suzaan heyns spring/summer 2010.

editors and bloggers have been raving about suzaan heyns since she first stepped onto the scene with her impressive autumn/winter 2009 collection. this year, i was lucky enough to be invited to her show to see the 360 of her designs.

this season's collection was almost a complete break away in mood from her autumn 2010 collection. no drama. no harsh aesthetics. no heavy tones. the collection was quirky, pretty and for lack of a better word, refreshing - especially in respect to heyns' past collections.

the show was accompanied by a running commentary - introducing the model, what they were wearing and amusing snippets about model. the randomness of the commentary was extremely amusing and at the same time, intriguing. a simple voice-over brought the models and the show to life - introducing the designs as well as the personalities wearing them, reminding us of the human aspect of adorning clothes and maybe even making a statement about the people who choose to wear suzaan heyns or perhaps who suzaan heyns chooses to wear her designs.

the looks were made up of a beautiful pastel palette - cool hues and fleshy tones in mostly powder blue, ostrich eggshell yellow, toned down taupe and teal, with a few complete looks in traditional khaki, which i can only assume is influenced by heyns' afrikaans upbringing. many of the looks were topped off with brown leather belts and lace-less boots and brogues. this, i was most impressed with as many local collections' downfall are their accessories and shoes... usually turning to big retailers to complete their look, which never does justice to their designs.

the collection was soft in colour as well as textures - mostly cotton and viscose, but not forgetting her textile of choice, heyns' was able to squeeze in one statement leather piece (the pale yellow leather skirt), which really stood out for me. also, the triple collars, double collars, strappy cut-away shoulders and in fact all the beautiful necklines that so magnetically draws the eye. seeing suzaan heyns on the runway really was a treat. it's inspiring to see a local designer, who time and time again shows such a well-executed collection, with clear concepts matched with a tailoring and fit that passes with flying colours, even under the exposing spotlights of the runway. heyns' presented a slightly different aesthetic this season, one which i look forward to following in the seasons to come.