ABOVE: Andrea Moore. TOP RIGHT: Philippa Beaton Prairie dress. ABOVE RIGHT: Basquesse.

   The other identifiable themes for spring–summer are black and white. Andrea Moore’s dresses have a soft, flowing feel, including a sharp V neckline and gathering for one of her designs. Beaton’s Prairie dress has tapped into a Zeitgeist of a floral design on a black background, while Viviana Pannell of Basquesse has gone with white as a base colour in one of her spring–summer offerings. Moochi also has white in abundance in its spring–summer collection (see the print edition of Lucire for August 2005).
   In essence, the direction taken by these antipodeans differs markedly from northern hemisphere designers, though black, white and red were prevalent for autumn–winter 2005–6 in Barcelona (see Lucire June 2005 and with different images in the online edition). While in a very general sense Europeans have tended to base theirs on lifestyle themes, and Americans on everything from masculine wear to Bohemian influences (see Lucire May 2005), New Zealanders have gone retro, preferring a period.
   This may be down to pre-General Election jitters, where many look through rose-coloured glasses. Economic confidence in New Zealand is down, not helped by a vision-less Budget from its Minister of Finance. Despite the pessimism, the cuts are fairly upbeat, and if designers are sages, something good must be in the air. •