#SAFWAW17

SA Fashion Week AW '17

It's almost that time of the year again... SAFW Autumn/Winter '17 heads to Hyde Park from 20 September - 24 September 2016. 40 of South Africa's Top Fashion Designers have been given the platform to showcase their latest designs in this 5 day showcase.

Tickets are available from TicketPro.

Something very important to take note of. There is a dress code. STRICTLY NO COLOUR & Fashionably Formal (ie. that means NO jeans). Which essentially means that you are only allowed to wear Black & White. 

#SAFW - AGEO

Ageo by Arnold Phasha, it was like a 50 Shades of Blue  #AW 16 range. Blue on Blue.

And it was perfectly cohesive and worked so well for him with these garments. With a variety of fabrics and textures that complimented each other in every piece it really stood out as one of my favourite shows at #SAFW.

There are definitely a few of these items that I want to add to my own wardrobe for next year. From jumpsuits & satin pants to coats without collars & a few mesh pieces.

Androgyny. It's a real thing. Well I know that and it is evident in a lot of designers recent collections. More so in menswear lately and clearly evident in this unisex range from AGEO. 

Find Arnold Phasha and AGEO online:

Twitter: @ageoalamode

Facebook: Ageo by Arnold Phasha

Photos courtesy of SDR Photo and available here. 

#SAFW - JJ Schoeman

When you hear the name JJ Schoeman, you probably think of glitzy red carpet dresses worn by celebrities and high profile business women around the globe. So when I sat down before his #AW16 collection was to take to the runway at #SAFW, I was expecting mostly glamarous ballgowns studded with beading. Well, lets just say that what I was expecting, is not what came down the runway. 

JJ Schoeman proved that simplicity is the key to a very successful collection. This range was completed with a monochromatic palate of greys, blacks and neutrals.

 

 

 

   

Trend Analyst Nicola Cooper (one smart lady that really knows her stuff) spotted these coming trends before they hit the runway. The 'glocal' interpretations that she spoke about on the FashionLabAF radio show during her trend report. Coats & Cloaks in Mono Moods are pretty evident in JJ Schoeman's #AW16 collection as seen below.

 

Oh! Something that I really liked, was that all the models had the exact same hairstyle, done up by hairstylist Wesley Gordon. This one constant element ensured that you are not distracted by the models' hair and stay focused on his elegant and sophisticated garments on the runway.

 

 

A general trend that I did see in many of the #AW16 collections on the #SAFW runway was the women's wear designers using a lot of black in their collections as seen here in JJ Schoeman's chic range, adding some darker shades to the runway. Black Leather. Black Lace. Black Velvet. All of these made their way down the runway at some point over the course of #SAFW.

 

And what is a JJ Schoeman show without the glitz and glam. His range ended with this stunning slim evening gown complete with all the sparkle and a extravagant head piece. 

Find JJ Schoeman on social media - 
Twitter: @JJSchoeman
Facebook: JJ Schoeman - Theatre of Fashion
Website: www.jjschoeman.com

Photo's courtesy of SDR Photo & available here.

#SAFW - Touch Of Bling

Thabo Khumalo aka Thabo Bling has always brought something new, fresh and creative to the South Africa Fashion Week runway. And this season, with his #AW16 collection for Touch of Bling, he did just that again. 'Wearability' is key in the fashion industry now days. People want to wear collections straight off of the runway and so his 'ready-to-wear' collection this season was a very good example of what he knows the market out there wants and he is making his eccentric designs accessible to everyone who is daring enough to wear a jumpsuit or suit printed with brightly coloured dice.

And then Thabo toned it down a bit, well almost. The 'oversized' big stitched knitwear is a personal favourite. According to trend analyst Nicola Cooper, we should have expected to see lots capes and cloaks, and this is a trend that Touch of Bling most definitely has picked up on and used in this collection as seen in these images below.

The colours used in his #AW16 collection ranging from lighter beige and green neutrals to more darker and earthy browns, which I think has made this collection even more of a 'wearable' range, as (lets face it and tell the truth now) many South African men are not too keen on wearing bright colourful clothing which attracts too much attention to them. 

Being different, one thing that Touch of Bling does that makes them unique, specifically when it comes to the pants in his collections is the buttoning which crosses diagonally from the lower crotch over to the waist. I can imagine that this is something that some people would not like as it is not 'normal.' However I think (as being somewhat of a non-conformist myself) this is a rather interesting and unique trademark that he has going and it is setting him apart from  other menswear designers in the country. 

Find Touch of Bling on social media.
Twitter: @ThaboBling
Facebook: Touch of Bling
Instagram: Touch of Bling
Or get in contact with Thabo - ghettobling@webmail.com 

*thumbs up for Touch of Bling*

Images by SDR Photo and can be found here.