Sitting in the front row at Australian Fashion Week transported me to a childhood of being dragged into the women’s change rooms at Myer by my mother. I saw too much.
Designers at the Resort 2024 shows sent a procession of nipple-baring tops and dresses, visible underwear and g-string-defying cut-outs down the runway that require a degree of body confidence not usually seen outside model castings.
While these trends are best left to expert exhibitionists, there were plenty of pieces that can be incorporated into the daily lives of those who walk the fine line between catching the attention of the fashion police and regular officers of the law.
Please tell me that you’ve put your skinny jeans into storage with your hypercolour T-shirts and slogan sweaters. Loose denim pieces dominated fashion week, often paired together in a manner reminiscent of Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears’ American Music Awards outing in 2001.
At the first runway show to be staged at the new Sydney Modern gallery, Aje squeezed in a collaboration with sustainable label Outland Denim. Oversized denim shirting floated above loose wide-legged jeans that begged for a trip to the nearest farmer’s market.
Melbourne designer Nadia Bartel’s tucked approach for her label Henne paired with a red lip and slick hair was the perfect power move for the school drop off.
Florals, along with animal print and checks are a fashion mainstay but this season designers applied their green thumbs to old-fashioned arrangements.
Alemais designer Lesleigh Jermanus has found a dedicated following with her feminine prints, but at her AFW debut she added edge. Defined poppy prints that could have been snatched from a vintage eighties couch ran rampant on a single-shouldered gown, while micro blooms softened shiny wide-legged trousers.
New Zealand import Maggie Marilyn took a sweeter approach that was a teaspoon short of saccharine, with naive pink flowers strewn across white puffer jackets, simple blouses and full-sleeved tops. By pairing the print with utility pieces any childish associations were immediately eliminated.
Source: watoday
