David Tlale Fall 2014

David Tlale third appearance at “The Tents” during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week was his best. Previous appearances have been a combination of innovative concepts and fabrications that lacked cohesiveness and direction. However, Tlale fall 2014 collection was none of that.

The collection entitled “Elementary Metropolis” was well put together, for the most part, with a cohesive theme that ran throughout the entire showing. Though there were a few matronly looks that spoke to “Golden Girl” fashion mavens, overall the collection was current with a fashion-forward sensibility.

Though “Elementary Metropolis” did speak to the simple silhouettes that many urban city dwellers would want in their wardrobes, there was nothing simple about the construction of Tlale’s garments.  Most simple silhouettes always require great skill and craftsmanship, and in this collection Tlale masterfully concealed the hours of labor and effort it took to create these looks.

Tlale even managed to incorporate some South African culture motifs that were neither heavy handed or literal. Tlale’s royal blue printed damask unstructured coat and tulip dress are prime examples of Tlale’s pairing of South African tribal prints and South African/East Indian sari silhouettes combined with a modern perspective.

Though Tlale stayed mostly with a neutral palette of black, beige and navy, he managed through the use of expert construction and Tlale’s unique take on embellishments and detailing to elevate this collection from what could have been a homage to the great French couture collections of the 1960s to a collection that spoke to the current needs of female consumers.

What was missing in this outing were separates that could be mixed and matched with wardrobe staples. This lack of separates did give the collection less versatility. Then again, Tlale has never been known for great separate pairings of his versatility.

Standouts in this fall 2014 collection were Tlale’s beige crepe shift flapper dress with fawn knit base dress, navy blue silk brocade high-waisted draped pocket pants with navy blue knit pleated three quarter sleeve, and beige crepe draped gown with beaded embellishment.

—William S. Gooch