Antipodium @ SS2014 Collection

Antipodium SS2014 collection playing her duality and femininity as cannily as her Saturday playlist, she’s well-heeled with a naughty kick, a knowing humour and the hunger for, ‘just one more’ retail high. The camp if candy-haired doyenne Mrs Slocombe from, ‘Are You Being Served?’ A further roll-call of muses : Cher ‘Clueless’ Horowitz, Nineties glamazon models, Barbie and even a certain Miss Piggy whose appetites for retail are as high as their thigh-grazing hemlines. She’s the vendeuse on a mission, indulging in luxury designer tropes: read tweed, logos and boucle. Vanity secures a sale after all and who doesn’t want to look this good?

Behind the camp exuberance find clothes poised for reality window shoppers need not apply. Innovative fabrications and a focus on precise tailoring; micro A-line shifts and skirt suits, (updated with natty Carrington style jackets), gain verve in techno-tweed ‘Trading Hours’ hounds tooth. In a palette of powder, neon and refreshing mint, outré references translate as contemporary, insider cool.

‘Attention Shoppers!’ offers modern wardrobe solutions. Worn with matchy-matchy conviction or clashed for maximalist wow, these clothes are high on wearability and cult collectability. In his continuing collaboration with Antipodium, Russell Maurice, the London-based artist and creator of enduring street-wear label, Gasius, brings his pop sensibility to the labels sartorial innuendo, with exclusive prints and clever reimagined broderie: kissing piglets with interlocking ‘C’ tails affectionately labelled, ‘Bisoux Broderie’ adding an adorable spin.

In a gentle nod to surrealism, delightful florals traverse the collection with canny ‘Hungry Eyes’ peeking through the pastel blooms. Iridescent nude organza punctuates and captivates in modern plisse. Tomboyish credentials come in the roomy South Beach ‘Aloha’ shirt, flat-fronted ankle-grazing trousers and the versatile ‘Anti’ and ‘Tres’ embroidered grey marl sweatshirts. Sporadic sequins dress up boyfriend shirts and simple shifts, adding guaranteed style miles. The poplin shirtdress, (complete with covered belt), is the new basic, coming in crisp neutrals, subtle leopard or lavish house floral for a dramatic daytime spin.

Rainbow cotton knits in irregular weave give preppy basics an irreverent twist, which has become the Antipodium signature. The understated ‘Slocombe’ knits, (a brushed cotton boucle) invite touch. Twin-sets are cut to boyish new lengths. Cocktail is characteristically playful: minimal suede slip dresses and sets come in featherweight blush, lilac or sky. Covetable leather skirt suits are candy-coloured and a dynamic evening alternative. 

With no formal training, Antipodium Creative Director Geoffrey J. Finch has always believed that, ‘the consumer is the best teacher.’ So, calling all smart shoppers, your collection is here. Conspicuous consumption has never looked so desirable. Now, are you being served?