With a complimentary glass of champagne in hand, I’m ushered down the red carpet of the Melbourne Town Hall alongside extravagantly dressed fashionistas, feeling like something of a movie star.
Seated in the second row, directly in front of the runway and covering Melbourne Spring Fashion Week for the first time, I’m honoured to be so close to the action. Around me are enthralled media, the greats of the fashion industry and the culturally aware.
The money, the superficiality, the pretention was all around me.
In its nineteenth year, Melbourne Spring Fashion Week (MSFW) took over the city this week, with over 190 fashion-related events across Melbourne, providing an opportunity for designers, both established and emerging, to showcase their work.
Fashion Week aims to highlight the relationship between the designer and consumer, hoping to inspire growth in an industry that is constantly under pressure.
Sitting in the Melbourne Town Hall, I look around and come to realise the overwhelming majority of the crowd is filled by women and the young. The young try and puff out their feathers, wanting to look well versed and experienced, while the old keep trying to look forever youthful.
Everyone has made an effort, wearing crisp, new, on-trend outfits. I particularly notice one girl of Asian decent, sporting a shaved head, in a monochrome outfit with chunky silver jewellery and bright red lipstick.
Excited to have the opportunity to be in the presence of some of the most fashion forward individuals this side of the equator, I found myself struggling to find the right outfit to wear – after all, this is an industry fuelled purely by image.
Finally, I opted for the fail safe option of black and white – adding purple lipstick in an attempt to make a statement in my own little way.
All this trouble and stress for an hour-long runway?
This is the world of fashion.
The longer I sat observing, the more I noticed that perhaps I wasn’t the only one feeling self-conscious. The majority of people didn’t look comfortable in what they were wearing, as though they had picked the look right up off the rack without a second thought – wearing fashion for fashion’s sake.
A quote by English writer Quentin Crisp comes to mind: “Fashion is what you adopt when you don’t know who you are.” The ultimate distinction between fashion and true style.
Looking around it’s easy to see how this ‘world’ of fashion can be all consuming.
The drinks were flowing, the outfits flawless, the VIPs in abundance and groups of beautiful people deep in (no doubt) interesting conversation.
Each seat had a little bag full of complimentary treats and a bottle of San Pellegrino sparkling water – because I would never drink tap water darling!
Finally the lights are dimmed and a video of two DJs is projected onto the stage, signalling the start of the show and I quickly remember why I’m here: Roy Christou’s collection.
This season saw Cypriot Australian designer Roy Christou return to the runway with streetwear label Honor Among Thieves (HAT).
An Australian designer with a history spanning more than thirty years in the fashion industry, Christou’s collection has a uniquely Melburnian look and takes a distinctive approach to womenswear.
Despite being a Spring/Summer collection, not one dress is featured.
Rather, the designer kicks off the HAT series with denim overalls – the colour palette of his collection consisting of navies and monochrome.
Models are sent down the runway clad in jeans and shorts as staples, with more of an androgynous look in comparison to other collections on the night.
Anyone for a pineapple? They must be the fruit of choice for next season, adorned on shorts, jeans and even jumpers.
Alongside Honor Among Thieves, runway four of the designer series showcased designs by urban Australian labels Above., Alpha60, Búl, Carly Hunter, Gorman, Jolet, Kings of Carnaby, Kuwaii and Limedrop.
Even though every designer claims to bring something original to the fore, to the untrained eye there are clear cross-overs between each of the collections.
The designs are minimalist and structured, with most silhouettes loose-fitting, leaving the body open to breathe.
Skirts and dresses are highly featured, with lengths ranging well above and below the knee.
We see the bomber jacket make a come back and to my personal delight even the onesie makes an appearance.
Melbourne label Gorman continue with their signature prints – triangles, stripes and bright colours mixed in with earthier tones, while the Lime Drop duo bring some fresh, flirty fun with pastel coloured dresses and light fabrics.
Models of runway four, both male and female, have slicked back hair with make-up kept to a bare minimum.
Shoes for next season are either a simple heel with one strap across the ankle, Birkenstock-style sandals or a comfortable pair of New Balance trainers.
Although this may be Ready-To-Wear fashion – far from the Haute Couture of Paris – this is still a work of art that leads people to escape from the mundanity of day to day living.