Dunedin audiences need good reason to bestow standing ovations. But the remarkable headwear of British celebrity milliner, Stephen Jones, brought the crowd spontaneously to its feet in admiration and delight.
Models outfitted by Carlson and Nom*D poured down the catwalk showing off his inimitable take on picture hats, cloches and turbans to top hat and trilby styles. Jones' eccentric humour and artistic use of unexpected materials was seen in glorious fascinators while a trio of headdresses resembling ceremonial tribal adornment provided a dramatic finale.
His collection was the last of the show, providing an exhilarating climax to the city's annual celebration of design excellence.
And this year's cadre of Southern designers once again highlighted the design clout of local design studios.
Aptly, Nom*D, the Dunedin label with worldwide reach, led out. For her ''Spaced Out'' collection Margi Robertson and her team worked Nom*D branding into neckbands and cuffs of pivotal garments while logo elements surreptitiously created the geometric print pattern for beautiful jackets and dresses. Clever! Warm ''beat-route'' tones, splashes of truffle, wildfire and cobalt ran through prints and wool plaids while greys and black were back in covetable dresses of washed merino wool, jackets and the standout long ''Grumpy'' coat. This is yet another landmark collection for the androgyny-spirited Nom*D brand.
Inspired by her close relationship with the Royal New Zealand Ballet and its 60th anniversary celebrations, Tamsin Cooper's luxurious velvet coats and bags ran with a spectacular black and white theme as a nod to Swan Lake, while swathes of hand-sewn glass beading represented anniversary diamonds. Models in opera coats with flounced bustle effects, elegant duster coats, belted trenches and short jackets with pert peplums shared the catwalk with two skilled young RNZB dancers (on pointe) accompanied by violinist Miranda Adams. Ah, the beauty of theatre!
For her atmospheric ''Bouquet Of Barbed Winter'' collection, Donna Tulloch took Sophia Loren's quote, ''A woman's dress should be like a barbed-wire fence - serving its purpose without obstructing the view''. That protective aspect was manifested in monastic collars in leather and ornate, slubby lace - a feature fabric of the collection - some overlaid by Graham Bennett silver collars. Mesh fabric and prints underscored the storyline in a strong, collection championing merino knits and wovens, quirky fabric juxtapositioning and imaginative overlaying. The bouquet? It was made by Donna's husband, Paul Tulloch.
Dada's Marie Strauss moves effortlessly between the art and fashion worlds, her ''Animal Farm'' collection showing this aptitude along with her love of theatre, fun - and the bizarre. Pushing past the novelty of models with animal masks on the back of their heads, her design aesthetic was highlighted in this dressy day wear collection by unusual use of brightly coloured Paris-sourced fabrics - silks, silk taffetas, wool and brocades. The lux fabrics drove her designs towards the structured elegance - and the French touch - of the disarming clothes.
Her fabric choices are always at the heart of seasoned designer Charmaine Reveley's eponymous label. Soft laces, silk georgettes and devore velvet brought a sensual resonance. Standouts included a long dark blue and orange beaded poppy print dress and a canary yellow coat and dress. The yellow and bright orange jackets and dresses gave shots of warm colour, while peplums added sassy detail. Covetable velveteen and leather pants worn with padded jackets also grabbed the eye while pert retro air-hostess-style caps were an inspired accessory.
In her guest showing in Dunedin, accomplished Auckland textile and fashion designer Yvonne Bennetti brought her distinctively feminine aesthetic to the catwalk. Rock chic sensuality was seen in studded leather jackets, an ox blood faux snakeskin bomber jacket, slim-line jeans with zip detailing and leather pants. A patterned jumpsuit demanded attention as did luxurious evening apparel including elegant cowl-backed velvet gowns and luxurious bridal gowns, one a flirty flapper-style dress.
The inspiration for Sara Munro's ''Pop Shop'' collection for her Company of Strangers label was pop-art genius Keith Waring, whose love of colour prompted punches of ''high-vis'' melon and purple in garments that swung from silk georgette tunics and tops to cropped wool jackets and coats. A textile print by Dunedin artist Philip James Frost added black-and-white emphasis to a collection which showed the designer's inherent love of asymmetrical, fluid lines. ''Slow fashion'', too, was celebrated with generous locally made crocheted sweaters.
It was consummate Carlson - fabrics working in rhythm with the shapes and styles of this fine selection which celebrated weekend wear through to evening glitz. The NZ merino fleece pants and sweater tops with jewel-toned plaid panels wowed. Plaid midi and mini pencil skirts also impressed. Other show-stoppers included a silk georgette black-and-white Beardsley-print dress and gun metal-grey and burnished gold brocade tops, skinny-leg pants and skirts. And amid the standout jackets was a cocoon-shaped cranberry coat in felted wool ... the '60s revisited with superb grace!
Adding further texture to the show were the capsule collections.
His station debut and the first freewheeling menswear collection of Moodie Tuesday's Jon Thom showed casual separates including print shirts and shorts, pants and bomber jackets
Jane Sutherland's design strength stood out in Ziggy Stardust-sharp-shouldered styled coats and staunch black separates, while a street feel showed in hoodies and layering.
The design tension between flirty femininity and ''hard-edge'' was palpable in Elise Barnes and Rachel Webb's inspired collection that successfully pulled together floral velvet, calfskin leather and goat hair. Debbie Lawson's elegant ''Deval'' collection brought a glamorous winter-white and black theme, showing distinctive Coco Chanel influences of clean-lined understatement.
Christchurch's Mickey Lin and Ra Thomson did their established men's and women's label MisteR proud with a contemporary and stylish take on casual separates through to dressy day wear. Her winter line showed broad appeal with Deborah Caldwell, creative director of Storm, addressing the need for warmth and to look great, whether in padded leather jackets, wool coats or dressy Lurex skirts.
Also appearing were young fashion industry future-proofers, Otago Polytechnic School of Fashion graduates Rakel Blomsterberg, this year's winner of the Dunedin International Emerging Designer Awards, and a fellow finalist Samuel Ralph, along with Tansy Morris, Olivia Bloxham and Samantha O'Reilly. The awards' category winners also showed their collections.
Great design, exceptional visiting designers, model power and slick presentation - this may well have been the most rewarding railway station event yet.