Since I wrote that I was less than impressed with Noor's Boudoir Collection, everyone seems to be calling me up or approaching me to ask what I thought about Spectrum. In a nutshell, although there were some dull moments in the show as well as some issues I had with the service at the door, I can say that Noor got the memo and is starting to design the way she was meant to be.
 |
| The gold effect on the runway was created with sneaker prints in gold paint. That was a lil ratchet. |
Sometimes designers want to please the crowd and fit in. I feel that was the main problem with the Boudoir Collection. Noor was trying to appeal to Carnival-loving clients. She wanted to be overtly sexual and daring and unexpected. It was a flop. It did not feel natural. Then she showed her Maasai Collection in the middle of this year and we began seeing her feel more confident with who she is as a designer. Personally I own 3 pieces from the Maasai Collection! The clothing breathes beautifully and feels very cool against the skin. The designs from Massai were sexy with exposed backs under draped sheaths of printed lightweight silk, and the graceful slope of the silhouette down the middle of the neck to wrap gently along the rib cage and to the small of the back--- THAT is sexy. Not leather panties or whatever that was before.
 |
| Classic Noor Silhouette |
I had my fingers crossed for spectrum. The set and the location were not good, nevertheless, the turnout was magnificent. Noor manages to bring all kinds of fancy names to the yard. Latoya Woods opened the show in a fully beaded white wedding dress. I can't begin to tell you how I hate to see wedding dresses in fashion shows. (Unless they end the show and are so friggin amazing that people lose their mind and jump to their feet howling). However I was less distracted by the dress and the fact the veil refused to co-operate, and more taken by how horrid this beautiful woman's hair and makeup was. Latoya Woods is one of the most gorgeous women in the entire world! The power of a bad wig I tell you!
A bit let down, I have to say that the show recovered nicely after that. Noor's signature draped kerchief dress made several appearances down the runway, each time draped in a subtly different way, but every one of them well done. That's the Noor brand to me. That kind of sleek, goddess-like silhouette. Many more jewel toned separates and dresses followed. There were no innovative shapes or design elements, but that's okay. The clothing was wearable, flattering and tasteful. There were definitely some misses, but they were easy to overlook as I found the Collection to be overall quite fine. I will heading to the boutique soon since I have my eye on a pair of green trousers.
 |
| My favourite look of the night |
As I see Noor getting closer and closer to the designer she is meant to be, I have to say that the styling of these shows remains consistently poor. It is very difficult to see the potential of the individual pieces under such horrible hair and makeup, as well as the way the pieces are put together and how the jewellery and shoes do not accent but fuddle the look. When you go to her boutique and see the clothes on the rack they are way more appealing. That's unfortunate though, because the runway is supposed to create the image for buyers to covet. Also, I do appreciate the use of real women and non-models in a show, but in a country where even our models are (let's face it) non-models themselves, I felt it took away from the presentation. Most of them could not walk and if the wig couldn't help Latoya, who were you kidding thinking it would look good on anyone?! Also, I feel like Penny and Giselle have had their moment. They had this moment a couple decades ago. I would so much prefer to see them in front rows and not on runways.
 |
I would be careful with this belt and kind of embellishment.
It borders looking cheap and we know it's not |
If I am to offer any advice, it would be to edit. The menswear was completely out of place at this show. They could have been featured in a separate room in some other type of showcase. They had nothing to do with the Egyptian theme and some pieces were not constructed as strongly as others. It showed. Editing the womenswear as well I would recommend. For a show with such a slow-paced gait, we did not need to see so many kerchief dresses. It became monotonous. I would also advise editing when it comes to embellishments. In a country where "Shiny thing" can be stereotyped as (dare I say it?) "Coolie-ish", I would do a little more research to make sure that the embellishments look rich and are applied in designs that are most fashion forward.
 |
| Warning: Do not try this hair and makeup at home. |
To end on a positive note, I am definitely seeing Noor move forward more and more with every collection. Each has outshone the last. She already has quite an influential fan base, so I look forward to even better work in the future.
