Judging no easy task when level of entry so high

Hawke's Bay Today reporter and fashion writer Amy Shanks confers with fellow judge Hamish Pinkham, director/creator of Rhythm and Vines, at Hunt & Seek Fashion in the Field. Photo / Duncan Brown

There were elegant dresses, smoking cigars, grandmother's gloves and even an avant garde onesie - Hunt & Seek Fashion in the Field is anything but dull.

The sun was out and smiles were beaming on Saturday, but it was the clothing that really shone.

Spex Headwear was striking, and narrowing over 30 entrants down proved tough.

The Avant Garde section was like watching a child's big, bold dreamland come to life - fellow judges Fashion Quarterly editor Sally-Ann Mullin, Rhythm & Vines founder Hamish Pinkham and I were impressed by the creativity.

It was also really great to see nine EIT fashion students up there with the best of them, and to have both first and second places awarded to talented Hawke's Bay designers.

Kudos to Simone Germain from Bay View for her gutsy and entirely captivating ice cream cone onesie, hidden beneath a white towelling cape which won on the day, and for being the only local lass to top a category.

Naomi Puketapu-Waite came out with a fascinator so fascinating we'd never seen anything like it before, while a tan and tangerine colour theme was refreshing for a change.

I initially admired overall winner Olivia Moor's effortless lady-like look in the crowd earlier in the day - and was delighted to see her entered in the competition.

It's interesting how much poise affects the overall appearance of an outfit.

I heard people observe more than once how the girls held themselves beautifully both on and off the catwalk - a touch of class was certainly something I had my eye out for.

Runner up in the Classic Mens Wear category was literally smoking - the heavy aroma of cigar smoke was our introduction for Bernard Du Toit's navy blue suit and brown leather combo which was a perfect match to his casual take to the runway.

I was also loving meaningful vintage touches - one contestant wore her grandmother's wedding pearls and gloves, while Men's Classic winner Ben Stinson swung his grandfather's cane.