KEY POINTS:
A life-long interest in fashion and the "art of appearance" led Carol Abernethy to launch The Secret Wardrobe, a formal dress hire salon that offers an alternative to buying a designer frock or borrowing off friends.
Abernethy, who has a background in psychology and runs her own consultancy firm, launched The Secret Wardrobe last year, and is set to add a new luxury handbag hire service in July.
Labels available to hire include Chloe, Alexander McQueen, Valentino and Yves Saint Laurent.
Abernethy says it's all about the transformative effects of dressing up. "Women say to me after they've borrowed a dress, 'I spent $100 on this - but I felt like a million bucks'."
For more information, check out www.thesecretwardrobe.co.nz
What was the last item of clothing you bought?
I got two fabulous party dresses from Scanlan & Theodore on a recent trip to Melbourne. One is long and funky and very California cool, while the other is this flashy little party dress in wild colours. Just looking at them makes me smile.
Favourite designers?
I have always loved John Galliano for being so innovative and stylish that it's sick. I also rate Vera Wang right up there for classic evening style.
Hit of the season?
I am really loving the art nouveau fairy collection from Prada with illustrations by James Jean. It looks so different from everything else. I had to buy the fairy shoes in red and purple patent with pink suede bows and tree stump heels. I think they will become collectors' items of the future.
Who does the best shoes?
So hard to choose! I got hooked on Jimmy Choo and Manolo Blahnik once I saw them on Sex and the City and have been loyal ever since. I have recently bought a deep red Christian Louboutin pair of 5 inch pumps which I have tottered round the Viaduct in. Even in jeans I felt fantastic.
Best sartorial advice I ever had?
Go with the contrast - soft with hard, edgy with feminine, bold with restrained. Enjoy the oppositional moments - great style comes from such clashes.
Any style icons?
I really enjoy Gwen Stefani's style. She coolly balances the classics with a funky twist even while she is pregnant. I adored her John Galliano-designed wedding dress. She always looks stunning and she has such a distinctive signature style.
My best fashion moment?
Wasn't mine, but a 70-year-old client of mine. She hired a fabulous outfit and rocked it like you wouldn't believe. It was a real reminder that while youth and beauty make life easier, style and confidence win in the end.
The fashion police should ban?
There is only one thing worse than Crocs - Crocs with heels! I saw these in a magazine and nearly threw up from the sheer hideousness of it.
Best fashion-y movie?
I adored Uma Thurman in the bright yellow Bruce Lee outfit in Kill Bill Vol 1. Bold action and out-there colour. The funky Paco Rabanne outfits Jane Fonda wore in Barbarella are also a standout. One of Paco's original outfits is up for auction and I am tempted to have a go at getting it. It's wearable art at it's most seductive.
My fashion obsession?
It has been shoes for a very long time. I was about 10 when I got my first pair of heels, rope-heeled sandals that my Dad bought me. Mum wasn't with us at the time, so getting them was a coup. I loved them. I lent shoes to a friend - who hasn't ever worn designer shoes - for a formal function and she sent me a card thanking me for introducing her to the transformative power of a great pair of shoes.
