What the world needs now is love, sweet love, and these six stylish couples bring all the feels with their heartfelt admiration for each other and respective sartorial savvy.
Isabelle Carson and Tom Conway
Occupations: BA student and part-time retail assistant; fashion student and part-time bartender.
Together: Five years.
Isabelle: We met five years ago exactly from the day of this shoot, which is pretty special! We met at a random gig, and I complimented Tom on his outfit. I've always adored his style. Tom is so happy and friendly, and truly amazing at meeting and talking to new people. I admire his confidence and how he can make friends with anyone, without compromising who he is. I think everyone who meets him loves him.
Tom: Iz can do anything she puts her mind to. She is such a strong and independent woman. I was drawn to her style when I met her. It’s forever evolving, but will always represent the Iz I know so well. It’s very special to reflect on the years we’ve spent together.
Isabelle: Tom’s style is this amazing mix between classic men’s tailoring and functional tech-wear, but it’s still so pretty. I feel like he’s always known what he likes to wear and he has a knack for knowing exactly what suits him. I have always adored his style!
Tom: Iz has such a unique style because she has all these influences from art, ballet and historical dress, but also sticks to a distinctive core aesthetic of whimsical beauty with a serious edge.
Isabelle: I am wearing a Simone Rocha top, sandals and earrings (I found the shoes and earrings second-hand); Kate Sylvester trousers, and a Caitlin Snell bag. All the rings I am wearing are very special to me. I wear my mum’s wedding rings, my nana’s beautiful blue sapphire rings, a ring my best friend made me, and a ring Tom bought me every single day.
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Advertise with NZME.Tom: I am wearing an unidentifiable op-shop shirt, a super old Kate Sylvester tie, a jacket I bought years ago from the Army Surplus store that I was wearing when I met Isabelle, Kate Sylvester trousers, and Adidas Superstar 2s.
Talia, Lise and Manaia Soloa
Occupations: Co-founder and designer at Layplan; infrastructure sales.
Together: 10 years.
Talia: Having a baby brings a newness to the love we have for each other. I feel more in love with Lise now, knowing we have a responsibility to our little boy to raise him in love and show him what that looks like it’s wild.
Talia: Lise is all of the things I wish I was. He’s unbelievably gentle and strong at the same time, humble and courageous. Loving people comes easy to him and to watch that unfold daily is really special. Just like him, his style is super-chill. It gives me Samoan Preppy Boy.
Lise: Ta has always been unique with what she wears, it's one of the things that attracted me when I first met her. She can be colourful and fun but all-black is a go-to. I love how Ta loves and cares for me. She is always willing to learn and be better for us in everything she does. Her loyalty is second to none. A quality of hers that stands out for me is her creativity. She always comes up with new ideas and it encourages others to think outside the box, and do what they dream of.
Talia: I’m wearing a striped set that I had made. It’s an Arya (Layplan) wrap top and skirt with some black pointy boots.
Lise: I’m wearing a beige shirt and cream pants and Onitsuka sneakers always — everything thrifted!
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Jill Lawrence and Leonard Scretching
Occupations: Administrator at ADHB; director of a specialised applications company.
Together: 41 years.
Leonard: Jill is caring, loving and fun to be with. She never puts herself first and always thinks of others. Her style is fun and colourful, advanced and bright. For a happy relationship it's important to listen to what the other has to say, have a good clear communication path, trust each other, and be truthful as best you can.
Jill: Leonard has always been very considerate of me and lets me be independent. We have both maintained our sense of identity which means we can bring more to the relationship. We love to listen to music together. Leonard was a professional musician when I met him, and it has always been a feature in our lives. I love the way he enjoys dressing up. His style is unique and often quite formal though he loves to be creative with his casual wear and deconstruct his T-shirts. He has lots of funky shirts made by our daughter.
Leonard: I love the 20s and 30s prohibition era, and when I went home to New Orleans a while back, I found this suit. The vest is one of my favourite colours and styles, the bowtie is an antique and the scarf is from a vintage textile fair.
Jill: Our outfits complement each other though that was unplanned. I’m wearing Harman Grubisa red paisley pants and a red wool kimono jacket made by my daughter. I’m wearing Minnie Cooper ankle boots which are 36 years old. My hat is made from paper, great for folding and travel, and my mustard-coloured top is from the Caroline collection. My beads were made for me by a friend 40 years ago, and my special St Christopher pendant was gifted to me by the family in 1999.
Nayan Patel and Tim Webby
Occupations: Artist and creator of Lemon Pepper gallery; high school art teacher and artist.
Together: Two-and-a-half years.
Nayan: Tim is probably the kindest person I've ever met. We enjoy pottering around the house, cooking, drawing and making each other watch our TV shows. When it comes to clothes, Tim loves 100 per cent wool and feminine leather... any time he buys something new it's one or the other. Or made in New Zealand!
Tim: Nayan is never annoying. He is quite glamorous to me in this way. I like being around him all the time and it's been ages. He collects a lot of clothes. He tries on all these things before he finds something and the rest end up in a pile on the floor. I think he has a great collection, clearly, because I'm wearing something out of it most of the time.
Nayan: I basically always wear a variation of this outfit.
Tim: I just got these Jeremy Scott Adidas shoes with wings on them because I thought they were kind of emo/goth. Then I'll wear straightforward and practical stuff like jeans and a T-shirt.
Sip and Zac De Silva
Occupations: Business owner and creative director at Bokeo; business coach and advisor at Business Changing.
Together: Nine years.
Sip: I love Zac's positivity and gentle outlook on life. He's resilient and kind and believes in the goodness of every person. I fell in love with him because he loves me as I am and doesn't try to change me or convince me otherwise.
Zac: I love Sip’s attitude to life. She does whatever she wants and I find that so refreshing I always say that she lives every day like it’s her birthday. There is no second-guessing what Sip is thinking and she doesn’t play games. She is clever in so many ways and practical like you wouldn’t believe. Her life advice is the best even if it’s brutally honest at times. She approaches things from a place of kindness, which is a must-have in a partner.
Sip: Zac's got great style, he loves to shop and takes great care of his clothes, so I'm always borrowing from his wardrobe. His style is understated luxury streetwear. I wish I could fit his shoes because he has a great collection of sneakers.
Zac: Sip has a great eye for detail and effortlessly cool style. She prefers well-designed, timeless garments. She loves to wear men's brands in an oversized way, so we sometimes have to bring out paper-scissors-rocks to decide who gets to 'own' things.
Sip: I’m wearing a Bokeo A-Line silver skirt and Bokeo silk shirt dress with a necklace borrowed from mum’s jewellery box and rings gifted by my siblings.
Zac on Sip’s outfit: Sip doesn’t often wear a skirt so I find it amusing when she does; I think it brings out a different side of her personality.
Zac: I’m wearing Asics; Lownn pants; a Bokeo ivory long-sleeve T-shirt; black over shirt from Shakes in Vulcan Lane; a Porter James sports cap and Oliver Goldsmith glasses.
Sip on Zac’s outfit: I wanted to wear Zac’s outfit today but lost the paper-scissors-rock battle this morning, damn it!
Macarena Rodriguez Pinto and Rollo Grayson
Occupations: Visual director at Kowtow; customer experience and service design lead at Vodafone.
Together: 12 years.
Rollo: Working in fashion, Maca has always dressed well. It definitely took me a few years to get my head around the evolving trends and outfits, but it's one of the things I love most about Maca and what makes her unique. She is always stylishly dressed and I love how she stands out from the crowd.
Maca: Rollo has always had it in him to be very stylish his mum was a creative and eclectic woman who influenced him hugely. During our time in Europe he really developed his style and is now better dressed than I am! His style is a mix of dapper gentleman with woodcutter utilitarian, a bit of an oxymoron.
Rollo: Maca is a force of nature. Her creativity, presence and energy can take any situation and lift it to the next level. She brings fun and excitement to what we are doing, not to mention an amazing laugh.
Maca: Rollo is very sensitive and kind. He has one hell-of-a sense of humour and is a bit quirky. He’s very intelligent; I love the left-of-field things he seeks out.
Maca: Working for Kowtow means I have access to a pretty amazing wardrobe. I am also very set on reducing the number of synthetic fibres I wear. My outfit is inspired by romance and grunge. My shirt and vest are from Kowtow, hoop earrings from Monarc, headband from Asos and boots from Arket.
Rollo: This was my go-to outfit when we lived in London. It’s easy and comfortable — classic double denim Hawksmill Denim Co jacket, jeans from Carhartt with a Barkers oxford shirt and the Grenson boots.
Sittings editor and interviews / Johanna Thornton. Photographer / Babiche Martens. Fashion director / Dan Ahwa. Makeup and grooming / Shirley Simpson and Gabrielle Houghton.
Furnishings and flowers / Lignet Roset Circa dining chairs. Danske Mobler Milan armchair. Isadia flowers.
