KEY POINTS:
Pretty was the order of the day at Fashion Week, from pretty fabulous at Trelise Cooper to pretty risque at Lucie Boshier to pretty brave from young designers Jaeha Alex Kim and Alexandra Owen.
Kim got the day started unfashionably early with an off-site show at St Matthew-in-the-City with coffee thoughtfully at hand in an ambitious follow-up from his most promising tag last year (see report facing page).
Boshier looked after the heart-starters later in the day. The Newmarket retailer, who makes sexy, girly dresses, and has taken a bit of stick for her publicity pranks, staged a Cabaret-themed show, complete with a drag queen lip-syncing in suspenders, models in torsolettes and dancers writhing on the runway.
It did rather distract from the slight, feminine range on show, but it sure reflected her celebration of the goddess within.
The crochet and fringed trim dresses were flirty, and little numbers in palest pink satin screamed boudoir. A green and purple floral iris print seen in a wrap dress, and in best effect in a silk kaftan, stood out.
Whether we needed the drag queen asking at the end, "Well what the f ... did you expect," I can answer (as did Karen Walker in her advice to young players in Viva yesterday - skip the show gimmicks).
Boshier can still have fun with her shows, but to help her credibility she should remember it's frocks not shocks that the Air New Zealand-sponsored trade show is all about.
And Trelise Cooper certainly delivered on the frocks front, from beaded evening shifts to giant floral symphonies, set against a backdrop of white flowers, the perfume of which wafted into the star-studded audience of 1000.
Backstage, Cooper said that despite exporting around the world, she liked to show in Auckland. This year the collection was ready without a last-minute rush and she'd begun designing summer 2009-10.
For next winter's Cooper and Trelise Cooper ranges her inspirations were variously Japanese popular culture and an idyll at Lake Como. In common they had a more restricted - though not restrained - colour palette, signature fitted jackets, nude and black beaded evening shifts, three-quarter sleeve coats, bow and rosette detailing, full skirts and luxe fabrics.
Cooper was cheekier with a military touch to jacket styling, but it was the main range that wowed, with a pansy floral print in mustard and magenta and an abstract bloom of pink and green.
A standout raspberry leg o' mutton sleeve coat was repeated in black and a fitted jacket piped in green and black and later in orange.
Inky navy often substituted for black and some soft rose florals morphed into brighter orange prints.
A black lame coat, with the yoke in silver, was cut with early-60s elegance and if Russian peasants could buy couture for fiesta day they would have chosen the horizontal panelled floral full-skirts, hooped for volume.
Alexandra Owen also experimented with volume to original Balenciaga proportions, playing with boned collarless coats that ballooned around the body.
Initially her jodhpurs, ruched-sided jackets and uneven balloon hems felt a bit other season, but when she expanded them to truly voluminous proportion in cream and leather-look brown weave coats and extended cowl necks towards the waist, things got interesting.
The classic fitted sheath dresses in satin and wool were given an extended shoulder-line that twisted round into a high sculpted back collar.
From a normally conservative designer this was daring stuff and well enough executed to draw several overseas delegates backstage to congratulate her.
There were no shocks from Wellingtonian Deborah Sweeney, who consistently delivers sweet little vintage-inspired things to wear that flirt with masculine styling. This year it was coats made from the sort of woollen check that your granny had as a knee rug and lots of 70s-style bat-wing sleeves.
Twenty Seven Names has a street casual look and limited palette, but it works its androgynous appeal well. Patti Smith was an influence in shirts, vests and frock coats with extended tails. Tie-dye showed up again in a teal and orange shift.
Chelsea Thorpe showed wearably pretty dresses, some full length as favoured by a number of other designers.
The night ended on a garage party high, with crowds travelling to a Mornington warehouse to see Stolen Girlfriends Club show to an 80s soundtrack including the Gang of Four and Siouxsie and the Banshees, reminding those of us that were around of the days of punked-up tartan and distressed denim, worn with cobweb tights and tutus.
The styling saw barbed wire twisted round hooker-high heels.
A heart-shaped tartan bustier edged in white lace and ruffle-front shirts and coloured denim was fresh. Fur featured and for men jackets and vests were elongated.
