catwalk eye candy

Rub shoulders with fashion designers and soak up this season’s new looks at the Brisbane Fashion Festival

WORDS MARIE-CHRISTINE SOURRIS

 
Paul Hunt (left) and Sacha Drake at
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival Brisbane 2007

Score a seat to see the best of spring/summer fashion live this month when the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival Brisbane 2008 (MBFF) hits the catwalk again. More than 10,000 fashionistas are expected to catch this year’s event, on 24–29 August, when local, national and international designers will be on show.

Kicking off the week is the launch party at Southbank’s Gallery of Modern Art, followed by some fab’ new additions to the 2008 lineup, including the Fashion Forum Breakfast, presented by Brisbane design duo Easton Pearson and David Jones national womenswear buyer David Bush; Fashion Snaps, free 15-minute fashion parades staged in the Queen Street Mall; and the GQ Menswear Group show, produced by GQ magazine and Vogue publisher Grant Pearce. For sizzling summer fashion, don’t miss the Swimwear Parade, featuring Flamingo Sands, Brothers Neilsen and Riot.

It’s also a chance to see who’s hot locally. As festival director Lindsay Bennett says, “In terms of Brisbane talent, there are incredible designers both established and emerging, who are capturing the attention of fashion media and buyers on a global scale. Two examples are Paul Hunt and Sacha Drake.”

Bennett enthuses, “For the past 10 years, Brisbane-based couture designer Paul Hunt has been creating spectacular evening wear and wedding gowns for clients across the country. At last year’s MBFF, Paul also released his first ready-to-wear collection to a standing ovation.

“Sacha Drake is another Brisbane success story. Sacha is committed to designing for real women, having been crowned by many devotees as the ‘Frock Queen’, and we’re really pleased to see that she’s now stocked in over 150 boutiques throughout Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East.”

We spoke with both designers about their fashion and upcoming shows for MBFF.

Paul Hunt

Day One, 24 August at 7pm – Evening Wear Group Show
Day Two, 25 August at 8pm – Designer Group Show

Tell us about your collection.
I have two ranges – eveningwear and ready-to-wear. For the eveningwear, we do mainly bridal and a touch of red carpet. It’s all couture and one-of-a-kind. The ready-to-wear is a simpler line that has very individual pieces, with three pieces each only.

What inspired your 2008 MBFF collection?
The eveningwear has an early ’20s and ’30s influence that brings art nouveau and art deco together. The silhouettes are very soft, with a floaty feel, but still show off the female figure.

For ready to wear, it’s predominantly a 1950s holiday feel, with a touch of French Riviera, but it’s not resortwear. The colours are bright and we’ve used prints of all sorts of sizes and shapes. It’s also got a very ’50s shape, with fuller skirts.

Who are your favourite designers?
I love the Easton Pearson girls and Akira Isogawa. Internationally, I like Yves Saint Laurent but at the top of the list, I’d have to say Christian Lacroix, for his beautiful use of clothes and fabrics.

Favourite places to shop in Brisbane?
I love James Street, the Emporium and Fortitude Valley. For fashion, I still like Blonde Venus a lot, they’ve been a great mainstay and were the start of the whole fashion movement here. In the city, I go to menswear boutique Pistols at Dawn. For fabrics, Alla Moda is a great source of fabulous little treasures you won’t find elsewhere.

What is your style advice for Australian women travelling in spring/summer?
Flip-flops are for the beach only, unless they’re jewelled and come from Jean Brown. For spring/summer dressing, you can’t go past basics in whites and neutrals. Have at least one outfit with colour to have some fun with. Cover up where it’s warranted.

Sacha Drake

Day Five, 28 August at 6pm – Designer Group Show

Who is your female client?
My core customer is in her late 20s to late 40s; she’s busy with work, family and social life. She needs easy dressing but wants something striking and unique that flatters her. So we produce the Fashion range and the Stretch range.

What will we see in your catwalk collection for MBFF?
Lots of low-sheen textured metallics in sophisticated flattering cuts for day and event-wear, and long flowing dresses in vibrant silks for the “wow” factor: a combination of subtle silver and golds and summer tropical colours.

Who are your favourite designers?
I really admire Easton Pearson, for staying here in Brisbane and being a global success. Internationally, I look up to Tom Ford – a great designer with incredible branding acumen. And John Galliano, for pure creative genius.

Favourite places to shop in Brisbane?
The Paddington area is great. For fashion, boutiques like Petrol; for homewares, Ici et La for its beautiful striped French canvas; and for gorgeous accessories, I like Green Tangerine.

What is your style advice for Australian women travelling in spring/summer?
Always wear something smart that you feel confident in – you never know what situation you may end up in. Wear great jersey pieces that fit well and don’t need ironing. Black is great for travel but if you can keep it clean, a white top makes you look more refreshed.

Call QTIX on 136 246 for tickets. For every ticket sold, AU$1 will be donated to the charity YoungCare and you’ll also go into the draw to win two prizes: a Hardy Brothers Jewellers necklace valued at AU$5,195 and a AU$5,000 wardrobe from luxe boutique Jean Brown.