Blessed Are the Meek Show

Our director Rebecca Lau’s coverage from this year’s Mercedes Benz Fashion Week...

After a long wait, the jam-packed Blessed Are the Meek show started in darkness with plenty of smoke and blue laser beams projected onto the runway. The mood was mysterious and eerie as five models walked onto the runway in darkness only to pose in formation and then disappear back inside. At first I was confused - surely they would not show the entire collection in the dark? Luckily the lights did come on and one by one the models paraded outfits that consisted of peplum laced dresses, aqua blue scuba pants, floor-length flowing tops, aquatic printed skirts and studded net tops.

When I caught up with the lovely designers Maria Maung and Tarek Kourhani backstage, they explained the inspiration behind their Song of the Siren collection, “we started off with an acquatic, underwater theme which we then morphed into the Blessed girl – a siren who is alluring and confident, the Siren of the Sea”. The theme was illustrated through the use of a nude, gold, ivory, mint, violet and sleek black colour palette, supported by bold abstract prints inspired by the oceans.

The pieces in the show were easy to wear with a few standouts being the deep violet panelled skirts and abstract printed pant suits. The show ended with a special couture piece representing their “Siren of the Sea”, a nude floor length gown featuring a heavily textured skirt and black panel detailing. I was later disappointed to learn that this dress was not going to be produced as part of their Summer line and was only created specifically for the show. No channelling my inner goddess for me.

We’re excited to be stocking this BATM range!

Roopa Pemmaraju Show

I didn’t know what to expect from designer Roopa Pemmaraju’s debut collection this week, only that the Indian designer had teamed up with local Indigenous artists to produce a collection featuring indigenous art painting. Was this going to be another Ken Done or will this designer hit the mark with fusing art with high end fashion? With model Samantha Humphries kicking off the runway in a stylishly plunging black and white print maxi, I was positively impressed and keen for more.

Roopa Pemmaraju’s collection was a successful fusion of modern cuts, flattering designs and bold prints inspired by the Australian landscape - green plant life, red sand, luscious sea blues, burnt orange outbacks and wild bush berries. It’s a difficult task to incorporate indigenous artworks into fashion-forward, commercial clothing but Roopa’s collection hit the mark with her beautifully embellished necklines and elaborate beadwork.

The range consisted of very wearable and colourful print shift dresses in delicate silks, soft cotton, crepe and chiffon with the standout being her flowing maxi dresses with heavily embellished necklines and cute pockets. “It’s all about the colour and the artists” says the designer who is currently working with artists from the Cooee Art Gallery, Desert Designs and Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation. “I love working with artists as an Indian myself and I would like to show off their designs overseas”.

And show-off indeed, the collection wowed the audience (and fellow designer Akira Isogawa who congratulated the designer backstage).

Nana Judy Show

These Melbourne boys know how to have fun, this was literally a rock and roll runway. As I walked into the huge tent for the Nana Judy show, each row was covered with big branded gift bags, usually only reserved for the front two rows. I instantly thought, wow these guys are putting on a generous show. Seated behind a stage area, I was impressed to discover that tonight’s runway would feature live performances by Australian pop rock band, Amy Meredith. That’s pretty big.

The show started mysteriously with lots of smoke and the menswear consisted of 80’s inspired denim vests, studded shirts, worn-out tank tops and plenty of double denim. The surprise of the night was the womenwear featuring on the runway. Previously a menswear only brand, I was excited to see Nana Judy unveiling their first women’s collection.  “We’ve been doing menswear for 5 years now and always wanted to do it (womenswear) when the time was right, there’s been big demand for it” said designer Glen Coleman. The womenswear consisted of studded vests, bustiers and candy coloured denim jeans. When I asked Glen whether he’d be releasing a full womenswear range he told me “we have jackets and tops but we’re predominantly pushing the denim”.

The show was by far one of the best in terms of entertainment. I felt like I was at a concert and lead singer Christian Lo Russo was more than amusing with his runway antics – teasing and serenading the female models and yanking at the tops of the male ones. At times it felt like a lunatic had been let loose on the runway. The collaboration was tied in nicely with Amy Meredith releasing a single next week. 

Hong Kong Style Show

I was really excited to see the Hong Kong Style show after having met with a few of the Hong Kong designers at a networking event held by the Hong Kong Trade and Development Council. With an understanding of the Hong Kong culture, I was surprised to discover that a lingerie line was to be part of the Hong Kong collection as traditional ‘honkies’ are very conservative and don’t like revealing much ‘flesh’.

First up was Harrison Wong. The menswear show started off with a Chinese anthem and the models marching down the runway dressed like soldiers in their communist military inspired jeans and tight vests. The range featured skin-tight tank tops printed with red stars and jeans with tough detailing. The whole collection was very patriotic and seemed like a tribute to Chinese soldiers. 

The next collection by Hei Lau was a lot softer and definitely a collection that I could see Australian women wearing. Designer Hei Lau was excited to be showcasing her designs for the very first time in Australia having had previous success in her Paris Fashion Week shows. When I asked about her inspiration and technique behind her range, she said “This collection is all about circular cutting as the brand philosophy is all about creative draping”. The range featured draped silk dresses and smart leather pieces teamed back with soft coloured furs giving a very luxurious feel about the label.

The most interesting collection of the show was the Mondovi Lingerie Couture which featured delicate gothic-like lace pieces, full length lace robes and open sheer skirts. The show reminded me of a pageant with each model adorned with jewel encrusted crowns and golden sashes. The collection looked way too nice to wear to bed.

The show finished off with designer Chailie Ho whose designs consisted of her own exclusive prints on flowing chiffon dresses. The range was very summery and upbeat with gorgeous peachy, yellow and pink tones. The dresses were very wearable with a very feminine touch and reminded me a little of Zimmerman’s past collections. Definitely a brand to watch! 

The Raffles Show

The Raffles Show consisted of designers Winson Tan, Ayaka Ichikawa, Crystal Tsoi and Gabriel Lee. The show started with Winson Tan’s kaleidoscope-like prints and avant garde head pieces which I instantly fell in love with. Head pieces have a real wow factor on the runway and these were no exception. The Winson Tan collection featured nature inspired print blazers, fitted print dresses with sheer detailing and the colour tones were of lushious greens, deep sea blues, blacks and creams. The most impressive headpiece was one that resembled a birdnest made of vines - the hushed “wows” from the audience made it easy to see why Winson Tan was selected to work with big name designer, Viktor & Rolf.  

Next up was Ayaka Ichikawa whose most controversial piece was a half-short, half-long pant suit that made it look like the designer ran out of fabric mid-design or just couldn’t decide on doing shorts or trousers. The outfit was interesting enough and surely got people talking but would it ever get sold in stores? 

The Crystal Tsoi collection came next and was slightly confusing as the so-called Spring Summer range consisted of a traditionally wintry palette. Lightly draped and asymmetrical dresses were featured in tones of dark blues, blacks, violets and dark reds with the model’s lips painted in a matte plum colour.

Last but not least was designer Gabriel Lee who themed his whole collection around Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. The range captured the innocence, fragility and beauty of a lost young girl who has grown up to take on the Wicked Witch of the West. The collection consisted of two-tone shirts, collared vests, textured jackets and sharp blazers in muted, soft, peachy tones. It was like Dorothy had decided to grow up and pursue a career in the west with big clutch in tow.