Sexuality, rompers and a few tears

Kate Sylvester showed some well-cut and inventively styled pieces. Picture/ Carolyn Robertson

Kate Sylvester's Stop Your Sobbing collection just about moved some of the audience to tears last night.

Her coherent and beautiful range showed the deft hand of an accomplished designer at the top of her game.

A wall of rain backlit the runway as models emerged to a brilliant soundtrack in a themed showing of well-cut and inventively-styled pieces. Black dominated but muted colour was used to punctuate the sombre, tailored suiting and in wispy floral dresses and skirts. But in cream, mocha, blue and olive the look was feminine without being frilly.

This was sophisticated dressing for those who celebrate sexuality without the need to flaunt it. There was also a sense of fun with romper shorts and T-shirts.

Glamorous eveningwear swanky enough for the red carpet also dominated the catwalk at yesterday's New Zealand Fashion Week showings.

Hong Kong-based New Zealander Yvonne Bennetti's collection Velvet Goldmine set the tone for the day. She made liberal use of luxurious silk velvets, silk satins and silk georgettes for the overtly feminine clothes she does so well.

The range was inspired by 70s London. This was evident in the opulent Florence Broadhurst-looking prints on some of the dresses and devore velvets that would not be out of place on the wall or armchair. It is no less than was expected though from the accomplished textile designer who has designed fabric for Akira Isogawa, Etro, Blumarine, Zambesi and Trelise Cooper.

Incredible jewel-toned velvets in intense midnight blue, purple, fuchsia, aqua and orange were whipped into stunning long evening dresses and coats.

The eveningwear such as the white silk sateen dress with silver-beaded bodice, and the blue silk velvet dress would be equally at home in the boudoir or on the red carpet.

Her suiting followed the new narrow silhouette with tailored jackets, pencil skirts and mannish pants but she softened them with lavish feminine touches such as lace and wool roses.

Some things should stay in the boudoir, though. The cute pink vintage lace, frilled knickers for one but they did look so good with the luxurious cashmere knit with silver-sequinned hoodie.

The normally cheery Liz Mitchell took a walk on the dark side. She started with pleated fuchsia, black and beige tunic tops paired with skinny black leggings and long pleated scarves.

The Edie Sedgwick effect was startling. Her suiting had a long, lean silhouette. Jackets and coats in black had military touches with piping, cinched waists and Swarovski crystals. The overall mood was gothic Victorian, which continued into the eveningwear she is renowned for.

Again, much of it was in mourning black punctuated by a mass of gold and silver crosses and chain jewellery. Top marks for the high-waisted long silk dress with train and beige pleated tunic top.

Angela Lewis' Fashion Week debut with feminine dresses offset with tailored jackets was highly commercial.

The day started in uplifting manner with Style Pasifika's colourful and atmospheric range. First up was Charmaine Love, shirtmaker to Michael Campbell, who used Maori motifs on shirts and skirts and referenced colonial New Zealand with settler ship prints. The smooth beats of the Pacific pleased the crowd, who then enjoyed Cook Island label TAV's cheery sundresses and bikini tops and long shorts in floral prints.

The highlights of the annual Westfield Style Pasifika show, including flax skirts and woven dresses, also delighted an audience looking for ethnic effect.

The night before, after the usual lengthy wait in the crushed lobby of the St James, cult Dunedin label Nom*D's C'mon collection of men's and womenswear was a subverted reworking of men's tailoring.

The term deconstruction could have been coined for the label. Layers of long knit cardigans, dulled-down cargo prints, stovepipe trousers, check shirts, tailcoats, sweatshirting, anoraks and jackets were thrown together with the odd arm severed and mass shredding. If anyone dared to wear the full outfit on the street, they'd be arrested for vagrancy.

But that is not Nom*D's intention. As New Zealand's most arthouse label, the effect is to shock and make people think. Its appeal lies largely with creative types and cool young kids. En masse on stage, the line-up of models looked more like an art installation than mere clothes. Take a single piece and it's a different story. It becomes eminently wearable.