Insider's guide to Fashion Weekend

Action at the NZ Herald Designer Garage Sale. Photo / Supplied/

When it comes down to it, fashion is about you - the consumer who will eventually go out and spend your hard-earned cash on the clothes that are being presented this week. And though Fashion Week itself may be a trade-only affair for buyers, media and the like, from this Friday night the ANZFW Viaduct venue will open its doors to the fashion-adoring public, with bands, DJs, fashion shows and seminars. Oh yes, and did we mention the New Zealand Herald Designer Garage Sale, where killer bargains from some of our top labels and designers will be on sale? If you're heading along to the Air New Zealand Fashion Weekend - or thinking about it - read our top tips for making the most of it of the annual event.

1. Shop

Lonely Hearts, Cybele, Deborah Sweeney, Salasai, Ruby, State of Grace, Hailwood, Federation, Chaos & Harmony, Sera Lilly - these are just some of the many top fashion labels that will be on sale at the New Zealand Herald Designer Garage Sale on Friday night and all day Saturday. More than 40 brands will be on sale and marked down, including fashion, footwear, sunglasses, kidswear, jewellery and cosmetics. The annual sale has moved venue this year, into a bigger and brighter space inside the Fashion Week venue, with more designers, changing rooms and sale terminals - which means less waiting and more buying. So have you got your credit card ready? The Viva team loves a fashion bargain, so you may find us rummaging through the stalls.

Open Friday September 25, 7pm-10pm; Saturday September 26, 10am-10pm. Admission with a General Admission ticket.

2. Watch

If you're all about the goodie bag then you'll want to hit one of the ANZFW Designer Selection Shows. Each show - there are seven in total, including those during the week itself - will showcase three garments from every designer that is showing this week, including one new piece from the Autumn/Winter Fashion Show and two in-store, current season garments. it's the best way to get a taste of what a fashion show is really like, and get some great free stuff in the process. These tickets are selling very fast, so get in quickly. Fashion shows from the week will also be shown throughout the venue on flat screens, so you can see what's been sent down the runway.

Premium tickets (rows A & B), $100; Standard tickets, $65, from iTicket.co.nz.

3. Eat & drink

Fashion Plate isn't just a weekly Viva column - it's also the name of Fashion Week's restaurant, which will be open throughout the weekend for you to visit, eat and take in the fashionable sights. The Moet & Chandon Lounge is another luxe Fashion Week hangout, and The Cutting Room Bar, overlooking the Viaduct Harbour and Auckland City, will feature local DJ's including Nick D, Clarke Gayford and Spanky.

4. Listen

Fashion loves music, so it is fitting that as well as the DJs mentioned above, there will be bands playing throughout the NZ Fashion Weekend. Sheba, The Glass Owls and The Family Cactus will perform in Shed Two, and will be dressed by Huffer, Stolen Girlfriends Club and Salasai.

Sheba, Friday September 25, 6.30pm; The Glass Owls, Saturday September 26, 3pm; The Family Circus, 6pm.

5. Learn

On Saturday be sure to check the schedule so as not to miss the range of workshops from leading fashion and beauty authorities such as Servilles and KSSM who will both be focusing on the latest hair trends; leading skincare expert Mark Izzard of the Skin Institute; Gerald Brophy who is hosting The Carpenter's Daughter seminar; and the talk by leading local authority on global design Claire Sullivan, who publishes the bi-annual book design folio and is a regular attendee at interior design fairs in Milan, Paris, London and New York.

6. Wear

This is a tricky one. Do you dress up or dress down and pretend you're too cool to care? We say make an effort - it is Fashion Week after all - but don't go too over-the-top. Honestly, there's nothing more cringe-inducing than seeing someone walk into the venue in a cocktail dress and strappy heels - in daylight.

7. Party

American fashion designer and celebrity guest Richie Rich is rumoured to be performing some songs at the official NZ Fashion Week Wrap Party on Saturday night. Want to see if he does? Tickets to the party, at Shanghai Lil's Bar & Lounge, are available to the wider public, so head along and see what Rich does and hang out with other industry types who will be letting their hair down after a busy week of fashion. Tickets $35 each, from www.iticket.co.nz, R18

• Air New Zealand Fashion Weekend, General Admission ticket $15, from www.iticket.co.nz.