New Zealand Fashion Week Day 3 with Mima Lewis Gourdie
Daily Wrap with New Zealand Fashion Week Head Dresser and Metropol’s NZFW correspondent Mima Lewis Gourdie
Wednesday – Coming to you from Shed 10, the MainStage for NZFW!
Day 3 of fashion week started with a bang, as The Studio show hit the runway, showcasing 17 contemporary NZ designers considered to reflect the current evolution of Aotearoa’s fashion landscape. Curated by Creative Director Dan Ahwa and assisted by Wardrobe Manager Natasha Ovely, The Studio show was a fantastic opportunity for the audience to peek at some up-and-coming, unreleased designs.
Standout looks and details from such a fantastic group were hard to pick between, as there was something to suit everyone. Emma Jing brought pirate-chic to the runway, with twisted silhouettes, cream cotton and tulle piled into the hips of a skirt, and the chicest eyepatch you’ve ever seen.
Rhoda Nunn debuted her next collection, ‘Learning To Swim’, featuring her iconic triangle-bikini-t-shirt fusions. Liam Lingerie, of Emily Miller-Sharma’s RUBY showcased lace in butter yellow and lime green, paired with gathered black trains, trailing down the runway. The green kept going with Penny Sage, in bias cut dresses and embellished top-and-skirt sets, topped off with fresh parsley tucked behind each model’s ear. The audience were treated with the inclusion of Claudia Li featured in the line-up, recognisable by her culturally tailored silhouettes and unique textiles, created by individually cut petals.
The show closed out with Adrion Atelier, who always delivers on a promise of texture and extravagance, from embellished sheer gown, to a thick black and white quilted cape – this show ended with a flourish.
Next up was The Graduate Collections, platforming 24 designers across three of Aotearoa’s fashion schools. Not only is this show an opportunity to showcase emerging designer’s work, but it also pays homage to the roots of all designers showing at fashion week – to humble and hardworking beginnings!
This show was an exciting look into what’s to come for the industry, and is always trusted to bring fresh ideas. Kensa Munro, of Whitecliffe, showcased her latest collection ‘Ianf, Biah’, including her award-winning look, Deconstructed Heritage, recognised by Fashion & Textiles NZ in their circular Design Awards.
Standouts from Massey University included Georgia Coomber and Te Arahori Day, who brought their whakaapa to the runway with contemporary takes on Māori silhouettes and the inclusion of traditional adornments, including Pare, Heru and Pounamu. Unbound by commercial restraints, we also saw exciting silhouettes, with structured spherical skirts, absurdly large hats and an especially hairy moment with piles of fur adorned with an animal-skull crown, from WideSkyMine by Nick Medelnik. The graduate show isn’t one to forget, and I think everyone should keep a close eye on what these designers do next.
Closing out the night with back-to-back shows was the fabulous footwear designer, Kathryn Wilson. The runway was transformed with a catwalk and a tiered platform in the centre of Shed 10, as Kathryn showered the stage in 50’s Marilyn Monroe-esque glamour. The show started with the words of Celine Dion, describing how she never lets a shoe size stop her. When the lights came on, the tiered stage had been overtaken by dancers holding larger-than-life pink shoes in floral swimming caps.
Models took the stage with big hair, feathered briefs and vintage Bendon lingerie, circa 1950. The soundtrack was full of fun, as promised by Kathryn, and had the models bouncing down the runway in a selection of colourful and printed heels, leather boots, slides adorned in colourful stones and even feathered kitten heels. Accessorising with Kathryn’s bag range, this was a show full of fun and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, with its high production-value performance.
Let’s keep the party going into Day 4!
Mima’s Fav Moment: I’ve never seen so many gorgeous shoes outside a shoe store! We were shopping the range backstage, loving on our favourites, though really, we wanted them all!
Images by radical.co.nz
