Wham bam! The first night of the MTN Durban Fashion Week got off to an indifferent start last night.
To start things off it has to be said that Suncoast Casino provided a superb venue for such a stylish event. On arrival we were greeted with one of the best backdrops Durban has to offer…the ocean. The staff was awesome, everyone knew what was going on and that made the whole evening that much more enjoyable.
The shows were a bit disappointing for me. There were two absolute stand outs in Chimera by Bekky Beukes and Leigh Schubert. The less said about the rest the better.
Bekky had the tough task of opening fashion week. Everyone who was anyone in the industry was in attendance and this girl absolutely rocked. Her range was timeless. Having great seats we were able to see how well done her stuff was. The detail was amazing. Bekky owes her inspiration for her Fashion Week range to her brother who serves in the US Marine Corps, her clothing serves as a protest against war and the pain and anguish it causes. For me this was the best show of the evening. Well done Bekky, you made the other established designers look like they were on some kind of weird acid trip. Classy, timeless, wearable…the best range of the night.
Leigh Schubert came in a close second. Sexy, timeless, fresh and uncomplicated, her range worked so well. Her standing ovation was a little over the top for me as I feel Bekky should have received the standing ovation and not Lee! Don’t get me wrong, Lee rocked and she rocked it with style but out of the two Bekky won hands down.
Now for the not so good which there was quite a lot of. Haroun Hansrot was blah blah blah boring. It was the kind of stuff you would find in a Foschini’s or Milady’s. It was just B.O.R.I.N.G. About 5 minutes into the show I was falling asleep. After hearing so much about his stuff and how elegant it was, I was let down.
Now for the worst of the lot….Stephen van Eeden. Man oh man did he raise some eyebrows. This guy must have been on that acid trip I was talking about earlier because none of his stuff made any sense. It wasn’t wearable, it didn’t have that shock factor, and you couldn’t even deem it fashion. Small details such as the sunglasses that his models were wearing did not match up. It was as if he got the models to wear their own accessories. Basically, this show was weak and a waste of my time. I have been brought up in this industry and I know what to look for. I could not find one item that appealed to me.
I might step on some pretty designer toes here but who cares…freedom of speech is here for a reason. I was not overly impressed and to be honest, I felt a little let down. Hopefully tonight will see me leaving with a smile.
