By Sammy Salsa
My very first task at NZFW was to find a portal to base myself in at the official Bloggers Lounge, a powerpoint connection to plug in my lappy and iPhone! And trust me, there are over 80 fashion bloggers, writers and editors all in this one minimal space, so finding a seat and a plug is like finding a Trelise Cooper sample at your local Salvation Army store! (not gonna happen anytime soon!)
My second task at hand was to review the Designer Collection Show, which I did with much excitement snugged away in the Bloggers/ Photographers area at the foot of the runway.
The designer collection showcase highlights the S/W 2013 range from all designers showcasing at this years NZ Fashion Week. Collections from Zambesi, Salasai, Stolen Girfriends Club, Huffer and international designer Charlie Brown and more!
A few highlights for myself would have to be Trelise Coopers "Coop" range, the use of her big bold colours, glitter and tropicana patterns in some of her garments made me feel like I was in CoCo Cabana on a summer vacation, not realising that right outside the Viaduct Event Centre it is pissing down in Auckland city!
Not to rain on my parade though, the show must go on! An amazing appearance by Zambesi also, with their latest collection where I instantly fell in love with their menswear.
Double breasted jackets are BACK!!! Keeping with their origins of dark, black materials you just don't even care anymore because the cuts and the finishing is just so divine! I would buy a paper bag with Zambesi on it and pay top dollar for it! They're that good!
Also one of the highlights from the show was the Kleenex Paper Dress Competition winners making their NZFW debut on the elite stage with their pohutukawa, sci-fi and cup cake inspired gowns. These were made out of nothing more but good old toilet paper!
God, what will they think of next! Kapi Fonua, Kei Ho and Tanya Jeffrey sat front row as they watched their very own creations glide on through the runway giving it all that glory they deserve!
Overall, an amazing showcase. It just instills in my mind how amazing, innovative and clever Kiwis really are in the fashion and design sector...although I do wish someone would design a heavy duty, high fashion waterproof raincoat, this weather does not work wonders, especially at an event filled with so many beautiful people!