A colourful array of collections promises to dazzle audience members at the 15th anniversary iD Dunedin Fashion Show.
Designers for the two-night show were selected by Auckland fashion stylist and journalist Dan Ahwa in Dunedin yesterday.
The official list of designers chosen to showcase their latest work on the Dunedin Railway Station catwalk will be publicly announced this week.
Mr Ahwa, the fashion editor of magazines Fashion Quarterly and Canvas (The New Zealand Herald), said hopeful iD designers were using more colour and print than usual, which would work well for the runway show.
''There is definitely a lot less black in this year's submissions. The anniversary is a celebration, so the colour and print will work really well with that theme,'' he said.
Mr Ahwa said he was looking for collections which had stage presence and comprised quality garments.
He also had to consider the overall show, and wanted it to incorporate a variety of clothing from street to evening wear.
''It will be a more comprehensive show, covering the whole wardrobe and striking that balance.''
A fixation on Dunedin's Gothic-inspired fashion was waning, he said.
''In previous years, we've always looked to that Dunedin feel but this year in order to keep it fresh we don't need to be restricted by that. Everybody knows it's iD Dunedin, so we don't need to focus on the same look.''
Some of the Dunedin designers traditionally associated with street style in muted palettes were branching out, so the Dunedin look itself was evolving, Mr Ahwa said.
''They're exploring more with colour. It's really good to see.''
It was the second time he had been chosen as an independent selector for iD.
In 2011, he determined the designers for the 2012 show.
Last year, 20 portfolios were considered, and iD organisers said more had been received this year for the anniversary event.
Also to be selected for the 2014 show in coming weeks were international and New Zealand guest designers, and Otago Polytechnic fashion design graduates.
