Melbourne Spring Fashion Week launched last night at the sumptuous Collins Street bar Silk Road with plenty of domestic fizz and canapes to fuel the fashionable crowd.
Lord Mayor John So who launched the week's festivities said "If you want glamour, you come to Melbourne. That's not an opinion, that's a fact."
He estimated that $4 million will be injected into the city's economy over the next 21 days, as Melburnians and visitors spend up on spring fashion. The Lord Mayor said the council is committed to supporting fashion and retail, claiming Melbourne has the most diverse retail culture in the country. He re-iterated the importance of the week to the city and its citizens, saying that the passion for fashion is part of who Melburnians are.
A bevvie of beautiful young things dressed as travellers on an extraordinary voyage added a theatrical edge to the event. With Princess Leia-style floral headgear, the models wore a mix of bright
Akira and
Romance Was Born pieces, enormous plaited hair pieces and metre-long eye-poking feathers.
Susi Dimasi of adventurous fashion label
Material By Product was just one of the guests excited to be part of fashion week. "Melbourne shoppers are really smart. If you show them great things, then they'll respond to it."
Like the outfits paraded by the models on the night, Material By Product designs challenge the norms of spring fashion. Dimasi added "The great thing about our designs is that we can put something out there and it provokes debate. We're really lucky to be in a culture in this city that embraces that."
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gig guide for full event listings