KEY POINTS:
It's becoming the worst kept secret on Brown St. "I like how a lot of our customers just stumble across us and it's like a little discovery they've made in their own neighbourhood," says Monique Jarvis, who runs the recently-opened Dalston boutique, with business partner, Jules Clark.
The light and lovely store is something of a reunion for Jarvis and Clark. They'd been friends after leaving school, even working in a Ponsonby clothing store together. The pair met again in London where Clark had her own clothing store in Dalston and Jarvis was working in fashion marketing. Back in Auckland again, the friends, now both mothers, decided to open a store selling "easy-to-wear clothes that take you anywhere, that fit in with both children and working."
Who are your favourite designers?
Martin Margiela, Florence Broadhurst, Vivienne Westwood, Giles Deacon, Levi Strauss.
What was the last item of clothing you bought?
A Smith and Western vinyl bomber jacket.
What's your biggest indulgence?
A hot rock massage with Paulette from Rimu Herbs.
Who or what inspires you?
My beautiful Lebanese mother who had a truly inspirational style.
Best fashion bargain?
A 1940s vintage tea dress from This Is Not a Love Shop.
Who does the best shoes?
Miu Miu. In London they seemed affordable.
The best jeans?
Kewpie, vintage dark denim, pedal pusher, hotpants. Why? We sell 'em.
What endures throughout the seasons?
Sunglasses - if you don't lose them.
Your favourite shop elsewhere?
Colette in Paris for everything: clothes, accessories, books, mags and music.
What is your beauty routine?
A good start to the day is a shower with Eithne Curran body wash and shampoo.
Your best beauty tip?
Laura Mercier's tinted moisturiser gives good coverage and isn't not too makeup-y.
What can't you live without?
Red lipstick.
Whose wardrobe would you most like to raid?
Italian Vogue's Anna Piaggi or British super-stylist Katie Grand.
Is there anything you'd never wear?
A "World's Best Mum" T-shirt.
What is the biggest beauty mistake you have ever made?
Eyelash extensions. I became obsessed with the idea after reading about them in British Vogue. So I tracked down someone who did them here - relatively expensively too - and I believed the hype that they would last until they grew out. I woke up the next day with no wow factor left. It is possible for eyelashes to look bedraggled.
If money were no option?
Eyelash extensions applied daily.
Any style icons? Bjork.
Everything that woman does is amazing. Barbara Hulanicki and Mary Quant too.
The one rule you always dress by?
Never listen to your boyfriend's opinion. Or just don't ask in the first place.
Best sartorial advice you ever had?
Elisabeth Findlay's: "Never save anything for best".
Personal style quirk?
Vintage mixed with new.
Most overrated item in fashion?
Overpriced, oversized, celebrity handbags.
When I was high school I wore?
A Siouxsie and the Banshees T-shirt from Camden Market, tartan miniskirt and fishnets with 50s winklepickers.
