In with the new - David Jones Autumn/Winter 2011

Tuesday's David Jones show felt the same, but different, to previous years' events. There was no Mark McInnes, Colette Garnsey, Miranda Kerr or even sass & bide. With the exception of relatively recent fashion ambassador addition Kerr, all had been front-and-centre at the show for almost a decade, laying the foundations for the "house of brands" into which the department store subsequently evolved. Taking their places and for a variety of different reasons - which ranged from scandal and resignations, pregnancy and defection, all in the space of eight months - was a new management team (albeit one promoted from within) and a swag of new labels, the absolute standout of which on the night just had to be Josh Goot and his colourblocked bodycon dresses and tulip skirts and tops with wildly expressionistic graphics. Not forgetting some highly polished Australian modelling talent, that included girls who have walked for some of the world's biggest fashion brands: Nicole Trunfio, Alexandra Agoston, Myf Shepherd, Stephanie Carta, Tiah Eckhardt and Christina Carey. And some newcomers who may soon follow them. Think Rosemary Smith (above, in Josh Goot), who is off to the European shows with at least one big name in her appointment book. Click (here) for frockwriter's Posterous pic gallery of backstage shots taken before and during the show. 
 

Super Tuesday at David Jones

 

Tremendous effort this morning from David Jones. The retailer's corporate stewardship might be under a dark cloud of controversy at present thanks to a sexual harassment suit, but as far as fashion shows go, it was the best DJs show that this journalist could remember. "I'm rolling with the punches" new ceo Paul Zahra told frockwriter before the show, when asked how he is coping with his baptism of fire. Beyond the scandal that prompted the "mutual termination" of Zahra's immediate predecessor Mark McInnes on June 18 - which culminated in yesterday's shock news that the retailer is now being sued for A$37million - the company also had to contend with the sudden withdrawal of its expensive new fashion ambassador, Miranda Kerr, just a fortnight before its biggest fashion showcase of the year, after she eloped with her Hollywood fiancé Orlando Bloom. The solution: wheel in some supermodel replacements. 

Sure, Abbey Lee Kershaw and Catherine McNeil had walked in DJs shows before - years ago, prior to heading offshore to try their luck on the international fashion stage. Kershaw used to be a DJs youth ambassador. McNeil's last DJs show was in August 2007

But they returned today as modelling superstars, opening the show in tandem - in spite of reports that the show would be opened by Nicole Trunfio (who turned up a little later in the first swimwear section).

The cast was exceptional. 

Alongside Kershaw, McNeil, Trunfio, haute couture queen Alexandra Agoston and Stephanie Carta, the show included some of Australia's finest up-and-coming modelling talent, including Samantha Harris, Emily Wake, Meg Lindsay, Victoria Lee and the stupendous Ajak Deng - who arrived on a flight from New York earlier in the morning and headed straight to the show. Top of the list of brand new faces: Chic Management's exciting new name Rosemary Smith eighth shot from the bottom, below), who really stood out. 

After four years at various locations around the city trying to out-do Myer in the so-called seasonal "store wars", this season's "at home" location really worked: Djs' erstwhile designer floor on level seven. 

You could almost touch the models and you could see the details on the clothes and the accessories. 

The collections included snapshots from some of Rosemount Australian Fashion Week's best shows, including Camilla Franks' dazzling digital print kaftans, Zimmermann's geometric print tunics and leggings (but not the spectacular, fringed tabards, surprisingly) and Carla Zampatti's bold cocktail and eveningwear, as well as Akira Isogawa's vibrant floral print dresses that have not been seen on a runway.

The finale - a 40-exit ode to the nude evening gown trend, from every designer on the program - was both clever and subtle. 

Below are some backstage shots taken by frockwriter before the show.

Head to frockwriter's Posterous for our gallery of 57 runway shots - and also some of the shots we Tweeted live from backstage. 

all images: frockwriter

Is Nicole Trunfio Miranda Kerr's understudy?

getty via daylife

Speculation continues to mount regarding the August 3rd David Jones Spring/Summer 2010/2011 launch. With Miranda Kerr indisposed after tying the knot with Orlando Bloom, David Jones is attempting to fill the runway gap, as frockwriter reported on Friday, with some high profile alternatives: Abbey Lee Kershaw, Catherine McNeil, Nicole Trunfio and Alexandra Agoston - even if the latter were both in last season’s show. But the runway shows are one thing. If Kerr is three months pregnant, as many believe - with Victoria's Secret colleague Jessica White so discreetly telling OK! magazine overnight, "She's preggos!"- it's unlikely she would be available for the winter 2011 catalogue and early February runway show. Who would fill in for her? Frockwriter’s money is on Trunfio, who arrived in Sydney yesterday (above), a week ahead of the show. Our sources also report that she has been booked by DJs for a series of “in-store signings” - certainly something that would appear to go above and beyond the call of mere runway duties. Earlier today Trunfio Tweeted: “Finished my fitting for David Jones collection launch, I'm really excited, will be amazing! Ecstatic to be a part of the David Jones family!” Just walking in the show would not automatically make Trunfio, or any other model, ‘part of the David Jones family’. 


A few hours later, she Tweeted the following photo, which looks very much like a catalogue shot, claiming it was "another sneak peek of my shoot for David Jones":

nicole trunfio's twitter

Why else might Trunfio trump next week's runway superstars as a Kerr understudy?

She might not rate a ranking on models.com – while Abbey Lee Kershaw is number 5 and Catherine McNeil, number 12, with Kerr just moving up to number 21 15 (moving six spots overnight 28/7; she is also ranked number 4 in MDC’s Top 20 Sexiest Models). However Trunfio does have a highly commercial appeal – as distinct from Kershaw’s and McNeil’s high fashion cachet.

Now 25, Trunfio won season three of Ten’s Search for a Supermodel reality show in 2002, later coming third in the show's international edition.

She has US tv cred, having been hired as a model mentor for the second season of US reality show, Make Me A Supermodel.

Trunfio’s international work includes runway and/or advertising for major brands such as Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, Christian Dior, Gucci, Fendi, Missoni, Roberto Cavalli, Vivienne Westwood, Valentino, Karl Lagerfeld, Sonia Rykiel, Lacoste, Sisley, BCBG Max Azria and Guess. And she has also done some work for Victoria's Secret.
 

She has three Vogue Australia covers under her belt. 

And last month she appeared in a racy spread in GQ Italy (video below).

David Jones' last fashion ambassador, Megan Gale, relaunched her modelling career as an Italian sex goddess. Kerr’s contract with Victoria’s Secret has kept her front-of-mind with the male population (hence the banker incident).

In all probability, DJs does not really want a high fashion ice queen as its ambassador, but a red-blooded bombshell who is going to attract a lot of mainstream attention.

Trunfio may fit the bill should Kerr need to take more time off. 

Abbey Lee Kershaw and Catherine McNeil to replace new bride Miranda Kerr for the David Jones Spring/Summer 2010/2011 runway show

David Jones might have lost its ceo Mark McInnes and now even its new face Miranda Kerr, at least just for one season - with Kerr announcing on the Nine Network's Today Show this morning that she and Orlando Bloom have married and she will be skipping the department store's August 3 Spring/Summer runway showcase (with insiders reporting she is three months pregnant). But DJs has gained a fabulous replacement for the show: Abbey Lee Kershaw. Sources close to Kershaw confirm she will be replacing Kerr in the show (which is an in-season show designed to launch DJs new designer collections to consumers). Once a DJs Youth Ambassador, Kershaw is now ranked the world number six five runway/editorial/advertising model by US-based modelling authority models.com (moving up one place in the space of a fortnight). It's a fantastic get for DJs. UPDATE: Frockwriter's sources confirm that world number 12 Catherine McNeil is also doing the show, which is even better news for DJs. Other models on DJs' runway will include Nicole Trunfio, who did last season's show alongside Kerr and DJs regular Alexandra Agoston. All since confirmed in Kerr's statement that was released at 8.00am this morning (to which frockwriter did not have access), but which no mainstream media outlet considered sufficiently interesting to report at the time.

All models, coincidentally, are from the same agency as Kerr: Chic Management.

Kerr would be on a multimillion dollar contract with David Jones and the news, although of course joyous for Kerr and Bloom, is a tad inconvenient for DJs. So very handy that Chic could step in with two modelling superstars to replace her at short notice.

It's probably a safe bet that Kerr might not be doing the DJs Autumn/Winter 2011 show in the first week of February either.

The latter coincides, perhaps awkwardly, with the launch of New York Fashion Week - a time when modelling superstars tend to be extremely busy.