LOréal
New Zealand Fashion Week saw lettering
on clothes but it was up to Robertson to make it interesting
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INCE
our original preview of Nom Ds autumn-winter 2003 line ran
on October 23the first article to be published on the topicI've
attended a party at the Robertsons, re-examined the range
in Auckland and at the ID Dunedin
Fashion Show, and even tried items from the range.
The party was to celebrate designer Margi Robertsons
birthday, but as expected from this busy family, it was a few months
late, finding a lone opportunity before she flew to Paris. Apart
from those in the fashion community, this was a family affair, with
Robertsons siblings attending, including her equally well-known
sister Liz Findlay of Zambesi, and their mother Zena Pool.
There was no denying that this was a quintessentially
Kiwi get-together: plenty of good food and responsible drinking,
taking place on the ground floor and the back yard after hours.
But the family tradition spoke of their GreekUkrainian heritage,
their parents having emigrated from postwar Europe to New Zealand.
With very distinct characters, Margarita and Elisabeth
have entirely different approaches to fashion and about their only
similarity is in the fact they both married automotive enthusiasts.
Chris Robertsons red 1965 Volvo 1800S was a welcome relief
to the many American cars that had made it to Dunedin that weekend
for a meet, and in some ways, this car reflected some of the elements
of Nom Ds autumnwinter 2003 collection.
Colour apart, the Volvo 1800S always stood out
in the Swedish companys range and had some surprising details,
such as tailfins. Even though these were considered passé
by the mid-1960s, Volvo still was able to make the package stylish.
Roger Moore might have driven a similar model in The Saint,
but he drove one off-screen, too.
So it is with this latest collection. LOréal
New Zealand Fashion Week saw lettering on clothes but it was up
to Robertson to make it interesting. While others might scream that
logos were passé, Robertson again surprised. In 2001, she
showed defunct New Zealand tags, enlarged on backs of deconstructed
jackets. This season, it was hand-done Cyrillic lettering, translated
by Mrs Pool, paying tribute to something else of a bygone era: Soviet-era
propaganda.
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