The stars flock to Zambesi but don't take home swag bags

Keisha Castle-Hughes at the Sable & Minx show. Photo / Getty Images

Just back from Toronto, Keisha Castle-Hughes sat next to director Niki Caro, who sat next to her architect husband Andrew Lister. He was Spy-ed in full conversation with fashion plate Petra Bagust alongside. Hubby Hamish Wilson sat awkwardly, seemingly ignored. Perhaps that might be a topic of discussion in counselling later.

The stars flocked to the Zambesi show at SkyCity Theatre last night, but some appeared a little miffed at the absence of any goody bag to take home. It's a recession, sweeties. Not that rifling through the swag bag, let alone complaining of the absence of one is de rigueur. Never.

Queen of the ushers Ricardo was in full faffing mode and doing what he only does best: directing traffic.

Lucy Lawless was there looking very low key and casual. So low key in fact, a preying paparazzi didn't recognise her. Marcus Lush arrived looking very anti-fashion cool in a grey Puma sweatshirt. He's just returned from feeding the parrots at swanky Hamilton Island. We missed him on air.

From the acting brigade, Miriama Smith, Tammy Davis, Harry McNaughton, Antonia Prebble and Lesley-Ann Brandt were out in full force. Davis (Munter from Outrageous Fortune) was later Spy-ed, beer in hand and dancing to the '80s beats at Cassette where the Zambesi after-party was held.

Society queen Gilda K, who has just opened a boutique advertising agency in the CBD with three ad gurus, looked uber glam in a sexy black Zambesi dress lined with black feathers and accessorised by Gucci. She was Spy-ed holding court at Cassette like the social butterfly that she is.

Any hangovers this morning will need to be quickly dispensed. Day Two of Fashion Week sees Nom D kicking off proceedings bright and early with a 10am show (that's early for night owl fashionistas) at SkyCity Theatre. Coffee is being gulped as I whack this blog out. It will be another anticipated highlight of the day. So too will the Kate Sylvester show tonight at 8pm and Trelise Cooper's extravagant showing earlier at 6pm.

Dan Carter's missus Honor Dillon will be there, so too will Petra and her mum Judy, who, it's rumoured, has been responsible for her age-defying styling choices of late. Mike Hosking and Kate Hawkesby are rumoured to be attending which will be a pleasant surprise. Aside from the odd car event and an awkward posing in a recent woman's mag, the lovebirds are very rarely seen together in public.

For the couple who work together, live together and tweet together (as in hold conversations with each other via Twitter - seriously!), will we see MIKATE front row at Trelise later today, mobiles armed, tweeting away? Hope so. It may go a little something like this:

HAWKO: "at trelise show...wahoooooo..then mamma mia.ummmm, yeahhhhh. too much for a school night."

THE HOSK: "I know someone who is skinnier than these heifers they call models. Can't say who. It's the pilates. Catwalk. She should be on it."

H: "i am soooooo embarrassed. i will give you catwalk...yeahhhhh.. wanna see a little show later?"

TH: "Do I? Does Holmes want his old job back? I think yes."

H: lol!!!! "v excited. yaaaaaaay. hold my hand... under this swag bag..wahoooooo..."

TH: "No. Remember pretence. People mustn't think we're a couple. Just friends."

H: "yeeeahhh nutbar you r soooooo right. let's just keep tweeting. pity you don't get to choose which tweets the gossip columnist decides to publish in the sunday paper. aaaaggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh."

- Rachel Glucina