The birth of 'trashion'
Apparently spring is approaching. It must be because we've now had the official launch of Melbourne Spring Fashion Week - made memorable by the introduction of the founders of a certain local label as "Spring Fashion Week's Fat ambassadors".
Not a bid to restore body confidence I'm afraid, but a reference to the fact that directional Melbourne brand Fat has been appointed to represent all that's cool about MSFW. Spring in Melbourne means the budding of new life, champagne, equine flu and falling over... but this year there's a difference... A dark shadow threatens the season, with traditionalists up in arms with the Victorian Racing Club (VRC). Why? Because VRC had the nerve to relax the rules of its 'Fashions on the Field' competition by ditching the word "classic" from entry criteria.
You can almost hear the screams of horror from the Tru and Pru camp, who fear an invasion of trashy fashion - let's call it 'trashion' - as a result. They're probably wishing VRC would take its cue from the UK, where organisers at Royal Ascot have enforced stricter dress codes this year, including bans on mini-skirts, exposed midriffs, strapless and halter dresses, and frocks with shoulder straps less than an inch wide.
All well and good Up Over, where tradition is the go, but I have to say I sympathise with the VRC spokesperson, who bravely explained the only reason the word 'classic' was dropped from the Flemington event was that it might prevent fashion-forward looks from entering.
Fair point... Isn't directional fashion one of Melbourne's strongest selling points? Why else would those Fat dudes be chosen as the ambassadors for MSFW - itself closely aligned with the racing season? Sure, we all know trashion when we see it, (clingy nylon strappy numbers with too much cleavage and back fat anyone?), but directional doesn't have to mean trashy. That is... unless recent japes across the Tasman take hold. Possibly organisers of the delightfully titled 'Avant-Garbage' parade in Hamilton, NZ, had taken the concept of recycled fashion a step too far...
Among the garments showcased at the event was an evening gown made from eel skins, whose designer revealed (as conjectured in a previous KW column about eel skin swimwear) that they do in fact pong; she'd had to cure them in her car port by rubbing them down with kerosene and baking soda... eeeeuuw!
Meanwhile other entrants told of irons draped with melted plastic bags and frantic digs through their rubbish bins, no doubt under cover of darkness. One winning contestant had created a mini skirt with a six foot-long train and matching giant wings, which required no less than 27,000 white duck feathers and 500 hours to complete.
You really have to wonder, if something is made of recycled materials but takes over 60 business days to complete, is it worth all the bother? But then, I suppose it might just be, if only to convince those who live in fear of trashion that they ain't seen nothing yet.
By Kat Walker