Original Great: Nom.D Brightens New Zealand Fashion Week
By Annabel Davidson
October 22, 2003 - New Zealand
Ever the experts at keeping an audience guessing, Nom.D offered no pre-event clues as to what to expect at its winter 2004 show last night. Known for her complete abandonment of current trends, designer Margarita Robertson gave us only this to ponder: an invitation entitled 'Don't Shoot' and a silver foil catwalk in the middle of a concrete hall. Last year, the Nom.D catwalk was inches thick with sea salt, but there were no mermaids or shipwrecks to be seen among the clothes - instead it was a Russian letter-strewn, Eastern Bloc-inspired range complete with layered Cossack belts and shorn models.
So it was slightly disappointing when the first few looks of this latest collection reflected the mod mood the Northern Hemisphere is currently in the grips of - Robertson is, after all, the queen of the dark and intellectual style New Zealand designers are famous for. But it quickly became apparent that Nom.D wasn't about to knock off Marc Jacobs or even attempt to approach the swinging '60s vibe he showed early this year - Nom.D's new looks are more reflective of a rain-soaked audience at an outdoor rock concert in the early '90s than the mini-skirted groupies of the '60s.
Giant white hooded ponchos reminiscent of the disposable plastic raincoats favored by music-festival goers were worn over sludgy orange, blue and maroon striped leggings and white high top boots customized with the same motif seen on the back of the ponchos - a neon orange cartoonish outline of Bambi within a shotgun's sights.
Bold black and white stripes made up bodysuits that were more catwoman than modette, while mini-dresses worn over striped polo-necks escaped the '60s lable by being oversized and sloppy - think layered-up for warmth rather than layered-up for style.
And in a return to the deconstructed half-dresses of recent ranges, half-jackets were attached to knitted tops and worn with mannish pants, as though the models were caught in the midst of shedding their boyish costumes.
Quilted anoraks in orange and black were trimmed at the hem and pocket and sweetly tied at the neck with cord, while gray sweatshirting was layered in miniskirts and floppy long-sleeved T-shirts that lacked only the name of a groupie's favorite band.
Sloppy black skirts and jerseys were edged with neon orange ribbing or striped at the sleeve in blue, while chunky knitted half-cardigans sported a multitude of sloganed buttons screaming "Up with Miniskirts," "Quick and Easy" and "I'm Ready."
"I was thinking about Edie Sedgwick and her lightning flash appearance on the '60s scene when designing this range," said a thrilled Robertson post-show. "But it's also about exploring other cults and the way they dressed - how they all had a message and a slogan and something to say."
The range certainly did have something to say - that amid a sea of look-alike collections and global trends, Nom.D is staunchly original.
i'd love to see more nom d! do we have any past threads?
