Air New Zealand Fashion Week: Mixed Messages

Although much Air New Zealand Fashion Week buzz has been devoted to its titans—Nom*D, Kirrily Johnston, World—the event has drawn an equally spirited crowd for the up-and-coming talent.

Perhaps the most promising designer to watch is Alexandra Owen, who made her catwalk debut last year. This season's collection was a study in weightlessness, with leather jackets spouting fluttering fish-scale ruffles, satin pants levitating from the hips and satin dresses rising sculpturally from the shoulders. With nods to Alexander McQueen and Lanvin, it will be interesting to see how Owen develops her own language in time.

An equally anticipated collection was that of Jaeha, the local fashion press' golden child. His winter line combined patriarchal elements—paisley silk, cable knit grandpa cardigans, button-up shirts —with an overt sexuality, to a slightly disconcerting "Gothic Lolita" effect. There were so many conflicting ideas that the end result felt rather cluttered—a moodily tie-dyed blouse here, a punk-inspired plaid silk dress there, with a black-and-purple striped denim jacket and matching jeans thrown in for good measure. A small menswear collection was more cohesive with lots of black, zippers and trailing straps, but it too was ultimately forgettable.

This lack of focus was a theme in other shows as well. Jill Stuart alum Deborah Sweeney showed a perplexing laundry list of every conceivable trend from the past year, while haute streetwear collective Lonely Hearts combined lumberjack flannel, leather motocross chaps, tiered lace, wrestling helmets, some (admittedly cool) wool-and-leather breastplates and garments that resembled camouflage army netting. Some may argue that this hodgepodge aesthetic reflects how people dress today, a theory that any scan of a runway audience can prove.

Even so, this eclectic effect needn't come at the expense of a cohesive story, as was perfectly illustrated by local icon Zambesi. Designer Elisabeth Findlay mixed minimal, black wool separates, tribal print blouses, dome-like quilted parkas and elements of military dress (loose army-green pants cinched at the ankle, shiny black flat boots)—even exploring the same army netting texture as Lonely Hearts. But as part of a strong narrative on the current political and economic climate, the end result felt like a confident proclamation rather than an afterthought.

—Erin Magner