All the shops are found in Bagatelle (that's the point).
The collections shown were much, much better than that of the last tour, but I do miss the Designers Creativity Contest. It was nice meeting new (and not so new) designers and see what they had to offer! This tour was 100% commercial.
Two videos were filmed for Lemon Yellow and Reserve Naturelle as try-outs, which I've included in the article.
The first collection shown was by Shimee Boutique. I was happily surprised by this, as the clothes showcased were in the majority of cases very pretty, well cut and very wearable.
The pink jumpsuit is my favourite, but I find that the big, heavy belt is distracting and the flower (or coral) cut out is just way too big. Usually a belt should be worn on a jumpsuit so that you can better distinguish the top and bottom halves, but something slightly skinnier without the big ornament on it would have been nicer. As for the dress, it has potential but deep plunging neckline+short hemline+cut out back= too much skin. A hemline that was just a little longer would have been better.
Models often don't wear underwear when out on the catwalk. Apart from that one circumstance (and when you are sleeping and stuff) you should always, ALWAYS, wear a bra. You are probably thinking what bra to wear with a cross-back top/dress (2nd photo to the left) or a backless dress. The solution is the backless bra. The pink dress with little back studs on the waist line is cute, and I like the choice of clutch.
Another great dress is this petrol blue velours number (1st picture to the right), but a less obvious zip would have been much better as it would have made the dress chic. It's skin tight but there are layers and a bit of draping going on, which makes it much nicer than all the lycra numbers out there!
Kurazao then showcased it's beautiful, interesting jewellery line that kicks gold and silver to the curb and welcomes interesting stones, rocks and colour combinations. Anyone of these pieces is sure to add some dimension and interest to an outfit.
The first items presented were ( I believe) white transparent crystals that had some black dots and spots on them, all with a greenish tint. Very beautiful, as was the rest of the collection.
I particularly love the bracelet in the 4th picture (left to right), a collection of small circle beads that look a lot like candy.
Citadel was up next.
Remember how en vogue animal prints were for Fall/Winter 2011/2012 (and that panther sweater in the Givenchy show)? The animal fever may have dimmed for Summer 2012, but Dou the Dodo can still be made fashionable. Pair the white T-shirt (1st picture, left to right) with a pair of denim shorts, a cute pair of sandals ( I bought a pair of brown sandals with beading on the straps from Shoe Connection yesterday),interesting accessories, a blazer or airy cotton jacket, all paired with a tote or messenger bag makes for chic street style.
The bag in the third picture (left to right) is probably the best buy. It works its way into most styles, and has a classic shape.
Up next was Ocean.
The shirts seem to have been cut in a way that it would be a staple to a typical working Mauritian male (apart from the brown checked number, below, third picture right to left) and didn't offer much variety-wise.
Body & Soul, a label that has progressively wanted (in my opinion) to move away from t-shirt+slogan wear to more upscale commercial wear (MANGO) presented a collection of cute pieces, from the oriental print maxi dress to the printed combishort.
On the combishort: Never wear with stiletto heels. As a guideline, the length of your heel should be inversely proportionate to the length of your hemline. In this case, flats are best, or perhaps a slight wedge.Given that
it shows skin, you may want to add a jacket or cardigan on top, and a nice belt so as to mark out the waist.
Aviators are the sunglasses of choice for Mauritian women out there right now, I've noted.
M&M came next.
I wasn't quite sure when I heard that they import D&G. I searched back the collections until 2002 and couldn't find anything, so perhaps I may have understood it wrongly (?-I did hear D&G, but perhaps the people who were speaking were referring to Dolce & Gabbana, which Mauritians often mistake for only one brand). Spring 2012 Ready to Wear marked the end of the D&G line, which shall be incorporated in the Dolce & Gabbana brand but cease to exist as its own label.I wonder what ModaMix will do then?
The flare trousers with flower prints reminded me of a very eccentric collaboration of the hippie 60s and disco 70s.The big bows on the white shirt (4th picture left to right) reminded me of an overdone peasant blouse. Concerning the first picture, never pair tracksuit bottoms (they couldn't possibly be trousers, right? and never wear tracksuits out of the gym!) with a waistcoat, and never pair a waistcoat when leaving your chest bare. The whole look is all wrong. It screams Jersey Shore! By far the nicest piece was the dress with cut out bust, which was very,very sexy because of the deep square cut plus the collar, but be careful to not go vamp with this look-stay away from the red lips and dramatic eyes (and glasses to boot) because you could end up channelling the 'sexed up librarian' look. With such a sexy cut, keep the accessories and make-up fairly innocent.
ICE Watch came after that.
I guess for the people out there that like matching their watches to their clothes ICE is quite appropriate, but it really shouldn't be worn if you are working or going to a formal event.
As a side note, I will always prefer a masculine watch( not black and all rubbery, but chrome and leather with a squarish setting) over a feminine one.
BATA is another company here that is reinventing its brand image and trying to be a little more on the ranks of Bella Donna and Shoepoint.
And you know what? I think they managed to do it. They brought themselves up to Bella Donna level.
After the accessories, it was time for another men's wear collection: Lemon Yellow.
Almost all Mauritian men and women have bronzed skin to varying degrees. That's why wearing brown can sometimes look as if you're washed out, and that is not something desirable. AT ALL. So be careful when wearing brown shirts (but seriously, why not go for a nice light colour in the blue/purple/pink palette?)
It was nice to see a three piece suit, but I doubt whether in Mauritius (with the heat) this is going to work and be worn.
The shirt and trousers in the second photo look well cut.
Here's a video of the collection:
Reserve Naturelle was the before-last collection, showcasing mainly accessories. I am really pleased that accessories were given as much as importance as clothes for this tour, given that for the previous one I was always repeating "this look should really be accessorised by XYZ".
A pretty orangey-pink crochet hat, a fedora (who cares if a guy is wearing it-girl, buy it!), and the cutest messenger bag were all on display. The great thing is that all of them aren't that expensive.
Here's a video of the collection:
Tendances closed the show, bringing in some new items and showcasing those we have seen in the last tour too.
The nicest piece was this orange asymmetrical dress. Yes it may be short, and skin tight, and it shows a lot of skin, but it's well cut,the fabric is well draped and the colour is sorbet, which actually makes it (colour-wise) on trend.
Next was a hippie, flowy number (the short at the front long at the back look is out of fashion now, and has been for a while. In fact, anything that is above your knee by three cm is passé. But in Mauritius, this won't apply-ever), followed by the pink dress we saw at the last tour. I haven't changed my mind about it-the loose material on the bust and the detail on the hem make it look slightly frumpy.
Is there anything as too high a slit? Yes, there is. Here's a warning sign: If you are walking down the street in this dress (forget about evening wear or whatever) and a gust of wind blows up and everyone can see your butt and your entire leg, you know that it is just way too high. You can always buy the dress and sew it up a little so the slit is a couple of cm shorter. We've seen the dress with feathered tulle (I think it's tulle) before, and as above, my judgement hasn't changed. The corset like bust and then the explosion of tulle at the bottom with a short cut which makes everything waist down seem box-ish isn't very flattering.
On Saturday the finale will be held at the SHOUT Club, and I will be there covering it.
Have a great week and amazing weekend
xoxo
Alex
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