Take chill out of winter with a few favourite things

Trelise Cooper and Melisa Jones. Pictures / Martin Sykes

We asked four fashion gurus to list their 10 essentials for winter - the things that make them feel good even on the coldest of days. From Central Otago pinot noir and fragrant candles to board games and vintage clothing, here are some ways our fashionistas make the best of winter.

Trelise Cooper, designer

1. Winter fashions. I love the structure and silhouettes of my suiting collection this winter. Dressing up in a beaded jacket with thick opaque tights in leopard or black and adding one of my Victorian-inspired piano blouses.

2. Body Vibe vibration training. It's the best way to ensure I exercise through the dark winter mornings. Invented by Nasa so astronauts could regain muscle mass and bone density lost in zero gravity.

3. Our regular July family holiday in the hot sun of southwest France, this year at a 1000-year-old Chateau with its own chapel and working vineyard, an hour south of Bordeaux.

4. Blanc Rose tea by Mariage Freres, responsible for creating the French art of tea. This white tea, made from tender rose petals and silver needles, is picked at a specific time of the day and year to create the most delicate and beautifully fragranced tea.

5. La Mer face cream - my lifesaver in all weathers - and the beautiful Le Mer hand cream for dry hands.

6. My Italian white waffle cotton slippers.

7. Snuggling up on my new velvet draped sofa imported from the United States. It is big and squishy, filled with cushions and wonderful for watching DVDs on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

8. Wither Hills Marlborough Pinot Noir. Perfect with my winter lamb shank casserole shared with friends in front of the fire.

9. Winter weekends at Omaha. I love being rugged-up, warm and toasty, walking on the beach in winter pale sunlight with cheeks rosy from the brisk fresh air.

10. Diptyque Tuberose candles. I love to dim the lights and have a deep hot bath with the fragrance of this candle. If it is raining on the roof at the same time it is pure winter heaven.

Dayne Johnston, Menswear designer, Zambesi 

1. A Hema facial in Wellington with Margaret Hema.

2. Regular trips to the Olympic Pools and Fitness Centre in Newmarket. Swimming is one of my favourite forms of exercise at the moment. The steam room and spa pool are bliss.

3. A pair of Zambesi ruched leather winklepicker shoes. 

4. Fast and Loose, the vintage store in K Rd.

5. Organic fruit and vegetables from Harvest Wholefoods in Grey Lynn. To help get through winter it's important to eat well and Harvest is my one-stop shop to stock up on all the best things.

6. A dinner party with friends at home to warm up a cold winter evening. I really enjoy time with friends and the conversation a dinner party creates.

7. Along with a good dinner party comes good wine. A friend recommended a bottle of wine a while back and since then I haven't been able to resist buying it. Sometimes hard to find, it's called Rabbit Ranch Pinot Noir, from Central Otago.

8. A haircut from stylist Rob Stowers at Servilles Chancery. 

9. A trip to the South Island and to Wanaka, where I grew up, to visit my mum and go skiing. It will be freezing down there soon but worth it as it's so beautiful.

10. A yoga class at the Federal St Yoga Academy. I try to go once a week to the Ashtanga class.

Penny Holmes, co-designer of Sample Only

1. A good pair of skinny-leg jeans to wear with boots.

2. A few bottles of tequila - guaranteed to warm you up.

3. Lattes. It's impossible to start the day with out one.

4. A trip to India - nothing like a break in the unbelievable heat to inspire you.

5. Good friends. What's a night in without them?

6. Monopoly. You can't beat for it hours of entertainment.

7. A pashmina shawl. I tend to use them like blankets.

8. Fresh flowers. Lilies are my favourites.

9. A few good books. Anything by Dan Brown and Paulo Coelho are on my list at the moment.

10. A beaded kaftan, rabbit-fur vest and a pair of black slouch boots. 

Melisa Jones, model

1. My black fur coat, which I bought from an antique fair. It's old and very rabbit.

2. Andrea Moore's velvet napoleon jacket. First I got it in pale green, then I had to go back and get another one in aqua.

3. Tanuki's Cave. This is the ultimate place to snuggle in for a meal with mates, and some hilarious natter.

4. Frozen sake (from Tanuki's Cave).

5. Weleda Skin Food.

6. Everything from Karen Walker's Tree Girl collection ... everything.

7. La Chinata (smoked paprika). You can get it at Zarbo's. It is winter in a tin.

8. Tulia Wilson Satchel at Zambesi. Good bags are forever and when you see one you love you should get it.

9. Wish by Choppard. Nothing compares.

10. Milo.