The L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival has plenty of kick left in it (see the fat slab of things left to do this weekend bringing up the rear of this bulletin) but for Voxfrockians who missed its first vox-popping, photo-opping, catwalking five days, we’ve lassoed a slick trinity of our personal highlights, followed by a snap gallery of moments mostly photographed by the inimitable Lucas Dawson and his team, for your edification and entertainment:
1. L’Oreal Paris’s visiting Hungarian superbabe, Barbara Palvin was a sweet departure from the globally renowned actresses, athletes and Amazons the megabrand has deemed “Worth” the barrow-load of bills it’s tipped into its ambassador fund in recent years. Miss Palvin’s pinnacle achievements appear to be prettiness and popularity, each of which feed into the other, and both of which flowed into a ravenous viral publicity phenomenon for the short time she was here.
Aussie beauty Megan Gale (of the Amazon variety) introduced the 19 year old at L’Oreal Paris’s customary lunch launch (launch lunch?) at which guests were beguiled and bewildered by Miss Palvin’s innate – what would you call it? – goofiness. She giggled and hugged herself, advised women that her flawless teen prettiness was the result of “two hours in the bathroom” and we should do likewise because, naturally, we’re worth it.
Adorable, adorably irritating, as teens tend to be, the heartstoppingly lovely Miss Palvin stayed a wisely brief time at the fest. But she did manage to squeeze in all manner of glamourous duties for L’Oreal Paris, including leaping inexplicably joyfully on the Government House lawn (fashion is just so darn-tootin’ FUN innit?) before flitting away to yet another exotic shoot in a far-flung-port-she-couldn’t-pronounce-but-it-didn’t-matter-because-she-had-no-clue-where-it-is-anyway.
The adorable L’Oreal Paris poppet Barbara Palvin.
2. Mary Katrantzou, “Queen of Print” was a revelation of humility and un-solicited information. The Greek-born UK designer arrived humbly with an entourage of one friendly assistant and, generous to a fault, explained her amazing aesthetic, modus operandi, inspirations, motives, creative and business evolution to any journalist, blogger, store fan or accidental passer-by with a half hour and politely cocked head to listen.
“Utterly charming”, was the general consensus by the time she left, but every head buzzed with a Katrantz-excess of information. In the festival’s opening event, presented by Vogue Australia for David Jones, the two remarkable hemispheres of Miss Katrantzou’s aesthetic – one wildly creative, the other intriguingly commercial – were scheduled at opposite ends of the show. The vivid controlled chaos of her coloured digitally printed pattern mixtures came first, compressed into shapely-bodiced frocklets, shoulders extended, skirts stiffly belled or layered and heavily bouncing with embroideries of beads and pearls, sequins, knuckle-sized crystals and marvellously odd-ball objects such as pencil-ends with their eraser in tact, all nutted out in swirls and patterns in collaboration with Chanel’s famous Lesage atelier in Paris.
The later, more commercial segment described Miss Katrantzou’s careful forays into more ordinary wardrobes, with silky volumes animated by her recent fascination with nostalgic stamp-inspired print patterns.
3. It’s never been slicker. Every pic and pub-opp was pumped parch dry at the most media-savvy festival yet. This week’s undeniable Everest of orchestrated opportunities however, was this; glamablogger, photographer and London-based model Candice Lake, coyly slotted into a line-up of 10 bare chested blokes on Central Pier. (Photograph by Gina Milicia.) The stunt was a smashing initiative to launch “Street Style”, an exhibition and billboard campaign of photographs by Miss Lake, of well known fashion-savvy Melbournians for Westfield Doncaster’s winter selling season. Actress Gracie Otto also ramped up her curriculum vitae for the same campaign, directing Miss Lake in a broody, arrestingly elegant short film entitled “Fashion Lust”. (Cruise the exhibition this weekend on Doncaster’s High Fashion Level One, opposite the Zimmermann boutique).
Few stunts were slicker but, particularly early in the week, red carpets were rolled out left, right and centre for thick traffic of full-fluffed, coiffed and made-up brand-models, fashion ambassadors, spokespersons, officials and sundry Fashionable Somebodies. They were snapped, natch – women with left hand gently rest on kinked hip, chin up-tipped, right foot forward – by a battery of over-discerning photographers oblivious to the ordinary mortals who slipped modestly past, sometimes apologetic at their accidental intrusion on all this glossy gorgeousness, this prime-time, page 3, top-o’-the-blog fabulousness.
By festival’s end, I suspect, this habit of photographing only professional and paid beauties could convey the impression in certain media, that no ordinary mortals – such as those for whom the festival exists and who turn up in droves in their ordinarily fashionable frocks and shoes, with their ordinary shining eyes and ordinarily lovely faces – attended a single show or party.
The impression would be wrong.
Janice Breen Burns, jbb@voxfrock.com.au
Candice Lake does the week’s Everest pic-opp for Westfield Doncaster.
REMEMBER, THE FESTIVAL’S STILL FIRING…
SATURDAY, MARCH 23
L’Oreal Paris Beauty Workshops, presented by Marie Claire, 11.30 am. and 2 pm., Maia, Central Pier, Docklands.
Famous for Fashion – Boutique Edition show, presented by the City of Stonnington, featuring winter collections from High Street, Toorak Road, Malvern and Glenferrie Roads.Shows 12 noon and 2.30 pm, Malvern Town Hall, 125 High St., Malvern.
The Sportsgirl National Graduate Showcase, featuring collections by 12 exceptional new designers, 7 pm., Peninsula, Central Pier, Docklands.
Red Carpet Runway, presented by Harper’s BAZAAR Brides, with couture by Akira Isogawa, Aurelio Costarella, Collette Dinnigan, Gwendolynne, Rachel Gilbert and Toni Maticevski.
SUNDAY, MARCH 24
L’Oreal Paris Runway 7, presented by Frankie magazine, 7pm., Peninsula, Central Pier, Docklands, featuring winter collections of Jolet, Karen Walker, Kuwaii, Leonard St, Limedrop and Secret South.
Independent Runway, presented by Yen and The Thousands, 9.30 pm., Peninsula, Central Pier Docklands. More art, music and fashion party than classic runway show, with live music by World’s End Press and featuring collections by National Designer Award Winner, From Britten, as well as ksubi, Pageant, STRATEAS.CARLUCCI, Garth Cook, Livia Arena, One Fell Swoop, Tettmann.Doust, Trois, and Zhivago.
For the festival’s last gasp, entertainment cranks up on and around Central Pier with the L’Oreal Paris Powder Room still firing, a gourmet barbecue at Alumbra from 4 to 9pm., and the official wrap party aftr Independent Runway.
www.lmff.com.au
www.ticketek.com
