iDXV – iD Dunedin 2014

Thread headed to the deep south for the 15th iD fashion week, to see the Emerging Awards, Railway Station show, the store openings, the fashion, and quite a lot of coffee.

I have to say, I go to quite a few fashion events, and this one holds a special place in my heart. It’s the vibe and energy and sincerity of a smaller town I think, and the specialness of the iD events, with its unique emerging designer awards. The hosts are incredibly welcoming and everything is so well-organised, from arriving to a named goodybag of treats on your bed at Quest, to being looked after and the right information being provided when you need it. It’s refreshing in fashion for people to be so organised and it certainly makes it a pleasure. Below: thank you Caffe L’Affare, Cadbury, Wilson Trollope, Larnach Castle, nom.d, Sprout, Kanu bee venom, Revlon, and Redken for the treats. Redken and Revlon did models’ hair and makeup, and Caffe L’Affare had coffee stations at the shows both nights – and I have to mention some very nice glasses of Quartz Reef wines.

Thursday 3rd April had a jam-packed day of stylish events, starting with a lecture at Dunedin Art Gallery with Margo Barton and the Shanghai Dunedin Sister City Fashion Project. Several of the Shanghai University of Engineering student models – who are studying modelling as well as how to run a fashion show – in a four-year degree, walked in the shows.

Later that afternoon we had the pleasure of seeing iD’s international judge – the Australian-born, Paris-based fashion designer, Martin Grant, at Golden Centre Mall, with Shanghai models wearing his designs.

Iconic Dunedin designer Donna Tulloch celebrated her beautiful store, designed by her son, with artworks by her husband. We enjoyed candy floss and pink bubbly at YORK boutique, at 1 York Place. www.mild-red.com

Thursday evening saw us head on foot to the Octagon to the 10th annual Emerging Designer Awards at the Town Hall – a good-looking venue and a big improvement on last year when it was held at the Edgar sports centre with basketball hoops around the walls.

Below: Dobin Moon of Australia.

Below: Designs by Otago student Georgia Ferguson

Below: Victoria Thaniotis of Australia.

Below: Models wait backstage, wearing garments by Edwina Sinclair of Australia. Photo Connie McDonald.

Below: Sunday’s Jenna and Karlya.

Connie McDonald went backstage at iD Emerging Designer Awards on Thursday 3rd April at Dunedin Town Hall to meet and shoot Polaroids of several of the designers, crew, and models. Read them on Threadnz here: Model Agency head Ali McD, iD’s Margo Barton, designer Mook Attakanwong, and model Grace.

Below: On Friday 4th April we walked along George Street to meet the always-lovely Sara Munro (nee Aspinall), designer of Company of Strangers, at her store, COMPANY Store at 320 George Street Dunedin.

Below: The packed-out Company Store launch party with Chaos and Harmony shoe colab, and Kelly O’Shea jewellery.

Below: Juls Roulston and Merrin Bath.

Below: Designer Charmaine Reveley outside her pretty boutique at its official store opening at 263a George Street Dunedin www.charmainereveley.co.nz

Friday and Saturday evenings see the same event duplicated: the iD show at Dunedin Railway Station. Aesthetically, the setting of the railway station is very special. With fashion shows, the venue always adds so much to an event. At this one, there’s a super-long catwalk that had me concerned it was going to be a super-long show, but the models were perfectly spaced at about 30 seconds apart and it was intermission before I knew it. The second half also had a mixture of student work and established designers – labels showing in the show included nom.d, Charmaine Reveley, highnoontea, Deval, Tamsin Cooper, Mild Red, Company of Strangers, Vaughan Geeson, Carlson, Storm, WORLD, and iD international judge, Martin Grant. In contrast to jaded and too cool for school fashion industry types, it was great seeing a sell-out crowd of keen-as-beans locals all dressed up for a big night out. The iD events are easily the biggest thing on the local fashion calendar and apart from sports, probably the biggest thing all year, and all the local businesses on the sponsors’ board showed just how many get behind it.

Below: Darnell Collection owner Charlotte Smith with Dunedin fashion stylist Tannia Lee of Most Wanted Vintage and her aunt, Adair Bruce, at the pre-party before the show.

Below: The Clothes I’ve Made menswear collection by Richie Boyens caught my eye as it was something I hadn’t seen around before. www.clothesivemade.co.nz