NZFW DAY TWO: HIGHLIGHTS

Day two officially marks the first full day of Fashion Week. It’s the very beginning of what will be (beautiful) mayhem for the next several days. Tuesday consisted of five shows, two shoots, visits to and from the media centre to edit, write and relay. There was a lunch at Jack Tar, an after-party at Snapdragon and a visit to the White Lady for late night fries. One could argue there was not a facet to the city (and to fashion) that wasn’t covered. It was busy in the most ideal way a day can be. At particular points, Tony had to ask me to slow down because my walk was turning into a skip-come-eventual-run. I was both running on a high, and as usual, determined to capture, do and achieve all we set out. If 2am was the only “fashionably late” bed-time on offer, then I’d take it – for the sake of making the most of, and of course, involving you guys in it all.

So here I am, at 12.37pm, about to type up all the crazy, cool things we saw day two at Fashion Week. Once I start typing, the need for this coffee beside me will become no longer. Of the five shows we watched – Salasai, French83, New Generation, BlackEyePeach/XPLAIN and Jarrad Godman – a few still capture me, even at this time of night.

Firstly, Salasai. To be honest, I walked into this show with little background knowledge regarding the designer. I was unsure what to expect – and in this position, it really can go either way. Fortunately, I was remarkably impressed. It’s day three, and I’m still thinking about it (not purely the collection, but the entire display and concept). The cage-like structure which encompassed the show was absolutely intriguing. Sure, it made for some interesting photos (most of the models’ faces were seared by a white bar), but the effect was overall positive: for some reason, the dissected view made me even more eager to see between the lines.

On viewing the collection, one could understand why you’d want to retain it in one place. It was characterised by a multitude of facets. It was grunge, yet incredibly earthy; edgy, yet somehow really soft and flowing. Having the opportunity to watch models for a longer period of time, better yet, to watch them in complementation with each other, was powerful. I caught myself wondering why certain looks and faces were paired together. Any show that influences your thinking beyond the material on the models’ backs is a smart one, if you ask me.

Third of the day was New Generation, a show consisting of multiple emerging talents. While often I find these disappointedly boring – some of the designers seem to stray from outlandish and statement, and feed what’s already working in the fashion world – Erik-Yvon was not one of them. The oversized designs were fresh, unlike something I’d already seen, and as is always a good addition, genuinely wearable. There was this one insanely colourful print that featured across the collection multiple times, and let me tell you, it was the definition of rad: it reminded me of both superheroes, and too, of the bright signs that lead you to takeaways and late night diners. Erik Yvon, you’ve just figured out how to reel me in. As for your accessories, I can’t complain; they were bloody sassy.

What concluded my Tuesday – indeed, slightly differently than usual – was Jarrad Godman X Servilles. If you follow my snapchat story, you’ll know I spent the entirety of the show trying to figure it out – sometimes a terrible thing, sometimes a seriously good thing. Part of me felt slightly concerned for the sake of the models; the other half of me pondered the idea that Godman understood fashion better than us all. To ignore the face, in consideration of all it does for our appearance, is a bold move. But in doing so, we move the focus from our inherent features to our individual choices. We no longer let the nature of our looks filter the way we are to express ourselves.

So Godman is clever: he diverts the focus to his collection – which by the way has enough personality to disregard even the most lively face. Better than solely shifting our attention, by extension of his outfit to the very tip – and past – the edge of the head, he and Servilles remind us that our entire body is our landscape. Style and expression can be found not purely in the clothes we wear, but embedded in our entire being. It’s a combination of all, unlimited and absolutely encompassing. Godman’s collection assures us of the way we must control the direction of the eye, but even more, he asks we ignore our own preset expression – instead, utilise all that is in our control to express.

If all of this is besides the point, and I’m making up a load of bullshit that Godman would not agree with in association to his collection, then there’s always the gorgeous way these clothes hang off the body that stands as inarguable. Notable is an entire spectrum of personality: you’ll find the light and peaceful pairing of all whites. Then later, elegance is passed up for edge by Godman who utilises sexier, more daring reds to contrast the rest of the black and white collection. The most important thing to note above all, however, is I would sleep in those white wide-leg pants; they appear how comfortable I’m sure a cloud is.

And on that delectable note, continue watching out for fashion week updates, and particularly, for more outfits with pyjama-like qualities, which are not pyjamas (seriously, this will change your work-life. You may thank me later when you’re both the most comfortable and fashion-y in your work place).

McKenzie xx