Statement dressing

Laura Allard-Fleischl dresses to impress no one but herself. Photo / Babiche Martens

Laura Allard-Fleischl is one of those pretty young slashies with unique style who populate inner-city Auckland - think student/photographer/model/style blogger.

We noticed her style at Air New Zealand Fashion Week earlier this year, where she was taking street style and party photos for fashion website Front Row Diary. Picture floral dresses worn with cute flower headbands, hot pink tulip skirts and an amazing pair of white platform sneakers. It's this cute take on fashion that makes up the majority of her style blog, LunaSuperNova.blogspot.com.

We like Allard-Fleischl's sense of fun with fashion, and the fact that she dresses to impress no one but herself. "That's what fashion is all about isn't it? A form of self-expression, it kind of defeats the purpose if you're using it to appeal to someone else's taste. I find if I feel pressure to look good for anyone, I'm never comfortable in what I'm wearing. However, if I think something looks nice on, and I'm comfortable wearing it, I don't mind how many strange stares it generates. I'll wear it and be confident!"

Who or what inspires you?

People who aren't afraid to rebel against what the masses dictate as being "in" or "out" and dress in a way unique to themselves. I always think these people stand out for the best of reasons even when they look completely wacky.

What was the last item of clothing you bought?

An amazing pair of white leather platform sneakers from a quirky little store named Shag in Melbourne. They make my legs look very long.

If money were no option...?

I would buy every single pair of shoes from the Alexander McQueen S/S 2010 collection and a bunch of dresses too. I'm so fixated with this collection, you can tell it's going to be one of those ones which, like Balmain 09, will be talked to death ... or at least until Supre brings out its own replica collection.

Favourite fashion-y movie?

I seem to gather fashion inspiration from movies which were not intended to be particularly fashion-y. I'm currently obsessed with the film Christiane F. - Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo.

I love the layered grungy look of all the clothes. I find it fascinating and kind of backwards how so many of today's "fashion trends" have been influenced by the youth sub-cultures depicted in films like Christiane F, which originally evolved through the disaffected kids of working-class families and those living in poverty.

Your favourite accessory?

Lots and lots of rings. I have a bunch which I hardly ever take off ... in fact a few of them probably wouldn't come off even if I tried. There's a silver band engraved with "Live, Laugh, Love", a huge black onyx cocktail ring which was a gift from my dad, a thin silver band from Cinque Terre, Italy, a pentagram poison ring, an evil eye ring from Dubai and a mood ring. I love how they all have their own story.

Who does the best shoes?

Jeffrey Campbell, Gareth Pugh, Acne, Nicolas Ghesquiere and Sam Edelman because they all create fantastic chunky platform shoes which look completely badass and make a real statement especially when you're in a bad mood, and you want real stomping power.

What's the one thing everyone should have in their wardrobe?

A safety outfit. That combination of clothes that looks good no matter how crap you feel in everything else. Some days I go through about a ker-zillion outfits and decide they all look terrible so it's a relief to have something safe to fall back on in those situations.

What do you really want this coming season?

Far too many things! I photographed at ANZFW for frontrowdiary.com so I was able to attend all the shows and now my wish list is about a mile long. I loved Stolen Girlfriends Club's oversized black chunky sweaters and just about everything by Twenty-seven Names and Nom*D. I also would really, really love a pair of Acne Atacoma wedges and some over-the-knee boots, oh and a rat coin purse by RP/Encore. I have a LOT of saving to do.

Your favourite shop elsewhere?

I'm not sure if it counts as a shop but I fell in love with Portobello Market when I was in London. It's the most amazing road in the world, home of some of the most spectacular vintage stores I've entered, I wanted to take everything home with me but ended up with room for only one very large authentic Soviet Union Army officer cap.

Your fashion obsession?

I would love to have something really original and interesting to put forward here but I think I'm going to have to join in with just about every other teen in the country and proclaim my obsession with Doc Martens.

I have a sturdy and practical black leather 10-up pair which I'm pretty sure will outlive me by light years and will provide an interesting specimen for the archaeologists of the future, and a more "fashion-y" pair of grey tie-dye 8-ups which would have any original punk rocker grimacing at the horrific commercialisation of one of their cult symbols.

Any style icons?

Plenty: Chantal of the blog My Precious Confessions, Lou Dillion, Julia Frakes, Effy Stonem, model Iekeliene Stange, Jim Morrison, Erin Wasson, Irina Lazareanu, stylist Imogene Barron and so many more which elude me at the moment.

The one fashion rule you always break ... or that you think should never have been a rule in the first place?

That anything can be put in a box and defined as "tacky". It's such a sad idea to completely disregard something all together. I like to think that anything can look fantastic if worn correctly. I bought a few sheets of stick-on dinosaur tattoos the other day and wore them out to a concert, I think they looked awesome.

Most cherished item?

My silver charm bracelet. It has so many charms on it now that it's almost impossible to fit any more. They all represent different countries I've travelled to, and other stand-out moments in my life. So it's sort of like my life journal in a piece of jewellery.

Best way to recycle your old clothes?

I'm a hoarder, I keep hold of clothes forever which annoys my dad no end; but I've found that if I leave clothes up in the attic for a certain period of time they regain their appeal and wearability.

I've re-discovered a skirt I owned as a 9-year-old and a dress I owned as a 7-year-old - they're considerably shorter now than they were back then but still fit me and look good in their own way. I also like to recycle my mum's clothes, often before she's finished with them herself.