Feast of fashion

Collections 2 of the New Zealand Fashion Festival was presented last night in what can only be described as a feast of fashion. Masculine and feminine styles featured equally along with bold colour blocking and classic black…

Collections 2 of the New Zealand Fashion Festival was presented last night in what can only be described as a feast of fashion.

Masculine and feminine styles featured along with bold colour blocking and classic black.

From the elegant collections of Marilyn Sayb, A La Robe, Annah Stretton, Lennox and Whiri, to the street smart fantasy of World and Nom*d and the budget-conscious offerings of Farmers and Who’s Henri?

I’ve created a list of my favorite trends and items from what was a uniformly stellar evening.

1. A la Robe’s floor length, long sleeved beaded bridal gown. Reminiscent of Emilio Pucci, this gown was simply stunning, and my clear favourite for the night.

2. Annah Stretton’s tiered black frills. A bold mix of luxury and daring that stood out on the evening.

3. Knits in all their glorious forms. From Marilyn Sayb’s cuddly mustard cable cardigan, to Farmer’s bold black and white Aztec inspired pullover, knits made a welcome return to the catwalk.

4. Nom*d’s orient-tinged masculine collection. Loose fitting, functional and incredibly stylish this collection really did steal the show. While the coats made the greatest impact, even the socks made an impression and were a huge favourite of mine.

5. WORLD’s fishtail skirt suit. Hyper feminine and very wearable, this was my favorite outfit from WORLD whose collection mixed street style wearablity with an Alice in Wonderland air of fantasy. Their edgier rose print jacket with thorned shoulders also deserves an honourable mention but is not for the faint-hearted.

By Haley Beatson 28 February 2012
Photography Will Seal