For Autumn-Winter 2008, best friends, business partners, and the design duo of Sass & Bide, Sarah-Jane Clark and Heidi Middleton, ushered out 28 bright, playful, spirited looks. The collection titled “ Rainbows for Kate” was in honor of Ms. Middleton’s friend Kate Boyson, who sadly lost her battle with breast cancer last October. An excerpt from the dedication read “My beautiful friend, tonight we celebrate your incredible spirit… you’re unbelievable courage, your shining heart…your ‘light any room’ smile…you burst into my life like a beautiful rainbow…” A breast cancer survivor herself, Ms. Middleton, along side her design partner, Ms. Clark, delivered one the most personal and poignant presentations of fashion week, with a kaleidoscope of polka dots, ribbons, ruffles and bows.

Have you seen her all in gold?
Like a queen in days of old
She shoots her colors all around
Like a sunset going down
Have you seen a lady fairer?

She comes in colors evrywhere;
She combs her hair
She’s like a rainbow
Coming, colors in the air
Oh, everywhere
She comes in colors

With a blue backlight, the houselights dimmed and slowly came back up in reverence of the collection’s honoree. The Rolling Stones’ classic “ She’s like a Rainbow” provided the perfect opening to this season’s runway presentation. At the top of the show run, was a sketch of a beaded bracelet, which served as the starting point and inspiration for the collection. Heidi Middleton had designed the colorful bracelet of vintage wooden beads for her friend Kate, with each bead representing a different emotion—signifying friendship, compassion, love, and understanding. Sass & Bide’s signature quirkiness and eccentricity was displayed in the tongue-and-cheek styling—from the hair, an exaggerated turned under bun that was fanned out, to the bold use of color, harlequin prints, and whimsical accessories. While black was a predominant color, the collection remained especially light-hearted, which was quite refreshing. Color has become an increasingly important statement in recent seasons—no doubt a reflection of and reaction to more strained economical and political times—but here the spectrum of light felt less like an antidote to the daily stresses of a 21st century world and more like a promise and a remembrance, a celebration of life and love.

According to their biographies, Brisbane born Sarah-Jane Clark (aka Sass) and Heidi Middleton (aka Bide), the girls behind the Australian fashion label first met in 1992 through their boyfriends at the time, but it was not until 1997 that they started to produce clothing in a part-time venture. It was a particular pair of jeans created by Ms. Middleton that featured raffia floral pieces that captured the attention of others; it was this encouragement that inspired the pair to start a regular market stall, on London’s famous Portobello Road, selling customized clothes and vintage pieces. Upon returning from London in 1999, the pair arrived in Sydney; filled with optimism, they aspired to start their own label. The primary choice 'folk' was unavailable, so with less than 24 hours remaining until they lost their $100 deposit, the name "Sass and Bide" was coined by combining their nicknames.

According to the company website, the pair set out to design the type of clothes they wanted to wear. A 'great fitting jean that sits super low and is super sexy' was created with stretch denim and a 2-inch zip. An unusually strong word-of-mouth sparked a demand for this particular pair of jeans. A period of prosperity followed which saw the label released in the United Kingdom and the launch of its first ready-to-wear collection 'lady punk' at the Mercedes Australian Fashion Week; the collection was embraced by the Australian public. Sass & Bide presented their first international show, the collection "Thumbelina", during London Fashion Week in February, 2002. They also went on to be the first Australian duo to be invited to show at New York Fashion Week. By July of 2003 the label was stocked nationwide in David Jones in Australia, Bloomingdale's in the United States, Harrods and Selfridges in the United Kingdom. Sass and Bide currently has two boutiques, one in Sydney and the other in Brisbane.

Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
There's a land that I heard of
Once in a lullaby
 
Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true

Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemondrops
Away above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me

Israel Kamakawiwo'ole’s rendition of “ Somewhere over the Rainbow” closed the show. A parade of ballooned sleeves, vintage checkered prints, sequined embellishments, and geometric prisms seemed to sing the jubilant chorus at the heart of this presentation. My favorite looks from the hopeful collection included: the ‘heart’ sequined t-shirt and ‘letter from the editor’ voluminous skirt; a ‘steal the shoe’ ruffle dress; the two-piercing eyes mini dress; a ‘go ask Tom’ ruched top, ‘what came first’ pleated cloak, with ‘black rats’ shirred tights; and ‘the producer’s wife collared coat ‘of love, of life’ drop-waist dress. Rainbows have become an eternal symbol of hope and innocence, perhaps because they’re so wondrous and rare. As a child, I drew rainbows, flowers, and butterflies; with this new collection Sass & Bide have personified a youthful optimism that sometimes only a devastating loss can take us back to—teaching us not only to “stop and smell the roses”, but also to live each day to its fullest, never take one day for granted, and to cherish those you love. Who says you can’t chase rainbows?

Images provided courtesy of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Newsgroup.

For more information please visit, http://www.sassandbide.com/
   

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