A blank spot where NZFW once marked the fashion calendar isn’t going to get in the way of Stolen Girlfriends Club’s legacy of note-worthy runway shows.
Marking their return to the runway was Avondale Fashion Week: an off-the-grid showcase of Stolen Girlfriends Club’s latest collection: American Dream.
In true Stolen fashion, it delivered high-voltage eclecticism, celebrating vintage 50’s and 60’s aesthetics with a side of Y2K. Not only that, a sprinkling of Barbie-core, preppy moments, and even Madonna’s 80’s era aesthetics was thrown in for good measure.
The opening look was a true snapshot of the Stolen Girlfriends Club we know and love. A Stolen refresher, if you ever so needed one, the outfit comprised a spiked tiara, chunky silverware, black gloves, and double studded straps belting a monochrome Elvis-print scarf minidress over a mesh turtle-neck of the same tune at the chest. It was a strong — and very welcome — nod to the prints we’d see plenty more of throughout the show.
No mid-century Americana nostalgia was left untouched with Stolen’s arrays of prints in this collection. We saw iterations of *that* kitschy red and black flame print that has taken over the hems of boxy shirts throughout modern history. This time, the 90’s classic was adorned with red dice and playing cards. Plenty more Elvis prints made appearances too: monochromatic face close-ups graced many shirts, and we saw ‘Stolen’ get the vegas-show-lights font treatment with Elvis in tow.
Americana silhouettes were dotted throwout the collection, with bowling shirts, boxy collared and yolked jackets, fringed rodeo shirts and slacks, a bomber jacket and even some boxer shorts getting the Stolen treatment.
In keeping with Creative Director Marc Moore’s ability to blend the Stolen’s rock n’ roll DNA with any — some might say opposing — style, the collection blended many aesthetics in the most delightful way possible.
We saw Barbie-core have its moment, with baby-pink iterations popping into the mix. It started with the shoe-du-jour, platform Mary-Janes, accompanying a black leather-clad look, before evolving into head-to-toe pink suiting for both masculine and feminine silhouettes.
Bourgeois classics also found their way into the collection. And boy oh boy are we glad they did — after all, square silk scarves in the collection’s print looked divine tied around model’s collars. Not only that, full-blown inclusions of preppy favourites took the form of a long tweed trench, as well as the cropped corseted Burning Desire blazer and its miniskirt.
Of course, accessories in the Stolen Girlfriends Club universe are as much the main attraction as the clothing is. This legacy was continued through an array of usual, much-loved suspects (we’ll get to these classics in a moment) and newer, trend-du-jour-infused moments like acetate and mother-of-pearl sunglasses.
The most lust-worthy item in the collection, however, was none other than the cross-body silver, multi-strang body chains. Part belt, part silver waterfall, these were dripping with trinkets and elevated every look, from pantsuits to bikini tops.
Stolen’s much-loved leather goods also made appearances in many shapes and sizes, in both their classic black leather, as well as a powdery pink on one occasion. Naturally, they were animated by chains and their signature studs — which, it is worth noting, were bigger, taller and pointier than ever. An apt move, for a USA-inspired collection, of course.
American Dream was at the same time an exciting revision of the kitschy parts of yesteryear’s fashion, and a promising mood board for a new style language to come. The collection was a clear love letter to being able to picking and choose the most captivating elements of what can be — on paper — completely polar opposite aesthetics. It was bold, refreshing, and showed yet another exciting route that the Stolen aesthetic could venture down.
Get in quick. Looks from American Dream are available to shop online — with a few pieces remaining — or to express your interest in an early January ‘23 drop.
Images supplied