Fashion shows are notorious for running late, so frockaholics have been pleasantly surprised to find a tight schedule ticking well in the L'Oreal New Zealand Fashion Week.
At the Auckland Town Hall on Wednesday evening, Tanya Carlson's second foray into Tsarist Russia took to the runway just a littlelate, after Robin Jones Clothing's show.
Carlson's outfits were a triumph. She took her signature feminine pieces - this time heavy, ornamental necklaces, velvet and delicate lace shirts - and toughened them up with mannish pants and jeans tucked into funny, chunky-soled socks.
Beautifully executed, even if there was nothing revolutionary about it.
Experimental label World did run 50 minutes late because of the painstaking task of sticking tiny Swarovski crystals on the models' faces in the couture section.
Although cowhide, leather and possum detailing have been explored before, the crystal-covered models with tie-on black wigs gave the audience a taste of the outrageous ideas that World is famous for, such as skirts with trains so long they would barely fit in a cathedral.
Delegates then made haste to the Nom D show at the Hilton - the sponsor was Moet & Chandon, after all. The Dunedin label showed a disciplined, ascetic range: well-cut, wide-legged pants teamed with pinstriped jackets and coats, many with arms amputated.
The ghosts of tailors past were obvious. When softened with girly, soft pink knits, the effect was quite beautiful.
More Dunedin designers followed today, knitwear labels Dot Com, Andrea Bentley and Mild Red making jumpers exciting.
Bentley's long dresses achieved form and function - easy on the eye and warm. Dot Com's outsize mittens were indulgent.
Silk Road's Shore Leave range featured wearable pieces with a light nautical theme seen in stripes, seagull, flower posy and sailor screenprints. The overtones of girls dressing for boys on the dock was a nice touch.
Liz Mitchell's exploration of our Scottish and Maori heritage combined Victoriana with feathers, leather and possum touches, to stunning effect.
But fashion inspiration happens everywhere. Luna's Sheryll Stuart, 35, who had heart surgery recently, showed a range with heart-beat readouts across the chest, arm bandages and a leatherette lab coat.
