MACKI*

Ten-year-old Petra Kotrotsos of Wellington stole the show on Air New Zealand’s Catwalk at 30,000ft flight yesterday – billed as the world’s first fashion show in the sky.

The special flight from Sydney to Auckland carried journalists, models and buyers to Air New Zealand Fashion Week, which was launched by Prime Minister Helen Clark in Auckland on the 16th September 2007.

It also carried Petra, a cancer sufferer, who dreams of becoming a fashion designer.

Dressed in a Trelise Cooper leopard-print stole, the fashion-forward 10-year-old joined the jetset crowd after the Make a Wish Foundation contacted Air New Zealand last week.

After watching the two 15-minute in-flight shows, she strutted the runway aisle herself, handing out arrival cards and lollies.

She also met New Zealand’s supermodel, Rachel Hunter.

Thirty-two designers took part in the sky-high show, which tested models’ balancing abilities as they paraded down the aisle.

In their first turn, some staggered and stumbled in turbulence, but the second show on the Airbus A330 was smooth and seamless

Hunter said she was most impressed by the efforts of the models, particularly those wearing high heels. “It’s definitely the most unusual fashion show I’ve been involved in,” she said.