Australian Fashion Week a triumph for NZ designers

Models show designs by Kate Sylvester (left) and World at Australian Fashion Week.

The big names were missing from this year's Australian Fashion Week. Wayne Cooper and Morrissey were late withdrawals, citing financial reasons, while Easton Pearson and superstar design duo Sass n Bide also pulled out of the 10th annual event.

But the omissions were quickly forgotten and eyes turned back to the bright lights of the runway as other established designers showed their spectacular collections.

A shortage of top Australian stars always opens the door for New Zealand designers. There were seven this year - the largest group since 2002.

Trelise Cooper led the Kiwi contingent off to a good start. The Australian media criticised Cooper's show for being too long but she earned praise for her collections, which included the debut of her lingerie line.

She pushed out model after model, showing three labels in succession. "This is about sales," Cooper said. "And I can't sell millions of dollars of product out of a 12-minute parade."

The first of the three labels, Cooper, featured colourful, printed tennis dresses in florals and stripes and nautical-themed dresses and jackets followed by her new lingerie collection - vintage-inspired in silk or silk/satin embellished with old-style lace, ribbons, pleating and applique. Finally, the Trelise Cooper label mixed prints and patterns and vintage lace trims with the florals she loves in a Monte Carlo style, palazzo pants and wide-brim hats.

Zambesi was top billing the next night, securing the largest catwalk venue. The label's It'll End In Tears collection was an abrupt gear-change.

Discarding the hippie luxe trend of the week, Zambesi presented stronger, darker looks accompanied by loud, hard, rock music. Slouchy shirts, soft tailoring, puff skirts and jumpsuits, plus strong tailored menswear were features of the range.

Zambesi director Neville Findlay called those who complained about the show's loud music "nanas".

"It was deliberate," he said. "I didn't want them sitting there and going to sleep."

Michelle Taylor, editor of Fashion Windows USA, was delighted with the show. "It is great that it polarised people - it was different," she said. "The buyers here are intelligent people. They didn't fly half way around the world to see the same stuff they have at home." World treated fashion-goers to a classy show called House of Flying Daggers, showing a new silhouette of tight shirts, high-waisted pants and skirts in pastels, bright pinstripes and florals, teamed with double-breasted jackets and coats. Tailoring was a key feature in both womenswear and menswear.

However, three final garments - little baby-doll dresses worn by models in garish red wigs and makeup - were typically over-the-top and grabbed headlines around Australia.

"For me as an unknown I need to do something very new and challenging and I got what I wanted," says designer Francis Hooper.

Kate Sylvester always starts with a theme and builds on it, and her spring/summer 2005/06 collection was no exception. She took her inspiration from the 1964 movie The Night of the Iguana.

The movie was projected in scrambled sketches on screens either side of the runway, while models paced in three segments based on the three female characters from the movie: a young Lolita type, wearing playsuits and swimsuits; a repressed lesbian in messed up suiting; and the ageing hotelier in glamorous evening styles.

Colours were dusty neutrals highlighted by vibrant tropicals.

"We picked up two new international accounts and six new Australian accounts for both labels," says Sylvester. "That amazed us that we have that much more growth in Australia."

The other three New Zealand designers were grouped into one large new-generation show with seven other Australian hopefuls.

Sample Only, a collaboration between Rickie Dee, Penny Holmes and James Rigden, kicked off with a mix of sexy, casual sportswear. Standout items were a yellow mini-dress with leopard-print trim and a rabbit fur hoodie.

James Dobson of Jimmy D went to Australia as the winner of the New Zealand Mercedes Start-up award and immediately showed a strong, coherent approach. His dark streetwear in cotton knit and sweatshirting was a point of difference to the rest of the designers.

Finally Sarah Hewlett paraded her Holic label in a feminine collection of dresses, blouses and suits with intricate detail, applique and smocking.

It was a successful week for the New Zealand designers.

While all the top names showed strong collections and confirmed their positions in the Australian market, it highlighted the distance between our most experienced designers and the next tier.