Cityscape spent five minutes with Mary Outram, girlboss behind Borrowed By Mary and Shop By Mary, about what she's looking forward to this year, the brand she'd love to work with and her go-to place to blow off some steam.

What excites you about Christchurch? The inner city! Seeing our city slowly come back to life after the sadness of 2011 is really nice to be a part of and to feel a part of that change and seeing it thrive again.

Anything coming that you’re particularly looking forward to? Cup and Show Week 2019! Easily one of my favourite weeks of the year.

What’s one thing you’d love to see in Christchurch? As a whole I want to see more people getting dressed up and also more events! Sometimes I feel like if you’re dressed well or dressed up there is a perception of "What are you so dressed up for?" People are so conservative sometimes, just glam up and own how you look. Can't we just be dressed fab for the sake of feeling good? I feel like the city also lacks social events for younger people outside of the summer months and therefore lacks people dressing up to go out and about.

What brand would you love to work with? New Zealand's Maggie Marilyn – her style and clothing is all kinds of amazing (also because I can't afford it yet).

If you had $5000 to spend in one store, where would you go? Ballantynes just started stocking some Maggie Marilyn pieces – give me 5k and I'll happily head there to save them from going to anyone else (haha).

What’s your favourite thing to do in the city during winter? Walk Hagley Park – it can be cold but put your gloves on. Walking the park is so pretty at all times of the year.

Where do you go to ... Wine and dine with friends: All over. Platters and wines with my friends is kind of a hobby (can that be considered a hobby?). Aikmans, OGB, Dirty Land and the bars along The Terrace are some of my top picks. Take a date: My partner and I are lucky if we get a date day together as I work full-time and run my website and he works six days, so things get hectic. So if we have a day off, just going to coffee and brunch together is a treat. In the evenings though we love a dinner date night and often go for steak or Mexican, otherwise just chill at home – a movie and homemade popcorn is actually the best! Morning coffee: Park Ranger Riccarton still makes the best coffee in town! Blow off some steam: Bangalore Polo Club after dark, haha. Some bubbles, old-skool beats and the dance floor with my girlfriends – can't beat it! Shop up a storm: I am definitely an inner-city shopper as I like being outside rather than stuck in a busy mall! To name my favourites, I love shopping at Superette for their boutique brands, Ballantynes for its Contemporary Lounge and all things beauty, Stirling Women for luxe activewear, and Mi Piaci to add to my ever growing boots collection/obsession. Get away from it all: On a holiday! Wanaka/Queenstown will never get old, you could send me there every month and it’s still one of the best getaways.

@mary_oh_