This familiar phrase is pitched more and more every season – including last May, where designers, editors, and bloggers flew out for the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia. There are plenty of (non-geographical) overlaps between the two fashion capitals of Sydney and London. London is traditionally the “young” fashion week, although its crop of youngsters is rapidly maturing. It’s also a place where daring, non-commercial design is encouraged and where outlandish antics, such as a presentation in a parking garage or a fake locker room, aren’t out of place.
Sydney on the other hand, is a hothouse of exciting, raw talent, as evidenced in the recent shows. Christopher Esber showed another strong lineup of cool, tailored looks; Kym Ellery took the ear-cuff trend a step further with models sporting nose chains at her Ellery show. Refreshingly, Karla Spetic showed her collection of geometric gowns poolside, and HaryonoSetiadi acquitted himself nicely in his sophomore season with ethereal origami dresses.
Another unique difference is their isolation from the quartet of major fashion capitals, which could be a good thing for these designers creatively. They can parlay their removal from the epicenter of the fashion scene to take risks with more unusual, personal aesthetics — for example, Lee’s bioluminescent and wave-inspired looks inspired by his surf-happy hometown. Here are some looks we like from the catwalk at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
Left to right:
01. Designer Alex Perry got the supermodel stamp of approval when the beautiful Alessandra Ambrosio walked in the show.
02. Designer Kym Ellery’s label stood out with looks like this elaborate flared gown.
03. This model wearing Karla Spetic flaunts a customized Reebok Classics.
04. A refreshing, surf-influenced take on the LWD by Leroy Nguyen.
