A*Musement parlour

A*Muse
Air New Zealand Fashion Week
Friday 25 September

A tanned and toned Nicky Watson joined Pamela Anderson, Richie Rich on rollerblades, and several hot tattooed surfers at the A*Muse show at fashion week.

A celebrity-studded audience included Flight of the Conchords and stand up comedian Rhys Darby who happily posed for camera phone photos with fans, Paul Henry, Robyn Malcolm, Petra Bagust, Peter Williams from One news, Mark Sainsbury, Aja Rock, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Candy Lane, and Colin Mathura-Jeffree.  

It's not just the front row that's important mind, it's which end of the front row you're seated in. You see, the end nearest the photographers usually has the biggest stars and VIPs as it shows up in photographs whereas the front row nearest backstage, doesn't.

Cheering erupted as the week's fittest and flirtiest models walked the runway. Candy Lane and her dancers sitting next to us shouted as one of their dancer friends walked in the show, with plenty of bounce in her, aah, step.

The show was full of colour with men in fluoro swimsuits with scissors and sunglasses jauntily stuck to their groin, and women in pink tutus, floaty sarongs and harem pants, and tight singlets and of course swimwear. Men wore black eyeliner, or had LOVE PUSSY written on their sunglasses, and body glitter sparkled from tans-a-plenty. A new trend perhaps; Hetero-camp? We might not be about to invest in some of the bizarre ensembles just yet, but it was certainly fun to watch, and didn't stop us wanting to rush out and buy a whole new summer wardrobe on our Mozo credit cards, not to mention a pair of Rollerblades.

"My friend's a dresser for this show" a woman next to me said. "There's a whole lotta nudity backstage. A lot" she emphasized, nodding sagely.

"Peace" says Nicky Watson with a cute 1970s hairstyle and string bikini

Apres-swim wear with a colourful butterfly print.

Resort wear for poolside and yacht party glamour, darling.

"You certainly wouldn't come for the clothes, would you?" commented a woman behind us.

After the finale of the beachwear collection, Pamela Anderson frolicked down the runway in a fuschia pink thong with a sarong almost covering her modesty but leaving a lot for the audience to see - which we can't publish here! Those who came for titilation certainly weren't disappointed.

A*Muse designer Richie Rich rollerbladed with her and did a backspin at the end of the runway.

Richie Rich on the floor as Pamela Anderson is presented with flowers



Rich and Anderson leave the catwalk with a security presence watching from the top of the catwalk in case anyone was to get too close

It's not fashion, but it's fun, and there hasn't been a whole lot of that around in the industry og late. The A*Muse show brought a welcome smile back to fashion week's face. And that's worth cheering.

Megan Robinson
Photos Kevin Robinson