The Gloss team picks our highlights from New Zealand Fashion Week’s 10th birthday.  Click here for complete coverage and all show reviews, courtesy of FashioNZ.

 Day one

One of the highlights of the opening day was Juliette Hogan’s sweet, whimsical collection, entitled ‘The Morning After the Night Before’.  Drawing to mind the idea of a pretty and proper girl sneaking home in the morning after a night out, the collection was feminine and pretty, and above all wearable.

Cybele’s darkly sophisticated and ethereal collection, entitled ‘Nieriya’ was another high from day one.  Cybele’s intention with the collection is to invoke a sense of elements colliding – earth, air, fire and water, and this was fully realised in the clothes, which featured Cybele’s signature graphic from rippling ‘water’ in gold and jade silk,  to elemental ‘volcano’ printed satin in jade, gold, amethyst, pearl and jet. 

The talk among the fashionistas on day one was definitely geared towards the hot legs on display at Kathryn Wilson’s debut runway show.  Models dressed in black bodysuits showcased Kathryn Wilson’s autumn/winter 2011 collection, which featured a rainbow palette of colours and Kathryn Wilson’s signature fashion forward style.

Zambesi rounded off a full-on first day with the first off-site show of the week, situated in a large CBD warehouse.  The collection was a narrative based around the many tribes of youth, which was reflected in the tribal make up, music and styling. The styling was very street-oriented, incorporating youthful accessories like tall doc marten boots over skinny trousers for men, trucker caps and high top sneakers.

Day two

Day two kicked off bright and early with Ruby’s first ever fashion week show. Guests were treated to delicisous muesli and Rosemount bubbles before the show, and not even typical Auckland weather (i.e. torrential rain) could rain on Ruby’s parade. Ruby’s fun, feminine and highly wearable style was evident on the runway, in a collection full of highly covetable pieces.

The day’s schedule was full with fantastic showings from Sable & Minx, Brady, Jimmy D, Sabatini & Augustine, Alexandra Owen and the NZ Weddings bridal collection showcase.  But attention must be drawn to World’s show, ‘Wasted Days, Wasted Nights’, held at the Langham Hotel’s grand ballroom.  Guests were treated to high tea before the event, and the clothes, the hair, the makeup, the soundtrack and the setting all came together to provide one of the most impressive shows of the week. 

Trelise Cooper’s runway show was epic- a total of 120 looks came down the runway, from her diffusion line Cooper by Trelise, and of course, the Trelise Cooper label itself.  A breathtakingly beautiful stainglassed window was unveiled at the end of the runway for the Trelise Cooper showing, you got the sense  that some sort of grand, almost holy ritual was about to take place.

Day two’s evening show was definitely more what I would characterise as an installation, as it was not a runway show.  Nom* D’s show, ‘ A Danse Macabre’, was a show in three parts, with models dressed in Nom* D’s signature deconstructed garments, with models acting out three scenes, including a dinner party that disintegrates into madness.  Hard to explain, but you can read the full review here.  It was a truly fantastic spectacle.

Day three

Day three's look of the day was ‘drenched’.  Typical Auckland spring rain and a lack of umbrella meant we had to make a quick dash to the MAC/ghd VIP room to get hair and makeup retouched.  The first show of the day took us back to the nineties - Twentyseven Names’ super cool collection, ‘The Fearsome Five’ was heavy with references to private school uniforms and 90's grunge elements, all with a whimsical, prettier feel than many would remember from their school days.

The afternoon of day three saw the highly anticipated show from Americal designer Nicole Miller, and she didn’t disappoint. The runway show was the epitome of classic, American elegance.  I loved the edgy bondage-esque back detailing on many of the dresses. 

The Carpenters Daughter also delivered a fun show that left a smile on everyone’s face, and Michelle Yvette, Matchi Motchi and Salasai raised the bar with their fantastic collections.  The day closed with ‘Last Night’s Party’, a.k.a the Stolen Girlfriends Club show, held at the Mercury Theatre off K Rd.  Although the tired, cold audience were kept waiting over an hour, this was quickly forgotten as soon as the cheeky, high energy show opened.  It was an impressive collection, with key elements such as fur, sexy dresses and hydrangea prints – this will definitely be a covetable collection for the uber-hip next winter. 

Day four and five

By day four, fashion week village was both winding down from the shows, but at the same time gearing up for the hugely popular Designer Garage Sale, open to the public on Friday and Saturday.  The Miromoda Showcase was an absolutel highlight – which showcased the best in Maori fashion design.  I was particularly taken by master weaver Shona Tawhaio‘s intricate designs.

And of course, we can’t forget some of the fiercest fashionistas of the week – the adorable models in the Trelise Cooper Kids show.  Called ‘A Fashion Fairytale’, it was every little girl’s (and this big girl’s) dream come true, with the toadstool filled wonderland-style set.  Trelise again proved herself as the master of creating mini-me fashions for ultra trendy tots.

By late afternoon, drink in hand, we sat down for a well deserved break, and to rest our poor, tired feet.  But we couldn’t rest for long- Friday evening’s show was again highly anticipated – from the team at Huffer.  And they delivered an electric show, a fantastic way to close day four.

Saturday afternoon saw the Pheonix cosmetics show, seeing Shorty St stars Kimberly Crossman and Faye Smythe, among others, show off their hot bods in bedazzled bikinis on the runway. 

And last but not least, The Department Store was buzzing on Saturday evening, hosting the final show of the week, The Department Store spring/summer show – which featured Karen Walker, Black Box (Ksubi, Stolen Girlfriends Club and Claude Maus), Nike and Topshop.  Guests scored Department Store vouchers in goody bags, proving a great incentive to get to the store to stock up summer wardrobes!

And so it was...all the fun, fabulousness and fierceness of fashion week in a nutshell.  Again, our local designers proved that they are more than able to compete with designers on an international stage. Bravo!

Natalie Cosgrove

Photography c/o Hilary Johnston and New Zealand Fashion Week/Michael Ng

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