There’s just something so great about sitting down, taking out the big boys (my name for my candles), lighting them and flicking through the pages of the latest copy of Russh. It’s when I’m looking through the pages of my dangerously tall stack of magazines that I find the most inspiration, whether it be to create, or just to keep my occupied on the treacherously long things we call weekends.
When I noticed the word ‘collision’ printed in large, narrow capitals at Carl Kapp’s SS12 show, my first thought was “How very Prada of you, Carl.” Once the show began, with the sound of two cars, engines revving, speeding towards each other and colliding, I was sure of my guess. When the models began to walk out, to my surprise, there were no flame prints or street-style-perfect shoes, instead what I saw was a collection that bonded masculine and feminine cuts and silhouettes with lighter hues and rich tones, all condensed into one collection.
Flowing, feminine dresses à la Lanvin, with trains pulled up, pleated and sewn at the back of the neckline appeared like parachutes (fashionable, of course) in bright, exciting colours, but were contrasted by masculine blazers, much like those of Haider Ackermann’s collection of the same season, in moodier, richer shades of green and purple.
What I really found interesting were the headpieces, custom-made for Carl Kapp by Philomena Kwok; they really brought the concept of collision back to its literal meaning. Perspex fascinators, with wire bent around them looked as though they had just been in the middle of two cars crashing towards each other and, I must say they looked amazing, almost amazing enough to make me get one myself.
This year’s closing show at MBFWA was Nana Judy, who debuted their new womenswear collection ‘Heart by Nana Judy’. The label, known for their streetwear, presented a collection that wasn’t anything too special — all wearable, wardrobe staples — but the energy at the show was too good! A great end to a great week spent with some great people. Am I overusing ‘great’? Not at all! ‘Great’ is such a great word. Great, great, great-y, great great. See the finale below, with Amy Meredith performing live.
Two lovely ladies I’ve known for a while through their blogs but only just recently met (this photo was taken at Roopa Pemmaraju on Thursday) are Maria and Maria. I’d call them Maria 1 and Maria 2, but then I’d be likening them to the Things, so instead we’ll call them Maria and Maria (the difference being the links), go check out their blogs!
A designer with a clear understanding of creating garments that are at once wearable and fun, Stephanie Goerlach showed her latest collection for Tibbity as part of The Innovators show at MBFWA. The collection is an homage to one of her favourite childhood stories, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, with symbols and motifs from the story throughout the collection. While the influences of her inspiration for the collection were clear, Goerlach did manage to establish her own look to the collection, with lots of knitted textiles and stripes of every variety.
The designer, who grew up on the south coast of New South Wales, has had experience at Zimmermann and Alice McCall in two consecutive years, recently completed her 3rd and final year at Ultimo TAFE. With both Dion Lee and Akira Isogawa having graduated from the same TAFE college, and having gone on to present their collections at London and Paris respectively, there is a great deal of potential in Goerlach, and I look forward to seeing what she does in the coming years.
When I first blogged about Kahlo, they were hitting it off with the now-FELLT bloggers, namely Sara of Harper & Harley. Fast-forward half a year and they’re showing as part of the New Generation group show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia! The label, known for their amazing leather pieces has gone on to focus more on their other pieces, including some sportier pieces than their last collection, but still maintain their signature effortless aesthetic, which has seen the brand worn by the likes of Rumi Neely, among others.
What’s so great about Kahlo is that they’ve managed to create pieces that look amazing both dressed-up and dressed-down, without steering too far past the $400 mark (the dress Rumi wore is only $380). Kahlo is synonymous with versatility, simplicity and — in want of (far) better words — sheer awesomeness.
