Come again

It can be interesting seeing things a second time. All the shows that we saw at Fashion Festival, we saw back in August of last year. At the time the shows can be a bit theatrical and very much an “event” in your mind…

NZ Fashion Festival AW12 Collections #5
Friday 2nd March 2012.

It can be interesting seeing things a second time.

All the shows that we saw tonight, we saw back in August of last year. At the time the shows can be a bit theatrical and very much an “event” in your mind. And then sometimes the week is just show after show, and you can see too much and be a bit overloaded. So, some of the shows seem to blend one into the other. For this reason sometimes you can miss something fabulous – or you confuse something theatrical with something mediocre. So knowing I was seeing all these shows for a second time (except Bendon), I was keen to see what impression they would leave on me.

The “cheeky” Bendon show kicked things off with a whole lot of fabulous skin – and some beautifully worn smiles. Fashion Week can be a bit intense with the whole “I will not smile and have to look broody” thing – so it was really nice to see some smiling faces sashay down the runway.

Next was Barkers, which for me was a bit of a nice surprise. I am aware that they have really started to tighten up what they are doing – and move tings in a really tailored, and well-designed direction. They are pretty much there. Barkers has been a household name in NZ for many years simply because of their longevity but with slick navy wool overcoats, short duffels and pea coats, we will be talking about them for other reasons. With plaid shirts and narrow legged khakis, and gorgeously cut suits (with one long haired model who was divine), we are all looking forward to seeing their new campaign shot in NY last month. I hear they have used model of the moment, Tom Bull. Slick.

Adrian Hailwood’s models glided down the runway to a Whitney Houston song – very apt as these clothes are definitely for women. No girls may apply. With lots of cocktails dresses (including one floor length black sequinned number with a fishtail which had an 80’s vibe to it) – and one pretty cream number. Loved the dip dyed cardigan worn by the Lovely Penny Pickard who smiled through the whole 45-minute show. She appeared to be having a ball of a time.

Jimmy D was one of my favourites at New Zealand Fashion Week 2011 – and he is still one of my favourites at the Festival. We are loving the silk pants with the tail detail, and the westie flavoured crushed velvet. Normally sticking with a simple black palette with a bit of white thrown in, this collection saw a striking slash of red silk. The highlight though, is still the Andrew McLeod collaboration – the black and white printed silk fabric – the Chaos Dress with its off-the-shoulder, hard-edged glamour.

Stolen Girlfriends Club sassed their way up the catwalk to New Order (I have to say the music was outstanding for the entire show) with their brand of sexy street wear. From hooded fur jackets, to back and white printed denim jeans, shorts and dresses – to our favourite – the silk georgette floor length dress with a skeleton print on it, it was all very rock ‘n roll.

LIAM – now this was just a delight. At Fashion Week I wasn’t sure if I was just a bit over-awed by the fabulous show the girls from RUBY and LIAM put together or whether it really was an exceptional little collection. Well, after a second viewing – exceptional it is. It is an entirely sophisticated, well put-together collection and, pared down though it appears, there is a lot going on there with splashes of orange floral, an elegant white maxi dress, a cobalt blue suit paired with a camel coat and a divine white silk shirt with a neck ruffle and frills at the wrists. Loved the long sexy red floor-length dress with the gorgeous low back. The styling was perfect, with flat patent loafers paired with the dress instead of the more obvious towering heels. Very LIAM – just a little off-centre, tailored with a twist.

MISTER was the feel-good show of Fashion Week with an enthusiastic standing ovation. And this time it was more of the same – it is happiness on a catwalk. Women dressed in striped shirts with the same striped ties, gorgeous spotted knitwear (love the spotted knitted dress), and plaids gone crazy. Knitwear is a definite strength of theirs, as well as their pattern confidence! With peaked caps, blazers, jackets and pants all sound rather unexciting – but give them the Mister touch and it is all a bit of beautiful craziness.

Zambesi finished the evening in dark style. We loved their show at Fashion Week and love it even more now. It is very obvious how very wearable this collection is, with a huge range of separates: knitwear, jackets, and georgette floor-length skirts to choose from. We loved the twisted, pinned and tucked detail of the Grapevine Dress, as well as the velvet Bowie Dress. As well as the more obvious neon detailing, we noticed longer hemlines, and more tailoring than in previous years. We also noticed layered ‘half skirt’ detailing of the Flutter skirt over pants, especially in the Web fabric. If I could – I would own most of that collection.

A great way to end a night of great fashion.

By Anya Brighouse 6 March 2012
Photos by Michelle Weir.