Fashion & beauty - making the desirable seem truly essential.
Profiles – from music industry faces to CEOs, I’ve interviewed subjects as diverse as Slash and Jimmy Choo and love to delve into the personality behind the name.
Web – copy, concepts, editing.
I love to write about the fruity and the fantastic, but strive to demystify it and offer readers a backstage pass into what makes it tick.
I prefer to dispense with flowery language as much as possible and make copy accessible, interesting and inclusive. I envisage the end-reader as someone like you and me, rather than being the member of an all-too-exclusive “club” that would prefer it if we didn’t knock on their door.
My writing is intelligent but not inaccessible, and humour plays a major role if the job fits.
Hopetown (Press release)
Apparel manufacturer High Society commissioned me to write a press release for their retailers and the media about one of their labels, Hopetown, being put on hiatus due to the current economic climate. The release had to have elements of both the positive and the negative combined as seamlessly as possible, which is always a challenge.
Outrageous Fortune (Magazine Cover Story)
Last month I was asked by Rip It Up magazine to write a cover story about the TV series Outrageous Fortune. Spanning over six pages, it includes interviews with three of the stars and the Executive Producer, focusing on the show as a pop culture phenomenon that New Zealanders just can't get enough of...
Kate Sylvester (Magazine article)
Australian magazine Grazia commissioned me to interview New Zealand designer Kate Sylvester about her beautiful home in Westmere, so as to convey to their readers a little about her life and her loves. The piece was timed to coincide with her latest outing at RAFW in Sydney, and gave a little bit of insight into he woman behind the collection.
The Department Store (Print ad)
I was asked by The Department Store to write some ad copy for them celebrating the imminent arrival of the infamous TopShop on their top floor. The Department Store was also recently named the top spot in the world for conceptual retail by the UK's Monocle magazine, and they wanted to blow their trumpet in an effortlessly stylish fashion.
Pretty Beautiful (Web)
Pretty Beautiful – www.mshelene.com - is where I play around with lipsticks and ridiculously over-priced skincare and have a bit of fun. I started the blog almost six months ago and have had a lot of fun creeping into people’s favourites and creating a bit of discussion. I cover everything from organic, high performance skin products to developments in mascara formulations, and I love every minute of it.
James McCarty Jeweller (Web)
Translating the witticisms and eccentricities of one of New Zealand’s most talented jewellers into web copy was a lengthy but hugely enjoyable job for me. His work is beautiful and unique and I strived to create words to match.
The New Zealand Fashion Week Guide (Print)
For the last four years I have edited and written The Guide, the official publication of New Zealand Fashion Week. It covers everything from new designers and hair and make up stars to the role sponsors play in taking the best of New Zealand fashion design to the world. Each year it has grown in size alongside the event, and become and integral part of the organisation’s print collateral.
Jimmy Choo interview for the New Zealand Herald’s Viva (Print)
For the second time in my career I was lucky enough to interview shoemaker and modern fashion legend Jimmy Choo, this time focusing on his plans to create a School of Couture in London, a world exclusive.