Jess: Betsey Johnson Dress, Balenciaga Bag.
Bella: Zara Top, Abercrombie and Fitch Skirt, Rebecca Minkoff Mini MAC bag
Another night and another show! Melbourne Spring Fashion Week would have to be one the best and craziest times of year for fashion obsessed individuals like ourselves, with free and ticketed events taking place in every corner of the city!! Thankfully the city of Melbourne has recognised this need and provides an outlet for all this excitement right in City Square in the official MSFW hub. That’s right this central point holds all things fashion and style and is open to anyone with time to spare and fashion dreams to chase!
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| Melbourne Spring Fashion Hub |
Having been dying to go to one of the free shows all week, it wasn’t until Wednesday night at the Element show that we (and by we I mean Jess) was able to attend. Being in a more democratic catwalk environment definitely differed to those being shown in the town hall with a much more relaxed atmosphere surrounding the event.
But back to what makes the hub so exhilarating, the FREEBIES! That’s right, fashion related stuff (including purse size sparkly nail files!) were being given out inside this fashion fairyland. Walking around the glasshouse inspired tent in awe we were even thrilled to capture the moment on one of the polaroid cameras! The pics were super cute and saaaa indie that we went back for another two or three later on (that film costs a lot so why not take advantage of it!).
Having been snapped by the paparazzi (or rather asking to have out pic taken…. is there really a difference?), we were ready to check out the nail bar by Mecca Maxima. With sparkles and gemstones in place it was time to get some serious styleyes on and get ready for the designer two-catwalk show. Before sitting down we equipped ourselves with treats from Darrell Lea and a caffeine hit from the cute guy working at the Vittoria Coffee bar (and yes we went back twice just to get a second glimpse), now we were ready for the show!
We had been looking forward to this show since the beginning of the week with some of our favourite designers showcasing their designs for Spring/Summer 2013. While we weren’t lucky enough to be sitting up front in the clear seats of row B again, the bleachers weren’t too bad and with no one sitting in front of us we had a pretty good camera angle! Upon entering the charming Melbourne Town Hall, we were surprised to see a number of lycra clad dancers rolling about the stage for the pre show entertainment act….fashion shows are definitely a unique experience!
First up was the Spring 2013 collection by Manning Cartell, “Fate and Chance – a story of dramatic structure, dreamt from contrasting romantic scenes”. The reinvention of the pencil skirt with geometric designs and a sophisticated colour palate made this skirt one of our favourite looks of the night! Paired with a tank embellished with oversized beads and extravagant jewels, the Manning sisters definitely made a lasting impact on the catwalk for Spring 2013!
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| Manning Cartell S/S'13 Pencil Skirt |
Life with Bird was another designer that didn’t fail to impress with their collection titled: Dream Kill. This season channelled an innate freedom and sense of self by drawing inspiration from nineties images. A striking cobalt blue full grain leather jacket was a standout garment from this season as it gave a twist to the typical leather biker jacket. With statement prints taking an animal inspired path and relaxed silhouettes the collection succeeded in transporting the audience into another era.
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| Life With Bird S/S'13 |
Another standout was of course, Alice McCall. Talented beyond belief, this designer can do no wrong!! Her flirty, feminine and playful designs make this collection perfect for any event this season. Taking inspiration from the 1950’s Cabana era, the collection titled Her Name Was Lola encapsulates the playful and graceful styles inspired by a life of luxury out somewhere in the Hamptons or St Barts! The clean lines and expert tailoring make the designs effortlessly cool, but with precious gemstones and beading overlays the looks are still sophisticated and sexy. Alice McCall should be the poster girl for the saying ‘keep it simple silly’, as she brings this mantra to a whole new level.
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| Alice McCall S/S'13 Azotic Topaz Dress |
With other amazing designs by Livia Arena, Christina Exie, YB J’AIME, and Tettmann Doust the designer series 2 runway was definitely a memorable one!
Our styleyes definitely got a work out during this designer runway show, making them eager for more!!! Sadly however, this was our last show for the season with the week ending two days later. We thoroughly enjoyed covering all of the style, beauty, freebies and everything in between at the Melbourne Spring Fashion Week. Hopefully you enjoyed our take on how to make the most of a fashion week when the only perks you have are fashion-obsessed brains and a couple of chic accessories to shoes to boot!
Stay tuned for our next fashion fuelled adventures on stcksandstnes!
Love Jess + Bella
xoxo
