the queen of bling (as we affectionately call her) showed a 12-piece fusion of ankara, embellishments and printed silk. while her collection @ arise africa fashion week met with rave reviews, this one was perhaps less ambitious, featuring simple ready-to-wear pieces and separates that need minimal work...which may be just what the western market needs. here's a closer look at each piece:
a. while she employed contrasting techniques for some pieces, these featured one pattern throughout and were also the only pieces that featured pants.
b. mini dresses with a spring flair, duly blinged out for maximum effect.
c. we love these separates - wear them as is or mix-and-match them with other pieces you own. the neon polka dot shorts are a particular favorite.
d. JBL has recently introduced outerwear into her collections, re-interpreting the spring jacket africa-style.
e. dresses with fringe benefits/details also made a debut, upping the ante on simple shapes.
f. last but not the least, signature contrast dresses that look dipped in bling and ready to dazzle.
all in all, a great first showing in NY for the JBL brand. we do miss some of the spunk from her last collection but JBL can do no wrong in our eyes, so we congratulate this fashion house on yet another hit.
xo
xo
photos:
zimbio
zimbio
4 comments:
There was a lot about this collection that was appealing but all in all it left a pretty flat impression. On the plus side, I liked the introduction of the leather discs as a new form of embellishment on the ankara. That added a new texture and a move away from the predictable bling. Predictable though it may be, the full length blinged out piece was stunning and would find a happy home in many wardrobes, but unfortunately that is where the good news ends.
I wasnt a fan of the colour palette, it felt too Fall and not spring/summer. The cuts went beyond simple into plain on a lot of the seperates, giving a sense the designer is only interested in beading and the jumpsuit on Freja was just WRONG!
The leather bombers were an innovative idea when she showed them for her Fall collection in Joburg but this time around the execution just seemed off.
I feel like we've seen much better work from her in the past and its possible the short time frame between her shows didnt give her ideas time to metabolise and while I commend her effort this collection struck a pretty dull chord with me.
You girls are doing a fantastic job of getting photos up on time! I looked on several leading blogs yesterday and didn't find any coverage but you girls brought it first and brought it HARD.
I agree almost entirely with Anon above.
Love your blog+ love love love anon's collection review. Can we please have more of this from either SL or Anon?
@ anon: we absolutely LOVE when our readers take the time to leave us comments that show considerable thought. thank you for this...and sorry we're acknowledging it so late. i have to agree -- this isn't JBL's strongest collection but the brand is full of surprises and i'm full of hope :-)
@ temi: thanks so much for that :-)
@ anon: thanks :-) we'll def. see what we can do!!!
xo
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