NomD. They just don’t do ‘ordinary’. A huge old dilapidated warehouse in Wellesley Street was the backdrop for a gothic ghostly dinner party where a chaste but eerie bedroom, a rocky desolate ‘coven’ and a junkyard car all set the stage…
NomD Winter 2011 – Danse Macabre in 3 Acts
NZ Fashion Week 22 September 2010
Nobody was expecting anything ‘ordinary’ with NomD. They just don’t do ‘ordinary’.
They, like Zambesi, do entirely their own thing. They have in the past simply had a film, rather than a catwalk show. And this year – it was all pure theatre. Literally!
A huge old dilapidated warehouse in Wellesley Street was the backdrop for four scenes: a gothic ghostly dinner party, a chaste but eerie bedroom, a rocky desolate ‘coven’ and a junkyard car.
Guests, all standing, strained for a better view as the first model took to the stage after almost an hour wait. With wet hair as though she’d just been pulled from the river, she began setting the dinner table.
All the models then joined her at the table dressed in their NomD finery.
The party descended into chaos as guests started kissing each other, attacking the meringue with knives, tearing into pillows with stuffing flying, and fighting to the ground.
Over to stage left, plastic-capped models read books and played on a bed.
Front of stage, a coven of witches held a secret ceremony on rocky ground with a giant silver ball and smoke.
All the models froze in position as the singer slowly sung her eerie song standing on a wrecked car accompanied on keys by a safetypin-hooded man.
The styling was just perfect with all the skin softly whited out, nails painted white, and Doc Martens in both black and white. The hair, by Stephen Marr, was ugly and strangely beautiful all at once; draped across the models’ faces. The clothing was of course classic NomD with beautiful long Victorian coats with corsets over the top.
No colour was used, just black or white (except for a tiny hint of navy). The white dresses were gorgeous. I loved the touch of sequinned sleeves on a men’s oversized t-shirt. A woman could have just as easily worn it.
Gorgeous velvet pants for the men, with navy velvet on the front and black on the back.
The torn jersey jerkin was classic NomD. I particularly liked all the velvet ribbon detailing right through the collection. Even the socks had NomD on them – it is all in the detail.
The leather dress worn by ‘The Singer’ Rebekah Davies was just stunning.
The staging was done as a collaboration with Karen Inderbitzen-Walker and Marg Robertson and their team. Beautiful though it all was – we couldn’t see too much even though we were in the front row – I only wish we had been able to see more of the clothes. Derek Warburton commented to Thread that two rows of seating could have worked well so others could get a view, perhaps that would have helped.
In all, NomD’s Danse Macabre was a trip to the theatre, with its models turned actresses in their dark play.
Raise your glasses.
By Anya Brighouse
Photography Kevin Robinson
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