The atmosphere at the Selfi ZA runway this year was artsy. In light of the upheavals going on at the international fashion weeks with mega brands like Burberry electing to show a mixed collection with pieces that are immediately ready for purchase, Selfi’s choice seems to suggest how global this dilemma is.
Clothes from the new label are decidedly artsy. Cream and chocolate coloured berets sit jauntily atop the heads of male and female models who strut with clean faces devoid of any high drama make up. The palette for the pieces is just as vibrant, drawing inspiration from the uniform of practising painters and other visual artists.
Exaggerated silhouettes define the menswear pieces, collarless shirts and smocks favoured by painters are reinterpreted for every day wear, paired with denim and chinos culottes and capri pants. The designers pair only slightly mismatched stripes, for a mildly unsettling effect.
Pinafores with spaghetti straps and decorate sleeves done in solids and the psychedelic print that is the foundation on which this collection is built is the signature look for the women’s wear pieces. Worn with oversized dress shirts and accessorized with bandanas tied at the neck, the Selfi woman this season is at home with a paint brush or spray can.
It is so satisfying to see a concept taken and translated so successfully into wearable pieces, this is one of our favourite collections from the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.
Photo Credits
Simon Deiner/SdrPhoto
Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Johannesburg
