Salvos fashion parade

Posted in FASHION by TheAge on Oct 14, 12:22PM

When Kitty Garry was growing up in Naracoorte, South Australia, she loved clothes but didn’t want to look like everybody else.

She remembers walking into the local op shop, seeing garments she liked and thinking, “That would be awesome if it was just taken in here and trimmed there”. Because the clothes were so cheap, the then 15-year-old began creating a new look from other people’s cast-offs.

One consequence of these experiments was her enrolment at RMIT’s bachelor of design (fashion) course where she is now a third-year student. Another is that she is one of 12 RMIT students taking part in tonight’s Recreate08 Fashion Parade.

The parade, in its second year, consists of clothes made from items found in Salvos stores. It is being organised by Melbourne Fashion Week event producer Alida Milani, with the help of stylist Mark Wasiak, and will be hosted by Ita Buttrose.

Garry says 95% of her wardrobe, “barring jeans and underwear”, still comes from op shops, though as a full-time student she has less time to customise her clothes these days.

Her friends are passionate op shoppers too. “As students, we don’t have the money to spend on the sort of clothing we would prefer to buy new and we all can appreciate the calibre of clothing found in op shops.”

Op shops can be crowded and overwhelming places, with gems hidden among piles of dross. Garry says “knowing your fashion history and knowing yourself and what suits your body type” helps her select what might work. She also enjoys the element of luck and randomness that is part of the op shopping experience.

Garry’s favourite piece from the seven she created for the show is “the crinoline skirt from a wedding dress.

"I covered it with hosiery and teamed it with a tailored jacket and tulle neck pieces”. But the garment she says she would be most likely to wear is the “rug shrug”, made from a lamb’s wool rug and inspired by a fur stole.

The lessons budding designers are learning about re-using and recycling will stand them in good stead. In the fashion industry there is a growing willingness to re-use existing stock for economic and environmental reasons. Garry says working designers are “recycling clothing from the season that didn’t sell, and re-working them. It’s very resourceful and it minimises waste. It’s at the forefront of people’s thinking at the moment.”

Recreate08 is at Ormond Hall, Prahran, 557 St Kilda Road from 7.30pm. Entry by donation to the Salvos.

Katherine Kizilos