An Angel kicks off their schedule (with a little help from Tallulah)

reuters

Well Tallulah did touch down in NY after all. As I type, she is walking (^) in the official opener of New York Fashion Week at Bryant Park – the show of Aussie expat Michael Angel. In a quiet lull just minutes before the show started, I had a quick chat with Angel over the phone.

So…nervous?
Michael Angel: Of course I’m nervous. I’m very awake. I mean I had to be here at 6am - call time.

It’s quite a big deal to be given the opening slot.
Yeah it is. And at the same time as well, IMG have been very supportive. And to put me in that time slot and to have me do this, it is an honour. And hopefully I can show something that wakes everyone up at 9am.

Tell me about the collection, quickly. I read on your blog that you were a little inspired by Freddie Mercury?
What it was based on was me listening to a lot of ‘70s rock music. I described the girl for the season…like the bottom half of her is Freddie Mercury and the top half of her is a bit of Stevie [Nicks] and Kate Bush and Led Zeppelin. It really isn’t anyone specific, it’s just me listening to a lot of that music and then going off and designing.

So take me through some of the silhouettes.
OK, well we’ve got a mixed panelled metallic dress, which is one of my favourites. It’s a really short panelled metallic dress and it’s silver, blue and light blue. There’s also the metallic blazer, which is new for me. I also did some swimwear. Also very important for me this season was beading. Taking my prints and making them three dimensional.




Prints have really been your signature up until now haven’t they?
Yeah, well you know, this collection especially. What I did was I took the prints to the next level and made the prints about movement…




You have come from left of field really. I mean you worked as a stylist in Australia and then left to work for Oakley in the US. Then suddenly, Michael Angel is about to show a collection in New York.
I didn’t really keep it under the radar. I just really did my thing and then when the time was right for it to be out there, it was time. I really wanted to put a lot of heart and soul into it and I wanted it to be right because you know, it’s been a dream of mine for a long time to do this. But it had to be right. I didn’t want to just send something out because I had to.



So you’re self-taught? Josh Goot is self-taught, so is Ben Pollitt.
I’m all self-taught. I mean I draw, I’m an illustrator, I draw each look, I draw each piece and then take it to the finished product.

You have also had quite a lot of press support over there. Have you had any editorial at all in Australia since you launched last year?
No, because the clothes are not available [in Australia] and not a lot of Australian media knew that I was doing a collection.



When do you think you are going to start the show?
In five minutes.

Tallulah’s not opening [Iekeliene Stange is opening] but she’s in the show - is she the only Australian model in it?
Yes she is. Tallulah’s in it - but Nicole Trunfio is also here to support me.

Best of luck and I really look forward to seeing [and posting] the shots.
Thank-you.


All seven images above: Getty Images for IMG

Click here for the complete collection on wwd.com.
Click here for the show video.
Click here to see Sonny Vandevelde's backstage images.

Thanks again to Sunster for "patching me through".