Gert-Johan Coetzee is best known for his striking red-carpet gowns that SA’s most glamorous celebrities love wearing on the red carpet, but now he’s turned his attention to working women who want something unique to wear to the office. His new label, Vintage Closet, was launched at a SA Fashion Week-hosted event at the Rosebank Crowne Plaza this past week.
Vintage Closet was inspired by mom-and-daughter team Lorraine and Tiffiny Sutherland, who conceptualised the idea of a range of office wear with a designer twist and a vintage feel. The stylish Johannesburg twosome then approached Coetzee and a partnership was forged out of which Vintage Closet was born.
“When the Sutherlands came to me with the idea of a wardrobe of garments that could take a busy executive from a board meeting to a client presentation to a post-work client function, I was immediately keen,” says Coetzee. “There is a gap in the market for limited-edition, well-made and feminine designer daywear that is also affordable, and I could apply the learnings that I’ve had with my Edgars ready-to-wear range to our collaboration. I am very excited about this new direction!”
To add to the range’s feminine personality, each garment has its own retro name, from the Juliette blouse and the Gracie skirt to the Isabella jacket and the Katherine dress.
Where did the idea come from? Lorraine explains that she has always had a passion for the subtlety and quality of antiques and vintage clothing. “The attention to detail, the quality handiwork and the beauty and elegance of clothes from a previous era is what we want to replicate with Vintage Closet,” says Lorraine. “We sourced styles and inspirations that spoke of the elegance and femininity of a bygone age, and presented those to Gert, to work his magic on. He translated our inspiration with the use of textures, colours and clever construction techniques, into a range that is elegant, sleek and thoroughly wearable in the modern-day business context.”
The initial capsule range consists of streamlined dresses, blouses, skirts and little jackets in colours that can be mixed and matched and are suitable for the coming spring/summer season. Vintage Closet will be available at Edgars Sandton City and Edgars Melrose Arch from September 2013 at a price point between R800 and R1 500. Limited numbers of one or two styles will be available at any time, starting with the Katherine lace dress with hip detail, which will be in store by mid-September at R1 350.
