David Tlale presents “The African Emperor Butterfly” at 2010 Africa Fashion Week

David Tlale’s collection presented at Africa Fashion Week is undoubtedly one of my favourites so far! I don’t know if it is the alluring  lush of pinks, the sinister blacks or the angelic whites that got me, but the collection is all wonderful for me!

He gives us sophisticated glamour, with the cocktail dresses, drama and a taste of the romantic with the exaggerated ruffles engulfing the skirts,sleeves and bodice and we witness the power of the floral print to spice up a mini dress, be a perfect complement to excellent drapery and capture the essence of nicely tailored pants!

It is a very bold collection with a large number of statement pieces as he induces a lot of volume to his designs, there are voluminous skirts and sleeves, but he so easily balances out the collection; as he graciously transitions from the more daring to the elegant, and slightly tamed pieces which are more every woman friendly.

What I love is he continues to show his diversity, stretching on his creativity yet keeping things wearable, but all with that extra oomph! to them.

He opts for a more streamlined silhouette for some of the white pieces in this collection, which he enhances with embellishments, feather, shred and lace details, to keep it all fresh! And for the fuller skirts there is  that quirky splash of ombre dye.

It’s an enchanting colour feast and he even has the men embracing them! The pinks, yellows, the oranges, the metallics and the addition of sequins make the collection come alive; and I admire his decision to explore two extremes; white and black and piece it all up with a rainbow of exciting hues!

View “The African Emperor Butterfly” below:

Credit : Simon Deiner/SDR Photo