It was with slight trepidation I signed up to cover Wellington Fashion Week. I do love clothes, but I don’t know anything about fashion shows. I’m willing to learn though, and it was a good chance to pull on my best shoes.

Joanna and the Fly and I trotted off to the opening party on Wednesday. It was at the Audi dealership on Cambridge Terrace which initially struck me as an odd venue, but when we got there and saw the red carpet, the ritzy cars and the huge spotlights (reminiscent of Arena c. 1991) it got us in the mood. There were muchos tasty beverages, minimal snacks (appropriate for the lean crowd) and lots of beautiful people. Joanna and I made it into the Dom Post social pages. Please don’t feel the need to comment on my expression.

On Thursday I went along to the Group A show with Brock. He’ll write that experience up for you. (And while we wait for that, read about it over on Pretty Pretty Pretty – Joanna)

Friday saw the Group B show, I was most excited. It featured local lovelies Starfish, as well as STORM, Philippa&Alice, Kelsey Genna, neverblack, +silence was…+ and Robyn Mathieson. The show was a lot slicker than the previous night, I guess they’d ironed out a few glitches.

Robyn Mathieson had a solid range of  pieces showcasing her love of prints and colour which has made her a stalwart of the local design scene.

Kelsey Genna’s collection was a breath of fresh air, loads of pretty frocks which made the models look sweet and youthful and fun.

neverblack had male models! It was nice to have the variety, I giggled a bit.

STORM’s range had some pretty awesome leggings and quite a swell tunic, but the models look sad in the clothes. I think they were going for an intense look. Sad, skinny models can be a bit depressing and I definitely enjoyed shows where the music was more upbeat and the models could bounce along.

Which brings me to Starfish, the finale of the show. I have a definite bias, because I have owned many Starfish clothes over the years, and I think they’re just amazing. They don’t date, the quality is great, and the ethos of the company is honourable. The clothes in this show didn’t disappoint, they were amazing shades of pink/coral, yellow, bright teal and really cute hats.

I was well impressed with the organisation of the event. It felt glamorous, but not daunting, a real Wellington event. I’d love to see it grow and continue, hopefully with even more local designers included.

(Photos from Janet Liu)