Highnoontea’s Brave New World

If this is the future – I want to live there.

I saw Highnoontea’s Spring Summer 2014/15 collection, Brave New World, at an intimate showcase today at Wellington Fashion Week.

The collection is named for the 1931 novel by Aldous Huxley, and glimpses of this are seen in the shadow print of grey trees on a white silk echoing themes of society not being what it’s supposed to be.

Sheryl White, who is also a lecturer at University as well as a wife and mother of two primary school children, is a smart cookie. She has paced her label’s development to steadily grow and has an impressive grasp of the industry and retail and how to design garments that are not only beautiful, but that women want to wear, that flatter their bits, and that will sell. Thus I imagine she’s popular with women who want to look good in clothes, people who like the intellectual side of garment construction, and her retailers. Even the format of today’s showcase was well-conceived: a “1980s-style showing” as Sheryl called it with a laugh- where media sat and watched Sheryl talk through each piece and tell us the story behind it on static models who did front-on and profile poses. It was fascinating hearing the story behind clothes, their inspiration – such as Jean Shrimpton being the muse for an illustration by Laura O’Connor – and even which pieces were popular selling at buyer’s appointments (a black-and-white blocked shirtdress.)

Thread’s favourites included a silk jodphur jumpsuit, the shadow-print dress, a chequerboard sheer-check bomber jacket, a stunning blackened-gold lace maxi dress, and a polyurethane sweatshirt.

Highnoontea is designed to think carefully abut who the Highnoontea woman is. “She’s a girl who likes to dress for herself” Sheryl says. “She’s a little bit pretty, and likes to wear cool, easy-to-wear pieces.” Sleeves are therefore cut long enough to cover that which we want covered, there are pockets to slip your hands into for casual ease, and there are buttons to surprise you at the back of the neck under your hair. “I like a button that’s like finding a treasure in your Nana’s button box!” Sheryl says.

The showcase took place at Mac’s Function Centre, with Kirsty Bunny Models, Ultra shoes, Scout hair, and makeup by Karyn Ward.

Visit their website at www.highnoontea.co.nz