Expectations were high for the 2015 Hokonui Fashion Design Awards after the Eastern Southland fashion community rallied behind the event following the death of awards executive producer Heather Paterson in February.
Viv Tamblyn, of Gore, has attended the awards nights since their inception in 1988. After submitting her first entry in 2003, she has entered every year since 2007.
On Saturday night, she won both the machine knitting award and the Heather Paterson QSM Memorial Award for best Southland designer.
''It was very special and I will always remember it,'' Mrs Tamblyn said.
''Heather was a friend and she was my inspiration.''
Her machine knitted winning entry, a colourful wool sweater dress, gave a nod to the niqab that demonstrated Mrs Tamblyn's ability to balance the exotic with warm familiarity.
She was not surprised to see the menswear section and the overall award, the $15,000 Bonz Award of Excellence, go to Pukekohe's Nik Patel for his masterfully tailored casual menswear entry with a Roman influence.
A whimsical play on bold colours and patterns netted Lucy Maw, of Dunedin, the $4000 Gore District Council Young Designer Award.
Mrs Tamblyn said she once felt disappointment when her work was not recognised at the awards but admitted she gained a new appreciation for the evening as she matured as a designer.
''I think as long as you're happy with your design, and you stay true to who you are as a designer, that's what it's all about, really.''
Once the full house of 700 at the Gore Town and Country Club stadium had cleared, Wade Paterson, this year's main organiser of the amateur design competition, said he felt relaxed and content - ''just very satisfied with how the whole thing has gone, the support, everything.''
His late wife's name was brought up throughout the night on Saturday.
''That fills me with a lot of pride, too,'' he said.
''I love the event - I got quite swept up with it this year.
''I really enjoy the opportunity the awards give - it gives not only to the designers, it gives to our community, it gives to our audience. It's just an all encompassing thing. I think it's just marvellous.''
And he said when he learned the judges Margo Barton, Mike Hamel, Jane Sutherland, Denise L'Estrange Corbet and Jim Geddes had decided to give the award that honoured his wife to Mrs Tamblyn, he was thrilled.
''I was just so delighted. I thought that's just so where we wanted it to go.''
Heather's spirit was in the building on Saturday night, he said.
''That's why it went so smooth.''
Results
Open section
Streetwear: Winner: Viv Tamblyn (Gore), runner up: Naomi Faifai (Hanmer Springs), highly commended: Beverley Smit (Invercargill).
Recycled: Winner: Christeena MacDonald Paea (Timaru), runner up: Kasandra Rattrie (Invercargill), highly commended: Ruth Bucknell (Masterton).
Menswear: Winner: Nik Patel (Pukekohe), runner up: Jessica Wiig (Featherston), highly commended: Matt Costello (Invercargill).
Wool: Winner: Georgia Ferguson (Dunedin), runner up: Daphne Randle (Alexandra), highly commended: Maree McMullen (Timaru).
Collections: Winner: Lucy Maw (Dunedin), runner up: Georgia Ferguson (Dunedin), highly commended: Hannah Winter (Wanganui).
Steampunk: Winner: Anita Zaney (Dunedin), runner up: Leone Mason (Invercargill), highly commended: Nikki Long (Hawkes Bay).
Nightlife: Winner: Charlotte Bishop (Auckland), runner up: Mira Janus (Christchurch), highly commended: Phoebe Powell Moore (Christchurch).
Special Awards
Best use of fabric: Daphne Randle. Garment with the most potential: Mira Janus (Christchurch). Hand knitted: Daphne Randle. Machine knitted: Viv Tamblyn. Auaha: Rai Tahana Reese (Hawkes Bay).
Merit awards: Hannah Winter (Wanganui), Ruth Bucknell (Masterton), Beverley Smit (Invercargill), Matt Costello (Invercargill), Maree McMullen, Phoebe Powell Moore (Christchurch).
Presented best paperwork: Ashleigh Clare (Winton).
Major awards
Heather Paterson Memorial Trophy Best Southland designer award: Viv Tamblyn. Young designer: Lucy Maw. Award of excellence: Nik Patel.
School section
Streetwear: Winner: Sienna Packer (Wellington Girls College), runner up: Breah Lucas (Wellington Girls College), highly commended: Emma Schdroski (St Matthews Collegiate).
Nightlife: Winner: Ella Sims (St Matthews Collegiate), runner up: Latia Farquhar (St Matthews Collegiate), highly commended: Hannah Pilcher (Wellington Girls College).
Recycled: Winner: Stella Bogdanoff (Motueka High School), runner up: Charlotte Mason (St Matthews Collegiate), highly commended: Georgia Smith (Iona College).
Merit awards: Georgia Smith, Hannah Pilcher, Emma Schdroski. Award of excellence: Stella Bogdanoff.
