There’s confetti in my hair, confetti in my handbag and confetti wedged into the spine of my notebook after Andrea Moore’s AW 16 show ‘The Poem.’ But who doesn’t love confetti? As pieces of gold rained down from the ceiling, the entrance to the runway became shrouded in smoke – a glamourous gateway through which the models emerged to kick off the show.

Full of energy and confidence, the girls graced the catwalk in signature Andrea Moore hero prints, trims of faux fur, floral stamped denim and rich shades of royal blue, orange, ochre and navy – inspired by Andrea’s time spent living in Japan in the early nineties. The floral theme was dotted throughout the collection in the form of soft river blossoms and bold irises, with the floating gold confetti giving a nod to Hanami – the traditional Japanese blossom viewing festival.

While the collection was inspired by the nuances of Japanese culture, I can’t help but notice a twinge of seventies seeping into several looks. Gold stilettos worn with socks conjured up thoughts of dancing the night away at Studio 54 and the accessories styling of gold mirrored Andrea Moore Eyewear and knee high leather boots merely served to confirm my excited suspicions.

With all my concentration focused firmly on the clothing for the first half of the show, I couldn’t believe it had taken me so long to notice how on point the beauty look was. The models had gold painted eyebrows, which – let’s be honest – wouldn’t necessarily translate into the real world but they were killer on the catwalk, hair slicked back with gold paint around the hairline and a nude lipstick was worn with a single gold dot on the lower lip.

For the second year running Andrea Moore also showed her diffusion line, I AM, which took inspiration from the jungle for the collection titled ‘Walking Tall.’ As the lights went back up, two sets of twins and a single model marched down the runway together – decked out in brilliant tropical prints (the jumpsuit was an A+), a classic trench featuring a gold metallic giraffe print and pleated skirts and dresses to offer a feminine edge.

Overall, the show certainly satisfied my thirst for patterns and colour during the cold winter months when grey skies reign. Much like today actually. So thank you Andrea for brightening up NZFW day one!

Words: Lucy Slight