As it has done since its first show at New Zealand Fashion Week 10 years ago, Dunedin's Nom*D knocked its 500-strong audience sideways last week with the creative approach it took to the presentation of its 2011 winter collection entitled "Danse Macabre".
"It was every bit as crazy as we'd hoped it would be," said designer Margarita Robertson, who flew out on Monday bound for the Paris shows where she sources a selection from the international brands she stocks in her Plume stores.
She applauded the collaboration between the installation's producer Richard Shaw and performance director film-maker Kirsty Cameron.
Reviewers loved it, even if some were bemused.
Visiting fashion week guest United States designer Nicole Miller, who showcased her own collection and also sat in on several other shows, mentioned it as one of her favourites.
She brought America's Next Top Model winner Krista White (seen top left) to New Zealand to appear in her show.
The influential United States Huffington Post website also highlighted the Nom*D show in its international fashion news.
Set in Shed 6, the off-site 30-minute show was played out on an atmospheric set which featured a large car wreck and, on a raised platform, an antique bed and an ornately set dining table complete with candelabra and towering plates of meringues.
Among the 18 models were actors and actresses, and the models were carefully selected for their ability to interact and become involved in what was certainly not a usual catwalk presentation.
Singer Rebecca Davies also performed.
Nom*D was one of more than 40 brands showing at the 10th anniversary event, which ran from last Tuesday to Saturday.
Outfits of Miromoda award-winner Amber Bridgman, of Dunedin, were seen in the Miromoda group show.
A fitting climax to the week was Friday night's Retrospective Show featuring garments from designers who have shown in previous fashion weeks.
Of these just three - Nom*D, Zambesi and Trelise Cooper - have shown at every event.
Another prominent Dunedin designer, Donna Tulloch, was featured, with outfits from past collections of her Mild Red label.
Stunning gowns of Tanya Carlson, formerly from Dunedin and now based in Auckland, were also among those in the celebratory show.
New Zealand Herald fashion writer Zoe Walker, who kept tabs on all the shows, saw a distinct reference to the past by many of the designers this year, and had special praise for Salasai, Ruby (its Adventurers collection its "best yet") and the New Zealand Weddings Bridal Collection.
And so, the 10th anniversary New Zealand Fashion Week show has wound up and New Zealand Fashion Week managing director Pieter Stewart, the mainstay behind the show's enduring success, can be well-pleased.
She pointed out before this year's event that "with any industry there are ups and downs, but the success stories that New Zealand Fashion Week has helped create are many".
Already those success stories from the 2010 event are beginning to emerge.
