Zambesi AW13

Zambesi is always stunning but this year at NZ Fashion Week showing their AW13 collection, it had my favourite menswear of the week, giving strong options for the New Zealand man to wear…

Zambesi is always stunning but this year at NZ Fashion Week showing their AW13 collection, it had my favourite menswear of the week, giving strong options for the New Zealand man to wear.

Dots – which were prominent in their summer collections – again made an appearance in navy blue. The other strongest colour was yellow, particularly striking in a leopard print on fabric and on plastic capes. Checks in black and pink showed up on trousers and a characteristic yellow check featured on many men’s and women’s separates.

Mesh, a recurring theme across many Fashion Week collections, is always a stalwart of Zambesi and adds a tough sex appeal.

Hair, by Stephen Marr using Sebastian Professional, was messy and unkempt which suited the layered and reconstructed approach to dressing that Zambesi employ. Extensions added length to a half-up, half-down style. One model laughingly said, "I look like I’ve been electrocuted!" as her hair was teased up high on her head backstage before the show.

Read about the Zambesi make-up by M.A.C here on Thread. "They don’t have to be a ‘character’" Amber D says of the Zambesi woman she creates a face for. "Instead, we look at what kind of shapes and lines the clothes have. This year, there’s a lot of structure; it’s quite architectural."

Footwear was by Dr.Martens, who have a long-standing relationship with Zambesi. As Aja Rock, who was seated next to me said to me, "The Docs never gets old."

Megan Robinson
Photography Kevin Robinson
4th September 2012