PHOTOGRAPHS: Lucas Dawson (www.lucasdawson.com.au)
After three unusually stickyhot weeks, Melbourne turned on a blessedly cool evening for Myer’s national launch of its Autumn Winter collections. Cool in more ways than the obvious. The flat-chat 27 minute show entitled “The Edit” in Myer’s historic Mural Hall, neatly nailed the trends, feted and fed the VIP troops in the awfully sophisticated manner to which they are accustomed (with confit duck and apricot and pomegranate “cigars” and other, even more complicated canapés by The Big Group) and offered the odd, pleasant surprise as well. The theatre-style banked seating for example. The moody, two-storey high runway backdrop; photographs from the campaign shoot. The opening segment with jazzy Etta-Jamesish crooner and spotlights sliding along a darkened runway, a trick that immediately ramped up the glamour. Not that, with an almost full compliment of Myer exclusive designers such as Sarah-Jane Clarke and Heidi Middleton (both spectacularly thin and arrestingly pretty), Arthur and Mimi Galan, Nicola Finetti, and a host of other like-souls milling about, it needed any ramping.
And there was Alexandra Agoston. Not strictly a surprise, as the New York based Australian model has been everywhere on flyers and billboards beside Jennifer Hawkins in Myer’s very public pre-campaign in recent weeks, but a visual, maybe even political, treat nonetheless. The girl is divinely beautiful. And, in her co-headliner role, Alexandra’s lovely olive complexion, almond eyes and cross-continents kind of beauty, were notably and literally more akin to the real faces usually downstairs fossicking among the racks on Myer’s designer floors, than the, admittedly, gloriously gorgeous beachy-blonde girl-next-door Jennifer Hawkins. (It’s a thought.)
“…Alexandra’s lovely olive complexion, almond eyes and cross-continents kind of beauty, were notably and literally more akin to the real faces usually downstairs..”
But, I digress. Winter’s trends were neatly nailed. “The Edit” referred to Myer buyers’ distillation of winter’s groaning buffet of fad-options to a manageable six: floral (more graphic and darker patterns though, than the flowery images that probably spring to mind), lace (same warning as florals), leather, peplums, embellishment and skinny pants. Stylists had also warmed to the resounding return of black and other visually flattering effects that women tend to love. Aurelio Costarella’s cinched dresses for example, with accentuated hourglass silhouettes. Leona Edmiston’s relentlessly (season after season after…) pretty and universally practical patterned dresses. Cue’s hand-span thigh-gripper micro skirts and thoughtfully prim, pleated a-line alternatives. Jayson Brunsdon’s dark, tightly tailored trousers suit with creamy lace patched detail; a chic echo of Tom Ford’s sex-on-legs transformation of Gucci, all those years ago.
“…Stylists had also warmed to the resounding return of black and other visually flattering effects that women tend to love…”
Among other drop-dead highlights, Melbourne designer Yeojin Bae’s slim tailored black hip blazer over filmy black lace flared pants that dropped, sheer as a veil, right to the floor over stacked platform heels. In Milan, the same effect of “pantslessness” was common on winter 2013/14 catwalks, but it’s not looked better, or more wearable (albeit for the terminally daring), yet. Arthur Galan’s capes and cape-like coats, especially one in leather and another cream wool with black leather hemline fringe. Morrison’s leather skirt set, with pert peplumed jacket. Magdalena Velevska’s chic twist on a tailored grey micro skirt with wide, boucle textured side panel flapping incongruously free to the knees. Charlie Brown’s segment played out like an ode to her rock-chick soul: all second-skin leggings and cigarette pants in leather or gold foil, a little black flocklet shivery with silky fringe, and a gutsy touch of camouflage in a lean parka jacket over gold pants.
Gobsmacker segments of Toni Maticevski’s and Sass and Bide’s collections bookended the show with some of Australia’s purest design talent in perfect harmony with NOW. A good show all round, most VIPS agreed, as the last runway light winked off and a fleet of flute-bearing waiters and trolleys laden with canapés took over where Jennifer and Alexandra and Kris Smith had left off. Whether it will have the desired knock-on effect of luring winter budgets away from ASOS, ICONIC, Mywardrobe, Netaporter, et. al, is fuel for another post.
(See Diary for Myer public showtimes.)
Janice Breen Burns
