I hate to start yet another blog by saying it was a wet, windy and wild Wellington night when the doors opened at the beautiful old Public Trust building on Lambton Quay that houses Trelise Cooper’s lovely pieces, but it was.

Those of us who attended Wellington’s fabulous Fashion Week recently had seen a snip-it of Trelise Cooper’s AW12 collection. Last Wednesday was a chance to view the whole 48 piece collection whilst supping on Rosebud cocktails and partaking in a few nibbles. Very nice thank you very much!

I particularly enjoyed listening to Trelise talk about how she finds inspiration for each collection. Her Stevie Nicks story was very amusing and she gave great detail on her passion for trawling the markets in Europe. I think this really does shine through with many of her collections. The incorporation of lace, delicate eclectic prints with birds, florals and fruit in AW12 in particular remind me of those markets.

In her usual style, one inspiration is just not enough, so you mix this with the description on the invitation of “sassy spirited saloon girls bringing Cooper the 1800’s Americano Prairie Couture. Diamond dressed bunnies at the animal tea party spot the swan fluttering its feathers frivolously from afar. Last but not least the little Frolicking Foxes and wacky magical birds are relishing this winter’s vintage bouquet whilst fantasizing over Trelise’s fabulous return to colour this winter “.

Colours were pretty and blended well with neutrals. As the models sashayed down the runway, it was apparent the cut and quality of the fabric was amazing. The textural mix and styling was eclectic and fun. There were some very beautiful dresses, one being the bronze shift dress with beading that I spotted and drooled over at Wellington Fashion Week. I drooled again.

I think there are a lot of pieces for New Zealand women to enjoy in this range and if you do acquire a Trelise Cooper piece, know that you are joining the likes of celebrities such as Liv Tyler, Miley Cyrus, Suri Cruise, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Julia Roberts and last but not least, Stevie Nicks.