The third day of Australian fashion week turned out to be the biggest and most theatrical of the week, with designers showing collections that included romantic sci-fi, neo-Peter Pan lost boys and even occult perversions.
Alix Higgins: lost boys (and girls)
Day three began with cult fashion brand Alix Higgins and its biggest show to date. The mixed show featured an autobiographical collection of polka-dotted punk T-shirts made from his own fingerprint; a digitally printed image of a friend's face on a T-shirt and velvet fabric printed with an iPhone photo of the wallpaper from the designer's former apartment in Elizabeth Bay.
With ruffled collars peeking out from under languid blouses and paired with leggings, the collection was a modern take on Peter Pan's Lost Boys, as models walked the runway like nymphs trying to escape this world. The show was also a hit with Sydney's inner-city fashion crowd, judging by the applause. Higgins' graffiti prints and playful deconstruction of her wouldn't hurt on the London Fashion Week circuit either.
Third way: refined sensuality
It was a polar opposite aesthetic to that of AFW debutant Third Form. Founded in 2014 by Zimmermann alumna Merryn Kelly, the Sydney brand offered refined femininity for the global woman on the go.
The 'Re-Form' collection marked a return to craftsmanship and design for the womenswear brand, juxtaposing raw edges and cut-out staples, floral jacquards and sparkling sequins on dresses, with its famous crushed satin range making a Return to Resort. 2025.
The brand also explored sensuality in evening wear with a black dress with large mesh panels and a high-cut dress with side slits and, of course, elegant underwear peeking out the side.
Anna Quan: water and light
Anna Quan, the contemporary chic fashion brand founded by Anna Hoang in 2013, was inspired by the fluidity and tranquility of water for its Resort 25 collection, seen through key motifs: Endless waves and figure-eight designs, captured in an aqua-style color palette with hints of hardware and sea symbolism.
The day-to-night collection also saw the brand make its denim debut; The new category adds another notch to the Anna Quan women's style belt.
Speaking to FashionNetwork.com, Quan described AFW as another touchpoint for the designer to connect with buyers, the industry and showcase her collections in an experiential way, before deciphering the relevance of Australian fashion globally.
“Australian fashion represents a small fraction of global fashion production. However, our geography, our youth as a nation and our antipodean sensibility add a different flavor and perspective in the international space,” Quan concluded.
Karla Spetic: lace and taste of Japan
Inspired by Japanese cinema, eponymous designer Karla Spetic, a self-confessed Japanophile, debuted a mix of pop culture references known in the Asian archipelago nation and her brand's affinity for lace.
Made from fabrics sourced from Japan, with a color palette of black and white and shades of blue, the 'Ikigai' collection featured fitted, stretchy floral lace pieces (one in a striking Tarantino blood red); lace print knitwear; and swimsuits under sheer pieces (sometimes even garter belts) with higher tailored pieces with removable sleeves and collars; The skin reveals mischief through a collection impregnated with culture and sensuality.
Romance was born: space goddesses
A stunning oversized 'moonscape' greeted guests upon arrival on Wednesday night, ahead of the highly anticipated Romance Was Born show.
Designed by Chantel Covey-Lane, the haunting set, pulsating with music created by Tyoow, set the stage for designers Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales and their reinterpretation of classic 80s fantasy, sci-fi and horror films through the romanticism known for its clothes.
The result was a score of space goddesses walking the runway in hyper-colorful oversized dresses: think cosmic kaftans, as well as intricately beaded jackets with mega shoulders and hybrid jacket dresses; all embracing this cocoon feeling. 'The Nothing' collection also played on the designers' predilection for bold prints, but breaking them down and building them up again, often worn with textile space helmets, which also featured rhinestones, created by specialist artisans in India.
Nicol and Ford: witchcraft perversion
Design duo Katie and Lil Nicol-Ford of Nicol & Ford closed day 3 of AFW with a theatrical exhibition that tapped into the life and work of Sydney underworld figure Rosaleen Norton, who was associated with the occult and made a name for herself as 'The Witch of Kings Cross'. about 70 years ago.
The brand's 'Thorn' collection featured dresses with plunging necklines and lots of lace, along with more intense depictions of what witchcraft and kink look like today; Think a dress with ropes and chains and lots of leather (and even plastic wrap).
With casting models made up of fellow creatives and the local queer community, the dark collection culminated with a floor-length dress constructed entirely of oyster shells; the model shuffling with a possessed look in her eyes, on monster truck platform heels.
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