The ribbon was cut for 2012 Melbourne Spring Fashion Week on Friday night, where a show of famous (by Australian standards) faces, one supermodel (Andrej Pejic!) and the local fashion crowd turned up to celebrate a week-long exploration into Melbourne’s most races-applicable retailers . After all, Spring Racing Season is imminent and, as the home city of Australia’s most illustrious horse racing carnival, Melbourne’s stylish turf set must already have their blinkers set to anything appropos for Fashions On The Field. This generally means hats! And where there is hats there is milliners!..
Paris Kyne is like Melbourne millinery royalty and dresses accordingly. ‘Understated’ and ‘on trend’ are not the hat maker’s friend. Theirs is a kind of style dedicated to theatricality and obnoxiousness. And I like it. Paris (on the right, below) wears a feathered sprig on his head, a large dead python over his torso and driving loafers that – judging by the blue swirls – appear to have previously moonlighted in a Kotex commercial.
Highly regarded millinery powerhouse Richard Nylon hides behind a bespoke veil of chicken wire and distinguished faux chin pubes. Why cover up? Surely if you opt for conflicting patterns (pinstripes, and is that leopard print?) and turn up with a bicycle for a prop you don’t mind a little special attention?
If Melbourne-based milliner/designer Peter Jago was playing a game where he had 10 minutes in a dress up box to come up with an outfit that perfectly represents a single word and the word was “jaunty”, he would get a perfect score.
Andrej Pejic is so unbelievably hot. Sometimes I wonder if he has a female alter-ego for when he wears dresses and heels… Like when I look at this picture I keep saying “Hallo. My name is Veronika” in a Russian accent over and over again in my head.
Scherri-Lee Biggs is a super-cute gal with glowing skin and a dynamite smile. You can just tell she has never brought shame on her family or woken up in a strange place. Her inner glow (or whatever) is so bright it is preventing me from making sense of this outfit.
Former Australia’s Next Top Model contestant Sophie van den Akker goes for a shimmery peplum top over a bit of white bed sheet. She’s a very pretty girl so her silly choice of shoes and the extreme severe hairstyle are a bit of a shame.
Annaleise Smith is an amazing model but the hair and makeup are a bad match with her bright floor-length frock.
Winners And Losers actress Melanie Vallejo is definitely onto a winner with her sexily transparent Manning Cartell peplum frock, with popping pink nails.
Classically beautiful model Emily Trimble-Thompson looks amazing in her pearl coloured bias cut silk dress, paired with a top knot and exquisite skin.
As usual, no one is more stoked to be there than Kris Smith:
Photos by Scott Barbour for Getty Images
