KEY POINTS:
It was like a TV game show with the audience pushing the buzzer to choose a winner - and this event's lucky contestant was Michelle Wilson.
The 25-year-old Aucklander won a $10,000 development grant contributed by the Verge label, whose industry stalwart owners, Ian Webster and Neil Brabant, have for six years run a mentoring programme and staged the Verge Breakthrough Show to give new designers a start.
"We're in the fortunate position to be able to do it," Webster said as he invited the audience to decide which of this year's five new designers should get the extra leg up.
Wilson, who shows under the label Michelle Yvette and opened a retail store in Herne Bay this year, was a clear winner.
Asked how she would spend the money, she joked that she would "get a few bottles of champagne".
The Massey University graduate's real plan is to try to build up her number of stockists, particularly in the main centres outside of Auckland.
Wilson describes her clothes as very feminine, featuring bows and ties.
"I'm not interested in the cool factor," she says. "I just want to make people feel pretty."
Perhaps that's why her designs appealed to the audience. They may not have been the most directional, but they were well-made, and several cashmere coats and jackets stood out, particularly a grey one, piped in cream, and a red belted trench.
Other garments showed the ethnic influence she has garnered from her partner, Bari's, Afghani family. The Samadis were among the first Afghani refugees to come to New Zealand about 25 years ago and their history has been told in a book.
Wilson's show began with women, wearing colourful tribal costume, placing candles at the edge of the runway.
She also showed several jackets and dresses trimmed with gold braid.
The Verge shows have been a stepping stone for some of New Zealand's most talented designers, including Adrian Hailwood, Cybele Wiren and Lonely Hearts Club. Another to stand out at Verge yesterday was Emma Wallace, who showed some cute pieces including pewter velvet shorts worn with a red knit vest, some flared grey denim minis trimmed in leather and a cunning bib-front dress with ruffle detail for her Emma label. A vintage-inspired dress with lace insert also worked.
Sable and Minx showed some pretty silk shifts, but like Deuchar, which worked the high-waist theme well, struggled to cut through - as did Ana Steele's confused take on streetwear, which veered from anime-style prints to vintage rose fabric.
