Caught in the act

Actress Chelsie Preston Crayford photographed at home in Westmere. Photo / Babiche Martens

Actress Chelsie Preston Crayford has been known to raid a few wardrobes in her time. "The best by far are always the sneaky off-limit ones, like wardrobe departments that have scores and scores of clothes from all different periods and productions."

Preston Crayford, who has appeared in Shortland Street, the film Eagle vs Shark and various theatre productions, is currently performing as part of the Silo Theatre's production of Ruben Guthrie, a "black comedy with a big drunken heart" that also stars Oliver Driver, Peter Elliot and Dean O'Gorman. She tells us about her sartorial secrets - and of her obsession with her omnichord.

The one rule you always dress by?
Put something on, change, put another thing on, change, put another thing on, change, put the first thing on again, BAM! Then leave 10 minutes late.

Your favourite accessory?
My omnichord.

The best jeans?
Old ones. New jeans are so demanding, always needing you to break them in and tell them how to be, but old jeans, they know the routine.

What is your beauty routine?
I put apricot oil on my face and then I brush my teeth. Apricot oil is good because it only costs $10 and it last for aaaaages and you can eat it if you get hungry. Brushing your teeth is good because it makes you more socially acceptable.

What's your biggest indulgence/guilty pleasure?
Britney Spears. For serious. And my omnichord.

What do you wear to work?
Acting pants. You can't wear normal stuff when you're acting you know. This is not real life here people! It's art. And art needs to express itself in stretchy pants.

Who or what inspires you?
Haruki Murakami. I'm obsessed. If you don't know who he is he's an excellent Japanese writer who writes very surreal stories where anything can happen. Him and my omnichord.

Favourite fashion-y movie?
Grey Gardens without a doubt. Little Edie is my hero. If you haven't seen it get it out now. It's a documentary made in the mid 70s by the Maysles brothers about a mother and daughter who call themselves Big Edie and Little Edie. They were related to Jackie Onassis and were once at the very top tier of society. They live in this mansion which used to be beautiful but is now in complete squalor with a thousand cats and racoons literally eating away at the walls but all the while their grace and eccentricity is completely mesmerising.

Personal style quirk?
My mum told me when I was in creche I used to leave the house in some kind of Osh Kosh Bigoshy outfit and then when she came to pick me up I would inevitably be in this beautiful ornate dress with puffy sleeves and some little Indian girl would have gone home in Osh Kosh Bigosh. I don't know if you would call stealing other people's clothes off their backs a personal style quirk or a talent?

Most overrated item in fashion?
Diamonds.

Most underrated item in fashion
GUMBOOTS! Gumboots are the best; there are pretty much no limits to what you can do in them.

Best city for fashion shopping in the world?
Petone. Is Petone a city? I don't know but I have never left Petone without a bargain.

Favourite T-shirt slogan/best T-shirt slogan you ever saw?
My aunty told me she got her son a T-shirt that looked like a gift with a tag on it that said "TO WOMEN, FROM GOD". I thought that was pretty hilarious especially considering we are talking about an exceptionally skinny 16-year-old boy here.

When I was at high school I wore?
A uniform. Which was cool, I actually quite liked wearing a uniform. What I didn't like was how some teachers seemed to spend more time worrying about what shoes we had on than what was going on in our brains.

Best music for getting dressed to?
The Hot Grits album It's too drunk to be this early. Never fails to pump me up. Shamon!

Best trend of this season?
Sunshine. This was my first Auckland winter and I don't know if Aucklanders know how good they've got it. It's insane! While the rest of New Zealand is crying because they've got frostbite and haven't felt their extremities for two months, Aucklanders are swanning around in breezy cardigans drinking Pina Coladas in the sun and chatting about how it's "a little bit nippy". I freakin' love Auckland weather.

Best way to recycle your old clothes?
Keep them until you like them again.

• Ruben Guthrie runs at the Herald Theatre until October 17, tickets from $20 from The Edge, ph (09) 357 3355.