genres of things I'm into

Welcome to clipboard, a weekly newsletter about good shit in Tāmaki Makaurau, by Reilly Hodson. This week I’m talking about the genres of things that I’m loving at the moment. A quick note: clipboard will be off next week as I’m moving house, and I’ll return on 10 April.

I’m lovin’ it

There’s an excellent ongoing TikTok series called “celebrities written in the same font.” I like it not just because seeing celebrities that look the same brings an odd satisfaction, but because of the evocative name: everyone gets what “written in the same font” means right away, it’s truly genius turn of phrase.

I can’t pretend to have that kind of clarity in my writing all the time, but in the same vein, I’ve been thinking about my favourite things at the moment in genres, in groups. With that in mind, here are my March favourites, in genres.

non-car transport

Petrol is expensive at the moment (in case you missed the truly insane media cycle about it), which is making me feel very superior about being an infrequent, reluctant car user. People like Mike Hosking love to say “Kiwis love their cars,” but honestly, in most situations, driving a car is by far the least pleasurable way to get around. I understand letting it rip on the open road, but dealing with traffic, paying for petrol, insurance, etc.? The worst!

Obviously, there are some journeys which must be made by car, especially in Auckland, a city which has foresaken active and public transport for too long, but if you can avoid it, I’d encourage you to try alternatives. Get the bus, or the train, hop on a bike, or just go for a walk! It’s an amazing feeling for the act of transport not to be inherently stressful, it’s good for the environment and the soul.

jeans (not skinny)

Over the years, I have swung dramatically back and forth on my views on jeans. Some months I love them, sometimes they sit in the back of my wardrobe untouched. At the moment, I’m right at the “in love with jeans” end of the spectrum. Everywhere I look for styling inspiration, I see great pairs of jeans in all sorts of shades.

At the moment, I only own two pairs: both straight leg, one in a washed black and one in a lighter blue. I’m now on the lookout for a pair in a darker blue (but not raw denim - I don’t have time for that), perhaps this looser pair from Checks, or these guys from Norse Projects. If money was no object, I’d be heading straight to Drake’s.

croissants and laminated pastries

There’s something magical about a good croissant - au chocolat, au raisin, au regular, I love them all. When my partner and I went to Paris, we would pick up a pastry and a coffee each every morning before going to a museum, or whatever. It was a lovely ritual, and a little luxury on what was a pretty low-cost trip. Picking up a pastry on my morning coffee break at work, or before a lazy Sunday, makes me feel very fancy and international.

chic knits

I have a vision for my autumn/winter office wardrobe, and it looks a lot like the above pic (maybe minus the Steve Zizzou beanie): a great knit jumper and some nice pants. Easy, chic and it means I don’t have to iron 4 shirts every Sunday. I’ll need to add a few additional pieces to my rotation to pull it off, so I am looking closely at this checkerboard option from cotton-knit experts Kowtow, and crossing my fingers that Thom Morison has another round of knitwear coming for winter.

clips

• Important call for suggestions: next week I’m moving to Mt Albert, and I’m going to make a series of newsletters about the move, settling into the new neighbourhood, etc. Send me your favourite spots around Ōwairaka to get coffee, food, etc., and I’ll check them out and write about them right here!

• New Kowtow continues to be absolute straight fire - maybe my favourite local brand

• A dirty secret for sneaker heads - Loaded, which is not a fun store to shop at, often has really good stock that sits on its shelves longer than you’d expect, because its customer base do not have good taste. Case in point, these excellent gorpy Nikes, and these Wales Bonner x Adidas joints. Noah x Adidas for $99? Next level.

• I had an awesome dinner from Goldie Roasts last week on the recommendation of Metro Magazine - bloody delicious, hits the spot, and great for leftover lunches too.

• I rewatched Dawn of the Planet of the Apes this week - good movie!

• You can now buy the Toi Tū Toi Ora book, based on the excellent Auckland Art Gallery show of the same name. An amazing review of the state of contemporary Māori art, and one that will look great on your coffee table.

• Buy my fridge!

That’s all for clipboard this week, thanks for reading! I’ll be back in your inbox in a couple of weeks, to talk about my new home in Mt Albert! See you then.