When I received the invitation for the ‘Underground’ installation, I was more than a little excited. Presented by Ciel PR and AlwaysSometimesAnytime, the installation combined ten designers (Blue Blank, Eugenie, Jimmy D, Kowtow, Thistle Brown, Jessica Grubisa, Maaike, Miss Crabb, Otsu, Underground Sundae) and ten photographers (Adam Custins, Alexander Schipper, Dan Betham, Frances Carter, Karen Inderbitzen-Waller, Lea Mackillop, Lula Chucchiara, Mara Sommer, Natasha Cantwell, Oliver Rose) to create a result which really pushed the boundaries. Each model embodied a certain persona, some dark, gloomy or solemn, while others were playful in their demeanour. I know they say a picture is…

The last show of day one, for New Zealand Fashion Week 2014, was Zambesi, showcasing their AW ’14 collection. For me, this collection captured the Zambesi aesthetic perfectly, minimal to a point. The menswear was a real stand out for me, slightly cropped trousers worn with exquisitely tailored coats and suit jackets with contrasting sleeves – which to the naked eye may have appeared to be no more than an anomaly. For the girls, coats cocooned at the hem, embracing its wearer, with leather panels adding another layer of appeal. A mostly muted palette of black, beige and a deep…

You know when you have that feeling before a show, when you just know that it’s going to be good? Well, that was exactly how it was for me before the Hailwood show. And I wasn’t disappointed. Straying away from his roots, Adrian introduced a line of denim which seamlessly fit in with a a more elegant and tailored aesthetic. Unlike other shows, his influences kept you guessing, as a multitude of themes were incorporated into a collection that was equal parts cool, glamorous and sophisticated. There seemed to be a little bit of the 70s, a little bit of…

There’s truly no better way to set the mood, than having two musicians sullenly grace the runway to play musical instruments stationed at the far end. ‘de’ represents more than just clothing, as Jacobs puts it, it is a personal culture. What we saw was a stark contrast between light and dark, and a clever use of texture and layers to create a look that was multi-dimensional on many levels. There was a real sense that this is a wild child, one who stands up against authority, frayed at the edges both figuratively and literally. Models seemed to embody the…

Twenty-Seven Names kicked off Fashion Week and boy did it deliver. Mariah Carey’s sweet melodies blasted out of speakers, setting the scene for their Autumn/Winter 2014 collection, ‘I’m Lost’. Inspired by the surrealist artworks of Rene Magritte, Rachel and Anjali took cues from Magritte’s famed symbols – the bowler hat and hearts a prominent feature in the collection. The collection strongly captures the Twenty-Seven Names aesthetic, the girl at a crossroads between dressing in floaty feminine dresses and all silk ensembles versus the tomboy in cuffed trousers, matching page boy blazer and bowler hat. Rachel and Anjali unabashedly design for…