The Finest Fusion
Aussie label Sass & Bide takes tents by storm
NEW YORK: Sunday, February 08, 2004
Manhattan's newest arrival is also its hottest splash. Aussie label Sass & Bide, designed by best pals Sarah-Jane Clarke and Heidi Middleton was the sort of hot-to-trot, have-attitude-will-travel collection that rocked the tents late night on Saturday and reminded viewers what a perfectly edited collection is all about: focus, fun, and fabulous clothes. The show featured slouchy and ruched jersey separates bordered in bands of sequins and tweed equestrian jackets detailed with corduroy paired with a low-slung pant and styled with a tippet here, a whip there, and headpiece after headpiece from India, Morocco, Thailand, and Japan. The look was bedazzled warrior girls, hunters and gatherers, Indian princesses and somewhere around there, a chic sophisticate who dabbles in rock n' roll.
But these homespun girls are still wide-eyed about hitting New York in a big way. "Did you really like it?" begged Clarke backstage to her throng of admirers. In twin tousled hair-dos, the duo—Clarke in her matted British flag Ts with sequin cape and Middleton will her spider web dress—looked just as messy-chic as their runway ladies. "We always dress like this,” admitted Middleton backstage. "I guess we're sort of known for styling and being theatrical."
"We actually styled the whole show ourselves,” she continued. " We love that part as much, if not more, than the actual designing."
Where do they get the inspiration behind their princess punk looks? "We're big vintage girls" said Middleton. "We pick up all our ideas at flea markets in Portobello Road or in Sydney. As soon as we get off the plane, we always head straight for the markets."
"We love to mix and contradict the looks. It's a lady-like feel clashed with different cultures: Indian, Arab, the works.”
Sass & Bide will be a doing a PA at the Soho Bloomingdale’s shortly after the store opens on April 24th.
HEAVILY OVERUSED BUZZWORDS: Ethnic fusion, warrior goddess, rock-chick sophisticate
SEEN: A massive crowd busting its way in to the show. Bloomie's Director Kal Ruttenstein rushing with an escort backstage to congratulate the newest members of Bloomie's downtown.
Hillary Alexander, fashion scribe for London's Daily Telegraph. Seen clapping her hands to the beat of the Aussie DJ sound track and concluded "It was terrific! I loved it all. Did you see those skinny pedal pushers and the silver jewels?! Fabulous."
R&B star Mya (who has been costumed by S&B many times"I especially like the idea of the rocker chick tops with the skirts over jeans and the arctic kind of boot and leg warmers."
Sass & Bide hairstylist Renya Xydias on how she managed to set a winged motorcycle in a model’s hair: "A lot of bobby pins! And there was a horse. Did you see the horse?"
Photographer Nigel Barker and fellow "America’s Top Model" judge JANE Editor Eric Nicholson.
J.J. MARTIN AND MARK JACOBS
