Sheer brilliance at Perth Fashion Festival - WA today
Perhaps not what you'd wear out for Friday drinks, but at least it captures your attention. Photo: Matthew Tompsett
Bare chests, whips, skateboards and see-through pants had all eyes fixed on the catwalk at Perth Fashion Festival's final WA Designer Capsule collection overnight.
Night six of the festival had all the right ingredients for the dawning of a daring new era.
It was Perth's rag trade equivalent of MTV making its television debut music, celebrity and sexy shows.
Click for more photosDesigner Capsule 3
Courtney Wright and Jotham Martins. Photo: Matthew Tompsett
Up and coming designers Zsadar, Ange Lang, One Feel Swoop and Zhivago packed out Fashion Paramount and provided a thumping soundtrack brimming with house beats and Lady Gaga, mood lighting and a crowd peppered with celebrities and the cool kids.
Shane Newton's menswear label Zsadar, the only menswear show included on the festival's schedule, would have concerned the Police minister's proposed 'party police' for the amount of drama and spectacle that was seen on the catwalk.
Newton sent his androgynous yet relaxed looks down the runway on the backs (and toned limbs) of skater boys and dancers mimicking the two-step. Some carried whips, a few wore balaclavas while others were decorated with, what the designer referred to as, "thorny devil armour plates".
The palette was dark yet the looks, which featured day shorts, collared shirts and oversized sweaters, aimed to show the versatility of high-end men's fashion.
Ange Lang showed sheer like no other this year and allowed nipples to have their moment. Dark looks with razor cuts, black chiffon and soft buttery leathers struck the perfect balance between feminine and tough chic. The slit dress, as worn by Ruby Rose at this year's Oasis Ball, looked a treat as it came sashaying down the catwalk.
One Fell Swoop made the front row swoon with soft draping paired with 'you would have to be brave to wear it' splits.
Designers Daniel Romanin and Nikolina Ergic have created distinctive pieces that take a few attempts to define as either jacket, dress or oversized shirt. Taking inspirational cues from the Modernist era, one could imagine Virginia Woolf herself adopting these looks for their free form shapes and strong colours that stir melancholy.
Zhivago came out to play for the first time to launch a glamourous spring/summer collection.
The fashion house is a collaborative effort between fashionable and fashion loving friends Lara Kovacevich and Lydia Tsvetnenko.
The collection, titled dirty-pretty, was a strong, sexy debut thanks to sheer trousers, short shorts and structured shoulders.
While the models did a great a job, the clothes begged for the bold personalities of their creators. Fingers crossed next time the ladies will take a turn on the runway for more than their final bow.
No doubt the front row guests and long-time friends of the designing duo, media personality Em Rusciano and fellow designer and cricket WAG Jessica Bratich Johnson, will stock up on the looks which became available online while the show was taking place.
"So... Nipples are in. You heard it here first. Amazing collection from House of Zhivago, so proud of my girls," Rusciano said after the show before heading to The Court Hotel's VIP after party.
Perth Fashion Festival concludes tonight with the highly anticipated Wheels & Dollbaby 25th anniversary show at His Majesty's Theatre.
Little Birdy frontwoman Kate Steele will perform alongside the man behind Wheels & Dollbaby designer Melanie Greensmith, Divinyls guitarist Mark McEntee.
"Mark McEntee is a guitar phenomenon. What an honour to share the stage with such a great player," she tweeted yesterday as they rehearsed.
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