Cruz Del Sur showcased their Opera collection at Ellerslie Racecourse’s Cuvée Bar. Image supplied.
Opulence was given a nudge in a different direction at Cruz Del Sur’s runway presentation.
Joining the curated group of designers taking shows into their own hands post-New Zealand Fashion Week cancellation is Cruz Del Sur, who showcased their Opera collection at Ellerslie Racecourse’s Cuvée Bar recently. The collection, a sumptuous tapestry of rich fabrics, is a welcome addition to mark the pomp of runway shows returning to the local fashion landscape.
The occasionwear collection, which celebrated the decadence and elegance of Chinese Opera, refreshingly extended this in equal measures to demographics not always seen in such styles: men, women, tweens and children of all ages.
Fabrics were the key cornerstones of this opulence. Here, an array of jacquards, embroidery, foil-threaded numbers, taffeta, intricately sequin-dotted patterns, and fully sequined textiles and tulle stood central to each look.
Black and gold was heroed among the opening looks, where embroidered matching looks for boys and girls opened the show — complete with intricate Chinese embroidered dragons as the focal point. From here, matching ensembles, dresses and suits in all their iterations carried this colour-play into the following looks. The piece-de-resistance was a head-to-toe black, gold and orange splashed jacquard pantsuit with a crisp cape jacket.
Speaking of silhouettes, this collection saw plenty of proportions being played with. Moreover, they were perfectly tailored, giving us crisp, structured looks no matter how voluminous they were. Naturally, gowns were the centrepiece of this: we saw everything from full balldress-skirts reminiscent of 1860’s silhouettes, through to serpentine moments and miniskirt hems. Over on the menswear front, we saw some modern iterations with asymmetric, draped yolk panels adding a utilitarian touch to trenches and jackets. We loved seeing Mandarin collars make a few appearances among Western tailoring too, giving a nod to the international aesthetics which this collection blended in, in its showcase of Chinese culture.
A colour story ready to be swept right into a garden party also came next: with feminine, floral and embroidered dresses marrying in white with pale blue, greens and pinks in that very order came to play. Ruffles and applique brought depth and a lovely flounce to each look.
The story took a slightly edgier turn with the next lot of designs: both mens and womens’ looks brought the focus back to darker, golden tones — splashing in touches of navy and blue. An absolute standout was a men’s trench — or rather a versatile, unisex peice — made entirely from a foiled, black and almost navy print with an urban edge.
Cruz Del Sur’s attention to embroidery, embellishment and perfectly executed tailoring brings a great light to this collection’s opulent aesthetic. Not only that, this collection brought a new level of refinement to childrenswear and incredibly refreshing takes on opulence-first adult couture and ready to wear.