Design Collective for Evans S/S15

I got up bright and early this morning so I could check out the Design Collective for Evans S/S15 Catwalk Show at London Fashion Week. Sadly this doesn’t mean that I am in London – instead I watched the show online (thank goodness for the internet, right?).

Design Collective for Evans brings together a handpicked selection of renowned fashion designers, brand new breakthrough designers, the latest winners of the acclaimed Cut for Evans design competition and our exclusive in house designs. The exclusive catwalk event shows that high fashion is for all.

What does that mean for you? Clothing from amazing designers cut for plus size bodies, that’s what! This is exactly what we need to see more of in New Zealand.

Now if you haven’t heard of Evans before, let me give you a bit of a run down – they are a plus size clothing retailer who stock not only their own in house designs but also other amazing brands (like Carmakoma and Scarlett & Jo), in sizes 14-32. There are over 180 Evans stores around the UK and Ireland as well as an amazing online store, and their staff understand not only how to fit and style the latest fashions to flatter the curvy woman, but also their customers’ view on body image. Wouldn’t you love to see them open stores in New Zealand? I know I would!

Okay, now that you have the low down, check out the Design Collective for Evans S/S15 Catwalk Show

I’m pretty sure that, like me, you have a few favourites after watching that – am I right? This was the spring and summer show for next year’s fashions, so it’s the season that us Southern Hemisphere babes are coming into right now. Sadly these designs aren’t available immediately (because it’s autumn in the Northern Hemisphere), but we can definitely be inspired by these looks while we are waiting for the collection to hit the stores, can’t we?

There were lots of breezy garments with loose fitting shapes – something that’s perfect for our hot, humid summers. This is a style I like to wear in summer because it’s just so comfortable, especially with the sticky heat we get from December to March. Sheer fabrics made an inevitable appearance – we’ve been seeing this in a lot more collections (both straight and plus size), and I love that we are embracing the idea of showing a little skin in a less obvious way, it’s a little bit sexy while still keeping things classy!

There were four outfits that really stood out to me in this show, I’ll include the time they appear in the show so you can keep an eye out for them:

• The long shimmering cream gown (02:50) – I love the flow of this dress, the loose elbow length sleeves and the subtle sparkle. My first thought when I saw this come up the catwalk? “I could totally get married in that”. Gorgeous!
• The green gown (03:42) is elegant and more of a formal structure – perfect for a wedding guest, if you’re going to a spring ball or a special event with a more formal dress code. I’d love to see this in a variety of colours, as it’s such a lovely design.
• I spied my ideal summer sundress (the yellow dress at 05:58) – it’s the perfect “slip on and go” dress that you can style simply with a pair of sandals and couple of bangles. The sort of no-fuss thing you need for lazy summer days!
• My favourite outfit of the collection had to be the purple crop and wide legged pants with the yellow kimono (06:35) – wow! I love that cropped tops are becoming more and more popular in plus, and this design is probably one of my favourites because it’s a more tailored look. I love it with the matching trousers and the contrasting kimono jacket, spring and summer are all about bright pops of colours and I love bold matches like these.

What were your favourite pieces in the Design Collective for Evans S/S15 catwalk show? Let me know what you’d wear!

xo Meagan

Note: imagery and video courtesy of Evans.