When Toni Maticevski's first model emerged in a sweat-shirt emblazoned with a giant "up yours" hand gesture, you knew something was, well, up at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia. Maticevski is renowned for his swoon-worthy evening wear, but suddenly turned all subversive and sporty with a collection that was equal parts attitude and athletic influences.
“There are a lot of brands that fall into the routine of going 'that was great, that worked, let's repeat that' and it becomes a cycle of feeding the customer the same shit,” Maticevski said. “I think that is the kiss of death because the customer is only going to buy that maybe twice in a row. For me it's important to excite them and make them really want to invest in what I do, so this time I really wanted to push the envelope a little bit.”
Maticevski's one fingered salute was the stand against the bland that has defined Fashion Week in the past.
Perhaps it was due to a need to inspire customers to spend in the moribund retail climate, but this week's MBFWA produced some of the strongest collections in years, as designers gave a metaphorical “up yours” to mediocrity in order to make an impact.
Perry's Varsity collection inspired by college gridiron players and homecoming queens was a straight A performance of flippy cheer leader skirts and colour-blocked crop tops, while Costarella introduced vibrant daywear into his trademark arsenal of bodices, beading and bird feathers.Industry stalwarts Alex Perry, Jayson Brunsdon and Aurelio Costarella all embraced a younger, fresher view point.
Brunsdon took a trip to Rio on his runway with more ruffles and sequins than Mardi Gras in his fun and fabulous presentation that after decades in the game more than equalled the exuberance in the New Generation show of emerging designers on Thursday.
Speaking of fun and fabulous, Emma Mulholland's show about life after the 9 to 5 office grind was a hoot. Sure, her Risque Business range wasn't the strongest or most sophisticated of the week, but any show including Post It note prints, bulldog clip earrings, references to John Hughes films and Dolly Parton's 9 to 5 as the sound track gets my tick of approval.
Sometimes it's just nice to smile.
Mulholland's exuberant and colourful designs are reminiscent of the early days of Romance Was Born.
This year the brand founded by Luke Sales and Anna Plunkett eschewed a runway presentation in favour of a collaboration with artist Rebecca Baumann. The trio's Reflected Glory exhibition was a savvy way to engage with consumers on a deeper level than just clothes on a catwalk, and it's on for a month at Carriageworks if you want to check it out.
For Christopher Esber, daring to be different simply meant making a pair of shorts.
“For me it felt like a new step,” the designer said. “I hadn't done something overtly sexual before.”
He should do it more often – Esber's sophisticated take on uniform dressing was polished perfection.
Bianca Spender also got her sex on with a presentation brimful of bustiers, buckles and harnesses that was as seductive as it sounds. It was a radical new direction for the designer known softer take on femininity, but moving out of her comfort zone paid off in spades for Spender, who delivered one of the strongest shows of the week.
Her final look was a superlative shimmering sequinned pencil skirt worn with a sequinned bra top.
Shine on Spender and the stars of MBFWA.
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