DAY 2
It was only 10am on Tuesday morning but, over complimentary herbal teas and lattes in the Rosemount VIP bar, the fashion pack were already complaining about sore throats and general lethargy (otherwise known as Fashion Week Flu and Fashtigue). Nobody could remember which shows they were looking forward to, which shows they’d seen or even what they were on their way to. The latter (and the former, for that matter) turned out to be Rachel Gilbert, one of my personal favourites due to her red carpet-friendly designs. She did not disappoint. A spectacular violinist in a glittering black gown stood by the entrance to the catwalk and began to play an eerily beautiful melody, which was quickly married with the familiar (to me anyway, as a self-confessed hip hop and R&B junkie) strings of Fat Joe’s ‘Lean Back’. Relaxed silk trousers in shades of lemon and ivory were paraded alongside black pieces that were beaded and embellished with a distinct 1980’s vibe. Hair was centre-parted - a trend that I have noted in almost every show so far - looped, twisted and secured with leather, while nails were given the metallic silver Blixz treatment (Sweaty Betty, Rachel’s awesome PR, have hooked me up with some metallic gold Blixz nail foils before... Look into them because they are THE BOMB). Obviously, it wouldn’t be a Rachel Gilbert show without a dose of sparkle, and boy, did she deliver. I loved her shimmering lime and silver fitted dresses and swooned when Simone Kerr strode out looking every inch the ballerina she is in an enormous taffeta confection.
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| RAFW face Jessica Gomes with my buddy, Ashley Scott (http://ofquartzandcrystal.blogspot.com/) and his Operator Please bandmate/my boyfriend, Tim Commandeur |
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| Waiting for the Rachel Gilbert show to begin with Kate Waterhouse, Tom Waterhouse and Tom's fiance, Hoda Vakili |
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Kate and I
Dress: Rachel Gilbert
Jacket: Rip Curl
Shoes: Siren
Gold pyramid stud earrings: Dejoie by Nikki Phillips
Ring: Colette
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| Rachel Gilbert |
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| Rachel Gilbert... One of my favourite pieces in the show! |
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| Simone rocking the Rachel Gilbert finale piece |
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| Rachel Gilbert |
On to Little Joe Woman, where the room was buzzing with anticipation of a perve on Yasmin Le Bon, long time friend of designer Gail Elliott. Yasmin opened the show looking relaxed and elated, but wearing what I felt was not a strong opening choice. It got much better though. I’m still not entirely comfortable with large music festivals, nor camping, but some great styling by Claudia Navone and chunky turquoise jewellery by Teresa Ruiz gave the ‘Love in Exile’ collection a warm, happy hippie mood and made me want to ride around in an old gypsy caravan while waiting for Coachella tickets to go on sale. Flowy silk maxi dresses (another huge trend), leopard print and a pair of super badass cropped black leather pants were paired with smokey green eye make-up and an old school rock N’ roll soundtrack.
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| Cool fringed capes at Little Joe Woman |
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| Killer leather pants at Little Joe Woman |
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| Yasmin Le Bon and designer Gail Elliott at Little Joe Woman |
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| Ashley and I illing in the Rosemount bar between shows |
A dash through The Rocks took us to Manning Cartell’s offsite presentation of the ‘Labyrinth Unlocked’ collection. Another favourite designer of mine, I delighted in the languid 1970’s mood complete with tan accessories, white crepe silk and heavy gold jewellery by Alexandra Blak. Much of the collection was backless, low cut, or A-symmetrical, so this is not a collection for ladies who require a bra at all times! I lusted after a pair of white, wide-legged trousers with splits up the side, invisible unless one were to take huge “don’t mess with me strides”. Which I would most definitely do if I were in possession of said trousers. Pieces in vivid cobalt and a fitted gold metallic disco suit also caused me to drool a little.
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| Manning Cartell |
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| Manning Cartell |
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| Super fly sparkling gold suit at Manning Cartell |
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| Manning Cartell |
My feet almost whooped with glee at the sight of designated buses waiting outside to take us back to the OPT. A brilliant idea! I was back in the thick of it just in time to check out Miss Unkon, another label with which I was not very familiar. Intricate, messy braids and mesmerising Becca Gilmartin body art punched up yet another collection of drapey silk dresses, shorts and playsuits with cut-outs, ruffled trims and scalloped edges. It was a cute collection and I liked the triangular cut-out details, but did note a floor-length hooded cape in white lace that was identical to one shown by Nookie last year. Oops!
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Tim and I at Miss Unkon
Tim wears...
Tee: Rip Curl
Jacket: A Mad Curse
Jeans: Hurley
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| Miss Unkon... Where the model be at? |
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| Miss Unkon |
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| Miss Unkon |
I was looking forward to the next show, Ready To Wear 2... It’s always nice to check out some fresh talent, let alone being able to see four or five unique collections in the one sitting! (Yep, I’m that lazy). Guanabana Designs opened with a model holding a beautiful blind albino snake. Some of the crowd recoiled in horror, most cooed with excitement, but I was the animal-loving buzzkill going, “Shh guys, you’ll frighten it!” Once the snake and his sweet wiggly tongue were taken away, I noted graphic prints in pink and orange, soft mushroom tones and sheer panels in trousers and (more) maxi dresses. Some very well-cut swimwear too. Is Summer really over already?
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| With Ania Stepien and Liz Cantor at RTW2 |
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| Cute snake at Guanabana Designs |
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| Guanabana Designs |
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| Guanabana Designs |
I like the label that showed next, None The Richer, and was eager to see what they would bring to the table. I spied their usual cross motif in metal charms stitched along garment seams, the jewellery, and leather patches on sheer tops, serving as saucy boob-covers. Studs were prevalent and the finale piece was a spectacular cream gown with a strapless, fitted bodice and a full skirt covered in the paper doll-style cut-out skulls seen in previous collections. Very cool.
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| None The Richer |
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| None The Richer |
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| Fabulous finale dress at None The Richer |
Wonders Cease referenced fashion favourites, Grace Kelly and Coco Chanel, as well as new muse Betty Draper of Mad Men. I loved their pleated skirts that were split up the front (shall I get one in the mushroom or orange?). They also showed several fantastic dresses that must have been hell to design; sashes of twisted fabric were looped, wrapped and fastened in ways that hurt my brain a little.
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| Wonders Cease |
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| Pleated maxi with front split at Wonders Cease |
Last up was Bless’ed Are The Meek, which I was also eager to view. Apricots and tribal prints were accessorised with chains, clusters of safety pins and gold hoops earrings joined beneath the chin by rows of fine chains. The finale dress was a black fishtail design with a lot going on - lace, ruffles, sheer panels - and was topped off by a giant black spiked headpiece. I do dig a bit of drama.
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| Bless'ed Are The Meek |
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| Detailed finale dress at Bless'ed Are The Meek |
After a quick cup of tea, we settled into the Cargo Theatre, which had been set with grasses, stones and a campfire, for the Nookie Beach ‘Nirvana’ show. The lights dimmed and two African drummers entered, grinning and effortlessly banging out rhythms. As it was a collection from Nookie’s Beach line, there was a lot of skin on show (my boyfriend Tim, experiencing fashion shows for the first time, finally had something of interest to look at). A pan flute soundtrack, bare feet, beautiful henna body art and long, loose tangled hair added to the forest native mood. More maxi skirts and dresses, sheer white cover-ups and kaftans, woven textures and tribal prints floated out in white, black, khaki and coral. I particularly liked the strapless wraparound bandage-style bikini top and a khaki fringed cover-up that could double as a picnic blankets (who doesn’t love pieces that do double-duty?).
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At the Nookie Beach show
Dress: Manning Cartell
Shoes: Siren
Gold pyramid stud earrings: Dejoie by Nikki Phillips
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| Twin models and body art at the Nookie Beach show |
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| Nookie Beach |
The next show was Carl Kapp, who was showing for the first time and I hadn’t heard much about; I actually prefer not to do much research beforehand and simply enjoy being surprised by new talent. I was never more surprised and delighted by a designer than in this case. I was already intrigued after skimming the leaflet on my seat beforehand - it described the designer as a master draper and fine tailor who, for this collection, took inspiration from “the ballet shoe and the way it delicately ties around the leg... Fluid silks in lustrous Earth tones swathe the form with a relaxed Grecian simplicity.” The collection was, simply put, magnificent. There were only 24 looks and I could understand why: gowns of textured silk were draped, folded and twisted with ribboning and mind-blowing knot work. I barely had time to understand how each piece worked before another equally beautiful creation was on show. Shades of soft pinks, royal blue and purple, luscious blue-toned red, chocolate, olive, mustard and mandarin made my mouth water. It was an incredibly glamourous collection and one that I will definitely be loaning for my next elegant event!
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| Napoleon Perdis and I at Carl Kapp |
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| Bright colours and exquisite designs at Carl Kapp |
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| Carl Kapp |
I was supposed to attend the Kate Sylvester show that evening but Tim and I were so flipping exhausted that we guiltily slunk home and into pajamas. Fashtigue strikes again.
DAY 3
Back on campus, bright and early for the Talulah show. The OPT was lit only by rows of flameless candles lining the front row and stacked on shelves on the wall behind the runway’s entrance. High-waisted suede briefs in camel and more floaty silks in bottle green and apricot were accessorised with leather obi belts and flat sandals. Fringing, lace, tribal prints, deconstructed fishtail braids and more maxis nodded to the ‘Woven Dream’ collection’s “heady Summer nights” and “effortless 70’s bohemian vibe and romance of the prarie” inspiration, although much of the collection felt very under-styled. A coffee-coloured fitted mini-dress was followed by a tawny cotton bodysuit; both were completely devoid of any accessories. There was nothing groud-breaking in the collection, but I loved a tribal print high-waisted maxi skirt with a matching crop top. Cute!
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En Route to the OPT
Dress: Maurie & Eve
Necklace: Mimco
Bag: Mimco
Black cuff: Thomas Sabo
Wrist chain: Mimco
Shoes: Siren
Sunglasses: MinkPink
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| Good morning! |
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| Talulah |
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| Obi belts at Talulah |
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| A rad crop top and matching maxi skirt but a severe lack of accessories at Talulah |
A quick break to laze on couches and enjoy the morning sun in the Rosemount bar, then to Shakuhachi, which began with haunting visuals and suspenseful soundtrack. A sudden deafening crescendo and the first model hit the runway, cool and calm in apricot silk with tan leather (or possibly pleather?) panels. White espadrilles covered with intriguing graphite stones were paired with brightly coloured sporty separates and orange mock-croc clutches. Aqua and neon yellow hues popped in shorts, simple dresses and high-waisted swimwear with strapless tops; with so many strapless, backless and cut-out pieces this year, large breasts and their requisite bras are clearly not “of the moment”. The second half of the show was more appealing to me, consisting of chic European stripes in yellow with grey and navy with white. Tassells appeared alongside a pair of rad sheer white trousers embroidered with flowers and crystals. The 1970’s were referenced again with super cute high rise shorts and a mini dress in divine daisy lace. My favourite look - and one that I definitely need to get my mitts on - was a matching metal and crystal encrusted blazer and skirt. Said skirt also had TASSELS. Need I say more?
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| Putting my feet up in between shows |
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| Shakuhachi |
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| Shakuhachi |
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| Shakuhachi |
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| Shakuhachi |
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| Amazing embellished and tasselled pieces at Shakuhachi |
I took a break for the rest of the day, planning to come back for Dhini and Alice McCall but, as always, running late and missing both. So it was straight to one of my favourite buildings, the State Theatre, for Camilla and Marc. I loved their show last year and couldn’t wait to see the new offering, ‘Infinite Variability’, which would see an odd partnership with Quiksilver neoprene. Flicking through the leaflet while waiting for the show only made my impatience worse; I delighted in reading the words “Royalty Pump”, “Imperial Box Clutch” and “Perspex”. The first note I made was simply, “NEON!”, as girls in pointy-toed pumps hiked the lengthy runway in wetsuit dresses with exposed fluoro yellow zips. Overblown prints, pieces in mouth-watering neon pink and and a royal blue suit with razor-sharp tailoring were accompanied by clear perspex clutches in orange and yellow. A fabulous brocade pantsuit and 1980’s-esque pink sequined pieces rounded out the collection and we all traipsed to the after party with wide eyes and even wider smiles.
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At The State Theatre for the Camilla and Marc show
Tim wears...
Shirt: Cubic Collective
Blazer: Ben Sherman
Jeans: Hurley
Shoes: Gideon
I wear...
Dress: Maurie & Eve
Earrings: Diva
Shoes: Siren
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| Camilla and Marc |
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| Quiksilver neoprene at Camilla and Marc |
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| Camilla and Marc |
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| Camilla and Marc |
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| With Yyan of http://facehunter.blogspot.com/ |
DAY 4
Fashion Week Flu began to take its toll. BED.
DAY 5
As is the case most years, I was actually quite pleased that the busy week had come to a close! I wandered down to Circular Quay in the late afternoon, just in time to catch the New Generation 2 show. Jaime Lee showed a collection that I found exciting and Tim deemed his “favourite show of the week”. Although there seemed to be a little “inspiration” taken from Aussie favourites Ellery and Romance Was Born, I dug the colourful screen-printed blazer and was very impressed with their lucite heels covered in web-like strands of resin and gold glitter.
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| Jaime Lee |
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| Jaime Lee |
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| Jaime Lee |
Del Playa Drive was up next with tribal and Missoni-esque prints, sequin trims and a fun, beach vibe. I loved the video that played behind the runway entrance: beach footage that included surfers, turtles and fish and had the happy, retro appeal of an old family home movie.
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| Del Playa Drive |
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| Missoni-style prints at Del Playa Drive |
Daniella Caputi followed up with a lot of black and white, fringing, tough silver accessories and tiny laser cutout details on elbows and necklines (as well as one particularly fabulous collar that may or may not have been detachable... Must have!).
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| Daniella Caputi |
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| Daniella Caputi |
Virginie Lynn opened with funky white blazer garnished with panels of black leather, before giving us a little more of the (albeit, fabulous) same with shorts, blazers and vests in white and terracotta shades of rough silk.
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| Virginie Lynn |
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| Virginie Lynn |
Daniela Stephanie closed with an Indian influence and a colour palette of nude, blue, orange and turquoise. I welcomed the fresh, original styles and loved her bright, mosaic bustiers. Nom nom nom.
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| Daniela Stephanie |
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| Daniela Stephanie |
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| Daniela Stephanie |
The week ended with a show by an old friend of mine, Bowie. I was the “muse” for the first collection he showed at fashion week and have worn several of his outfits on the red carpet. He is so lovely and I could not have been happier for him having the honour of the final show bestowed upon him. There was a huge, diamond-shaped lake of rock salt through the middle of Cargo Hall and as the lights dimmed, a plume of smoke streamed down into the centre of the room. Bowie opened his ‘Paper Crane’ collection with a string of origami-influenced wedding gowns in bright ivory, each more beautiful than the last. Models glided through the room beneath towering beehives of varied shapes and sizes showing off glittering diamond and pearl jewellery on hands with red lacquered nails. Long layers of tulle, silver bugle beads, lace applique and white silk wildflowers adorned the elegant bridalwear, which will hopefully pull Australian brides out of the snooze-worthy strapless rut. Flashes of red and black dominated the second section of the show, which featured cocktail dresses and demonstrated Bowie’s incredible design skills with flowing fishtails and tiers of ribbon and tulle. A glorious end to fashion week.
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Nikki Phillips, Airlie Walsh and I at Bowie
Dress: Del Playa Drive
Blazer: Zara UK
Wrist chain: Mimco
Shoes: Gideon
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| Bowie |
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| Bowie |
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| Bowie |
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| Bowie |
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| Bowie |
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| Bowie |
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| Bowie |
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| Bowie |
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| Bowie |
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| Bowie |
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| Bowie |
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| Bowie takes a bow |
The actual week, however, was not over yet. While we were all swooning over Bowie, the rest of the OPT, A.K.A. the bathrooms, had been locked up, leaving a seedy pub bathroom with a strong aroma of vomit as my only choice of changeroom. But nothing could dampen my exhilaration. Not only was I shimmying into one of my favourite dresses ever - a neon pink maxi by the lovely Wayne Cooper - but I was on my way to the premiere for Water For Elephants, which would also be attended by none other than Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson. Battling with hundreds of other fashion week attendees for cabs meant that Tim and I were embarrassingly late for the red carpet, which stretched the length of Pitt Street Mall. On the plus side, it meant that we ended up sharing said red carpet with the much sought-after British vampire himself. Despite being on Team Jacob, practically brushing past Robert in his dapper grey suit while thousands of girls screamed and threatened to break barricades left me barely able to contain my excitement.
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At the Water For Elephants premiere
Dress: Wayne Cooper
Earrings: Diva
Shoes: Siren
Clutch: Mimco
Wrist chain: Mimco
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| At the Water For Elephants premiere |
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| Tim and I at the Water For Elephants premiere |
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| Introducing the film/looking damn fine |
The movie, which I had been very much looking forward to seeing, was fantastic. Unbelievable talent was exhibited by Robert, Reese, Chris Waltz and the movie’s title character, an magnificent elephant. The credits rolled, I wiped away my tears (I only cried a tiny bit, jeez...) and it was on to the fashion week after parties.
And so, another fashion Christmas draws to a close and leaves us with ruined feet, colds and, for most people, splitting hangovers. Well, being one of those lucky front row-frequenters, I may have received a little more than that...
April xx
Wow, I'm sure RAFW was amazing, I would have loved to have gone even if it was just for one show. Lucky you with the freebies!! hehe xx
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