Frockwriter first noticed Katerina Chang at the David Jones show in Sydney last month. As it emerges, it is no surprise that we haven't seen that much of her. Living in Australia for four years, initially studying a marketing degree at the University of Western Sydney, this 21 year-old Taiwanese beauty with Marlene Dietrich cheekbones first walked into the Sydney offices of Chadwick Models in July last year. She has been quietly building a body of work.
Kirrily Johnston says her ‘Habitat’ collection was inspired by “the spaces around us - the fusion of the wild and controlled; the structures , shapes, colours and comforts of our everyday living”. But with all its draped jersey eveningwear, leather apronry and knockout gladiator sandal boots going on, it seemed the habitat in question might belong to one Maximus Decimus Meridius. It was a smart collection of easy resortwear in a desert-kissed palette of dust, cinnamon and slate, with metallic accents. Dresses are a Kirrily Johnston signature and this season’s offerings included sporty colourblocked T-shirt dresses and a simple tamarillo sheath that could double up for a corporate wardrobe. The on-trend animal print deployed in, among other garments, a cute capsule swimwear collection, was inspired by Johnston’s new Bengal cat - a new, genetically-engineered breed whose markings resemble those of a leopard. With the RAFW schedule running one and half hours late by that stage, pity anyone who turned up on time. With breaking news of the Osama Bin Laden ambush, however, there was plenty to talk about.
I first noticed Rachel Rutt one year ago, after Chic Management included her in the agency's RAFW 2008 newbies list when I was compiling this NEWS.com.au blog post on the season's new faces. One month later, when local media caught onto the lack of runway diversity story, which provided the catalyst for Vogue Italia's all-black July 2008 edition, the Eurasian beauty, who is half Singaporean and half English, told The Australian that the local fashion industry was "very Caucasian-oriented". But we didn't have to wait long before seeing a lot more of Rutt. In August, she walked in the David Jones Spring/Summer 0809 show and booked a series of lookbooks, from Akira to Gail Sorronda to Minty Meets Munt. And as became increasingly obvious at this year's RAFW, 18 year-old Rutt was Chic Management's breakout star at the event, walking in more shows than any other Chic Management model according to the agency.
Well guess who is New York-bound at the end of this month? That's right, Miss Rutt.
For those northern hemisphere modelwatchers reading this blog, please note - as was pointed out on frockwriter's parallel Twitter coverage during RAFW - Rutt was not only in high rotation on Sydney's catwalks three weeks ago, she was also booked for two videos which provided the backdrop to two separate shows over consecutive nights at the event: Kirrily Johnston and Gary Bigeni.
For those who haven't already seen the first one via a couple of other blogs which filmed straight off the runway, here is the Kirrily Johnston film made by Alex Goddard over at Oyster Productions:
And here is Nick Waterman’s 'Beside Ourselves' film, which played the following evening during Bigeni's show.
Bigeni kindly uploaded this to YouTube for frockwriter and after that version seemed a little fuzzy, reuploaded to the better-quality Vimeo hosting service. The video is however still extremely fuzzy. But you get the gist.
New Zealand Fashion Week announced its lineup about an hour ago in Auckland and, thanks to Kiwi operative Paul Blomfield, frockwriter can reveal the biggest news: Kirrily Johnston is the first Australian designer to join the event. Not only that, Moët et Chandon has jumped on board as champagne sponsor.
Now heading into its eighth year, this is the first year that New Zealand Fashion Week has opened its doors to Australians. In May, NZFW creative director Myken Stewart told me that should enough Australians in fact be interested in showing, then they might consider adding another day to the schedule.
So far Johnston is the only Australian to head to Auckland and the schedule remains a 4-day only affair, which runs from 16th-19th September down on Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour. To be followed by the Fashion Weekend event – a public showcase of collections highlights and season previews.
The news is interesting in light of the demise of the Transseasonal – nee autumn/winter – showcase of Australian Fashion Week. This year IMG finally canned the struggling event, in order to focus on its consumer-nosed Sydney Fashion Festival. Interesting, because if designers aren't willing to cough up funds to show their winter collections on schedule in Sydney, it is presumably going to be a lot more expensive to schlep a show over to NZ.
"It’s worked out honestly to be less expensive for us than shooting a campaign, which is what we would normally do for winter" Johnston told me on Friday afternoon, adding that "there's not a lot of difference" in the show comparison shots, beyond the fact that she needs to fly a team over. She hopes most costs will be covered by sponsorship.
Johnston said she had in fact been planning a trip to NZ at the exact moment NZFW approached her to do a show. Like other Australians, Johnston recently decided to devote more attention to the Asian market.
A Hong Kong trip earlier this year proved to very successful in terms of media coverage, she said.
Noted Johnston, "For me its about New Zealand, Hong Kong and Japan [at the moment]. You're there in one day, you don't suffer the hideous jet lag. This is where we getting our strength from at the moment".
So far only names of the key participating brands, and not the official schedule, have been released. They include:
• Kirrily Johnston • Trelise Cooper • World (great to see these guys back after four years) • Hailwood • Stolen Girlfriends Club • Lonely Hearts • Zambesi • Nom*D • Cybele • Huffer • Stitch Ministry • Yvonne Bennetti • Paula Ryan • Juliet Hogan • Deadly Ponies • Annah Stretton • Michael Pattison
No Kate Sylvester this year. Karen Walker will stage some kind of presentation/party.
In the current economic climate, in which everyone seems to be trimming the PR fat, the Moët et Chandon move is also interesting.
Especially in light of the news that in Australia at least, Moët is dropping its long-standing Melbourne Cup Carnival Birdcage marquee this year - in favour of an exclusive, inner-city, club-type venue. The latter is bound to cost less than the 500K Moët reportedly ponies up for its Birdcage spot.
Several years ago Moët also pulled the plug on its sponsorship of Australian Fashion Week.
“AFW went from Moët to Rosemount – New Zealand Fashion Week has gone from Deutz to Moët” noted one wag of the Kiwi bubbles upgrade.
Hurtling in a cab en route to the first show of Fashion Week day two - Kirrily Johnston, down once again at Bondi Icebergs. It's another beautiful day for a fashion meet. Many of us won't be quite as fresh-faced this morning as the last however due to the Dita Von Teese performance last night.
It was well past 11pm when the show finally wrapped and for those of us who then had to produce material to go to air, that wasn't the end of it. I was liaising with my producer until the wee hours this morning, checking that DVT's management had given their 'OK' to the footage for our video packages today.
Von Teese's management obliged all media outlets recording the performance to provide not just the performance footage for approval, but in fact the edited, ie ready-to-air stories - stitching everybody up with a signed contract before they could get through the door.
And look I thoroughly appreciate that DVT has an image to protect, and that some might well be keen to take the images of her writhing on a giant bucking bronco of a lipstick out of context, but I did have to laugh when I spotted what appeared to be dozens of mobile phones whipped out by punters the minute DVT hit the stage to record their own take-home versions of proceedings for posterity. Or YouTube, take your pick (on which currently appears a somewhat raunchier version of last night's show). If you can't stop Saddam Hussein's execution leaking onto the internet, what hope has poor Dita Von Teese of protecting her dignity for heaven's sake?
Now in another cab hurtling back to the OPT for the next shows. Once again Icebergs provided a glorious backdrop to Johnston's jolts of spring/summer colour.
In the case of this season's very sportif collection, the jolts were flashes of canary and saffron yellow and notably, a vibrant Pine Lime Splice green. I liked this collection, particularly the saffron yellow knit and grey marle micro singlet dresses with 'tough chic' exposed zipper and grommet embellishments, as well as Johnston's odes to the floor-length patio dress style, a nice contrast to all the uber minis we saw yesterday.
I liked the lime dress series best of all - all looking like they could have been made out of parka nylon, but which in fact were fashioned from various treatments of silk, from featherlight silk cotton to a glossy, viscose twill-look version. They were bright, breezy and effortlessly chic. But I couldn't help noting what I thought were some far too literal references to Alber Elbaz's just-shown AW0708 collection for Lanvin, the leitmotiv of which collection was a series of massive 'power' sleeves on loose shift shapes. Unlike some others working in the Australian market, Johnston has her own quite distinct aesthetic and, staying 'on trend' aside, I think she should follow her instincts a little more closely next time.
After berating Pete Stevanovski for being a luvvie yesterday and holding up the Akira show, I became one myself this morning. After booking a cab and then the cab disappearing when I didn't turn up at the designated time, I spent 15-20 minutes trying to find another. Managed to catch most of the Kirrily Johnston show. Fresh and fluid, her full-length, draped grey marle jersey gown and bright orange bubble dresses were a very good start to Day Two.
Icebergs was a great backdrop for the last show - but getting there and then getting back to the main venue (Overseas Passenger Terminal) can create delays.
The offsite thing has always been problematic. Many designers want to show in their own venues for ambience and that's fair enough. But not all of us luvvies have a private car and driver.
Finally flagged down a cab outside Icebergs and en route to White Suede at the OPT. It sounds like a brand of condoms, but in fact it's a newish resort brand that's rising quickly. Solo show - and big spot at David Jones.
Came face to face with Tsubi's Dan Single out the front of Icebergs and he seemed to be giving me evils. The Tsubi boys may have to change their brand name as the result of a trademark dispute with a Californian footwear brand, Tsubo.
Don't shoot me guys. It can't all be free frocks, handbags, jeans - and good press.
