EVERY YEAR, SPRING FASHION RUNWAY MARKS THE CITY OF STONNINGTON‘S KEY ROLE IN A BEAUTIFUL INDUSTRY. AUSTRALIA’S BEST AND MOST ENDURING FASHION BRANDS CLUSTER ALONG THE DISTRICT’S FAMOUS CHAPEL, TOORAK AND HIGH STREETS. THEY ALWAYS HAVE, AND COME HELL OR GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS, ALWAYS WILL. STONNINGTON PROUDLY ACKNOWLEDGES THEIR CONTINUING LEGACY WITH A SLICK SPRING SHOW THAT LURES HUNDREDS OF JOYFUL FASHION FANS FROM ACROSS THE CITY. THIS PHOTO ESSAY OF THE 2014 RUNWAY AUDIENCE (EVERYTHING BUT THE RUNWAY!) WAS SHOT BY THE LEGENDARY MONTY COLES WHO WAS INDUCTED THIS YEAR, WITH ANOTHER STATESMAN OF THE INDUSTRY, PIERO PAOLO GESUALDI, INTO STONNINGTON’S FASHION HALL OF FAME.
PHOTOGRAPHS: MONTY COLES, WWW.THELOUPE.ORG
WORDS: Alexia Petsinis
Showtime imminent
Fashion’s ability to connect people and whole communities, blossoms at The City of Stonnington’s annual Spring Fashion Runway. It has a so-close-you-can-touch-it intimacy, a sunny, smiling, audience vibe, and is staged in a magnificent venue, Malvern Town Hall. At the 2014 runway, statuesque beauty Silvana Lovin Phillippoussis, the event’s official “face”, was spotted kissing the noses of front-rowers: ”I LOVE this season so bloody much!” Her enthusiasm was contagious.
Front rowers
“From high-end designers, bridal couture and urban chic…Stonnington provides a feast of creativity,” said Cr Adrian Stubbs, Mayor of Stonnington. And a feast it was, showcasing more than 20 labels including Carla Zampatti, Alice McCall, Jayson Brunsdon, Calibre, Et Al, Lisa Barron, Dom Bagnato, Arthur Galan, all longtime fashion retailers of Stonnington.
Peter Jago, in violet light
Pink blushed in the majority of collections, from Leona Edmiston’s bold peony prints, to fuchsia edgings and bodices by Nicolangela. In fact, the prevalance of pink moved one front-rower, fashion and food PR consultant Craig Lawson to gush; ‘Pink, pink and pink! It’s sexy, it’s confident, it’s absolutely everywhere this season!’
A bridal finale by John Cavill and Connie Simonetti was a dazzling finish to an opulent evening. Until next year…
Miss Alexia, camera ready
