The always highly-anticipated Oscars red carpet never disappoints, with plenty of high-fashion glamour and general all-round shockers to keep most fashion watchers entertained. Black, white and red were key colours on the carpet, and embellishments and a focus on the waist were stand out trends. Here are my picks for the best and worst dressed of this year’s event:

Best Dressed

Gwyneth Paltrow in Tom Ford

My favourite look of the night, Gwyneth does minimalism at its complete and utter best. The gown fits beautifully, and the unique, dramatic cape detailing elevates this look to the next level.

Rooney Mara in Givenchy

This structured Givenchy couture gown will probably polarise fashion commentators, but I really like it. While Rooney has arguably played it safe this awards season by sticking to one style, and perhaps has let her character from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo dictate her fashion choices, I like her clean, modern style. Her hair and makeup is perfect too.

Milla Jovovich in Elie Saab

White was definitely a huge trend on the carpet, and Milla looks the picture of elegance in this sparkly one-shoulder Elie Saab dress. A very Oscar-worthy look.

Michelle Williams in Louis Vuitton

Coral is not a colour seen often on the red carpet, and Michelle’s dress makes for a refreshing change with its elegant detailing and bright, punchy colour. Michelle Williams is another celeb who tends to divide the fashion pack, but I have long been a fan of her quirky fashion choices. And she has some of the best hair in Hollywood.

Jessica Chastain in Alexander McQueen

Jessica Chastain has emerged not only as the latest it-girl actress, but also as one to watch with her inspired fashion choices. This dramatic gown, designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, perfectly captures the glamour the evening requires. I always love McQueen.

Worst Dressed

Stacey Keibler in Marchesa

Horrific. Just because it’s the Oscars, doesn’t mean you have to dress like one. Step aside so we can swoon over George in peace.

Natalie Portman in Vintage Dior

Ok I’m going to say it. I realise this dress is vintage 1952 Dior and all, so no disrespect, but it is a polka dot prom dress, and it’s really boring. Also, I’m not a fan of her hair. I think Nat’s lost her fashion mojo.

Jennifer Lopez in Zuhair Murad

She has an amazing body, but the overall look is rather tacky. Plus, no points for originality, I feel like Jen has been doing this same look on the red carpet for years, complete with signature high bun and bronze makeup.

Shailene Woodley in Valentino Couture

This is one of those “fashun” dresses that looks great on the runway, but just doesn’t translate on a red carpet. At 20, the look is far too old and severe for her.

Penelope Cruz in Armani

Yawn. She always wears the same thing, the colour is bland, and the clutch is too matchy-matchy. While she looks polished, for me, this look is lacking any kind of originality or wow factor.

- Natalie Cosgrove

Eyebrows are easily the most underrated facial feature. We all know that the eyes are the windows to the soul, and that clear skin is the basis of any good look, but it is the eyebrows that structurally frame your face and can be the determining factor in whether you are perceived as happy, pretty, grumpy, or dopey person.

A well-groomed pair of brows should open up your face, accentuate your eyes, and follow the natural bone structure of your face.

Grooming

Eyebrows should be groomed every day as part of your daily make-up routine. Tissue off excess product from a clear mascara brush and run it upwards and outwards through your eyebrow hairs. This will lift and give shape to your eyebrow and accentuate your natural arch. Lifting the brow can awaken your face, whereas an eyebrow that sits too close to the eyelid can make you look tired and low.

Once you’ve got the right shape, use an angled brush to lightly smudge in a soft brown powder that matches, or is a tone either side of your hair colour. Blondes: use powder one or two shades darker than your hair colour. Brunettes: one or two shades lighter.

Lastly, pluck any strays hairs and dab some paw-paw lotion (or Vaseline) just below the brow to give a dewy sheen and help keep the brow in place for the day. For a subtle look, mix your paw-paw lotion with a little liquid illuminator or luminous eye shadow, to give your brows definitive boundaries and make them ‘pop’.

Tip: There are a multitude of brow brushes on the market, but clean mascara wand is the best tool for grooming your brows.

Tweezing

Probably the easiest and most common method of beautifying brows. It is always best to get your eyebrows shaped by a professional, but once they are a shape that you like, regular tweezing is the easiest way to maintain them.

Some simple rules:

- Pluck one hair at a time
- Follow the natural curve of your eyebrow
- Never tweeze hairs from the top of your eyebrow. These hairs rarely grow back and plucking from the top down can shift the entire position of the eyebrow closer to the eyelid which can make you look grumpy or troubled.

Tip: The arch of your eyebrow should be at its peak over the outside of the iris, the coloured part of your eye.

Waxing

Waxing your eyebrows can be painful and once the hair has come off, it can’t be put back on. No matter how beauty savvy you think you are, do not attempt to wax your own eyebrows. Leave eyebrow waxing to the professionals, go to a reputable salon and make sure you talk through with your beauty therapist what you are looking for before you start.

Tip: Just like you do at the hairdresser, take in a picture of how you would like your brows to look. Some of the most popular eyebrows at the moment belong to Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Connelly and Penelope Cruz.

Threading

Threading involves twisting a piece of thread in three directions to pluck rows of hairs with incredible precision. It can be a quick shaping option for those with lots of eyebrow hair, for whom plucking may become painful and tedious, and can also extract fine fair hairs that can be easily missed by a pair of tweezers. There are many affordable threading options available, but just like waxing, it is vital that you discuss your desired end result with your beautician – Pay for the consultation time if you need to – it’s worth it!

Permanent Make-Up

Permanent make-up can provide an almost magic solution for those who are born with next-to-no-brows. At Hollywood Eyes, the process involves a series of tiny needles that essentially tattoo fine feathery lines of colour onto your skin to create the desired shape. However, some practitioners simply tattoo the colour in one full dense line, which can end up looking like someone has taken a crayon to your face while you were sleeping. I cannot say this with enough gravitas - this is not something you want to do on the cheap. Research the clinics that offer this procedure. If permanent make-up is a road you decide to go down, get a number of consultations and don’t allow cost to be a factor – permanent make-up does not come off!

- Imogen Shephard

Probably due to Hollywood’s ever-increasing obsession with youth and beauty comes the slightly uncomfortable but also intriguing rise of the teen (or pre-teen) it girl, or what Grazia Magazine has appropriately coined, the ‘chadult’.

It seems everywhere you look these young ingénues (aka children-who-look-like-adults-and-often-better-than-me) are gracing the red carpet, hardly ever putting a Gucci-clad foot wrong, and winning rave reviews from style bibles including Elle and Vogue.

It’s completely unjust that these 14 year olds look like stunning, graceful swans at an age when most of us were spotty-faced, still in braces and carrying puppy fat. Yet at the same time, is it wrong I find myself looking to them for style inspiration?

With big name designers like Miu Miu and Marc Jacobs scrabbling to get them to front their campaigns directed at adult women, it’s probably no wonder.

All that aside, and not forgetting the fact that they’ve all got top stylists working day and night to disguise any teenaged awkwardness that might accidentally slip out, and as weird as it is given I’m 10 years older than most of them, these girls are fast on their way to becoming fashion icons.

Here are my favourite annoying yet beautiful little fashion plates (sorry Willow Smith, but you don’t make the cut):

Chloe Grace Moretz

Despite the fact that she’s not even 15 yet, this young actress has got talent, attitude and style, and is becoming quite the dab-hand at mastering classic, ladylike style.

Elle Fanning

Not going to lie, kind of obsessed with Elle Fanning’s whimsical, yet age-appropriatestyle. She’s definitely got more panache than Dakota, choosing bold, quirky pieces and looking a lot cooler than a 13 year old ever should.

Hailee Steinfeld

Hailee is the face of the controversial Miu Miu AW ’11 campaign, which was eventually banned for being ‘obscene’ and apparently encouraging teens to put themselves in ‘dangerous situations’ (see the image of Hailee sitting on the railway tracks, crying below).As a side note, Hailee was eventually replaced by a model 20 years her senior (i.e. 34). Weird juxtaposition.

Aside from that though, she has rather enviable red carpet style, including this knockout colourful Prada dress she wore at last year’s Golden Globes.

- Natalie Cosgrove

The DHL Express Fashion Export Scholarship has been one of New Zealand's richest fashion prizes on the scene and we salute them for standing by fashion talent and encouraging new talent.

The fourth awards is now open for entries for emerging fashion exporters to enter. Not this is for fashion designers who are ready to export, not ready to start locally, so is suited to those wanting to take it to the next level and needing a helpful boost.

The scholarship is open to New Zealand designers who have been exporting for less than four years.

The winner of the scholarship will receive international freight to the value of NZ$10,000, as well as coaching in freight and logistics from DHL Express. All three finalists will receive individual export mentoring and an annual membership subscription from Fashion Industry New Zealand (FINZ).

In a new addition to the scholarship this year, all three finalists will also be invited to join the New Zealand Trade & Enterprise (NZTE) Path to Market programme for apparel exporters, which aims to improve the rate and speed of market entry to Australia.

Judging the 2011 DHL Express Fashion Export Scholarship are Margarita Robertson of NOM*D, Erica Crawford; co-founder of Kim Crawford Wines, Megan Wildermoth, national strategic account manager (fashion and textiles) at DHL Express and Mapihi Opai, executive officer at Fashion Industry New Zealand (FINZ).

2010 winner Twenty-Seven Names' Anjali Stewart says,,“Previously, we only showed sample ranges in Australasia. But, this year, we were able to send samples to Japan, Europe and the U.S. Increasing the number of agents and buyers able to physically view the collections has helped grow our export sales and raise our profile.”

Entrants are required to complete an official application form and submit lookbooks from previous collections. Applications will be judged across several categories, including ‘brand and design’, ‘sales and marketing’ and ‘export strategy’.

DHL Express Fashion Export Scholarship opens for entries on Wednesday, 19 October, 2011, and closes on Monday, 14 November, 2011. Application forms are available from the FINZ website: www.finz.co.nz

Photos: Anahita Paul

On Friday I went to the U N D O N E launch and fashion show. Although we only caught the latter of the show due to arriving unfashionably late, we hung around for the end.

The setting of the show was cool. It was in a refuge bunker next door and underground to a little boutique called Salisbury Boutique (where I got the dress I wore to the event). There was fancy little artworks hanging about by 4th art student and Sculptor Renee Hope and photographs taken by my friend James Stringer (who gave me the tickets to this show because he was away in Auckland shooting!).

It’s likely that you are yet to hear about U N D O N E clothing. Designers Rachel Webb and Elise Barnes are fashion design graduates of Otago Polytechnic, based in Dunedin, NZ. Their new A/W 2012 collection “A Dream Within A Dream” was produced in NZ in small creative studio in the hefty loft style of Dunedin’s historic architecture. Their debut collection gives functional beauty and as they describe – channels inner androgyny. I can see this label becoming a brand every girl is going to want to hang amongst her clothes. I like Dunedin fashion.. I hope to see more of this goodness!

Undone with Nelie Jenkins from NZNTM

Article from www.wilddd.com

Later this month The Cloud will play host to a glamorous showcase of New Zealand's current and future fashions from more than 50 of the country's top designers thanks to New Zealand Fashion Week.

A total of six shows will be held over the 19th and 20th of October as part of REAL NZ Festival and as a special showcase of New Zealand fashion innovation.

These free events are open to the public and feature all the glitz and excitement that you would see at New Zealand Fashion Week. The new Queen Wharf venue can hold a total of 2000 people and will wow guests with New Zealand's longest runway.

New Zealand Fashion Week Managing Director Pieter Stewart explains there's something in the show for everyone.

"We're very proud to present a showcase of our best New Zealand fashion designers during the Rugby World Cup. These fantastic events allow the public and international guests to come and see fashion by our top Kiwi designers and experience all the excitement of a fashion show at the vibrant Cloud venue. The shows include an array of fashion from underwear to evening wear, menswear and so much in between. Everyone will enjoy the show," she says.

Each fashion show will feature the current summer season and spot beauty prizes. As well as the many VIPs and fashion designers in attendance, visitors of the shows might also spot Next Top Model winner Brigette Thomas on the runway and presenting the event MC & DJ Karn Hall.

Some added excitement before the shows will see Servilles and Smashbox doing hair and makeup for the show live amongst the crowds.

"The public are always really interested in what happens backstage so we thought we'd bring backstage to the main arena and show how we complete the models hair and beauty looks out in the open for everyone to see. We have some of the best in the industry on the hair and beauty teams and it's a great opportunity for the public to learn some tricks of the trade ," says Fashion Show Producer Marissa Findlay.

For serious fashion lovers the New Zealand Fashion Week Guide Magazine will be available during the shows and the fashion designers themselves will attend select shows to meet fans and followers.

The Cloud is running throughout the 45 days of the tournament as the hub of the REAL New Zealand Showcase and presents New Zealand's innovation through displays and activities of food, wine, fashion and culture.

- Voxy.co.nz

As Rugby World Cup fever grips the nation, the people of Marlborough indulge in a bit of food, fashion and wine.

A procession of wine carriers accompanied by classical violinist Vicky Mack and a group of Maori warriors cut a line through the crowd bringing with them the first of the 2011 Marlborough sauvignon blanc and officially kicking off Indulge Marlborough.

The inaugural event, part of the Real NZ Festival, was held at the Marlborough Lines Stadium 2000 on Friday night and brought together Marlborough wine and food and New Zealand fashion in spectacular style.

Fashion designer Kate Sylvester launched her 2012 winter collection on the catwalk to great applause after bypassing New Zealand Fashion Week in August.

Stolen Girlfriends Club and footwear designer Kathryn Wilson, a finalist in the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year competition, also showed off their latest.

Many in the audience probably did not notice the shoes, however, as models strode along the catwalk in little more than black lingerie and feathers.

Marlborough Girls' College student Paige Kilgour, 16, also made her modelling debut on the catwalk for Sylvester and Stolen Girlfriends Club among 14 professional models.

The teenager won a competition to be the face of the event and looked like a natural.

Earlier in the night the crowd was buzzing and jovial as they sipped wine under elegant hanging fairy lights and among tealight-lit trees listening to some cool jazz by the Tony Thiel Trio. Later they were entertained by veteran blues rocker Midge Marsden and his band.

It was clear the event was not a sellout, and the stadium could have accommodated double the number who attended.

Among the revellers was American journalist and rugby referee Buzz McClain who had spent part of the last week in Marlborough as he tours the country during the World Cup and blogging about his trip for American website universalsports.com.

He said he had enjoyed his time in the region which included the Greenshell Mussel Cruise in Havelock.

When asked what he thought about New Zealand's efforts as hosts of the World Cup he replied: "Let them hold it every year."

A group of old high school friends now living in Blenheim, Christchurch and Wellington, used the event to reunite after more than a decade apart.

Christchurch woman Tracey Murphy said she and a group of seven other women, who went to Linwood College, travelled to Blenheim for the weekend to be together for the first time in about 12 years.

Some of the group were sisters, but she said they shared a close bond.

"In effect, we're all sisters," she said.

- Marlborogh Express

Hot off the back of her much buzzed-about NZFW show, Kathryn Wilson debuted her A/W 12 collection to a select group of Australian media in an intimate, candlelit setting at Tokonama, a sushi bar in the ultra-hip Sydney suburb of Surry Hills.

Having felt extremely left out watching all the NZFW action from afar from my new home in Sydney, the event was a welcome opportunity to catch up with Kathryn and to view the gorgeous collection first hand.

The range certainly carries Kathryn’s signature, contemporary luxe-style, with standout pieces for me including the fierce, sexy stiletto boot, the edgy zebra-print ‘shooties’ and the selection of cute flats, particularly the very on-trend ‘smoking-slipper’ style flats.

Kathryn’s collections are always infused with a sense of fun, a distinct creative flair and a sexy edge, and the winter ’12 range is certainly no exception.

Kathryn has enjoyed huge success as a designer in New Zealand, and has become one of the country’s most celebrated designers.

While Wilson has been stocking in selected Australian boutiques for five years, her current success combined with the buzz from her pioneering NZFW public show provides the perfect storm for Kathryn to emulate her home-grown success in the Australian fashion market.

Wilson’s operations manager, Julia Ford says, now is the perfect time to be increasing Kathryn’s presence across the ditch, speaking to the right buyers and media, and giving them a taste of what was presented to the Kiwi fashion scene.

And with shoes as covetable as these, Wilson will no doubt continue to build her reputation as one to watch by Australian media, buyers and shoe-lovers alike.

And with nothing but praise heard at the event from neighbouring Sydney media, I’m sure Kathryn’s success will only continue as she builds her brand here in Australia.

New Zealand fashion has long been labeled "dark and intellectual" which as a country we have still not completely shaken. Throughout the decades we have become accustomed to wearing black which has become a national uniform.

Black in Fashion is a pop-up exhibition bought to us by Doris de Pont, curator of The New Zealand Fashion Museum that tell us our personal story of how New Zealander's have for so many decades worn black and the evolution of our black identity.

The exhibition has been suitably timed with the Rugby World cup and is showcasing some of our earlier All Blacks uniforms showing we not only use black in fashion but how it has become a national uniform.

Black in Fashion is more than just fashion, the exhibition shows a diverse collection of garments from throughout the ages and from many facets of our heritage - Maori culture, New Zealand lifestyle clothing including our beloved red band gumboots, to modern day interpretations of the arts. Here are just a few items from the Black in Fashion collection:

Once Were Warriors film costume
The young urban Maori in the film’s Toa gang are strikingly costumed in beautiful black leather gear accessorised with glamorous piercings and tattoos.
The look of the gang was intended to reflect the sentiments of the title, and to convey the idea that, within their own structure, Moari gangs have a loyal and disciplined alternative whanau.

Red band gumboots
Marathon Rubber Footwear – the forerunner of Skellerup – created New Zealand’s first mid-calf gumboot. Marathon was confident their new boot was “assured of a good demand”. And they were right – the style has become New Zealand’s most popular gumboot. Apart from an additional sponge inner, the gumboot design hasn’t changed in over 50 years.

Tino glam
Designed and made by Shona Tawahio
Made of Harakeke(New Zealand flax), rit dye, high gloss paint, jersey fabric, satin ribbon ties.

The bodice is shaped by adding and removing strands of flax in the weaving process so that it follows the body’s curve. The skirt construction alludes to traditional Maori rain capes but here the flax is applied in a loose configuration onto a flexible base cloth so that is can move on the body while evoking the sound and movement of the piupiu (the skirts worn by Maori women for dance performance).

Hoody and two skirts
Label-Jimmy D, designed by James Dobson, with original print by Andrew Mcleod
Made of cotton, silk, pleated polyester, screen print.

A long-sleeve tee is attached to a sweatshirt to form a hood, and a pleated skirt is ripped in half and attached with a silk harness.

Coffin
Designed by Nour Hassan
Made of felted wool, aluminium frame and metal press studs

The oft-cited :dark, edgy and intellectual” of New Zealand fashion here finds radical expression that has synergies with the practice of British/Turkish Cypriot designer Hussein Chalayan, who sees the body as the ultimate cultural symbol. The title of this collection “Cont.” can also be seen as an expression of the continuing development and the rich cultural diversity that the next generation of designers brings to New Zealand fashion.

Bete Noir
Designed and made by Amalia O’Neil
Made of leather, plastic boning, power mesh and lace

This outfit was part of Amalia O’Neil’s 2010 graduation collection Bȇte Noir, it reflects the freedom of the times and our obsession with bygone fashion eras. The crinoline and corsetry were informed by the structure of Victorian dress with in turn influenced Dior’s “New Look” of the 1950’s. The intricate leather corset contains 50 pieces of boning and represents the tension in contemporary fashion where the dress code is no longer clear cut; lingerie worn as outerwear, constriction as a matter of personal choice.

We highly recommend getting along to see the exhibition while it is available.

Venue:   Britomart
Address: Corner Gore and Galway Streets, Britomart Precinct
Date:     September 9 to October 24
Time:     10.00am to 6pm (Monday to Saturday), 10am to 4pm (Sunday)
Ticket:   Free Entry

Photography by Sarah Hanline

Spring-Summer 2012 is nearly upon us and many international designers have already showcased their collections at fashion weeks around the world. We're looking at a season of vast ambition, taking inspiration from the 1950's with classic lines, flowing, wearable lightweight dresses and voluminous skirts.

Nude, nude, nude! Think neutral tones paired with bright colour blocks - a must have for your Summer wardrobe.

We first saw color blocking make it's way into early 2011 collections and next year sees bold hues mixed with more neutral tones for greater wearability. Expect to see off-beat color combinations in high-color computer brights, teamed with core neutrals of black, gray, beige and white for a more highly organized, sophisticated feel.

A dose of ethnic and tribal prints in colour combinations of blues, burnt oranges, mustard yellows, browns and black. You'll see tribal prints in square-cut silhouettes along with sharp minimalism using tribal tailoring.

Contradicting these tailored trends, we have seen the use of sheer chiffon in long flowing goddess skirts and full length dresses which we expect will still be around through Summer 2012. Try pairing these softer fabrics in natural tones with splashes of strong colours.

Carolina Herrera SS12                                              Mulberry SS12

Paul Smith SS12                                                     Paul Smith SS12

Mulberry SS12                                                        Honor SS12

By Tracey Reed; NZFD

Dark and moody, or have we moved on? Two experts examine our New Zealand fashion identity.

Contemporary New Zealand fashion was once defined by the "dark and intellectual" label given to us by the international press in 1999, after the "New Zealand Four" presented their clothes at London Fashion Week. It was a term eventually so overused it began to mean nothing; a description that the industry both embraced and resented. Dark and intellectual? What a cliché. We're all unique. Yet despite protests that one size, or label, didn't fit all - designers like World and Karen Walker use heaps of colour, people would argue, and where's the intellectualism in a pretty floral dress from Trelise Cooper? - underneath it all there still lies a darker mood, whether it be Karen Walker's angsty outsider tendencies, Kate Sylvester's smarty-pants muse, or Nom*D's long-lasting penchant for black.

But then, five or so years ago, a new wave of young designers entered the industry and began to slowly change the way we perceive the New Zealand look. So where does our industry stand in 2011: what is the New Zealand look now? Some would be hard-pressed to find the darkness in some of the young labels who now form the strength and future of the local industry - think of Juliette Hogan's floaty pleated skirts, Stolen Girlfriends Club's cheeky irreverence or Ruby's girlish, youthful spirit. But look deeper and you'll see that even today there is an underlying moodiness. Those dark and intellectual ideas are there, hidden within the quirks - the angst-trimmed nostalgia of Twenty-seven Names, Lonely Hearts' love affair with the outsider, Salasai's unassuming androgyny.

Then there are those where the moodiness and intellectualism is obvious; labels like Cybele, Jimmy D, Maaike and Company of Strangers.

What could define the New Zealand "look" now is modesty, practicality, a stylish take on the casual - and a strong sense of contrast. It is diaphanous silk chiffon teamed with leather; a pair of boots that toughen up a girlish dress - that balance between the masculine and feminine, dark and cute; a pretty awkwardness. But what do some of our experts think? Two doyennes offer their take on New Zealand fashion now.

Doris de Pont

Doris is the curator of the New Zealand Fashion Museum, who has organised a fashion exhibition examining New Zealand's fascination with the colour black.

What is New Zealand style in 2011?
I differentiate between fashion and style. Fashion is what the designers create, while style is what we make of it, how we interpret and wear it. I am loving seeing the fun people are having at the moment creating their own style by mixing up high fashion offerings with opshop, often customised and definitely not worn as was intended back in the day. On the streets the looks can be very individual, which perhaps is the fashion of the moment, a licence to be creative and express your own spirit.

Sum up the New Zealand "look" in five words:
Individual, edgy, easy, modest, black.

New Zealand fashion is traditionally known as being "dark and intellectual" - does that still hold true?
I think the "dark and intellectual" description was earned because of the seriousness with which we approach our design and that has not changed. New Zealand fashion design tends not to be skimpy or overly feminine, rather it is often modest and considered. Even when designers like Trelise Cooper and World are flamboyant and having fun, there remains a self-consciousness and demureness because our fashion expresses our character and that's how we are.

What are some of the key things that have influenced this change in aesthetic?
I believe that the biggest influence on the style of the moment is the recession. When the budget permits there is a tendency to purchase the complete "look" of the moment; when budgets are challenged, those who enjoy fashion rise to that challenge by being inventive.

Why are we so fascinated with the colour black?
This is an interesting question and surprisingly one that hasn't really been asked by our historians to date. It is, however one, that I have been thinking about intensively for the last year as part of the research for the upcoming exhibition I am curating for the New Zealand Fashion Museum called Black in Fashion. There are no simple answers but by showing how, who, where and when black clothing has been worn every day in NZ for sport, in our films, by our musicians, in our fashions, this exhibition will shed some light on the question.

What is your favourite New Zealand city, in terms of style?
I love that our cities have each evolved a distinctive style because it shows New Zealanders are not a homogeneous, undistinguished mass. Each city and its people not only respond to the physical climate but also to their unique social and cultural environment and give expression to that local personality in how they choose to dress. I am an Aucklander born and bred and this is my favourite city. I really value the diversity of dressing that you see here with the influences new migrants have brought from the Pacific, and more recently from Asia. I think being open to other cultures is enriching and can lead to new, unexpected outcomes in fashion and other design.

Which New Zealand fashion institution, "icon" or heritage brand would you revive?
As a fashion designer I always wanted to design for Canterbury. For me it is the brand that epitomises the essence of New Zealandness, a sort of relaxed weekend dress culture available everyday. Contemporary labels like Twenty-seven Names have captured and modernised that essential "relaxed but urban" vibe. I believe New Zealand has shown the way in establishing the pre-eminence of the dress style described, in common parlance, as "smart casual" - that combination of easy stylishness without sacrifice of comfort.

Is there a person who represents or symbolises New Zealand style?
Karen Walker has always said she sees herself as an international designer. While she has achieved that goal, in my view her collections are firmly grounded in her understanding of her heritage. It is her ability to expand, refine and reinterpret that in a modern way that makes her work authentic and successful.

What are some iconic pieces that represent New Zealand style?
How can you go past the black singlet? Unpretentious, practical, stylish, funny, timeless, androgynous, easy, versatile - if you were asked to describe a New Zealander, the black singlet could say it all.

* Black in Fashion, September 9 - October 24, cnr Gore and Galway Sts, Britomart Precinct, Auckland.

Margi Robertson

Margi is the designer of New Zealand label Nom*D, and based in Dunedin.

Sum up New Zealand's "look", in five words.
Modern, urban, laid-back, quality conscious, wearable.

What is New Zealand style in 2011?
Having been in retail since 1975, it has been interesting to see the progression of what was quite a conservative approach to fashion in the 1970s, through to the denim age of the 1980s, the introduction of minimalism of the 1990s, and pretty much anything goes now. There is a element of individualism and a freedom to create which equals or surpasses any upmarket designer in the world. New Zealand has a group of designers who don't just copy what is happening in the Northern Hemisphere, they are original and creative, and the public, who are discerning, enthusiastically support them.

New Zealand fashion has traditionally been known as "dark and intellectual" - do you think that is accurate? Where did it come from?
When I think about it, we were given this tag back in 1999 when the New Zealand Four showed at London Fashion Week. To be honest it was possibly picked up by comparing us to the Antwerp Six out of Belgium, who were dark and intellectual - however the only darkness really was coming from Zambesi and ourselves. World and Karen Walker, although intellectual in their designs, would not be considered "dark".

Does that still hold true? What is our national style now?
Not really. There is no national style, we are like any other country in the fashion world; either a brand does have a leaning towards "dark" or not. Each label usually establishes the "feel" early in their careers and to keep the signature of the brand it is important to keep that style.

What do you think has influenced the evolution of our national aesthetic?
New Zealand Fashion Week has been an amazing platform on which to display the aesthetic and atmosphere of your collection, it has pushed ourselves and many other designers to think outside of making clothes and selling them - it brings collaborators into the picture, like stylists, photographers, production companies. It's great to work with those types of people, all working towards the same goal. International brands, over the past 10 years especially, have become increasingly part of the retail world, with the availability of online shopping. The world is a global market. It's important that we give customers who do like to shop personally a great retail experience.

Why do you think we are still so fascinated with the colour black?
It's so easy to wear, takes you anywhere, can be as casual or formal as you wish and fits any occasion. It's also the most flattering to the figure. It can represent various sub-cultures - like Gothic - or indicate formality and respect, at black tie events or funerals.

Your favourite New Zealand city, in terms of style?
Dunedin of course! Because I live here, we have a successful fashion store here, with a very loyal fan club. For a city of this size we sell some amazing avant-garde designs. I love the fact that it is not over-populated, so the lifestyle is laid-back, there are great restaurants, art galleries and the nature is very close and amazing.

Which New Zealand fashion institution, "icon" or heritage brand would you revive?
In my teens I used to really like buying Peppertree or Hullabaloo garments - I suppose they were pretty much mass-produced for the times, but the Estacel crepe fabrics and "Biba" type influences impressed me. Many brands at that time were European but made under licence. I'm not sure how those brands would stand up today, but they were New Zealand brands.

By Zoe Walker: New Zealand Herald