L’Oreal Paris Runway 3 brought another eight Australian labels to the L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival (LMFF) runway, and – flowing on from Runway 2 before it – was again a foray into beautiful evening gowns and flirtatious cocktail dresses.
Aurelio Costarella redefined ruffles, evoking images of fluttering birds with his masses of silken frills. One black and white gown in particular had wing-like ruffles across the shoulders (pictured above), and was definitely a stand-out piece for the evening. Nicola Finetti took it back to black, with splashes of emerald green, and Nicolangela’s colour palette of silver, yellow and black took form in refreshing stripes and confetti-like patterns.
Leopold brought the tuxedo menswear trend to the runway, as well as some more relaxed outfits; and slipped a few bright pops of colour into an otherwise Melbournian colour palette.
Su took hemlines back down to the knee, and then worked in some interesting uses of the sheer trend.
Juli Grbac’s ruffled satin dresses showed the same flair for cocktail-wear that won her Project Runway, but it was a jacket with studded Balmain-esque shoulders that really stood out from the collection. Jayson Brundston presented yet more ruffles and some outstanding asymmetrical necklines.
Gwendolynne, always a favourite of ours, again reminded us why by abandoning last year’s pretty frills in favour of pumping rock music and black fingerless gloves. As one of a rare breed that can constantly change without losing her trademark style, her pieces again came complete with intricate beading and detailing. Headpieces were, of course, by Gwendolynne’s long-time friend and collaborator Richard Nylon.
Click on the gallery below to view the full set of photo coverage from the parade.
