#virgin australia melbourne fashion festival

[thediamondcollectivehub]

Miss Kittiness at the Melbourne Fashion Festival Diamond Collective Show 2018. Models: Anna McCann, Ash Ilsley, Alice, Oscar, Dragon Night, Adam Bear Make up Artist: Ira Luxuria, Ash Ilsley,  Isabella Cornford

[laurentsaint]

Adut Akech Bior @ Romance Was Born

[amethystblog]

Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival 2017

On the 17th of March I had the privilege of being able to attend VAMFF for the third year in a row, and in all honesty it just keeps getting better and better! I was lucky enough to (yet again) win myself 2 tickets through Chadstone, which meant I was able to give my mum the chance to experience VAMFF in all of its glory at Carlton’s Royal Exhibition Building! 

Keep reading to hear all about what VAMFF has to offer, and to see some photos I took on the night !! ♡

Mirror mirror on the wall... - Westfield Doncaster’s “Mirror Mirror” Installation was incredible!!

We took the tram from Crown to Nicholson Street, and when I walked into The Plaza I felt like I was in a dream! Being all dressed up and surrounded by like-minded people is incredible as it is, but to be in such an interactive and beautiful space made it so much more unreal! From photo booths, to food trucks, to a live DJ, even a Priceline beauty-vending machine, VAMFF had it all and I couldn’t be more in love. 

Delicious food - Chicken Bao w/ Spring Rolls + Salad = AMAZING!

My favourite parts of The Plaza were the gorgeous, unique & interactive photo-booths and backdrops! They were a great way for me to have fun while taking super cool interesting photos of my outfit.

Swingin’ Good Time - My gorgeous mum + I at the Mercedes Benz photo-booth

Angel - Gorgeous wings painted by the oh-so-talented Mads Francis

Speaking of my outfit, here are the details!!

Top: Forever New

Skirt: Unknown (I found it in a small store in DFO South Wharf on sale!)

Shoes: Spend-less Shoes

Necklace: Lovisa 

Clutch: Colette by Colette Hayman

Front Cover - Cosmopolitan’s photo-booth made me feel pretty famous (note: I wasn’t actually on the front cover of a magazine! One can dream though...)

After the fun we had at The Plaza, it was time to step inside the gorgeous Royal Exhibition Building to see Premium Runway 4! Below are some photos I snapped of some of my favourite outfits - all designers will be written below each pic!

We Are Kindred

Wild Horses

Isabelle Quinn

Finders

We Are Kindred

Talulah

S.Wallis

Talulah

Overall, the fashion show was absolutely incredible, and better than ever before! My mum at first had her doubts when I tried to convince her to come with me, but she was also amazed by the experience! I definitely recommend snatching up some tickets next year, as it never fails to be the event I most look forward to every year!!

Grand Finale - PREMIUM RUNWAY 4 Presented by SHOP Til You Drop, Supported by Priceline Pharmacy

I said this last year, but I’ll say  it again; I had such an amazing time at VAMFF this year, and I really hope I am able to attend again next year - I’m sure they will find a way to somehow top the experience I was blessed with this time around!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post, I’m sorry it has taken so long for me to post something (5 months to be accurate) but VCE is pretty hectic! I’ll definitely try to be as active as possible on my Instagram though, so keep an eye out!

Stay fabulous! ♡

- Sonia xo

NOTE: This post is NOT in any way sponsored by any mentioned companies or brands such as VAMFF or Chadstone - it’s purely a post based on my positive experience that I personally chose to share and recommend! 

[a-song-of-style]

Paolo Sebastian at the Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival 2020

[velvetcloak]

backstage @ paolo sebastian | virgin australia melbourne fashion festival

[aworldofpattern]

Bush Magic beaded gown by Romance Was Born, 2015

"This 'Bush Magic beaded gown', was designed by Luke Sales and Anna Plunkett of Australian fashion label Romance Was Born for 'Bush Magic' Collection 1, 2015. It features embellishments of wattle and flowering gum on a cotton lace and sequinned gown.

This collection was shown at the Virgin Australia, Melbourne Fashion Festival, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia, 22nd March, 2015.

Since establishing their Sydney-based fashion label Romance Was Born in 2005 designers Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales have created highly sought after and diverse ranges of original, playful and creatively surprising collections. For this collection they sought inspiration from the May Gibbs collection at Nutcote, Neutral Bay, which they were given priviledged access to. The collection references May Gibb's lovable characters Snugglepot and Cuddlepie and the Australian bush.

The 'Bush Magic' collection was shown in the Great Hall of the National Gallery of Victoria, famed for its stained glass ceiling by Leonard French. The show was decorated with hanging gumleaves and dancers from the Australian Ballet performed on the catwalk in original costumes from Richard Mills's 1987 production, 'Snugglepot' and Cuddlepie'. The collection features Australian flora, wattle and gumblossom inspired embellishments were applied to garments and designs of Australian native flora and gumnut babies digitally printed onto garments. Melbourne based blogger Adele of 'Secret Hipster' described the collection as an '...exciting alternative to old school Australiana'.*

This dress is part of a larger body of visual culture dating back to the 19th century, which takes inspiration from and celebrates the natural world around us while creating new and vibrant representations of Australia. It complements the Museum's collection of contemporary Australian fashion and other work by Romance Was Born including pieces from 'Cooee Couture', 2015, 'Beserkergang', 2013 and 'Doilies and Lace', 2009.

Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences

[name-m]

Runway 6 with @ohnavarone at Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival. Thanks for the tickets @specsaversaustralia #loveglasses #fashion #vamff #melbourne #australia (at Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/BuyMMsNlf8a/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=am0atvfj6ny

[alimafashion]

Travis Scott Sneakers bought something for

The back of that bright red PVC cocktail look with the candy wrapper bow is made from a different and considerably more malleable material. At his own brand he typically starts by sketching, but at AZ Factory there's more of an emphasis on draping on the mannequin. They've also made bustiers and capes in the knit, the latter worn by Lana Condor in a blue look trimmed in feathers. The cape, Kate says, is practical and whimsical. Kit Willow, the Australian designer behind Kitx, is doing her damnedest to fight that slide. Commodity prices are going up, there are delays in Nike x Travis Scott Sneakers freight, virgin resources are getting harder and harder to accumulate, and yet in Australia we're discarding 6,000 kilograms of fashion waste every 10 minutes, she pointed out on a Zoom call.

Let's be honest, Coachella is all about fashion - risk-taking fashion that is. If you Travis Scott Sneakers bought something for a festival, but can't see yourself wearing it on a day-to-day basis, don't toss it. Is there a more pragmatic piece than the windbreaker? The name alone implies practicality, and it's built, quite literally, to cut the wind. Sure, it may not be the sexiest wardrobe staple in existence, but like an old friend, it's always there for you in times of need. For fall 2022 they teamed up with Melbourne artist Lara Merrett, an abstract colorist whose saturated surfaces translated powerfully from canvas to cloth. Sales said he and Plunkett had started by contemplating the art and then building the silhouette from whatever association hit them.

Is there a more pragmatic piece than the windbreaker? The name alone implies practicality, and it's built, quite literally, to cut the wind. Sure, it may not be the sexiest wardrobe staple in existence, but like an old friend, it's always there for you in times of need. Say arrivederci! to monochrome dressing. This season in Milan, street style stars came to play in highly electric looks made up of striking prints, ultra-cool color combinations, and practically every vibrant hue of the color wheel. With this technique, you'll have only one active color per stitch. Your sweater will be knitted in one layer, and the colors do not overlap. Before everything happened, we were preparing a completely different collection. After the invasion began, we were making decisions very quickly.

Another designer could spend a year making the patchwork coat just sort of tossed over a bubble repp stripe midiskirt. As attention grabbing as they are, getting into and out of the form fitting, rigid material takes time, effort, and a team of helpers, as Travis Scott Shoes Kim Kardashian has regularly demonstrated on Instagram. On Monday, fashion's biggest celebrities will walk the Met steps in their best interpretations of the evening's theme: Gilded Glamour. While we can expect lots of lace, tulle, velvet, and ruffles, we also hope there is an excess of glittering gold-and over-the-top Schiaparelli jewelry as seen at the couture shows this season-on the red carpet. The last stop of the Phil Oh Fashion Week tour is Paris, and the looks he captures never disappoint. Throughout history, designers like Christian Lacroix, Vivienne Westwood and Valentino have collaborated with ballet productions on dancers' costumes.

[thevrverdict]

Instagram : @vydia (at Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival)

[thediamondcollectivehub]

Tricksy Pixies at the Melbourne Fashion Festival Diamond Collective Show 2018. Models: Jayde Helena, Chloe Strong, Esther De Bell, Helia Haghdoost, Marijke Smitstra Make up Artist: Sera Fathers, Emily Warren

[schmidtclothingcom]

f you wear clothes – and most of us do – there will be an event, exhibition or activity at this week’s Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival (VAMFF) – which started on Monday – that will intrigue and inspire you. Even those who take an anti-fashion stance might find themselves enthused by the diverse offering under the broad heading of “fashion” in the extensive cultural program which fuses fashion with the arts, film, dance and food.

So how did it get to where it is now, since its beginnings 18 years ago?

In 1996 I was fortunate to be invited to join a group of individuals to discuss the status of the Australian fashion industry, which at the time was struggling within a recessed economy. In this environment a culture of culpability had arisen - designers blamed buyers for not buying their collections, buyers blamed manufacturers for their poor quality or high prices, retailers blamed consumers for not being interested.

The 2014 Melbourne Fashion Festival Opening Event. Joe Castro/AAP Image

An idea sprang forth to develop a festival that acknowledged the greatness inherent in the local fashion industry – to celebrate the goodness and create positive role models. The ethos of the Festival from day one was to excite the person on the street and provide the inspiration to engage and this spirit has been a driving force in establishing the Melbourne Fashion Festival as a successful event model.

The festival is funded both by the state government and a range of partners from the private sector. Each year the fashion spotlight shines on Melbourne and we continue to see upward trends related to economic impact, promotional exposure, cultural positioning and associated retail expenditure, as evidenced by the City of Melbourne’s 2012 retail strategy report card:

more than 380,000 fashion devotees attended the Festival’s 126 officially programmed events and aligned activities … and the Festival’s Cultural Program delivered over 79 fashion themed events.

Whereas other major fashion weeks concentrate activities on a distinctive tier of the industry’s most notably premium design brands, the Melbourne event seeks to celebrate and showcase the depth and breadth of all things “fashion”.

A model wears designs from Rachel Gilbert at the 2014 Melbourne Fashion Festival. Joe Castro/AAP Image

At the “big four” events – Paris, Milan, London and New York fashion weeks – designer brands are showcased to a select audience of between 100 to 300 attendees, who predominatly are retail buyers and fashion media, with a sprinkling of celebrities carefully placed in the front row to generate media interest.

By contrast, the Melbourne Fashion Festival is about the democratisation of fashion, providing a platform for all tiers of the industry, from micro operators such as those early career designers whose collections were highlighted on Tuesday at the Tiffany & Co. National Designer Award, through to the large chain stores such as David Jones who showcased their in-store collections as part of the Opening Event on Monday night.

The Fashion Festival seeks to support emerging designers - the National Designer Award has helped launch the careers of designers such as Toni Maticevski, Dion Lee, Josh Goot and Romance Was Born.

There’s also the National Graduate Showcase which champions fashion design graduates. As well as giving them the opportunity to share the runways with leading designers it also offers mentoring opportunities.

Mario-Luca Carlucci and Peter Strateas won the 2014 Tiffany & Co. National Designer Award. AAP Image/AMPR

The Festival’s greatest strength lies in the consumer to business relationships it has enhanced. The energy and visual experience is not confined to the media spectacle of fashion personalities and celebrities. Instead the public is provided with access to runway shows which lets them engage with fashion brands on a different level. Many Festival events such as those in the cultural program are free; while others such as the runway shows can be accessed through ticket sales.

Like other fashion events, the Festival showcases designer collections – but its catwalks are enormous lengthened runways with audience capacities sometimes in the thousands, worlds apart from the discreet showcases in the top four fashion capitals.

Through a digital interface developed in the past two years, the audience can also “see now, buy now”, an innovative concept that directly links Australian designers with the consumer.

Behind the scenes and beyond the month of March, the Festival works collaboratively with the Victorian State Government on trade missions, export strategies and global connections in promoting the local fashion industry to the world, subsequently promoting continuing growth of this sector.

The 2014 Melbourne Fashion Festival. AAP Image/Joe Castro

Like many fashion sectors around the globe, the local industry has drastically repositioned itself over the past three decades - moving from geographically-connected clusters within centralised inner city manufacturing bases to disconnected, wide-spread companies housed in anonymous spaces across the country.

Due to these shifts, which have seen the demise in local manufacturing, businesses now work in a framework of a global supply chain connected through digital interfaces.

This is a phenomenon that has impacted the fashion industry worldwide. Recognising this major shift the Fashion Festival has developed forums and seminars such as such as the Business Seminar, Fashion Industry Forums and Marketing Breakfast designed to bring the dispersed industry together. These forums provide industry intelligence, enable networking and support business growth.

This event is a great opportunity to celebrate Australian fashion creativity and acknowledge the broad impact it has. I have already started a wish list of must-have fashion items that I’ll be adding to my wardrobe!

by Beth Daley

Licensed from The Conversation

Written by Becky Heldmen for Schmidt Clothing.

[laurentsaint]

Karoline Egelund @ Romance Was Born

[voxfrock]

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A post shared by Janice Breen Burns (@voxfrock)

Paris Schmaris. Good Thing is back with bells on in Melbourne; the 2018 Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival unspools over the next couple of weeks after its traditional kickoff by hoards of gorgeous ones in the elegant ballroom and on the sacred lawns of Government House tonight. Thanks for having us Hon. Linda Dessau AC and Anthony Howard QC. We had a blast #andthanksfortheblessedlyshortspeeches #vamffisgo #vamff #fashion #beauty #business #seminars #workshops #exhibitions #fashion #runways #winter2018 #frontrow (at Government House Melbourne)

[worldfoodbooks]

DETAILS from: TENSION 1 (JULY / AUGUST 1983) - Tension 1 (July / August 1983) features Iggy Pop (by Richard Guilliat), David Salle (by John Walker), reviews of Tall Poppies and Perspecta '83, review of Sedition music festival, Laughing Clowns, John Cale (by Bruce Milne), "Fashion '83" spread and profiles on Australian fashion by Robin Barden, "Quarelle" by Adrian Martin and Paul Taylor, photospreads by Weegee (Arthur Fellig), Paul Taylor's article on "A Melbourne Mood" exhibition, record reviews, and much more. - One copy via our website and in the bookshop. - TENSION (1983-1990) was one of the central "popular" culture arts periodicals to come out of Melbourne in the 1980s, emerging from the ashes of Virgin Press. Independently published and edited by critic Ashley Crawford, Tension magazine lasted for 25 bi-monthly issues dedicated to Art, Music, Fashion, Theatre, Film, Photography, across reviews, interviews, reports, critical essays and artist pages. Now an important document of culture in Australia, and especially Melbourne in the 1980s, issues featured the writing and contributions of Paul Taylor, McKenzie Wark, Mike Parr, John Nixon, Catharine Lumby, Philip Brophy, Adrian Martin, Ashley Crawford, Peter Tyndall, Jean Baudrillard, Timothy Leary, Gerard Malanga, Keith Haring, Gerald Murnane, and many more. In 1985 Crawford, with John Buckley, staged an exhibition issue of the magazine, 'Visual Tension', at ACCA featuring the work of Howard Arkley, Marianne Baillieu, Peter Booth, Paul Boston, Peter Cripps, Richard Dunn, Maria Kozic, John Lethbridge, Geoff Lowe, Linda Marrinon, John Matthews, John Nixon, Stieg Persson, Robert Rooney, Gareth Sansom, Vivienne Shark LeWitt, Imants Tillers, Peter Tyndal, Jenny Watson, John Young. - #worldfoodbooks #tension (at WORLD FOOD BOOKS)

[silvermelbournecabs-blog]

If you are planning to visit the Virgin Australia Fashion Festival from 4 th to 14 th March 2020, hiring Maxi Taxi Melbourne Airport service is the best option of getting to the Royal Exhibition Building on time.

[themelbournesupremacy]

Caught in the late afternoon light, dancers Lacey Shattock, Amber McCartney and Lucas Faundez sparkle and shine in Micky in the Van by Estelle Michaelides after Fashion by Appointment’s premier public showing at the Westin Hotel as part of the Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival #laceyshattock #ambermccartney #lucasfaundez #mickyinthevan #estellemichaelides #fashionbyappointment #westinhotelmelbourne #collinsstreet #melbourne #melbmoment #vamff #virginaustraliamelbournefashionfestival (at The Westin Melbourne) https://www.instagram.com/p/B9pmjVWJeLR/?igshid=4vor81kmg7ql