Photos from the Hailwood showKEY POINTS:
Sunday: 8.45pm And with a flourish of her hand, the right honourable Helen Clark, Prime Minister and staunch advocate of the creative industries of New Zealand, declared that the madness of Air New Zealand Fashion Week could begin.
Four long days of frocks, loud music, champagne and glamour down on Auckland's waterfront. Well, as glamorous as Auckland gets anyway.
Almost as soon as Clark, dressed in a wine coloured suit, we assume, especially for the occasion, declared the event well and truly open, the bands started playing.
Some of the best young groups around - The Mint Chicks, Motocade, White Birds and Lemons and Charlie Ash - then made it impossible for the older followers of fashion to hold a conversation and possible for the younger ones to dance, or at least tap their feet.
Three stages were cleverly arranged around the former America's Cup base, so that as soon as one group finished up, the other could begin.
The bands themselves were dressed by local labels, Huffer, Stolen Girlfriends Club, Zambesi and Cybele.
As one editor, who'd attended every Fashion Week opening since it began seven years ago, remarked, it was just about the best, most lively opening ever and that was due to the addition of the bands, their hip-cool young fans, who probably had not a lot to do with the actual fashion industry, and a range of tasty treats, such as olives, oysters and gourmet sausages from Waiheke Island.
In fact as The Mint Chicks played, one worried invitee even noticed the floorboards going up and down as a small group of devoted fans danced - unheard of behaviour at a Fashion Week opening.
Mostly the past openings have involved a few drinks, a lot of speeches and everyone going home early to get a good night's sleep.
Having said that, at least one of the speeches was particularly meaningful to local designers.
Air New Zealand chief executive, Rob Fyfe, gave out the export awards that the airline, principle sponsor of Fashion Week, have given out annually since 2004.
Designer Kate Sylvester won the big prize, which involves around $30,000 worth of travel courtesy of the national carrier.
"We've never entered before because our focus has been on Australia," Sylvester explained.
"And then there have been other distractions," she laughs, "like having babies." Sylvester and her partner, Wayne Conway, have three sons.
"But now we're ready to take it further afield," Conway adds.
The pair plans to use the prize to head to Japan and explore that market.
The other winner of an export award - this time, a more development focused prize, including air travel worth $16,000 - was designer Adrian Hailwood.
He'll use the prize to follow up interest he's already had from America and he's also thinking of looking into Asian markets.
As thrilling as it all was, by about 8.30pm the hall had started to empty out.
Auckland's mayor, Dick Hubbard, outfitted in a beige jacket and matching Mayoral bling (a nearby homie noted that such great looking gold chains must be a perk of the job) had left and most of the crowd were following suit.
After all, despite the plentiful Deutz and the great music, everyone's got to get home to work on their outfits for the rest of the week.
