Review: DDC/Red Eye 2005 – It’s all in here!
Don’t mess with Represent collaborators – our Deben Dee-va gives us the most thorough of reviews – read this if you didn’t go and you’ll feel like you did! Sharpile Dee-va!
“Urban Edge ”
This year’s DDC marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of the event, making it the longest-running fashion show in the country. Over the years, the “Young Designer” category in particular ha…
s nurtured the talents of several of the country’s top names in fashion, including Gideon, Terrence Bray and Catherine Deane.
The show’s organisers have decided to turn the DDC into more of an all-round entertainment, so this year the DDC and Red Eye were combined and, as part of the larger inner city renewal project, the area hailed as Durban’s “cultural precinct” was closed off for a street festival, with the fashion show in the City Hall, the art installations, music and dance performances taking place in the park on the pavement, and the much anticipated DDC After Party in Durban’s Playhouse theatre.
This years show was certainly the grandest that I’ve attended, staged in the proud City Hall. The KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra performed on the stage behind a curtain of blue fairy lights, providing the backdrop for the ramp. While the audience were seated, three screens raised above the stage depicted black and white video footage of the contributing Red Eye artists talking on art, the South African city, history and urban renewal.
Invited Designer Category
Paul Botha of Ruff Tung had the models strutting their stuff to the tune of “Another one bites the dust”, wearing a range so ecclectic that it defies categorisation. With their pointy shoes, frilly tiered skirts and big hair, the models looked like Spanish high priestesses…of sorts. Fabrics included leopard print, lace, velvet and tweed; the predominant colours were browns and neutrals with splashes of turquoise and red.
The Holmes Brothers’ range was typically laid back: an ageing hippy pelted out a track called “Moon over Marakesh” on the electric guitar, while pretty boys in blazers and panama hats were teamed with girls in chocolate brown 70s-inspired feminine dresses. Colours combined blue denim, neutrals and deep orange. The humour we’ve come to expect from the brothers was also subtly present in the kung-fu style orange waistband and headband worn somewhat incongruously by two of the male models.
Leigh Schubert’s range was my favourite, for being refreshingly uniform and uncluttered (when compared with most of the ranges). Schubert clearly had Victorian inspiration for her entirely black range of semi-sheer bodices, frills, slips and leggings. Looking like dowagers in Dolce & Gabbanna, the models, each wearing designer black sunglasses, carried a bunch of black balloons along the ramp. Beautifully gothic and nostalgic, this darkly sexy range was reminiscent of the costumes in The Piano and Madonna’s Broken music video.
Simona Mugnai Rogan chose a remixed version of the tune for Six Feet Under to accompany her elegant vintage-style range. The primary colours were brown, turquoise and emerald green, with flashes of bright fuchsia, chiefly for the accessories. I loved her teeny-tiny little jacket shrugs – with one simple and structured collar; the other all feminine and frilly. Rogan clearly pays great attention to detail.
Terrence Bray chose to accompany his range with the emotionally stirring vocals of operatic soprano Zanne Stapelberg, also dressed by Bray. The men’s acid-coloured casual suits and dyed animal hide jackets were a tad nauseating, in my opinion, but the women’s range was a real crowd pleaser. Models floated by in sheer white feminine fabrics laid over pink underslips, and adorned with fuchsia pink fabric flowers. The range had an ethereal Midsummer Night’s Dream effect.
Young Designer Category
The two most notable designers in this category were Ludwig Bezuidenhout and Rozanne Immerman. Bezuidenhout’s range was all feminine excess, with elements from the Edwardian era, and the 1970s. Details included hats, fabric roses, leg warmers, bell sleeves and layering. The colours used were olive green, beige, lilac and lime green.
Rozanne Immerman is a name to make a note of. Her fantasy range was a delightfully vulgar celebration of clashing colours, prints, textures and cultural influences. Each item was like a patchwork of fabric scraps, and together with bizarre accessories such as tea-cosy hats, Basotho straw hats, handbags from recycled materials, scarves and gloves, the models reminded me of postmodern versions of “traditional” dolls from far off places. Zimmerman’s kaleidoscopic range used purple, green, turquoise; in Eastern and ethnic fabrics, and also tweed.
Immerman and Sifiso Mthethwa were the winners in this category. Mthethwa’s menswear range was one of the few wearable ranges.
New Generation Category
Here, Joelle Van Graan and Lara Koopman stood out from the rest. Van Graan chose to focus his range on chiefly three colours: beige, white and royal blue. The combination of these colours used in an African fabric depicting blue circular spiral shapes on a neutral background was carried throught the rest of the range. Satin shirts were teamed with ‘pants and orphan boy caps, which although a very popular look at the moment, Van Graan’s focussed use of colour and fabrics added an element of novelty. I particularly liked the blue sequinned headbands and repeat spiral pattern. A sassy and sophisticated range.
Lara Koopman’s range was more obviously suited to the urban African environment. Safari style shirts were paired with the 1950s-style skirt, big belts and wedge heels in a funky and truly wearable range. Again, the colours were blue, brown, beige and red.
After the show…
In an interesting juxtaposition, Brigitta Gaylard‘s undeniably feminist interactive photo-boards were placed at the entrance to the hall. Gaylard’s recent works are photo-boards of the artist with her face cut out for viewers to pose in (just like those on the beach when we were kiddies). These particular works, collectively called The Martyr Series, depict the mostly nude artist in various poses associated with women as martyrs in contemporary society and throughout history. After two hours of watching super-confident super-skinny waifs on the ramp, it was strangely cathartic to pose behind the board titled “cut”, depicting the artist with her body marked up for plastic surgery to remove or perfect all her womanly curves.
The after party was a carnivalesque affair, held as it was in the mock-Tudor Playhouse theatre complex. Dancers could rave on the main dancefloor, in the medieval “courtyard”, or dance to house tunes upstairs in the light-reflecting room with the mirrors and chandelier&
Complaints
Unfortunately, the Urban Edge theme was not reflected in the show’s venue, music or fashion ranges. Also, the tickets were pricey, and I saw quite a few empty seats at the show I went to. The heavy security presence was also a little off-putting. I saw the look of confusion on one man’s face (probably somebody who lives in the city) when he was aggressively told that he was not allowed to walk through the area. As much as I understand the need for security at street party events, the security guards could be told to loosen up a little, and perhaps inner city dwellers could also be more encouraged to attend the festivities?
PIC COURTESY DURBAN PHOTOGRAPHER NANETTE DURAND
