SYNTHESIS - the new RANT collection

It's been a long time since I have created a more dressed up collection, but this one was really worth waiting for. The previous Journal story has snippets from the photo shoot and some insight into it's creation, you can read it here.

Soooo, where do I start? The Synthesis collection is mainly about two different fabrics as textiles are my love and inspiration. Vintage silk and Japanese Cupro.

Japanese Cupro fabrics in lots of textures... simply so luscious and divine to wear. I fell in love with this selection as soon as I felt them. I had to grab a roll of each knowing I would have no problem designing a collection and it was a very limited quantity, so buy now or miss out!

What is this fabric? Cupro is created in a 'closed loop' using the left over cotton from the ginning process, so it's classified as 'regenerated Cellulose', man made from a natural base and very eco-friendly. Very similar to silk but 'Vegan friendly' and has more weight and drape than silk does. And as these Cupro fabrics are Japanese made, they are simply beautiful and luxurious. 

The Fuse Tunic makes use of 3 different textures all in one garment, flowing with great angles to show the drape of the Cupro. This style can be worn on it's own as sleeveless or layered over a fitted sleeved top. Another sleeved option is to add one of our new Osmosis crop tops, in crinkle cupro or Tencel/cotton voile which was my choice to wear at the Brisbane Pop Up as the Tencel/cotton cropped Osmosis tops offers coverage while remaining cool and breezy. 


Images below shows the Fuse tunic over the Shallot long Culottes in midnight, with the Osmosis cropped top in crinkle cupro layered on top. This is a totally awesome outfit, one I love love love myself and can't wait to wear out somewhere special. Draped in Japanese cupro, such an amazing feeling, you'll never want to take it off. 

One of the cupro fabrics is a jacquard weave where a botanical pattern is woven into the fabric giving a subtle but beautiful texture. It comes in two colour options, ink and midnight - which is a deep blue/black. Think dark inky tone almost black but not - it reflects inky blue tones! The image below shows a close up of the texture and what the colours look like together so you can see the subtle difference. 

This Jacquard cupro needed to be in the perfect style to show off the drape and flow, and what better style to achieve this than a culotte! The Shallot Culottes have been brought back as the pleating suits this fabric perfectly and creating a long version means lots of swishing fabric when you walk! They have a deep inverted pleat at the centre front along with a couple more smaller pleats creating a skirt look. The back has a couple of pleats at the sides to assist with the fabric flow, while the centre back is flat and looks more like pants, this can be seen in the pics below.

The updated Shallot Culottes are not only in this luxury fabrication but they also have a 7cm wide soft elastic waistband from a black Supima cotton, which is stitched in place in a random zig zag pattern, making it a feature. If you choose to tuck in a top with these Shallot Culottes, the waistband looks great, see pic below. 

The Shallot Cullotes come in two lengths and two colour options. As the fabric is very limited we have made 2 of most sizes/ colours and will take pre- orders if your size is sold out. This way we can hand cut the rest of the precious fabric into the sizes people are after. So if you are after a piece from this collection that isn't available, email or call us to see if you can custom order what you are after. 

When cutting the Shallot Culottes there was a long panel down the side as these pants have huge pattern pieces. We created some matching accessories from these long panels, so you can add a matching belt or scarf, or add one to an outfit you already have. 
Below pics show the Orbit belt, then the Passage scarf/sash which can be either a scarf or sash. 

Another of these amazing Japanese made Cupro fabrics in this collection is a crinkle fabric that looks like a crinkle silk but hangs so very differently. A crinkle silk would be light and floaty in this top, however in this cupro crinkle has weight and lots of drape, skimming over the body and hanging beautifully. I love it in both lengths, cropped and long, each length having a very different look - both super handy to add sleeves to any outfit. 

An alternative fabric in the Osmosis tops is also Japanese made but a lighter fabric, a sheer tencel/cotton viole which is super lightweight and great in hot humid weather. This is a summer essential for me, it's like wearing a simple cotton voile top but elevated to new heights in this Japanese fabric blend. 

The last cupro style is the new Sunlight top. I wanted a simple top with an extended cap sleeve look that had some textured detail. After playing around with samples I ended up trying our beloved Moonlight top shape but cut on the bias. I love bias cuts as it makes the garment fit slimly against the body, especially in the slinky cupro fabric. This cupro is a dark inky blue colour which contrasts nicely with the black bind around the neck and the detail around the armholes. 

The Sunlight top also works well layered under our new fitted shape we call the Converge Corset. This is made from a gutsy cotton jacquard that has lots of stretch in it, therefore allowing this fitted shape. The Converge Corset style allowed me to use the last few metres of this incredible hook and eye tape, which was from 2003 when we first started and I was sewing stretchy belts and wraps. It can be worn with all the hooks done up or only a few then looser around the hips, both ways look great. Below is the Converge Corset over the Sunlight top, then with the Synthesis skirt.

This brings us to the second fabrication that is the basis of the Synthesis collection... the vintage silk fabric. This silk fabric has been decorated with all different circular patterns created with black and white cotton bias, which have ruffled up and softened when I pre-washed the garments. This fabric has waited 20 years to have it's moment and I have designed the perfect styles for it. 

The Synthesis skirt can be worn on it's own or as I designed it, to be worn over a Banksii petticoat with a ruffle in the matching vintage silk. I wanted the Synthesis skirt to sit flat at centre front then almost a full circle put into the back adding lots of movement when you walk or dance. The hem is longer at the back and finished in white bias to peep out adding yet another textured detail. 

Below is the pairing of the Synthesis skirt and Banksii Petticoat, showing how they create a truly statement outfit for a special occasion. 

There have been two of each size made in these skirts and then I will custom make the sizes needed via pre-orders with the last few metres. 

There are also a handful of Synthesis wraps that were created from the shorter pieces of fabric after cutting the skirts and petticoats. The wraps/aprons were part of the first RANT styles I made when we started back in 2003. It seems we have gone full circle!

The Synthesis wrap is a panel of the spectacular vintage silk attached to a casing that is then threaded onto a stretchy elastic belt. The belt elastic and D ring (brass with a dark finish) are Japanese made and not only look awesome, they make this wrap easy to add to lots of outfits. I love the pairing of the Synthesis wrap over the Banksii petticoat, another statement outfit. 

This collection is indeed very limited edition, with many of the pieces able to be custom ordered while the fabric is still available. Most styles have only had 2 of each size/colour cut & made, so they will sell out quickly. Doing the Synthesis collection this way means I can make sure I don't cut the wrong sizes and people miss out. We will be spending the next few months hand cutting and making the most of every cm of our beautiful dressy fabrics. 

If you have any questions about the SYNTHESIS collection feel free to call or email me. Even with all the pics and in depth descriptions sometimes you might need extra info that I have not thought to add, so don't hesitate to ask. We want you to find the perfect pieces and enjoy wearing them for many years. 

Cheers,

Sarah