brisbane fashion festival: easton pearson
(images via fashionising)
easton pearson first came to my attention some years ago, for their s/s 2003 range, during which they not only presciently cast then-mostly-unknown model gemma ward, but gave their models possibly the best hair the catwalk has since seen. and though i was thus friend-ily disposed towards the house, they escaped my notice for a couple of years once again, finally arriving back on my radar with solid f/w 2010 & s/s 2011 shows in australia.
anyway, for the s/s 2012 season, they're back exhibiting in brisbane their new diffusion line, ep easton pearson. with designers lydia pearson & pamela easton explaining to ragtrader that this is a "little sister" brand, they also noted that "(o)ur buyers kept telling us that young women are desperate for our clothes but can’t always afford them," thus the range is aimed at a more youthful audience than the signature line. "EP by Easton Pearson is a true diffusion line. The clothes have a very distinct attitude, and their own spirit and direction. EP has a younger feel than the Easton Pearson range, and we get to try out new things, and work up ideas that we’ve been percolating for years," ms. pearson said.
and truly it was in keeping with the verve of the spring collections, awash in colour and print (and preceding the new york shows that are now all over that business): fruit patterns, polka dots, stripes, bohemian flower-y motifs, geometric prints, and embroidery (fish, flowers, swirling designs) all came together in vibrant shades of lemon, teal, peach, navy, grass, cherry, black, and white (often many of which, again like nyfw, were worn together). models wore flat ethnic sandals and multicoloured tiaras to help suggest a sort of tribal princess-y idea.
a little indigenous bohemian and a little fancy retro girl, maxi and midi-length dresses and skirts were particularly important, with sleeveless or off-the-shoulder varieties suggesting readiness to go sip delicious fruity cocktails in the shade of the poolside cabana. it might not have been as deep as the pair's signature line, but nevertheless it evoked summer with unrestrained enthusiasm, and knowing one can pick up these pieces for less feels as good a way as any to welcome the season (or, for the northerners, beg it not to go).