Julia Nobis, undergrad supermod

via zimbio.com

She might have been overlooked by some of Australia's biggest media outlets, but fashion aficionados were thrilled to spot Julia Nobis in the David Jones Spring/Summer 2012/2013 show on Tuesday. The 20 year-old Sydneysider has ruled the international runways for the past two seasons, clocking up a whopping 73 shows in March, prompting WWD to dub her "The face of Fall". But as Nobis discovered this week, the runway protocols of major brands such as Prada and Louis Vuitton can differ greatly from those espoused by Australian retailers. With the DJs show being filmed by the Arena channel for a special that will air on August 20th, more than one audience member giggled at the sight of an Arena producer holding up a quaint "Smile" sign at the end of the runway (below). Nobis, who is better-acquainted with backstage model cue cards that read "strictly no smiling", did her best to muster a smirk. Frockwriter caught up with her after the show.  

There's no other store (for top models) like David Jones

As the August vacations wind down in the northern hemisphere and the fash pack contemplates getting back to work, starting with the Spring/Summer 2013 season which kicks off in a few weeks, Australians are heading into our own summer season. David Jones was the first cab off the rank last night with its Spring/Summer 2012/2013 launch, a riot of colour and cartoon heroes. To showcase the store's edit of some of the best Australian collections of the season from leading names such as Josh Goot, Dion Lee, Camilla, Zimmermann, We Are Handsome, Lisa Ho and new Djs stablemate Gary Bigeni, was a swag of top Australian models. Joining DJs' high profile ambassador Miranda Kerr was Sports Illustrated covergirl Jessica Gomes - who looked like Wonder Woman in some novelty swimwear courtesy Romance Was Born - and rising stars such as Rose Smith, Montana Cox, Jemma Baines, Nicole Pollard, Bambi Northwood-Blyth, Jack Vanderhart and Jordan and Zac Stenmark, all of whom have made waves on international runways in recent seasons. The biggest of all, after Kerr, was Julia Nobis, who was booked as a David Jones exclusive, which means you won't be seeing her at Myer's show tomorrow.

MBFWA's top showgirls

Julia Nobis owned the runways of last year's Australian Fashion Week. Nobis had far bigger fashion fish to fry this year in the northern hemisphere, leaving the Australian Spring/Summer 2012/2013 field earlier this month wide open to the score of Australians rising up behind her. Last month, frockwriter published the MBFWA showcards of Australia's major model agencies; in each case a mix of runway veterans and promising new faces. So who had the busiest schedules at this year's event? We asked the agencies to name their top showgirls. 

Ksubi paid its MBFWA models in cash - with a 'trade' bonus

nicole pollard backstage at ksubi SS1213

Couldn’t help noticing a tweet from top Australian model Melissa Johannsen this morning, thanking Ksubi for a AUD 500 gift voucher which had just arrived. “Oh yea! thanks @Ksubi...such an awesome show!” read the accompanying caption on Johannsen’s Instagram shot of the voucher (below). Knowing how endemic the practice of payment “in trade” has become in the modelling business - i.e. designers offering clothes and accessories instead of cash - we assumed the voucher might have been Johannsen’s fee for the Ksubi show at Mercedes-Benz Australian Fashion Week on April 30th. Not so, responded Johannsen, who told us that she never works for trade – at least not in Australia.

Three minutes with Angus Low

A score of models passed through Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia last week in Sydney - and in front of our camera, for our live coverage of the event on the Fashion Week UNCUT live blog. It was great to finally meet one in particular: Angus Low, who we have profiled several times in recent months. We first met Low at Toni Maticevski's off-schedule presentation the week before MBFWA (above). He had been cast alongside one other male model to perch shirtless on the podium under Maticevski's couture-clad glamazons. Then last week Low appeared in Song For The Mute's menswear show, his only MBFWA gig before heading off for other bookings. We had a quick chat as he was walking out the door.

De-Sex: Phoenix Keating - Spring/Summer 12/13

henryk lobaczewski

With Australia's biggest frockfest - Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia - just around the corner, the off-schedule action continues apace. This morning, Carla Zampatti confirmed that one of the biggest fashion stories of recent seasons – the lace dress – is far from over with, among other looks, a sensational series of second-skin, stretch lace dresses and separates in a sugared-almond palette, popped with tangerine. Tonight, it's Phoenix Keating's turn. In the year since we first profiled Keating, the now 21 year-old Sydney designer managed to attract the attention of Lady Gaga, who wore several of his pieces during her appearances in Sydney in July last year. Unlike some other emerging Australian designers, Keating isn't just all show and no sell. He sells through four Australian stockists and has a custom 'couture' business. But Gaga might well be interested in Keating's new 'De-Sex' SS1213 collection which is all about "the de-sexualisation of fetish" and blends some mid century vintage silhouettes with sharp tailoring and a little Latex and rope binding. Here is a first look at the collection – via a series of images shot by Henryk Lobaczewski, starring Lauren Moody. 

The producers: Lara Karamian - MBFWA SS 12/13

backstage at miss couture SS1112, sydney, may 2011/lara karamian

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia starts next Monday in Sydney and today, the event began to bump in to the Overseas Passenger Terminal site. Production teams are scrambling to put the finishing touches to show concepts. Yesterday, as part of frockwriter's pre-MBFWA series, we posted a chat with producer Mark Vassallo. And now here is a Q+A with Lara Karamian, arguably the busiest producer of the week. Karamian has been with Australian Fashion Week for 12 years. After graduating from the University of Technology of Sydney in 2000 with a Bachelor of Management – and a major in event management – she worked as an event producer for Spin Communications, the sister company of Fashion Week founder Australian Fashion Innovators, eventually moving onto Fashion Week proper as an in-house producer. In 2005, Karamian founded her own independent events company called LARA INC and today counts Alex Perry, Lisa Ho, Toni Maticevski, David Jones, Marie Claire, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Burberry and Australia's Next Top Model among her clients. 

The producers: Mark Vassallo - MBFWA SS 12/13

backstage at josh goot SS1112/sydney may 2011

Sydney-born, but now "globally"-based  (or so he says on his new website), Mark Vassallo has had a hand in some of Australian Fashion Week’s biggest fashion ‘moments’ of recent years. He has played the roles of independent publisher (Mark and Petit Mal), editor (Follow), fashion director (Harpers Bazaar Australia), creative director, casting director and stylist. He launched the career of Gemma Ward, among others. And he has helmed a number of memorable  runway presentations, for designers such as Josh Goot, Dion Lee and Romance Was Born. As part of frockwriter’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia SS1213 series, we thought we should give it up for - and pick the brains of - some of the hardest-working, least-visible players of the fashion week pack – the producers. First up: Vassallo. 

The designers: Camilla - MBFWA Spring/Summer 12/13 preview

camilla franks SS1213 lookbook/justin ridler

Are Australians renowned for their love of colour? You bet. We live surrounded by surf, sun, sand, The Great Barrier Reef, Rainbow Lorikeets and the red earth of the outback and this seems to be reflected in much of the clothing we wear. Picking up where legendary Australian designers Linda Jackson and Jenny Kee left off back in the 1980s, Camilla Franks, Sydney's co-called 'kaftan queen', is responsible for some of this country's most dazzling resortwear. On Monday 30th April Franks will present the biggest show of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia, when she showcases her Spring/Summer 2012/2013 'Gypset' collection on 42 models. Here is an exclusive preview of six styles from her SS1213 lookbook shot by Justin Ridler on Ollie Henderson and Kendall Walters.

The Distance Between: LIFEwithBIRD - Spring/Summer 12/13

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia is a fortnight away and the off-schedule action has begun. This morning, under the spectacular raw concrete arched ceiling of the Utzon Room inside the Sydney Opera House - directly across the harbour from MBFWA's Overseas Passenger Terminal base - Bridget McCall and Nicholas van Messner presented the Spring/Summer 2012/2013 collection of their LIFEwithBIRD label, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. 

The showgirls: Priscillas Model Management - MBFWA SS 12/13

amelia zadro/tommy clark via priscillas

Sadly, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia 2012 will be Nobis-less. That is, without Julia Nobis, one of the world's busiest showgirls, who is currently otherwise occupied with far more pressing matters in Europe. Regular readers will recall that Nobis broke her own show record in March, by walking in 73 shows from New York to Paris for the Fall/Winter 2012/2013 season. But the Nobis mothership - Priscillas Model Management - does have a posse of some 30 showgirls for MBFWA, including big local names such as Emma Balfour, Alice Burdeu, Ruby Jean Wilson, Lauren Brown, Bambi Northwood-Blyth and Amanda Ware; exciting new girls like Amelia Zadro (above) and some cool internationals.  

The showboys: Priscillas Model Management - MBFWA SS 12/13

jacob hankin/jordan graham via priscillas

Judging by the traffic over the past week, it's clear that some readers can't get enough of frockwriter's Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia Spring/Summer 2012/2013 model showcard posts. So here are two more for you: the women' and mens' show packs from another major Australian agency, Priscillas Model Management. First up, the guys - who include a half dozen new faces who have never previously been seen at the event. Two cases in point Jacob Hankin (above) and Sylvester Terzini - the son of famed Sydney restaurateur Maurice Terzini (Icebergs, North Bondi Italian Food, Nield Avenue etc...). They join established local names such as Max Pernickety, Juan Onekawa, Mason Mulholland and Nathaniel Rooklyn and a few internationals.

The showboys: Gear Model Management - MBFWA SS 12/13

jono palmer via gear model management

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia is primarily a showcase of womenswear collections. That said, a few designers also do menswear and this year's event, which runs from April 30th - May 4th at Sydney's Overseas Passenger Terminal, includes one group menswear show. All the agencies whose MBFWA SS1213 womens' showcard packs frockwriter has published over the past three days - from Chic to Chadwick, Viviens and The Agency Models - also of course represent men, who will be out and about at MBFWA show castings, alongside their female colleagues. This time we thought we would focus on some guys. It's a particularly strong group of new faces from another new, niche Sydney agency called Gear Model Management (which, likewise, also represents women). These new faces include striking 22 year-old Sydneysider Jono Palmer (above), who looks like the love child of Andrej Pejic and Megadeth's Dave Mustaine. 

The showgirls: The Agency Models - MBFWA SS 12/13

petra goodall/gavriel maynard via the agency models

Yesterday frockwriter brought you the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia Spring/Summer 2012/2103 showcard packs from three of Australia's biggest model agencies - Chic Management, Chadwick Models and Viviens Model Management. But there are also a number of independent, niche players in the industry. Case in point, Lincoln Ferguson's The Agency Models. In 2011, this Bondi Beach-based boutique firm scouted Krystal Glynn, who was a hit not only at last year's event, but also at New York Fashion Week in September. Glynn is back this year for MBFWA, alongside Lola Van Vorst and a number of very interesting new faces, who are not all your typical model glamazons, but include some very cool-looking 'indie' girls. In fact 10 of the agency's 14 SS1213 showgirls are new faces. 

The showgirls: Viviens Model Management - MBFWA SS 12/13

eliza baker via busy models

Who will be walking the runways of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia later this month in Sydney? Here is the third instalment in frockwriter's MBFWA SS 12/13 showgirls series. After the Chic Management and Chadwick agencies, now comes Viviens. And while there are some well-known names here - such as Melissa Johannsen, Avril Alexander and Vanessa Milde - what's interesting about this particular model pack is that of the 41 women being promoted by Viviens for the event, over half are new faces. The agency reports there is already considerable interest from MBFWA designers in newcomer Eliza Baker (pictured above). 

The showgirls: Chadwick Models - MBFWA SS 12/13

georgia herbert/cameron etchells via an adventure

So who will walk the runways of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia? Here is Part II of frockwriter's MBFWA SS1213 showgirls series: the show pack from Chadwick Models. Once again, it's a mix of new, established and international faces. It is a testament to the ongoing success of the Australian modelling industry that, as with Chic Management, Chadwick's show pack includes two models who, although hitherto unseen at Australian Fashion Week, already have international runway experience. Jenna Hall has walked at Berlin Fashion Week. And Claire Collins has done one international ready-to-wear season. Oh - and a Chanel haute couture show. Our new fave Katerina Chang is also new to the event; as is Kiwi Brigette Thomas, the 2011 winner of New Zealand's Next Top Model.  

The showgirls: Chic Management - MBFWA SS 12/13

gabby westbrook-patrick/chic management

The big kahuna of Australian fashion showcases – Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia – is just around the corner, April 30th – May 4th. The official schedule is now confirmed. But who is going to walk the runways? Frockwriter has some answers. For their Spring/Summer 2012/2013 'show packages' - that is, the models promoted by each Australian model agency to designers for the season - the agencies have gathered together an exciting mix of new faces, local runway veterans and some internationals who are flying in as we speak for castings. Here is Chic Management’s MBFWA lineup. 

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia SS1213: The Survivor edition

So Australian Fashion Week is back in its third incarnation from April 30th to May 4th. Founded in 1996 as Mercedes Australian Fashion Week, Rosemount became the naming rights sponsor in 2007 and now, five years later, Mercedes-Benz is back on deck, to the reported tune of AUD 1million. The new official title is Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia. For the past four years we have pulled together a preview schedule ahead of organiser IMG Fashion Asia Pacific's official schedule release. So here we go again. Why so soon? Because earlier this week IMG went out with a press release - unusually, some nine weeks ahead of the event - to announce which designers are on board so far this season. Could the timing of this release have anything to do with next week's L'Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival? We have a hunch it might. UPDATE 07/04: FINAL CONFIRMED SCHEDULE BELOW, VIA MBFWA. UPDATE 16/04: BOTH DION LEE AND JOSH GOOT HAVE NOW CANCELLED THEIR MBFWA SHOWS. 

Flame war - Elliot Ward-Fear and Thom Kerr do battle for Autumn/Winter 2012

Elliot Ward-Fear’s moment in the sun has been a long time coming. The 23 year old NSW TAFE graduate, who hails from the picturesque Blue Mountains just outside of Sydney, has yet to make a standalone runway outing in Australia. That’s due to change in late April, when he is scheduled to stage his solo Australian Fashion Week debut. Ward-Fear’s first two collections didn’t generate any wholesale sales, just a few private commissions. But they did score quite some publicity – thanks notably to an edgy campaign for Autumn/Winter 2011 from Australian fashion photographer Thom Kerr. After skipping one season altogether, Ward-Fear is back in the game with an Autumn/Winter 2012 collection called Flame, which comes accompanied by yet more conceptual Thom Kerr imagery. Here is a first look at the lookbook, starring New Zealand’s own comeback queen, Liv O’Driscoll.