Auckland stages exciting show of high style

Press, 2 May 1984, Page 10

Auckland stages exciting show of high style

In vogue

Paula Ryan

For one month, I waited ... then it happened. A well-staged fashion showing of eight Aucklandbased designer collections, held in the Sheraton Ballroom last month has

received national recognition by press, radio, television, and the public. Throughout the country the murmurings in and out of the rag trade have been, “Have you heard about ...?

Did you see it ...? Wish I’d gone. Hear it was very good.” It was, and well deserving of some recognition. Barely a square foot of carpet could.be seen at the

show. I claimed the last, and there I sat determined not to budge for fear of losing it. It was staged in a similar manner to the twice-yearly ritual ... the Paris, Milan,

London, and U.S.A, collections. Sure, ... they are shows for the trade and this was for the Auckland public and visitors ... but that didn’t matter. The audience loved

it. If there were a few technical, backstage hiccups, synonymous world-wide with large scale productions ... that didn’t matter either. The audience didn’t know.

The producer, Kevin Ross, had done his homework, and given each designer a chance to make an inseason statement about his z or her work. Models strode, like their

European sisters, on a white, built-up stage in winter’s hottest clothes while the year’s hottest tunes boomed their entrances. The presentation lacked boredom or repetition.

It may not quite match up to the Emmy-nominated “Australian Fashion Awards” of ’B3, but it moved with pace and the lighting was excellent. Well done Auckland.