RAFW Spring/Summer 2011/2012 - The commuter edition

Australia's most high profile fashion event, Rosemount Australian Fashion Week, runs from May 2-6. As per tradition, frockwriter has been making a list and checking it twice, ahead of the official release by organiser IMG Fashion Asia Pacific. Two years may have passed since the abbreviated "Recessionista edition", but that does not mean that retail is still not incredibly tough. Or that sponsors are not thin on the ground. Two longstanding RAFW partners will not be showing: Nicola Finetti, who has shown at the event every year since its 1996 launch and New Zealand's Zambesi. You can catch them in their showrooms. Also AWOL this season: Friedrich Gray, with designer Ben Pollitt taking a break from not just RAFW, but in fact putting his label on ice. The good news: among the big names showing are two of Australia's best-known designers, both returning to the schedule after several years showing in New York and London - Toni Maticevski and Josh Goot. Update 21/04: Good to see that Romance Was Born finally got over the line with its show plans. Although technically not on schedule, their slot is the next best thing: an unofficial kickoff to the week on the afternoon of Sunday May 1st. 

Also returning to the lineup are Lover and White Suede. 

A slew of solo runway debuts includes Yeojin Bae, Carl Kapp, Amber & Thomas and Friend of Mine. 

Much was made of the decisions by both Alex Perry and Kym Ellery to unveil their Spring collections at consumer events in Melbourne and Perth before RAFW. But that has not precluded their involvement at RAFW, with both now confirmed to show their second summer collections on-schedule at the event. Rachel Gilbert is also doing two presentations: a low-key lunch showing of Summer 1 on 13th April in Sydney, followed by a full-scale show at RAFW on 3rd May.

In terms of brand new labels being unveiled at the event, added to the annual TAFE 'Innovators' parade which has springboarded, among others, Dion Lee - who is showing on Thursday morning - comes a second graduate showcase this year from Raffles, showcasing six designers from Australia, China and Singapore. 

Yes, there are more off-site shows than ever before, but we understand IMG has organised a fleet of shuttle buses - as do organisers in London, Milan and Paris for their many off-site, on-schedule shows. In New York, you fend for yourself. Guys, we've had it far too easy, for too long.  
  

OFF-SCHEDULE
 
Wednesday 13th April, 12.30 - Rachel Gilbert
Thursday 14th April, 12.30 - Leona Edmiston
Wednesday 27th April, 09.00 - Life With Bird
Wednesday 27th April, 17.00 - Thurley 

Thursday 28th April, 10.30 - Carla Zampatti
Thursday 28th April, 18.30 - Ginger & Smart 
Friday 29th April, 09.00 - Sabatini (celebrating 20 years in Australia) 
Friday 29th April, 12.00 - Mrs Press  
Sunday 1st May, 15.30 - Romance Was Born

RAFW

MONDAY 2ND MAY
09.00 Zimmermann, off-site
10.00 Bec & Bridge, on-site
11.00 Alex Perry, Cargo Theatre
12.00 Arnsdorf, the OPT
13.00 Kirrily Johnston, off-site
14.30 Morrison, on-site
15.30 RTW group show 1, the OPT: Subfusco, Garth Cook, Uscari, Vagabond, Lanphi
16.30 Friend of Mine, Cargo Theatre
17.30 Flannel, the OPT
18.30 Karla Spetic, Cargo Theatre
19.30 Gail Sorronda, the OPT
20.30 Lover, off-site

TUESDAY 3RD MAY
09.00 Therese Rawsthorne, off-site
10.00 Rachel Gilbert, on-site
11.00 Sara Phillips, on-site
12.00 Little Joe, the OPT
13.00 Manning Cartell, off-site
14.30 Miss Unkon, Cargo Theatre
15.30 RTW 2, the OPT: None the Richer, Bless'ed are the Meek, Guanabana Designs, Wonders Cease 
16.30 Nookie, Cargo Theatre
17.30 Carl Kapp, the OPT
18.30 Amber & Thomas, Cargo Theatre
19.30 Marnie Skillings, on-site
20.30 Kate Sylvester, off-site

WEDNESDAY 4TH MAY
09.00 Lisa Ho, off-site
10.00 Talulah, the OPT
11.00 Magdalena Velevska, Cargo Theatre
12.00 Shakuhachi, the OPT
13.00 Fernando Frisoni, Sydney Opera House
14.30 Michael Lo Sordo, Cargo Theatre
15.30 RTW 3, the OPT: Foxton Danger, Karen Neilsen Collection, Roopa Pemmaraju, Terri Donna
16.30 Bianca Spender, Cargo Theatre
17.30 Dhini, the OPT
18.30 Gary Bigeni, on-site
19.30 Alice McCall, the OPT
20.30 Camilla & Marc, off-site

THURSDAY 5TH MAY
09.00 Dion Lee, off-site
10.00 White Suede, on-site
11.00 Yeojin Bae, on-site
12.00 TAFE Fashion Design Studio group show, the OPT: Leah Hibbert, Charlotte O’Carrigan, Emma Mulholland, Anna Westcott
13.00 Ellery, off-site
14.30 Lisa Blue, Cargo Theatre
15.30 Kooey, the OPT
16.30 Limedrop, Cargo Theatre
17.30 RTW 4, the OPT: Antonia Paris, Billi Keato, Luela, Sally Koeswanto
18.30 Stolen Girlfriends Club, Cargo Theatre
19.30 Alaistair Trung, the OPT
20.30 Josh Goot, off-site

FRIDAY 6TH MAY
09.00 Toni Maticevski, off-site
10.00 Lisa Maree, the OPT
11.00 Ms Couture, Cargo Theatre
12.00 Raffles RAFW International Showcase, the OPT: The Prodigal Son (Singapore), Zhigang Studio (Shanghai), Illuminati, Peggy Hartanto, Nosnim, Krystal Tsoi (Sydney)
13.00 Saint Augustine Academy, Cargo Theatre
14.30 New Generation 1 group show, the OPT: Paper Skye, Arj Selvam, Poppy Lissiman, Christopher Dobosz, Moek Theorem
15.30 Christopher Esber, Cargo Theatre

16.30 New Generation 2 group show, the OPT: Daniela Caputi, Daniella-Stephanie Puglisi, Del Playa Drive, Jaime Lee Major, Virginie Lynn
17.30 Bowie, Cargo Theatre  

images:
1/ josh goot/frockwriter
2/ toni maticevski/sonnyphotos
3/ carl kapp/supplied by little hero
4/ kate sylvester/frockwriter
5/ dion lee/frockwriter
6/ friend of mine/alexandra spencer via friend of mine
7/ emma mulholland/2threads
8/ amber & thomas/amber & thomas
9/ anna westcott/vogue.com.au
10/ stolen girlfriends club/frockwriter

Because the night - LMFF 2011

Alex Perry's Spring/Summer 2011/2012 presentation was not the only glamour event at last week's L'Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival. Although unlike Perry's show, it provided no reveal of any brand new season's offerings, the L'Oréal Paris Runway 5 show on Friday night, presented by Harpers Bazaar Australia, was nevertheless a wonderful showcase of highend PM-wear from some of Australia's most acclaimed designers: Collette Dinnigan, Toni Maticevski, Aurelio Costarella, Jayson Brunsdon, Dion Lee, Scanlan & Theodore and Willow. Here are a few shots below. Click (here) to see frockwriter's backstage portfolio shot during the show.

Booked: FASHION by Mitchell Oakley Smith

Books on Australian fashion are few and far between. In fact Alexandra Joel’s Parade and Elina Mackay's The Great Aussie Fashion, both published in 1984 (with Parade reprinted in 1998) and David Meagher's 2008 Fashion Speak (in which Australasians account for half of Meagher's 14 designer profiles) are the sum total to date if frockwriter is not mistaken. Well now we can add Mitchell Oakley Smith’s first literary effort to this very slim list: FASHION, a 352-page book on Australian – and New Zealand – designers, published by no less than Thames & Hudson Australia, the local arm of one of the world’s most prestigious fashion and art publishers (to be sold internationally as well). Here is an exclusive preview of the cover: a Georges Antoni shot of Anthea Page in Toni Maticevski’s silk cotton voile and triacetate ballgown. According to the notes, the dress is from the Autumn/Winter 2006 collection and according to Oakley Smith, the shot was first published in Oyster.

The dress bears a strong resemblance to the "doona" dresses that were later presented by Maticevski in New York in February 2007 for the Fall/Winter 0708 season. And no, apparently that's no Photoshop job - the model is actually carrying an eski bag emblazoned with an Australian flag.

Sydney-based Oakley Smith is associate editor of GQ Australia and has been writing about fashion for four years, for publications including BELLE, Myer Emporium and The Australian.

Accompanying a fantastic selection of imagery (see below) are 50,000 words profiling 70 designers, including Akira Isogawa, Josh Goot, Zimmermann, Karen Walker, Kate Sylvester, Nom*D, World, Birthday Suit, Romance Was Born and Arnsdorf.

The book took Oakley Smith two years and he approached five different publishers before hooking up with T&H.

Available from August 1 ($79.95).








All images supplied by Thames & Hudson
(Top to bottom)
Toni Maticevski by Georges Antoni.
Ksubi
RM Williams
Fernando Frisoni
Chronicles of Never
Marnie Skillings