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Lover is an Australian fashion label launched in 2001 by designers Susien Chong and Nic Briand. Lover have “managed to garner praise from Vogue to Vice Magazine”.The label has risen to prominence in Australia and internationally, developing a cult and celebrity following. Lover’s look embodies “romance, drama and a touch of rock’n'roll swagger”.

dishes brandsLover began as a Bondi Markets stall during the weekends in 2001. Susien Chong’s “vintage style” clothing attracted many customers inclucing actress Claire Daines who purchased two of the emerging label’s polka-dot blouses on a trip to Sydney.Three months after the stalls inception boutiques began requesting Lover stock.

Lover’s collections all draw upon various inspirations from the worlds of art, music, film and pop culture. Each collection, according to Nic Briand, “has a narrative and central character”.[4] Constant influences on the duo include Jean Luc Godard, early Woody Allen films, Black Flag, Marianne Faithfull. Nick Briand’s influences tend to be “heavier” such as the Wu Tang Clan, comic books and Jimi Hendrix, whereas Susien Chong’s are “softer” elements such as Picnic at Hanging Rock, ballet and Roberta Flack.Cite error: Closing missing for tag In 2007 Lover revisited the medium of film to make Waiting For Mick which depicted the mood and clothing of their Altamont collection.

The overarching theme of any Lover collection, and the ethos behind the brand is the idea of the loss of innocence.

Melodies features a palette of cream, pale blue and black with polka-dot motifs and the Lover trade-mark over sized buttons. The use of contrasting fabrics such as satin and denim shows Lover’s interest in the juxtaposition of girly with tough.

Black, white, red and midnight blues create a loud and vibrant edge to a collection with a title as sweet as Miss Francoise. Over sized buttons and satin are present staples. The collection has an overriding masculine edge with pieces such as crisp white shirts, cuffed wide-legged pants and suspenders.
The Broken Hearts collection features tailored, classic, simple staples in a basic palette of black and white with splashes of red and pink. Black denim used in cuffed shorts and straight-legged jeans gave the collection street smarts whilst the striking red pumps used in the look book gave the collection sass and vigor.

Lace began to creep into their designs this season with an off the shoulder number that was featured in Nylon magazine (US).

Susien Chong has commented that she was “inspired by lovelorn ‘girls working their way through the crowds at gigs around Sydney’”.

Performance tells “the story of a shy schoolgirl violin player who is awakened by the sounds of her brother’s Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath records” according to Nick Briand.

Cuffed shorts, loose girly blouses with lace detailing, raunchy satin, statement winter coats, logoed tees, high necklines, vests, fabrics that need little embellishment, oversized buttons, pinafores and photography by Steven Chee are elements which are associated with Lover and came together in Performance.

Black Magick was the collection that made Lover a “one to watch” brand. Fashionistas were flocking to get their hands on the pinstriped denim cuffed shorts and the “it” dress of the season, the white lace Black Magick dress. Velvets, denim and folk-influenced floral trimmings made this collection hippie without being all about free love.

Available in two washes the Lover Loves Levis jeans were produced in a tuff skinny cut. The jeans featured an over sized button to fasten the jeans, a black Levis patch on the back, contrast stitching and a Lover monogrammed lining along the inner waistband. The jeans were made in a limited edition of only 1,000 pairs.

The jeans were accompanied by a tote bag featuring the Lover monogram and a key ring with a large button motif.

Lover were drawn to the collaboration with the denim giant due to the fact that “Levis rock’n'roll youth culture heritage was a perfect fit with the mood of” their A/W About A Girl collection.

About A Girl featured bleached-out white, grey/purple plaids and black. Patterned lace tights and skivis were the base for many of the collection’s looks. Vests, pinafores, floaty blouses, playsuits, over sized buttons, cuffed shorts and a stand-out white lacey dress were the threads that linked Lover with their past collections.

The Black Rose Army collection depicts a transformation from innocent and “rich heiress to sex-bomb renegade”; this is the Patty Hearst story.

Set to a discordant and raw soundtrack by the Kills the runway show chronologically depicts four distinct periods in the Patty Hearst kidnapping saga. The first is innocence; represented via the use of white dresses, blouses and pinafores. The next phase is Patty Hearst at college; slogan tees, cuffed shorts, bandanas, denim and louder colour accents such as red, yellow and blue highlight this change, whilst the slow seeping of black into the palette suggests the darkness which will come. The third period is during her period as a fighter with the SLA; uniform-like khakis drench this radical phases pallet. The last phase is purely black, featuring black corsages to symbolise the death of Patty’s innocence.



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