Beach party buzz

Nicki Watson models a bikini from the A*Muse collection. Photo / Babiche Martens

There was trash and there was flash, and there was also Pamela Anderson flashing those famous breasts and a hot pink g-string as she strutted down the runway. The most eagerly-awaited and hyped up event of the week, the A*Muse show, bought a special sparkle and buzz to the closing evening of Air New Zealand Fashion Week.

It was big on model Pamela-alikes (Nicky Watson was the second model out) and a bevy of beefcake male models in tiny neon briefs, including surfer Maz Quinn, who modelled for the first time and was dressed by designer Richie Rich himself. But looking beyond the celebrity and Pam-factor, what about the clothes?

Think a glitzy beach party - tight, bright and sparkly, with leggings, knickers and more wearable jumpsuits, dresses and drop-crotch pants.

Rich has described the range as about a Malibu surfer girl - that would be Anderson - and I can imagine it could possibly go down well with her. But for the more subdued Kiwi girl who appreciates the dark, intellectual beauty of our own Zambesi or Kate Sylvester, it was a bit of frivolous fun which, after all, is what Rich and Anderson are all about.

Before the celebrity circus, the front row was jolted awake by the Stitch Ministry show with its explosive, confetti-filled finale.

Like many other collections this week, this one drew inspiration from the 80s, namely rock icon Debbie Harry. Called Sgt Peppers, it focused on the idea of "bringing out your inner muso", with lots of knitwear pieces, several references to the ubiquitous bold shoulder trend a la Balmain, sequins, studded and subtle camouflage leggings and military elements in reference to the Beatles album cover.

The show also launched Stitch Ministry's bodywear line, Wahine Bikini, with 100 per cent merino bodysuits and underwear with accents of possum skin and fur; all in shades of black, red and blue. I'm not sure who has the need for a bodysuit with fur at the bust, but perhaps I'm not the Wahine Bikini target market.

Michelle Yvette's collection was called Creatures of the Night, and kicked off with two showgirls parading up and down the runway with feathered headpieces. Maybe it's because it's the last day and I wanted to see Pammy, but gimmicks like this kind of make me cringe.

The collection itself was wearable and pleasant, with lots of girly dresses and pieces that will sell well from Yvette's Auckland boutique. There were plenty of references to all the key trends of the week too: sequins, fur, shoulder details and dark, almost black lips. It was refreshing to see some colour on the runway too, after a week of subtle, muted palettes.

Sugar and spice and all things nice were all at the Trelise Cooper Kids show, which featured adorable young models in Cooper's signature flounce, tulle and embroidered pieces. The kids show is always a crowd pleaser and celebrity hotspot on the last day of Fashion Week, and this year was certainly no different - with Keisha Castle-Hughes, Luke McAllister and Petra Bagust's children in the show. Fairytales were the theme, with a storybook set and a runway covered in book pages.

Federation bought streetwear-influenced fashion to the runways (and some much-welcomed food sustenance for those in the front row) with a range inspired by a love of music. Models in signature Federation streetwear style walked the runway, which featured a colourful and unique dripping paint backdrop; think cuffed and shredded jeans, printed tees and oversized sweaters for men and cut-off sleeveless denim vests, cropped tees, throw-on-and-wear dresses and bodysuits for women.

Dedicated fashion pack members trekked to Newmarket after the Pamela spectacle, to the Karen Walker show at Stephen Marr. The show featured Walker's current in-store collection, She Cracked, with a peek at her newest collection which she showed at New York Fashion Week this month.

Huffer's show, at the Audi Showroom, was a a hit, closing the week with a collection called Fly. The show was keenly awaited, with Auckland designer Kristine Crabb of Miss Crabb collaborating with the Huffer team to design the womenswear collection for winter. It was exciting to see the Huffer aesthetic evolve, with Crabb's influence seen in sexy denim bustiers, cropped denim jackets and knit tops and interesting silhouettes. The show, styled by Rachael Churchward, also gave the first look at a new lingerie range for bigger-busted girls, called DimitySO - a tribute to Pam perhaps?

It was a strong show, and ended the week on a celebratory high.

PICKS OF THE WEEK

Ana Macdonald
VIVA fashion editor

Kate Sylvester - Kate, Kate, Kate. A beautiful range, I especially liked the duck-egg blue dress with gold details and the delicate palest-pink chiffon petal dresses.

Men in lingere and models-en-masse-finale topped it off in spectacular style. In fact, the whole warehouse vibe with chandeliers was fantastic.

Adrian Hailwood - A great selection of sleek pieces, my favourite being the figure-hugging blue and black satin dress and kitch Wilton china prints on silk. Speaking of which Adrian's LBDresses were totally standout.

NOM*d - Kirsty Cameron's ethereal film preceding the show set a sweet mood for the day. I liked the cleverly layered white ensembles.

Stolen Girlfriends - Kooky Pilgrims put the fun back into it all at this show with gorgeous chunky fringed sweaters and ponchos.

Twenty-seven Names & Juliette Hogan - Easy on the eye and totally wearable clothes with both these collections with the pastel coloured capes a favourite.

Trelise Cooper and Andrea Moore - These two shows also make the list thanks to their wonderful use of colour and well-put-together shows.

Alice Rycroft
Canvas fashion editor

Cybele - Loved the fairylight set. The collection showcased Cybele's technical abilities with interesting seaming everywhere, over the bust and down skirts - creating the look of creased butterfly wings emerging from chrysalises. Also loved the tailored pieces, particularly a cropped jacket with its frill snaking around the neck and down its front.

Adrian Hailwood - Adrian has his mojo back. He channelled his rock'n roll vibe with snappy cropped jackets matched with satin pants. He showed the best dresses. Short ones with drape-front skirts, and a long printed silk gown with fringe shoulders, which was easily the best finale gown.

Kate Sylvester - Her mixture of sharp tailoring and relaxed dressing was spot on. Her return to serious tailoring was welcome - I loved her sparkly boyfriend jacket.

NOM*d - The pre-show film by Kirsty Cameron was a beautiful and evocative (if slightly unrealistic) rendition about coming of age. It set the scene for a collection which was a twisted mixture of the innocent (white cotton shirts with lace collars, scarves made from baby bonnets) and the tough (leather cage corsets). This coupled with bold colours gave the label a fresh, new appeal.