Coutts Mercedes-Benz, played host to an evening filled with exceptional fashion, iconic wines, fine food, boutique beer and elegant automobiles in Newmarket last Friday night.
As we entered the cavernous space via a beautiful white carpet, we were greeted by silver trays laden with glasses filled with Moët. A wee, smiling Scotsman was taking photos.
Everyone seemed to have really dressed for the occasion, with a level of style pervading the showroom not often seen in Auckland. There was glitz, glamour and gorgeousness everywhere you looked, and that was before the models came out to play. Everybody was in a happy, chatty mood. Guests mixed and mingled – the men talking cars, the women talking fashion.
Part of the excitement was the unveiling of the new Mercedes-Benz A-Class and CLS Shooting Break, straight from the Australian International Motor Show. After the usual speeches, drapes covering the cars were whipped off to reveal the elegant and sleek automobiles beneath. And they were impressive.
Lines quickly formed in front of the cars as enthusiasts tried out the driver’s seats and had photos taken on their smartphones. One can only imagine how the Instagram home feed looked on Friday night!
Then it was time for fashion fun! Working Style and Turet Knuefermann put on the most sophisticated and stylish show highlighting their Spring-Summer 2012/2013 collections. To quote my friend, the “dishy” male, and the elegant female models somehow managed to outshine the new cars, as they glided down the staircase and along the white carpet. They were just stunning.
The men’s suits were timeless and elegant and the woman looked like they all belonged in a James Bond movie. Perhaps this was some sort of re-shoot for Skyfall that nobody told me about?
While all this was going on, the friendliest wait staff were also moving around the venue with delicious hors d'uvre’s including prawn cocktails, mini fritters and, at the end, a pudding tray filled with chocolate goodies and cake-pops – just fabulous!
As the evening wound down I was lucky enough to get a moment to chat to Turet Knuefermann herself. However, although I fear I sounded more like a bizarre fan as I told her in detail about a dress I owned with her label how it was the favourite item in my wardrobe and looked rather like one of the garments that had earlier paraded down the white catwalk!.
Turet, herself, looked absolutely stunning in a deep yellow full-length dress with a golden belt, and she was kind enough to have her photograph taken with her number one crazy fan – me, of course!
It was a beautiful night, and one that combined fashion and cars flawlessly. If only we could have each taken home a Mercedes-Benz at the end of the night – now, that would have been perfect!