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Fashion icons and VIP holders had their chance, now Air New Zealand Fashion Week is finally open to the public.
Wannabe model fashion shoots, design your own T-shirts and discounted designer accessories were all on offer to the public at the country's biggest fashion event in Auckland yesterday.
Not to mention runway shows.
Today the doors are open again for Fashion Week 4U. Designers, including Lucie Boshier, Kingan Jones, Caroline Church and Australia's Christopher Chronis held shows yesterday, as did retailers Farmers and Kimberleys.
Attendees also had the chance to see current season shows by Huffer, Hailwood and Annah Stretton, all of whom showed their winter ranges at the business end of Fashion Week.
Today Trelise Cooper will show her Kids range in the Big Tent that seats 1000 people, after a more intimate VIP outing on Thursday.
Designer Selection shows will feature edited highlights of the stars of Fashion Week. These ticketed shows come complete with goodie bags and are on top of the venue entry fee.
Free shows and browsing in the Beauty Zone, plus entertainment and, of course, the chance to buy an obligatory piccolo of bubbles will keep the event fizzing into the evening.
A designer garage sale of discounted fashion items by leading names is also being held on site. Organiser Paul Blomfield said several customers spent more than $1500, with one buying $700 of knitwear from Sabatini just after the doors opened.
Although some at 4U yesterday were dressed to impress and tried to match the standard set by celebrities early in the week, most kept it casual.
"Comfort versus style? Definitely comfort," laughed Nisha Sima, who was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt.
The Huffer and Zambesi fan spent the day checking out the runway and browsing through the cosmetic stores with friend Angela McNoe who, unlike Sima, found the event a little intimidating.
"It was a big dilemma this morning thinking about what I was going to wear," McNoe said.
"There's definitely a high percentage of attractive people here."
Friends and first-timers to the show, Gloria Drury and Janet Batley, both scored bargains at the designer garage sale from the pile of gear on offer to those unwilling to fork out for the full in-store price.
"I've got a teenage daughter, so I usually keep up with the trends," 51-year-old Batley said.
"We got cards, chocolates, muesli bars and cereal," 21-year-old Elizabeth Barraud said of the free items she snared.
"But my favourite part was getting my nails done."
The Auckland resident, who had taken the day off her audio-engineering course to attend the event, thought designer Kingan Jones' collection stole the day.
Off-site a select crowd spent last night at a screening and party to mark Karen Walker's New York Fashion Week collection show.
Earlier in the day, designers and visiting media and buyer delegates gathered at the Westpac Workshop to discuss growing the multimillion-dollar New Zealand fashion business.
One of the speakers, Jo Farrelly, former marketing director at British retailing giant Top Shop, said that such collaborative events set Air New Zealand Fashion Week apart from other international fashion weeks.
London Fashion Week had been talking about setting up mentoring programmes and running seminars for designers.
"Here in New Zealand you are actually doing it, it's great and other countries should be looking to New Zealand for ideas like this," she said.
Down at Halsey St, while many of the well-known New Zealanders who attended the event earlier in the week had also dispersed, a few could still be found milling around the bar, including Nicky Watson and Aja Rock.
Fashion Week
* What: Fashion Week 4 U.
* Where: Halsey St, Auckland.
* When: From 10am to 9pm today. Tickets at the venue $30.
* Designer Garage Sale from 10pm to 7pm. Entry $10.
