The Girls have gone wild… and the boys too!
Yesterday, I had the privilege to represent mecho in reviewing the work of quite a few memorable clothing labels associated with BAM Brands—an international brand management firm that recognizes emerging fashion talent and fresh ideas across the world. The intimate view-by-appointment showcase of the upcoming Autumn 2011 collections was held at the Boutwell Draper Gallery in Redfern—a venue as urban and edgy as the fashion within. It all seems to be about retro humour for menswear.
The most memorable and jaw-dropping pieces are, without a doubt, the all-black unisex Glam-Rock extravaganza from Dan Jones. The Sydney-based designer, who debuted at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week in June this year, stole the show with an edgy variety of over-the-top black embellishments on very masculine/feminine T-shirts, tank tops and loose-fit pants. Everything from sequins, rhinestones and beads to even ostrich feather are individually hand-beaded with love onto the garments to ooze the dark, sultry glamour of his usual androgynous audience. Each piece had a genuine fierceness and unstoppable confidence that is unlike anything we’ve seen from the usual put-together, “suburban princess” aesthetics of other Australian designers. The versatility of Jones’ designs—whether in terms of gender audience or styling options—has me genuinely convinced that it would be a wise decision for boys (and girls… and boy-girls) to invest in some hardcore goth glamour before the prices escalate even further once he makes it onto the radar! A touch of sparkle would definitely turn heads in the clubs next fall. These lookbook images are for the current Spring season- which also feature lots of hand-beaded goodness.
Asuza, a Gold Coast-based duo-designer label gave us Lord of the Flies with the monstrous beachwear designs that will set one apart in a sea of generic Billabong. There’s such a strong sense of chaos and incoherence (even within the clothes themselves) that you can genuinely believe that the wearer (or the stylist of this lookbook) is out of his mind- but that, people, is the beauty of Asuza. It is wild clothes for wild people who party hard in the summer. Individually, many of this season’s pieces can quirk up your look, especially the unique and unpredictable prints on the surf shorts. There’re also a range of washed denim items- shirts, shorts, and surf shorts that are printed to look like denim ;). It’s okay to make no sense- because that’s part of the fun.
The showcase was also living proof that the obsession about shoes and bags are now also acceptable amongst males. Study Footwear, an American young footwear design house offer a quirky line of college-friendly shoes that are breathtakingly quirky and statement-making. What’s even better: it’s aimed at us students, and hence, nothing exceeds $120. Multi-coloured lace-up loafers (or rather tackily, boat shoes) are revived to be worn by young preppies- and they’re great for injecting some freshness (and god forbid, humour) into an outfit. I’ve already got my eye on either the colour-blocked loafers or the blue sneakers. Yummy…
Melbourne’s hand-made accessory designer Mercurialist is although, no Louis Vuitton- they however, have these gorgeous butter-soft leather bags that are oh-so-luxurious and versatile. From more abstract pieces, like the simple shoulder tote to the elaborate weekend bag, Mercurialist pieces have this incredibly vintage feel that goes with any outfit in a super-luxe way- and are almost half the price of a big-name-label bag!
(Mercurialist Official Blog: http://mecurialist.blogspot.com/)
