-Grace Averis
Grace Averis is a recent graduate from the Otago Polytechnic fashion school. Averis’ graduate collection My evil eye combines the use of both wood, silks and cotton. Creating the collection was time consuming, labor intensive and obviously quite experimental process. She credits the literary works of Salman Rushdie, in particular his novel Shalimar the Clown, as inspiration. Each wooden piece involved having to be digitally mapped out using a computer programme, and then assimilated into a prototype, before being carefully constructed into the right scale and fit. The Christchurch born, Dunedin based designer will be showing her collection during the iD fashion week in Dunedin at the end of this month. “…Every garment sends a message”. Quite often I find in watching fashion shows one becomes overstimulated and unable to appreciate the finer details in each individual look. I felt that deconstructing a single look from Averis' collection could effectively connect (YOU) the reader to cohesive threads apparent throughout her entire collection. This is especially true given how overwhelming it can be to piece together a runway show after fleetingly gazing at each look; sometimes it would be helpful for a breakdown of each item that comprises a singular look.
Eyewear:
Averis used a selective selected colour palette; turquoise, black, gold and white. Each colour had corresponding complementary pieces. This enables the collection to have a strong sense of cohesion. My favourite of these looks was the turquoise, which emanated a feeling of rational calm, yet was incredibly bold. Each look had a corresponding pair of wooden teashades, yet they are thicker than say that of the ones you would associate with 1960s counterculture. The best part about the eyewear in the collection is that they each have a chain attached, so you won’t lose them, because they are swinging around your neck. This slight embellishment plays off nicely against the hard lines of the glasses, in particular the semi-circular nose bridge. The eyewear recalls that of Karen Walker’s summer 2011 eyewear collection, particularly Pegs and Bunny.
The waistcoat is a concoction of subtle feminine embellishment and a masculine, deconstructionist approach to tailoring. The shoulders are slightly raised by the insertion of softened padding. The initial shape probably resembled more of suit jacket, but Averis has cleverly added straps which drape down of either side of the gillet. The draping straps to wander beside one’s legs are adjustable and enable the wearer whatever their size to comfortably encase themselves in the warm and extremely comfortable waistcoat. It is very much reminiscent of the kind of androgynous or rather genderless oversized silhouettes of Yohji Yamamoto, especially in the late 1980s.
Wooden Breastplate:
The resin-coated breastplate can be intrinsically associated with the ancient to early medieval armoury. It cocoons itself around the body using adjustable bondage style straps. Each of the wooden plates falls delicately into each other. Averis studied different types of armoury and appears to have created the breastplate in much the same way, only making the prototype using digital technology.
Silk Pant:
The high waisted turquoise pant is the perfect structural balance to the entire look. When worn they carry an ephemeral, weightlessness, that makes them deceptively autonomous. The pant is sheer and its lightness comes from its materiality, silk.
Model: Ella Van Ziji
Photography: Lucy Fulford (www.lucyfulford.co.nz)
Styling: Hana Aoake (bellaandmadeline.blogspot.co.nz)
Clothes: Grace Averis (graceaveris@gmail.com)
