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Fashion week: lazypants style!

Sooo.... I'm a tuurrrrrible lazypants in terms of my blogging.. Cos it's been over a week since Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia which I was lucky enough to attend for work and I didn't blog! Was working a lotta long hours though...(and am lazy...obvi).

As per my last post, I had the good fortune to have my budding young fashionista cousins in tow for a good recon of the area before attending the real deal. (please see my last post for brilliant photos taken on the iPhone by my up and coming fashion photographer cousin Timothy Roffe!)

Anyhoo.. At fash week central I was lucky enough to attend some of the best shows...Jenny Kee, We Are Handsome, Carl Kapp, Christopher Esber and Akira......

Unfortunately I didnt take the camera with me as I was too busy to take any decent pics. I was tweeting from the shows though so here I have some very blurry crappy iPhone pics....if you squint a lot maybe you'll appreciate it as much as me....

Jenny Kee was one of my highlights. After a 31 year hiatus, Aussie design legend she burst back into Fashion Week in a cacophony of clashing prints and vivid colours with her "art of the scarf" collection.

I like the nod to her 1980s boutique 'Flamingo Park' in this outfit

Kee showed a small collection of scarves: presented beautifully (as styled by Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales of Romance was Born) draped over models wearing vintage Kee outfits and adorned with branches: they looked like trees in her forest that not only looked, but smelt like eucalyptus trees. This nod to the Australian bush is Kee's signature style and it showed through in the hand painted flowers and vibrant colours featured on her scarves.

The scarf is also probably the best sartorial medium to capture her geometric patterns and Rainbow-Brite colour schemes (that made her famous in the 80s) in a contemporary way, wearable for today's fashionistas.

Front row at We Are Handsome. If you squint you can see Phil Oh chatting to Ruby Rose in amongst all the fashion editors.

We Are Handsome used their signature form-fitting lycra designs to playful effect in their latest runway show. They incorporated fun digital prints of cityscapes and palm tree lined beaches into a few long maxi skirts and dresses in addition to their lycra body suits and leggings.

The Press Pit: We Are Handsome

With the fun prints and saccharine sweet pink and pastel colour scheme, it’s easy to see how this Aussie label by Jeremy Somers and Indhra Chagoury  caught the eye of international A-listers like Rihanna who has been spied frolicking in the waters of Barbados in of their designs.

The finale at the poppy, fun swim-wear collection by We Are Handsome

Carl Kapp sent a veritable fashion fruit salad down the runway for his latest collection. But while the colours were fruity and and fun, his silhouettes were seriously sexy.

Kapp deftly displayed finely tailored pieces with sculptural structures in silvery metallics alongside beautifully draped bias cut evening gowns that looked like liquid silk.

The standout pieces: the fruit tingle hued evening gowns with long capelets that billowed out down the runway creating dramatic silhouettes.

Fierce tailoring at Carl Kapp

Note Joh Bailey's head in front of me. He had really bad dandruff all over his velvet jacket.....just saying. I mean, so do I but I'm not a celebrity haridresser!

Loved this stunning billowing capelets in bold bright colours at Carl Kapp

This outfit was one of my faves: loved the fierce bob hairdos too..

It's a fashion fruit salad!

Then it was Christopher Esber which was kinds lost on me. Other editors and bloggers were tweeting about how they were 'moved to tears' by his presentation and how it was the 'show that saved fashion week'. Gimme a break!

I do understand as it was fairly edgy compared to the rest of the very 'safe' styles being shown for most of the week and in Australian fashion in general. This was the first really 'international' collection.

The mirror-maze runway was cool and the music overly dramatic but Esber's styling was not for me. The silhouettes were all over-sized sacks made in crisp white cottons which for me, having grown up with a chef for a Mum, just made me think of chef's uniforms. That and the white and pale blue colour scheme and the nun's-habit shape of everything mafe me feel like I was at a uniform trade show for the hospitality and surgical industries.

I did like the sheer skirts though. They were pretty cool.


For the full gallery and review check out madison online here.

 

 

After a long absence from Australian  fashion week, the reappearance of Akira Isogawa and his Akira line was met with great excitement (by me especially): and with good reason too.

The new collection burst forth in a coral-reef of colour that featured a boldly hued range of pieces with intricate shibori work and Isogawa’s signature textured and layered detailing. There was also plentiful use of colourful oriental prints and some amazing avant-garde beaded oversized jewelry.

Fruity wedges at Akira: I want!

There was also a selection of layered pieces in gorgeous Oriental prints. Note the necklace below padded and covered with intricate hand-beading: I hope this piece will be available for purchase!

Sitting alongside the brighter pieces were the softer bridal dresses: stunning in soft creamy silk organza, rich silk satins and impossibly intricate beadwork.

The standout piece: The floor length layered creamy organza wedding gown covered with delicate silk petals:

The verdict: Akira is still the master!



Also, some celebrity spotting (evidently my general street-style spotting skills are crap - I didn't have time!)

Sophie Lowe - I think she's so beautiful!

...and Kate Waterhouse - I don't know much about her except that she's pretty loaded. Her Burberry coat's cool though:

* A lot of this review was first published on madisonmag.com.au but is all by moi! All photos are my own (durr -that's why they're awful)

Woolmodern

Tis the night before fashion week and all through the house....a huge mess is being made.
Hair is frantically being re-reddened and outfits are being vetoed. I am nonetheless a bit excited.

Today I went past the tents at Circular Quay which were bustling with preparations for tomorrow.

Will be attending several shows on behalf of the online editors at the magazine publishing house where I work.....will try and do some blogposts if I get the chance.

Meanwhile, today I was simply passing by on my way to the finger wharves at Walsh Bay where a fabulous free exhibition called Wool Modern was being hosted.

The exhibition came about as a representation of the Campaign for Wool, the Patron of which is the Prince of Wales and it features many fantastic international designers showcasing the best that wool in design has to offer and to encourage new generations of designer to use wool in their own work and support the wool industry.

I was actually looking after two little boys for the day: my cousins. Who were not only extremely patient with me dragging them to a fashionista outing, but they were also quite interested to see the designs and all photo credits must go to my 8 year old cousin Timothy Roffe!

 Here is some of what we saw:

Knit Monster by Sibling

I want a Mohawk!

"This is how you pronounce Lanvin...."

Teaching the cousins how to do Blue Steel. 

The dress on the right with the coat fixed to the front is by J.JS Lee and the Jacket on the left is by Ellery.

Note the David Koma piece centre front as worn by Feral Cheryl (aka Cheryl Cole) on X Factor leading to sales of his stuff to go through the roof back when I worked at Net-a-Porter London. (I also think its v cool in spite of the Cheryl factor).

3 attractive heads.

Jenny Kee, Miss Evie, Romance was Born, Tina Kalivas, Gorman.

Kaleidescope effect: me standing between 2 of my fave designers I cant wait to see at Fash week. On the right we have Romance Was Born (if that dress looks familiar it's cos it was worn by Cate Blanchett on the red carpet, encouraging what I believe is a much-needed Renaissance of Granny-square couture) and to the left a classic knitted piece by Jenny Kee who will this week hold her first show since 1981 (cant wait!).

Oompa Loompa shoes by Charlotte Olympia.

The cousins blending in with the menswear collection. How do you tell which ones are the mannequins and which ones are human?

"Be still my beating heart"....awesome coat by Queen Vivienne.

Plaited wool on a papier-mache bustier by Maison Martin Margiela.

And here's what I was wearing:

- Vintage Ken Done shirt dress: scored for $6 at Rockdale Vinnies
- Black leather plaited belt: hand-me-down from a friend
- Blue suede creepers by Underground London from ASOS
- Black leggings from Evans
- Black top by Mela Purdie

Thanks to my cousins for the lovely day out and all the awesome photos! See y'all on the other side of fashion week - yay!