches continue to be a classic design element that can take a mundane space and transform it into something marvellous. They can be funky, sophisticated, understated or dramatic. If you don’t have any arches built into your home, an afternoon and a tin of your favourite Resene paint colour might be all you need to transform your space. Cut an arched headboard out of a large piece of plywood and paint it in a gorgeous earthy tone like Resene Tussock and play it up with layers of luscious clay-coloured bed linen. resene.co.nz

Anna Dick from Anna Margaret Interiors reveals the little things – and the big things – that can trigger a home revolution. It all started with steam. A client called in an extraction expert because she was sick of stepping into the bath to open a window when her bathroom steamed up. Once she started to look around, the operation turned into a full bathroom remodel and modernisation. I often find the transformation begins with a niggly problem – the oven breaks down, the fridge isn’t big enough, the kids have moved out, the beige walls are too much, there isn’t enough seating. In this case the problem wasn’t a big one, but the solution changed my client’s environment, functionally and aesthetically. Good design creates positive change, giving people a renewed love for their homes. There’s psychology embedded in change, and transformation can provide fulfilment, satisfaction, and control. Interior design is...

Paul Roper-Gee of Canopy Landscape Architects plants some tips on how to make the most of space in a hillside garden with considered retaining, platforms and planting. Christchurch’s volcanic past has created our hill suburbs with varied topography and aspect, making for unique and individual gardens. The dramatic views to the Southern Alps, estuary and seascape together with nearer views of the Port Hills are a key feature of Christchurch hillside gardens. Creating successful gardens on these slopes comes with design opportunities and challenges. One trade-off is the strong winds. To resolve this, consider where your key views are and make them open, while creating sheltered and intimate spaces in other parts of your garden. Use plants for wind shelter, because solid walls do strange things with wind funnels. One approach to gardens on a slope is to work with the hill. Think meandering paths and steps across the slope. This...

Flooring Frontier’s Dani Tia lays down some knowledge on the latest carpet, vinyl and interior design trends. COLOURS Carpet colours have come a long way from the 1990s vintage Axminster and blue carpets. In carpet and vinyl, we are seeing a lot of light earthy tones, warm and cool greys, and natural oak tones. For a long time white walls and contrasting dark grey carpet were a big go-to, but we are seeing less of this style. Carpet Solution-dyed nylon carpet is one of the most popular products around because it’s durable, comfortable, and great for any budget. It is the carpet we recommend for families with children or pets, renovation projects, new builds or simple upgrades. The pricier natural wool carpet in the medium and large loop pile is also trending. We see this in a lot of new builds and older bungalows and villas. The large loop has a...

With more than enough buyers to go around and excellent results for sellers across the board, it’s a good time to be listing. The Christchurch property market never got to the over-inflated point of some other cities, and as a result we’re not seeing a big correction. House sales are moving along very well. In fact, with people returning from overseas and very low interest rates, people perceive that it’s a great time to buy, particularly in Christchurch. Locals aren’t spending money on travel and are looking to invest and get settled down. Buyers are looking for some certainty in uncertain times – with time to spare, it’s an excellent year to find a house to call your own and settle in for some renovations and handymanning. I’m seeing big attendance at auctions, and with the transparency of auction bidding and competition between buyers, excellent sales are coming through. And that’s...

Cityscape rounds up some of Christchurch’s most delectable signature cocktails – original house recipes you won’t find anywhere else. 1. The Dozy Rosie - No.4 Bar & Restaurant Mixologist: Ava Mae — Vodka and bubbly wine with hints of rhubarb, ginger, rosehip and raspberry. Sending messages of a flirty night out with laughter and a whole heap of fun. Be ready to relax in the sun, sip away and feel carefree. no4bar.co.nz 2. The Gold Standard - Gold Aroma Mixologist: PK — Swedish vodka, coconut rum, burnt orange, cacao bitters and pineapple. Inspired by an ideal holiday, bringing the Bahamas to Colombo Street. For when you’ve got summer in your eyes and love on your mind. goldaroma.co.nz 3. Lemon Meringue - Bloody Mary’s Mixologist: Ben Crean — Limoncello, London dry gin, lemon juice, egg white and sugar syrup. The careful blend of Ben's love for gin combined with his fond childhood...

Celebrate the three most important ‘inns’ of craft beer in Ōtautahi: Invention, innovation, independence. Ralph Bungard explains. Hospitality and brewery owners and staff are used to being awake at all hours, but at the moment it’s something less usual keeping us up at night: trying to predict what hospitality and craft brewing will look like post pandemic. One thing we know for certain is the industry is changing. That change will be painful, and some businesses will not survive, but one certainty is that others will make it through and of those, some will thrive. Craft brewers are used to change. They have been at the cutting edge of almost everything that we now see as modern beer. Over recent years they have continually modified how they operate as they invent and re-invent to stay outside the ‘blast zone’ of price-cutting giant multinational brewers and their pseudo-craft brands. Craft brewers are...

This zesty plant-based dish from Green Dinner Table can be served as a satisfying main or a great addition to tapas-style sharing plates. The ingredients are simple and forking out for the high-quality walnuts, olive oil and tahini will pay dividends in flavour. Serves two mains. Ingredients:2 lemonsVegetable oil, for frying60g capers1 medium cauliflower80g tahini1 large clove garlicSalt, to taste80g Canterbury walnuts80g golden raisins1 ½ Tbsp vinegar10g mint10g parsley Method: Heat the oven to 180 °C. Zest the lemons and set aside.Heat some oil in a pan. Pat the capers dry and fry until crispy, about one minute. Pour the oil and capers into a bowl and allow to cool.We want to get two ‘steaks’ from one cauliflower. Trim the outer leaves off the cauliflower (a few soft inner leaves are fine). Carefully cut the cauliflower in half, top to bottom through the base to create two even pieces. Trim the...

Lou Heller is a stylist, personal shopper, and a fashion judge at the upcoming IRT NZ Trotting Cup Day. She sets Cityscape up with race day fashion tips and seasonal style. Are you looking forward to your first year judging The Crossing Fashion Starts Here Best Dressed Competition? To sum it up, when I received the email a few weeks back, I may have done a wee squeal with excitement! I’ve always wanted to enter fashion in the field since moving from Taranaki 21 year ago, and attending Cup and Show week, but I’ve never had the guts to. To be a judge has been a secret dream of mine for years, and for it to come to fruition is incredible. What’s the golden rule of race day fashion? Tough one. I’ve got so many answers for this. Essentially, when I have used my own self as a measure, it has...