Here's what happened at Heat Fashion Tour part 1,on Saturday the 7th of May.
FAQ
What is Heat?
Heat is a company that manages events and has several categories:Modelling, Creation and even Security.
What is Heat Fashion Tour?
Well it all comes back to the concept of "Fashion Week",where designers showcase their collections in different venues,all lasting one week.If such a fashion week were introduced here it wouldn't work because people wouldn't be interested enough,unfortunately.So what Heat did is that they combined the concept of "top model","shops"and"designers"to form the Heat Fashion Tour.
Essentially,shops (whether they are based here e.g Endjoy or abroad e.g Billabong) present their collections or newest arrivals,and then the up and coming or established designers (Sanjeet Bolell,Annabelle Fleury etc) present some pieces they have created according to some selected themes,and are free to be as avant garde as they wish.All the while,the invited guests and the jury vote for the Heat Icon (that is,the model they think was the best at the show).The focus is on the designers-the jury selects the six best designers and they battle it out in the final.
Prizes are offered-cash,chances to work with some of the sponsors of the event,etc.
Why are you covering it?
Because it's important that designers get the max attention they need so that the fashion industry can grow and that in a few years,we can have our own fashion week.Plus I'm not just showing you what was in the shows,I'm writing on whether the collections corresponded to the trends seen at S/S 2011(check the articles on them) or Fall/Winter 2011 (article coming very soon on that),whether they are worth buying,and what I think of them.
This blog also has international viewers,so they can see what's happening in our small country.
Note:
1. Although the collections are for winter,you will see minidresses.Fact is,on the coast and other areas,its still 24 degrees Celsius-forever summer,you may think.Plus,with the right accessories,the dresses can easily battle colder weather.
2.The photos from each collection are posted here,too.
3.Most of the shop collections don't have a particular theme or idea in mind,so the clothes are just what the head designers think should be in your wardrobe.
The first collection to be presented was EndJoy,created by Kan Chan Kin.
The best piece of the collection was the purple printed mini dress,shown on top.Wear with stacks or wedges,something with a large heel,some gold bangles,a large tote ( you need a big bag with such a flimsy dress),and a cardigan.Tie it all together with oversized sunglasses.
As for the men-The one on the far right is my favourite for the interesting design on a plain white tee.
Cardigan-ASOS.com
The shoes are not by Endjoy,they are from the sponsors,Bella Donna.I love the fringed wedges!They are great and enhance movement and are huge for Summer and Fall 2011.
Harem pants?They were in fashion a couple of years ago but then disappeared super quickly.Why?Well they are NOT flattering,even though for some very strange reason,men love them.So give it a miss.
The dress on the far left becomes super tight hips down,so I would suggest you opt for a thicker heel which is smaller in size.If you don't accessorise with a statement necklace,you will look naked.The third dress on the far right is cute,but to be worn with caution-it has a little of 60s psychedelic flower print going on,so wear with a fitted blazer,preferably in dark blue to enhance the pink and red tones of the dress,pumps,and simple jewelery.I wouldn't go with an uptight bun here-either keep the bun messy or just let your hair down.
The second collection was from Blue Steel Klubbing Gear (BSKG).
Before I comment on the third look,here is the number one style guideline,quoted word for word by Ines de la Fressange:
"Wear full pants and skirts with tight fitting tops,and tight trousers and skirts with loose fitting tops"
You can't wear a tight top and tight jeans,a la third look.A pair of simple,straight legged,full black trousers (that is,there is space between the thigh and the material without it looking shapeless) would have looked perfect.
Finally,for the fourth look:Never pair trousers/skirt that ends on the calf with a shoe that cuts all around your ankle.Your leg will look cut up and a couple of pounds bigger than it is.You can't see the shoe from this photo-look at the last photo from the BSKG collection,just a photo down from this one below,and you will understand better.
From left to right:Tattoo prints on shirts and sweaters have made a comeback in the international community,so the shirt is ok,just as long as you don't pair anything printed with it.
The second look is an uber tight asymmetric orange mini dress,with ruffle detail on the sleeve.You don't exactly have many options with this one,unless you are under 23 and this is your clubbing outfit.But even then,you can't pair it with stilettos,or a high heel in general.A neutral flat would be OK.
However,the third tight yellow dress gets it right,and its one of my key pieces.Both the shoulders are covered and it's mid thigh,so the proportion of skin shown to skin covered is pretty good.For the day,a pair of neutral sandals and a large tote will work.For the colder days,add a pair of semi-opaque tights,closed shoe boots that do not exceed five inches in height,and a dark blue blazer to complete the look.
Concerning the first man shown in the last picture,in the foreground:Tracksuits are to be worn at the gym,and only at the gym.Period.If he removed the tracksuit,he would be working the sporty trend as it is to be worn:A cool polo(I would go for lighter colours,to echo Lacoste/Tommy Hilfiger S/S 2011),jeans,and loafers or even brogues.The man in the background was wearing TWO army inspired pieces-and that's a no-no.Keep the army safari jacket and pair with tailored pants,or keep the army trousers(if you must really wear army inspired trousers with lots of pockets-I personally don't like it,but some people do) and pair it with something that's simple and tailored.
From left to right:For the third look,the "I'm here for the ladies shirt"-For me,it's not fashionable nor stylish and will never be.Just like the F.B.I-Federal Booby Inspector (for the Malcolm in the Middle fans)tee made Reese look like an idiot,this is what supposedly "clever" messages on T-shirts do for you.Here of course,no boy will ever listen to that,so just keep the messages really clever,with nothing to do with sex or body parts,and you will not look cheesy.
Last photo-the cut leg look,mentioned above.
Then it was time for the Mikado (a shop selling watches and jewelry) promotional show divided into two parts.In the first half,all the models come on stage wearing the watch promoted by Mikado (ICE) wearing all the sponsor's clothes.The Sponsors for clothing were RT Knits,BSKG,L'IN,Beachwear,and Bella Donna.
In the second half,only the models that are competing for the Heat Icon title come out in different clothes,still by the sponsors.
Two key pieces are found in the photos above.The first is a beautiful,simple white summer dress with a little beading-it echoes the craft theme showcased in the S/S 2011 collections-a must have.Wear with a cute camel messenger bag and wedges for a romantic look or add a leather jacket and flat ankle length boots and layered thin necklaces for a tougher flavour.The second is a dress composed of a white tank,a bright print skirt tied together by an empire black elastic band.Keep the accessories neutral so not to compete with the skirt,and add a grey/dark blue blazer (a staple piece for winter) with closed shoe boots to complete the look.
The fourth turquoise dress begs for accessorising or it will look blah.I would suggest combing a chunky necklace,baroque in style with a couple of bracelets,with a tailored jacket that hits below the waist,with wedges or stacks.
Above are the girls competing for the Heat Icon title.
Looks to love:The yellow dress on the far left,but to be tied at the waist with a belt,and a pair of high waisted white shorts with an orange tank and long necklace-to be worn with wedges or flats.
Next was the Billabong collection.
I loved both of the shoes in the third photo,especially the platform with multi coloured straps-so summery!(I know,this is the winter collection,but I think I have said enough about that in the introduction)
The first look here-a long brown top with metal accents would be beautifully paired with a white pair of trousers or tailored shorts-go for a lighter fabric at the bottom to offset the darker colour of the top.
I don't like the striped shirt on the man in the third picture with cut off denim shorts,the proportion isn't right.A pair of darker coloured jeans and loafers would have been much better.
Next was IV Play,whose head designer is Mario Guillot.The brand focuses more on jeans and denim.The latter was HUGE on the Spring runways.
IV Play had a lot of bright tank tops,as well as the best in straight leg,slightly distressed denim that does not go overboard.The statement piece for me were the belts,which add instant tough attitude to any outfit,thanks to their big metal punched circles and no-fuss,strict lines.They have also turned up the cuffs of their jeans,which is en vogue-Chanel rolled up the cuffs of its trousers in the Fall/Winter show.
I personally wouldn't wear anything that has logos all over it,but you can't do much about it.What I would suggest is that if you really have no choice but to wear something that has a massively visible logo on it,make sure all of the other items you are wearing have no visible logo in sight.
Do NOT layer a short sleeved shirt over a Tshirt,because it has no effect whatsoever and looks odd.
I especially like the dark blue jeans and the light green Tshirt with the brown belt look-it's simple yet effective.I would pair it with tough boots.The outfit in the second picture is also great,but I would have preferred it if the shorts were just an inch over the knee.
Never pair a tight fitting Tshirt over a shirt.It looks terrible,no matter how fit you are.
The shoes showcased were absolutely beautiful.I think that Bella Donna has really come back full force with an amazing shoe collection,and can compete with Aldo,Shoe connection and Shoepoint easily.
Note the chinoiserie inspired hair and makeup in the last photo- in sync with the international community.
If there was anything I really didn't like in the show,it was this harem inspired jean.It doesn't do anything for the woman,it makes her leg look super short and her her thighs all one big,denim mess.
After that,it was time for the second part of the Heat Icon contest-all the clothes are by IV Play.
Ashiana Fashion then took over-this is a shop that specialises in Bridal Wear.
I will always prefer a minimalist oriented approach to a wedding dress-check out my last article-but Ashiana really have worked hard in layering fabric,corsetry,beading,gathering so you have to give them credit for making maximum effort.
If I had to choose my favourite dress,it would have to be the second dress from the left.It has simple layers of tulle flowing from a tight corset.However,I don't like how the corset isn't "closed"-you can see the ribbon being woven at the back.It's like lingerie from the wedding night got mixed up in the dress.
The end of Ashiana Fashion's collection marked the end of all the shops' collections.Now it was time for four designers-two established professionals, and two up and coming new designers to showcase their talent in four looks that represent what they are capable of.They can be as wearable or as avant garde as the designer likes,but they have to choose from four selected themes-Metallic Fun,Hot Pink,In the Skin Trade,and Ruched and Draped.
Annabelle Fleury chose the theme Metallic Fun for her collection.Surprising,since her label Oriya is known particularly for it's flattering use of ruching and draping techniques.I think she wanted to prove that Oriya stands for the idea of the strong,dynamic and free woman,and that this can be expressed in other ways than for what she is known for-that she can transmit her ideology no matter what the theme.
Her first item was a dark grey gun metal coloured dress-and I immediately thought of Armani Prive Couture Spring Summer 2011 Collection-it had some of it's flavour.The shoes were from Shoepoint.
Armani Prive
All of the items presented had a cocktail luxury soiree appeal,and transform the woman from human to a super powerful alien-esque beauty.It was almost like the models were bathed in liquid metal.The details were also beautifully done-the cuffs of the dresses at the far right and far left were made out of zippers,whilst the gold dress had asymmetric chainmail going up and around it.The cuffs and belt of the jumpsuit also were made out of chainmail.What I liked was how the clothes made the woman strong,in a league of her own, yet still accessible and fun.
Next Sweetie Ramlagun presented her collection based on the theme Hot Pink.She was inspired by the capital's (Port Louis for international viewers) culture and folklore,and the exotic bazaar with its range of super bright colours emanating from the products on display,all woven in to create a tapestry that transports the client to a different visual dimension.
Spots and Circles are on trend for fall 2011 and were seen on two of the three dresses.The third dress is printed-inspired by the capital's buildings-has some draping going on at the waist,and is beautiful.I love how the proportion was carefully thought of and applied-the slightly voluminous sleeves,the V-neck,the cinching at the waist with the pleats-it's perfect.I also loved how there was a men's piece incorporated in her collection-notably the denim jean that was artfully ripped and imbued with bright pink.
Then came Noorina Niamut's collection-she also created her collection with the Hot Pink theme in mind.She went avant garde,which was very interesting.She wanted to show various cultures in each of her items-Indian,Creole,European amongst others-which make up Mauritius and its society.She also was in sync with a trend seen on fall runways,which is to mix different materials and textures"tous ensemble".Hence silk,tulle,satin,cotton and wool were all present in her creations.She wanted to show the contrast in colours and fabric but how it all works together.
What I found amazingly creative was how the materials all blended in together yet contrasted.There was incredible attention to detail put into each of the outfits,whether it be layering fabrics-velour with whispers of tulle-the colours-fuchsia, tangerine,and of course hot pink-to the beading,the trimming..It made me think of a more culture oriented Meadham Kirchhoff.
The final collection to be presented was of Veruna Jeetun,who chose to work with the theme "Metallic Fun".All her clothes were very 70s,Studio 54 inspired-full on glamour.
Detailing must have been something all the designers focused on immensely-here too it was careful draping of silk across the dress in the first picture,accessoried by a simple skinny black belt,whereas the second dress had a mesh insert(very clever) with a chain of gold squares draped across the collar bone and the shoulders of the model.The third dress was printed-subtle purple Indian prints,combined with a glittery sequined body with purple,almost zebra like stripes but very discreet,which had a long metallic chain weaving through the model's arm.The fourth dress stroke the perfect Over the Top but not too much balance-the brooch(love!) which pinned two very different materials together,one bedazzled,the other soft pure silk(or satin,probably the latter),with the metallic belt separating the top half of the dress from the satin/silk bottom,with semi opaque fabric topping the whole look off.
Thus ended Part 1 of the Heat Fashion Tour.The second part is tomorrow,Saturday May the 14th at Phoenix Commercial Centre-check the events tab on who will be presenting.I hope to see you guys there.
xoxo
Alex
