A night of medieval style with Trelise Cooper

A dress by Trelise Cooper at her show last night. Picture / Martin Sykes

Trelise Cooper turned fashion into medieval theatre last night at the St James in her most extravagant Fashion Week show yet. It was total sensory overload.

The 40-minute spectacle included eerie music, an angel, monks, a knight and fire in a Michael Mizrahi event that took in Cooper, the lingerie and kids lines as well as Trelise Cooper.

The younger Cooper range made the most of giant polka dots and full above-the-knee skirts that were flirty. Cooper's lingerie had it all: saucy French maid ruffles, drop-dead sexy black lace with stockings, baby doll slips and virginal ivory cuties. It was eye-popping boudoir gear at its best.

The kids collection layered apple-printed sweatshirts, ballet tutus, ballet wrap tops, striped leggings, a gorgeous navy sailor coat and more, proving that the designer is not just for adults.

For the main Trelise Cooper event, there was compulsive layering of ruffles, a Louis XVI frock coat, high-tide stovepipes, extravagant dresses with ruffles, sequins, exaggerated bows, velvet dresses and much more besides. The sweet and rather prim black pinafores with crisp white shirts given a Cooper makeover with added extras were something new for her.

Showing more restraint, Little Brother's clever menswear collection revolves around immaculate tailoring, clean masculine lines and is the sort of clobber you'd want your boyfriend to wear and you to borrow. They're not called boyfriend pants for nothing. Skinny black pants and wide-leg Oxfords were teamed with all shades of grey wool biker jackets, parkas, double-breasted jackets and buttoned-up shirts. Tough styling aside, the pieces are everyday wearable.

Showing her usual vintage-inspired pretty dresses, blouses and denim, Wellingtonian Deborah Sweeney didn't shock anyone this year. The clothes she presented were, as always, well made with that slightly smart and interesting feeling, perfect for women who prefer not to op-shop, but who love the vintage cool factor. This year she added interesting bow detailing to pencil skirts and blouses with contrasting inner sleeves.

In a bid to be taken seriously, the new, improved Annah Stretton was gimmick-free this year; gone were the boars' heads and dead budgies. The collection was far more restrained and unified with every model wearing identikit long red wigs with heavy fringes. Blacks and browns were the order of the day with the very occasional hit of red. She sent boyfriend pants with suspenders down the runway, plenty of leggings, jackets with large bows at the back and sheer lace dresses.

But die-hard fans will still find the Annah Stretton they know and love in the skirts and jackets with uneven hems and multiple fabrics and the fur-covered chilly-bin bags.

For a first show at FW, Jimmy D had the right idea: keep it strong, simple and not too long. His tight collection of black, white and grey marl cut-out leggings, T-shirts with broken love hearts and spiderweb print tops, raw-edge shorts and shirts that morphed into skirts had a deconstructed air and makes him one to watch.

At 23, Olivia Corbett is one of the youngest designers. Her lingerie label Toushe had shades of Victoria's Secret with a red ruched slip complete with angel wings and Cupid's bow. Otherwise, the orange bra and briefs with black mesh overlay were rather sweet.

Among other group show ranges, Dunedin designer Veronica Keucke was the most assured. She is no stranger to catwalks, having recently shown at Australian Fashion Week as a result of winning the Mercedes Start Up programme. Called The Big Bang, the collection was her interpretation of the start of the universe. This was best seen in the Milky Way print navy fabric made into wrap dresses and singlet tops. Nice. The star piece was a silver silk satin dress with pussy bow.

The mainstay of Catalyst's collection has always been floral prints. This year, the pieces were less girly and with sophisticated mannish tailoring. Knockout garments were the coats.

Cook Islands label TAV showed colourful resortwear and models including April Ieremia and Miss Cook Islands. It dragged but the drummers and dancing pleased the crowd.