MBFFS Behind-The-Scenes

The intermission where staff are head down bum up and pacing around in nothing less than flat shoes is such a contrast to the highly staged runway shows. Shouts from the front of house manager to the sound of a hundred footsteps and the rustling of paper, this is the human and not so glamorous side of MBFFS.

But this underrated part of a fashion show rarely covered in magazines or shown in media is one that's left a memorable imprint. I whispered to Marvic: "Is it weird that I find this changeover period more mesmerising than the actual show?" 

Because to these workers - the student volunteers, the sound, lighting and setting crew, the photographers eagerly waiting in the pit - a fashion show isn't all fun and games, it's their job. Seeing them execute it with speed, efficiency and a no-nonsense attitude was very refreshing. These pictures were snapped during the interval between the Fashion Bloggers on Style show and the Camilla and Marc resort show.

So here's a shoutout to all those hard at work behind-the-scenes. They deserve a pat on the back.

By Sharon Jiang 

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MBFFS: Fashion Bloggers on Style

 

 

Pictures belong to Primped and Primed 

Mercedes Benz Fashion Festival Sydney included big successful names into their runway shows making more room for independent bloggers in the fashion industry. Not only does this give us something to look up to but also reinforces how bloggers are now taken more seriously (remember THIS article that caused a massive stir in the blogosphere?). That's gotta be good news for the rest of us small scale 'citizen journalists'.

Last year saw five local bloggers making their runway debut as part of Market HQ's spectacle 'Salute the Sun.' This year they upped the ante; an entire show revolved around five of Australia's most recognizable blogger names. They were Margaret Zhang from Shine By Three, Kate Waterhouse from KateWaterhouse.com, Amanda Shadforth from Oracle Fox, Sara Donaldson from Harper & Harley and Zanita Whittington from Zanita. Not to mention they have a reality TV show on The Style Channel called Fashion Bloggers. *cue the envy*

Marvic and I attended MBFFS with a stylish little lanyard hooked around our necks. Although a media pass is not a glittering and exciting piece of plastic that it was two years ago, I still appreciate taking a seat once again in the media riser. While the guests were sitting on comfy chairs, we were fighting for the best spots on the oh-so-coveted stairs. Working as media also gave us incredible insight to the blood and sweat that goes into producing a fifteen minute runway show. A behind-the-scenes post will be uploaded later during the week.

From Camilla and Marc, to Alice McCall and Michel Lo Sordo, the clothes were a beautiful reminder of the Australian design talent as well as the styling flair of the said bloggers. Although these pieces have already been unveiled at Australian Fashion Week earlier in the year, this was the perfect opportunity for the layperson, like you and I, to cast your sights upon exquisite fashion items. These are some of our favourite picks of the night.

By Sharon Jiang & Marvic Casingal

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Market HQ Runway

When needing the online shopping solution, amongst the classic favourites (ASOS/Nasty Gal/Urban Outfitters), there's a particular Australian site I turn to ... Market HQ. Bookmarked in my 'when boredom strikes' section for casual browsing, Market HQ stocks the coolest Aussie brands such as Mink Pink, Stylestalker, Paint It Red, Finders Keepers, Cameo and a tonne more.

I squealed in excitement upon discovering that they were hosting a show at MBFFS called 'Salute to the Sun'. This debut was everything I expected and embodied the energy of Australian youth. I'm not just talking about the clothing, the show was a performance in itself. Starting off with the fumes of spray paint, the crowd watched as a graffiti artist painted the Market HQ logo backdrop. Halfway through, a dance group emerged from their designated front row seats and danced with the models to 'Blurred Lines'. Not only were bikinis and bandeaus aplenty, but apparently backflips were too.

Fun-loving and colourful, the clothing featured were spot on with what teenagers would actually wear. This means no strange pieces that's deemed as 'art' or 'WTF is that' moments. From printed dungarees to fluro jelly sandals to an amazing array of sports luxe and monochromatic pieces, Market HQ showcased my dream summer wardrobe. I've got my eyes set on sheer bomber jackets and anything with mesh or crazy prints.

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2013 Spring/Summer Trends

All arranged in neat groupings by designer, this year's spring/summer trends were reinforced at Mercedes Benz Fashion Festival Sydney (MBFFS). Although a slight repeat of Fashion Week, it was great to see some collections that I couldn't attend at MBFWA months ago. What's even better is you can shop those exact runway looks at Booodl.com 

1. Monochrome 

Black and white in an assortment of forms; structured with clean lines, languid chiffon or sheer lace. 

Seen at Ginger & Smart, Bronx and Banco (picture 1), Karla Spetic, Suboo, Han (picture 2, clockwise from top left) 

2. Prints 

From iconic florals to digital to the psychedelic ... all the more interesting when mirrored. 

Seen at Emma Mulholland, Romance Was Born, Haryono Setiadi (picture 1, clockwise from top left) 

Blesse'd Are The Meek, Alice McCall, Shakuhachi (picture 2, clockwise from top left) 

3. 'Sports Luxe'

Think boxy shapes, exposed zippers, bomber jackets and crops. 

Seen at Alex Perry, Han, By Johnny, Watson X Watson (clockwise from top left) 

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MBFFS: Backstage

At Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival Sydney, I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to go backstage ... twice. Since I applied for media, I had no idea what my seating was beforehand, so you can probably imagine my excitement when they told me I was 'Front row and Fabulous' for a day.
As you can probably see from the photos, backstage is pretty hectic. Everywhere you look there's artists, helpers, hair stylists, models, clothing, makeup, hairspray ...

MBFFS Day 4: CO. by Cotton On S/S 2012

Listen up all you youngsters!! Cotton on and CO. by Cotton On has really upped the ante in their Spring/Summer 2012 collection. To be honest, I was never a screaming fan of Cotton On; just something about the design and the fabrics screamed 'been done before... unoriginal'. However after what I saw today, I think my mindset has done a complete 360. The brand has taken some major trend cues and have been inspired by some of the most iconic brands in fashion.

Personally, the style of this collection is totally up my alley. I think the general success is in the details. Somewhere along Cotton Ons' design process, some genius decided to add in really chic touches which definitely grabbed my attention.

C.O by Cotton On

Fast cars... sugary pastels... an optical illusion bodysuit. As soon as the first model walked out, I was sure that Cotton On might have... maybe taken some inspiration from Prada S/S 2012. Look at the Prada picture below and compare with this collection.
Still can't see it? Take the Printed Pleat Dress (1) for example. That butterfly ripple of colours (which always seem to make me scream for neapolitan ice cream) and those box pleats; doesn't it look like the first Prada dress in the picture below?
I would definitely not call this plagarism... merely perhaps a tribute and I love it. I may be bias now to how much I like Cotton On just because they were possibly inspired by that Prada collection. My favourite were the beautiful details like those lace or pearl collars, the feminine pleats and the candy stripe pants. I'm such a fan of these dreamy textures and colours toughened up by the occasional biker or bomber jacket.



Prada S/S 2012
Source: http://theperoxideblonde.blogspot.com.au/

The second half of their collection was sort of a baroque meets religious mexican fiesta. Possibly taking inspiration from Balmain S/S 2012 and their trademark of tough-chic consisting of strong shoulders, heavy embellishment and luxurious detailing. Love the use of metallic gold and my favourite piece is the jacket with the intricately decorated shoulders.

Balmain S/S 2012
Source: http://www.style.com/

 

Stay tuned for backstage ...

MBFFS: Day 2 Swim

Day 2 showcased the best of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim held in Miami recently. A mash up of iconic Australian brands Lisa Blue, Kooey, White Sands and Suboo.

Lisa Blue

 

 

Lisa Blue's collection 'Call of the Whale' opened the show with their aquatic themed swimsuits featuring shades of blue, white and gold. Designer Lisa Burke's passion for saving the endangered species offered the perfect inspiration for the beginning pieces and this notion translated into the styling reminiscent of a grecian mermaid. However, this tranquil atmosphere was interupted by an unexpected Chinese dragon performance.

How random...

Turns out it was a 'transition' into a more oriental and American Indian theme with Japanese dragon prints and massive feather mohawks. The headresses were amazingly extravagant but I don't think I'll chill at the beach with one of those.

Kooey

White Sands

A predominantly soft and feminine collection featuring floral prints, subtle ruffle details and sorbet shades. Very quite wearable swimwear and flowy beach coverups and maxis.



 Suboo

 

A very colorful and somewhat graphical collection of swimwear. Those fragmented prints which always seem to remind me of the beautiful broken shards of glass when looking through a kaleidoscope was heavily featured. A key piece I was drawn to was that watercolour jumpsuit which takes me back to my childhood hobby of 'balloon painting' (a messy form of 'art': popping balloons filled with paint on a canvas, basically paint goes everywhere but that's the point). I'm probably getting too psychological about this collection...

Stay tuned for Day 4...