The final hours of RAFW 2010!

Unfortunately, Day 5 of RAFW quickly approached... but be sure, it went out with a BANG!  The morning started off with an amazing collection by Arnsdorf.  The Arnsdorf collection had similar elements to that of Dion Lee's collection.  However, whilst Dion's collection contained that delicate architectural element, the Arnsdorf collection was more structural and architectural.  The collection started with the use of earthy tones such as nude, brown and dark red.  It then stunned audiences with a gorgeous twist to the colour pallet and it was all lilac!  The lilac was then contrasted with a geometric print, similar to that of the Dion collection.  I love the construction of the dresses, skirts and trench coats.

The mood of the day then changed with little flirty collections including lingerie by Ms Couture and swimwear by White Sands.... 

Ms Couture... the collection titled, ‘Angel by day, Vixen by Night’ took lingerie at RAFW to a whole new level!  Designer Juilee Chione-Tullio (who is Alex Perry's Couture manager) created a beautiful, feminine, gorgeous, yet seductive collection, consisting of some of Australia's 'finest luxury lingerie'.  

White Sands.......looking at this collection definitely remains me of summer!  Besides the fact that it is swimwear, the colour pallet is warm, exciting and the girls are all tanned!

Rosemount Australian Fashion Week 2010 ended on a high note with the final collection by the one and only Ksubi!  Not only was it their come back after last year's downfall, but it was their 10th anniversary and they were definitely ready to rock out in true Ksubi style!  The 'One Via Zero' collection contained Ksubi's true signature streetwear element.  Denim, leather and texture were evident elements throughout the collection.  Their collection was edgy, rock, funky and graffiti/street like. The colour pallet consisted of black, white and blue with a touch of orange and red.  RAFW 2010 definitely went out in style!

 

 

  And so it was the calm before the storm, and what a storm is was!  The 15th Annual Rosemount Australian Fashion Week 2010 was one of memorable moments. The fashion industry watched and waited in anticipation as the new season’s trends graced the runways via some of the most highly anticipated shows.  RAFW veterans such as Alex Perry, Zimmermann, Camilla and Marc and Lisa Ho came out in true elegant style.  However, this year's RAFW was a time for bright new designers to shine, especially Dion Lee and Romance was Born!  From gorgeous gowns to giant brides, the 15th Annual Rosemount Australian Fashion Week proved to be an unexpected and unforgettable event!  As my first RAFW I will never forget it and I can't wait till next year!

Stay tuned for the trends of RAFW and the after parties.  Still to come Fashion Forward Weekend and Fashion Weekend Sydney.. 

Day 4 RAFW 2010 continued

Whilst the Dion Lee show sent shock waves through Rosemount Australian Fashion Week... well it wasn't over yet!  The Dion show was followed by another one of my favourite designers Kirrily Johnston.  I love collections that tell an evident story.  Kirrily, like the Romance was Born show had that jungle feel.  Whilst Romance was born took us through their magical jungle, Kirrily opted for an urban/tribal jungle.  The tribal feel has been an evident element in previous Kirrily collections, however in her latest 'Apocalypto' collection, took Tribal to the next level.  The collection reminded me of Tribal Indian, meets Tarzan and Jane!  Kirrily's exotic tribal collection incorporated a combination of zebra stripe prints, geometric triangular prints, leathers, fringe and used earthy tones such as nude, red and brown.  It consisted of flowy dresses including maxis, harem pants, leggings and knitwear.  I love the tribal hair and face paint!

  

Fernando Frisoni.. not only do I love saying this guy's name, I also love the fact that this season was the first season Fernando launched a womanswear line!  Fernando's main aim was to create a collection that was relaxed, yet feminine, with a combination of skirts and dresses mixed with pants and blazers.  The majority of the collection was white and black, however, we then get that unexpected twist of colour.... splashes of red, blue, pink and even a little print!

 Coming Up - The recap of the final day of RAFW including a trend report, the RAFW after parties and a recap of Fashion Forward Weekend and Fashion Weekend Sydney.

Dion Lee RAFW 2010 - Day 4

The light shined on Australia's brightest new designer Dion Lee, literally! What started as an exquisite location blossomed to an unforgettable showcase. Day four of Rosemount Australian Fashion Week started nice and early at 6:30am.  With only a few hours sleep and still hyped from the Romance was Born show, I was still ready for the day ahead!  What seemed to be the coldest morning, I arrived at the Opera House to the most gorgeous location, the Northern Foyer Concert Hall.  The morning sun was shining bright through the glass surroundings, overlooking the Sydney Harbour.  Was truly a fairytale!

The morning started prepping goodie bags again...this time guests received Napoleon Perdis products, GHD hair products, undergarments, nail polish, more samples and Schweppes Agrum Collection drinks.  Once the goodie bags were prepped it was time to place the guest's seating cards on their chairs.  By this stage I began to freak as I saw the guest list.  It included the team from Vogue (including Kirstie Clements with Tim Blanks from Style.com again!), the team from Marie Claire (including Jackie Frank again!), the team from Harper's Bazaar (including Claudia Navone and Lara Bingle), Kate Waterhouse, Napoleon Perdis, Susie from Style Bubble, Bloggers from Jak and Jil, designers Camilla and Marc, the Zimmermann sisters, Alex Perry and the list continued! I was in fashion heaven!

As 9:00am drew nearer the preparation backstage hypened!  Napoleon Perdis and his crew were prepping the make-up, whilst GHD were prepping the hair.  Slowly the show was coming to light!  I glanced a glimpse of Dion's collection and straight from then knew the show would have a lasting impression!  And so the rehearsals began.  Models had to walk down the velvet purple carpet (where one lot of guests were seated), up the velvet stairs, down the runway overlooking the water (where the other guests were seated) and then back down the velvet purple stairs. I know complicated, poor models!

Just when I thought my day couldn't get much better...well let's just say luck was on my side!  Myself and another girl were chosen to head to the front and greet the guest whilst handing out drinks.  Greet the guests you ask?!!  Yes, I was greeting fashion's elite, holding back the excitement was a mission in itself!  And who was I fortunate to greet?  Alex Perry all tanned and suited up (including his famous sunnies), Jackie Frank and her bubbly team from Marie Claire, Kate Waterhouse, Camilla (from Camilla and Marc - And she is so cool!) Susie from Style Bubble and the list continues.  I was also fortunate to see Lara Bingle and also Kirstie Clements again!  Therefore I saw Kirstie Clements three times in two days - wow!  Could it honestly get better than this?! Of course anything's possible at RAFW!
Finally it was time for the show..Dion Lee's collection was remarkable!  His gorgeous silhouettes were stand out and left everyone breath taken. His signature architectural and tailoring pieces were evident in this collection but softened and more delicate.  Whilst his cohesive and gorgeous colour pallet stunned audiences, with beautiful pastels and prints.  I love the construction of his dresses, that is they are pleated and then twisted, tied, interlocked and somehow, elegantly cover all the right places!  And have you seen the heels?  The heel itself is made out of 100% home grown crystals.. truly amazing! I absolutely love the jewellery worn, it compliments the collection and it is gorgeous!  The stand outs are the massive crystal rings by Manik Mercian. Whilst Dion's collection is innovative and unique it has that total wearable element! 
Dion is an amazing designer, achieved so much and come so far at such a young age, no wonder he was so emotional when he walked out at the end!
What did Dion say about his collection? "The idea was to mix the soft elements in with the tailoring, It was kind of this attraction to something softer and more unexpected."  According to Marie Claire (Jackie Frank and Dion Lee interview)

(Photo from Jak and Jil Blog)

(Photo from Jak and Jil Blog)

The shoes and the rings! (Photo Jak and Jil Blog)

The exquisite detailing (Photo Jak and Jil Blog)

The hype backstage after the show was unexplainable!  Editors and bloggers frantically trying to interview Dion Lee, models posing for shots and the place up side down... When I said anything's possible at RAFW, I meant it!  When I thought things couldn't get much better, well Jackie Frank walks backstage to interview Dion.. this all took place in front of me!  And just at that moment, I sat back, watched and absorbed because I just realised I was at RAFW and backstage for that matter... And I was living a dream!  When I look back at my first experience of RAFW, nothing could ever replace it!  It made me realise how truly lucky I was..

I want to give a special thanks to Jackie, Rachel and the rest of the team from Pronto Production for enhancing our experience at RAFW (and for the goodies from the Dion show they gave us). They truly do an amazing job!

Stay tuned for my recap of the final day at RAFW.. and a recap of the after parties.. and most importantly a trend report from RAFW!  Also to come my recap of Fashion Forward Weekend..

Romance was Born RAFW 2010

Jurassic growls, Dinosaur stomping, birds chirping, smog slithering across the ground, lights flashing, trees swaying, a dark and gloomy place...... What is that you ask?   Dirt runway, volcano girl, long nails, neon knee high boots, Cassie tied up, crystals, giant vintage bride and a turtle?.....Why it's Romance was Born's new Renaissance Dinosaur collection! As night fell on day three of RAFW our little friends came out to play.. it's like nothing you have ever seen before and like nothing you will ever see again!  Romance was Born took us for a ride through their magical jungle... This was not just art, this was a pure masterpiece!
The Romance was Born show was one that went above and beyond.  The prep for this show was an all day thing.  I arrived at Sydney University's vintage/Hogwarts like MacLaurin Hall at about 3pm for a show that wasn't set to start until 9:30pm.  I honestly thought I had walked into another world!  What did I see?  A catwalk unlike anything before.  A dirt, 'fake volcanic ash' runway surrounded by rocks, ancient artefacts, spiders, crystals, trees, smog, incense burning and wait for it, a giant turtle at the end of the runway!  Yes fashion's elite were in for a treat.  
My day started off prepping goodie bags... sponsored by Pandora (therefore Pandora bags) front row guests received Pandora jewellery, a Romance was Born scarf, nail polish, fudge hair products and an overload of samples!   Once the goodie bags were prepped then came the fun part.  As models were still at other shows, the production team needed 'stand in models' for rehearsals.  Yes myself and my fellow FBI Fashion College friends walked the runway!  This was something I have always wanted to do, however I was nervous because Luke Sales (one half of Romance was Born) was there watching!  By this stage words like 'volcano girl' and 'giant bride' were thrown around, which left us all completely puzzled, that is until we walked into the dressing rooms.  Audiences were in for an interesting night!
After hours of prep, things were finally coming to light.  As guests arrived they were greeted "by velvet cloaked attendants led to a glittering runway misted in incense, shimmering with primordial power,"  according to Marie Claire.  Well fortunately I was one of those velvet cloaked attendants!  I wore a black velvet cloak with a hoodie, think Harry Potter gone gothic!  This enabled me to stand front row at yet another show and I rubbed shoulders with guests including Kirstie Clements and Tim Blanks (for the second time that day), Jackie Frank (Editor of Marie Claire), Silverchair's Daniel Johns (Because his girlfriend is one of the models), Susie from Style Bubble and I even spoke with designer Akira!  And who was on the line up for the runway?  Models Samantha Harris, Louise Van De Vorst, Alexandra Agoston and Cassie Van Den Dungen.
The show was scheduled for 9:30pm but due to models at the Kostantina Mittas show, it didn't start till 11pm.  This didn't seem to faze guests as the place was completely full!   And so, the lights dimmed, the place went quiet, the smog slithered across the ground the Jurassic footsteps grew louder and louder until the first model took to the runway.  The audience cheered and roared!
Romance was Born’s Luke Sales and Anna Plunkett created a magical fashion jungle. Their theatrical and creative aesthetic was one of a true masterpiece. It had to be seen to be believed… models with long nails, neon high boots, extravagant headpieces, outrageous make-up, body paint and kaleidoscopic prints. I hope the pictures do it justice!

See Cassie from Australia's Next Top Model tied up!

Take a close look at this dress, it has fake nails on it!

Let me introduce you to the one and only Volcano Girl!

And for the final piece of the collection?  Madonna's Like a Prayer blasts and out comes a giant bride!  One model on another model's shoulders, draped in a vintage lace gown. 

And what does Luke Sales (One half of Romance was Born) have to say? "It's about time travel and forming a portal between the Jurassic era and the birth of the Renaissance; dinosaurs coming back and the lower class rising up and being able to wear what they want," According to Marie Claire (Jackie Frank)

Don't say I didn't warn you!!

Stay tuned for Dion Lee