Pleasantries abandoned, hundreds of Dunedin women tore at clothing racks in search of discounts at the iD Designer Sale inside the Dunedin Public Art Gallery yesterday.
The event marked the start of the 14th annual iD Dunedin Fashion Week, which will be officially launched at an Otago Daily Times function tonight.
A limited number of people were allowed into yesterday's sale at a time, and the queue reached capacity before the sale opened at 11am.
By its close at 4pm, more than 500 feverish fashion hunters had been through the many coats, dresses, shoes, accessories and fabrics on offer.
NOM*d, Charmaine Reveley, Plume, Arthur Barnett and Waughs garments were discounted, alongside a selection of other labelled clothing from Dunedin and further afield.
Organisers were thrilled with the success of the sale - a precursor to daily iD events throughout the week, culminating in the iD International Emerging Designer Awards on Thursday night and the iD Dunedin Fashion Show at the Dunedin Railway Station on Friday and Saturday nights.
iD committee chairwoman Susie Staley said yesterday's sale was a ''fantastic start'' to a week which promised to ''keep getting better'', with fashion events including breakfasts, hat and hair art workshops, film and theatre, exhibitions and runway shows.
The Golden Centre Mall will host free style seminars, designer appearances and shows, functioning as the iD hub. Dunedin's central library will feature a geek-chic catwalk show tomorrow night. Tickets to the main events had sold well, organisers said.
