Deco weather rather spiffing

For the dapper and the Deco-delighters, timing is everything - and two days out from the start of the mid-winter DIY Deco event it appears the weather is set to get its timing right.

Not that it would have mattered too much if it were inclement, given that the festivities are mainly of the indoor variety.

But a spot of sunshine and mild temperatures always goes down smashingly well.

"Looks like it will be nice," Art Deco Trust general manager Sally Jackson said.

The Napier City Pak'nSave DIY Deco is in its third year using the single $50 registration system which allows attendees access to most events, although there are some exceptions.

Mrs Jackson said many of the events were booked out, as was the vintage railcar which would be running between Napier and Hastings at the weekend and which kicked off on Friday and ran through until Sunday.

She said while the event was nowhere near as big as the February weekend, it still provided local businesses with a good mid-year boost.

"At least 65 to 70 per cent of the participants are coming from out of town," she said.

That equated to about 200 people or more.

She said that, like the larger event, plenty of diversity was also on offer.

Cocktails and quiz nights, the popular "mashtini" event featuring mashed potatoes and various toppings in martini glasses, film events and musical soirees.

Visiting the mid-year event for the first time will be Art Deco devotee Inger Sheil.

London-born and now based in Australia, working at the Australian National Maritime Museum, she is an expert and lecturer on fashion through the 1920s and 1930s and has traditionally attended the February events.

"She featured as a lecturer for us at those weekends but, for this weekend, she is a guest," Mrs Jackson said.