The countdown to NZ Fashion Week

Bionic Pixie in Serena Fagence. Photo / Supplied

The international VIPs are on their way, our designers are putting the finishing touches to their collections, the marquees are going up and New Zealand's fashion set is working their wardrobes in preparation for the most stylish trade event of the year - Air New Zealand Fashion Week.

Opening party

Monday evening and the who's who of New Zealand's fashion world will be rubbing shoulder pads in the glamorous Moet & Chandon Lounge down at Halsey St for the opening night of Air New Zealand Fashion Week.

To get everyone in the mood there'll be the Couture Challenge, where the people from Huffer, Sera Lilly and Stitch Ministry will have just one hour to create a designer garment.

The young and restless will finish off the night at the first off-site show by Lonely Hearts, before getting into the first runway show of the week by Cybele on Tuesday morning.

Stolen Girlfriends Club's Thursday night show at the Winchester bar in Newton will surely be another party highlight of the week for the hip young fashionable things of Auckland (expect plenty of sore heads the next morning).

Huffer is set to repeat last year's epic fashion week closer with their off-site show on Friday night, and Richie Rich is set to perform some songs at the official ANZFW after-party on Saturday evening.

But the party of the week will probably be Zambesi's retrospective show on Saturday night, which will be a celebration of 30 years of the iconic and much-loved New Zealand label.

You're invited

Invitations to ANZFW shows are a rarity, so if you're lucky enough to have received some, congratulations. Some of our favourite invitations so far include the Lonely Hearts invite, Salasai's viewmaster and Stolen Girlfriend Club's feathered dreamcatcher.

If you're desperate to go to Fashion Week but aren't media, a buyer, industry type or ligger (that's someone who sneaks into shows with someone whose name is "on the list"), you can in fact buy tickets - so maybe tickets aren't as exclusive as we thought ... For $165 you can get a ticket to the A*Muse show, a glass of wine on arrival, canapes and access to the VIP Moet & Chandon Lounge. Plus, you can buy tickets to the Designer Selection Shows - which also means you can hang out at the Fashion Week village before and after the show.

Tickets for these are available at iticket.co.nz. For information on corporate hosting packages, visit the ANZFW website, and click on "Your Options".

Pammie power

Rumours are rife regarding the arrival of Hollywood superstar Pamela Anderson. When is she arriving? Where will she be staying? How big is her entourage? What will she be wearing? What will she do here? All will be revealed next week...

Nail me

It won't just be about fashion shows, sipping champagne and swanning about at fashion parties. Female fashion designers, media and industry types led by Trelise Cooper will be helping to build a house for the charity Habitat for Humanity. The three-bedroom house will be built in Auckland's Viaduct throughout the week, then relocated to Mangere.

Follow the progress throughout the week at nailitwithlove.co.nz or on Facebook or Twitter.

Hammers and nails are so fashionable right now that Fashion Week's Pieter and Myken Stewart already plan to go to Thailand to help build more homes for Habitat for Humanity.

Cooper takes over

Not only is Trelise Cooper building a house, but this dynamo mega-talent is putting on three shows - one for industry, one for clients and her Kids' Show - all of which are guaranteed to be inspiring and world class - but she's also going to be auctioning off a jeroboam of Moet & Chandon Imperial on Trade Me to help raise money for Habitat for Humanity and launching a fragrance. Maybe we should call it Trelise Cooper Fashion Week?

The Australians

It's a celebration of New Zealand fashion, but there are some internationals involved this year - Richie Rich and Pamela Anderson's A*Muse label from America, as well as a smattering of Australian labels. So who the bloody hell are they? Emanuella, Fluxus and Gypsy 05 will showcase their designs in the exhibition hall, and House of Ezis is part of the ghd New Generation show on Thursday.

Five key Australian designers, Alice McCall, Kirrily Johnston, Marnie Skillings, Alpha60 and Romance was Born are also taking part in the Diet Coke Little Black Dress show on Tuesday, alongside some of our own local talent - expect to see Kirrily Johnston and Marnie Skillings front row.

Musical theatre

Some of the fashion insiders we've spoken to have admitted something slightly scandalous - sometimes they care more about the music that plays during show than the clothes themselves. Music plays an integral part; helping build atmosphere and put across ideas about the collection itself. Young label Twenty-seven Names have become favourites for their brilliant choice of tunes. For their Tuesday afternoon show, Anjali Stewart, one half of the Wellington-based design duo, says they have chosen "some old, some new (Zealand), a few trips down memory lane and one of my all-time-favourite club bangers".

Bionic Pixie is set to perform during Serena Fagence's section of the ghd New Generation show.

Hail Hailwood

You can't keep a good thing down and we're thrilled that Adrian Hailwood is back on the runway after shutting up shop earlier this year (and then reopening a few months later).

The fashion boy has had a wild ride during his time in the industry, from being chosen by Karen Walker to share her Air NZ Fashion Export Award prize money in 2004 and shadowing her at London Fashion Week, to sending Nicky Watson down his runway in a crocheted dress to joining business forces with fashion power house Annah Stretton (the pair have now gone their separate ways). Hailwood returns to the runway on Thursday evening.

Off-site action

Lonely Hearts will kick off the week with their off-site installation on Monday night, a "interdisciplinary film collaboration" between the label and artist Tim Van Dammen. The film will showcase a collection called "What Is Your Damage?" This reference to 1988 film Heathers makes us very excited - the invitation featuring schoolgirl scribbles on a piece of refill paper does too.

Other labels that will present their collections off-site include Nom*D, Kate Sylvester, Stolen Girlfriends Club, Karen Walker and Zambesi.

Huffer will close the week with an off-site show that combines a "brand experience and a focused catwalk show".

Launching pad

Being new and hoping to get noticed is the name of the game at Fashion Week. This extends beyond the runway with companies choosing the event as a launching pad. Among them is the makeup line from advanced Australian skincare company Rationale, which until now was available only through dermatologists and clinics, but will soon be stocked at the Skin Institute and available online. The stylish range uses only vitamin and mineral ingredients known for their effectiveness.

"Rather than simply covering up imperfections Rationale makeup works to improve and enhance natural beauty and promote healthy skin," says company co-founder Richard Parker.

The company's five-minute Beauty Blast will be offered to Fashion Week guests as a rejuvenating treat by way of introduction to the range.

Among the products being launched in New Zealand is a mascara that encourages lash growth, a lip-plumping gloss and a pressed mineral foundation with sunscreen.

Animal house

Ksubi did rats on the runway years ago, and Annah Stretton once put a boar's head on a model. This year Basquesse was hoping to bring some animal action to the ANZFW venue. The label attempted to have live cheetahs on the runway for their Tuesday afternoon show, but discovered all cheetahs are grounded by zoos - but a "wild" collection is promised.

VIPs

International VIP media and celebrities are set to begin arriving over the weekend, including representatives for British Vogue, Style.com, Russh, Harpers Bazaar Australia and FHM China.

Bridget Hope, the former editor of Simply You and current publishing director of ACP Magazines Singapore, will also return to Auckland as a special ANZFW guest, representing Singaporean magazine titles like Harpers Bazaar, Woman's Weekly and Cleo.

The editor of Nylon Japan, Yuka Sone, will be front row, as will regular ANZFW guest Christoper Blomquist, editor of Sportswear International.

Of course there's Pammy and Richie Rich who, we imagine, will be the most photographed celebrity guests of the week. And model and MTV Asia presenter Denise Keller.

Wanna be on top?

Ruby may not have won New Zealand's Next Top Model, but the fourth-place-getter with personality plus from Gisborne is emerging as the star of the show, with C4 following her around Fashion Week. Ruby is one of a number of contestants to be modelling next week, she's on hold for Trelise Cooper, Stitch Ministry, and Sable and Minx.

Big girl's blouse

Plus-sized fashion will be shown to buyers and media at Fashion Week for the first time this year. New Zealand label, the Carpenter's Daughter, which also has its own retail outlets, showed to the public at Fashion WeekEND last year, but this year fronts up to official delegates. Twenty-one "real" women will show the clothes, curves and all. They'll be bedecked in jewellery from Sharon Finn's Sharondelier and wearing shoes from Minx.

Fashion central

The official hotel of ANZFW is, again, The Westin. Cybele and leading glass artist Layla Walter have created a sculpture of coloured cast lead glass lillies hung from the ceiling with giant ribbons of silk in the hotel's lobby. The hotel's Q restaurant is putting on a lunch menu. If you rock up to dine with your girlfriends wearing a quintessential LBD, you'll receive a complimentary cocktail.

Stay informed

For the most authoritative and informed take on all that's hot and happening, see nzherald.co.nz's Fashion Week page. Viva's leading beauty and fashion writer Janetta Mackay will be writing, our photographers will be bringing you the latest images from the runway, and journalist and personality Noelle McCarthy will be on camera backstage and at all the parties.

Simply You's Natalie Bridges and Catherine Smith will also be providing up-to-the-minute blog coverage. Plus, there will be daily reports in the NZ Herald by Viva writer Zoe Walker and editor Amanda Linnell and a special bumper Fashion Week edition of Viva next week. Don't miss it.