Debbie Wilton F/W 2010

Picture yourself reclining on a riverboat, pacing steadily down the Nile while the pungent scent of lotus blossoms permeates the air. This is exactly the sort of place you would imagine seeing the exotic designs of Debbie Wilton.

As an amateur belly dancer, Wilton admired the flowing costumes of friend, and local belly dance teacher, Christa Duquette. From this love of middle eastern dancing came a collection that captures the flow of dance and costume in a more wearable way.

The collection was created in only 6 short weeks, aided by Wilton’s half decade of experience as a seamstress and custom garment designer. Duquette creatively combines a number of exotic fabrics like leather, silk Dupioni and silk Charmeuse to create surprisingly functional designs; embracing a certain powerful femininity Wilton believes fans of her designs will be seeking to flout.

Flamenco ruffled hems and hip hugging skirts with  leather lacing on the derriere draw parallels to the fluid dancers the collection aspires to emulate. Particularly inspiring, and a favourite of the designer was a gold silk floor length gown paired with a beaded cap, evoking the image of a modern day goddess.

Presentation was a treat, with the showing headed by a mesmerizing belly dance performance by Duquette. Designs were accompanied with hip scarves, necklaces and a beaded head cap provided by Son of the Pharaoh, a local middle eastern specialty store and importer of exotic paraphernalia.

As Wilton’s first runway collection, the ideas proves to be creative and refreshing, leaving us with the inkling that we will be seeing more of this up and coming designer.

Adriana Sveen

Photos by Isabelle Jackson