Fashion Palette took a different spin on the normal fashion industry events last Tuesday evening when they decided to roll out the black carpet instead of the red. Morbid? Maybe to some. To me, it was brilliant! It definitely turned a few heads and isn’t that the ultimate aim?
Talking about turning heads, this year’s line-up of designers at Fashion Palette most definitely turned heads with their Spring/Summer 2015 collections that strutted down the runway, all of which you will be reading about below. Whilst I will try to not make this review too much of an essay, you’ll have to forgive me in advance as there were 13 incredible designers on show that evening.
Once we were seated, there were no introductions as to what was happening; and whilst the show didn’t start right on time as advertised, it was as if someone out back was yelling out ‘The Show Must Go On!’ because that was pretty much how it felt. The lights went low and the first song blasted through the speakers as Nicola Finetti‘s designs kicked off the show with his asymmetrical dresses shown in a colour palette of playful pinks, classic blacks and cobalt blue.
When Viktoria Novak sent down a host of gorgeous girls all wearing the same outfit, I was a little confused. It took me a minute to realise it was all about the headwear! Haha. Whoops. Nevertheless, each headpiece was rather extraordinary playing to the royal crown theme they had going on.
Swimwear came down the runway courtesy of Aqua Blu (above) and Wild Pony (below) who were both on the same page of colourful designs and patterns; but to be honest it wasn’t much more than that. And is it just me, or did the latter seem like it may have taken maybe too much influence from We Are Handsome? Either that or they took a trip to Mexico, saw some street art designs and decided to put it smack bang in the centre of their swimsuits. Just a thought.
One of my favourite designers from the night (Top 2 most definitely!) was Thomas Lazar whose collection dominated the runway and left everyone staring in awe and capturing pictures as quickly as possible before the models turned to walk back down the runway. His intricate pieces were beautifully designed in lime green and lavender-purple gowns and it should be known that Lazar creates dresses for women who want to make a statement.
Whilst Nadz & Sabs showed us what they could do with delicate beading and silks, the designs weren’t really my cup of tea.
Finding the right balance to transition from day to night is often a difficult task but Leona Edmiston showed us how with her playful prints for this season (above).
The next line of models walking down the runway had every female (and some males) sit up a little straighter and become a little bit more alert. Even the girl next to me who was falling asleep instantly ‘woke up’ haha. Yep, you guessed it: male models. LAB HOMME‘s menswear line showed us a variety of designs, mixing in streetwear with smart tailored pieces and left little to the imagination for the fellas who walked out in just their LAB HOMME underwear. 😉
Eveningwear designers Roxcii and Elle Zeitoune showcased beautiful pieces with a high focus on pastels, bold prints and perhaps a little too much glitter? You know that saying, ‘All that glitters is gold’? That seemed to be the running theme throughout the second half of Roxcii‘s collection.
Antonella Ianni worked with the always-trending androgynous look showing us designs of menswear and corporate tailored wear for the female body. I’m always looking for new ways to spruce up the corporate wardrobe so there wasn’t anything that I didn’t like in this collection. Tailoring has never looked so good.
One of the top designers everyone was looking forward to see that night was Arthur Gallan AG whose design palette was made up mostly of bright bold hues of the primary colours found on the colour wheel. Remember those days in Art class? Arthur presented classic structured designs layered over-flowing flirty pieces giving us the ‘more is more’ approach to dressing in an array of luxurious fabrics.
And last but not least: Alin Le’ Kal. The emerging Melbourne designer closed the show with his highly anticipated collection featuring a palette of neutrals and hand beaded pieces including cut out evening dresses that left little to the imagination. And just when we thought his collection was done and dusted? Out walked this stunning bridal dress that captured everyone’s attention, camera flash(es) and round of applause.
The “Art of Fashion” theme ran strong throughout the runway show and cocktail function this year with the models looking like live works of art with face paint, paint brushes and palettes in tow.
Watch this space for exclusive interviews with some of the best designers that showed their creations that evening. 🙂
If these photos don’t do it for you, head to our Facebook page to see all the models strutting down the runway in action via the videos we took live on the night. Each collection was captured! 🙂
Special thanks to Fashion Palette for the invitation.
Photography by Paula Mijares.