Durban based design duo Quitera and George has made a name for itself in South African entertainment circles as one of the go to labels for elegant, glamorous evening wear. Having dressed big names like Bonang Matheba and Minnie Dlamini, much of South Africa’s fashion community is very interested in what direction the label chooses to go each season. The label chose to debut its Spring 16 collection at the 2016 Durban Fashion Fair, drawing eager trend watchers to the city.
It is a lot harder for evening wear designers to stick to a trend so Quintera and George casts their net wide for inspiration for the new collection. As always the label is far more interested in providing balanced runway alternatives that ensure the wearer is never at risk of falling victim to mishaps and it shows in their construction choices. Full length skirts with workable trains dominate the collection. As far detailing goes, the main trend is heavy embellishment, much like what we saw from the Gert-Johan Coetzee Spring 16 collection. However Quitera and George favor stones to 3D flowers, using them to add the necessary high impact glamour that their otherwise quite safe dresses need.
The label experiments with the formal crop top and short shorts trend that has been aggressively embraced by entertainment startlets, putting their premium spin on it. But it is their attempts at fabric origami that truly draw our attention. While the pieces it was attempted on could have done with some more precision, they showed a lot promise.
It’s a strong collection by Quintera and George, but by no means their strongest.
Photo Credit: Simon Deiner/Sdr Photo
