Singapore Designers Showcase: Saturday, Depression, AWOL
It was full house for the first Singapore Designers Showcase runway show at Audi Fashion Festival last Friday, 18th May 2012; fans of local brands Saturday, Depression, and a.w.o.l arrived decked out in their best versions of each label's style.
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SATURDAY
The showcase opened with the soft knits and jersey pieces from Saturday designed by Nic Wong and Daniel Loh. In a mix of bronze, gold and black, the form-fitting tee dresses were offset by knit leggings and flat shoes, perfectly encapsulating the signature "Saturday" luxe casual look.
These any-season pieces gave way to a more covered-up look better suited to Autumn Winter with grays mixed with black and blue, accessorised with knit tights and scarves in fine cashmere.
Apart from one long-line blazer and a wrap coat, Saturday was all about very simple shapes in muted colours. This label is not about shocking the viewer or stretching the imagination but more about creating simple, easy-to-wear shapes in comfortable materials.
DEPRESSION
The second label, Depression designed by Kenny Lim and Andrew Loh, on the other hand, is much more defined in its concept. Depression is not for everyone; it's quirky, a little odd, and sometimes unwearable, but it is interesting. And Depression has a dedicated cult following, proved by the number of fashionistas dressed head to toe in previous seasons' pieces – even Audi Fashion Festival "star" guest Tallulah Harlech was dressed in Singapore's most-loved alternative fashion label.
Depression's collection consisted of a series of black jersey pieces with its signature draping, multiple layers and additional bits and pieces – from fringing to studs; the addition of royal blue was a highlight of the collection, adding an extra dimension to a multi-piece menswear jacket and highlighting draping on t-shirts. One of the more successful outfits was a pair of pants/leggings with sheer inserts worn with a black and blue press-stud tee.
Depression showed its signature mix of men's and women's wear with its unisex mix of loose shapes and more fitted pieces. There were some great skinny pants alongside the brand’s traditional "harem" style for men, as well as bi-colour leggings for both men and women.
Less successful was an odd organically cut cape-dress which covered the shoulders but showed way too much leg in a quite unflattering manner as well as a "face" circle shift with additional fringe – a piece that only the most adventurous, and thinnest, of fashionistas could attempt to wear with any success.
A fun addition to the styling of the collection was a series of extreme hats with huge brims and fabulous spikes all over; again not something you'd generally wear to the shops but fab to look at nonetheless.
Much more successful were the brand's second range of accessories – flat lace-up shoes with the addition of patent bows and studded "wings", as well as a fab envelope clutch with semi-hidden spikes; once again the brand’s accessories attempted to steal the show.
Overall, the new collection from Depression shows definite growth with a refinement of design coupled to a generally higher level of finishing which can only bode well for this non-depressing Singapore fashion label.
A.W.O.L
The SDS show ended with a.w.o.l (all walks of life) by Alfie Leong; a collection that was a combination of great concepts with less than perfect execution. The colourways, graphic prints and three-dimensionality was let down by a lack of finishing on the garments and over-styling.
Opening with a white shirt paired with a maxi skirt in a gold and black print worn by Singapore's top model Sheila Sim, the addition of a gold leather shoulder harness and headpiece did little to elevate the outfit to something more than what it was - a white skirt and a long printed skirt.
More structural pieces, particularly a series of black jackets and coats were quite well cut, but a little too diverse – a simple black trench looked incongruous next to more 3D "puffer" shapes or the more fitted, zip-front coat. The addition of “fur” also diluted the overall cohesion of the collection that was held together by colour and print.
Small details let the overall concept down as well, a gold column dress with substantial pleating and front slit was let down by the lack of lining as the unfaced surface showed with every step the model took; a shame as the actual cut was quite flattering.
Overall a.w.o.l has massive potential, there are some fantastic ideas – the colourways and use of a variety of materials, from gold leather to "fur", silk and designed graphic prints really do look fantastic on the runway; hopefully the brand will be able to correct some of the production issues and edit out some of the less successful peices.
Still, these emerging designers really did do Singapore proud; there is obviously a huge amount of creative talent on this small island. Hopefully the brands will be able to take advantage of the recent industry call for better access to quality production sources; creative talent combined with top-notch production is sure to be a success.
via her world | PLUS
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