Christchurch shows its style

The much anticipated Style Christchurch marked its third year on Thursday 12 November at the Isaac Theatre Royal. A hot date on the South Island’s fashion calendar, the evening promised an eclectic visual feast. The lineup of designers included the well established immaculate collections of Zambesi and Nom*d, Christchurch-based designers Sakaguchi, streetwear label Hype or Tension, boutique exclusive menswear husband and wife duo MisteR, and the dulcet tones of Annah Stretton.

While waiting for my guest’s arrival I had the opportunity to witness the grand entrance of Christchurch’s design devotees; the fashion students so intent on world domination they forget to apply a little style to their own wardrobes, the chic style icons sporting carefully constructed ensembles which belie the superficial air of laid back cool, the willowy female frames draped in skimpy fabric off cuts, and the cashed up banker’s wife with enough pingers to buy the gear minus the good taste to put an outfit together. God I love people watching!

Below: Andhy Blake with show models

In an ode to aviation heroine Amelia Earhart and a nod to Show Week, a female figure rises triumphantly out of the stage. With a pinch of seriously cool attitude, decked out in a figure hugging tartan jacket and three quarter jodhpurs, teamed with vintage aviation goggles, the evening kicked off with an impressive start with menswear label MisteR. The rest of the collection comprised of detailed European tailoring in denim suits a la Dickens’ Artful Dodger combined with an edginess of urban Tokyo streetwear.

Coined by Australia’s The Vine as “indie fashion queen”, Lela Jacobs’ collection certainly flipped my switch (intro image above). Her elegant Holly Golightly inspired LBD takes a quirky turn with a black tulle ruffled collar which takes on a very animalistic masculine overtones in its male version. An ethereal ‘wind chime’ collar is another exquisite detail Lela Jacobs incorporates into a white sleeveless top.

Nom*d dazzled with its understated androgynous deconstructed suits and contemporary approach to vintage pieces. Zambesi rocked out with a striking collection with an asymmetrical halter neck feathered mini dress, a timeless summer shift fashioned from your neighbour’s shower curtain, and a boiler-suit-orange ensemble which looks perfectly at home on the catwalk but would stand out on the street like a raging queen at an after match rugby function.

Entrepreneur wonder woman Annah Stretton’s summer collection “The Boy I Left Behind” marries 80s Madonna punk with washed out pastel pinks and flesh-toned undergarments, with the resurgence of the ra-ra skirt. Ruby Boutique seems to take Annah Stretton’s theme one step further with a risqué pre-pubescent Lolita sporting her underwear over her stockings and wearing her negligee out on the town way past her bedtime. I’m not sure who their market is, but I’d lock up my daughter if she was tempted to walk out the house in these provocative little numbers. However, perhaps the styling for the show is just that; to provoke, as their on-line collection is far more toned-down than its catwalk counterpart and heavily influenced by the 80s penchant for pastels, ruffles, power jackets, and high waisted pencil skirts.

Ruby Boutique was not the only one determined to drag some of the fashion casualties of the 80s and 90s back into the harsh limelight. Designers such as Zambesi, Lela Jacobs, and Miranda Brown also dared to breathe life back into the dead carcass of the clothes horse fashion forgot with low slung crotches reminiscent of MC Hammer. But that’s fashion, I guess.



However, fashion, is not always synonymous with style. Unlike fashion, style cannot be bought or borrowed, but is something unique to the individual. So rest assured, even if you don’t have the luxury of a disposable income to be dressed from head to toe in designer duds, style is something which doesn’t cost a cent and only requires the confidence to wear what suits your figure and the courage to reveal your personality. I remain perfectly content to continue to shop for my basics at the House of G, inject a little character with op shop finds and occasionally consider parting with a kidney to afford an investment designer piece. Even fashion’s most influential icon Yves Saint Laurent once said “Fashions fade, style is eternal” which were exemplified that evening both on and off stage at Style Christchurch.

By Majka Kaiser, November 2009