Christine Deacon was out and about at NZ Fashion Weekend. Check out the top trends she picked out at 'The FQ Edit', the sold out show presented by Fashion Quarterly and Miss FQ.
Cats and dogs in the morning did not stop the very fashionable crowd from swarming into Auckland’s Viaduct Events Centre for the highly anticipated and sold out show, the FQ + Miss FQ Edit. Picking my way through the flurry of well-heeled men and women, this much was immediately clear – this year’s show was sure to be a doozy.
After an hour of rifling the racks of the Designer Pop-Up Sale and our extra good goody bags, we were treated to a visual extravaganza, punctuated by a surprise hip hop number which drew out an army of cameras and phones to rival the lights and ground-thudding music.
But nothing could detract from the creations paraded down the catwalk this year. Key trends to note from the show? Let me share with you what I snapped up, and where in Auckland’s CBD you can get your hands on designer pieces right off the runway.
FLORALS
Big and bold, small and delicate, florals were popping up in just about every designer who featured in this year’s show. Vintage prints were a clear favourite, with Zambesi leading in the way in their gauzy creations that screamed tea party, but only for the coolest kids in town.
Where to buy: Zambesi clothing can be found in their Britomart dream space at 56 Tyler Street.
BOLD COLOURS
Colours came back stronger than ever, this time with a focus on bright reds, mustard yellows and forest greens, offset by blacks and bieges. Colour blocking was prevalent amongst the featured designers too, with Kate Sylvester and Ruby channeling the radical 70’s through the use of vibrant stripes.
Where to buy: Kate Sylvester can be found just a hop and a skip away from Zambesi at 58 Tyler Street, and Ruby (which also stocks its sister label Liam) is located at 4 High Street.
Image: Michael Ng
LEATHER
Shiny and lush under the lights, leather makes its presence known on the runway. Leather was used in all its feminine sensuality in the forms of classic knee-skimming trench coats and long A-line skirts. Again, Kate Sylvester demonstrates her fashion-forward thinking in this trend, highlighting the power of leather with softer, semi-transparent pieces.
Where to buy: Kate Sylvester
DENIM
Lonely in denim? Never. Models strutted down the catwalk during Lonely’s segment of the show with cute-as-a-button denim hats, patterned light denim jackets with matching ankle-length pants, showing that this well-loved fabric is here to stay in all its iterations.
Where to buy: Lonely’s creations, including its much loved lingerie line, can be snapped up from the iconic CBD department store Smith & Caugheys at 253-261 Queen Street.
Image: Lonely
SHIRTING
Not just for the boys in corporate, crisp white shirts had a makeover and drew plenty of interest from the fashion-conscious crowd. Innovative shirting continues with dresses resembling open shirts held up by belts at Kate Sylvester. Corporate dressing just got a bit more interesting, it would seem.
Where to buy: Kate Sylvester
Images in header (L-R): Michael Ng, Christine Deacon, Lonely