NZ women need more sex appeal, US stylist says

Cameron Silver

Auckland women have been told to start working on their sex appeal -- it seems sensible shoes might not launch the country's fashion industry on to the international stage.

"What this city needs is more sexy clothing -- if you want to be an international fashion capital you've got to export some sex," American stylist Cameron Silver said.

As Fashion Week ended, Silver - who is listed by Time Magazine as one of the 25 most influential people in fashion - said labels such as Karen Walker, Adrian Hailwood, IPG and Liz Mitchell had some sexy pieces, "but fashion sometimes here was a little practical".

"There's a lot of boots here and a lot of sensible footwear -- if I saw someone in heels I thought 'wow'," he said.

"When you're young and beautiful you don't have to dress beautiful but when you're not young and not so beautiful, dressing sexy makes a big difference."

Silver said the one thing that defined New Zealand fashion design was the use of prints and layers.

"The prints are fantastic. I love the way they layer clothing here -- it's very international."

Silver was one of the international fashion community who spent the past four days checking out the best of the fashion industry.

He said the mix was eclectic with some lovely femininity and then contrasted with gothic style.

"There's this darker stuff going on -- its interesting, there's a lot of real Lord of the Rings kind of clothes going on here."

Silver said one of his favourite designers was IPG for their "tremendous international potential".

Fashion Week managing director Pieter Stewart was full of praise for the quality of design during the past week.

"It's been pretty exciting really. Yet again the designers have lifted their game," he said.

"We've had a wonderful response from the international buyers -- (Christchurch designer) Sakaguchi got 25 new accounts -- it's huge."

Stewart said she was especially impressed with the Rookie show designers -- soon to be graduates of Auckland University of Technology's Bachelor of Design degree.

It w as the first year the students had participated in Fashion Week, and she thought they were "really impressive".

"That's exciting for what might be coming through," she said.

Designer Karen Walker was saved for the grand finale, and she showed a well-styled and well-edited collection.

The afternoon also saw Adrian Hailwood -- considered one of the top male designers in the country -- present his winter 2006 collection with soft mauve liquid fabrics and bambi prints throughout his menswear and womenswear range.

Other shows yesterday included Miss Crabb, Vertice/Vamp, and the popular Best-of Fashion Week shows.

About 14,000 guests and 600-700 buyers and media representing more than 14 countries attended 37 shows over the course of the week.

- NZPA