Tarvydas tribute best of fashion festival
The 16th Perth Fashion Festival felt very different from previous years in a number of significant ways.
Apart from the new naming rights sponsor Telstra, there was a new venue - a tent in the forecourt of Perth Concert Hall - and a bigger mix of local, national and international designers.
From the outside, the Fashion Paramount venue looked like a classic fashion week set-up.
At night, with the Concert Hall backdrop lit up and digital projections splashed across the side of the neighbouring Duxton Hotel, it really did look spectacular.
PICTURE GALLERY: The Tarvydas collection
Picture: Iain Gillespie/The West Australian
But there was something about the parade tent itself that was strangely soulless. Very few of the runway shows created any kind of atmosphere, although Flannel managed to evoke a romantic feel with illuminated lanterns and pop-up flower beds, and Zhivago successfully turned the venue into a Blade Runner-inspired sci-fi set.
But what the Fashion Paramount tent lacked in ambience, Ascot Racecourse more than made up for.
The venue for Friday night's two memorable shows, Ruth Tarvydas - A Celebration, and Galvanised: Ultimate Show-Stoppers, proved a winner. With its "purple carpet", floral arrangements and crystal chandeliers dotting the entryway, a pumping downstairs VIP bar and a deluxe upstairs lounge, this venue would work well as home base for an entire fashion week.
Despite the increased seating capacity, the tent was packed every night, with people watching everything from student runway unknowns to big national names such as Alex Perry, Manning Cartell and Camilla Franks and Kiwi brands NOM*d and Zambesi.
Rebecca Judd in a Tarvydas creation. Picture: Iain Gillespie/The West Australian
Ae'lkemi designer Alvin Fernandez was inducted into the Asian Couture Federation on opening night and the ACF's Emily Hwang was spotted wearing a Jaime Lee couture dress at the Zhivago show.
Fernandez shared the opening night runway with Dubai-based designer Michael Cinco and Indonesian designer Sebastian Gunawan in a speech-heavy evening that might have benefited from less talk and more fashion.
Picture: Iain Gillespie
This year's festival had the biggest contingent of social media stars, from Pale Division blogger Willabelle Ong to Esperance-raised model-turned-photographer Zanita Whittington.
The WA designer showcases were a mixed bag, with some of Perth's most interesting young labels, from Tindale and Monster Alphabets to accessories brand Convict and ethical label Bhalo, somewhat buried in the mix, showing at Sunday's late-night installation show.
Zhivago finished the festival with a bang on Monday, producing a high-octane show that had a world-class feel and was cited by many as their favourite event of the week along with the Ruth Tarvydas tribute.
