Christchurch Spring Fashion Festival Recap: Runway Highlights From The Weekend

New Zealand Fashion Week came to Christchurch over the weekend with the second annual Christchurch Spring Fashion Festival. Viva was there for all the action – here’s what we loved on the weekend’s schedule.The New Guard Two runways, 12 designers and a famous waiata featured in the New Guard, Curated by New Zealand Fashion Week creative director Dan Ahwa, the opening show encapsulated the current mood of contemporary fashion in Aotearoa. Labels included Rhoda Nunn, By Kai, Daīna Hugh, Yu Mei, Harris Tapper, Tough Auto, Awatea and Paris Georgia.Click through to see photos by Tory McArthur from The New GuardRhoda Nunn’s collection walked the runway first. Models wore breezy beach looks – think crop tops, semi-opaque skirts, sunny yellows, whites and blue pinstripes. Tough Auto’s collection stood out in stark contrast to the pristine lightness of the others, featuring bold, sharp cuts, black leather ensembles, and an indie soundtrack that included Ceremony by New Order and Just Like Honey by the Jesus and Mary Chain. Donned in angelic and shimmering white, Tāmaki Makaurau-based singer Geneva AM provided the entertainment, opening with Tīpuna Rākau and closing with Tūtira Mai Ngā Iwi. Despite an awkwardly timid crowd who belatedly clapped, people looked happy. Viva Presents: Behind The EditAn unassuming walkthrough of Westfield Riccarton was transformed into the site of Viva Presents: Behind The Edit to begin day two. Hosted by stylist Sammy Salsa, the panel included three creatives – NZFW creative director Dan Ahwa, CSFF makeup director Kendal McSorely, and CSFF hair director Tuscany Hamel. The trio worked together to compose four looks, sharing exactly how and why each component came together. Merging expert advice on elevating everyday style and sneak peeks into what audiences could expect at The Spring Edit the next day, it was a full-bodied discussion. Inspiration and where to find it was a big topic of conversation throughout. Ahwa noted his go-to is simply everyday life. “I used to peruse the library for hours, which now is replaced by the internet – which I’m grateful for,” he said. “But I find inspiration everywhere ... I’m really inspired by Christchurch, and I’m fascinated by how we style ourselves across different cities. Christchurch has a really great sense of occasion which Auckland doesn’t as much.” Click through to see photos by Tory McArthur from Viva Presents: Behind The EditMcSorely shared a similar sentiment. “I am often inspired by fabrics,” she said, encouraging audiences to take segments of things and find a way to incorporate them into everyday life. “A shiny, metallic fabric will maybe make me think of how I can highlight the skin in different ways to create that effect.” The sold-out crowd was a mix of diehard fashion lovers, merely excited to hear from some experts, and everyday Cantabrians actively looking for advice on improving their style. Everyone was listening intently and walked away with a truly well-rounded goodie bag that housed everything from canned matcha to beef tallow moisturiser and a hoard of coupons for local brands. Breast Cancer Cure: Fashion For A Cure Show VIPs, as attendees were called for the evening, were welcomed into Te Pae with champagne, nibbles and a delightfully profound speech on ‘How To Be’ from RUBY’s managing director Emily Miller-Sharma. Presented by The Crossing in partnership with NZFW and Breast Cancer Cure, the group moved into a function room for a Gala dinner with three courses and plenty to drink while the show took place. Twenty-two designers walked the mid-event runway, including fan favourites such as Caitlin Crisp – the cheers especially big for her signature pink – NOM*d, Zambesi, Kathryn Wilson, Juliette Hogan, TUESDAY LABEL, and taylor. A great playlist and perhaps minutely uncertain lighting choices accompanied the collections. Standouts included the sequins that featured amongst taylor’s signature black, and Untouched World’s intentional, very-on-trend, reliance on ‘second rung’ garments like scarves, neckties and vests. The garments were mostly commercial, but superbly fun nonetheless. Click through to see photos by Tory McArthur from BCC’s Fashion For A Cure showCrowd timidness seemed to be a pattern continued on from night one, but only until the auctioneer started yelling and the wine kept flowing. The audience found their confidence as luxury escapes and champagne diamonds were rattled off. Murray Bevan, NZFW’s PR director, took to bidding on one of the most coveted items of the night – a Caitlin Crisp garment. ‘The Muzz’ dress was clearly not meant to be, however, as it sold for more than $3000, but not to him.Hosts Sammy Salsa and Petra Bagust balanced each other well, with the former bringing chaos and the latter bringing (relative) calm. The pairing clearly was a clever one, as the evening raised more than $136,000 for Breast Cancer Cure research. The four-hour affair seemed daunting on the schedule, but the time flew by, wrapping up with The Crossing Capsule, which showcased a selection from RUBY – their brand new resort collection a definite must-see – as well as Juliette Hogan, I Love Ugly, Barkers, Rodd & Gunn and the final collection from Sylvester. In MotionThe worlds of sports and fashion are not often obviously aligned. Heading into a first-of-its-kind runway show that merged the two, the room was filled with an appropriate level of confusion before the lights dimmed. By the end, every ticket holder seemed very pleasantly surprised at the result. Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the sporting relationship between Aotearoa and India, the show, which was expertly styled by Ahwa, was split into three sections – Heritage, Cultural Exchange, and Movement. That was followed by a panel hosted by Nicky Styris that included Black Cap Ish Sodhi, White Fern Frankie Mackay, and Boomfa Vintage founder Duncan Wood. Click through to see photos by Tory McArthur from In MotionAct one brought 1940s-esque styling, with vintage preppy sporty private school chic. As a projection of the earliest games between NZ and India played on screens in the background, the runway housed vests with rolled sleeves, tailored shorts, and slick hair. Act two, Cultural Exchange, jumped forward a few decades. Brighter colours became prevalent, with backpacks and flight caps heading the accessorising. Lastly, Movement was harder to gauge vibe-wise – which felt maybe intentional, as if the garments became symbolic of the now very merged cultures. One thing that was prevalent, however, was jackets, with windbreakers and quarter zips a big component of many looks. The standout was an all-white bomber jacket and tennis skirt combo, looking like the chicest cricket test uniform you’ve ever seen. Post-show, Sodhi told Viva that regardless of his lack of familiarity with the fashion world, the experience was a fun one – and one that meant a lot to him personally. “It means a lot to me as a cricketer, but first and foremost as an Indian immigrant coming to New Zealand and trying to pave my way,” Sodhi said. “I think it’s massive for that relationship [between New Zealand and India] to be recognised nationally. [Right now] that meshing of cultures is really apparent. I’m just really enjoying that acceptance of all the cultures at the moment. It brings a bit of a sparkle to the eye to think how far we’ve come, and hopefully it just keeps growing.”The Spring EditContinuing from the Viva Presents: Behind the Edit panel the day before, Saturday night welcomed The Spring Edit. Geneva AM returned to open the show with an original song before Troye Sivan and other hyper-pop anthems took over the speakers.Many of the brands we saw on Friday night at Fashion for a Cure made reappearances, but this time with different pieces for a different aesthetic ... Kathryn Wilson, Juliette Hogan, Taylor, Karen Walker, Nom*d were among those who came back. Company of Strangers, New Lands Studio, Kowtow made their first appearance. Click through to see photos by Tory McArthur from The Spring EditFringe and shimmer made their way into the large majority – both proving trend forecasters right with their place this season.Coastal elegance was also a big one for The Edit, with Zambesi incorporating it into their classic dark tones and silhouettes. Playing with proportion and form caught the eye, too. There was certainly no lack of exciting developments across the 15 designers and more than 30-minute show. Boundaries were pushed as onlookers applauded heavily for the final show of the Ōtautahi season.More fashionAre shirt buttons sexist? What’s the point of having men’s and women’s shirt buttons on different sides?