New Zealand Fashion Week’s autumn–winter 2015 shows, now shifted to August, kicked off strongly with Nom D. Fashion editor Sopheak Seng was there, with Matthew Beveridge in amongst the photographers.
Nom D
Vibe: Rock concert glam. Standing-only “seating” made it feel like you were more at the concert rather than a fashion show. Along with the seven balaclava-wearing drummers, this was a great opening to New Zealand Fashion Week. Black earplugs also added to the chicness of it all.
Clothes: Nom D favourites and signatures that have been reinterpreted in new cuts and fabrications, kilts, gauzy knitwear, great printed Ts, sleeveless vests, coats and pinafores. Loved the bombers, and floor-length kilts, all wearable by so many different age ranges, as evidenced in the crowd that attended. Also loved the cut-out felt helmet-like hats from Marmalade Hats—samurai warrior anyone?
Look: Poker-straight hair that looked like flat dreadlocks, wrapped and twisted into ponytails or worn flat against the hair, seemingly moving to the beat of the drumming. Painted black and white ears.
Shen
Vibe: Grown-up glamour with urban concrete jungle sport-luxe thrown in.
Clothes: Camo prints in olive and khaki jacquards featured in bombers and sheath dresses, diaphanous draped and tucked sheer dresses, and soft tailoring. An east-meets-west influence with lots of kimono and bell sleeve action on the runway, also evident in the gold paisley foil pieces. Collection needed editing and proper styling but not bad for a first outing.
Looks: Chic chignons and fresh-faced beauties.
Lela Jacobs
Vibe: Haunting beauty in a post apocalyptic world. Hanging light bulbs illuminated the runway while models walked in a trance-like state down the runway. Opening with black and then into whites and creams and an almost mocha colour.
Clothes: draped diaphanous silks and voiles paired back with open weave knits, chunky and fine layered again with draped harem-like pant. Loved the androgynous feel of the collectionm with pieces all easily translating to both men’s and women’s looks, the lamb’s wool cape and printed silk pieces and the mini glove necklaces. Truly Lela Jacobs at her best.
Looks: sooty eye make-up paired with centre-parted hair, braided into an almost Hasidic style.
Underground
Vibe: Cool kids hanging in old silos with great fashion and music playing. Exhibition-style layout with each silo showcasing a different designer.
Clothes: Standouts were Meadowlark (beautiful jewellery, septum nose rings and signet rings and bracelets piled high on the arms); Jojo Ross (a beautiful white dress with a water feature inside that constantly changes—clever girl); Jimmy D (slogan-heavy ’90s collection which had catchphrases from Russian bride advertisements).
Salasai
Vibe: Polished eccentric arty folks and the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Clothes: Great bombers, pinafores, dungarees, double-layer fit and flare dresses and great shirts. A muted colour palette of chocolate and deep burgundy kept the collection clean and sophisticated. The abstract prints will be sell-outs, also no menswear, made this a very strong collection for Kirsha Whitcher.
Look: clean chignons and a flush of yellow eye shadow.
Stolen Girlfriends’ Club
Vibe: Glam rock meets bogan motorheads at a party. The longest runway and stadium lighting from the Western Springs Speedway showed the garments in their best of the day.
Clothes: A bit ’70s and a bit ’90s. Mustards, duck-egg blues, black and greys. Mixed in with some metallics and glitter. Hell for leather with nearly every second look featuring leather splicing, or a leather jacket. Not sure about the knitted bell-bottom trousers but loved the mustard turtlenecks on the guys, as well as the finalé looks of the glitter skater skirts and pants.
Look: Grungy cool wet-look hair, slicked back off the face, and great sunglasses to combat the glare of the lighting.—Sopheak Seng, Fashion and Beauty Editor