It turned out a cloudy day at the Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay in downtown Sydney for Day 1 of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia (MBFWA).
The first runway of the day for me was Lisa Maree. The collection is a sexy mix of swim and ready-to-wear. I loved the colors, prints, use of crochet, hints of leather and how the collection flowed together.
Melt Management represents the collection in the US. Melissa Trovato, the Principal of Melt, is a good friend of Lisa Maree’s and introduced us by email. I made sure to meet the tall, gorgeous designer and her equally gorgeous young daughter after the show.
From the bright Lisa Maree, I went into the dark of art installation showcase by fashion forward designer, Gail Sorronda. No runway here. Models slowly moved conveyor-like from one podium to the next as they made their way around the vee of the installation in front of screened imagery. Oh My Goth was the theme. Still there was plenty of bright and fluoro colors in the collection. The models’ make-up and hair was brilliant.
The Miss Unkon show revealed a softer, more feminine collection compared to last year’s tribal motif.
Aurelio Costarella blew the room away with his classic collection of beaded, embroidered eveningwear in a subdued palette. The crowd certainly wasn’t subdued as Aurelio received a rousing ovation as he walked between his creations.
In between runways, I filled the day with client meetings at The Hub and collection viewings at the nearby Shangri-La Hotel. I reconnected with many of the industry folks I met last year.
All in all, an exhilarating and exciting day was had by all. The rest of the week promises much, much more.
I hope you enjoyed my tweets throughout the day – @pbconsults
Paul Brindley