Hang onto to your wiglets Voxfrockians, we’ve been offline with tech probs too long to tarry over a fat week’s worth of frocky news and stick-it-in-your-diary dates. Brace for six sharp-shot Voxbullets mostly concerned with Melbourne Spring Fashion Week’s imminent beginning (Shortform: three minutes to read.)
1.
Melbourne’s Spring Fashion Week (#MSFW), August 31-September 8, kicks off with a free, open-to-the-public red carpet kneezup tonight, Friday August 30, on the Yarra’s bank at Southgate Cinema. The week’s signature film-ette, Reflections will debut. Renowned stylist and production designer Bec Cole will explain the symbolism and style behind the wardrobe she picked for model Kate Peck‘s starring role (main picture, top, and in a bacchanalian feast scene, below, with fashion luminaries including Phillip Boon, Gwendolynne Burkin and Jenny Bannister) in the evocative Folie à Deux (Steven Protuder and Christian Blanchard) production.
Milliner Richard Nylon will unveil his creation commissioned for the event, and an exhibition The Reflections Storyboard will be opened to run until September 30. On Thursday, September 5, from 6 pm., the Southgate precinct will also be the must-do-destination for a Define Your Style party, exhibition, runway and competition, hosted by Miss Cole. Crowds are expected so intending guests best register at www.celebratesouthgate.com.au. Click here for a complete MSFW programme and portal to tickets.
2.
Ticket sales are tick-ticking over for MSFW’s uber-swank night-time Designer Show series in the town hall, but remember there’s also a buzzy programme of free day-time shows all week, starting with David Jones’ racewear Runway on Monday, September 2 at noon, in the huge, plastic fantastic MSFW Hub on City Square.
3.
For instant split-videos and frocky musings from the MSFW front line, follow Voxfrock and Janice Breen Burns on Instagram, twitter and facebook all week. Boomerang to this landing spot too, for MSFW reviews, news and galleries by Voxfrock interns and collaborators including Melbourne’s answer to New York’s Bill Cunningham, emminent photographer Monty Coles.
4.
On Tuesday, September 3, Voxfrock editor Janice Breen Burns welcomes frocky types and sundry hecklers to the not-so-serious debate Media Bang for Your Buck…Where is the Best Value? at 1.30 – 3 pm. in the Melbourne Town Hall, part of the MSFW Industry day sponsored by the Victorian government and facilitated by Humour Australia. Tickets $75-$85, . Earlier this week, Fashion Journal reporter Natalie Claire King filmed her interviews, below, with debaters Sarah Stringer, strategy director of Carat and Mrs. Breen Burns, scheduled to go head to head on the negative and affirmative teams on Tuesday.
5.
Beyond MSFW’s core events in Melbourne town hall and the City Square Hub, there are dozens more, off-beat and arty exhibitions, workshops, films and runways that qualify a little left of the mass-appeal radar. They are scattered across the city but, easy to find by clicking on Curated here.
6.
One of this week’s most intriguing events, a collaboration between pinnacle men’s luxury department store Harrolds, and purist fashion studio MATERIALBYPRODUCT (see video below) isn’t listed in the MSFW programme. It was announced today. On the face of it, the windows of Harrolds’ beautiful store, 101 Collins Street, Melbourne, will exhibit a curated installation of MATERIALBYPRODUCT archive garments. 10 Moments celebrates the exotic, collectable label’s tenth year in business and “re-imagines retail in the 21st century”. It is also prelude to the second tier of this extraordinary partnership, an invitation to book a one-on-one appointment-only trunk show of MATERIALBYPRODUCT’s current collection, EMBODIMENT on Wednesday or Thursday, September 4 or 5, with none other than director and designer Susan Dimasi.
Miss Dimasi’s fastidious reverence for the traditions of tailoring and craft behind heirloom fashion is legendary and as rare as this offer. Best get a wiggle on to book: (03) 8660 7888, rsvp@harrolds.com.au.
MATERIALBYPRODUCT Embodiment Part 1 from MATERIALBYPRODUCT on Vimeo.
Compiled by Candice Burke, Terry Carruthers, intern@voxfrock.com.au with Janice Breen Burns, jbb@voxfrock.com.au
