The store manager at Taylor admits she doesn’t need Christmas as an excuse to treat herself, but she’s got some great ideas for others.
How will you be spending Christmas?
Well, most of my family are back home in Scotland so I’ll be doing an orphan Christmas with all the ex-pats here, which is usually a real fun day. We’ll sit around, have a big feed and some beers or wine. My closest friend here is also Scottish and she’s mad for Christmas. So we’ll do presents in the morning and bubbles in the afternoon. It’s not too much different from home apart from the weather. Not cold and snowing by the fire, much warmer and more beach-y.
Do you treat yourself at Christmas?
I probably treat myself a bit too much, to be honest. A common phrase in our household – I live with three girls – is “Just a little treat.” Which happens every day. It was my 30th birthday a few weeks ago and my friend’s too, so the whole of October was pretty much a treat to ourselves. We went to Queenstown for the weekend, had a spa day, went to Waiheke. I think I prefer experiences to material things. Although having said that I work in fashion so every now and again something comes up that I need. Like, “need”.
How do you treat others at Christmas?
We’ll make each other food and bring each other drinks. Look after each other.
What’s your Christmas wish list?
- So, I haven’t had dinner at Amano yet, which I think makes me a terrible Aucklander! It’s definitely on my list because everyone tells me how amazing it is.
- There’s a coat in here that I absolutely adore. It’s called a Subdivide Jacket, it’s green linen. I’ve definitely got my eye on that.
- I absolutely love Waiheke, it’s one of my favourite things about living in Auckland, so I reckon a girls weekend to Waiheke.
Do you have any gift ideas?
- I was thinking if my mum came over, I would definitely book her in for a Taylor styling session. We do these sessions in store, and we put the bubbles on, talk you through the collection and invite you to try things on. It’s quite a nice way to spend an afternoon and it’s totally free. We also offer 10% off any items you buy on top of that. I’d definitely book my mum in for that.
- We have these necklaces in for Christmas from a designer called Renee Louie. She has been a finalist for 10 years at World of Wearable Arts. I recommend those little summer pieces, handmade in Wellington.
- And we have this cute little collection of olive oils called Taylor by 29, made on Waiheke. They supply the olive oil for Amano and The Store, so they’re very good!
Wish List | Gift List is our Christmas interview series that we hope will be all the gift-buying inspiration you need. Read more tips on great gifts to get for yourself and your loved ones from these Britomart experts:
Aluminta Smith, Kathryn Wilson