Written by Tania Braukamper
L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival (LMFF) took a well deserved break from the frilly cocktail dresses, models trading their high heels for unlaced boots and their sexy struts for nonchalant swaggers, at Wednesday night's L'Oreal Paris Runway 5.
Fool opened the show with a brightly-coloured spectacle of novelty hats, pom-poms, soft toys and other miscellany, before wild-child model Jethro Cave emerged in Jack London's tight black leather pants, drawing excited cheers from the young female crowd.
Alpha60's relaxed cuts and loose fits were effortlessly sexy on both the boys and girls. NOM*D layered up pieces with raw edges and unfinished hems in a jumbled celebration of textures, prints and fabrics. ANT!PODiUM introduced some casual androgyny with boyfriend shirts and tees along with tailcoats and tophats.
S!X brought what I'm starting to feel is an obligatory element to any supposedly-innovative show; deconstructionism. Though some of the deconstructed looks were a bit too cliche for my liking, other outfits worked well in a thrown-together yet more saleable way.

Friedrich Gray was another highlight of the evening - look out for some super-cool skinny pants that are leather from the thigh down, giving the illusion of over-the-knee boots. Therese Rawsthorne closed the show with looks that were rocked-up femininity, including some seductive uses of the sheer trend and some interesting sequin details.
Click on the gallery below to view more photos of the L'Oreal Paris Runway 5 parade.
Click 'L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival(LMFF) 2009 - L'Oreal Paris Runway 5' for all 174 photos