Celebrities to square off in Fashion Week sew-down

Comedian Raybon Kan is one of the contestants tomorrow afternoon.

New Zealand's bravest celebs are getting ready to prove they're more than just a pretty face in the New Zealand Fashion Week crowd.

When Fashion Week opens its doors to the public tomorrow, the celebrities will step up to the sewing machine and with the help of AUT third-year design students they'll whip up fabulous fashion ensembles - at least as fabulous as it gets in less than 2 hours.

Armed with 1 hour, 45 minutes, 6 metres of calico, a sewing machine and some pretty looking ribbons they'll be expected to come up with something to rival the best of this week's catwalk pieces. (Warning: unrealistic expectations like this could lead to disappointment.)

Round one of the Auckland City/AUT Celebrity Sew-down will see Raybon Kan pitted against Leigh Hart aka "That Guy" and April Ieremia. The AUT Bachelor of Design (Fashion) students, fresh from their ROOKIE runway debut at Fashion Week, will be charged with bringing the "high fashion" element to the event, while the celebs are more likely to be charged with crimes against fashion design.

Designer Liz Mitchell gets to make a call on whether Team Kan, Team Hart or Team Ieremia pulls it off with the greatest aplomb - and will award the winner a $200 shopping splurge on her.

In round two, Nathan Rarere is relying on his intermediate school home ec lessons to give him that edge over Outrageous Fortune's tough cop Kirk Torrance and Kerre Woodham. Woodham isn't sure anyone needs any kind of edge over her, but she has managed to fit in some reconnaissance work this week down at the Fashion Week tents.

Designer Claire Kingan-Jones will decide who gets $200 to spend in one of her stores and whether the home ec or the reconnaissance work enabled Team Rarere or Team Woodham to bag the win, or whether Team Torrance can tough it out.

Final right of reply goes to Fashion Week's MD Pieter Stewart and the Federation duo. They'll decide who takes out the grand supreme award - and perhaps launch the career of New Zealand Fashion Week 2007's Next Big Thing.

Or maybe not.

WHAT: Auckland City/AUT Celebrity Sew-down
WHERE: The Chandalier Room, NZFW - 101 Halsey St
WHEN: Round one: 1.15pm - 3pm, Round two: 3.15pm - 5pm, final judging: 5.30pm

* Melanie Cooper is a Communications Advisor with AUT University