Coppélia - no, not the ballet.



Kirsty Bannerman politely poses for a

picture with me at the 2011 Design Indaba

 My first fashion show review! Ahem - here goes nothing:

Kirsty Bannerman, a member of the Cape Town Fashion Council, has been designing for a very long time. It has been 12 years since she launched Coppélia, her local contemporary women's wear label. She kick-started her career in fashion with a diploma in fashion design from Cape Technikon in 1996, and subsequently designed for a large chain store retailing South African fashion. After traveling in London and India, Kirsty returned to home soil in 1999 and began Coppélia in 2007. Add all that experience to two successful boutique partnerships - Mememe with Doreen Southwood and Mungo and Jemima with Marian Park-Ross, the designer behind Good Fashion - and it is clear that she has had a colorful journey. Perhaps the colour in that journey is what she referred to when designing the collection she showed at the 16th annual Design Indaba. 'So Light', a collection inspired by minimalism and a cycle through colour ranges, is Coppélia's Spring/Summer 2011 collection.

[My apologies for the photo quality; the mood lighting didn't go down well with my sister's phone camera.]

Coppélia S/S 2011 yellow shirt with lemon yellow skirt

Coppélia S/S 2011 blue top and
ultramarine skirt

Coppélia S/S 2011 magenta shirt
and cyan 3/4 pants

Coppélia S/S 2011 ultramarine shift dress





Coppélia S/S 2011 coral blouse and skirt

Coppélia S/S 2011

Coppélia S/S 2011 coral top and ultramarine 3/4 pants

Coppélia S/S 2011 green dress



Coppélia S/S 2011 finale

Coppélia S/S 2011 blue puff-sleeve shirt

with ultramarine skirt

Coppélia S/S 2011 finale





Coppélia S/S 2011 finale [Shoes by Mr.Price - I know; shocking, right?]



 For me, this show was a celebration of our never-ending love affair with colour. The choice of jewel colour tones, shapely (but not figure hugging) fit,  feminine details (pleating, gathering, slight skirt flounce) and soft, well-draped fabrics (chiffon, georgette, and cotton) were the elements that tied this collection's pieces together. The shapes were drawn from mid-century fashion, which explains the modest hemlines (hallelujah!) and simple torsos. Looking at these pieces, I think about a kind of reinvention of the wardrobes of American women from the 30's through to the 50's. The vintage inspiration brought some of these outfits dangerously close to looking dated, but the wise use of colour saves them.




The connection between pieces was already crystal clear, but the oriental lanterns were a nice touch anyway. The lamps swung in time with the models' steps; it was a beautiful effect that gave the show a rhythm you could really see. They contributed to the experience by clearly depicting the harmonic connection between colour and light. If my eyes did not deceive me, I think the lanterns were actually lit during the show. The colored spotlights and smoke effects were a little off-putting, though. All other lights had been dimmed, so the effects made it difficult to view the show even from the front row.

The collection was on trend, as experimenting with colour is a big part of both spring/summer and autumn/winter trends for the next year. In a way, I guess the design method used here qualifies as colour blocking. The only difference in colour use between the two seasons is that autumn/winter plays with vivid brights against neutrals, while spring/summer uses bold colour sparingly and concentrates on pastels. Some of the tops took on the popular 'shell' shape, the use of which has grown quickly (on the runway) over the past few months. Models walked each platform in a rather confusing pattern, but it seems that was the order of the day, as all the other fashion shows featured the same presentation style. Of the eight collections I viewed at the Design Indaba, 'So Light' was definitely my favorite.

The next post will be on the fashion show by 'Baie Nice,' a South African underwear and swimwear brand. Stay tuned!

Hugs, kisses, and fashion sketches. :)

P.S., Kirsty called it 'So Light' when I asked for the name, but the CTFC called it 'Such Lightness.' I went with Kirsty's version.