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Rosemount Australian Fashion Week was a bigger success than ever in its 13th year, according to
The Sydney Morning Herald. The event, usually regarded as the prime fashion event in Australia, attracted unprecedented worldwide attention this time around. It is frequently being referred to all over the internet as the
strongest
Australian Fashion Week yet.
From April 28th – May 2nd 2008, international presence was booming in the
Overseas Passenger Terminal in Sydney, Australia where
Rosemount Australian Fashion Week
(RAFW) took place. Models, media and buyers from all over the world eagerly came together for the highly anticipated week produced by
IMG Fashion.
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Zimmerman Spring 2009 Collection at the RAFW
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About two weeks before
RAFW’s start date this past April,
RAFW officials decided to comply with
Vogue Australia Editor
Kristie Clements’ call for models to be a minimum age of 16. This industry policy change for
RAFW was an important step in reducing concern about the appropriate age for runway models from the industry and community.
The
RAFW has been slowly gathering global recognition over the past decade, but interest really took off this year. It is the first time that such a large number of international models were flown in specifically for fashion week by
IMG Models. According to
Cosmoworlds Trade Industry Information Services, this year’s
RAFW hosted the strongest array of global buyers ever to watch the runaways.
IMG Fashion and
Austrade, the agency hosting the buyers, believe that the international attention will greatly benefit the Australian fashion industry at large.
Participating designers must be invited by the
RAFW’s official Advisory Board, which boasts high profile industry leaders from
Vogue,
Harper’s Bazaar,
Marie Claire and
InStyle. Along with well-known designer brands such as
Alex Perry and
Lisa Ho,
RAFW is also known for enabling up-and-coming designers to be spotted by the international buyers coming from USA, Canada, UK, Hong Kong, Japan, Ireland, Russia, Singapore, Indonesia and United Arab Emirates.
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Alex Perry Spring 2009 Collection at the RAFW
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Joining the international buyers were journalists from all ends of the globe, including our very own Style and Fashion Editor
Lisa Martinez. Lisa was mesmerized during the fashion shows of
Alex Perry,
Camilla & Marc,
Kirrily Johnston,
Konstantina Mittas,
Lee Matthews, Lisa Ho, Michelle Jank, Nicola Finetti, Sretsis and
Zimmerman.
Lisa writes that the
Alex Perry show was arguably the most enthusiastically awaited show of the week. She applauds his ability to make the
jungle and
animal prints appear
elegant and
sexy and predicts that there will be no escaping the fashion-savvy hunters who will without a doubt try to capture
Alex Perry’s items next spring.
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Alex Perry Spring 2009 Collection
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Check out her review of the
Alex Perry Spring 2009 Collection here.
The
Camilla & Marc show highlighted looks that were “
effortlessly elegant with an interesting twist,” writes Lisa. The collection was a successful balance between “
feminine detailing” and “
masculine tailoring”. It is obvious that this brother and sister duo compliment each other, as
sharp edges were paired with a
female playfulness to Lisa’s delight.
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Camilla & Marc Spring 2009 Collection
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Check out Lisa's review of the
Camilla & Marc Spring 2009 Collection here.
Lisa notes that the inspiration of the
Kirrily Johnston show was merging the
East and West as one. Lisa points out “
circular
dresses,” “
drapery techniques” and the use of
metallic accessories. She also describes that the aim of this collection is “to
blend culture and lifestyle.”
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Kirrily Johnston Spring 2009 Collection
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Kirrily Johnston Spring 2009 Collection
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Check out Lisa's review of the
Kirrily Johnston Spring 2009 Collection here.
The
Konstantina Mittas Spring 2009 Collection calls for an “individual spirit” and “
daring
sense of style,” writes Lisa. She was absolutely blown away by this show, walking away with a handful of designs that she calls ingenious. Including “
winged dresses and nestling skirts,” Lisa believes this line is incredibly
provocative and
dramatic.
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Konstantina Mittas Spring 2009 Collection
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Check out Lisa's review of the
Konstantina Mittas Spring 2009 Collection here.
Lisa points out that juxtaposition was a common theme during fashion week, and the
Lee Matthews show was no exception. The designer paired sheer chiffons with cargo paints, and as Lisa describes, nicely “
weaving modernity with antiquity.” An
adventurous spirit was impressively captured, and the line is ideal for a customer who longs to be
feminine but not too girly.
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Lee Matthews Spring 2009 Collection
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Check out Lisa's review of the
Lee Matthews Spring 2009 Collection here.
A
Lisa Ho fan from years ago, our journalist Lisa writes that designer
Lisa Ho excelled at allowing everyday pieces to be doubly useful in evening apparel. The line consisted of
swimwear,
separates and
gowns.
Lisa also notes that the designer’s use of prints were the
prettiest
of the week, toying with
mystery and
romance and using light fabrics such as
satin and
lace.
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Lisa Ho Spring 2009 Collection
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Check out Lisa's review of the
Lisa Ho Spring 2009 Collection here.
Day one of the
RAFW ended with
Michelle Jank’s collection and a multimedia presentation playing behind the runway. Lisa calls this collection "
traffic-stopping" and was super impressed by the
suspended motion video backdrop. Lisa enjoyed how the designer never ceases to push industry boundaries while using a palette of
black,
white and
grey.
Lisa Ho even told our Lisa that she credits her inspiration to living in
Paris as well as a “
Hitchcokian theme.”
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Michelle Jank Spring 2009 Collection
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Check out Lisa's review of the
Michelle Jank Spring 2009 Collection here.
Lisa writes that
Nicola Finetti used everything from
origami folds to
neon brights, reminding the world of his reputation as a
cutting-edge designer. His line featured an array of colors, “
clever design details and accents” and Lisa called it one of the biggest collections of Fashion Week.
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Nicola Finetti Spring 2009 Collection
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Check out Lisa's review of the
Nicola Finetti Spring 2009 Collection here.
During the
Sretsis fashion show, Lisa felt like she was in a
fantasy world. Real and imagined
animals including owls and unicorns pop up often in the prints and accessories of the collection. Lisa enjoyed the collection as this designing sister trio displayed a line of “
soft silhouettes with panoramic animal landscapes.”
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Sretsis Spring 2009 Collection
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Check out Lisa's review of the
Sretsis Spring 2009 Collection here.
The
Zimmerman line uncovered looks filled with
pastel hues and
60s bohemian flair. Lisa calls the “Zimmerman girl
undeniably flirty, unabashedly cool, and unapologetically feminine.” She reveals that the designer sisters used colors that were reminiscent of the sky, touching on “
dusk,
dawn,
twilight, and
sunshine.” One will enjoy the
easy, breezy feel of this collection.
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Zimmerman Spring 2009 Collection
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Check out Lisa's review of the
Zimmerman Spring 2009 Collection here.
A glance through Lisa’s pictures and descriptive words about
RAFW is guaranteed to make you as excited as Lisa is for next year’s event, which is scheduled to occur during April-May 2009 in the Sydney Harbour.
For more information on this year’s
Rosemount Australian Fashion Week, please visit
http://www.rafw.com.au/
To see all of Lisa Martinez's articles click here.
Images courtesy of Dawn Hiller
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