TOP AND CENTRE:
Leona Edminston. ABOVE LEFT: Akira
Isogawa. ABOVE RIGHT: T. L. Wood.
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Plunging necklines, knee-length skirts and dresses
and black lace stockings added a certain je ne sais quoi
to the ready-to-wear collections, and had fashion journalists planning
to immediately start diets, and strategies for combatting hat-hair.
Confirming the worst fears of PETA
(People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), Australian designers
followed the trends of the recent Paris Fashion Week and embraced
fur, in the form of stoles and trimmings on coats and scarves.
Melbourne-based designer, Gwendolynne, added a
mediæval vibe to the French theme, using delicate black lace,
beautiful beaded silks. Her mediæval-inspired headdresses
spoke of damsels in distress, but the showstopper was a black lace
backless dress, tied delicately at the base of the spine with a
black lace butterfly brooch.
Sarah, the Duchess of York was front row at the
fourth ready-to-wear parade, to watch her niece 17-year old Ayesha
Makim’s
The crowd who packed
the Myer store seemed a tad disappointed that pint-sized diva
Kylie Minogue didn’t model her lingerie herself |
model ensembles by T. L. Wood, Nicola Finetti and Aurelio
Costarella. The Duchess proved to be a real crowd-pleaser, having learned that
day of her father’s death, and still facing a swarm of media to support
her niece.
Kylie Minogue dispelled any doubts that French
accessories are hot, but chose to leave her new beau, French heartthrob
Olivier Martinez at home, while she was in Melbourne showing off
her new undies.
Dressed in a lacy Colette Dinnigan cream dress,
Minogue introduced her sexy-yet-sweet lingerie collection to the frenzied crowd,
who packed the Myer store and seemed a tad disappointed that the pint-sized
diva didn’t model her wares herself. Over at the Regent, though, the
lingerie shows were causing a sensation of their own. Gwendolynne,
Jain and Alannah Hill showed their charmingly delicate—and skimpy—bras,
stockings and suspenders, and French knickers, sending a feminine
fashion message.
Back at the Myer parades, more youth-focused designers,
Ty+Melita, Jain and Claude Maus and Wayne Coopers sent the strong
message that black is indeed the new black with long leather coats
and a military feel. Ty+Melita’s ‘Damned Glamour’ range included
trench coats and ragged satin culottes.
Of course, the fashion world isn’t totally
oblivious to current world events and Shem’s parade registered an
anti-war protest with models bearing ‘No War’ placards. Some also
donned gas masks. Tacky? Hell no, thought the designer’s childhood
buddy, actor Heath Ledger who gave the gas masks a smile and nod.
Shem also showed T-shirt designs, which included graphics such as
the silhouette of Queen Elizabeth II.
So how does one with an average-sized figure and
budget embrace the Frapanese look? To begin with, never leave the
house sans beret and matching chunky scarf. Embrace the jersey
dress, and team with black lace leggings (fashion statement and
fantastic device for holding everything in place). Dress up an ensemble
for evenings with an obi sash—thick, wide kimono-style sash—or a
chunky, jewel-encrusted brooch.
Skirts should be figure-hugging, but provide the
soften option of a flared or rouched hem, and straight masculine pants
should be worn with soft woolen cardigans or wide-sleeved oriental
kimono top and matching obi. Finish the look with stockings and ankle-strapped
stilettos or pointed toe ankle boots.
Margaret Ambrose is editor of TheLounge.com.au
and a guest contributor to Lucire.
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