Australia’s leading international student news website
Meld
Meld

MBFWA Day 5 New Generation Show Part One.

Jamie-maree Shipton

Thu Apr 18 2013

MBFW Day 5 New Generation Show

THE final day of MBFWA began with the New Generation show, where seven designers debuted fresh collections. Jamie-Maree has the details.

You know it’s going to be a pretty good morning when your show line-up includes seven designers in the one showcase.

From street-wear, urban wear, to elegant formal wear, the New Generation show was an opportunity to see how varied the art of creating and constructing clothing is, and  how diverse fashion can be.

Desert Designs

First down the runway was Desert Designs, a creative collective directed by Jedda Daisy-Culley and Croline Sundt-Wels.  The label, a contemporary revival of the 1980s collaboration between Steven Culley and Jimmy Pike, presents a cultural coming-together of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australia.

The team’s primary focus was to retain the unique desert aesthetic through the digital prints of Pike’s original artworks. The result being a union of two worlds, an important design consideration in this collection.

The collection was definitely not mainstream, but it successfully fused art and fashion, tribal and social, the sacred with the psychedelic, and the spiritual with the aesthetic.

The eclectic dance that took place at the end of the show definitely surprised the audience, and all in all, it was a collection exploding with imagery and style.

Tristan Melle

With more than 12 years experience working for high end labels and top end street brands in both the UK and Australia, Tristan Melle has a keen eye for dressing the confident woman.

The collection was feminine and chic. Soft flowing fabrics were paired with tailored shell coats and cropped pants, dresses and jumpsuits worked into a pastel colour palette. There was a splash of bright peach and leopard, and rhinestone embellishing adding that extra oomph.

And in the final look, white fluffy feathers ruffled along skirt hems and then all over the final dress sang of elegance and luxury, was a fitting was to sum up the mood of the entire collection.

Natalie & Sarah

This collection, named after the collaborating duo behind the brand – Natalie and Sarah who met and studied at the Whitehouse Institute of Design Sydney together – is a collection for the young party girl.

Bright colours, short dresses, hyper florals, studded shoulders and necklines, rhinestone embellishments, and touches of sheer, established the collection as the go-to going out get-up.

The sequinned animal prints aren’t for the faint of heart, and only a head strong edgy girl could rock these looks.

The wearability factor in this collection is considerably high, considering that many pieces in the collection can be mixed down with separates for a day look and amped up and worn together for a night out. Perhaps the hyper floral camo suit in neon pinks isn’t for everyone, but there were pieces in there you could certainly work into your wardrobe.

Zhivago

Suspended Animation, Zhivago’s SS 13/14 collection was a celebration of structure, drama and femininity in a minimalist way.

A predominantly monochromatic palette was accentuated with shades of tangerine, red and highlights of silver, grey and copper. Sports luxe and athletic influences were also visible through the use of cut-out slit detailing on hems and cropped tops.

The collection showcased sleek wearable pieces and the structured shoulders are designs befitting for the fashion forward women who dresses to impress.

Betty Tran

If you only got to catch the video that was screened just before the Betty Tran show, you’d be forgiven for thinking the collection was targeted at the more “mature women” category.

It was however anything but, as the clothes being walked down the runway felt as much at home in the wardrobe of a young sophisticated woman.

Lace was featured throughout the collection in rich jewel hues of deep red, emerald green, royal blue and yellow gold. From sheer lace sleeves to full dresses with a shiny fabric of the same or complementary shade inlayed underneath. The pieces were chic and had an air of timelessness.

Small cutout details, high slits and low backs hinted at a sultry femininity without being too sexy or sensual. These details also kept the refined shapes fresh and approachable for a younger audience.

Comments