Marianne Fassler




Craig Port




Shana




Stefania Morland


Lazuli




Lo




Gavin Rajah

Here's a look at some of the collections from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Cape Town 2014. I absolutely loved the Marianne Fassler bodysuit with a sheer pink triangle-print overlay. Those white chain sunnies are the perfect accessory - that look is everything! Craig Port's ladieswear was light, sweet and a little bit 20s featuring Neapolitan ice cream skirts, flower crowns and piled-on pearls. I'm really loving the dusty pink colour ways this season.

Shana brought us some glitzy pieces fit for parties with a generous helping of sparkles and quirky multicoloured spiked hair bands which I would have saved up for at Space Station circa early 2000s. Stefania Morland took us to Tokyo while keeping her signature dressy aesthetic and Lazuli kept things fresh with a sportswear-luxe attitude; they're shaping up to be a brand I love to look out for. Lo was interesting with scalloped dresses and helpings of texture here and there. Now we get to a little bit of controversy...

Gavin Rajah gets a lot of hate but he puts on a beautiful show. I recognised some of the designs as being similar to international collections but that didn't stop me from enjoying the show, I don't think it stopped many people actually - at one point, the entire room was so fixated and hushed that you could hear the models walking. The girls behind me were certainly enraptured.

'Copying' is a more difficult topic than you'd think and there's a hell of a lot to talk about before picking up a pitchfork while wearing a knock-off you might be unaware you've purchased. In a nutshell, I find it humorous that people profess to be on one side of an argument when they are courting the blurred lines themselves. Of course there are differences between wearing something from Zara and designers sending identical dresses down the runway but there's still a bit to discuss. If anyone wants to read more about what I think of fashion copyrights, let me know and I'll share my thoughts. For now, what I can say with confidence is that the technical work that goes into Rajah's outfits is astounding so he's definitely doing something right.

W35T



Lo




Gavin Rajah



Lalesso



Craig Port



Leigh Schubert





Lazuli

I wanted to share a snapshot of some of the Rare Style on display at this year's fashion week. There was a strong Asian influence in many of the collections and a focus on light colour ways. White and pastel dominated, with pops of orange and fuchsia warming things up. Femininity was king (or rather queen) with delicate fabrics occupying the runway while glitzy embellishments, geometric prints and headwear added interesting touches.

There's really nothing like experiencing fashion week in the front row where you can almost feel the garments so I wanted to thank The Macallan for hooking me up with the best seat in the house for my favourite event of the year. I can't wait to see how South African fashionistas interpret the trends this summer!

Lazuli was a pleasant surprise. I'd never seen their work and found their garments unique and charming. Heavenly white pieces were cut beautifully and added interest by use of flirtations with brocade and other intriguing textiles. Easy flowing dresses and cute paper bag style clutches were youthful and hip. Can't wait to see more.  

I'm currently sorting through thousands of images from fashion week so I thought I'd share some chic backs from the collections in the meantime. Buckles at Tart, Stefania Morland's cute bows, flowing maxis from Habits and Cheryl Arthur's dreamy prints. It's all about the details baby!