Sunshine kicked off another gorgeous day at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia, with day three beginning with much loved designer Lisa Ho, showing offsite at the historic Art Gallery of New South Wales.
Continuing the trend of the week’s most popular colour, acid yellow, her opening dress also featured one of the key trends for the week, the peplum, this time slightly over-sized and in gown form.
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What followed was a bright and feminine collection, full of vibrant prints, in the chic yet wearable looks for day and night that Lisa Ho does so well.
Starting the onsite shows with a dose of oh-so-prettiness, Alice McCall’s Hungarian inspired collection saw the models made up like adorable Babushka dolls, complete with super cute make-up, sparkling crystal jewellery and traditional hair braids. Her folk inspired embroidery and stained glass prints were complemented by beautiful shades of lavender, marigold yellow, raspberry, tomato red and mandarin in girlishly pretty and utterly covetable silhouettes.
Next up in the Box installation space, Sara Phillips showed a collection heavy on detailed floral prints like those on fine china, contrasting stripes and polka dots. Pyjama inspired tailoring, sheer maxi skirts and ruffled blazers made for a delightfully lovely and very wearable collection.
Inspired by the lush tropical island of Capri, Bec and Bridge’s show was full of crisp whites, delicate crochet, and subtle floral prints. The collection had the effortless feel of a relaxing, but stylish summer holiday with sheer shirts, jumpsuits, and a range of dresses perfectly cut for the warmer months.
Left to right – Alice McCall, Sara Phillips, Bec and Bridge
One of the most sought after tickets of the week, cult label Ellery showed offsite to a very full house, with another celebrity packed front row. The collection was inspired by Kim Ellery’s beloved childhood teddy bear and featured exaggerated shoulders, lots of clean lines and structured shapes. Rather un-summery shades of emerald, maroon, grey and black made up the tones of the collection, but they were a welcome change from the week’s favourite pastels and brights.
Debuting their new ready to wear line, iconic accessories brand Oroton branched out into clothing for the first time with a collection that was clean and contemporary, styled by international stylist Taylor Tomasi-Hill. Aztec inspired prints, silver sequins and a bold colour palette featuring purple, orange, ivory and red featured on comfortable trousers, tailored shirts and little dresses.
Delicately pretty with lots of exquisite metallic and black lace, Hardwick by Mariana Hardwick showed some beautiful sheer dresses, some with necklines reminiscent of Kate Middleton’s amazing wedding gown. With a rushing gold video installation backdrop, a cluster of sleekly styled models posed in the Box space, the gold and silver lace near-glimmering in the light with beautiful effect.
Left to right – Ellery, Oroton, Hardwick by Mariana Hardwick
Another young label making their MBFWA debut, sister duo Watson X Watson impressed the fashion set with their confident collection of modern pieces. Leather, lace, soft knits and sequins all made an appearance on cleverly cut dresses, gathered jackets and sleeveless shirts.
Australians love swimwear and Kooey Australia delivered a collection of acid brights and dotted prints that would look totally at home at Bondi and every other beach in Australia. Bronzed beach babes strutted down the runway in a collection of guys and girls swimwear that was simple, stylish and very wearable.
Second to last show of the day, An Ode To No One showed a striking collection of structured garments with strong shoulders and fitted knee length dresses off-set by detailed graphic prints and bold colours.
Left to right – Watson X Watson, Kooey Australia, An Ode To No One
The only dedicated Men’s group show of the week saw six different labels; From Britten P/L, Injury, Kalb & Etiw, Mils, Nathan Paul Swimwear and Zsadar take to the runway showing a wide range of menswear with everything from casual cool pieces to handsome tailoring and some rather fetching undergarments.
Left to right – Britten P/L, Injury, Kalb & Etiw
Left to right – Mils, Nathan Paul Swimwear, Zsadar
Day three raced by in busy haze of bright colours and florals, with Alice McCall’s beautiful collection the standout of the day. Day four opens with the first New Generation show which features five young designers and closes with womenswear designer Christopher Esber in the Theatre space.
– Evelyn Ebrey
Photo Credit: MBFWA Image Gallery