Dedicated fashionista Vanessa Ortynsky reviews the hits and highlights of New Zealand Fashion Week 2019.

From Kate Sylvester’s heartfelt tribute to her parents, Paris Georgia’s flawlessly sleek runway debut and Stolen Girlfriends Club’s immersive, jaw-dropping show, New Zealand Fashion Week 2019 was the perfect time to celebrate our talented designers here in Aotearoa and take note of future trends. NZFW 19 returned to its roots at Auckland Town Hall with a full takeover of Aotea Square. With sustainability and inclusion at the forefront this year, we saw more diverse casting as well as responsibly made collections from our favourite designers new and old.

Stolen Girlfriends Club

The highlight of every NZFW is the Stolen Girlfriends Club show, which took place outdoors at the Avondale Racecourse this year, transformed into what felt like a Berlin nightclub with a techno soundtrack, barrels of fire lining the runway, and an army of brooding models. The collection was filled with fire-engine red, plenty of studded leather details and even a few chunky lavender knits thrown into the mix. The models wore the highest waisted denim I’ve ever seen, with bold red lips and messy, tousled hair. Everyday, wearable pieces ruled the runway, with a selection of branded hoodies and T-shirts in the designer’s typical fashion. There’s no doubt we’ll be seeing plenty of pastels next winter when even SGC features lavender on the runway. Given the industry’s sustainability challenges, it’s fantastic to see entire collections made from recycled and sustainable materials, as well as pre-loved pieces being given a new life on the runway. NZFW is finally beginning to embrace more diverse casting, with discussions and panels on representation and inclusion a key priority for everyone in the industry.

Kate Sylvester

Things kicked off with Kate Sylvester’s truly romantic AW 2020 collection. The runway  was filled with love letters, which I later learned would be reused as garment packaging. The collection embodied Kate’s poetic side, featuring plenty of lace, as well as heritage suiting paired with Barbour Wellingtons, a nod to her outdoorsy side. Pre-loved garments were pulled from the archives just days after Kate announced her new online marketplace, Reloved. Kate doesn’t shy away from bold colour and it was abundant in this collection. Two pieces we can’t wait to get our hands on? A beautiful canary yellow silk dress and a feminine yet powerful lilac skirt suit.

Paris Georgia

Upbeat and powerful, there was an exciting energy to Paris Georgia’s runway debut. Held at the tent in Aotea Square, the catwalk was adorned with a gold art sculpture hanging over the runway while club music mixed by Graz (including an obscure version of Blondie’s ‘Heart of Glass’) pumped through the space. As is customary for the design duo, the show featured plenty of sculpted silhouettes made with firm, high-quality fabrics, and body-hugging skirts, sleeveless dresses and voluminous sleeves. The contemporary neutral palette was accentuated with golds and muted sage, but styled up to the nines in a way that felt both relaxed and elegant. Big, bold hats ruled the runway (and the streets) at NZFW this year and we saw everything from bucket hats, berets at Benjamin Alexander, and gorgeous hats made from tablecloths at newcomer Olli’s show. At Paris Georgia, most looks were styled with dramatic, gigantic (sunsmart) beach hats.