Theresa Brady of Sable & Minx tells me there will always be Art Deco / Art Nouveaux touches in her collections – it’s a signature which goes beyond clothing and extends to her home furnishings.  She draws heavily on her own family history and old photographs for inspiration, she references in particular her grandmother who designed and made garments for the family in Napier. Her father owned the Peter Pan Nightclub in the 1960s and Brady’s grandmother dressed the family for their glamorous outings. Add to this her recent trips to Paris – she describes the city as her “muse” – where she stumbled across some beautiful old books and jewellery and in this collection you have a romanticised trip back in time to 1930s Paris. 

Romanticised yes – but that’s not to say this is not an incredibly wearable collection. For her Winter 2010 collection Brady stuck to a delicious palette of soft green, chartreuse, grey, violets and gold. The print I adored most of all was created in stunning bold pinks and golds – all so very petty. From the tunics with beautiful rows of buttons trailing down the floaty three-quarter length sleeves and shirt tail hems, the long line cardigan with wide lapels and no buttons through to a beautifully draped jersey dress, this was a collection from which any woman could and would love to have as her wardrobe staples. I particularly liked the black/purple harlequin tunic dress – it’s flattering draping and clever mix of colour made for a striking but easily wearable garment.

The Sable & Minx take on the suit was all the elegance of the 1930s, with a gathered shoulder line and ruffled peplum on the jacket, and slim lines of the skirt this is what a feminine suit should look like. 

The deco motif was notable on even the simple T-shirts and T-dresses, but I loved it most as the finishing touch to a pair of denim jeans.   This collection wasn’t trying to be too clever, or groundbreaking rather it was a showcase of clothing you could easily imagine wearing and looking good in. 

- Jackie O'Fee

Images ©Air New Zealand Fashion Week/Michael Ng

View the FashioNZ Sable&Minx page here.

View the Sable&Minx Summer 09/10 look book here.