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It was the sweetest shambles - 40 little girls, some shyly shuffling, some skipping down a runway edged in acres of tulle with petite tutus swinging from the ceiling overhead.
From the celebrities sitting front row with designer babies on their laps to the hardened cynics in the audience, all gushed and giggled along, clapping as the littlies huddled together or stepped out solo to strike a pose.
It was the Trelise Cooper Kids show, a first for the designer at Air New Zealand Fashion Week and set to be repeated on a bigger stage at the public day tomorrow.
It was also a real contrast to the other shows for media and buyers on the final trade-only day of the week, among them Rachel Hunter's anticipated swimwear range Lola and Huffer's streetwear and party at a car repair workshop.
Huffer showed sharp Mondrian-style knits in off-primary colours, parkas with purple plaid lining and elbow patches and the expected denim and layered cotton pieces.
The rest of the day was mainly a showcase for young talent, including the winner of the Deutz Fashion Design Ambassador award, Jann Wang, and the strong debut collection of last year's winner, Sherie Muys.
Lonely Hearts' cool new-wave New York looks were vintage Madonna right down to the vintage underwear, plus zip braces, mesh, domes, tiered leather-look coated-cotton ra-ra skirts and plenty of plaid with the sound track to match.
Tanya Carlson's fine tailoring and pretty frocks came with a sense of having seen a lot of it before. But she crafted several cunning pieces, especially a panelled sheath with a collar standing up ruff-style. Her workshop assistant Cara Cotton showed youthful track suits with a sharp chevron design in reggae-vibe colours and way-long checked shirt dresses. Both threw in some of the season's metallics, with Carlson opting for gold in a cute short-suit and puffa jacket.
Rachel Hunter's appearance on stage, in what I thought was a sarong, had me expecting she might upstage the models in her Lola swimwear with a quick disrobe, but, no, it was just a strapless mumu and disappointingly, like the well-upholstered suits and the well-upholstered models, a bit of a let-down.
Nice prints and a cheeky yellow polka dot frill bikini, but not bound for poolside LA despite the 1940s starlet styling.
But for cute, you couldn't go past Trelise Cooper's mostly 4-year-old models, willingly stepping into the limelight, though there were a few stage mothers lurking, myself included. The secret to getting them ready is apparently backstage singing.
"This morning we did Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and ABC. Because what that does is it brings calm," said Cooper.
For any with stage fright, opting out was okay.
Their day had begun three hours before the show, with eight hairdressers pinning their hair high in curls. Refreshingly, they were makeup-free.
"We just try and keep them fed and watered and happy and make sure that it's fun."
So there were plenty of ham, cheese and Marmite sandwiches, before they were bused to the Halsey St fashion week venue.
"They were a long time waiting and they were very patient," said Cooper, who has a 19-year-old son who helped with the music at her Tuesday night womenswear collection.
Some of the clothes were the mini-me version of the main range, but others were designed especially for children.
There were sequinned and spotted tunics, but also jeans, leggings and simple striped tops in red, white and black. Classic wool coats came in hot colours, red, yellow, pink, some with fabric roses festooning the collars.
Petra Bagust, Shane Cortese and Nerida Lister were among those with family along for the fun, and even fashion week managing director Pieter Stewart accessorised with her nearly year-old granddaughter Harley.
One tot toddled off the knee of American-based buyer Elizabeth Charles to join the curtain call, nearly being swept aside by a gaggle of girls.
"There's a huge market for childrenswear in the US," said big-time buyer Tim Bess, who supplies 1800 stores across America. "I think I could do a lot with this."
