MBFWA Highlights: Day 1

An amazing, yet hectic, first day of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia came to a close after a whooping 13 designers showed their spring/summer 12/13 collections on day 1. Each unique range encapsulated the creativity and talent of Australian designers that continues to grow.

Highlights of the day included:

Romance was Born

Romance Was Born opened the week with a collaboration with Marvel Comics, which allowed them to use the comics in their prints.

Gary Bigeni

Former FBI Fashion College student Gary Bigeni showed a spectrum of colours in his collection, which represented the juxtaposition between the strong, confident façade people project versus an unexpectedly soft and fragile interior.

Kirrily Johnston

This range, titled ‘The Romanies’ was inspired by eastern European Gypsies, and combined feminine, floaty fabrics with strong, sharp, silhouettes accented with gold hardware. The colour palette was also a juxtaposition combining acid brights with elegant neutrals.

Camilla

Camilla’s new ready-to-wear collection featured shorts, dresses, playsuits and jumpsuits. The ‘Gypset’ range fused the wild and unconventional life of a gypsy with the sophistication and speed of jet setter. The crowd pleaser was the children’s wear showcased on young models at the end of the show.

Manning Cartell

Manning Cartell presented strong silhouettes, a bold use of colour and print representing the label’s signature of modern and edgy femininity.

Aurelio Costarella

The influences for Aurelio Costarella’s Spring/Summer collection came from Joos Van Cleve’s The Suicide of Lucretia (1520-1525) and the renaissance brilliances, the frailness and macabre of the artwork. The collection’s colour palette was inspired by 1920s oriental art- wasabi, ucre, chartreuse, wood rose and seel.

Ginger and Smart

Ginger And Smart celebrated their 10 year anniversary in front of a crowd of adoring fans in a space in the David Jones building in the middle of the CBD. The collection closed day 1 of the MBFWA and guests included Erika Heynatz, Sarah Blasko, Terry Biviano, Anthony Minichiello, and Gracie Otto.