Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Nom*d Plume

I LOVE Winter fashion! Kiwi Summer fashion is very disappointing. I find I still live in Havaianas & cut off shorts, although did find a few cool cheapo Maxi dresses this season, now that NZ caught up with that trend! As Winter approaches, I look forward to donning long boots, scarves and knitwear. When it comes to knitwear, I have long been a fan of the brilliant label Nom*D, the Kiwi label started in Dunedin in 1986.

I discovered Nom*D at their store Plume Dunedin in 1991 when was a student@ Otago Uni. The store is awesome - check out Isaac's blog post here.
The grungy black, charcoal and grey palette of the clothes echoed the cold, stormy, grey gothic vibe of Dunedin and the grunge sensibility that abounded in the early 90's. I spent my time in Dunedin swathed in black, holey woolly stockings, short velvet culottes and as many layers of wool and black eye-liner as possible. I wore workman's Norsewear socks on feet clad in well worn 6-inch black Docs. Other favourite items included my Dad's long dark brown suede jacket from the 60's and a British racing-car green crochet jersey, bought from my one respite from limited NZ fashion - the Freeman's catalog from London! My very kind mother bought me the odd piece of Nom*D or Zambesi upon visiting Dunedin and I coveted these pieces, little bits of luxury that I mixed with woolly beanies, tatty jerseys and punk t.shirts worn over black skivvys.
Designer Margi Robertson's store Plume in Dunedin used to sell Martin Margiela, Zambesi, Demeulemeester and of course, Nom*d. The brand seemed to encapsulate everything I loved about NZ fashion - dark colours, boots, asymmetrical cuts, deconstruction - the vibe was broody Vampiric angst tinged with punk/goth sensibility, and WOOL - warmth is a must in chilly Dunedin. But looking cool too! "In part, the label owes it's noir-ish aesthetic to Dunedin, a city situated in the remote, rugged surroundings of New Zealand's South Island...a university town with an international reputation for its alternative music scene, and a preternally gothic atmosphere". Very Twilight! There's a great interview with Margi from Oyster mag, here.

Danse Macabre, Nom*d @ Fashion week, November 2010

Nom*D remains a shining star of NZ fashion. They showed at London Fashion Week in 1999. Nom*D designer Margarita 'Margi' Robertson's sister is none other than Liz Findlay from Zambesi. Very talented family! Liz moved to Auckland, but Margi remains in Dunedin. If you ever venture down South, do check out Plume, which is still going strong behind those beautiful lead-light windows. You'll love it!




No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...