By 3 News guest bloggers FOUR EYES
The model casting for New Zealand Fashion Week took place over the weekend and we headed down to speak to a few of the models and designers to hear about what was in store. The day began bright and early with models from all of the leading agencies lining up outside the Viaduct Event Centre where Fashion Week will take place next month. As the casting began, both seasoned pros and anxious new faces walked before the New Zealand designers that are showing this year.
After completing their walks, many of the models revealed a mix of nerves and excitement. Laura Scaife, a former NZ's Next Top Model contestant, is looking forward to Fashion Week saying she enjoyed being surrounded by creative people and seeing their hard work come together in such a dynamic environment. New and hopeful model Elena Buckley, from 62 Models, was discovered by Sara Tetro at Rainbow's End a couple of years ago. She is nervous but excited about the prospect of walking at Fashion Week. "I've never done catwalk before so it was quite nerve-wracking because it was my first time walking in front of all the designers", she said. Michael Whittaker of Clyne Model Management is an established face on the New Zealand and international modelling scene, having previously modelled for Balenciaga and Comme des Garçons – amongst others. He is looking forward to the Zambesi show and seeing what their menswear designer, Dayne Johnston, has come up with.
We had a quick chat to Dayne and fellow Zambesi designer, Liz Findlay, about the collection they will be showing at NZFW. "Fabrics are always our inspiration. We buy fabrics and then think about their uses rather than working from a theme or concept so it's something that evolves and develops as we go. As we create pieces around the different fabrics the story emerges from that. There are always lots of textures in winter. That's the wonderful thing about creating winter collections. We're always looking at futuristic kinds of fabrics to bring in to punctuate what we're doing or add to the mix to give it a contemporary feel," says Liz. "We really enjoy working with natural fibres as well," adds Dayne, "we always use 100 per cent wools. We love suiting, silks and cottons".
Liam, Ruby's sister-brand, will also be showing this year. Designer Emily Miller-Sharma said the concept behind the collection is, "a mixture of separates that you can coordinate together in various different ways. That idea of the modern suit and how we can dress up and dress down during the day." She kept the key colours under wraps but said that there will be, "some warmth for sure with a couple of icy highlights". She's developed her own print and a burnout fabric that will feature in the collection. When casting a model she emphasised the importance of personality, “when you see them walking you can see an essence of who they are. It's that personality that lets you think about how you might actually dress them in real life."
Annah Stretton summed up the inspiration for her upcoming collection in two words, "Frank Sinatra". "Purple and yellow would be the most prominent colours coming through" she said. "It has a sort of luxe feel and velvet features very strongly". Having shown at Fashion Week for many years, Annah said she was preparing "methodically and on time, hoping that we'll have it all together and that it'll look amazing". At the casting, she was looking for healthy and slightly more mature models to showcase her upcoming range.Sara Aspinell, designer for Company of Strangers who are showing for the first time this year, was inspired by an unnamed artist for her Winter 2013 collection. The range will feature "lots of black and white prints" she says, "with a few good clashing colours in there." Sara was looking for models with something different. "An interesting look, a good walk, character and attitude... naughty little bogan girls." Vicki Taylor, the designer behind Taylor, said her inspiration comes from silhouettes and textures. "I tend to work with shapes and silhouettes rather than develop a theme. My base probably comes from my pattern-making and then I work it forward so I play with a lot of geometric shapes and move them into garments". Her ideal Taylor girl is "understated and a little bit different, in a subtle way". Her collection will play with what she calls "walkaway details", the kind of thing that can be hard to capture on the runway. "It's the back of the garments rather than the front". When casting a model, Taylor looks for "the presence that they bring with them as they come down the catwalk. That to me is more what I look at than their individual faces because these girls are all in general absolutely stunning."Ingrid Starnes is back to cast for her second showing at Fashion Week this year. She was after someone tall and striking. "With the hair and makeup that I'm going for I'm also looking for girls with longer hair and a slightly old-fashioned, 1940's beauty".
While this Fashion Week will show the 2013 Autumn/Winter collections, the Spring/Summer ranges are hitting stores now so we asked the designers for some of their top fashion tips for the coming season. Ingrid Starnes is going for "really rich colours. Definitely lots of beautiful mustards, purples, greens and reds so it's quite exciting". Vicki Taylor suggests people "push their boundaries a little with something that will stretch their imagination. Don't just buy what you know, go and buy something that's just a little bit different". Annah Stretton thinks "it’s about finding your own style. Being really comfortable within your own skin and establishing a look that's more about you, your signature, rather than endeavouring to be what everybody else thinks you should be."
FOUREYES fashion bloggers will be covering the shows, street style and behind the scenes action throughout New Zealand Fashion Week at www.eyeseyeseyeseyes.com
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