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Off I went to view the in-season winter collections from Sylvester by Kate Sylvester; Huffer; Helen Cherry; Ruby; Sable & Minx; Lonely Hearts; Carlson; Pearl and Workshop as part of the NZ Fashion Festival.

For me, Helen Cherry stole the show with her tailored pants and what looked to be chiffon blouses, under lovely luxurious winter fur coats (not sure whether they were real or not).  In some cases a matching fur bag and black hat with gloves completed the look.  It was sophisticated and elegant.  Many sitting next to me fell in love with what they were seeing. The black hat and gloves gave the look a little ‘attitude’ and would be perfect accessories for those autumn/winter evenings.

The look reminded me of the outfits worn in the 1800’s as seen in the movie ‘True Grit’ where the girl strides off into the sunset on her horse!

In contrast the shear dresses shown by Helen Cherry had a certain appeal and elegance that was not lost on us either (if only we had the figures to get away with wearing them).

There was also a lot to like about Pearl, with one beautiful black sequin top and black pants striking a chord with me and my fashion friend. The fabric and styling blended seamlessly, making the outfit look like it was indeed floating down the cat-walk.

I knew little about Sable & Minx and found their range to be disappointing. I don’t think it helped when one of the models came out with her shoes cello-taped to her feet. The range looked a little mis-matched for me and the colour choices didn’t blend particularly well together. The other designers on offer had nice collections, but nothing worth reporting on, or perhaps it is just my interpretation of “What is Style?”.

All in all a mixed bag fashion-wise, not made any better by the goody bag (I use the word ‘goody’ very loosely) that contained more bits of paper than product. Why bother I ask?

Yellow Tulip