Amber Whitecliffe & Emma Highfield

Amber Whitecliffe and swimwear designer Emma Highfield showed their Summer 2013 collections at a show in Mt Eden Bowling Club over High Tea…

Amber Whitecliffe and swimwear designer Emma Highfield showed their Summer 2013 collections at a show in Mt Eden Bowling Club today over High Tea.

It was Amber’s first show since graduating Whitecliffe in fashion and presenting her range as an independent designer, sold solely by order direct with the designer herself. Amber’s website is about to go live in November 2012 at www.amberwhitecliffe.com.

The Amber Whitecliffe SS12/13 range featured a stand-out print of tapestry sourced from India. Amber’s day job at a textile company has apparently helped her already keen eye for fabric. My favourite outfit was a tapestry miniskirt with a black shirt.

Emma Highfield’s swimwear collection was a mature, professional range of fashionable yet wearable one pieces and bikinis in coral brights and floral prints. There was much creativity in design with lacing, inserts, and contrast panels. You can view and purchase her swimwear online at www.emmahighfield.com

The show itself was thoroughly enjoyable, with the bowling club proving a charming venue for a high tea with its retro feel and walls lined in old certificates and photos. Clothes were accessorised with flower rings by Handmade by Marie jewellery and makeup was by Phoenix Cosmetics. Models were new faces from a variety of agencies.

Emma Highfield had baked all the slices herself, and Amber had personally made not only all her own garments, but all the goody bags (with Aveeno moisturiser and handmade zip purses from Amber’s blog, www.amberandhilary.com) right down to the paper prints on the bags themselves. She’s always had incredible attention to detail, her mother Michelle (of Whitecliffe design school) told me.

Below: photos from the show.