Melbourne Fashion Week‘s FASHIONXART was an evocative departure from your average model-stomping runway, a labyrinthine journey through fashion’s Now and relatable Past that invited pause and reflection on its art, crafts and beauty. Voxfrock Rookie photographer Chrissy Dore and rookie journalist Ellen Madden wandered with the crowd…
Alluring, immersive, a harmonious balance between fashion and art, Melbourne Fashion Week’s most intriguing event dispensed with a runway altogether, leading visitors instead from room to room, designer to designer, story to story.
Their journey through FashionXArt by visionary stylist Stuart Walford at the NGV’s Ian Potter gallery, began with three musicians modelling cherry red silks from Carla Zampatti’s Spring Summer 2021 collection.
Strains of “Wildest Dreams” played on violin and cello, echoed through the room and into the next where an unboxed parcel from the dreamy world of Toni Maticevski waited.
Maticevski‘s model stood still, gaze focused, a high crown on her dark hair, her gown a steep, asymmetrical cascade of raw-edged ruffles, an exquisite blush of mauves and golds in tulle and micro-pleat crepe swept flamboyantly around and into a train at the rear. “A delicate voyage stands still for a moment of time,” read a nearby placard.
The journey continued into a field of flat-laid garments from vintage store Reina Melbourne (Nicholas Building, Melbourne) and a copse of mannequins modelling others from dot COMME (Comme des Garcons vintage collection store, Curtain House, Melbourne) representing iconic moments in fashion history.
A queue formed, a few more steps, and the music fell silent as if paying respect to the next exhibit, a breathtaking strapless gown of jutting waved tiers of fluoro pink tulle by J’Aton Couture. The model posed, moving gracefully as a “class” of artists sketched and painted her performance.
In the final rooms, models in bias cut silk slip dresses by Alpha60 stared, motionless, at their own reflections in gold-tinted mirrors. Ballet dancers flexed and pirouetted in lush florals and draped frills by Romance Was Born.
Jade Dickson, 21, was pleasantly intrigued by FASHIONXART’s concept of a fashion experience without the runway. “You didn’t know what to expect in the next room,” she said, “And that was really exciting.”
Meet the Rookies…
Chrissy Dore (above) is a photography student and social media professional and publicity consultant with 12 years’ experience in public relations and social media for lifestyle brands. This is Chrissy’s second turn on the Voxfrock Rookie crew.
Ellen Madden (above) is a professional makeup artist and recently graduated as a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at RMIT. Ellen is an aspiring journalist ready to take on the fashion world. This is Ellen’s first time on the Voxfrock Rookie crew.
