This year at South African Fashion Week, many of the labels came with fully realised multi-layered concept collections. There were post futurist westerns and South African dandies, street wanderers and high gloss glamour queens. But Colleen Eitzen’s collection did not come with any grand concept driven ideas. Instead, Eitzen’s focus this season was on the detail, big and small.
Working with a minimalist palette of navy blue cotton and jersey, leaf prints in chiffon and denim, she interprets the staples finding a balance between casual and flirty. The first look, a halternecked maxi dress with giant 3D embroidery the shape of a fleur de lis offers an idea of how big Eitzen is willing to go to bring an idea to life. But she is also not afraid to go small. The accessories are the main highlights of the collection, metallic lame being the designer’s first choice. It is sequined onto jersey blouses and cut into dresses. It cameos as ruffled shoulders on demure knee length fit and flare dresses and as a slightly skewed Peter Pan collar, it gives edge to an otherwise ordinary dress.
Eitzen’s detailing extends to the clothes themselves, she drapes the lapel of the jacket of her print suit in to a layered ruffle, she creates asymmetric denim jackets that trick the eye and draw it’s attention. High low skirts and asymmetric Peter Pan collars. She cuts layered chiffon dresses that fan out as the model walks and tempers it with a jacket, mixes copper lame pants with a simple ruffled camisole. The entire collection seems dedicated to find a way to temper the outlandish with the ordinary and Colleen Eitzen surprises us.
She nails it.
Photo Credits: safashionweek.co.za
