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6 LUCIRE NOVEMBER 2003 SUPPLEMENT

CATWALK DAY 1

Let the music playHE LONG-AWAITED L’Oréal New Zealand

Alice Goulter, Sally-ann Mo\at and Jack Yan reviewthe {rst day’s shows, {nding Style Pasi{ka’s passion oneof the strongest—but Vertice’s violinist bored audiences

TFashion Week began October 20, 2003 atmidday with the Westfield Style Pasifikashow, presenting a triumvirate of designersencompassing the authentic styles of NewZealand Maori and the Pacific Islands, interpretedinto modern, wearable clothing.

With music ranging from a soulful ballad with shades ofhip-hop to rap, there was a lively beat throughout StylePasifika.

First to present was designer Sera Mitchinson, with herlabel Selector. Mitchinson presented garments primarily indenims and fleeces, localized with prints of birds, assumablynative to New Zealand, in historical, linear style illustrations.

Wellington-based Leiana Rei Perawiti of Leiana Reirevealed her much-publicized paua-shell swimwear, whichutilizes the innovation of digital printing on fabrics to create arange reminiscent of the vibrant colours of the paua shell.Collaborating with Kapiti-based Minx Shoes, Rei highlightedher pieces with matching ankle boots and strappy slides.

It was not only Rei’s swimwear which was impressive: herclothing range encompassed a variety of fabric manipula-tions mimicking classical Maori patterns.

The début of label Overstayer, most notably accreditedto Bill Urale—better known as local hip-hop artist KingKapisi—promoted a strong Pacific Island theme featuringdenimwear, highlighted with woven flax pockets. The rangedemonstrated an excellent sense of culture and history,modernized with urban styled graphic artwork such astagging and distressed prints, à la Phat Farm or Lady Enyce.However, the Pacific Island feel was apparent—even New

THIS PAGE: Leiana Rei’s pauaswimwear (left) was the most talked-about during Style Pasifika; Rei tookhome the Deutz Fashion DesignAmbassador award later in the week.Her other designs proved as strong.BOTTOM: King Kapisi—from theNewtown posse to the Hot GlossSeat in the L’Oréal Paris PowderRoom.

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Zealand visitor’s permit stamps fromthe Immigration Department wereincorporated into one outfit.

The audience were fortunateenough to experience the accompa-niment of King Kapisi himself perform-ing on the catwalk during the show.The Style Pasifika group, therefore,closed on a particularly high note,

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leaving the audience with nothing but to think thatit will not be long before we experience thesegarments and many more, on the streets.

Kapisi said in an interview that he sensed aglobalization of hip-hop cultures. The quality ofNew Zealand hip-hop, for example, had becomecloser to that in other countries. Therefore, it wasprobably no surprise to see shades of othernations’ hip-hop graphics—such as the differentappearances of the Overstayer logo—althoughthe overall effect of the Overstayer range wasoriginal.

SHARON NG PREP-ARES The second show tograce the catwalks was Sharon Ng, titled with apostmodernist ‘@Home’ tag. It was inspired by theideal of being at home—both Ng’s perception ofher own home and the New Zealand ideal.

Most memorable was the inclusion of wallpa-per-inspired prints, linear illustrations of kowhaiflowers and ferns. They demonstrated not only atheme, but Ng’s continued work with local artists.The images appeared not only as placementprints on garments, but as continual yardageprints on classically styled woven shirts.

The collection embraced a “preppy” mood buthad a feeling of old-fashioned school-yard clothingwith honeycomb-knitted sweaters and knee-length pleated skirts. An element of deconstruc-tion was also evident throughout the range withraw edging and half-stitched sleeves. Ng’s colourpalette was primarily neutral shades of beiges,khakis and chocolates, highlighted with flashes ofmustards, bright blues and reds.

The silhouette was focused at a top-heavy levelwith cropped cardigans and boléro-style jackets.Oriental-style dresses seemed to promote thisideal also, with mandarin collars and cappedsleeves.

Ng closed on a high with outfits that reflectedher southern Chinese ancestry. Fortunately, noneof these dresses, featuring adaptations of Chinese paintingsin faded form, had a stereotypical feel. Instead, the cutswere westernized and restrained, reflecting well a NewZealand–Chinese blend without revisiting Ng’s Chinoiseriecollection from last winter.

The essence of the collection was apparent right until theclose of the show, demonstrating her charming commercial-ism and confident use of theme to portray a very impressiverange.

THE MUSICAL CANTABRIANS Christchurch designersgrouped together for a following show, starring the much-talked-about Takaaki Sakaguchi.

While the three labels (and four designers) in this part ofthe show received equal billing, Sakaguchi arguably gener-ated more pre-show anticipation—not least in this publica-tion with a cover story.

Sakaguchi’s part was particularly well coordinated,expertly done so that no one would know that this was hisfirst LNZFW show. The international feel was apparent,reflecting well on Sakaguchi’s experiences in Japan and withParis catwalks.

Sakaguchi demonstrated an astounding amount of

techniques throughout his portion. He revealed an obviouslyin-depth knowledge of couture finishing techniques with richand illustrious fabric manipulations including beading,rouching, gathering and embroideries. The collection alsoincluded a slight Asian influence including what appeared tobe printed cottons along with deep Chinese brocades.Feathers were featured as well as a tribute to the Dior 1940sdressing revolution, the New Look: a short-waisted peplinjacket with oversized rolling collars was tightly coordinatedwith a richly decorated full skirt.

Tango’s collection may be summarized as ‘stars andstripes’—but not what readers might think. There were noAmerican flags around—the collection was based around a

TOP: Overstayer, with its hip-hopinfluences. ABOVE LEFT: Selector.ABOVE AND RIGHT: Sharon Ng.

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CATWALK DAY 1

welcome futuristic theme of space travel, beginning withWagner’s ‘Also Spracht Zarathustra’ and fluorescent lighting.Images of stars, galaxies and the Milky Way were comple-mented by green, red and black stripes, including a sleeve-less black top featuring the words, in an angular typeface,‘HAL hath no fury’.

The collection changed direction toward the end as‘Neunundneunzig Luftballons’ began playing. Simplicityentered the arena, with the final white dress featuring anembroidered star print, with model holding helium-filledballoons that floated to the ceiling of the Great Hall in theAuckland Town Hall.

Barbara Lee signalled the return of the tie and theberet—mimicking the styles of the old girls’ college uniformsin crisp blacks and whites. Drop-waisted mini-tunics pre-sented a flirty feel to the show, accompanied by old-fash-ioned PE tunics with ties. The appearance of model NickyWatson thrilled local audiences, donning some of Lee’smore dramatic designs in her return to wholesale and herfirst LNZFW show.

The Parisian showgirl ideal was also present near the endof the range, with feathered miniskirts and embroided meshbodices.

MORE AT MOORE Caroline Moore hit back against less-than-accurate quips referring to leather fetishism with anautumn–winter 2004 collection called Hard Core. Instead of

CLOCKWISE FROM

ABOVE: Tango’s ‘99Luftballons’ dress.Sakaguchi. How tomake an exit:Sakaguchi. Return ofthe beret and tie atBarbara Lee. TheParisian showgirlfrom Barbara Lee.Barbara Lee.Sakaguchidemonstrates moretechniques.Starbursts at Tango.

taking the obvious, salacious route,Moore attempted garments that weremore tasteful—and left the models,accessories and the show to provoke,with “whips”, red gloves and fishnetstockings. Leather never looked moredesirable.

She succeeded more than admira-bly with her use of suede, nappa andbroadtail lambskin. That was hardly asurprise, since Moore has more thanestablished herself with her use ofleather. More enticing were thecolours—bright reds, flame oranges,mandarins, apricots and blacks, onsuch items as lambskin bustiers(sometimes ruched), the ra-ra skirtand memorable slink-skin coats.

Moore’s “fresh and fruity” shades

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made us forget that they were made of leather: they lookedso light and had a sensual drape to them.

This season also sees nappa leggings—with her coatsmust-haves for the season—plus the additional colour of‘blush’, a nude tone that played to the Hard Core theme.Fishnets over opaque tights and high-top sneaker heelsjuxtaposed the styling beautifully, never overpowering thecraft of the leather.

Finally, the chaps weren’t ignored, with a suede lambskinjacket, suede trouser and a ‘clubbing coat’—not to mentionthe rare appearances of the Radio Active logo, representingan FM station that began as a student service.

Judging from the smile on her face, front-row Kiwi singerCarly Binding seemed to be a Hard Core fan.

It was a pity that Vertice began its show with a violinistwho played for too long—according to several audiencemembers to whom we spoke—which may have dulled therest of the range. While the musician was excellent,the wait for the fashion seemed endless (and for sixminutes or so, it was).

It was not to say that Vertice’s work was notcompetent: we liked the tartan trouser, the leatherjacket with black hood, the noticeable purple blouseand embroidery—but Vertice’s complex belts and itsshade of green seemed slightly out of place. Ofcourse, not even experienced fashion writers canpredict tastes in six months’ time—Lucire’s bestforecaster Susan Kelly foresees a return to complex-ity, proving some of Vertice’s thinking right. Onreview, it’s a relief that the label attempted somethingdifferent, but at the time of the joint show, Verticewas overshadowed by Moore.

FEELING FRESH High Society showed its four labels—Catalyst, Chocolat, Mosaic and Obi. One of the country’sstrongest exporters, with half its volume going overseas, thecompany positions each labels to distinct markets. As theshow demonstrated, there is little overlap.

Catalyst’s use of magenta shades took audiences backto the 1980s—one of the aims of design director LaurindaSutcliffe—mixing them with the mod–rocker 1960s’ look.

The mod–rocker look emerged less so with the cuts butwith historically later techniques such as Old English letter-ing. Other techniques seen often at Catalyst’s autumn–winter 2004 range include pleating.

While retro sometimes kicks in during times of recessionto give consumers a sense of comfort, Catalyst’s collectionwas not a continuous reference to the past. There wereinfluences, but what we saw was not overly derivative. Theway the influences were combined for autumn–winter 2004ensured a fresh look and upbeat mood for Catalyst—something that we definitely wanted to see.

Chocolat promised New Zealand celebrities on thecatwalk, proving a hit with the crowd. New Zealand person-alities Mary Lambie and Anna Thomas joined divas JoCotton, Jackie Clarke and Betty-Anne Monga (Adijah).

Fuller silhouettes with French influences werehallmarks of this collection. In comparison to Cata-lyst, Jane Mabee’s designs were more retro with itsuse of lace, greys, blacks and notions of French“romance”. However, American buyers sitting withLucire were not totally aware of the Kiwi celeb angle.

Mosaic contrasted its sister labels once again,with lighter and subtler approaches to its designs.Anne Mardell’s work took flowers from prints andinto three dimensions, while fabrics included boiledwool, brushed lace and soft gabardine. We spottedicy shades of light mauves and greens on thecatwalk; the brushed lace contributed to a slightbrightening to set off the paler colours.

Obi’s autumn–winter 2004 collection was based

had audiences hungry for more—itwill be a challenge in winter to decidebetween the two shades.

A dark apricot suede ra-ra skirt withmatching bustier got deservedapplause. The ra-ra skirts almost

FAR LEFT AND ABOVE LEFT:Caroline Moore. LEFT: Obi’sopulent brocade jacket anddelustred satin skirt. ABOVE

AND RIGHT: More from HighSociety. BELOW: TV host MaryLambie in Chocolat.

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around the idea of exploration. Lucire would go morespecific and say that it conjured up the idea of the goldenage of exploration, with the flyer cap present and the sherpalook represented by sand-coloured crocheted tops. Thecollection suggested Amelia Earhart, recallingthe early flight age and female independence.

The evening approach was partly military,but contrasted with brocades, satins and silkvelvets. It continued the military themes withthe belt worn around the waist and diagonally,and strong jackets. Ruching on a red, zippedjacket impressed the Americans, who ap-plauded its presence.

Obi was creatively the strongest of the four High Societybrands, with a strong silhouette enhanced by lapels, waist-bands and belts.

SEA OF GRACE State of Grace evolved, but retained astrong feminine flavour—and the principle that they makeclothes that they themselves want—that designers SherilynCatchpole and Caroline Church are known for. A gloriousautumn–winter 2004 collection, the pair showed a watertheme recalling mermaids, nymphs and sirens, as well asseaweed and coral reefs.

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As the worlds that Catchpole and Church are exposed tochange, so has their design style. There is a softness to thiscollection, more so than an earlier range on heroines that werecall, with motifs of leaves in print and lace. Lighter shades

in coral and pink were contrasted withopulent reds and blacks; we saw them onglamorous aprons and wraps, jewelledtops and a glorious red silk coat. It wasperhaps one collection where the design-ers did not balk at showing backlessgarments—and stayed well in tune withthe tastes of 2004 in doing so.

Our highlights included simple itemssuch as a pinstriped trouser and striped white shirt; while onthe other end of the continuum a cowled-front dress in burntred. We approve of the emphasis this season on jewellery,lace, glitter and embroidery.

The bottom part of Queen Mary’s diamond stomacher,made for Queen Victoria, was reproduced as a screen-print;continuing the sea theme was a reproduction of an c. 1880scarved shell cameo brooch, this time embroidered on tofabric.

THIS PAGE: The glamour ofState of Grace and its sea-based theme for autumn–winter 2004. BELOW RIGHT:L’Oréal Paris make-up artistswork on State of Grace modelsbackstage.

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Post modernAlice Goulter reviews the Zambesi autumn–winter 2004collection and believes that Elisabeth and NevilleFindlay have earned the accolade of being modern Kiwifashion’s “parents”

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unlike the frequently appraised Zambesi retail stores,designed by Neville Findlay, the husband of the label’scelebrated designer, Elisabeth Findlay.

Amongst such a juxtaposed environment, the showwas styled with an almost early ’70s British mood:models graced the catwalk with seemingly ungroomedhair, dark eyes and a slow and casual streetwise strut.Most models wore knee-high black equestrienne boots,made of rubber, almost suggesting an element ofWellington boots. Art direction for the show was carriedout by a third Findlay family member, daughter Marissa,who presented an oval-shaped catwalk with the audi-ence seated around building pillars, models circulatingaround the venue.

The Zambesi silhouette conformed tightly to two mainshapes. Firstly, and most prominently, in womenswearwas a dropped-waist shape with flare developing subtly

ZAMBESI’S AUTUMN–WINTER 2004 showtook place off-site, at the constructionsite of the old post office by the Aucklandwaterfront. A classic Zambesi ambiencewas created amongst half-stripped stonewalls, unpolished wooden floorboardsand dusty, half-revealed mosaics—not

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from the hip area. Skirts were awkwardly cut at the kneelength and were made from eye-catching checks andsheers, often adorned with a Zambesi trademark of square,low-sheen sequins.

The second silhouette was primarily form-hugging rightdown to the tapered legs of elongated trousers and denims.Again, the waist area was dropped to the hips. Bomberjackets were present; rib cuffs stretched around the bodyagain, to the hip point. This was particularly refreshing to seeon the men’s portion of the show.

One of the most celebrated idiosyncrasies of Findlay’sdesign ethic is, of course, her fearless and immaculate useof drape, not only on classic sheers, but also in collaborationwith raw-edge finishings on wool suitings and leathers.Findlay did not fail to impress this season, incorporatingcolour-contrasting gussets and panelling throughout herwomenswear, contrasted with the structural forms of basicbiker-style, safari and cropped tailcoat suit jackets in bothmen’s and womenswear.

The colour palette consisted of primarily dark basics—ofnavies, blacks and deep charcoals—a light relief from theonslaught of neutral beiges present in many other ranges.Highlight colours of the range included mustard yellows,pale lemons, tans, creams and deep purples.

The show was, to date, a highlight of the week, initiallyoffset by ambient venue and completed by an almosttechnically flawless range—a sincere complement toZambesi, who after over two decades of trading, can rightlybe named the “parents of New Zealand fashion”.

ALICE GOULTER

Findlay did not fail toimpress this season,incorporating colour-contrasting gussets andpanelling throughout herwomenswear

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Grand andgranderThe media and public can consistently depend on Worldfor sheer spectacle—great fashion, candy}oss hair andnz$20,000 worth of Swarovski crystals did just the trick

MEDIA ARE ALWAYS DELIGHTED by World:not just because of the famousspectacle of each catwalk show,which somehow manages to balanceexcess with true style, but becausethe label overcomes cynicism. Noneof us can ever be attacked for gushing

about the label—because even when you take away thetheatrics: viz. this season’s candyfloss hair and theNZ$20,000 worth of Swarovski crystals on onemodel’s legs, World still stands up.

Couture from designers Francis Hooper andDenise L’Éstrange-Corbet demonstrated thatinvention remained strong at World: a harlequin,sequinned gown and a layered, pink silk dressamong the two eyebrow-raisers.

World pursued a partly nautical theme: itsmenswear was made up of glittering suits, worn bymodels who were supposedly meant to be “sleazy”Cuban sailors.

Of the prêt-à-porter items, WORLDdenim re-

turned for the season with clean lines, contrasted with whatthe pair call ‘candy colours’. Draping on knits was notable.

Entitled ‘I Don’t Like Sport, but I Can High Jump’, thecombined collection emerged in an abstract fashion,according to Hooper.

Hooper and L’Éstrange-Corbet had collaborated with artistReuben Paterson to create some of the glitter and glitter-dust-covered garments. Before the week was up, it was

reported that one of the NZ$10,000 sequinnedsuits had been put on hold by a collector im-pressed with the collaboration.

Expatriate Brent Lawler—based in Paris andSydney—was responsible for the make-up andwas, again, creative in applying it on faces andbodies. Colours reminiscent of Mondrian and aporcelain effect helped with the spectacle.

Finally, World proved that its fashion transcendsage by using three mature models, Pamela Farry,Barbara Brinsley and Ruth Coghill, known asDunedin’s “society girls”, and who appeared in anearlier Lucire report from that city.

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