Designers to bend the rules at show

Published Jul 23, 2012

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Cape Town - Some of the country’s top designers are hard at work preparing for the Mother City’s 10th fashion week – now quite a mouthful under its new name: Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Cape Town.

From Wednesday July 25, 18 shows of Spring/Summer 2012 collections – spread over four days – will satisfy the fashion hungry.

Cape Town designers include Gavin Rajah, Kluk CGDT and Habits, while Joburg will be represented by Thula Sindi, Spero Villioti and David Tlale who, as usual, will show his collection at a surprise venue.

Kloof Street-based designer Stefania Morland and her daughter and partner Shana Morland are moving away from their avian-inspired theme of last year.

“Our theme this year is Marie Antoinette and her fashion endeavours. We will be using rich, luscious fabrics and the colour palette is pastelly. Think pinks, turquoise and buttery yellows,” she said this week at her boutique.

Stefania says while the collection will look modern, it will retain the opulence of pre-French Revolution wear.

“It will be a mixture of garments as I want this shop to have nice variety. I love dresses but there will be pants too, everything from daywear to cocktail wear.”

Morland says they will collaborate with a youth orchestra for the show.

“It fits in well with our theme. It is a bit scary, though – the right music has to happen at the right time.”

Catch her show next Saturday at 8.30pm at the CTICC.

Durban designer Leigh Schubert made headlines recently when her design was chosen for Team South Africa’s kit for next week’s 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony.

However, far from the athletic wear for the London event, Schubert’s range for Thursday’s fashion week instalment is feminine.

“I am going philosophical with this range – it’s an emotional one. The colours are feminine, featuring shades of pale pink and coral. This is on trend with summer. The range will have a lot of layers. There will be soft fabrics including some lace of the chunky woolly sort and matt crepe,” she says.

Working on the Olympic kit put her two weeks behind schedule on this collection.

“(The kit) is not something my customers expect from me. I don’t do sports or men’s wear. I am excited about going to the opening ceremony. They are going to look great and comfortable and easily identifiable.”

Schubert’s show is on Thursday at 5pm at the CTICC. She will head to London thereafter for the opening ceremony the next day.

Woodstock-based Craig Port makes a return to fashion week this year after being away last year. He will launch the Craig Port Collection, which will be available at online store 36Boutiques.

Port says the collection embodies the hedonism of the past, such as the flappers of the 1920s and the dot com boom of the early nineties.

“In the past I had to water down designs for shops. With this, it’s straight from fashion week to the public.”

The range is exclusive, as only 10 of each of the 37 styles is available. Fabrics he is using include super-fine and nautical knits, cottons and silks.

Some of the colours on his palette are metallics, French navy, mint, onyx, bone and coral.

His show is divided into two halves. The first will showcase the Craig Port Collection and the second will feature a compendium of new designs from his other ranges. He hints that he will launch something new during the show, not to be confused with the Craig Port Collection.

Singer Lindiwe Suttle will perform an opening number for his show. See Craig Port at 7.15pm on Thursday at the CTICC.

* Tickets for the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Cape Town are available at www.webtickets.co.za and cost either R150 or R300 per show. See www.afi.za.com or follow @AFI_sa on Twitter. - Weekend Argus

* Twitter: @WendylMartin

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