The week of design ended with shows and exhibitions at the weekend.
Late last year, Margo Barton took the lead role on the committee, and announced the Dunedin Railway Station show, for years the main event of the week, was no more.
Instead, a rejigged iD International Emerging Designers Show would be the main event.
Dr Barton said this year’s format allowed the festival to "reinvigorate itself".
As an experience, the show certainly lived up to expectations, with what must be one of fashion’s more unusual catwalks a big success.
Some models stepped gingerly up and down the stairs that led from the stage to the gallery level of the town hall, but all managed to negotiate the various levels, stairs and slopes.
The upside to the models’ more testing exertions was closeness to the audience as they circulated.
They were so close, host Kerre McIvor quipped, barely exaggerating, the audience could check out the stitching.
While emerging designers was the main show in town, associated events also provided quality moments.
NOM*d’s show at the Allied Press building on Wednesday was a masterpiece of multimedia effects, with video projected on to transparent fabric screens, and stunningly bored looking models who, rather than walking on a catwalk, stood still on small platforms, occasionally changing position.
The Luxurious Duo show at the Dunedin Club on Friday featured Lapin fur coats and Debra Fallowfield jewellery. It was fully booked.Dr Barton said the committee hoped to grow the supporting shows.
There were solid crowds at both the Fashion for a Cure and Human Apparel events on Saturday. Exact ticket numbers would only be known this week.
Organisers felt the format was a success, with some room for improvement, and would take time to reflect on the week before returning to planning next year’s event.
The show on Thursday had some empty seats, which the committee expected, she said.
However, Friday night was a sell-out.
