We might not have seen Amanda Ware at any Milan Fashion Week shows this week, but she booked a solid showlist at this month's New York and London Fashion Weeks. And the Australia's Next Top Model Cycle 6 winner is about to score her second cover in four months of The Australian's luxury magazine Wish - alongside Jordan Coulter, another rising local star. Here is an exclusive preview of the October Wish cover and accompanying editorial which showcases brands including Burberry, Prada and Louis Vuitton. Lensed by Pierre Toussaint, with styling by Ken Thompson. On newsstands October 7th.
all images: supplied exclusively to frockwriter by wish magazine photographer: pierre toussaint stylist: ken thompson
The Spring/Summer 2012 shows rolled on at London Fashion Week, traditionally a bit of a breather between the far bigger and busier New York and Milan schedules. The latter put further than usual strain on the London event this season, with Marc Jacobs pushing his show back by three days, prompting many models to miss LFW's first day. Further demands were made by Gucci - whose show is today - dragging many girls to Milan at the end of the week. Nevertheless, 14 Australian models did the London shows, with Abbey Lee Kershaw, Catherine McNeil and Bambi Northwood-Blyth touching down in the SS12 season for the first time. Contrary to reports that McNeil had not done a runway show for two and a half years, in fact September 2010 was the last time we saw her on the circuit. Expect to see more antipodians in Milan and Paris, where many are already positioned attending castings and fittings.
Below are the updated show lists - with London shows highlighted in blue - in addition to an animated London Fashion Week photo galley. UPDATED: WITH MILAN FASHION WEEK SHOWS.
Just a reminder that although these showlists are ranked by the number of shows per model, contrary to sentiments expressed in comments on Friday's New York showlists post, it is not necessarily always only about quantity. Some shows are more prestigious than others and some models are far better-established. Abbey Lee Kershaw, for example, has already made her name. For whatever reason, she skipped the New York leg of the season. In London she opened the ultra-exclusive Tom Ford show, the only Australian cast. Andrej Pejic may have only done a handful of shows so far, but there was significant publicity surrounding those shows.
MELISSA 'MJ' JOHANNSEN Steven Alan Rachel Comey Nicholas K The Row Band of Outsiders Academy of Art University Tracy Reese Creatures of the Wind Rodarte Pink Tartan (opened) Fotini Elle Tahari Jeremy Scott Patrick Ervell
Ashish
Zoe Jordan
Mulberry
Peter Jensen
Thomas Tait
Peter Pilotto
Mark Fast
= 21
CODIE YOUNG Richard Chai Rebecca Taylor United Bamboo Suno Jill Stuart (closed) Graeme Armour Thakoon Tory Burch Rodarte Tibi Hexa by Cuho Milly by Michelle Smith Wayne Marc Jacobs
Julien Macdonald
House of Holland
Paul Smith
Mulberry
Erdem
Peter Pilotto
= 20
ROSE SMITH Richard Chai Doo.Ri The Row Edun Jill Stuart Adam Band of Outsiders (opened) Y-3 Zero Maria Cornejo (opened) Tory Burch Marchesa Tibi 3.1 Phillip Lim Ports 1961 Daks
Jaeger London
Mulberry
Erdem Antonio Berardi
= 19
RUBY-JEAN WILSON United Bamboo Peter Som Yigal Azrouel (opened) Graeme Armour (closed) Y-3 Jil Sander Navy Reem Acra Marchesa Sophie Theallet Jeremy Scott Marc Jacobs Patrick Ervell
Julien Macdonald
Jonathan Saunders
Paul Smith
Topshop Unique
John Rocha
Giles Deacon
Burberry
= 19
DEMPSEY STEWART Richard Chai Rebecca Taylor (closed) Suno (closed) Graeme Armour Honor Thakoon 3.1 Phillip Lim Jill Stuart Marc Jacobs
Julien Macdonald
House of Holland
Topshop Unique
Richard Nicoll
Emilio de la Morena
Pringle of Scotland
Erdem
Giles Deacon
Peter Pilotto
= 18
AMANDA WARE BCBG by Max Azria Ruffian Monique Lhuillier Carlos Miele Hervé Léger L'Wren Scott
Clements Ribeiro
Marios Schwab
Nicole Farhi
Antonio Berardi
Pringle of Scotland
= 11
KRYSTAL GLYNN Richard Chai Peter Som Rebecca Taylor Suno Helmut Lang Band of Outsiders Honor Tory Burch Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti Theyskens' Theory Marc Jacobs
= 11
CHRYSTAL COPLAND Costello Tagliapietra (closed)
Libertine Pink Tartan Emerson Hexa by Cuho Jeremy Scott
Norman Ambrose
Arise African Fashion Collective
Jonathan Saunders (closed)
Topshop Unique
Giles Deacon
= 11
NICOLE POLLARD Nicholas K Ruffian Band of Outsiders Sally La Pointe (closed) Graeme Armour Rachel Roy Theyskens Theory Hexa by Cuho (closed) Norman Ambrose Supima
= 10
AJAK DENG Richard Chai Jason Wu Edun Ohne Titel Wayne
Matthew Williamson
Erdem Todd Lynn Mary Katrantzou (opened)
= 9
CAITLIN LOMAX Yigal Azrouel
3.1 Phillip Lim
Jonathan Saunders
Topshop Unique
Richard Nicoll
Christopher Kane
Giles Deacon Aquascutum
= 8
JESS GOLD
Rebecca Taylor Helmut Lang Jen Kao Faster by Mark Fast Rachel Zoe Francesc by Frank Tell
Ashish
Thomas Tait
= 8
SARAH LORIMER Steven Alan
Wes Gordon Christian Siriano Libertine A Detacher Wayne Karen Walker Park Choon Moo
= 8
PHILIPPA GLEESON Jenny Packham Rachel Roy Billy Reid L.A.M.B. Karen Walker Nanette Lepore (opened) Chado Ralph Rucci Naeem Khan
= 8
CLAIRE COLLINS Faster by Mark Fast Cut25 by Yigal Azrouel Rebecca Minkoff Rachel Zoe Suno Wes Gordon Sally LaPointe
= 7
JADE JACKSON Yigal Azrouel Carlos Miele Sophie Theallet Rad by Rad Hourani Milly by Michelle Smith Ohne Titel
= 6
LAUREN MOODY Imitation of Christ Sally LaPointe Juan Carlos Obando Argentine Designers Nomia Arise African Fashion Collective
= 6
LAUREN BROWN Kimberley Ovitz
Son Jung Wan
Reed Krakoff
Chado Ralph Rucci Arise African Fashion Collective
= 5
CARIS TIIVEL
Christian SirianoBibi Project Runway Bibhu Mohapatra Josie Natori
= 5
ABBEY LEE KERSHAW
Tom Ford (opened)
Pringle of Scotland (opened)
John Rocha (opened, closed)
Burberry
Matthew Williamson
= 5
ELIZA HUMBLE Erin by Erin Fetherston Chris Benz Gen Art Douglas Hannant
= 4
SIMONE KERR Christian Siriano Pink Tartan Betsey Johnson The Blonds
= 4
TOM BULL
Imitation of Christ
Perry Ellis (opened and closed)
Marithé et François Girbaud
Sergio Davila
= 4
JAKE GORDON Billy Reid Dominic Lewis Aston Mozie Nexus Showroom
= 4
ANDREJ PEJIC Custo Barcelona (opened)
Jeremy Scott
Mala Breton (opened)
= 3
BAMBI NORTHWOOD-BLYTH
Jonathan Saunders
Topshop Unique
Giles Deacon
= 3
ELYSE TAYLOR Nicole Miller
VPL
DKNY
= 3
JACK VANDERHART DKNY Men
Argentine Designers
= 2
CATHERINE MCNEIL
Matthew Williamson
Pringle of Scotland
= 2
VICTORIA LEE
DKNY
Libertine
= 2
VANESSA MILDE
Imitation of Christ
Eva Minge
= 2
MALLORY JANSEN WISB (Way It Should Be) Tribune Standard
= 2
photo gallery:
1/ abbey lee kershaw, burberry/burberry twitpic 2/ catherine mcneil, matthew wiliamson/getty 3/ julia nobis, christopher kane, vogue.it via TFS 4/ rose smith, antonio berardi/getty 5/ melissa johannsen, mulberry/getty 6/ codie young, erdem/getty 7/ amanda ware, antonio berardi/getty 8/ ajak deng, erdem/getty 9/ dempsey stewart, house of holland/getty 10/ ruby jean wilson, julien macdonald/getty 11/ chrystal copland, jonathan saunders/getty 12/ bambi northwood-blyth, giles/vogue.it via TFS 13/ jess gold, ashish/getty 14/ caitlin lomax, christopher kane/vogue.it via TFS
So New York Fashion Week is up and running and the so-called ‘Australasian invasion’ of its runways got off to a cracking start again on Thursday, the week's official kickoff. Six Australian models walked the Richard Chai show which, as some may recall, was opened by Aussie newbie Dempsey Stewart last season. Stewart walked Chai’s runway for the second consecutive season, flanked on this occasion by Julia Nobis, Codie Young, Ajak Deng, Rose Smith and Krystal Glynn, in her international runway debut. Joining them was New Zealand modelling sensation Emily Baker, the breakout star of the Fall/Winter 2011/2012 shows. With 26 models in the show, that's almost one third of Chai's cast hailing from the antipodes.
Elsewhere, Melissa ‘MJ’ Johannsen popped up at the Rachel Comey and Steven Alan shows – joined at the latter by yet another new Australian face, Chadwick's Sarah Lorimer and another Kiwi, Georgia Fowler – while Lorimer also appeared at Wes Gordon; Lauren Moody, Vanessa Milde and Tom Bull worked the hilarious trompe l'oeil wedding staged by Imitation of Christ; and Australia’s Next Top Model Cycle 6 winner Amanda Ware walked BCBG by Max Azria.
Could Alex Perry have started something with his Spring/Summer 2011/2012 collection unveiling last night at the L'Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival? A consumer event showcasing in-season collections to consumers, LMFF is popular with designers because its runways present what is in store right now - with some retailers reporting 30-50percent spikes in business during the event. But a wholesale collection that is traditionally shown to buyers and press six months ahead of the season? That's usually the territory of Australian Fashion Week. In reality, Perry showed 'first summer' last night - that is, the first half of next summer's offerings. He still plans to show at RAFW in May. Perry will show 'second summer' at that event - and according to his wingman, Josh Flinn, the second collection will be a lot more elaborate. With the fashion cycle continuing to accelerate, retailers offering far more frequent product drops than ever before and the rise and rise of Resort and Pre-Fall collections internationally, perhaps it makes sense for designers to gain additional exposure via consumer events such as this, at the same time providing some real news value for the fashion media.
And what a show it was.
En route to the venue - the magnificent Victoria era Royal Exhibition Building - it felt a little like you were making your way to a big Paris show at the Grand Palais.
Entitled Cuban Princess, the well-edited collection took Perry into somewhat unchartered waters - and he told frockwriter backstage that this fact had made him a little nervous.
"I've never done colour before - or at least not so much of it" noted Perry.
Eye-popping turquoise, kingfisher blue, buttercup yellow, magenta, chartreuse and tangerine were deployed in an elegant series of minimalist evening gowns, many of them with sporty, racerfront necklines and simple fitted waists, others softly falling from the bust, Empire style, with embroidered straps curling delicately like tendrils over one shoulder.
The evening glamour sequence complemented the collection's smart daywear of '40s-nosed, crisp white suits, sheath dresses in a pretty black and red floral print and some fresh-as-a-daisy white sundresses crafted from heavily-embellished lace.
A great cast that included the week's top girls, Rachels Rutt and Grasso, Cassi van den Dungen, Simone Kerr, Annika Kaban, Tiah Eckhardt and Vanessa Milde, with some special additions in the form of Australia's Next Top Model Cycle 6 winner Amanda Ware, Eliza Humble and of course, the star of the show, Megan Gale.
Click (here) to see frockwriter's Posterous portfolio of 50 images shot backstage during the show.
This time last week frockwriter mentioned that a contingent of Australian models was readying to take to New York Fashion Week's runways in what could be the biggest antipodian season to date. And after day one, it looks like they're off to a cracking start. We didn't include Perth's Dempsey Stewart in that mix, but with a cover story on WWD yesterday (below) and the prestigious opening slot of Richard Chai's show (above), it's a little hard to ignore her. Chai in fact cast four Australians in his show: Codie Young, making her international runway debut, together with Julia Nobis and Ajak Deng. Later in the day Young not only opened, but closed the Wayne show (below). ANTM Cycle 6 winner Amanda Ware, meanwhile, made her OS debut in Wes Gordon's presentation. Saturday sees the arrival of two hot Aussie men - including, as reported, Jack Vanderhart, as an exclusive for the Calvin Klein Collection mens show. And it's only the first weekend of the season.
As far as frockwriter can ascertain, there is not a single Australian designer due to show during New York Fashion Week's Fall/Winter 2011 season, which officially kicks off on February 10th. Kit Willow Podgornik will shoot her Fall/Winter 2011/2012 lookbook in New York on February 9th, but that's a private event. This is a big change, of course, compared to five years ago, when up to seven Australian labels were showing their wares there. But this does not mean that there won't be any Australians on New York's runways. In fact, FW1112 is shaping up to be a bumper season for antipodian models in The Big Apple. The world number 5, Abbey Lee Kershaw, won't be among them, however, as she will skip New York Fashion Week this season. Although due to head to Milan and Paris, prior to those legs Kershaw will be tied up in London with a "personal music project" [telling her mother agency, Chic Management, this will involve a performance with "my band" - read Our Mountain, the band of Kershaw's boyfriend Matthew Hutchinson, with whom Kershaw has previously performed on stage).
Seven out of the 25 models chosen by Elite New York for the agency's official Fall/Winter 2011/2012 show package, that is distributed to designers and casting directors, are Australians: Julia Nobis, Lauren Brown, Bambi Northwood-Blyth, Emily Wake, Ruby Jean Wilson and Australia's Next Top Model winners Amanda Ware and Alice Burdeu (above). After a short study hiatus, Burdeu dominated New Zealand Fashion Week's runways in September, great to see her back.
Joining them will be Australia's overnight modelling superstar Andrej Pejic, Jessica Hart, Annaleise Smith, Elyse Taylor, Codie Young, Emilia Skuza, Skye Stracke and potentially a number of others.
Others still are due to join these names as the season moves on to London, Milan and Paris over the following three weeks.
Since being crowned runnerup to Australia's Next Top Model Cycle 6 in September - and then moments later, in dramatic fashion, named as the competition's real winner - Amanda Ware has yet to make her entree onto the international fashion market. That could change after next week, should Ware hit the runways of New York Fashion Week's Fall/Winter 2011/2012 season, which kicks off on February 10. In New York right now for castings, Ware has a better than even chance of getting noticed. Not just thanks to the ANTM win, but also inadvertently thanks to ANTM host Sarah O'Hare, news of whose live tv gaffe in announcing the wrong winner spread swiftly around the world, giving the show far more attention than it usually garners. Good timing then for Australian fashion designer Nicola Finetti in nabbing the still under-the-radar Ware for his Pre Fall 2011/2012 campaign and lookbook. Here is an exclusive preview of both below.
all images: supplied by nicola finetti animation: frockwriter
Belated congratulations to Amanda Ware, the – eventual - winner of Australia’s Next Top Model Cycle 6. On July 16, after the series launch, frockwriter did say that our money was on Ware. Of this year’s field, she looked to have the most international potential - one of the reasons, presumably, that the show’s producers reportedly wanted her to win the series so badly. Or at least that’s what Edwina McCann, the editor of ANTM partner Harpers Bazaar Australia claimed on Nine Network's Today show this morning. McCann - who, once upon a time, was Murdoch's personal stylist - said the show's producers left the voting lines open in the hope that Ware might “get over the line”. Of course the main ANTM topic of conversation today was not Ware’s win per se – but rather the debacle of last night’s finale, at the climax of which anchor Sarah Murdoch declared Kelsey Martinovich the winner. Only to announce moments later, ashen-faced, that a terrible mistake had been made and that Ware was in fact the winner. But not before the pyrotechnics had fired and Martinovich had delivered her victory speech. Total ballsup in other words. What really went down is anybody’s guess, with numerous theories and explanations offered. Murdoch finally broke her silence on Nine's prime time current affairs show A Current Affair earlier this evening, interviewed - very sympathetically - by her former Today show colleague, Karl Stefanovic.
screen cap/ACA
In the interview Murdoch, who is also one of the ANTM producers, revealed that a new system had been implemented for this year's finale. She told Stefanovic:
"The last thing that had been communicated to me through my earpiece was Kelsey 1, Amanda 2... And we had this great idea that we wouldn’t use a card, that we would have it all communicated to me through an earpiece, so that I too in that moment would find out who the winner was. And I thought it will be great. So having heard the last thing was Kelsey 1, Amanda 2, I went into the read... the winner of Australia’s Next Top Model is....nothing. Nothing. So all I knew was the last thing was Kelsey 1, Amanda 2....The point was, it was going to be communicated through my ear and it didn’t come at that moment. So I went with what I had been told... just before that segment. It is a genuine miscommunication. As far as I knew it was the right call".
Murdoch's revelation raises a number of questions.
First and foremost, why rely solely on audio communications for the most crucial piece of information for the broadcast? Outside broadcast setup, fluid situation, large studio audience, noise, potential tech problems... Why not have a backup plan in place in case the sound went down? In the end, Murdoch told ACA, a card was held up by a production assistant with Ware's name on it - although this version of events does appear to conflict with the actual footage, which shows Murdoch clearly holding the earpiece and concentrating, as if she is listening to audio instructions.
When she heard "nothing" down the bird, why simply wing it with an assumption based on old information?
Why not double check on air to be on the safe side? Awkward, granted, but surely better than the alternative: getting it wrong and looking like a twat.
And finally, why was there not a clear winner after the voting had closed? Either Ware or Martinovich was in front, even if it was down to one vote - or else it was a draw. And this also begs the question: did the producers deliberately leave the lines open after the original planned cutoff time - as McCann imputed - in the hope that the result they didn't want, ie Martinovich winning, might change? In a live tv situation, in which you are racing the clock in real time, an announcement based on split-second decision-making seems a very risky idea. (Be.Interactive, which managed the voting, insists voting closed at the correct time and the correct information was supplied).
screen cap/ACA
The ACA story also conflicts with the version Murdoch delivered on air last night in the heat of the moment: that the information “was read to me wrong”. Murdoch is now claiming that the information wasn't read to her at all.
Also confusing are Foxtel’s multiple statements today.
The story has now generated global exposure for both Ware and Martinovich. Foxtel has generously offered to give the latter $25,000 and an all expenses paid trip to New York as compensation for the humiliation of being crowned the ANTM 2010 winner on national television, only to have that crown snatched away from her moments later. Harpers Bazaar has also opted to print both Ware's and Martinovich's covers of its upcoming ANTM issue. Some are seeing this as a win-win situation for both.
"What do you want to be?" Stefanovic asked Martinovich on ACA.
"Australia's Next Top Model" she replied. "But that didn't happen, did it?"
amanda ware in brisbane, 10th august 2010
Australia's Next Top Model might want to rethink the live finale concept, given that it does not have the best track record in this arena.
Murdoch replaced model-turned-swimwear designer Jodhi Meares (who was also once married to an Australian media mogul - James Packer). Meares left the show in disgrace in 2009 after pulling out of the live broadcast of the Cycle 4 finale less than 48 hours before the show, citing stage fright. Murdoch has also had to do quite a lot of explaining in her two years on the show.
According to Edwina McCann three votes separated Ware from Martinovich last night.
Last year's favourite, Cassi van den Dungen, was also ahead of winner Tahnee Atkinson by a mere one industry/show judge vote (four votes to three) before the final ad break. After finally declaring her the winner Murdoch told Atkinson, “The public got you over the line Tahnee”.
Van den Dungen, like Ware, was the model with the greater international potential. As clearly illustrated by the fact that immediately upon finishing the series - and in spite of her tantrums during the filming of the show - she was offered a contract with the Elite agency in New York. After turning that down, van den Dungen suddenly morphed into the Antichrist in the eyes of ANTM judges Charlotte Dawson and Alex Perry, who royally slagged her off on Facebook.
Murdoch and others had made a point of commenting on the body image issue throughout Cycle 5, with judge Charlotte Dawson telling The Daily Telegraph, that it would be “sending a nice message” if a “size 10 with ample bosom and a sexy bottom” won the competition.
According to Murdoch's Twitter feed after the show, the smaller, curvier Atkinson received 82.5percent of the public vote. However in an opinion piece in The Daily Telegraph, she claimed Atkinson received 87percent of the vote and added, "in the end I just couldn't trust that Cassi would best represent the show and what I stand for".
Had a bit of a manic Tuesday. Flew to Brisbane to moderate and talk at a fashion seminar convened by the Metropolitan South Institute of TAFE. The panel included sass & bide’s operations manager Stephen Carter, who regaled the room with details of the brand’s manufacturing logistics, quality control, what designers Heidi Middleton and Sarah-Jane Clarke look for in hiring and the revelation that the latter prefer to move on to new designs, rather than repeat best-sellers in-season. Also on the panel: Brisbane-based Subfusco designer Joshua Scacheri, Ethical Clothing Australia’s Emer Diviney and Molly Williams, agent Jess Meester, Hot Tuna founder Jo Meldrum and Bright Bots designer Jodi Baker. Dashed from TAFE straight to Scacheri’s boutique in hip Brisbane fashion hood Fortitude Valley, where who should be waiting but surviving Australia’s Next Top Model Cycle 6 contestants Kathryn Lyons and Amanda Ware, together with ANTM model mentor Josh Flinn.
Grabbed these shots and the following quick video iv with the girls.
Apologies for the poor quality. I flicked on the camera light, which appears to have distorted not only the picture, but also the sound quality. It is, however, quite clear if you listen to the iv with headphones.
So what was the ANTM connection?
All were en route to the group Schwarzkopf show later that evening, as part of the Brisbane Fashion Festival. Scacheri's Subfusco collection was included in the show.
Flinn and Scacheri share the same publicist (Mother and Father PR), which dispatched Flinn to the show - with Flinn dragging along his two Brisbane-based ANTM charges as a favour.
But their ANTM chops did not apparently cut much mustard with the Brisbane Fashion Festival organisers.
After being denied front row seats alongside Flinn, Ware and Lyons wound up going home instead, still dressed in Scacheri's clothes.
(L to R) kathryn lyons, josh flinn, amanda ware and joshua scacheri
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