Restoring Normality

Words Melinda Williams

The slightly retro, amazingly inspired designs of Strangely Normal are back on the retail shelf.

The good news is that being Strangely Normal just got better. Strangely Normal, the fashion label run by design partners Michael Cox and Claire Dutton, is all about snazzy men’s tailoring and 1950s-inspired shirts. After a much-mourned absence, the duo are getting back into retail with a vengeance. Some of you may remember their first store, established in 1979 in Hobson Street. If you weren’t born then, not to worry – you can experience their brave new world at 19 O’Connell Street.

Strangely Normal’s design sensibility has always been about sourcing top quality fabrics with an old-school vibe about them. These are then turned into lean-cut trousers, shirts and jackets (available in leather as well). Now their new venture sees them going continental, with the introduction of the Bizzarro Normalo prêt-a-porter collection of suits. These deliver on slick shapes and detailing, such as the “kissing buttons” on the jacket cuffs. The whole look is accessorised with an eclectic selection of hats, silk ties and some weird and wonderful cufflinks. When asked about the design inspiration for their new store, they say they wanted to “create a lounge feel as opposed to it being a strictly retail feeling.”

The bespoke tailoring service currently available to celebrities and local aficionados will continue. We’re talking Anthony Hopkins, Mika and recent convert Danny Huston who’s been on our shores shooting the Josh Harnett/Melissa George vampire flick 30 Days of Night. Apparently the Strangely Normal coat he’s been wearing on set is so comfortable he has ordered another version to take back home to London. This is iconic Kiwi menswear design without the Stubbies – strange but true. LS