Fashion, floozies and fish- it's Design Day

Lucie Boshier turned an Italian design store into a ‘30s Prohibition Speakeasy, Huffer brought raw fish into a kitchen store and WORLD covered a shop in tinfoil, at Urbis Design Day on Saturday 28 March.

Now in its fourth year, Design Day had a charge for the first time of $20 but 2,000 registered to do the circuit of nine New Zealand fashion designer and leading design showroom collaborations. One could choose to go around the tour on one's own or take the special mini vans and enjoy a glass or two of hospitality on offer at many of the stores and not have to drive. Particularly generous was the bottle of Daniel le Brun at Natuzzi to take away, as well as many coffees and treats to eat at the showrooms.

Some of the highlights...

Uber-glam label WORLD were inspired by Andy Warhol’s infamous Factory at Mt Eden's Cite, recreated by Benny Castles and Francis Hooper with silver foil covered furniture and an Italian breakfast of Lavazza coffee and biscotti. Below, women at Cite having a morning flat white starting the day's tour.

The most spectacular and easily the greatest effort of the day had been gone to at Natuzzi by Lucie Boshier, who threw a Flapper-style party evoking the 1930’s Cotton Club. One arrived in the foyer welcomed warmly by a fabulous hostess with a miniature dog, Sweet Pea, asking you to sign a prescription form for medicene before being offered a harmless cup of (Long Island Iced) Tea. If Boshier's still about to head off to New York, she is definitely not about to go off quietly into the night, throwing the elaborate shindig with dancers in lace slips and feather boas and barmen in pinstripes. A jazz singer performed with sax to guests reclining on leather sofas enjoying cheese platters and cocktails.

Below, dancers in the lounge at Natuzzi

Barmen serve up an innocuous cup of tea

The hostess with Sweet Pea in the foyer of Natuzzi's Cotton Club.

We loved the wit and charm of Huffer once again, tying in the theme of their Winter 09 collection, Free the Fish, with some fishy business at Poggenpohl. We have previously checked out the Porsche designed kitchen there and its sleek minimalism was slightly taken over on Design Day by crowds of Huffer fans, fishy photography by Corey Arnold, and protesters bearing "Free the Fish' placards - not to mention a three foot long fish in ice held captive on the kitchen bench. They brought in an old sofa amongst the shiny modern design and Huffer's Steve and Dan were the Men in the Kitchen. Below, Dan manned the Purple Box; a lucky dip filled with thousands of dollars worth of Huffer clothing that guests could reach and grab a piece from to keep- on the condition they buy something from the excellent www.hufferstore.com website.

Zambesi, true to form, created an elegant tableau in the pebbled water garden hotel foyer of The Westin. Mannequins with faces covered in their signature Winter 09 slashed black leather stood like sentry guards with a floating ZAMBESI brand in the water.

Below, a print dress from Zambesi Winter 09 and the mannequins not afraid of getting their feet wet for fashion.

Other Design Day collaborations included:

Coast & Emma Kate Bamford Design experienced island living in an urban setting. The showroom atmosphere took you back to the bach, decorated to look like a beach house with plants, sand and other surprise props to emphasise the effect. It can get thirsty at the beach so 42 Below did a 'Coast Island Cocktail'.

Design Denmark & Lonely Hearts created ‘a day at the motocross’ for Designday guests. Night transcends day as the showroom was blacked out in favour of the brightness of the new Lonely Hearts sportswear range of protective clothing.

Inovo & Jaeha brought a display centred on the question; “What would extraordinary people do in their private time?” where you could look inside the private sphere of people’s lives in a provocative display with a playful twist with the showroom sectioned off with mannequins depicting scenes from real life, scenes that happen only behind closed doors.

Matisse / Kouzina & Karen Walker created a colourful and fun space utilising Karen Walker’s Resene colour range with painted kitchen implements and utensils creatively placed in the one of the kitchens to show off the colours.

Apartmento & Crane Brothers are all about tailoring. A makeshift workroom was be created with a sewing machine, racks of fabric and an expert tailor, cutting and sewing where you could get up close to quality craftsmanship.

Urbis Design Day 09 was a great sampler plate of creativity to see nine New Zealand fashion designers interpret their visions in a design store setting, and well worth the registration fee they put in place this year. Make a day of it and start early at 10am and do the circuit til the afternoon and fuel up on plenty of coffees- and perhaps a couple of Lucie Boshier's innocent cups of tea...

By Megan Robinson
Photos: Kevin Robinson 28 March 2009