Dear Shaded Viewers, Arlette here:
Last week I trekked down to Auckland for their New Zealand Fashion Week, taking in the sites and silhouettes (which was a mixed bag of S/S 11 and F/W 10). I was eager to see Kiwi favorites such as: Twenty-Seven Names, Stolen Girlfriends Club, Salasai and Alexandra Owen in addition to local heros like Zambesi, Karen Walker and Nom*d. Rounding out the New Zealand 4 was World who showed after a multi-year hiatus from the calendar.
view of Sky Tower, view from the ferry in route to Waiheke Island and view from the Sky Tower (tallest building in NZ)
New favorites, for me, from the region were: Jimmy D and Ruby. Jimmy D's offerings are in need of a strategic edit but the bones of the collection are very strong. The designer collaborated on a series of digitally printed silk sheers and oversized shirts & dresses. The nearly all-black collection was happily broken by moments of white. Whereas Ruby gave us moments of pop colors styled with soft 70's layers.
Jimmy D
Ruby
In addition to the local talent, NZFW played special host to international designer Nicole Miller who offered a new selection from her S/S collection – which just showed during NYFW. Her offerings were light and feminine and I most enjoyed the back constructions and sheer dresses, proving that Ms. Miller still knows what girls want to wear from New York to New Zealand.
Strongest menswear down the runway was without question Zambesi, who gave us look after look of on-trend shapes that felt fresh but not too much. Under Liz Findlay's gaze Dayne Johnston has matured into a true talent.
It must be said, above all else, thank you to Air New Zealand for showing me true Kiwi hospitality.
Till next time, Arlette.