Tlale steps out in style

One of Tlale's designer footwear creations.

According to trend watchers the ramps of this eagerly anticipated showcasing of the 2010 Autumn/Winter season are expected to be filled with candid colours and light materials that winter will feel like a continuation of summer.

Fashionistas predict that we will see many bare legs in winter dresses on the runway in the high-fashion event scheduled for the Sandton Convention Centre from 20 - 23 January 2010.

High-flying fashion designers have spent months preparing for the event. Some of those who will be showing off their creations are David Tale, Machere, Fundudzi by Craig Jacobs, Fabiani and Thula Sindi.

South Africa's fashion-scene darling Tlale will present his Autumn/Winter 2010 collection of garments.

Tlale, in partnership with Luella Dayrell Bartley, recently launched the Luella David Tlale shoe and handbag collection, which hit the stores at the beginning of December 2009.

The range features leather platforms to bejewelled satin peep-toes. The collection is available at Luella stores with prices ranging from R999 to R1599.

Luella is a top fashion designer, magazine editor and former journalist based in the United Kingdom.

The relationship between the two is not new. Luella sponsored all the shoes for David's shows at Arise Africa Fashion Week, where he was voted Fashion Designer of the Year, and again at Cape Town's Fashion Week.

In this year's incarnation of the Audi Fashion Week Tlale will have an “off-site” show, an exclusive by-invite only show for a few selected guests at a private venue. The show will take place next Friday, 22 January.

Celebrities expected to be on the guest list of this exclusive event include Queen LaMbikiza of Swaziland, Precious Moloi-Motsepe, Juanita Terreblanche and Metro FM's Azania Ndoro, who are well-known David Tlale followers.

The off-site practice is typical of international settings where designers showcase their work to a few selected guests.

The show will be on the calendar of the Audi Fashion Week with the same sponsors, talent teams, choreographers and back-stage helpers, but at a different venue. Tlale said he chose the different environment to infuse a sense of freshness and a unique style of presentation.

Tlale recently showcased his work for the first time at the Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week, courtesy of Arise magazine. His collection, titled Cultural Intimacy, was hailed by critics and fashion journalists from the New York Post to Women's Wear Daily, some calling it their “favourite collection of the evening”, while others spoke of “the collection most likely to do well in the New York market”.

Source: Sowetan

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