The A to Z of New Zealand's fashion

With New Zealand Fashion Week getting under way today, Kate Newton looks back on a decade of the annual migration of fashionable folk to Auckland and forward to what we can expect from the 10th anniversary.
The A to Z of New Zealand's fashion
A is for Always There
Just three Kiwi labels - Zambesi, Nom.D and Trelise Cooper - have had a show at every one of the 10 New Zealand Fashion Weeks.
B is for Bloggers
It used to be that fashion writers would finish their day of shows and sipping champagne and retire to send through their take on what had gone down at Fashion Week that day. Bloggers have changed all that. Armed with laptops they update as soon as the show is over, offering the latest installation to their eagerly awaiting readers.
C is for Celebs
Front row has become as much the domain of the celebrity as the media, with the likes of rugby boy Dan Carter photographed in the prime spot at Trelise Cooper and his mate Ali Williams also popping up front row at Yvonne Bennetti in 2008. Will the local celebs be back in front this year or will designers play serious, like Marc Jacobs has just done, and purge the front row of the famous?
D is for Designers We Hadn't Heard Of
Fashion Week has introduced us to the likes of Salasai, Jaeha, Lonely Hearts and Cybele. The press that surrounds Fashion Week works magic for a new designer's collection, so what names will we learn this year?
E is for Egos
Fashion Week can either boost or burst the egos of its guests. For some, the front row posse saved for them and the access to the VIP lounge will see ego inflation take place, but for most it's a reality check.
F is for Fashion - of course!
In September we may have our minds focused on what we're going to wear this Spring, but for one week we cast our sights a bit further - into Autumn the following year.
G is for Gossip

There was the year a peeved Aja Rock threw her glass of wine over gossip columnist Bridget Saunders and there's a persisting rumour that a certain fashion editor lost the plot when she found she'd been seated in Row B. Whether true or not, the scandal that comes out of Fashion Week is almost as good as the clothes.
H is for Helpers
Two hundred volunteers put their name forward to help dress models and usher at the registration centre this year.
I is for Infamy
Some shows have managed to reach Fashion Week infamy. In 2008 World sent models down the runway with suits and faces smothered in Swarovski crystals in a show that earned a standing ovation.
Before that there was the time Nicky Watson left little to the imagination as she modelled for IPG and Michael Pattison went for shock value with his circus-tent style show, complete with scooter-riding dwarf.
J is for Jokes
"A Fashionable Laugh" is the name of the comedy show being held in the middle of Fashion Week this year.
K is for Karen Walker
Having just shown in New York, Walker will be back to close New Zealand Fashion Week with her Saturday night show.
L is for Little Ones
Trelise Cooper's kids shows are always an opportunity to go "awww", but Juliette Hogan's use of a baby in her 2008 show perhaps didn't go to plan.
The 10-week-old bub screamed from the arms of the model for the whole length of the catwalk.
M is for Models
Over the years, models have become less of a clothes hanger and more another interesting part of the make-up of Fashion Week.
Aboriginal model Samantha Harris is back this year and the winner of the most recent America's Next Top Model, Krista White, is also expected to make an appearance on the runway.
Will the contestants of our version of the show be back modelling as well?
N is for NZ Herald Designer Garage Sale
This Friday, Saturday and Sunday is a chance to get your hands on pieces by New Zealand designers at sale prices. The annual event for the public sees hoards of bargain hunters head to Halsey St.
O is for Ouch
Sore feet from wearing heels all day and the whack the credit card takes in putting together Fashion Week outfits makes the whole experience a tad painful.
But then isn't that what beauty is all about?
P is for Props
The idea to illustrate a winter theme by having snow on the catwalk saw the demise of some models' dignity when they tried to walk but slipped on the melting prop in an RJC show in the second year of Fashion Week.
There was also the salt-lined runway at Nom.D's 21st birthday.
Q is A Hard Letter To Play This Game With
So moving on ...
R is for Retrospective
This year, to mark Fashion Week's 10th birthday, there's a retrospective show that's open to the public.
S is for Stunts
None of them more famous than Annah Stretton's 2004 show when a model wearing a pouffy white gown and a pig's head saw Stretton propelled on to the front page of newspapers. The stunt turned out to be the story of the event, garnering attention well after the runways were packed away as the SPCA got stuck in and rumours that the head was still full of blood and guts circulated.
T is for Trelise Cooper
The fashion maven's show is one not to miss at Fashion Week.
Cooper hasn't been without her fair share of scandal though. Last year, there was the furore over whether a grey sweatshirt with a red bow on the front was a copy of one selling at British chain store Topshop.
U is Underwear
Knickers made from organic cotton will be part of Fashion Week's first ever Eco Show. Starfish have put together a Winter 2011 collection called Seven Sisters, which will feature eco-conscious fabrics. v Even the shoes, clogs made from New Zealand rimu, will be environmentally friendly.
V is for VIP
Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry and Felicity Huffman have all recently been seen wearing Nicole Miller. The US designer is in New Zealand this week to present a show that is bound to be the most sought after. Only 100 tickets to the show were made available to the public.
W is for Weekend

Fashion Weekend is when the fun starts for the public with $20 getting you access to catwalk shows, beauty, music, food and drink. One of the highlights of the weekend will be the PWC New Generation Show where new designers Riddle Me This, Maaike, Kathryn Leah Payne and Celine Rita will show.
X is for Xcess
Excessively priced clothing that you will now have excessive dreams of buying.
Y is for Yeh
Jane Yeh, that is. The wedding gown designer will join others in the industry for the NZ Weddings Magazine Bridal Collection show on the second day of Fashion Week.
Z is for Zambesi

Last year they celebrated their 30th birthday; this year they're back on the first day of Fashion Week - but not until after dark.