First I have to tell you about the Salasai show held in St Matthews in the city on Tuesday night - it was awesome. I said in my previous post that the label is a favourite and they didn't disappoint. Loved the tartan, loved the strong Anglo Saxon flavour and quite frankly can't wait to get my hands on one of the knits with "East Anglia" emblazoned across the front.  I also got to sit with Juls Roulston (NZFW Social Media Manager) and Antonia Prebble (blogging for NZ Herald online), laughing as she and Colin Mathura-Jeffree (NZFW ambassador) were comparing costume changes - Antonia won with her three, while Colin had only changed twice that day. I was in my one and only Tuesday outfit. Clearly I need to lift my game. Great show, great venue and great goody bag - thanks for the pretty pen, Kirscha!

Wednesday was a pretty light schedule for me; other commitments (our regular gig with NZ Defence Force Youth Development Programme at Hobsonville) took me away, but I was back at 5:30pm ready to see Trelise Cooper.

The show was late (almost an hour late) but that just meant there was more time to celebrity spot. Trelise Cooper had them all in her front row. I had been given a Row B seat, and was delighted to be upgraded to front row just before the show started. The show was totally beautiful. From Trelise's fun 'Cooper' line, through to her signature 'Trelise Cooper' range it was simply stunning. I loved it - that woman uses the best fabrics and the most divine prints. She also launched a new range, 'Boardroom' which is hailed as "affordable workwear for women" which fills a noticable gap in the market here in NZ, and I believe it will just fly off the racks.  You can read my more in-depth review here:  http://www.fashionz.co.nz

And finally, my day three outfit: Miss Crabb red dress, Vintage plaid jacket, shoes from Nude.

The first slot on the NZFW schedule today belonged to Sabatini, who showcased their Sabatini White collection over 'breakfast' at the Hilton. Said breakfast was gorgous little rammekins of scrambled egg that you ate with your own crispy bacon 'spork', cream cheese filled filo tartlettes, smoked salmon on rye and other delicious treats, all washed down with bubbles or orange juice. I can only write about what the food looked like, I've got less than a week before I plan to be in a bikini beside the pool in Fiji. The clothes when they eventually appeared were as expected, gorgeous. The strikingly thin models wearing said garments also aided my dietary restraint, I can assure you.

Sabatini Models

Sabatini are a much loved kiwi brand - today they celebrated 20years in the industry and the fact they are still proudly manufactured here, in Mt Roskill which is pretty cool. Funnily enough, they are bigger in Australia it seems than here, their homeland. I wonder why? I know that Isakelle boutique has just started stocking them here in Auckland but otherwise I think their only stockist might be Smith and Caughey.   

Me and Colin  So, the glamour begins you think. Well, maybe not... Fashion week is fraught with challenges, you see.  Fashion week for me starts well before the first show with the most hideous "what am I going to wear?" moment. After all, you'll be turning up to a room full of your industry peers and you need to get it right, right? This year I borrowed a couple of bits from my younger sister's wardrobe (she has the absolute best closet and I consider myself very fortunate to be related to her). Today, I decided to rock out the full length black & white Bassike number. It's truly awesome, so the decision to wear it wasn't that hard. The scariest bit is actually when you arrive at the venue and see what everyone else is wearing. Which today seemed a whole lot more casual than what I was wearing...hmm. What the hell, I thought - if I'm overdressed, I'm gonna rock it. So, looking a whole lot more confident than I was feeling, I lifted my head and got on with catching up with some of my favourite people.
Oh, and my first goody bag haul? A black spatula (hmmm- but it is quite cool), two Whittakers choloate bars (I'll give those away, promise) a Smashbox gloss (yes, I know - coals to Newcastle), the latest Simply You, a L'Oreal hair product and the most gorgeous Sabatini scarf.
I'll keep in touch each day and let you know all about the rest of my Fashion week...