KEY POINTS:
Is international event-management group IMG sniffing around our Fashion Week?
Depends who you talk to.
Fashion Week managing director Pieter Stewart says "certainly not" when asked if she's sold the event she founded eight years ago.
IMG's Simon Lock, who founded Australian Fashion Week and now works for the international events-management giant which runs several of the world's fashion weeks, confirms he's talking with Mrs Stewart about working much more closely together.
Speculation that Mrs Stewart might consider an offer for the Air New Zealand-sponsored event has been around for several years.
Whether one is forthcoming or not, a more collaborative approach between the two Downunder events is definitely in the pipeline. Mr Lock is in town, has attended several shows and spoke at an industry event on site about the way forward, including the importance of the Asian market.
He told the Weekend Herald: "If Pieter and I can look at how we can work together to get more eyeballs on both events, then we will certainly do that." It was "premature" to talk about IMG's interest, but both he and Mrs Stewart said they were keen to work on what Mr Lock said were "ways we can benefit our respective industries".
"It's great to be talking to Simon," Mrs Stewart said.
Top New Zealand designers already showed in Sydney's summer shows and this year Australian Kirrily Johnston chose to show here as AFW had dropped winter shows. Big public fashion festivals have also been developed successfully in conjunction with major retailers.
The Auckland event is also following this approach, with the Halsey St venue being thrown open to all comers for a weekend of in-season shows after four days of trade shows of winter 2009 styles, accessible only to buyers, media and invited guests.
That aspect wound up with an evening show by Karen Walker, from the summer range she showed at New York Fashion Week this month.
Beautifully made dresses stood out and bold acid wash denim in skinny jeans and high-waisted wide-leg pants, the latter teamed with a prim Victorian white top.
This look was echoed in a short white cotton dress with pintucks and ruffles. The palette of skew-whiff combos like puce and purple, and camel colours in simple shifts was assured.
Then Huffer took us to the ocean, literally, in the last collection called "Free the Fish"with outdoor seating alongside the Hilton and Ali Williams having a mystery bit part as a fisherman turned away from the crowd and clad in an orange anorak.
He cast his line throughout as models showed the expected streetwear and some sharp knits with prints in turquoise and grey and black. A giant check in green, black and white was used in men's and women's wear. Men got dove grey cropped pants and women romper shorts, amid the neat denims, and fitted nurse-stripe dresses.
Huffer looks ready for its first big export drop to the United States, which is due to go to market next month.
The day had begun with a 'broTown reunion in the front row at Tav yesterday, with the boys along to support Cook Islands designer Ellena Tavioni who, since she began showing at Fashion Week several years ago, has begun exporting her island attire and will soon open a store-cum-gallery in Mt Eden Rd.
This year, she twinned Island prints with merino wool and used traditional fabrics in muted and darker colours for pieces that can be more than holiday wear.
Littlies took centre stage at Trelise Cooper Kids, which delighted the audience, including little girls named Lulu, Bella, Luella and Sienna and various celebrity mothers.
A cardboard cutout gingerbread house was a great backdrop to delicate tutus, velvet jackets, crochet lace and denim printed with polka dots paraded by tots to the sound of the Teddy Bear's Picnic.
This was a girly fairy tale and the odd case of stage fright and seemingly deliberate nosedive from a hyperactive skipper only added to the charm of children dressed prettily, but allowed to be natural little girls.
AgReseach hosted a group show where designers who have collaborated with the Government researchers in fabric innovation each showed a small number of garments showcasing the technology. Cabled knitwear with a 3D look was seen several times and super-fine merino also featured in Adrian Hailwood's elegant cocktail dresses.
Cybele Wiren showed a black suiting fabric, with a grey metallic leather-look merino-nylon fleece in a feathered full coat that echoed her bird-themed show on Tu esday.
The Coco streetwear group didn't exactly turn on the big retailer sitting next to me: Okay rather than inspiring, he reckoned. So did I. An equally ancient colleague joked that Moneyshot's press kit spiel beginning "In the '80s ... " made it sound as if the decade being referred to was "back in the 13th century".
And so yet another reincarnation of checks and chambray, cobalt blue and the yellow. Seen a lot of that this week, though a black puffa vest with a cobalt chevron was sharp and a chain print graphic.
Four Fontaine showed a cool raindrop print and a couple of pretty dresses and Crowded Elevator's scissor print Ts were strong and Doosh was dull.
At Huffer a couple of young chaps asked each other the eternal fashion question about models: "Why is it so hard to walk down there without smiling."
Smiles are for happy shoppers.
