Ong-Oaj Pairam catwalk show report for LFW A/W 2014

Ong-Oaj Pairam showcased his autumn/winter 2014 collection today with a press release stating the collection was inspired by dangerous animals, toxic plants and (wait for it) Ursula from Disney’s Little Mermaid. Needless to say, we were a bit curious as to what it was we were about to see. The lights went up and what followed was a mindless hodgepodge of looks – half of which was completely unrelated to the other – leaving us slightly disappointed and utterly confused.

The first half of the show was spot on with some seriously enviable pieces. Pairam built on his signature 50s aesthetic with cinched waists and bouffant hair-dos. Trousers cut off just at the ankle, pencil skirts and matching separates decorated in modern bright graphic prints and hand embroidery were definite highlights, but this brings us to the second half of the show. The half that could have been a different designer or collection all together. The half that featured formal ball gowns in dark flowing fabrics…we’re assuming this was the Ursula part.

Everyone needs an editor and fashion designers are no exception. This collection was the equivalent to that “awkward phase” that everyone goes through – the phase where you’re experimenting with different looks and ideas to find who you are, and in doing so, actually loose sight yourself. You look back on those days and wonder, “What the hell was I thinking?” Toxic animals-meets-Ursula is Pairam’s “awkward phase” but we don’t doubt he’ll recover, as we all do.

In the designer’s defense, the first half of the show was crazy good and accentuated the designer’s strengths in what we all came to see – retro silhouettes, unique tailoring techniques and intricate details. Ong-Oaj Pairam has great potential as this is only his second season at Fashion Scout. We look forward to seeing his future collections.

Christianna Pugliese
Photos: Krish Nagari