Begitta, DollHouse - Tea Party Collection
Down the rabbit hole and suddenly, there appears the mad hatter, who extends a tantalising invitation to join the tea-party. This mad hatter however is not so much a literary creation, as an authentic milliner- with a creative forte for extravagant headpieces. Meet Begitta Stolk. At first glance, it’s easy to deride Ms Stolk as somewhat of an ingénue – a babe in the woods, if you will, to uber-girly predecessor Alannah Hill.
The stylistic ornamentation of Stolk’s creations certainly warrants the comparison to Ms Hill, who is widely regarded as an Australian fashion icon. Stolk’s designs are feminine, flirty and have a certain whimsical quality. That is – part circus fantasy, part childhood escapism. It’s as if Stolk is just on the cusp of something. But what is it going to take to distinguish this young designer as a fashion mastermind of her own?
Begitta Stolk may be talented in her own right – after all she was a finalist at the Australian Fashion Design Awards in 2008 and recently presented her ‘Dollhouse Collection’ at the Highlight Show of Gold Coast Fashion Week in May this year. Regardless, the question remains – why is she different from our beloved Ms Hill, who already has somewhat of a niche in the “flirty, feminine and fabulous” market?
Alannah Hill’s designs are marketed as unique for their vintage edge and effortless glamour and, as Hill commented on her designs in an interview with Vogue Australia, “I couldn’t bear to be boring”. Whilst one wouldn’t call Ms Hill’s designs boring, many of her pieces are needlessly becoming streamlined to match a certain refined taste for glamour. Hill’s pieces are characterised by soft fabrics and delicate weaving, most often in pale hues that are certainly sublime and yet beneath, there hinges a tinge of restraint – something has been lost. And Stolk may have just found it. Stolk’s designs inspire an atmosphere of wild abandon – 60’s rock chick, op-shop glamour and top-hats with stunning crown head-pieces. Everything about Stolk’s designs is somehow too bright and too outrageous, with just the right amount of satire to remind us once again that fashion used to be fun. Perhaps the beauty of Stolk’s designs is in the shock value – that keeps eyes glued firmly on the models, as audience members gasp “what is that creation on her head?”
You see that’s the key to survival in this business – the capacity to ignite something more than a satisfactory nod. Stolk’s designs have a certain Chanel quality, in that they’re boundary pushing. On the one hand: finely crafted and decadent – on the other: layers of fake beading to tone down the ‘uppity’ look. Perhaps Begitta Stolk reminds us that fashion can be elegant and refined but that it should never lose the quality of being accessible and fun. After all, nobody wants to be boring.
BLK1 Article: NADA MARTINOVIC
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