I was lucky enough to be invited to the media launch of the 'Frock Stars' exhibition at the Powerhouse museum starting tomorrow. It commemorates 15 years of Rosemount Australian Fashion Week as well as exploring the fast-paced, furious and fantastic world of fashion that we all love - from design process to runway. Using items sourced from the Powerhouse Museum's own extensive archival collection as well as those donated by obliging journos, designers, photographers, make up artists, buyers and various other fashion superstars, it is literally chock-a-block with EVERYTHING possible that is related to the production of a fashion show. It focuses, of course, on Australian Fashion Week (mercedes/rosemount). You can walk through a typical backstage (with the clothes labelled for models like 'Abbey-Lee' and 'Samantha H.'), work a look on a long catwalk, design your own paperdoll couture with easton pearson prints, read up on australian fashion week through the years - remember the infamous 'rats on the runway' tsubi show, or kirsty hinze in a swarovski swimsuit and diamond python?
One of the most interesting sections were interviews with different fashion personalities who sit front row - Collete Garnsey head buyer at David Jones, Belinda Seper retail supernova, Kirsty Clements editor in chief of Vogue Australia, Godfrey Deeney writer for fashion global wire and Melissa Hoyer style commentator. Their thoughts can be heard through headphones while you sit in their 'front row seat' along the imaginary runway. It's a nice touch, and one that is very informative. Being a bit of a Kirsty fan myself (I've met her!) I loved hearing her thoughts on supporting Australian fashion. Belinda Seper is also an extremely interesting woman - articulate and possessing impeccable taste. Australians know that her boutiques Belinda and The Corner Shop have changed the face of Australian fashion. Melissa Hoyer also touched on the interesting subject of bloggers in the front row, something obviously very close to my heart. It's not just the front row faces who get profiled though - interviews with make up artists, show producers and social photographers are scattered throughout the exhibition.
"This is a chance for the broader Australian public to get at 'backstage pass' to one of this country's biggest annual events, usually only accessible to the fashion industry," says Powerhouse Museum director Dawn Casey. If ever this was an excuse to revel in some fashion frippery, the 15th anniversary of RAFW is it. 15 of the most memorable outfits line the runway to remind us how far Australian fashion has come, and how much we have to be proud of in our small, but valuable industry.
Open 22 April - 29 August
they even had lots of fashion show invitations - some of them works of art themselves, and interviews with graphic designers talking about their creative process. it is amazing the level of detail the powerhouse museum curators go to!
the '15 outfits for 15 years' runway featuring archival designs or those generously loaned by willow, tsubi/ksubi, akira isogawa, alex perry, romance was born, colette dinnigan and more!
Nicola Finetti generously donated the use of sketches, swatches, samples, mannikins and various other workshop materials to illustrate the design process.
the easton pearson paperdoll runway!
Centrepiece - Romance Was Born from the fabulous collection last year.
Sorry for the crappy iphone pics, but hopefully they just inspire you to experience the real thing :)
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