It was a sold-out show for the annual Pak'nSave Hastings Edible Fashion Awards at the Hawke's Bay Opera House - and the celebrity judging panel were blown away.
Shayla Harding took out the overall Designer of the Year section with Tessa Paaymans coming runner-up.
Hastings City marketing manager Jane Janes said the
audience "filled up the whole opera house" - no easy feat with more than 800 seats in the historic building.
She said the celebrity judging panel - Ben Mitchell aka TK Samuels from Shortland Street, Miss Universe New Zealand Ria van Dyke, Kirsten Le Bon, Eva Bradley and Pete "Da Palagi" Marsden, were "absolutely blown away" by the calibre of contestants and the stage show.
For the first time, more than 130 entrants vied for the four titles.
Celebrity MC Brendon Pongia from TVNZ's Good Morning entertained the crowd in his boxers - adding to the Magic and Mystery theme portayed not only by the designers but by an elaborate stage show, too.
Maddie Hughes, Cosmo Graham and Mathew Dickson won the Heinz Wattie's Junior Designer (5-10 years) section with their Wacky Wizard costume, and Pukemoamoa School's Jack and Jewel design took out the World Travellers at Best Travel Intermediate Designer (11-13 years) category.
In the senior sections, Tessa Paaymans won the M>Phosis Hair Studio Hot Hair Club Senior Designer (14-17 years) category with her Eyes of Stone piece, and Hemi Wong took out The Car Company Adult Designer award with his Le Petit Chaperone Rouge masterpiece.
