MY WARDROBE: Rachelle Duffy

Rachelle Duffy, owner of Idiom Boutique

Q: What's your favourite piece in your wardrobe and why?
A: At the moment I am loving my Riddle Me, this fringed crop T - I can wear it any time of the day at any occasion. It looks good on its own, or layered. A definite favourite in my wardrobe this season.

Q: How many pairs of shoes do you have?

A: I have quite a lot of shoes, about 50 pairs. I must admit shoes are my soft spot. To be fair I use to work at the head office of Overland Footwear/Mi Piaci, and it is easy to have a large amount of shoes when you have worked for a shoe company.
Since moving back to Mount Maunganui I have become friends with local shoe designers Becks and Renee from Chaos and Harmony. Idiom Boutique will be stocking C/Harmony shoes from winter 2011, so my wardrobe consists of a few Chaos and Harmony shoes, which are truly amazing. My most favourite pair that I own are the Fallen shoe in grey - it has the best wedge heel that lasts the distance.

Q: What are your wardrobe basics?
A: I know that leggings have been around for probably a bit too long now, but I just can't live without them. They are so easy to wear and can go with everything. Accessories are always a must as well. Whatever you are wearing, you can throw on a necklace or some rings and look 10 times better.
Q: What do you wear to work?
A: I wear a few different hats, so I have to make sure I am wearing the best outfit for the whole day. In the morning I work at Holland Beckett Lawyers. So I wear an outfit that works well in a corporate environment, but still have a fashion look for the afternoon for when I go to Idiom Boutique. Most items I wear are from the store and are high fashion, so they will look the part anywhere.

Q: What's your weekend "uniform"?
A: My weekend attire is pretty casual depending on where I am going and what I am doing. My husband and I are home bodies on the weekend if we are not working. So I tend to wear my casual jeans with oversized shirts for comfort.
Q: What's your oldest piece of clothing?
A: I love vintage clothing, and so does my mum - she is our Idiom vintage buyer. I get a lot of clothing from her. The one item which is by far the oldest and my most treasured piece is a pure white ostrich crop vest coat, which mum gave to me. It is amazing. I am not sure if Tauranga is ready for it, but it sits nicely in my wardrobe next to my wedding dress.

Q: What's the latest piece you've bought?
A: I feel bad saying this, but owning your own clothing boutique you tend to buy something quite regularly. It doesn't mean you lose excitement in shopping, but you become more aware of what you are buying. The last item I bought was the Stolen Girlfriends Tank Drape dress, of course from Idiom boutique. It is super easy wearing for summer.

Q: What accessories do you use?
A: I love accessories. I am glad that each season they are becoming a staple in your day-to-day attire. I am definitely more of a rings and necklace girl. One of my best friends Kristie Asplin is a jeweller and she hand-made me a sterling silver horse necklace, which I can't go anywhere without. It goes with everything and adds that special something to my look of that day.

Q: Which piece of clothing could you not do without?
A: As weird as this sounds, I don't really have one item that stands out from the rest. When I am going away, I always make sure I have a good pair of pants or jeans and a good jacket.

Q: What's the most you've spent on an item of clothing?
A: Probably my wedding dress, but it was worth every penny. I had it designed and made by local designer Jacinta Fitzgerald. She is an amazing designer and a great friend, so it meant that much more to me on the day. I just wish I could wear it again, opposed to it sitting lonely in my wardrobe. I think I may have a girls' high tea party with friends where we all dress up in our wedding dresses, just one last time.