IN ONE of the most refreshing displays of fashion and runway diversity, a young Australian designer has gone where not many have gone before.
Thomas Puttick has actually used ‘older’ models in his eponymous designer label show, on the first official full day of Australian Fashion Week.
Just before the show started at Carriageworks in Sydney’s Redfern, the voice of designer Puttick explained why his choice of ‘diverse’ women. Or the models he called his ‘muses’.
“The new series is a way for us to present empowered women who have a strong message, and who carry themselves,” he said.
There were tall women, former models, shorter women and even women who weren’t the traditional ‘rake-thin’. Some of the names included Yvonne Tozzi, Nadine Bush, Dina Broadhurst, Nima Davif and Aminata Conteh-Biger.
Puttick’s fashion pedigree is sound, having worked with the like of Alexander McQueen, Christopher Esber, Helmut Lang and Alexander Wang and his collection featured ethically sourced fabrics in soft and flowing pieces that really could be worn by many ages, shapes and sizes. Slip dresses, flowing coats, simple oversized black pants, white shirts and tube skirts gave the whole collection a relatable and wearable edge.
Also showing today was Alice McCall, who kicked off an early Monday morning with a rock- chick kind of show featuring combinations that could be put together if we’d all raided grandma’s wardrobes and funked her pieces up with the addition of cool-school granny pants.
As well, Bianca Spender delivered an extraordinarily streamlined show in loose and layered pastel hued pieces — she really has inherited the understated and all-class gene from her fashion designer mum, Carla Zampatti. Bianca accessorised her pieces with some killer Dinosaur Designs jewellery and buckles.
The incredibly cool new label from Mikey Nolan, Double Rainbouu and Karla Spetic will show today while Aussie model, 20-year-old Byron Bay-born Jordan Barrett is, allegedly, being paid $100,000 to ‘walk’ in a show from designer Justin Cassin today.
Red carpet favourite Steven Khalil is scheduled to show his exquisitely made extravaganzas on Monday afternoon while Zhivago and Sass & Bide will also wrap up day one of the annual fashion fiesta which runs until Thursday night, when Romance was Born wraps up the fashion week that was.
Online Source: news.com.au