Zimmermann swaps MBFWA for New York Fashion Week

krystal glynn backstage at zimmermann SS1213

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia is counting down to the Spring/Summer 2013/2014 showcase from April 8 -12 at its brand new venue, Carriageworks. That’s nearly a month ahead of the event’s traditional time slot of late April/early May, a change that was made last year after concerns were raised by many in the industry that the timing was too late for contemporary buying cycles. But it seems you can’t keep everyone happy.

Frockwriter's Top 10 posts of 2012

We usually flag the top posts of the previous 12 months on Frockwriter’s July 4 birthday each year. This year we opted instead to focus on some of the challenges – and frustrations - of trying to maintain an independent news blog, whilst avoiding getting sucked into the vortex of the blogger gravy train. So here is a list of our top stories for 2012, rated by traffic. The year’s number one post, Close encounters of the KL kind – which attracted over 20,000 hits - is incidentally also one of the top posts in this blog's four and a half year history. It's also a story on which we personally received considerable feedback, from people who contacted us to say how much they enjoyed reading it. Not bad for a post that we originally hesitated publishing at all, because of its length and potential TLDR factor – “too long didn’t read” being the mantra of many when confronted with longform pieces on the net.

Once upon a time in David Jones

the great restaurant at david jones, 1938

With apologies to Miranda Kerr, the terrific cast and some great Australian designer offerings at David Jones' Autumn/Winter 2012 showcase on Wednesday, in frockwriter's opinion the real star of the evening was DJs' just-restored On Seven space. This was no mere refurb, but essentially the fruit of retail archaeology - not to mention a multimillion dollar budget that must have made the David Jones board hyperventilate when it was first proposed mid 2011, shortly after ceo Paul Zahra issued a shock profit downgrade. Originally launched in 1928 as The Great Restaurant, the space was shuttered in 1965 and eventually cut in half with a floating ceiling in 1981, to make room for an international designer brand floor. The remaining void became home to over 200 different utility cables and a lot of dust. The space has been hidden from public view for the best part of 50 years.

Close encounters of the KL kind

rose smith backstage at carl kapp's SS1112 show, sydney, may 2011

Publicists would disagree, but any journalist worth their salt will tell you the best stories never come straight off a press release. Occasionally that’s where they start, however. And so it was at 2.44pm on January 16th, when I received an email from Sydney-based fashion PR firm Little Hero headed “Malaysia’s First Lady covets Carl Kapp”, alerting me to what they were claiming would in anybody’s terms constitute an unusually large single, personal order of a designer brand - 61 items. Many designers wouldn't have 61 pieces in a single collection. The alleged client was Rosmah Mansor, the wife of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak. I called Little Hero back within minutes. The story had been passed over by the fashion editors of two Australian newspapers, said Little Hero staffer Holly Beer, who immediately followed up with a second email, with yet more tantalising details. The second of two appointments had taken place in the PM’s hotel on New Year's Eve – as it emerged, The Star Sydney Casino’s new venue The Darling, the penthouse no less – with the PM himself present. After taking Rosmah's measurements and near six figure order, Kapp was due to be flown by the client to KL for a second round of fittings, said Beer. "It was unbelievably surreal" Kapp told me later that day. Indeed. No mention was made of Kapp being dispatched to KL in a Learjet but by this stage nothing would have surprised me. UPDATE 02/02/12: PM Najib has now gone on the record on Twitter about the Carl Kapp story. In response to a question about frockwriter's post, he described it as: "a wildly exaggerated story deliberately fabricated to affect people's perception of their leaders". UPDATE 06/05/13: As we mentioned in a recent interview with the ABC's Radio National, according to sources close to Kapp, he was paid upfront for the order - in cash.  

Carl Kapp's couture capers in KL

via balik pulau

A burgeoning Aussiewood fanbase already lusts after Carl Kapp's chic draped silk evening gowns and killer tailoring, but now Kapp can add political stylist to his repertoire. On December 30, the South African-born, Sydney-based designer (pictured below, backstage at his debut Australian Fashion Week show last May) took a call from someone claiming to work in the Malaysian government, asking about the availability of limo parking near his Paddington store/studio. Shortly afterwards, Kapp found himself receiving a party of six and being introduced to the "the First Lady of Malaysia", Rosmah Mansor (above). Kapp was told that the group had come straight from Sydney department store David Jones, which is in its first season selling Kapp's brand. Having apparently become so smitten with his collection, Rosmah wanted to see more. After making multiple selections in Kapp's Paddington store, which was already filled with regular customers, he proposed a far more civilised private appointment. SEE UPDATES BELOW.  

Night Kapp

Carl Kapp took his time showing at RAFW. Born and trained in South Africa and a former hire of the Kenzo and DKNY studios, the Sydney-based designer launched the second incarnation of his label in 2006 (his first, Pieter Kapp, was dismantled in 1998) and now has an established business and following that includes high profile clients such as Cate Blanchett, Nicole Kidman and Rose Byrne. Noted for his tailoring and draped eveningwear, Kapp sent out a short but very powerful brand statement last night for his debut at the event: a highly polished collection of draped silk goddess gowns with intricate strapwork in a kaleidoscope of colours, from rich jewel tones down to the softest blush pinks. The models looked exquisite, like the corps of some forgotten ancient Greek ballet. If the Caryatids of the Acropolis were into designer brands, they’d probably be wearing Carl Kapp.

RAFW Spring/Summer 2011/2012 - The commuter edition

Australia's most high profile fashion event, Rosemount Australian Fashion Week, runs from May 2-6. As per tradition, frockwriter has been making a list and checking it twice, ahead of the official release by organiser IMG Fashion Asia Pacific. Two years may have passed since the abbreviated "Recessionista edition", but that does not mean that retail is still not incredibly tough. Or that sponsors are not thin on the ground. Two longstanding RAFW partners will not be showing: Nicola Finetti, who has shown at the event every year since its 1996 launch and New Zealand's Zambesi. You can catch them in their showrooms. Also AWOL this season: Friedrich Gray, with designer Ben Pollitt taking a break from not just RAFW, but in fact putting his label on ice. The good news: among the big names showing are two of Australia's best-known designers, both returning to the schedule after several years showing in New York and London - Toni Maticevski and Josh Goot. Update 21/04: Good to see that Romance Was Born finally got over the line with its show plans. Although technically not on schedule, their slot is the next best thing: an unofficial kickoff to the week on the afternoon of Sunday May 1st.