THE WITCHING HOUR
It’s been a busy
12 months for the Perth born Tristan Blair, he’s had a string of high profile
haute dates with the Bubblelicious Susie, expanded his brand in the UK and
Japanese markets and launched a capsule collection with behemoth Australian
retailer Sportsgirl and still found the time to body surf. Respect.
I realize we’ve
had a few false starts and I’ve been promising to pump out the remainder of
Blair’s S/S 09/10 collection for the past week, but with the northern
hemisphere heading into summer my meth orders have doubled and the Despotic
Queen has had to step up production in the labs. Last night we packed the last
of the mules into the cargo container and watched the ship set sale for the
Promised Land…meaning Imelda can get back to the business of shoes.
Tristan Blair
blindsided the Despotic Queen when he revealed “For S/S 09/10 I’ve found
inspiration in the dark side”. His SS09/10 collection The Lost Girls was in
part inspired by the late 80’s film The Lost Boys and is a precise collection
of Grecian sandals, masculine boots, gladiator heels and laser cut platforms.
If it wasn’t the
lightning flashes of fuchsia, orange and red in Blair’s somber palette of black
and brown the collection could almost have been seen as Blair’s response to the
sobering economic climate. Making a mischievous appearance is Pewter (a colour
normally reserved for mother of the bride / dinner dance footwear); Blair has
used the metallic colour in the most delightfully ironic 80’s inspired woven
sandal.
Mellifluent patent, scuba and
suede trimmed Chopin inspired platforms are contrasted by plaiting, laser cut
uppers and Victorian inspired lace detail. Following up his universally acclaimed
A/W 09 collection, Blair continues to use trims in the most unexpected ways. Peek-a-boo
fringing, buckles and press-studs are placed to maximum effect.
Now into his 8th
season, I asked Blair how he would describe the brand’s signature style.
Pausing, he replied, “how would you describe it?” “Masculine with subtle feminine
tailoring” I responded, “That sounds about right” he laughed.
Blair may have been inspired by
“the classic battle of good versus evil” and “the inherent sexual appeal of witchery” but the hoodoo
voodoo stops with the press release. Blair’s ‘The Lost Girls’ collection is a
timely reminder of why the Despotic Queen thinks he is one of the most exciting
footwear designers in Australia.


























